Determination of DNA methylation associated with Acer rubrum (red maple) adaptation to metals: analysis of global DNA modifications and methylation‐sensitive amplified polymorphism

Red maple (Acer rubum), a common deciduous tree species in Northern Ontario, has shown resistance to soil metal contamination. Previous reports have indicated that this plant does not accumulate metals in its tissue. However, low level of nickel and copper corresponding to the bioavailable levels in contaminated soils in Northern Ontario causes severe physiological damages. No differentiation between metal‐contaminated and uncontaminated populations has been reported based on genetic analyses. The main objective of this study was to assess whether DNA methylation is involved in A. rubrum adaptation to soil metal contamination. Global cytosine and methylation‐sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) analyses were carried out in A. rubrum populations from metal‐contaminated and uncontaminated sites. The global modified cytosine ratios in genomic DNA revealed a significant decrease in cytosine methylation in genotypes from a metal‐contaminated site compared to uncontaminated populations. Other genotypes from a different metal‐contaminated site within the same region appear to be recalcitrant to metal‐induced DNA alterations even ≥30 years of tree life exposure to nickel and copper . MSAP analysis showed a high level of polymorphisms in both uncontaminated (77%) and metal‐contaminated (72%) populations. Overall, 205 CCGG loci were identified in which 127 were methylated in either outer or inner cytosine. No differentiation among populations was established based on several genetic parameters tested. The variations for nonmethylated and methylated loci were compared by analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA). For methylated loci, molecular variance among and within populations was 1.5% and 13.2%, respectively. These values were low (0.6% for among populations and 5.8% for within populations) for unmethylated loci. Metal contamination is seen to affect methylation of cytosine residues in CCGG motifs in the A. rubrum populations that were analyzed.     

Late Moscovian (mid-Pennsylvanian) rugose corals from Wadi Araba (Egypt,Eastern Desert): Taxonomy,palaeoecology and palaeobiogeography

An important late Moscovian rugose coral association is described from the Rod El Hamal Formation of the Wadi Araba area (northern Eastern Desert, Egypt). The upper part of the formation yielded a moderately abundant but poorly diversified coral fauna composed of large dissepimented solitary rugose corals. In total, six species belong to the Bothrophyllidae and the Geyerophyllidae, including three new species: Bothrophyllum suezensis, Bothrophyllum cylindricum, and Amygdalophylloides omarai. Three undeterminable Bothrophyllidae taxa are left in open nomenclature. The corals were attached to the soft substrate by talons and rootlets, either rooted and growing upward as mud-stickers or as secondary recliners. They show frequent rejuvenations and constrictions. Encrustation and/or bioerosion are scarce. Carbonate microfacies indicate a habitat in littoral and inner neritic zones adjacent to a low terrigenous hinterland. Colonial taxa are missing and tabulate corals are rare. The corals from the Rod El Hamal Formation are the only example of a late Moscovian coral fauna on the southern margin of the Palaeotethys, that is to say along the northern margin of Gondwana. The association shows similarities with northwestern Spain (Cantabrian Mountains), the Donets and Moscow basins, and thus a general attribution to the Palaeotethys realm.     

米仓山蚊蝎蛉二新种记述(长翅目:蚊蝎蛉科)

记述陕西南部米仓山蚊蝎蛉2新种,净翅蚊蝎蛉Bittacus puripennatus Cai et Hua和缠绕蚊蝎蛉Bittacus implicatus Huang et Hua。模式标本均保存在西北农林科技大学昆虫博物馆。     

陕南早寒武世ANABARITES壳体内部结构及亲缘关系探讨

陕南灯影组宽川铺段的小壳化石具完好的三维保存方式。Anabarites是三辐射对称、单管底栖群居生物,亲缘关系不明。作者通过对陕南宁强下寒武统宽川铺段进行数次系统采样,经过对样品的醋酸溶蚀处理和电子扫描电镜照像后,发现Anabarites壳体内部具螺旋状微结构;经测试分析后认为该结构可能与中槽的深浅成正相关,两者的形成可能与微环境中水体的变化有关。探讨其可能的亲缘关系及其演化序列。     

The Variation in the Acidity of Ground and Surface Waters in Northern Ireland

The distribution of surface and ground waters in Northern Ireland were mapped with respect to pH and total hardness and the distributions discussed in relation to the regional geology and pedology. These waters were grouped into 3 categories depending on their vulnerability to acidification. Three upland areas, the Mournes, the western Sperrins and the northern Glens of Antrim, were identified as being vulnerable to acidification. Concentrations of total and labile aluminium in these areas were high and, in the Mournes and Sperrin areas, exceeded the EC directive on total aluminium in drinking water. However, because of their differing geology and pedology, only the Mournes area had labile aluminium levels which gave cause for concern. A fish survey in a reservoir in the Mournes catchment showed that it supported a small but self-sustaining population of brown trout (Salmo trutta) which, although small in size, showed no signs of deformity.     

