Will krill fare well under Southern Ocean acidification?

Antarctic krill embryos and larvae were experimentally exposed to 380 (control), 1000 and 2000 µatm pCO₂ in order to assess the possible impact of ocean acidification on early development of krill. No significant effects were detected on embryonic development or larval behaviour at 1000 µatm pCO₂; however, at 2000 µatm pCO₂ development was disrupted before gastrulation in 90 per cent of embryos, and no larvae hatched successfully. Our model projections demonstrated that Southern Ocean sea water pCO₂ could rise up to 1400 µatm in krill''s depth range under the IPCC IS92a scenario by the year 2100 (atmospheric pCO₂ 788 µatm). These results point out the urgent need for understanding the pCO₂-response relationship for krill developmental and later stages, in order to predict the possible fate of this key species in the Southern Ocean.     

Tropical and north Pacific teleconnections influence fire regimes in pine-dominated forests of north-eastern California, USA

Aim To assess the importance of drought and teleconnections from the tropical and north Pacific Ocean on historical fire regimes and vegetation dynamics in north‐eastern California. Location The 700 km² study area was on the leeward slope of the southern Cascade Mountains in north‐eastern California. Open forests of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa Laws.) and Jeffrey pine (P. jeffreyi Grev. & Balf) surround a network of grass and shrub‐dominated meadows that range in elevation from 1650 to 1750 m. Methods Fire regime characteristics (return interval, season and extent) were determined from crossdated fire scars and were compared with tree‐ring based reconstructions of precipitation and temperature and teleconnections for the period 1700–1849. The effect of drought on fire regimes was determined using a tree‐ring based proxy of climate from five published chronologies. The number of forest‐meadow units that burned was compared with published reconstructions of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). Results Landscape scale fires burned every 7–49 years in meadow‐edge forests and were influenced by variation in drought, the PDO and ENSO. These widespread fires burned during years that were dryer and warmer than normal that followed wetter and cooler years. Less widespread fires were not associated with this wet, then dry climate pattern. Widespread fires occurred during El Niño years, but fire extent was mediated by the phase of the PDO. Fires were most widespread when the PDO was in a warm or normal phase. Fire return intervals, season and extent varied at decadal to multi‐decadal time scales. In particular, an anomalously cool, wet period during the early 1800s resulted in widespread fires that occurred earlier in the year than fires before or after. Main conclusions Fire regimes in north‐eastern California were strongly influenced by regional and hemispheric‐scale climate variation. Fire regimes responded to variation that occurred in both the north and tropical Pacific. Near normal modes of the PDO may influence fire regimes more than extreme conditions. The prevalence of widespread teleconnection‐driven fires in the historic record suggests that variation in the Pacific Ocean was a key regulator of fire regimes through its influence on local fuel production and successional dynamics in north‐eastern California.     

Variation in leaf litter nutrients of a Costa Rican rain forest is related to precipitation

By assessing current leaf litter nutrient dynamics, we may be able to predict responses of nutrient cycling in tropical ecosystems to future environmental change. The goal of this study was to assess whether nutrient cycling is related to seasonal variation in rainfall in a wet tropical forest. We examined leaf litter of an old-growth tropical rain forest in N.E. Costa Rica over a 4-year period to explore seasonal and inter-annual changes in leaf litter nutrient concentrations, and to evaluate potential short- and long-term drivers of variation in litter nutrient concentration, particularly that of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N). We also examined the temporal dynamics of calcium, potassium, and magnesium in the leaf litter. Leaf litter [P] and %N changed significantly with time, both seasonally and inter-annually. Seasonal changes in leaf litter [P] were strongly positively correlated with rainfall from the previous 2 weeks; cations, however, were inversely related to this measure of current rainfall, while %N was not related to rainfall. We propose that the positive relationship between current rainfall and leaf litter [P] is due to a response by the vegetation to an increase in nutrient availability and uptake. In contrast, given the negative relationship between current rainfall and cation concentrations, leaching from live leaf tissue is a more likely driver of short-term changes in cations. Should global climate change include altered rainfall patterns in this biome, one class of ecosystem-level responses could be significant changes in P and cation cycling.     

