Dendritic Integration in Olfactory Sensory Neurons: A Steady-State Analysis of How the Neuron Structure and Neuron Environment Influence the Coding of Odor Intensity

Response properties of the receptor potential at steady state were analyzed in a biophysical model of an olfactory sensory neuron embedded in a multicell environment. The neuron structure was described as a set of several identical dendrites (or cilia) bearing the transduction mechanisms, joined to a nonsensory part—dendritic knob, soma, and axon. The different ionic compositions of the media surrounding the neuron sensory and nonsensory parts and the extraneuronal voltage sources, which both result from the presence of auxiliary cells, were also taken into account. Analytical solutions were found to describe how the receptor potential at the nonsensory part responds to a uniform change in the odorant-dependent conductance resulting from odorant stimulation of the sensory dendrites. We investigated the influence of various geometrical and electrical parameters on the receptor-potential response in the classical model neuron within a homogeneous environment and in the model neuron surrounded with auxiliary cells. First, it was found that the maximum amplitude of the receptor potential is independent of the neuron structure in the absence of auxiliary cells but not in their presence. In the latter case, the amplitude decreases with the length and number of sensory dendrites and with the input resistance of the nonsensory part. Second, the sensitivity (as measured by the increase in membrane conductance at half-maximum response) of the neuron model in the absence of auxiliary cells is higher, but its dynamic range is narrower than in their presence. The dynamic range is wide and the sensitivity low when the input resistance of the nonsensory part is small and the sensory dendrite is unbranched. Both sensitivity and dynamic range are higher for a longer dendrite. These results help understand the morphology of insect olfactory sensilla and can be generalized to other neuron types.     

Selective fruit filling in relation to pollen load size in Alstroemeria aurea (Alstroemeriaceae)

 We conducted an experiment in a natural population of Alstroemeria aurea, a clonal perennial, to determine (1) if reproduction was resource limited, and (2) if fruits would be selectively filled based on differences in pollination intensity when pollen loads were adequate for full seed set. Under these conditions, differences in pollination intensity are unlikely to affect seed number, but could affect seed quality, providing an interesting test of the gametophytic competition hypothesis. To test for resource limitation, percent fruit maturation, number of seeds per fruit and average seed weight were compared to paired controls for ramets in which all but one fruit was removed. To test the effect of pollination intensity on selective resource allocation, three types of pollination treatments were performed: (1) all flowers of the single inflorescence received a low pollen load, (2) all flowers received a high pollen load, (3) alternate flowers of the inflorescence received either a high or a low pollen load. We determined the percentage of fruit that reached maturity, counted the number of seeds and ovules and calculated the average seed weight for all capsules in each treatment. Resources appeared to limit reproduction in this population since seed number and weight were significantly higher than in controls when competing capsules were removed. At the whole ramet level, a four fold difference in pollen loads had no significant effect on any of the parameters measured. However, when pollination intensity varied within an inflorescence, the number of seeds per fruit increased by about 10% in flowers that received the higher pollen load. We observed the same trend in each of 2 years, but the increase was significant in only 1 year. The differences, although not great, were only slightly smaller than when all competing fruits were removed, and were consistent with selective resource allocation based on pollination intensity independent of seed set. Received: 28 September 1997 / Accepted: 30 April 1998     

走马胎灰分对光的响应特征及其与生长指标的相关性

为探究光照强度和光质对走马胎(Ardisia giantifolia)灰分积累的影响，利用遮阳网和薄膜设定4个光照梯度(100%、60%、40%、20%全光照)和4种光质(绿、白、蓝、红)，分析了基径、株高以及生物量的响应特征，以及灰分与生长指标的关系。结果表明，走马胎灰分含量在绿光下随着光照强度的减弱而呈减少的趋势，在白光下随着光照强度的减弱呈现“低-高-低-高”的波动变化，在蓝光或红光下没有显著变化；在100%光照强度下，白光的灰分含量最低，与其余光照强度存在显著差异; 在60%、40%、20%光照强度下，光质对走马胎灰分含量的影响不显著。走马胎灰分含量与株高、基径和生物量间不存在明显的相关性；随着光照强度的减弱，走马胎的株高、基径以及生物量均呈现增加的趋势，且在白光下达到最大。因此，光照对走马胎灰分的积累和生长指标均有影响，种植走马胎时要选择适当遮荫强度或郁闭度较高的林型。     