Climate alters the movement ecology of a non‐migratory bird

Global climate change is causing increased climate extremes threatening biodiversity and altering ecosystems. Climate is comprised of many variables including air temperature, barometric pressure, solar radiation, wind, relative humidity, and precipitation that interact with each other. As movement connects various aspects of an animal''s life, understanding how climate influences movement at a fine‐temporal scale will be critical to the long‐term conservation of species impacted by climate change. The sedentary nature of non‐migratory species could increase some species risk of extirpation caused by climate change. We used Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; hereafter bobwhite) as a model to better understand the relationship between climate and the movement ecology of a non‐migratory species at a fine‐temporal scale. We collected movement data on bobwhite from across western Oklahoma during 2019–2020 and paired these data with meteorological data. We analyzed movement in three different ways (probability of movement, hourly distance moved, and sinuosity) using two calculated movement metrics: hourly movement (displacement between two consecutive fixes an hour apart) and sinuosity (a form of tortuosity that determines the amount of curvature of a random search path). We used generalized linear‐mixed models to analyze probability of movement and hourly distance moved, and used linear‐mixed models to analyze sinuosity. The interaction between air temperature and solar radiation affected probability of movement and hourly distance moved. Bobwhite movement increased as air temperature increased beyond 10°C during low solar radiation. During medium and high solar radiation, bobwhite moved farther as air temperature increased until 25–30°C when hourly distance moved plateaued. Bobwhite sinuosity increased as solar radiation increased. Our results show that specific climate variables alter the fine‐scale movement of a non‐migratory species. Understanding the link between climate and movement is important to determining how climate change may impact a species’ space use and fitness now and in the future.     

陕北地区苹果树根内细菌多样性分析

以延安市4个不同县区苹果树根为研究对象，分析苹果树根内生细菌的群落组成和多样性，揭示内生细菌的群落结构及多样性差异。采用高通量测序技术分析4个不同县区苹果树根内生细菌16S rRNA基因V3~V4 变异区序列，使用生物信息学方法分析其内生细菌的群落结构及多样性。结果表明，测序共获得994 571条有效序列，在97%一致性下共产生1 559个有效的操作分类单元(operational taxonomic uunits，OTUs)。在门水平上，4个样地苹果树根内生细菌群落组成中共有的优势类群分别为放线菌门(Actinobacteria)和变形菌门(Proteobacteria)，其相对丰富度分别为33.1%~60.7%和30.9%~61.6%；属水平上的优势菌属为假单胞菌属(Pseudomonas)、节杆菌属(Arthrobacter)、链霉菌属(Streptomyces)、诺卡氏菌属(Nocardioides)、叶杆菌属(Phyllobacterium)、黄杆菌属(Flavobacterium)、农杆菌属(Agrobacterium)和贪噬菌属(Variovorax)。Alpha多样性和Beta多样性分析表明，宜川县(YC)的Chao1指数(433.54)和Shannon指数(6.45)最大，基于韦恩图分析4个样地苹果树根内生细菌群落存在354个共有OTUs，延长县(YS)、宝塔区(BT)、宜川县(YC)、洛川县(LC)独有苹果树根内生细菌群落的OTUs分别为378、430、486和477。典范对应分析(Canonical Correlation Analysis, CCA)结果表明，土壤pH是影响4个样地苹果树根内生细菌的群落多样性变化的主要因素。4个样地苹果树根内生细菌种类丰富，但群落结构组成和丰富度的差异不明显，功能预测分析表明无论是Level 1还是Level 2，均未发现显著性差异的代谢通路，此结果表明苹果树根系招募了特异型有益的内生细菌菌群。本研究可为苹果树根内生细菌菌种资源的开发和应用提供参考。     

牛泌乳素mRNA的分离及鉴定

本文报道了从牛脑垂体提取总RNA,经寡聚脱氧胸苷纤维素亲合层析分离获得牛脑垂体Poly(A)~+RNA。牛泌乳素mRNA经含羟甲基汞琼脂糖凝胶电泳分析,估计其长度约为1200个核苷酸。根据牛泌乳素的部分氨基酸序列推断并合成寡聚核苷酸探针,经Northern印迹杂交及放射自显影分析,证实了该mRNA中含有牛泌乳素mRNA的序列。在兔网织红细胞体外翻译体系中,牛泌乳素mRNA促进了~35S-甲硫氨酸参入,翻译合成的初级翻译产物能与兔抗羊PRL抗血清发生特异性免疫沉淀反应,SDS聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳及放射自显影分析结果表明,牛泌乳素前体的分子量约25000。     

记陕西蓝田晚中新世灞河组4种跳鼠(Dipodidae,Rodentia)化石

描述了陕西蓝田晚中新世早期灞河组的4属4种跳鼠:蓝田原跳鼠(新种)(Protalacta- ga lantianensis sp.nov.)、副跳鼠(未定种)(Paralactaga sp.)、原始三趾心颅跳鼠(新种)(Sal- pingotus primitivus sp.nov.)和小五趾心颅跳鼠(新种)(Cardiocranius pusillus sp.nov.)。蓝田原跳鼠兼有原跳鼠和副跳鼠的特征,可能是原跳鼠向副跳鼠进化过程中产生的一种过渡类型。副跳鼠和原始三趾心颅跳鼠及小五趾心颅跳鼠分别代表了副跳鼠属在中国的最早记录和心颅跳鼠亚科(Cardiocraniinae)在地史上的首次出现。4种跳鼠指示了蓝田地区当时的自然环境可能比现代更加干旱。