中国南瓜海南农家品种间的遗传特异性分析和DNA指纹图谱构建

在收集中国南瓜海南农家品种的基础上,本研究应用ISSR和SRAP标记技术对28份海南农家品种间的遗传特异性进行了分析,并构建指纹图谱,为中国南瓜海南农家品种鉴定、评价、保护和利用提供科学依据。结果表明,所供试的品种间存在显著的遗传特异性,具有特殊的遗传基础或背景,所筛选的6个ISSR引物和11对SRAP引物共产生了10个特异标记和11条唯一缺失带;应用ISSR引物组合UBC807/UBC814/UBC844/UBC868和UBC808/UBC814/UBC844/UBC868,以及SRAP引物组合Me1/Em2 Me1/Em10 Me2/Em3和Me1/Em1 Me1/Em10 Me8/Em3分别绘制了四张28份中国南瓜海南农家品种的DNA指纹图谱,所构建的DNA指纹图谱直观、简单。ISSR标记和SRAP标记技术可有效应用于中国南瓜海南农家品种DNA指纹图谱的构建和遗传特异性鉴定。     

海南岛发现长舌果蝠

2019年7月于海南岛儋州市石花水洞网捕到1只蝙蝠,形态特征、头骨特征及线粒体Cyt b基因序列鉴定证实其为长舌果蝠(Eonycteris spelaea),该物种为海南岛蝙蝠分布新记录种。其主要鉴别特征为:中等体型,前臂长69.6 mm;第二指无爪;有一短尾,尾长12.9 mm,明显突出于股膜之后;肛腺发达;头骨较大,头骨和吻部相对较长,颅全长35.2 mm,吻长11.4 mm。本文报道了海南岛长舌果蝠的外部形态、头骨特征以及基于Cyt b基因序列的系统发育树结果,并与该物种已报道的数据进行了比较。     

Canopy structure of tropical and sub-tropical rain forests in relation to conifer dominance analysed with a portable LIDAR system

Background and Aims

Globally, conifer dominance is restricted to nutient-poor habitats in colder, drier or waterlogged environments, probably due to competition with angiosperms. Analysis of canopy structure is important for understanding the mechanism of plant coexistence in relation to competition for light. Most conifers are shade intolerant, and often have narrow, deep, conical crowns. In this study it is predicted that conifer-admixed forests have less distinct upper canopies and more undulating canopy surfaces than angiosperm-dominated forests.

Methods

By using a ground-based, portable light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system, canopy structure was quantified for old-growth evergreen rainforests with varying dominance of conifers along altitudinal gradients (200–3100 m a.s.l.) on tropical and sub-tropical mountains (Mount Kinabalu, Malaysian Borneo and Yakushima Island, Japan) that have different conifer floras.

Key Results

Conifers dominated at higher elevations on both mountains (Podocarpaceae and Araucariaceae on Kinabalu and Cupressaceae and Pinaceae on Yakushima), but conifer dominance also varied with soil/substrate conditions on Kinabalu. Conifer dominance was associated with the existence of large-diameter conifers. Forests with higher conifer dominance showed a canopy height profile (CHP) more skewed towards the understorey on both Kinabalu and Yakushima. In contrast, angiosperm-dominated forests had a CHP skewed towards upper canopy, except for lowland dipterocarp forests and a sub-alpine scrub dominated by small-leaved Leptospermum recurvum (Myrtaceae) on Kinabalu. Forests with a less dense upper canopy had more undulating outer canopy surfaces. Mixed conifer–angiosperm forests on Yakushima and dipterocarp forests on Kinabalu showed similar canopy structures.

Conclusions

The results generally supported the prediction, suggesting that lower growth of angiosperm trees (except L. recurvum on Kinabalu) in cold and nutrient-poor environments results in a sparser upper canopy, which allows shade-intolerant conifers to co-occur with angiosperm trees either as emergents or as codominants in the open canopy.     

Some aspects of the biology of the hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus L.) in the Manawatu,New Zealand

In a study area of 16.3 ha of dairy pasture and pine plantations in the Manawatu region of the southern North Island, 150 hedgehogs were marked and 356 recaptures recorded between 1 January 1970 and 24 June 1971. Population density was estimated at between 1.1/ha in winter and 2.5/ha in summer and autumn. Only 11 females and 5 males were considered to be residents, and these used overlapping feeding ranges of similar extent. Concentrations of food organisms became foci of hedgehog activity. During winter, when an estimated 20% of the population died, movement was restricted to the vicinity of the nest site; the hedgehogs hibernated fitfully during July‐October. The breeding season as such extended at least from November to March; some breeding activity was observed in most months, however. The average life span of adults was 1.97 years. The causes of 6 natural deaths and the incidence of abscesses and external parasites were noted.     

Strategic Management of an Invasive Ant‐scale Mutualism Enables Recovery of a Threatened Tropical Tree Species

Mutualisms between invasive ants and honeydew‐producing insects can have widespread negative effects on natural ecosystems. This is becoming an increasingly serious problem worldwide, causing certain ecosystems to change radically. Management of these abundant and influential mutualistic species is essential if the host ecosystem is to recover to its former non‐invaded status. This negative effect is particularly prevalent on some tropical islands, including Cousine Island, Seychelles. On this island, the invasive ant Pheidole megacephala has caused serious indirect damage to the threatened native Pisonia grandis trees via a mutualism with an invasive scale insect, Pulvinaria urbicola. We aimed to suppress the ant, thereby decoupling the mutualism and enabling recovery of the Pisonia trees. We treated all areas where ant pressure was high with a selective formicidal bait, which was deployed in custom‐made bait stations designed to avoid risk of treatment to endemic fauna. In the treated area, ant foraging activity was reduced by 93 percent and was followed by a 100 percent reduction in scale insect density. Abundance of endemic herbivorous insects and herbivorous activity increased significantly, however, after the decline in mutualistic species densities. Despite the native herbivore increase, there was considerable overall improvement in Pisonia shoot condition and an observed increase in foliage density. Our results demonstrate the benefit of strategic management of highly mutualistic alien species to the native Pisonia trees. It also supports the idea that area‐wide suppression is a feasible alternative to eradication for achieving positive conservation management at the level of the forest ecosystem.     

