Endozoochory of a dry‐fruited tree aids quarry passive restoration and seed soaking further increases seedling emergence

As practitioners promote passive restoration as a complementary approach to technical reclamation, it is imperative to know its drivers. Although the consequences of endozoochory can be crucial to passive restoration success, few experimental studies assess the use of heavily disturbed sites by seed dispersers such as carnivores and how the seeds they bring in emerge and survive. Using an indoor sowing experiment conducted in a quarry located within a natural park in Portugal, we examined for the first time how carnivore endozoochorous seeds collected in the quarry potentially influence its passive restoration, through effects on plant emergence and survival. Also, we tested whether sowing date and water soaking, relevant factors when sowings are to be carried out, would affect seedling emergence and mortality rates when compared with the effect of endozoochory. Our target species were included in the revegetation plan of the quarry, of which endozoochorous seeds of Carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua) were collected in sufficient number for analysis. Irrespective of the carnivore species, endozoochorous carob seeds performed similarly to untreated seeds regarding emergence rates. Endozoochorous carob seedlings showed greater mortality rates but the net result for the plant can still be the colonization of recently vacant habitats by a large proportion of viable seeds. Concerning sowing date, the later carob seeds were sown over the fruit‐ripening season the faster seedlings emerged. Water soaking increased emergence rate by 6.5 times. Broadly, sowings with previous soaking and carnivore‐mediated seed dispersal of this dry‐fruited tree can jointly enhance quarry restoration.     

New fish assemblages from the Middle Permian from the Guadalupe Mountains,West Texas,USA

Late Wordian/Capitanian (Guadalupian, Middle Permian) fish assemblages are described from the “McKittrick Canyon Limestone”, Lamar Limestone and Reef Trail Members of the Bell Canyon Formation in the Patterson Hills and the PI section (Hegler/Pinery Members) along Highway 62/180 in the Guadalupe Mountains, West Texas. The assemblages contain chondrichthyan teeth of Stethacanthulus meccaensis, Texasodus varidentatus, Cooleyella cf. amazonensis, C. cf. peculiaris, and the new genus and species Lamarodus triangulus; and buccopharyngeal denticles of undetermined symmoriiform; chondrichthyan scales of eight morphotypes; fragment of an actinopterygian jaw, isolated teeth; the scales of Alilepis sp., Varialepis sp. and undetermined elonichthyid and haplolepid fishes. Using microtomography, the vascularization system has been observed for the first time for the teeth of Texasodus varidentatus and a new taxon Lamarodus triangulus. The distribution of chondrichthyan taxa was analyzed for the known fish assemblages of the Early, Middle, and Late Permian of the world. The end-Guadalupian crisis in the evolution of chondrichthyan fishes involved substantially more taxonomic change than the Permian–Triassic mass extinction.     

中国地衣的濒危等级评估

地衣是大型真菌的重要组成部分, 是中国大型真菌红色名录评估的主要对象之一。本次评估的地衣共2,164种, 其中子囊菌地衣2,145种, 担子菌地衣19种, 分属于2门9纲34目92科352属。评估结果显示, 地衣受威胁物种共28种, 占被评估地衣物种总数的1.29%, 其中极危3种, 濒危7种, 易危18种; 近危6种, 无危657种, 而数据不足的物种达1,473种。这类因为缺乏足够的数据资料而未能进一步评估其生存状态和红色名录等级的物种占评估地衣总数的68.07%, 凸显了我国地衣学研究的严峻形势及对地衣分类学人才的迫切需要。对受威胁物种的分析表明, 地衣由于自身生长缓慢和对环境污染敏感, 并且绝大多数分布区域狭窄, 种群数量少, 对生境退化的适应和恢复生长的能力弱, 人类活动和气候变化导致的栖息地破坏和碎片化使得这些地衣的生存受到严重威胁。值得注意的是, 评为易危的一些地衣, 因具有较大的食药用价值而被过度采挖利用, 如不采取有效保护措施, 其受威胁程度将进一步加剧。     

