崇明东滩鸟类栖息地优化区越冬水鸟的栖息地利用及影响因子

阐明水鸟栖息地利用与环境因子的关系有助于制定针对性的水鸟保护对策。本研究在2012~2013年冬季对崇明东滩鸟类栖息地优化区内越冬水鸟的种类、数量以及6种环境因子(植被面积比例、裸地面积比例、水深、地形变异、栖息地结构多样性和干扰)进行调查,以了解水鸟对人工湿地的栖息地利用及其影响因子。野外调查共记录到水鸟24种9 018只,其中优势种为斑嘴鸭(Anas poecilorhyncha)和绿头鸭(A.platyrhynchos);栖息地优化区内水鸟休息的个体数量占总数量的79.2%,这表明优化区是大多数水鸟的休息地,而小(Tachybaptus ruficollis)、白骨顶(Fulica atra)、黑水鸡(Gallinula chloropus)、白琵鹭(Platalea leucorodia)和黑脸琵鹭(P.minor)的觅食个体数量超过60%,说明优化区也为这些鸟类提供了觅食地。逐步回归分析表明,裸地面积比例是影响越冬水鸟种类分布的最主要因子;尽管游禽在地形变异较大、植被面积比例较低的区域数量较多,但在休息时游禽更偏好于裸地面积比例较高的区域,而涉禽休息时偏好于地形变异较大的区域。为增加栖息地优化区内的水鸟多样性,建议在优化区内种植水鸟可食的沉水植物以增加水鸟的食物资源,同时增加裸地面积比例和地形变异程度,更好地为水鸟提供栖息地。     

The elimination of fox rabies from Europe: determinants of success and lessons for the future

Despite perceived challenges to controlling an infectious disease in wildlife, oral rabies vaccination (ORV) of foxes has proved a remarkably successful tool and a prime example of a sophisticated strategy to eliminate disease from wildlife reservoirs. During the past three decades, the implementation of ORV programmes in 24 countries has led to the elimination of fox-mediated rabies from vast areas of Western and Central Europe. In this study, we evaluated the efficiency of 22 European ORV programmes between 1978 and 2010. During this period an area of almost 1.9 million km² was targeted at least once with vaccine baits, with control taking between 5 and 26 years depending upon the country. We examined factors influencing effort required both to control and eliminate fox rabies as well as cost-related issues of these programmes. The proportion of land area ever affected by rabies and an index capturing the size and overlap of successive ORV campaigns were identified as factors having statistically significant effects on the number of campaigns required to both control and eliminate rabies. Repeat comprehensive campaigns that are wholly overlapping much more rapidly eliminate infection and are less costly in the long term. Disproportionally greater effort is required in the final phase of an ORV programme, with a median of 11 additional campaigns required to eliminate disease once incidence has been reduced by 90 per cent. If successive ORV campaigns span the entire affected area, rabies will be eliminated more rapidly than if campaigns are implemented in a less comprehensive manner, therefore reducing ORV expenditure in the longer term. These findings should help improve the planning and implementation of ORV programmes, and facilitate future decision-making by veterinary authorities and policy-makers.     

Identification and characterization of autotransporter proteins of Yersinia pestis KIM

Yersinia pestis is a Gram-negative bacterium that causes plague. Currently, plague is considered a re-emerging infectious disease and Y. pestis a potential bioterrorism agent. Autotransporters (ATs) are virulence proteins translocated by a variety of pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria across the cell envelope to the cell surface or extracellular environment. In this study, we screened the genome of Yersinia pestis KIM for AT genes whose expression might be relevant for the pathogenicity of this plague-causing organism. By in silico analyses, we identified ten putative AT genes in the genomic sequence of Y. pestis KIM; two of these genes are located within known pathogenicity islands. The expression of all ten putative AT genes in Y. pestis KIM was confirmed by RT-PCR. Five genes, designated yapA, yapC, yapG, yapK and yapN, were subsequently cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli K12 for protein secretion studies. Two forms of the YapA protein (130 kDa and 115 kDa) were found secreted into the culture medium. Protease cleavage at the C terminus of YapA released the protein from the cell surface. Outer membrane localization of YapC (65 kDa), YapG (100 kDa), YapK (130 kDa), and YapN (60 kDa) was established by cell fractionation, and cell surface localization of YapC and YapN was demonstrated by protease accessibility experiments. In functional studies, YapN and YapK showed hemagglutination activity and YapC exhibited autoagglutination activity. Data reported here represent the first study on Y. pestis ATs.     

