Selfish long-term benefits of hoarding in the Siberian jay

We followed the consumption of cached food in Siberian jay flocksduring winter. Siberian jay flocks contain kin associationscomposed of parents in company with mature offspring. Further,flocks often contain immigrants not closely related to the groupmembers. We studied the extent to which Siberian jay offspringkept caches to themselves or whether they showed a kin biasand shared cached food mutualistically with relatives (parents/siblings)thus making an inclusive fitness gain. We recorded the retrievalof cached food using radio-ptilochronology, a technique thatdetects the consumption of a radioactively labeled food itemin the growth bar laid down in a growing feather the day ofconsumption. Food caching entailed a selfish benefit to thehoarder. The hoarding bird showed a substantial "recovery advantage"and retrieved its own cached food seven times as often as anyof its flock mates. There was no evidence for mutualistic sharingof caches among relatives. This selfish benefit persisted throughoutthe 7-week period for which we could follow the consumptionof labeled food.     

内蒙古西伯利亚杏群体遗传多样性和遗传结构分析

利用27对SSR分子标记对内蒙古地区13个西伯利亚杏群体的遗传多样性和遗传结构进行分析,评价其遗传多样性水平和分化程度,为内蒙古西伯利亚杏资源的合理保护与利用提供理论依据。结果显示:(1)27对SSR引物共检测到512个等位基因(Na),各位点平均等位基因数(Na)和多态性信息含量(PIC)分别为19和0.84;物种水平上Shannons信息指数(I)和期望杂合度(He)分别为2.25和0.73。(2)群体水平上的等位基因(Na)、有效等位基因(Ne)、Shannons信息指数(I)、期望杂合度(He)和观察杂合度(Ho)分别为6.95、4.48、1.60、0.76和0.56;其中科左后旗群体遗传多样性最丰富,克什克腾旗群体遗传多样性最低。(3)基于F统计量分析的遗传分化系数(Fst)为0.12,基因流(Nm)为1.86;分子方差分析显示内蒙古西伯利亚杏群体大部分遗传变异来自群体内(92%),群体间的遗传变异仅占8%。(4)内蒙古西伯利亚杏群体遗传距离为0.04~0.67,遗传相似度为0.33~0.83;遗传相似度的聚类分析、遗传距离的主坐标分析和遗传结构分析(Structure)均将供试13个群体划分为4组。Mantel检测显示,内蒙古西伯利亚杏群体遗传距离与地理距离呈显著相关关系(r=0.453,P0.01)。研究表明,内蒙古西伯利亚杏资源具有丰富的遗传多样性,这一特性与其群体的大小、悠久的演化历史以及自身生物学特性相关;内蒙古西伯利亚杏群体间存在中等程度的遗传分化,这可能源于自然地理隔离以及近期人类活动引起的生境片段化。     

Photoperiod affects the diurnal rhythm of hippocampal neuronal morphology of siberian hamsters

Individuals of many species can regulate their physiology, morphology, and behavior in response to annual changes of day length (photoperiod). In mammals, the photoperiodic signal is mediated by a change in the duration of melatonin, leading to alterations in gene expressions, neuronal circuits, and hormonal secretion. The hippocampus is one of the most plastic structures in the adult brain and hippocampal neuronal morphology displays photoperiod-induced differences. Because the hippocampus is important for emotional and cognitive behaviors, photoperiod-driven remodeling of hippocampal neurons is implicated in seasonal differences of affect, including seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in humans. Because neuronal architecture is also affected by the day-night cycle in several brain areas, we hypothesized that hippocampal neuronal morphology would display a diurnal rhythm and that day length would influence that rhythm. In the present study, we examined diurnal and seasonal differences in hippocampal neuronal morphology, as well as mRNA expression of the neurotrophic factors (i.e., brain-derived neurotrophic factor [Bdnf], tropomyosin receptor kinase B [trkB; a receptor for BDNF], and vascular endothelial growth factor [Vegf]) and a circadian clock gene, Bmal1, in the hippocampus of Siberian hamsters. Diurnal rhythms in total length of dendrites, the number of primary dendrites, dendritic complexity, and distance of the furthest intersection from the cell body were observed only in long-day animals; however, diurnal rhythms in the number of branch points and mean length of segments were observed only in short-day animals. Spine density of dendrites displayed diurnal rhythmicity with different peak times between the CA1 and DG subregions and between long and short days. These results indicate that photoperiod affects daily morphological changes of hippocampal neurons and the daily rhythm of spine density, suggesting the possibility that photoperiod-induced adjustments of hippocampal neuronal dynamics might underlie seasonal difference of affective responses. Bmal1 mRNA showed a diurnal rhythm and different expression levels between long and short days were observed. However, there were no strong effects of day length on Bdnf. trkb, and Vegf gene expression, suggesting that these genes are not involved in the photoperiodic effects on hippocampal neurons.     

