The significance of genetic erosion in the process of extinction

Summary The amount of genetic variation within a population is, among other things, related to population size. In small populations loss of genetic variation due to high levels of genetic drift and inbreeding may result in decline of individual fitness and increase the chance of population extinction. This chain of processes is known as genetic erosion. In this study we tested the genetic erosion hypothesis by investigating the relation between morphological variation and population size in two perennial, outbreeding plant species, Salvia pratensis and Scabiosa columbaria. To relate phenotypic variation to genetic variation the experiments were performed under common environmental conditions. For both species a positive correlation was observed between the amount of phenotypic variation and population size (Salvia r=0.915; Scabiosa r=0.703). Part of this variation is likely to have a genetic base, although maternal effects were present in the seedling and juvenile life stages. Differences between populations could in both species be attributed to parameters related to fitness, i.e. growth rate in Salvia and reproductive effort in Scabiosa. Discriminant functions reflecting these parameters did not however discriminate between large and small populations.Results are discussed in relation to the common environment approach and to electrophoretic results obtained earlier (Van Treuren et al. 1991).     

Host plant finding in the specialised leaf beetle Cassida canaliculata: an analysis of small-scale movement behaviour

Abstract.  1. Host plant finding in walking herbivorous beetles is still poorly understood. Analysis of small-scale movement patterns under semi-natural conditions can be a useful tool to detect behavioural responses towards host plant cues.
2. In this study, the small-scale movement behaviour of the monophagous leaf beetle Cassida canaliculata Laich. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) was studied in a semi-natural arena ( r = 1 m). In three different settings, a host ( Salvia pratensis L., Lamiales: Lamiaceae), a non-host ( Rumex conglomeratus Murr., Caryophyllales: Polygonaceae), or no plant was presented in the centre of the arena.
3. The beetles showed no differences in the absolute movement variables, straightness and mean walking speed, between the three settings. However, the relative movement variables, mean distance to the centre and mean angular deviation from walking straight to the centre, were significantly smaller when a host plant was offered. Likewise, the angular deviation from walking straight to the centre tended to decline with decreasing distance from the centre. Finally, significantly more beetles were found on the host than on the non-host at the end of all the trials.
4. It is concluded that C. canaliculata is able to recognise its host plant from a distance. Whether olfactory or visual cues (or a combination of both) are used to find the host plant remains to be elucidated by further studies.     

香紫苏叶片表面微区元素成分分析研究

目的:对药用植物和香料植物香紫苏叶片表面结构进行观察,同时对叶片表面的元素种类和含量进行分析。方法:利用Quanta 200扫描电镜对香紫苏叶片表面进行观察,利用EDAX-9100能谱仪对选定区域进行元素种类和含量的线扫描和面扫描分析。结果:香紫苏叶片表面被覆大量表皮毛,且香紫苏叶片表皮毛中的C、O和K元素含量明显高于其他部位,其他元素分布则比较均匀。结论:电子探针可以快速对叶片表面特定区域以及特殊结构进行元素种类和含量分析。     

丹参中硫堇基因SmTHI的克隆和表达分析

丹参EST序列的Blast分析表明,一条序列与硫堇（thionin,THI）基因有较高的同源性,该序列长575bp,包含1个长366bp的开放阅读框（ORF）,编码121个氨基酸,命名为SmTHI,GenBank登陆号为DQ212984。在此基础上设计引物,分别从cDNA和gDNA水平上克隆到该基因的全编码区序列的结果表明,该基因无内含子。序列分析表明,该编码蛋白与大多数植物的THI蛋白前体高度同源,并符合植物硫堇类蛋白的序列模式和特征：C—C—x（5）．R．x（2）-[FY]-x（2）-C,N端具17个氨基酸的信号肽,中间46个氨基酸为成熟THI部分,C端的58个氨基酸为酸性多肽部分。成熟的THI蛋白带正电荷,偏碱性,推测可能有抗病原微生物活性。实时定量PCR检测SmTHI在丹参不同组织部位的表达以及在黄瓜细菌性角斑病菌（PSL）、NaCl和水杨酸（sA）溶液诱导下的表达结果表明：SmTHI在植物的根、茎和叶中均有不同程度的表达,其表达丰度为叶〉茎〉根：在PSL、NaCl和sA溶液诱导下该基因的表达呈上调趋势。     

