Genetic study of the population of Tenerife (Canary Islands,Spain): Protein markers and review of classical polymorphisms

Data on six protein polymorphisms (19 alleles) from the human population of Tenerife are presented and discussed along with other classical markers in relation to the origin of the Canarians. Genetic influences from three population groups were considered: the Iberians, and the Berbers and non-Berbers (Arabs) from north Africa. The systems examined show the Tenerife population lies within the limits of variation described for various Iberian groups, with a slight tendency towards the characteristics of north African populations. When blood groups, red cell enzymes and serum protein data were considered, the similarity of the Canary population to Iberians seems strengthened (70% estimated contribution of Iberian peninsula genes to the present-day Canarian pool), while some relation with north African groups is shown. Genetic distances between Canarians and Arabs and Canarians and Berbers are lower than those between the two north African groups, indicating a relative and comparable contribution of each to the present-day gene pool of the Canarian population. The Arab contribution could be attributable to the slaves who were introduced to these islands after the conquest in the 15th century, while the Berber contribution could be the remnants of the extinct aboriginal peoples of the islands (Guanches) or a more recent immigration due to slavery. Genetic data do not allow us to distinguish between these two possibilities. Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 102:337–349, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Do-It-Yourself device for recovery of cryopreserved samples accidentally dropped into cryogenic storage tanks

Liquid nitrogen is colorless, odorless, extremely cold (-196 °C) liquid kept under pressure. It is commonly used as a cryogenic fluid for long term storage of biological materials such as blood, cells and tissues (1,2). The cryogenic nature of liquid nitrogen, while ideal for sample preservation, can cause rapid freezing of live tissues on contact - known as 'cryogenic burn' (2), which may lead to severe frostbite in persons closely involved in storage and retrieval of samples from Dewars. Additionally, as liquid nitrogen evaporates it reduces the oxygen concentration in the air and might cause asphyxia, especially in confined spaces (2). In laboratories, biological samples are often stored in cryovials or cryoboxes stacked in stainless steel racks within the Dewar tanks (1). These storage racks are provided with a long shaft to prevent boxes from slipping out from the racks and into the bottom of Dewars during routine handling. All too often, however, boxes or vials with precious samples slip out and sink to the bottom of liquid nitrogen filled tank. In such cases, samples could be tediously retrieved after transferring the liquid nitrogen into a spare container or discarding it. The boxes and vials can then be relatively safely recovered from emptied Dewar. However, the cryogenic nature of liquid nitrogen and its expansion rate makes sunken sample retrieval hazardous. It is commonly recommended by Safety Offices that sample retrieval be never carried out by a single person. Another alternative is to use commercially available cool grabbers or tongs to pull out the vials (3). However, limited visibility within the dark liquid filled Dewars poses a major limitation in their use. In this article, we describe the construction of a Cryotolerant DIY retrieval device, which makes sample retrieval from Dewar containing cryogenic fluids both safe and easy.     

Uncertain branch lengths, taxonomic sampling error, and the egg to body size allometry in temperate butterflies (Lepidoptera)

The allometry of egg to body size in temperate butterflies, and the relationships between egg size and larval host structure, taxonomy, voltinism, and duration of the egg stage, are investigated using cross-species analysis and the comparative analysis of independent contrasts. In addition, the effect of two sources of uncertainty that may affect continuous data when treated under a statistical, comparative, framework, is assessed: (1) unknown evolutionary distances, and (2) taxonomic representativity (proportion of species of a given taxon, from which data are available). It is suggested that the effects of taxonomic under-representation could be important in comparative, quantitative studies, but this problem may be tempered by means of weighted regression. Under the assumption that taxonomy represents butterfly phylogeny, egg and adult body size are related by negative allometry (i.e. the slope of the line fitted to the logarithmically transformed data is lower than 1.0). However, the precise slope (0.2-0.9) depends on the method used, branch lengths, and taxonomic sampling. There is evidence for a relationship between a species' voltinism and the number of days it spends in the egg stage, as well as between adult butterfly size and the gross structure of the plants used as larval hosts (woody plants or herbs). Egg size proves to be related to foodplant taxonomy, voltinism, and duration of the egg stage when the data are analysed using species means, but these relationships become non-significant when the comparative method is employed.     

Small‐scale genetic structure and mating patterns in an extensive sessile oak forest (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.)