Chemical Composition of Pinus sibirica (Pinaceae)

Siberian pine (Pinus sibirica), also known as Siberian cedar pine and Siberian cedar, is an important plant that has been long used as a source of natural compounds and materials (wood, needles, soft resin, turpentine, colophony). Its chemical composition has been studied well enough; however, to our surprise, no articles that compile the phytochemical data have been published so far. Presumably, this is due to the fact that most of the studies were published in journals difficult to access and not indexed by search systems. This review, for the first time, presents a systematic compilation of available data of secondary metabolites occurring in the needles, shoots, bark, wood, seeds, and oleoresin of Pinus sibirica.     

西伯利亚鲟致病性嗜水气单胞菌外膜蛋白及其抗原性分析

采用十二烷基肌氨酸钠(Sarkosyl)法提取西伯利亚鲟嗜水气单胞菌(Aeromonas hydrophila)外膜蛋白,电泳显示所提取的主要外膜蛋白分子量为26～120 kDa;为比较该菌株与气单胞菌菌属其他细菌外膜蛋白组分及抗原性异同,以致病性豚鼠气单胞菌(A.caviae)、温和气单胞菌(A.sobria)和无致病力的嗜水气单胞菌为对照,电泳图谱显示4种气单胞菌外膜蛋白的分子量主要集中在26～120 kDa之间;利用抗西伯利亚鲟嗜水气单胞菌血清的免疫印迹试验表明该菌株外膜蛋白中分子量为75 kDa、52 kDa、43 kDa、40 kDa、34 kDa、28 kDa的蛋白条带呈现阳性反应,其他3种气单胞菌外膜蛋白中均有与该抗血清反应的条带,且分子量为28 kDa、34 kDa的反应条带为4株菌共有;43 kDa与75 kDa反应条带为部分菌株共有.为进一步筛选和研究致病性气单胞菌的共同保护抗原提供参考.     

旱柳广头叶蝉的生物学特性及防治

报道了危害白榆的新害虫——旱柳广头叶蝉Macropsis matsudanisCaietWei。首次记述其幼期形态特征、生物学特性、天敌种类,进行了防治试验。该虫在山东商河1年发生1代,以卵在白榆枝条内越冬;天敌主要有螯蜂、瓢虫等;用阿维菌素和吡虫啉5000倍液喷雾防治若虫具有很好的防治效果。     

Upper Cretaceous rudist biostratigraphy of the Bey Da?lar? Carbonate Platform, Western Taurides, SW Turkey

