Factors promoting maternal trophic egg provisioning in non-eusocial animals

The adaptive function of trophic egg-laying is generally regarded as extended parental investment to the offspring. However, the evolutionary factors promoting trophic egg-laying are still unclear, because the amount of maternal investment per offspring should be ideally equal between smaller offspring with trophic eggs and larger offspring without any additional investment. Several authors have suggested that trophic egg-laying should evolve only when egg size is constrained, but this hypothesis has not been evaluated. We investigated the evolutionary mechanisms of trophic egg-laying by two different approaches. First, we evaluated morphological constraints on egg size in two sibling ladybird species, Harmonia axyridis, which is known to produce trophic eggs, and H. yedoensis. Second, we theoretically predicted the optimal proportion of trophic eggs to total eggs and egg size in relation to environmental heterogeneity, predictability of environmental quality, and investment efficiency of trophic egg consumption. The intra- and interspecific morphological comparisons suggest that morphological constraints on the evolutionary determination of egg size are weak at best in the two ladybird species. Moreover, we theoretically showed that small egg size and trophic egg-laying are favoured in heterogeneous environments when mothers cannot adjust egg size plastically. We also showed that even a small reduction in investment efficiency makes a trophic egg strategy unlikely, despite relatively high environmental predictability. We conclude that trophic egg provisioning may be a flexible maternal adaptation to a highly heterogeneous environment rather than a response to a morphological constraint on egg size.     

丹参2 酮戊二酸依赖性双加氧酶基因克隆及表达分析

以商洛紫花丹参为材料,对其转录组序列SRA020132进行Blast分析,采用PCR技术克隆得到丹参2-酮戊二酸依赖性双加氧酶基因Sm2-ODD1,GenBank登录号为JN935923。Sm2-ODD1基因全长1 365bp,包含3个外显子和2个内含子;cDNA全长1 189bp,读码框951bp,编码316个氨基酸残基;预测的编码蛋白具有2-酮戊二酸依赖性双加氧酶中结合2-酮戊二酸和亚铁离子的"H-T-D"、"H-X"和"R-Y-S"保守基序以及"果冻状"空间结构。表达分析显示,Sm2-ODD1在丹参各个器官都表达,但表达水平具有组织特异性,在根中表达量最高,在叶中表达量最低;该基因表达明显受到MeJA、GA3和ABA的诱导,可能参与了丹参萜类代谢下游途径。     

名医素质特征与培养规律的初步研究

目的 探索名医的基本素质特征和培养规律。方法 在文献检索和专家访谈的基础上,采用自设问卷方式进行调查,并对调查结果数据进行统计分析。结果 知名医学专家与患者及家属在名医的内涵、培养目标、成长历程等问题上的观点是一致的,但在名医的培养周期、评价标准、培养方式等问题上存在着不同的观点。结论 名医不仅要拥有精湛的医术和高尚的医德,还要得到老百姓和医师同行的认可。名医的成才需要良好的成长环境和自由发展的空间,在成长的过程中我们可以通过发挥个人主观能动性,增强科室内部凝聚力,健全医师的考核体系,缓解紧张的医患关系,改革医学的教育模式等途径来培养名医。     

梯度水分对鱼腥草生长及生理特征的影响

以不同的施水量,模拟自然生境中林下鱼腥草不同水分条件,设置了8个水分梯度,研究梯度水分对鱼腥草生长和生理特征的影响,以建立鱼腥草生态栽培模式。结果表明:水分的减少或增加均显著减少生物量,中度、重度干旱和水淹明显降低株高和叶面积指数。重度干旱显著提高根冠比。除轻度湿润组外,水分的减少或增加,均显著提高MDA含量;与对照组相比,各干旱处理组SOD和CAT活性和MDA含量明显增强;除脯氨酸含量以外,湿润各处理组CAT、POD、SOD活性和MDA含量均明显低于干旱各处理组;水淹时,CAT、POD、SOD活性、MDA和脯氨酸含量均较低。说明中度干旱或中度湿润已对鱼腥草形成逆境胁迫。栽培鱼腥草的水分条件可以控制在轻度干旱和轻度湿润之间。     

江西园蛛科蜘蛛区系研究

据作者调查和文献报道,本文列出了江西产90种园蛛在江西、中国和全球的地理分布;在世界动物地理区划水平上,江西园蛛主要由东洋界以及东洋界和古北界成分组成;在中国动物地理区划水平上,江西园蛛主要由华中区,华中区+华南区+西南区以及华中区+西南区跨界成分组成;与国内23省(区)区系组成比较,江西园蛛与湖南的共有种最多,与西藏共有种最少;文章最后分析了江西园蛛物种结构的特点.     