Oaks (Quercus) are major components of temperate forest ecosystems in the Northern Hemisphere where they form intermediate or climax communities. Sessile oak (Quercus petraea) forests represent the climax vegetation in eastern Germany and western Poland. Here, sessile oak forms pure stands or occurs intermixed with Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris). A large body of research is available on gene flow, reproduction dynamics, and genetic structure in fragmented landscapes and mixed populations. At the same time, our knowledge regarding large, contiguous, and monospecific populations is considerably less well developed. Our study is an attempt to further develop our understanding of the reproduction ecology of sessile oak as an ecologically and economically important forest tree by analyzing mating patterns and genetic structure within adult trees and seedlings originating from one or two reproduction events in an extensive, naturally regenerating sessile oak forest. We detected positive spatial genetic structure up to 30 meters between adult trees and up to 40 meters between seedlings. Seed dispersal distances averaged 8.4 meters. Pollen dispersal distances averaged 22.6 meters. In both cases, the largest proportion of the dispersal occurred over short distances. Dispersal over longer distances was more common for pollen but also appeared regularly for seeds. The reproductive success of individual trees was highly skewed. Only 41 percent of all adult trees produced any offspring while the majority did not participate in reproduction. Among those trees that contributed to the analyzed seedling sample, 80 percent contributed 1–3 gametes. Only 20 percent of all parent trees contributed four or more gametes. However, these relatively few most fertile trees contributed 51 percent of all gametes within the seedling sample. Vitality and growth differed significantly between reproducing and nonreproducing adult trees with reproducing trees being more vital and vigorous than nonreproducing individuals. Our study demonstrates that extensive, apparently homogenous oak forests are far from uniform on the genetic level. On the contrary, they form highly complex mosaics of remarkably small local neighborhoods. This counterbalances the levelling effect of long‐distance dispersal and may increase the species’ adaptive potential. Incorporating these dynamics in the management, conservation, and restoration of oak forests can support the conservation of forest genetic diversity and assist those forests in coping with environmental change.     

凉水保护区松鼠冬季重取食物的贮藏点与越冬生存策略

为了解松鼠贮食行为中的重取食物行为特征,以及在冬季不同生存环境条件下,重取贮藏的红松种子的状况,于2004年初冬(11月中旬),仲冬(2005年1月下旬)和晚冬(3月下旬)采用随机抽样法对凉水自然保护区内雪地上的松鼠重取食物后遗留的贮藏点(称为重取贮点)进行了调查和分析。结果表明:1)冬季不同时期松鼠的重取贮点强度存在明显差异,初冬最大,晚冬次之,仲冬最小,3 个时期的样本数据频率分布检验表明其总体皆服从指数分布;2)当场取食的贮藏点占到83%,17% 的贮藏点未发现籽壳遗留。受松籽低产量及人为过量收获的影响,单个贮藏点贮藏1 粒和2 粒种子的占92.9% ;3)受气温和雪被厚度因素的影响,3 个时期重取贮藏点的口径与深度存在显著差异,一定深度的雪被可能有助于松鼠的重取,但过深的雪被也许会使松鼠无法重取。本研究表明,本地区松鼠在冬季不同时期重取红松种子的强度分配符合将饥饿风险降至最小的觅食经济学原则;松鼠重取行为的优化在贮藏点的被取食状况、口径与深度等特征上得到体现。     

Inferring landscape resistance to gene flow when genetic drift is spatially heterogeneous

In connectivity models, land cover types are assigned cost values characterizing their resistance to species movements. Landscape genetic methods infer these values from the relationship between genetic differentiation and cost distances. The spatial heterogeneity of population sizes, and consequently genetic drift, is rarely included in this inference although it influences genetic differentiation. Similarly, migration rates and population spatial distributions potentially influence this inference. Here, we assessed the reliability of cost value inference under several migration rates, population spatial patterns and degrees of population size heterogeneity. Additionally, we assessed whether considering intra-population variables, here using gravity models, improved the inference when drift is spatially heterogeneous. We simulated several gene flow intensities between populations with varying local sizes and spatial distributions. We then fit gravity models of genetic distances as a function of (i) the ‘true’ cost distances driving simulations or alternative cost distances, and (ii) intra-population variables (population sizes, patch areas). We determined the conditions making the identification of the ‘true’ costs possible and assessed the contribution of intra-population variables to this objective. Overall, the inference ranked cost scenarios reliably in terms of similarity with the ‘true’ scenario (cost distance Mantel correlations), but this ‘true’ scenario rarely provided the best model goodness of fit. Ranking inaccuracies and failures to identify the ‘true’ scenario were more pronounced when migration was very restricted (<4 dispersal events/generation), population sizes were most heterogeneous and some populations were spatially aggregated. In these situations, considering intra-population variables helps identify cost scenarios reliably, thereby improving cost value inference from genetic data.     