Palaeoecological and sedimentological characteristics of the Lower Tortonian scleractinian reef corals of Gavdos Island,southern Greece

Early Late Miocene coral assemblages from five outcrops of Gavdos Island, Southern Greece, are investigated with respect to their palaeoecological implications. Small patch reefs with Porites assemblage are a common feature of the low-diversity coral occurrences. The determined hermatypic colonies indicate a nearshore palaeoecosystem prevailing in a tropical to subtropical coastal sea at depths ranging from 5 to 50 m with an average temperature of 22–26 °C. Microfacially, the studied Scleractinian patch reefs are represented by Coral Framestones-Floatstones. The reefal facies has been affected by syndepositional processes (boring activities-micritization), as well as by post-depositional diagenesis in the meteoric realm (dissolution, cementation and intense pedogenesis). The palaeoecological and sedimentological analysis indicates a restricted to open-marine inner platform setting of moderate to high energy, possibly of ramp-type (inner-mid ramp). Coral reef growth took place mainly during stages of accommodation (i.e., transgressive episode, cycle 3.1 of Vail curve) and of relatively low siliciclastic input.     

A geographic mosaic of evolutionary lineages within the insular endemic newt Euproctus montanus

Islands are hotspots of biodiversity, with a disproportionately high fraction of endemic lineages, often of ancient origin. Nevertheless, intra‐island phylogeographies are surprisingly scarce, leading to a scanty knowledge about the microevolutionary processes induced on island populations by Plio‐Pleistocene climatic oscillations, and the manner in which these processes contributed to shape their current genetic diversity. We investigated the phylogeography, historical demography and species distribution models of the Corsican endemic newt Euproctus montanus (north‐western Mediterranean). As for many island endemics, the continuous distribution of E. montanus throughout its range has hitherto been considered as evidence for a single large population, a belief that also guided the species' categorization for conservation purposes. Instead, we found a geographic mosaic of ancient evolutionary lineages, with five main clades of likely Pliocene origin (2.6–5.8 My), all but one restricted to northern Corsica. Moreover, the copresence between main lineages in the same population was limited to a single case. As also suggested by growing literature on intra‐island phylogeographic variation, it seems that the extensive use of simplifying assumption on the population structure and historical demography of island populations—both in theoretical and applicative studies—should be carefully reconsidered, a claim that is well exemplified by the case presented here.     

萨哈林岛舞蛛属一新种记述

记述了采自萨哈林岛1新种,Alopecosa mikhailovi sp.nov.,2♂♂,新种与solivaga种团近似.     

Limited contemporary gene flow and high self‐replenishment drives peripheral isolation in an endemic coral reef fish

Extensive ongoing degradation of coral reef habitats worldwide has lead to declines in abundance of coral reef fishes and local extinction of some species. Those most vulnerable are ecological specialists and endemic species. Determining connectivity between locations is vital to understanding recovery and long‐term persistence of these species following local extinction. This study explored population connectivity in the ecologically‐specialized endemic three‐striped butterflyfish (Chaetodon tricinctus) using mt and msatDNA (nuclear microsatellites) to distinguish evolutionary versus contemporary gene flow, estimate self‐replenishment and measure genetic diversity among locations at the remote Australian offshore coral reefs of Middleton Reef (MR), Elizabeth Reef (ER), Lord Howe Island (LHI), and Norfolk Island (NI). Mt and msatDNA suggested genetic differentiation of the most peripheral location (NI) from the remaining three locations (MR, ER, LHI). Despite high levels of mtDNA gene flow, there is limited msatDNA gene flow with evidence of high levels of self‐replenishment (≥76%) at all four locations. Taken together, this suggests prolonged population recovery times following population declines. The peripheral population (NI) is most vulnerable to local extinction due to its relative isolation, extreme levels of self‐replenishment (95%), and low contemporary abundance.     

Effects of landscape and management on ground‐dwelling insect assemblages of farmland in Jeju Island,Korea

Granite‐derived soils are widespread in the farmland of Korea in general. In contrast, Jeju Island has mainly volcanic ash soils. Soils and weather condition in Jeju Island created a unique agricultural system. We identified the features of ground‐dwelling insects in farmlands of Jeju Island. This study was conducted in four areas (Samdal‐ri and Susan‐ri in Seogwipo city, and Dongmyeong‐ri and Suwon‐ri in Jeju city) in Jeju Island, Korea. Field surveys were carried out twice in summer (June) and autumn (September) in 2013. Ground‐dwelling insects were sampled quantitatively by using pitfall traps. As a result, in total 3322 individuals, 137 species, 48 families and 8 orders were investigated in farmlands of Jeju Island. Especially, members of Coleoptera and Hymenoptera accounted for a large proportion of ground‐dwelling insect communities. The numbers of species and individuals for major taxonomic groups showed significant regional and seasonal differences. This study implied that the seasonal and regional differences of ground‐dwelling insect communities were affected by surrounding land use patterns, life history patterns of each taxonomic group and farmland management.