The Upper Cretaceous (Middle Cenomanian-Coniacian) successions of the Bey Da?lar? Carbonate Platform (Western Taurides, SW Turkey) are represented by rudist-bearing shallow-water limestones. Four rudist lithosomes are distinguished for the first time from the Eastern, Northern and Southern Areas of the Bey Da?lar? Autochthon. The oldest rudist assemblages dominated by caprinids are observed in the Eastern (Katran Da?) Area (caprinid lithosomes) and suggest a Middle-Late Cenomanian age. The uppermost part of the platform carbonates in the Northern Area is characterized by an association of hippuritid and radiolitid rudist bivalves dominated by Vaccinites praegiganteus (Toucas) (hippuritid lithosomes). The rudist fauna indicates the Late Turonian age, which is confirmed by the previously obtained ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values of well-preserved low-Mg calcite of Vaccinites praegiganteus (Toucas) shells. The rudist associations of the Southern (Susuzda?) Area are represented by two rudist formations. The lower lithosomes are mainly made up of hippuritids and radiolitids (hippuritid-radiolitid lithosomes). The stratigraphical distributions of the species of the assemblage indicate a Santonian-Early Campanian age. The rudist associations of the upper lithosomes are dominated by species of Joufia and Gorjanovicia (Joufia-Gorjanovicia lithosomes), which suggest a Late Campanian-Maastrichtian age. Identification of the rudist lithosomes yields information on the palaeobiogeographic distribution of the rudist species in the eastern Mediterranean region and also on the biostratigraphic frame of the Upper Cretaceous successions of the Bey Da?lar? Carbonate Platform.     

东北虎上腭发生浸润性高中分化鳞癌的报告

东北虎上颚浸润性高中分化鳞癌的临床特点是:病初精神、饮食、粪便等无明显变化,随着肿瘤增大,鼻肿大,鼻孔出血,鼻孔通气不畅,不食,最后衰竭死亡.     

Genetic and environmental effects on a condition‐dependent trait: feather growth in Siberian jays

Condition, defined as the amount of ‘internal resources’ an individual can freely allocate, is often assumed to be environmentally determined and to reflect an individual’s health and nutritional status. However, an additive genetic component of condition is possible if it ‘captures’ the genetic variance of many underlying traits as many fitness‐related traits appear to do. Yet, the heritability of condition can be low if selection has eroded much of its additive genetic variance, or if the environmental influences are strong. Here, we tested whether feather growth rate – presumably a condition‐dependent trait – has a heritable component, and whether variation in feather growth rate is related to variation in fitness. To this end, we utilized data from a long‐term population study of Siberian jays (Perisoreus infaustus), and found that feather growth rate, measured as the width of feather growth bars (GB), differed between age‐classes and sexes, but was only weakly related to variation in fitness as measured by annual and life‐time reproductive success. As revealed by animal model analyses, GB width was significantly heritable (h² = 0.10 ± 0.05), showing that this measure of condition is not solely environmentally determined, but reflects at least partly inherited genetic differences among individuals. Consequently, variation in feather growth rates as assessed with ptilochronological methods can provide information about heritable genetic differences in condition.     

Construction of cDNA library and preliminary analysis of expressed sequence tags from Siberian tiger

In this study we successfully constructed a full-length cDNA library from Siberian tiger, Panthera tigris altaica, the most well-known wild Animal. Total RNA was extracted from cultured Siberian tiger fibroblasts in vitro. The titers of primary and amplified libraries were 1.30×10(6) pfu/ml and 1.62×10(9) pfu/ml respectively. The proportion of recombinants from unamplified library was 90.5% and average length of exogenous inserts was 1.13 kb. A total of 282 individual ESTs with sizes ranging from 328 to 1,142 bps were then analyzed the BLASTX score revealed that 53.9% of the sequences were classified as strong match, 38.6% as nominal and 7.4% as weak match. 28.0% of them were found to be related to enzyme/catalytic protein, 20.9% ESTs to metabolism, 13.1% ESTs to transport, 12.1% ESTs to signal transducer/cell communication, 9.9% ESTs to structure protein, 3.9% ESTs to immunity protein/defense metabolism, 3.2% ESTs to cell cycle, and 8.9 ESTs classified as novel genes. These results demonstrated that the reliability and representativeness of the cDNA library attained to the requirements of a standard cDNA library. This library provided a useful platform for the functional genomic research of Siberian tigers.