Free‐energy profiles for ions in the influenza M2‐TMD channel

M₂ transmembrane domain channel (M₂‐TMD) permeation properties are studied using molecular dynamics simulations of M₂‐TMD (1NYJ) embedded in a lipid bilayer (DMPC) with 1 mol/kg NaCl or KCl saline solution. This study allows examination of spontaneous cation and anion entry into the selectivity filter. Three titration states of the M₂‐TMD tetramer are modeled for which the four His³⁷ residues, forming the selectivity filter, are net uncharged, +2 charged, or +3 charged. M₂‐TMD structural properties from our simulations are compared with the properties of other models extracted from NMR and X‐ray studies. During 10 ns simulations, chloride ions occasionally occupy the positively‐charged selectivity filter region, and from umbrella sampling simulations, Cl^? has a lower free‐energy barrier in the selectivity‐filter region than either Na⁺ or NH, and NH has a lower free‐energy barrier than Na⁺. For Na⁺ and Cl^?, the free‐energy barriers are less than 5 kcal/mol, suggesting that the 1NYJ conformation would probably not be exquisitely proton selective. We also point out a rotameric configuration of Trp⁴¹ that could fully occlude the channel. Proteins 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Air quality and its response to satellite-derived urban form in the Yangtze River Delta,China

Air pollution is one of the top environmental concerns and causes of deaths and various diseases worldwide. An important question for sustainable development is to what extent urban design can improve or degrade urban air quality. In this article, we explored the relationship between ground-based observations of air pollution and urban form in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), the largest metropolitan region in China. We analyzed six criteria pollutants (SO₂, NO₂, PM₁₀, PM_2.5, CO, O₃) and summarized metric (air quality index, AQI) from 129 ambient air quality monitoring stations during 2015. Urban form was characterized using six spatial metrics, including the size, shape, regularity, fragmentation and traffic coupling factor of urban patches, based on satellite-derived land cover data. The results indicated that: (1) PM_2.5, PM₁₀ and O₃ were three primary pollutants in the YRD. The annual average AQI was 79, and the air quality was “moderate” for human health, with the highest and lowest AQI appeared in winter (107) and summer (60). Moreover, the air quality of the southern areas (Zhejiang province, AQI: 68) was generally better than the northern parts (Jiangsu province, AQI: 86). (2) Through the size and shape of urban patches, urban form had a significant effect on urban air quality in the YRD. PARA_MN (Mean Perimeter-area ratio), ENN_MN (Mean Euclidean Nearest Neighbor Distance), CA (Total Urban Area) and NP (Number of urban patches) had the most significant impacts on air quality. PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 were two important pollutants highly positively related to CA and NP, while negatively related to PARA_MN and ENN_MN. In addition, the polycentric urban form was associated with high air quality. (3) Land use configuration was an important indicator to describe the urban air quality. When buffer distance of spatial scale was 25 km, air quality showed the highest correlation with forest coverage. A high forest coverage rate contributed to the better air quality, increasing or preserving the forested areas would help mitigate the air pollution.     

Sieving experiment: the controlled recovery of charred plant remains from modern and archaeological samples

Results of experimental retrieval of plant remains (both charred modern and fossil) from three sediment types (clay, gravel and sandy loam) carried out by environmental archaeologists from the Ancient Monuments Laboratory and the Central Archaeology Service, English Heritage, are reported. For each sediment type, six different treatments were carried out using three flotation machines of the Siraf type, two other machines in use in two archaeological units and one experimental machine. The results show that there is invariably considerable discrepancy between the amount of plant material present and that recovered, that the Serif-type machine is among the best currently available and that pretreatment of particular mineral soils may improve recovery of plant macrofossil material.