秦岭南坡油松-锐齿槲栎混交林群落不同层次多样性特征及环境解释

在秦岭山脉南坡陕西省境内设置11个样地进行实地调查,从植物物种组成、多样性指数差异以及多样性指数沿环境梯度排序等方面对该区域油松-锐齿槲栎天然混交林的群落总体以及乔木层、灌木层、草本层的各自4个α多样性指数（Patrick丰富度指数、Simpson优势度指数、Shannon-Wiener多样性指数、Pielou均匀度指数）特征进行分析,以揭示该群落多样性特征及其与环境因素的关系。结果显示：（1）11个样地共记录维管束植物112种,隶属于45科77属,分布较广的物种有蔷薇科、菊科、百合科、松科、禾本科和忍冬科。（2）研究区群落中建群种锐齿槲栎和油松的优势地位突出,乔木层伴生种稀少,平均仅为4.8种,多样性水平较低;灌木层物种组成丰富,平均11.4种;草本层次之,平均9种。（3）单因素方差分析表明,该群落不同层次的多样性指数之间均存在极显著差异（P<0.01）;LSD多重比较及多样性指数变化趋势分析表明,群落多样性水平表现为总体>灌木层>草本层>乔木层。（4）CCA法将群落不同层次多样性指数沿地形因子和土壤养分等12项环境指标梯度的分布划分为界线明显的3个区域,即Ⅰ区（中等浓度土壤磷素和有机质制约区）、Ⅱ区（非环境因子制约区）和Ⅲ区（高浓度土壤磷素制约区）;群落总体多样性主要受灌木层影响,同时也受乔木层均匀度影响,但环境因子对乔木层多样性基本无限制性作用。（5）土壤速效磷、全磷和有机质是造成研究区群落不同层次多样性差异的主要因素,海拔、坡向等地形因子对群落多样性影响不大,可能是由于土壤养分的直接影响削弱了地形因子的间接性生态作用。研究表明：保持中等水平的土壤速效磷（3.775±1.529 mg·kg^-1）和有机质含量［（4.079±1.001）%］,并通过合理补植松栎幼树和伐除枯死木等抚育手段提高乔木层均匀度是维持秦岭南坡油松-锐齿槲栎混交林群落生物多样性的有效措施。     

不同类群水生昆虫群落间的一致性以及空间和环境因子的相对作用

生物多样性监测和保护过程中通常用到指示类群,然而对于这些指示类群有效性的测度仍然十分欠缺.为探讨不同类群水生昆虫群落的一致性及空间因子、环境变量的相对影响,作者于2010年4月对东苕溪流域源头溪流21个采样点进行了调查.共记录水生昆虫7目44科92属130种.我们将水生昆虫群落划分成鞘翅目(C)、蜉蝣目+襀翅目+毛翅目(EPT)和双翅目+广翅目+蜻蜒目(DMO)3个类群.一致性分析结果表明:3个类群的群落一致性(r)较高,分别为C对EPTr=0.65 (P＜0.001)、C对DMO r=0.67 (P＜0.001)、EPT对DMO r=0.82 (P＜0.001).方差分解表明环境变量是影响不同类群水生昆虫群落结构的主要因素,空间因子的影响相对较小.环境因子中影响不同类群水生昆虫群落的关键变量大体相似,其中海拔、pH、平均流速和化学需氧量是最主要的驱动因子.我们的结果表明该研究区域不同类群的水生昆虫群落一致性很高,且对环境变量的响应也相似;因此,在水生昆虫生物多样性保护中可考虑利用其中的某一类群,如蜉蝣目+襀翅目+毛翅目(EPT)类群,作为有效的指示类群.     

l-Serine Production Improved by Analogue-resistant Mutants of a Methanol-utilizing Bacterium

In the higher plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, histidine-to-aspartate (His-to-Asp) phosphorelay signal transduction systems play crucial roles in propagation of environmental stimuli, including plant hormones. This plant has 11 sensor His-kinases, 5 histidine-containing phosphotransfer (HPt) factors (AHPs), and 20 response regulators (ARRs). To gain new insight into the functions of these phosphorelay components, their intracellular localization was examined with use of GFP-fusion proteins, constructed for certain representatives of HPt factors (AHP2) and type-A and type-B ARRs (ARR6/ARR7 and ARR10, respectively). The results showed that AHP2 is mainly located in the cytoplasmic space, while both the types of ARRs have an ability to enter preferentially into the nuclei, if not exclusively. Together with the results from an in vitro phosphorelay assay with AHP2 and ARRs, these results are discussed, in terms of a geneal framework of the Arabidopsis His-to-Asp phosphorelay network.     

Case-control study of birth characteristics and the risk of hepatoblastoma

Background: Hepatoblastoma is a malignant embryonal tumor typically diagnosed in children younger than five years of age. Little is known on hepatoblastoma etiology. Methods: We matched California Cancer Registry records of hepatoblastomas diagnosed in children younger than age 6 from 1988 to 2007 to birth records using a probabilistic record linkage program, yielding 261 cases. Controls (n = 218,277), frequency matched by birth year to all cancer cases in California for the same time period, were randomly selected from California birth records. We examined demographic and socioeconomic information, birth characteristics, pregnancy history, complications in pregnancy, labor and delivery, and abnormal conditions and clinical procedures relating to the newborn, with study data taken from birth certificates. Results: We observed increased risks for hepatoblastoma among children with low [1500–2499 g, Odds Ratio (OR) = 2.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.29–3.15] and very low birthweight (<1500 g, OR = 15.4, 95% CI 10.7–22.3), preterm birth <33 weeks (OR = 7.27, 95% CI 5.00, 10.6), small size for gestational age (OR = 1.75, 95% CI 1.25–2.45), and with multiple birth pregnancies (OR = 2.52, 95% CI 1.54–4.14). We observed a number of pregnancy and labor complications to be related to hepatoblastoma, including preeclampsia, premature labor, fetal distress, and congenital anomalies. Conclusion: These findings confirm previously reported associations with low birthweight and preeclampsia. The relation with multiple birth pregnancies has been previously reported and may indicate a relation to infertility treatments.