Methyl jasmonate effect on diterpenoid accumulation in Salvia sclarea hairy root culture in shake flasks and sprinkle bioreactor

Hairy root cultures of Salvia sclarea were grown in shake flasks and 10 L nutrient sprinkle bioreactor, running for 30 days and the effects of methyl jasmonate (MJ) on their growth and capacity to accumulate diterpenoids were measured. We found that MJ concentration and exposure time to the elicitor were factors that strongly affected the diterpenoid production. The highest diterpenoid accumulation (67.5 ± 7.1 mg g⁻¹ dry weight, calculated as a sum of ferruginol, salvipisone, aethiopinone and 1-oxoaethiopinone) without reduction of biomass, was achieved when the 23-day-old hairy roots in bioreactor culture were exposed to 125 μM MJ for 7 days. The roots produced 9 and 3.8 times as much aethiopinone (40 ± 5.9 mg g⁻¹ dry weight) and salvipisone (12.6 ± 0.4 mg g⁻¹ dry weight), respectively, as roots cultured in shake flasks. Our results imply that cultivation of S. sclarea hairy roots in sprinkle bioreactor after elicitation with MJ may be valuable to enhance production of the bioactive diterpenoids.     

高速逆流色谱法分离制备丹酚酸B

采用高速逆流色谱法分离纯化丹参水溶性成分丹酚酸类物质,制备丹酚酸B化学对照品。分离采用的溶剂系统为正己烷-乙酸乙酯-水-甲醇(1.5:5:5:1.5),上相做固定相,下相做流动相,流速为1.7 mL/min,仪器转速850 rpm,进样量80 mg,纯度用HPLC方法测定。结果表明:一次分离可制备63.4 mg丹酚酸B,其纯度为98.6%。该方法操作简单,可作为高纯度丹酚酸B化学对照品的制备分离方法。     

Anatomy,trichome morphology and palynology of Salvia chrysophylla Stapf (Lamiaceae)

The anatomy, palynology, morphology and distribution of the trichomes on the aerial parts of Salvia chrysophylla Stapf, an endemic species in Turkey, were studied in order to understand the usefulness of these characteristics for systematic purposes. Some anatomical characters such as (1–)2–24-rowed pith rays in roots, dorsiventral leaves, obviously larger upper epidermal cells, and two to three large vascular bundles in the center and two to four small subsidiary bundles in the wings of petiole provide information of taxonomical significance. Three main types of trichomes were observed on the stem, inflorescence axis, leaf and calyx surfaces of S. chrysophylla. They are peltate, capitate glandular and non-glandular. Capitate glandular and non-glandular trichomes were further subdivided into several kinds. Glandular trichomes are present in abundance on the inflorescence axis and calyx, but non-glandular ones were mainly situated on the leaf and stem. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) studies on the pollen grains have revealed that they are oblate-spheroidal and their exine ornamentation is bireticulate-perforate.     

干旱胁迫对丹参叶片气体交换和叶绿素荧光参数的影响

研究了干旱处理15d后,大叶型丹参和小叶型丹参2个品种幼苗气体交换和叶绿素荧光参数的变化.结果表明:在干旱胁迫15d后,大叶型丹参叶片净光合速率(Pn)和PSⅡ最大光化学效率(Fv/Fm)分别下降了66.42%和10.98%,而小叶型丹参的Pn和Fv/Fm分别下降了29.32%和5.47%,干旱胁迫对大叶型丹参Pn和Fv/Fm的影响明显大于小叶型丹参.小叶型丹参Pn下降主要由气孔因素造成,而大叶型则主要由非气孔因素所致.干旱胁迫使丹参叶片的气孔导度(Gs)下降,但明显诱导了水分利用效率(WUE)、非光化学猝灭系数(qN)和光呼吸速率与净光合速率比率(Pr/Pn)的增加,以提高干旱胁迫抗性.其中小叶型丹参的增幅明显大于大叶型丹参.表明小叶型丹参的抗干旱胁迫能力更强.     

鼠尾草属植物二萜类化学成分的研究进展

鼠尾草属植物富含二萜类化合物,该类成分不仅具有结构的多变性,而且具有广泛的生物活性。该综述就近十年来从鼠尾草属植物中发现的新二萜类化合物及其生物活性进行总结。