Pollen competition in a natural population of Cucurbita foetidissima (Cucurbitaceae)

The pollen competition hypothesis predicts that when the number of pollen grains deposited onto stigmas exceeds the number of ovules, selection can operate in the time frame between deposition and fertilization. Moreover, because of the overlap in gene expression between the two phases of the life cycle, selection on microgametophytes may alter the resulting sporophytic generation. The extent to which pollen competition occurs in nature has been unclear, because tests of the predictions of the pollen competition hypothesis have used cultivars and/or artificial growth conditions and hand-pollination techniques. In this study we used a wild species, Cucurbita foetidissima, in its natural habitat (southern New Mexico) to determine the amount and timing of the arrival of pollen onto stigmas, the relationship between pollen deposition and seed number, and the effects of the intensity of pollen competition on progeny vigor. We found that ～900 pollen grains are necessary for full seed set and that a single visit by a pollinator results in the deposition of 653.0 ± 101.8 pollen grains. About 29% of the flowers receiving a single pollinator visit had 900 or more pollen grains on its stigma. Moreover, within 2 h of anthesis, >4000 pollen grains were deposited onto a typical stigma, indicating that multiple pollinator visits must have occurred. Fruits produced by multiple visits had greater seed numbers (206 vs. 147) than fruits produced by a single visit. Finally, the progeny produced by multiple pollinator visits were more vigorous than those produced by single visits with respect to five measures of vegetative growth (MANCOVA, Wilks' lambda = 0.96, F(6,370) = 2.54, P < 0.02. These data demonstrate that conditions for pollen competition exist in nature and support the prediction that pollen competition enhances offspring vigor.     

Hispines (chrysomelidae, cassidinae) of la selva biological station, costa rica

Survey work from 1992-2001 identified 139 species of hispines at the lowland part of La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica. The tribe Cephaloleiini was the most speciose with 58 species (41.7%) followed by the Chalepini with 55 (39.5%). The fauna is most closely related to that in South America but with some genera which are more speciose in the Nearctic Region. Plant associations are known for 88 (63.3%) of the species but many of these are merely collecting records, not host plant associations. The first plant associations are reported for Alurnus ornatus, Alurnus salvini, and Acentroptera nevermanni.     

硝酸镧浸种对NaCl胁迫下柳枝稷种子萌发及幼苗生理特性的影响

为探讨镧对NaCl胁迫下柳枝稷种子萌发及幼苗生理特性的影响,该研究以柳枝稷(Panicum virgatum L.)种子为研究材料,通过不同浓度(0、0.05、0.1、0.5和1.0mmol/L)La(NO3)3溶液浸种24h处理后,添加100mmol/L NaCl溶液,以蒸馏水为对照,在种子发芽箱中培养并观察柳枝稷种子萌发和幼苗生长,测定幼苗叶片相对电导率、丙二醛、脯氨酸和叶绿素的含量。结果显示:(1)0.05mmol/L La(NO3)3浸种处理可缓解100mmol/L NaCl对种子发芽的影响。(2)不同处理对幼苗苗长无显著影响,0.1mmol/L La(NO3)3浸种显著增加了幼苗的鲜重和叶面积,当浓度≥0.5mmol/L时根长、根冠比、鲜重和叶面积受到抑制。(3)幼苗叶片相对电导率和脯氨酸含量随La(NO3)3浓度的增加呈先降低后增加的趋势,其中0.05和0.1mmol/L La(NO3)3浸种处理下效果较好,丙二醛含量随La(NO3)3浓度的增加持续降低,但各浓度处理间差异不显著,叶绿素含量在0.05mmol/L La(NO3)3浸种处理下较NaCl处理显著增加,当浓度≥0.5mmol/L随着浸种浓度的增加呈下降趋势。(4)不同指标间发芽势与发芽率、根长和叶绿素含量间呈极显著正相关关系,与根冠比、电导率和脯氨酸含量均呈极显著负相关关系,而与苗长不相关。研究表明,低浓度(0.05mmol/L)La(NO3)3可缓解NaCl胁迫对柳枝稷种子萌发及幼苗生长的影响,而高浓度(1.0mmol/L)的La(NO3)3则会加重NaCl的胁迫危害。     

Afaf, a novel vesicle membrane protein, is related to acrosome formation in murine testis

As a cell-specific organelle, acrosome (Acr) and its formation are an important event for spermiogenesis. However, the Acr formation is far more complicated than has been proposed. In this study, we have cloned a novel membrane protein Afaf (Acr formation associated factor) that was expressed abundantly in the round spermatids, localized in the inner and outer membrane of forming Acrs, and declined in the maturing Acrs. In the transfected Hela cells, Afaf protein was localized in the plasma membrane, EEA1-positive early endosomes (EEs) and occasionally in the nuclei. Therefore, we propose that EEs and plasma membrane may be also directly involved in the Acr biogenesis.     