Gauging the effects of sampling failure in biogeographical analysis

Aim Various methods are employed to recover patterns of area relationships in extinct and extant clades. The fidelity of these patterns can be adversely affected by sampling error in the form of missing data. Here we use simulation studies to evaluate the sensitivity of an analytical biogeographical method, namely tree reconciliation analysis (TRA), to this form of sampling failure. Location Simulation study. Methods To approximate varying degrees of taxonomic sampling failure within phylogenies varying in size and in redundancy of biogeographical signal, we applied sequential pruning protocols to artificial taxon–area cladograms displaying congruent patterns of area relationships. Initial trials assumed equal probability of sampling failure among all areas. Additional trials assigned weighted probabilities to each of the areas in order to explore the effects of uneven geographical sampling. Pruned taxon–area cladograms were then analysed with TRA to determine if the optimal area cladograms recovered match the original biogeographical signal, or if they represent false, ambiguous or uninformative signals. Results The results indicate a period of consistently accurate recovery of the true biogeographical signal, followed by a nonlinear decrease in signal recovery as more taxa are pruned. At high levels of sampling failure, false biogeographical signals are more likely to be recovered than the true signal. However, randomization testing for statistical significance greatly decreases the chance of accepting false signals. The primary inflection of the signal recovery curve, and its steepness and slope depend upon taxon–area cladogram size and area redundancy, as well as on the evenness of sampling. Uneven sampling across geographical areas is found to have serious deleterious effects on TRA, with the accuracy of recovery of biogeographical signal varying by an order of magnitude or more across different sampling regimes. Main conclusions These simulations reiterate the importance of taxon sampling in biogeographical analysis, and attest to the importance of considering geographical, as well as overall, sampling failure when interpreting the robustness of biogeographical signals. In addition to randomization testing for significance, we suggest the use of randomized sequential taxon deletions and the construction of signal decay curves as a means to assess the robustness of biogeographical signals for empirical data sets.     

八种红树植物幼苗的叶片可溶性蛋白和抗氧化酶活性对光强的响应

红树林湿地生态系统的恢复与重建是我国南方海岸带生态恢复研究的重点领域之一。为明确红树植物光适应的生理生态策略，该文选取无瓣海桑(Sonneratia apetala)、秋茄(Kandelia obovata)、木榄(Bruguiera gymnorhiza)、桐花树(Aegiceras corniculatum)、老鼠簕(Acanthus ilicifolius)、卤蕨(Acrostichum aureum)、银叶树(Heritiera littoralis)和黄槿(Hibiscus tiliaceus)作为研究对象，通过遮荫控制试验，探究这8种红树植物一年生幼苗在不同光照强度(自然光强的100%、45%、30%、10%)处理下的叶片可溶性蛋白含量和抗氧化酶活性的响应特征。结果表明：(1)随光照强度下降，木榄、老鼠簕和卤蕨的叶片可溶性蛋白含量受到的影响较小，而无瓣海桑、秋茄、桐花树、银叶树和黄槿的叶片可溶性蛋白含量则表现出下降趋势。(2)木榄、老鼠簕和卤蕨的超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)和抗坏血酸过氧化物酶(APX)等抗氧化酶活性在10%光照强度处理下的活性与对照无显著差异，而无瓣海桑、秋茄...     

西藏虎头兰和墨兰对强光的生理响应

兰属植物(Cymbidium)是重要的观赏花卉。该属大多数种类生长在适度荫蔽的环境中,但附生型的西藏虎头兰(C.tracyanum)却能在阳光直射的环境下良好生长。为了探究西藏虎头兰适应强光的生理机制,研究选取同属的地生型墨兰(C.sinense)与其进行对照实验,测定了这两种植物在不同光照强度下的叶绿素荧光参数和P700氧化还原态。结果表明,在强光下,西藏虎头兰光系统I和II活性的下降程度比墨兰小,而环式电子传递的激发程度更高。环式电子传递的激发有助于增强西藏虎头兰在强光下的光保护,而墨兰因环式电子激发程度较低,使其不能适应强光。由于附生环境更容易出现间歇性的直射光,西藏虎头兰的这种适应强光的能力可能有助于它更充分地利用附生环境中的光照资源。     

PEX14 binding to Arabidopsis PEX5 has differential effects on PTS1 and PTS2 cargo occupancy of the receptor

PEX5 acts as a cycling receptor for import of PTS1 proteins into peroxisomes and as a co-receptor for PEX7, the PTS2 receptor, but the mechanism of cargo unloading has remained obscure. Using recombinant protein domains we show PEX5 binding to the PEX14N-terminal domain (PEX14N) has no effect on the affinity of PEX5 for a PTS1 containing peptide. PEX5 can form a complex containing both recombinant PTS1 cargo and endogenous PEX7-thiolase simultaneously but isolation of the complex via the PEX14 construct resulted in an absence of thiolase, suggesting a possible role for PEX14 in the unloading of PTS2 cargos.