Sperm quality, secondary sexual characters and parasitism in roach (Rutilus rutilus L.)

According to sperm competition models, a male spawning in a disfavoured role should have spermatozoa with higher velocity but shorter longevity compared with a male spawning in a favoured role. Moreover, immunosuppressive androgens are needed to produce both secondary sexual characters and sperm cells. The 'sperm protection' hypothesis suggests that the immunosuppressive action of androgens has evolved to protect haploid spermatozoa, which are antigenic, from autoimmune attacks. Therefore, a male with high sexual ornamentation may be more susceptible to diseases but may possess better quality ejaculate than his less ornamented rival. We studied sexual ornamentation (breeding tubercles), ejaculation quality (sperm concentration, longevity and spermatozoal velocity) and intensity of parasitism in the cyprinid, Rutilus rutilus . Sperm longevity and spermatozoal velocity were positively correlated. Males having elaborated sexual ornamentation had longer-lived sperm and more Myxobolus mülleri parasites in the liver compared with males with low ornamentation. However, no difference was found between males with different degrees of ornamentation with respect to sperm concentration, spermatozoal velocity or other parasites. Since the highly ornamented males had higher sperm longevity, the present results are partly consistent with the predictions of the sperm competition models and the 'sperm protection' hypothesis.  © 2004 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2004, 81 , 111–117.     

Influence of consumer mutual interference on the stabilization of a three-level trophic system

In this paper, we present a three-level (food–prey–predator) trophic food chain which includes consumer mutual interference (MIF). In contrast with other analyses, we consider the effect of both prey and predator MIF on the dynamics of a three-level trophic system. MIF is generally considered to exert a stabilizing effect on population dynamics based on the predator–prey model. However, results from analytical and numerical simulations utilizing a simple three-species food chain model suggest that while the addition of prey MIF to the model provides a stabilizing influence, as the chaotic dynamics collapse to a stable steady state, adding only predator MIF to the model can only stabilize the system at intermediate MIF values. The three-species trophic food chain is also stabilized when combination of both prey and predator MIF is added to the model. Our work serves to provide insight into the effects of MIF in the real world.     

The role of major histocompatibility complex diversity in vigour of fish males (Abramis brama L.) and parasite selection

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) presents a group of genes with highly polymorphic loci involved in specific immune responses. The factors maintaining extensive MHC polymorphism have been questioned, considering three possible hypotheses of parasite‐mediated selection driving an extensive MHC diversity (i.e. heterozygote advantage, rare‐allele advantage, and favouring optimal MHC diversity). The patterns of MHC diversity of class IIB genes were investigated following two noncontradicting hypotheses, parasite‐driven selection and MHC‐based mating preferences, using males of common bream collected in the spawning period. Two allelic groups DAB1 and DAB3 were recognized from the phylogenetic analyses. Individuals expressed one or two alleles of the same or different allelic groups. Several individuals shared identical alleles; however, the presence of parasite species was not associated with the occurrence of a particular allele. The presence of different allelic groups (only DAB1, only DAB3, or both DAB1 and DAB3) in individuals was not associated with parasite presence or diversity. The expression of two DAB1 alleles was associated with higher endoparasite abundance. Moreover, nucleotide diversity in individuals expressing a single type of alleles (DAB1 or DAB3) increased with the abundance of ectoparasitic Dactylogyrus spp. (Monogenea) and Ergasilus sp. (Crustacea). This suggests that the expression of two alleles of a single allelic type is related to high metazoan parasite infection whereas no significant influence of parasitism on the combined allelic form (the presence of both DAB1 and DAB3 alleles) was found. Moreover, the expression of two alleles of a single allelic type was related to decreased immunocompetence measured by spleen size. The condition factor was higher in fish expressing the combined allelic type. Thus, the presence of alleles of different lineages in individuals appears to be advantageous for individual male fitness. The expression of a single allelic type was related to higher sexual ornamentation, which could support the role of MHC in the hypothesis of the sexual selection of ‘good genes’. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2007, 90 , 525–538.     

Pollen Morphology of Asarum in China

The present paper describes the pollen morphology of 27 species, 4 varieties and 1 form of Asarum from China. The pollen grains were all examined under light microscope and scanning electron microscope. The apertures of pollen grains of Asarum are variable and so distinct as to allow the identification of individual subgenera and species. The exine ornamentation is compound and may be divided into two types: reticulate or cerebelloid under verrucae. The pollen grains of Subgen. Asarum and Subgen. Heterotropa are distinguishable, which supports the taxonomical subdivision based on the gross morphology. The differences in the pollen morphology between A. caulescens Maxim. and A. sieboldii Miq. in China and in Japan are discussed and some comparisons in the pollenmorphology between several species similar in the gross morphology are also made.     

