南亚热带森林几种乔木种子萌发和幼苗生长观察

本文对香椿（Ｔｏｏｎａｓｉｎｅｎｓｉｓ（Ａ．Ｊｕｓｓ．）Ｒｏｅｍ．）、木蝴蝶（Ｏｒｏｘｙｌｕｍｉｎｄｉｃｕｍ（Ｌ．）Ｖｅｎｔ．）、扁斗青冈（ＱｕｅｒｃｕｓｈｕｉＣｈｕｎ）、泡桐（Ｐａｕｌｏｗｎｉａｆｏｒｔｕｎｅｉ（Ｓｅｅｍ．）Ｈｅｍｓｌ）罗浮柿（ＤｉｏｓｐｙｒｏｓｍｏｒｒｉｓｉａｎａＨａｎｃｅ）、枳（ＢｅｒｃｈｅｍｉａｄｕｌｃｉｓＴｈｕｎｂ．）等南亚热带森林乔木种子萌发和幼苗生长进行观察．香椿、扁斗青冈、罗浮柿种子在轻阴（５５％光）条件下萌发率最高,分别为７０％、９０％、３０％,木蝴蝶种子在重阴（３８％光）条件下萌发率最高,为８０％,枳种子在光照条件下萌发率最高,为１５％．阳性树种香椿、木蝴蝶、泡桐、枳幼苗生长速度较快,属速生型树种,其幼苗在光照条件下生长速度最快,森林中树种扁斗青冈、罗浮柿幼苗生长速度较慢,属慢生型树种,其幼苗在轻阴条件下生长较好．随着施肥量的增加,幼苗生长速度明显提高．     

沙埋对两种一年生藜科植物存活及光合生理的影响

为了解沙埋对沙生植物存活的影响及其光合生理响应特征,比较不同藜科沙生植物耐沙埋能力及其光合响应,在内蒙古科尔沁沙地研究了沙米(Agriophyllum squarrosum)和大果虫实(Corispermum marocarpum)在不同沙埋深度下第5、10、15天的净光合速率、气孔导度、蒸腾速率、水分利用效率的变化,并于植物生长末期对存活率进行了测定。结果表明:沙米较大果虫实具有较强的耐沙埋能力,其中沙米幼苗最大耐沙埋深度超过苗高10 cm,大果虫实在埋深等于其苗高时全部死亡;随沙埋深度增加,沙米和大果虫实的存活率均显著下降,但沙米的下降幅度明显小于大果虫实;沙埋后,2种植物的气孔关闭或开放程度减小,通过降低蒸腾速率和提高水分利用效率来适应沙埋胁迫;随着沙埋胁迫的加剧,2种植物的净光合速率下降,表明沙埋胁迫对植物的光合作用破坏较大;相比于大果虫实,沙米对于沙埋胁迫有着更好的光合适应,随着胁迫的时间增加,其净光合速率有所恢复。     

Differential plague susceptibility in species and populations of prairie dogs

Laboratory trials conducted over the past decade at U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center indicate that wild populations of prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) display different degrees of susceptibility to experimental challenge with fully virulent Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague. We evaluated patterns in prairie dog susceptibility to plague to determine whether the historical occurrence of plague at location of capture was related to survival times of prairie dogs challenged with Y. pestis. We found that black‐tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) from South Dakota (captured prior to the detection of plague in the state), Gunnison's prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni) from Colorado, and Utah prairie dogs (Cynomys parvidens) from Utah were most susceptible to plague. Though the susceptibility of black‐tailed prairie dogs in South Dakota compared with western locations supports our hypothesis regarding historical exposure, both Colorado and Utah prairie dogs have a long history of exposure to plague. It is possible that for these populations, genetic isolation/bottle necks have made them more susceptible to plague outbreaks.     

Estimability of migration survival rates from integrated breeding and winter capture–recapture data

Long‐distance migration is a common phenomenon across the animal kingdom but the scale of annual migratory movements has made it difficult for researchers to estimate survival rates during these periods of the annual cycle. Estimating migration survival is particularly challenging for small‐bodied species that cannot carry satellite tags, a group that includes the vast majority of migratory species. When capture–recapture data are available for linked breeding and non‐breeding populations, estimation of overall migration survival is possible but current methods do not allow separate estimation of spring and autumn survival rates. Recent development of a Bayesian integrated survival model has provided a method to separately estimate the latent spring and autumn survival rates using capture–recapture data, though the accuracy and precision of these estimates has not been formally tested. Here, I used simulated data to explore the estimability of migration survival rates using this model. Under a variety of biologically realistic scenarios, I demonstrate that spring and autumn migration survival can be estimated from the integrated survival model, though estimates are biased toward the overall migration survival probability. The direction and magnitude of this bias are influenced by the relative difference in spring and autumn survival rates as well as the degree of annual variation in these rates. The inclusion of covariates can improve the model's performance, especially when annual variation in migration survival rates is low. Migration survival rates can be estimated from relatively short time series (4–5 years), but bias and precision of estimates are improved when longer time series (10–12 years) are available. The ability to estimate seasonal survival rates of small, migratory organisms opens the door to advancing our understanding of the ecology and conservation of these species. Application of this method will enable researchers to better understand when mortality occurs across the annual cycle and how the migratory periods contribute to population dynamics. Integrating summer and winter capture data requires knowledge of the migratory connectivity of sampled populations and therefore efforts to simultaneously collect both survival and tracking data should be a high priority, especially for species of conservation concern.     