入侵植物剑叶金鸡菊克隆繁殖特性及群落特征

以江西庐山剑叶金鸡菊（Coreopsis lanceolata）入侵群落为研究对象,调查了不同生境剑叶金鸡菊的克隆繁殖特性和群落特征。结果表明,生境资源水平高低对剑叶金鸡菊的克隆构型影响不显著,无论是资源贫乏的岩石还是资源丰富的弃耕地生境,剑叶金鸡菊依靠植株基部节处萌生的小芽体生长成密集丛生状,其游击型克隆构型变化与环境资源可利用水平高低无关。剑叶金鸡菊种群的伴生植物多为一些适应范围广的杂草,由于剑叶金鸡菊的密集型克隆生长的集团化生长策略,使其种群耐贫瘠和干旱能力非常强,因而适应不同生境的能力也非常强,这种生长策略使剑叶金鸡菊个体能快速扩增并排挤本土植物,〖JP〗形成大面积的单一优势种群影响当地的生物多样性。     

Morphological traits determine the winner of “symmetric” fights in hermit crabs

This study aimed at investigating in the hermit crab Pagurus longicarpus whether some morphological traits and their slight variations might determine the winner of a contest in symmetric pairs, i.e. pairs composed of individuals matched by their overall size. In the pre-experimental phase, 400 crabs were individually kept in isolation for a week to eliminate the effects of their previous social experiences and were allowed to enter adequate shells to equalize their motivation to fight. Then, we formed 200 pairs matched for shell and body size and observed their agonistic behaviour for 15 min. Alphas (and betas) were deemed as those individuals that won more than half of the recorded fights. Finally, crabs were sacrificed and sexed, and 6 and 8 measures were taken of their shells and bodies, respectively. Raw data were converted to compositional data and subjected to an isometric log-ratio transformation prior to statistical analysis. Alphas were found to occupy heavier and wider shells than betas, both characteristics that, together with the correlated high level of encrustation, make the apparent dimension of the crab larger and thus favour that individual during agonistic encounters. As expected, hermit crabs were sexually dimorphic in their chelae, but sexes differed also in the length of the dactylus of their third walking leg and in their body weight. Alphas were heavier than betas and had longer propodi and wider dactyli on the third walking legs than betas. The latter character might be advantageous during shell fights when the walking legs of the attacker are used to hold the defender's shell in the spasmodic shaking and their wider dactyli might assure a firmer seizing of it. Indeed, a correct execution of this pattern allows for the eviction of the defender. Our results suggest that more attention towards variations in morphological traits other than body size might improve our understanding of the factors that affect individual Resource Holding Power and fight dynamics.     

Predator-induced changes in morphology of a prey fish: the effects of food level and temporal frequency of predation risk

In a series of experiments, we investigated the effects of food availability and risk frequency on the dynamics of predator-induced changes in growth and morphology of prey fish using goldfish (Carassius auratus) as our test species. In experiment 1, we fed goldfish high or low food rations and exposed them to either alarm cues from conspecifics, cues from swordtails or a water control. After 60 days, goldfish in the alarm cue treatment significantly increased their body depth and body weight but had smaller body length than goldfish exposed to swordtails cues or water, likely reducing their vulnerability to gape-limited predators. Importantly, food level had an impact on the amplitude of the morphological changes. In experiment 2, goldfish were exposed to two different frequencies of predation cues or a water control for 50 days. The cues were either continued or discontinued from day 51 to 100, and all cues were resumed from day 101 to 150. We found that goldfish exposed to predation cues increased their depth and weight at a faster rate than did the goldfish exposed to water, and of particular significance was the fact that frequency of risk had an effect on the amplitude of the change. When the cues were interrupted, the increase in growth rate parameters was reduced to the level of the goldfish exposed to water. However, when the cues were resumed, the rate increased to match the growth rate of the goldfish that were continuously exposed to the cues. Finally, we staged encounters between goldfish of differing morphologies and yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and found that deep-bodied goldfish had better survival than the shallow-bodied ones. These experiments illustrate the dynamic nature of inducible morphological defences.     

柴黄姜的传粉生物学特性

对产自湖北武当山的柴黄姜（Dioscorea nipponica subsp．rosthornii Prain et Burkill）的花部特征和访花昆虫种类及访花行为、访花频率和携粉量进行了研究,并对柴黄姜的传粉方式、结实和种子萌发状况进行了检测。结果表明,柴黄姜具有虫媒花的典型花部特征,共观测到访花昆虫4目34种,其中传粉昆虫6种,隧蜂属（Halictus sp．）和地蜂属（Andrena sp．）的2种昆虫是柴黄姜的主要传粉昆虫。访花昆虫对雄株的访花高峰时段为11：00至14：00,对雌花没有明显的访花高峰时段。在自然条件下,柴黄姜的座果率为18．86％,结实率为7．12％,种子萌发率为64．76％。在武当山,柴黄姜种群扩展仍以有性繁殖为主,无性繁殖为重要补充。