水牛SRY基因的克隆及序列分析

根据荷斯坦牛SRY基因设计一对引物,采用聚合酶链式反应（PCR）技术,以中国沼泽型水牛（Swamp Buffalo）基因组DNA为模板,扩增得到SRY（Sex Deterimation region of Y chromosome）全序列约2005bp,其中1-504bp为5’启动子区,1196-2005bp为3’侧翼序列,在505-1195bp为SRY的外显子,编码229个氨基酸。在SRY HMG box区域设计探针,用地高辛标记后分别与雄性、雌性水牛基因组DNA进行Southern 杂交,结果显示该段序列只在雄性DNA样本中有杂交信号,证明SRY基因为雄性特异。BLAST比对结果显示与牛属动物SRY基因的同源性为96％,其中SRY基因HMG box区域同源性高达99%,说明SRY基因具有高度的进化保守性     

农杆菌介导南瓜遗传转化体系的建立

以南瓜金辉一号（Cucurbita moschata＇ Jinhui1＇）为实验材料,利用根癌农杆菌（Agrobacterium tumefaciens）介导转化南瓜子叶节,研究了预培养时间、侵染时间、乙酰丁香酮（AS）浓度和共培养时间,抗生素羧苄青霉素（Carb）、头孢霉素（Cef）以及筛选剂卡那霉素（Kan）等因素对离体不定芽的影响,建立了南瓜最适遗传转化体系。结果表明：外植体预培养0天,侵染时间30分钟,AS浓度为100mg·L^-1,共培养5天可获得最高遗传转化效率;最适除菌剂为Cef,其最适浓度为500mg·L^-1;最适Kan筛选浓度为100mg·L^-1;在MS培养基上培养抗性芽生根,经PCR和Southern blot检测,证明为转基因植株。     

Savanna trees in Namibia—Factors controlling their distribution at the arid end of the spectrum

This study reviewed the distribution of ten common savanna trees in Namibia. Tree distributions were investigated in relation to bioclimatic, topographic and edaphic variables at a national scale. The factors of importance at these broad geographic scales appeared to be rainfall, substrate and, likely, the incidence of frost. Baikiaea plurijuga, Burkea africana, Guibourtia coleosperma and Pterocarpus angolensis seem to reach their bioclimatic limits in Namibia.At the local level, plant traits become important and contribute to explaining distribution patterns. High water and/or nitrogen use efficiency (Acacia erioloba, Colophospermum mopane), dual water obtaining strategies (Faidherbia albida), fire tolerance (e.g. Acacia species, Burkea africana and Pterocarpus angolensis) and drought tolerance (Boscia albitrunca) are some key attributes providing additional explanations for current distributions.Amongst the selected trees and at broad geographic scales, below-ground adaptations are governed by rainfall regime in combination with coarse-textured soils, whereby shallow-rooted trees prevail in the Kalahari sandveld. Deep-rooted species are found largely on non-sandy soils. Physiological performance of many trees appears to be directly linked to rainfall regime and trees may hence show varying performance throughout their distribution range. Insight into plant functional attributes of trees in Namibia is required to develop appropriate management strategies in the light of climate change. Modelling climate change impacts should consider the relative contribution of bioclimatic versus local environmental factors that explain the current distribution patterns of the selected trees.     

Sinking rates of late-stage fish larvae: Implications for larval ingress into estuarine nursery habitats

Many species spawn in oceanic waters yet their juvenile stages use nearshore and estuarine habits and the bio-physical mechanisms by which late-larvae enter these juvenile habitats may be an important bottleneck in the population dynamics of these species. To provide parameters for the development of larval ingress models, sinking rates were measured of the late-stage larvae of six fish species: Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus), spot (Leiostomus xanthurus), Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus), summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus), southern flounder (P. lethostigma), and gulf flounder (P. albigutta). Species-specific differences were found in sinking rates; Atlantic croaker had the slowest sinking rates and Atlantic menhaden and the three flounder species had the fastest sinking rates. Additionally, sinking rates increased for all species as length increased. The total amount of variability explained in sinking rates was low (20–50%), indicating a large amount of variability at the level of the individual. The observed patterns in sinking rates were then combined with previous studies on the mechanisms of larval ingress to present species-specific conceptual models of ingress.     