Mandibular shape correlates of tooth fracture in extant Carnivora: implications to inferring feeding behaviour of Pleistocene predators

Percentages of tooth fracture and mandible shape are robust predictors of feeding habits in Carnivora. If these parameters co‐vary above the species level, more robust palaeobiological inferences could be made on fossil species. A test of association is presented between mandible shape and tooth fracture in a subset of extant carnivorans together with large Pleistocene fossil predators from Rancho La Brea (Canis dirus, Panthera atrox, and Smilodon fatalis). Partial least square (PLS) and comparative methods are employed to validate co‐variation of these two parameters in extant carnivorans. Association between mandible shape and percentage of tooth fracture is strongly supported, even if both blocks of data exhibit a phylogenetic signal to a different degree. Dietary adaptations drive shape/fracture co‐variation in extant species, although no significant differences occur in the PLS scores between carnivores and bone/hard food consumers. The fossil species project into PLS morphospace as outliers. Their position suggests a unique feeding behaviour. The increase in the size of prey, together with consumption of skin and hair from carcasses in a cold environment, might have generated unusual tooth breakage patterns in large predators from Rancho La Brea. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 106 , 70–80.     

Two new Marina (Leguminosae) from the southern Baja California peninsula, Mexico

Marina victoriae andM. brevis are newly described species from the southern Baja California peninsula, Mexico. The former is a perennial herb locally abundant in the eroded hillsides at the foothills of Sierra de la Victoria, where an oak woodland and a dry tropical forest meet. The latter is an elusive ephemeral inhabiting a narrow strip of land between the mangroves and the desert scrub on an island in the Gulf of California. These two new species belong to the seriesChrysorrhizae, a group native to the Gulf of California basin.     

Annual, daily and intradiurnal variation of Celtis pollen in the city of La Plata, Argentina

The behaviour of Celtis airborne pollenwas studied for a period of three years(1998–2000) in the city of La Plata. The pollengrains were captured with a Lanzoni trap andthe maximum pollination period was observed tooccur during the end of winter and spring inthe three years. The annual values of pollenconcentration varied, and a significantdecrease was observed during 2000. The greatestairborne pollen record was in October with anaverage of 82.3% in relation to its totalconcentration during 1998–2000. Based on theintradiurnal behaviour analysis, it wasobserved that the maximum pollination peakoccurs at 2H when the temperaturereaches its maximum values. Considering thethree sampling years, the meteorologicalvariables that most influenced the processes of pollen emission,dispersion and transportation in the atmospherewere: maximum and minimum temperature andrainfall.     

Element Concentrations in Some Species of Seaweeds from La Paz Bay and La Paz Lagoon, South-Western Baja California, Mexico

La Paz Bay and La Paz Lagoon are water bodies of the Gulf of California that are influenced by waste water discharges from the City of La Paz and from activities of the phosphorite mining company “Rofomex”. Because seaweeds concentrate elements from the water and are used as effective indicators of contamination by metals, we investigated their usefulness in this region. Concentrations of certain major elements (Ca, Fe, K and Na) and trace elements (As, Ba, Co, Cr, Cs, Hf, Rb, Sb, Sc, Se, Sr, Ta, Th, U, Zn and Zr) were determined in 12 species of seaweeds from La Paz Bay and La Paz Lagoon using instrumental neutron activation analysis. The contents of trace elements of environmental importance (As, Co, Cr, Fe, Sb, Se and Zn) in all studied samples are within the range of typical levels for a pristine environment not subjected to anthropogenic impact. Somewhat higher concentrations of Cr (81mg kg⁻¹), Hf (4mg kg⁻¹), Rb (48mg kg⁻¹), Sc (6.3mg kg⁻¹), Ta (0.95mg kg⁻¹), Th (6.8mg kg⁻¹), U (33mg kg⁻¹) and Zn (90mg kg⁻¹) were found in the green seaweed species Ulva (formerly Enteromorpha) intestinalis, whereas such elements as As (77mg kg⁻¹), Sb (1.4mg kg⁻¹) and Se (1.8mg kg⁻¹) were mainly concentrated in the species Sargassum sinicola, Codium cuneatum and Padina mexicana respectively. Because of their higher abundance and heterogeneity in elemental composition the seaweeds species Ulva intestinalis and Caulerpa sertularioides seem to be more suitable for further biomonitoring of heavy metal pollution of the coastal waters in this zone.     

The Bioarchaeology of Identity in Spanish Colonial Florida: Social and Evolutionary Transformation before, during, and after Demographic Collapse

In this article, I consider the effects of Spanish missionization on indigenous identity and biological interaction patterns. Odontometric data were recorded for 26 skeletal samples dating to three time periods: precontact (C.E. 1200–1400), early mission (C.E. 1600–1650), and late mission (C.E. 1650–1700). Population genetic analyses generated estimates of regional genetic variation (F_ST) and intersample genetic distances. Genetic variation during the precontact period was limited despite documented linguistic and cultural variation. Variation increased during the early mission period, indicating a decline in between-group interaction despite inclusion within a single colonial sociopolitical framework. During the late mission period, variation declined significantly, indicating a dramatic reduction in between-group variability consistent with genetic drift and gene flow between communities. I discuss these results in terms of archaeological and historical models of postcolonial transformation and suggest an emerging polyethnic community was resident in La Florida preceding the subsequent diaspora caused by burgeoning European military conflict in eastern North America.