The evolution of bill coloration and plumage dimorphism supports the transference hypothesis in dabbling ducks

Bright coloration in male birds is typically thought to be drivenby sexual selection (female choice or male-male competition).Bird species often vary in the intensity of bright coloration,but few studies have addressed this cross-species variation.Potentially this variation could result from either variationin female preferences or in the relative costs of male traits. Speciesof dabbling ducks vary in the presence of bright male plumageand bill coloration. I tested the transference hypothesis forornament evolution in dabbling ducks using a phylogenetic studyof character evolution. The transference hypothesis makes threepredictions: (1) a costly male ornamental trait is the ancestralcondition, (2) a less costly male ornamental trait is the derivedcondition, and (3) gains in the less costly trait are associatedwith losses or absence of the more costly male trait. All threeof these predictions were satisfied in this study of the evolutionof plumage dimorphism and bright bill coloration in the dabblingducks, given that bright plumage coloration is more costly thanbright bill coloration.     

伞形科山芹属叶表皮微形态特征研究

利用扫描电镜技术对伞形科山芹属(Ostericum Hoffm.)9种2变种(21居群)植物叶表皮微形态特征进行了观察分析。结果显示:山芹属植物叶片上表皮表面均较平滑,细胞轮廓清晰或不清晰,若细胞轮廓可见则为多边形与不规则形;初级蜡质纹饰为较密集的粗(细)条状,部分种类具有单层或双层脊状二级纹饰或有颗粒状或分枝状附属结构;下表皮亦有类似蜡质条状纹饰,均匀分布或集中在气孔周围或凹凸部位,气孔器形状多为椭圆形(偶见梭形),内外拱盖表面粗糙或光滑。上述研究表明,山芹属叶片微形态特征具有良好的种内稳定性和种间多样性,尤其是初级纹饰的宽度及排列密度、二级纹饰以及气孔器形状等特征,可为山芹属植物种间和种下的近缘类群亲缘关系与分类修订提供形态学依据。     

Do the ornamented osteoderms influence the heat conduction through the skin? A finite element analysis in Crocodylomorpha

In order to assess the implication of the crocodylomorph ornamented osteoderms on the skin conduction during basking, we have performed three dimensional modeling and finite element analyses on a sample which includes both extant dry bones and well-preserved fossils tracing back to the Early Jurassic. In purpose to reveal the possible implication of the superficial ornamentation on the osteoderm heat conduction, we repeated the simulation on an equivalent set of smoothed 3D-modeled osteoderms. The comparison of the results evidenced that the presence of the apical sculpture has no significant impact on the osteoderm global conduction. Furthermore, as we also aimed to assess the influence of the inner bone porosity on the osteoderm conduction, we modified the heat equation parameters so that the 3D-modeled osteoderms successively score the compact and the cancellous bone properties (i.e. mass density, heat capacity, thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity). Finally, we repeated the analyses using the soft-dermis properties which lead to outline that neither the degree of porosity nor the presence of the osteoderms (in itself) significantly modifies the heat conduction through the crocodylomorph skin. Consequently, as hypothesized by previous authors, if the dermal shield happens to be involved into heat capture during basking for crocodylians, this process must mainly rely on a convective effect based on the osteoderm relative degree of vascularization. This last assumption could thus explain why the crocodylians which produce little metabolic heat would carry an entire vascularized osteoderm shield.     

Comparative pollen morphology and ultrastructure of Mentheae subtribe Nepetinae (Lamiaceae)

This study provides new pollen data of 52 representative species belonging to all 12 genera in the currently classification of the subtribe Nepetinae, and considers the possible presence of orbicules for the first time. Pollen morphology and ultrastructure were investigated with light, scanning electron and transmission electron microscopy. Nepetinae pollen is small to large (P = 16–65 µm, E = 17–53 µm), oblate to prolate (P/E = 0.7–1.6) in shape and mostly hexacolpate (sometimes octocolpate). The exine stratification in all taxa studied is similar and characterized by unbranched columellae and a continuous, granular endexine. Sexine ornamentation in the Nepetinae is bireticulate, microreticulate or perforate. In perforate and microreticulate pattern a tendency towards a bireticulum could be recognized due to trace of secondary tectal connections. The bireticulate pattern is most common with variations of primary muri and secondary reticulum. In Hymenocrater and Schizonepeta the observed variation of sexine ornamentation is particularly valuable at the generic level. Pollen data support Lophanthus and Nepeta as very closely allied and Lallemantia is clearly distinct from Dracocephalum. The formerly suggested infrageneric relationships within Dracocephalum and Nepeta are only partly corroborated by palynological characters. Orbicules are absent in the Nepetinae.     

Sperm: seminal fluid interactions and the adjustment of sperm quality in relation to female attractiveness

An important predictor of male fitness is the fertilizing efficiency of their ejaculates. Ejaculates are costly to produce and males are predicted to devote greater resources to copulations with reproductively superior females. It is well established that males allocate different numbers of sperm to ejaculates. However, less is known about how males adjust their sperm quality, which has important implications for our understanding of fertilization and the evolution of sexual strategies. Here we test in the fowl, Gallus gallus, whether males adjust their sperm velocity by differentially allocating seminal fluid to copulations with attractive and unattractive females. To disentangle the contributions of sperm and seminal fluid to sperm velocity, we separated and remixed sperm and seminal fluid from ejaculates allocated to females of different attractiveness. We show that dominant males increase the velocity of the sperm they invest in more attractive females by allocating larger ejaculates that contain seminal fluid that increases sperm velocity. Furthermore, we find weak evidence that males also allocate sperm with higher velocity, irrespective of seminal fluid, to more attractive females.