Monitoring of marine benthic communities and taxonomic resolution: an approach through diverse habitats and substrates along the Southern Iberian coastline

Studies conducted along the southern Iberian coastline validate macrobenthic community analyses at taxonomic levels higher than that of species. Twelve studies on littoral benthic communities, carried out by the same research team, were selected spanning both a variety of sampling strategies (spatial, temporal, spatio-temporal) and substrate/habitat types (sediment, rock, algae). In order to establish differences between the results obtained at the taxonomic levels of species, family and order, similarities among stations were calculated using Spearman’s coefficient for ranges. A subset of three studies was selected to investigate possible differences in ‘best-explaining’ environmental variables with taxonomic level. The environmental variables selected at species level were the same as those found at levels of family and order. It is concluded that studies at the different levels of taxonomic resolution (species, family, order) lead to similar results both with regard to relative community distributions and the environmental variables associated with these. The importance of this result for monitoring similar benthic communities is discussed.     

Fitness consequences of pheromone production and host selection strategies in a tree-killing bark beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

Timing of arrival at a resource often determines an individual’s reproductive success. Tree-killing bark beetles can reproduce in healthy trees by attacking in adequate numbers to overcome host defences that could otherwise be lethal. This process is mediated by aggregation and antiaggregation pheromones. Beetles that arrive early in such a “mass attack” must contend with undiminished tree defences, and produce enough pheromones to attract more beetles, but have a head start on gallery construction and egg-laying. Beetles that arrive late may be impeded by competition and diminishing availability of phloem, but should experience fewer costs associated with pheromone production and battling tree defences. We investigated relationships between timing of arrival, body size, pheromone production and fitness in the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis. In field experiments, we captured beetles that arrived early (pioneers) and late on slash pine trees, Pinus elliottii, and measured pheromone amounts in their hindguts. We marked gallery entrances of beetles as they landed on a tree and measured their reproductive success after the attack terminated. We found no difference in body size or pheromone amounts between early and late arrivers. Most beetles arrived at the middle of the attack sequence, and excavated longer galleries per day than early arrivers. The number of offspring produced per day by beetles that established galleries midway through mass attack was higher than those that arrived early or very late in the sequence. Our results suggest that beetles do not exhibit adaptive phenotypic plasticity in pre-landing pheromone production, depending on the extent of previous colonisation of a host. Rather, it appears that stabilising selection favours beetles that attack in the middle of the sequence, and contributes to attack synchrony. Synchronous attack on trees is essential before population booms characteristic of tree-killing bark beetles can occur in nature.     

Butterfly,seedling, sapling and tree diversity and composition in a fire‐affected Bornean rainforest

Abstract: Fire‐affected forests are becoming an increasingly important component of tropical landscapes. The impact of wildfires on rainforest communities is, however, poorly understood. In this study the density, species richness and community composition of seedlings, saplings, trees and butterflies were assessed in unburned and burned forest following the 1997/98 El Niño Southern Oscillation burn event in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. More than half a year after the fires, sapling and tree densities in the burned forest were only 2.5% and 38.8%, respectively, of those in adjacent unburned forest. Rarefied species richness and Shannon's H’ were higher in unburned forest than burned forest for all groups but only significantly so for seedlings. There were no significant differences in evenness between unburned and burned forest. Matrix regression and Akaike's information criterion (AIC) revealed that the best explanatory models of similarity included both burning and the distance between sample plots indicating that both deterministic processes (related to burning) and dispersal driven stochastic processes structure post‐disturbance rainforest assemblages. Burning though explained substantially more variation in seedling assemblage structure whereas distance was a more important explanatory variable for trees and butterflies. The results indicate that butterfly assemblages in burned forest were primarily derived from adjacent unburned rainforest, exceptions being species of grass‐feeders such as Orsotriaena medus that are normally found in open, disturbed areas, whereas burned forest seedling assemblages were dominated by typical pioneer genera, such as various Macaranga species that were absent or rare in unburned forest. Tree assemblages in the burned forest were represented by a subset of fire‐resistant species, such as Eusideroxylon zwageri and remnant dominant species from the unburned forest.