银杏扦插繁殖试验

本文报道银杏扦插繁殖技术。采用不同插穗、机械处理、不同激素及浓度处理进行扦插繁殖试验．扦插成活率可达９０—１００％。     

Light-grown plants of transgenic tobacco expressing an introduced oat phytochrome A gene under the control of a constitutive viral promoter exhibit persistent growth inhibition by far-red light

A comparison of the photoregulation of development has been made for etiolated and light-grown plants of wild-type (WT) tobacco (Nicotiana tabacun L.) and an isogenic transgenic line which expresses an introduced oat phytochrome gene (phyA) under the control of a constitutive viral promoter. Etiolated seedlings of both the WT and transgenic line showed irradiance-dependent inhibition of hypocotyl growth under continuous far-red (FR) light; transgenic seedlings showed a greater level of inhibition under a given fluence rate and this is considered to be the result of the heterologous phytochrome protein (PhyA) functioning in a compatible manner with the native etiolated phytochrome. Deetiolation of WT seedlings resulted in a loss of responsiveness to prolonged FR. Light-grown transgenic seedlings, however, continued to respond in an irradiance-dependent manner to prolonged FR and it is proposed that this is a specific function of the constitutive PhyA. Mature green plants of the WT and transgenic lines showed a qualitatively similar growth promotion to a brief end-of-day FR-treatment but this response was abolished in the transgenic plants under prolonged irradiation by this same FR source. Growth inhibition (McCormac et al. 1991, Planta 185, 162–170) and enhanced levels of nitrate-reductase activity under irradiance of low red:far-red ratio, as achieved by the FR-supplementation of white light, emphasised that the introduced PhyA was eliciting an aberrant mode of photoresponse compared with the normal phytochrome population of light-grown plants. Total levels of the oat-encoded phytochrome in the etiolated transgenic tobacco were shown to be influenced by the wavelength of continuous irradiation in a manner which was qualitatively similar to that seen for the native, etiolated tobacco phytochrome, and distinct from that seen in etiolated oat tissues. These results are discussed in terms of the proposal that the constitutive oat-PhyA pool in the transgenic plants leads to a persistence of a mode of response normally restricted to the situation in etiolated plants.Abbreviations FR far-red light - R red light - WL white light - WL + FR white light supplemented with FR - HIR high-irradiance response - PAR photosynthetically active radiation - Pr, Pfr R- and FR-absorbing forms of phytochrome - Ptot total phytochrome - phyA (PhyA) gene (encoded protein) for phytochrome - WT wild type This work was supported by an Agricultural and Food Research Council research grant to H.S. and A.M.; J.R. Cherry and R.D. Vierstra, (Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA) are thanked for the provision of the transgenic tobacco line.     

Eat or be eaten: prevalence and impact of egg cannibalism on two-spot ladybirds, Adalia bipunctata

Ladybirds commonly engage in cannibalistic behaviour. Egg cannibalism by first instars is considered advantageous to the cannibal, because it not only results in direct metabolic gain but also a reduction in potential competitors. In this study, we quantified the effect of cannibalism on the development rate and survival of Adalia bipunctata (L.) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) larvae through development to the adult stage. We also assessed the synchrony of egg‐hatching in relation to laying order and compared the proportion of eggs cannibalized in egg batches laid as clusters or linearly. Larvae that had consumed a conspecific egg after hatching reached the adult stage 1.65 days earlier than those larvae that had not. Larval and pupal mortality was lower for cannibals compared to non‐cannibals; only 46% of non‐cannibalistic individuals reached the adult stage whereas 81% of cannibals pupated successfully. Egg cannibalism is undoubtedly advantageous to A. bipunctata larvae both in terms of faster development and increased survival. There is a positive correlation between laying and hatching order for eggs laid linearly or in a cluster. There was no significant difference in the proportion of eggs hatching in clusters or in a line (80 and 77%, respectively). The remaining eggs were either cannibalized or did not hatch. The ecological implications of these results are discussed with particular reference to trophic egg plasticity.     

Aedes aegypti (L.) mosquitoes in Trinidad,West Indies: longevity case studies

Few laboratory and field studies have reported long survival periods for Ae. aegypti females and even fewer have designed experiments to characterize this important life history trait. This study was conducted under laboratory conditions to determine the number of blood meals taken by individual females, the number of eggs laid per individual female, the length of the gonotrophic cycle, and the duration of female survival. The results showed individual females oviposited between 670 and 1,500 eggs throughout their lifetimes, females undergoing large numbers of gonotrophic cycles and surviving up to 224 days. These results are discussed in the context of vector competence, unique alternating high and low oviposition patterns observed after week 14, and resource partitioning/allocation by older Ae. aegypti females after blood feeding.     

Immunocompetence and high metabolic rates enhance overwinter survival in the root vole,Microtus oeconomus

Despite its presumed significance, the association between immune defence, energy expenditures and overwinter survival is rarely studied. We analysed individual variation in immunocompetence quantified as neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (N/L), total white blood cells (WBC) and natural antibody levels, along with resting (RMR) and peak metabolic rates (PMR) and mortality during three consecutive winter seasons in a natural population of the root vole, Microtus oeconomus. In early winter, WBC count was negatively correlated with RMR, whereas N/L ratio was negatively correlated with swim-elicited PMR. We suggest that while the first correlation reflected the trade-off between energy allocation in immunocompetence and other metabolically demanding processes, the latter correlation stemmed from stress-induced immunosuppression elicited by the necessity to cope with swimming in frequently flooded habitat. In addition, the analysis carried out during the first year of study characterized by a high population density and prevalence of infestation with a blood parasite—Babesia spp., showed that its intensity was inversely correlated with the N/L ratio. In summary, our results suggest that elevated N/L ratio increases the winter survival of free-ranging rodents by increasing their ability to cope with parasitic infections.