复合菌剂M5对红螯螯虾(Cherax quadricarinatus)高密度养殖系统水质及其肠道微生物群落影响的初步研究

应用自制复合菌剂M5于红螯螯虾(Cherax quadricarinatus)的高密度养殖系统中,通过分析肠道菌群并监测养殖水质,研究了复合菌剂作用的效果及潜在的机理。结果显示,复合菌剂M5的使用可显著降低养殖水环境的pH值,降低污染物NH⁺₄、NO^-₂和COD的浓度,抑制弧菌属（Vibrio）中某些条件致病菌的生长。基于PICRUSt与KEGG数据库的功能预测及肠道菌群的群落分析,复合菌剂既可作为额外的营养补充物,缓解肠道群落之间对营养源的竞争,又可提高虾的消化能力、免疫力。新型复合菌剂M5可显著改善养殖水质并影响肠道菌群的组成与功能,从而提高养殖存活率。     

Carbonic anhydrases: hematologic relevance and a biosensing perspective

Carbonic anhydrases were first identified in red blood cells and have been thus traditionally addressed in a hematological context. However, recently there has been a shift of research interest to therapeutic areas, notably in solid cancers, relegating the impact of carbonic anhydrase function and pathological dysfunction in blood related physiology to secondary importance. This review addresses this paradigm and emphasizes the potential impact of recent studies on blood related carbonic anhydrase isotype expression and modulation in diverse areas such as physiology and pathology, biosensing, their use as biomarkers, and in the development of synthetic blood. A special emphasis is placed on reviewing new dynamic and quantitative studies that allow for the efficient tracking and quantitation of various carbonic anhydrase isozymes within the blood and more generally within the human body, that give new perspectives on the biochemical and physiological role of blood associated carbonic anhydrase in health and pathology.     

Effects of caffeine on mating behavior and sperm precedence in Tribolium castaneum

Biogenic amines such as dopamine are physiologically neuroactive substances that affect behavioral and physiological traits in invertebrates, and it has long been known that these substances affect mating behavior in insects. Caffeine is a dopamine activator and thus enhances dopamine receptor activity. However, the effects of caffeine intake on insect mating behavior have been largely unexplored. Therefore, we examined the effect of caffeine on mating behavior in the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum. Caffeine, which activates dopamine, affected the mating behavior of T. castaneum males. Males who orally ingested caffeine courted faster than males who did not, resulting in faster mounting of females and less time to a male's external aedeagus protrusion. However, the present results showed no difference in sperm precedence measured as a P2 value between males fed caffeine and males not fed caffeine. We discuss the effects of caffeine on insect mating and the possibility that caffeine consumption may cause males to mate with more females in the laboratory.     

南方红壤区生态系统服务权衡与协同关系演变对退耕还林的响应

我国南方红壤区具有丰富的水热资源和优越的社会区位条件,是重要的农业生产基地。由于长期高强度的农业开发,同时山地丘陵的坡度较大,降水集中且强度大,导致该区生态功能退化、环境问题突出,威胁粮食安全和生态安全。以南方红壤区为研究对象,利用估算区域植被净生产力（Carnegie Ames-Stanford Approach,CASA）模型、InVEST模型及修正通用土壤流失方程（RUSLE）定量评估了该区退耕还林前后植被净初级生产力（Net Primary Production,NPP）、农作物生产（Crop Production,CP）、土壤保持（Soil Conservation,SC）和产水（Water Yield,WY）四种生态系统服务;采用偏相关分析和空间自相关分析探讨了各项生态系统服务间权衡与协同关系的时空变化特征和集聚特征,揭示了退耕还林对南方红壤区的多种生态系统服务间相互关系的影响。结果表明：（1）退耕还林后,南方红壤区的NPP、CP、SC和WY总体增强,但部分区域呈现减弱趋势。其中,NPP在南部呈现减弱趋势,SC在东北部减弱,CP与WY均在东南沿海减弱;（2）退耕还林后,NPP与WY间由极显著协同关系（r=0.315,P=0.025）转变为显著权衡关系（r=-0.279,P=0.059）：而SC与WY间由无显著相关转变为极显著权衡关系（r=-0.427,P=0.024）;（3）退耕还林前后,南方红壤区的NPP、CP和SC的空间分布格局均未发生显著变化,而WY的空间分布发生较大变化;（4）四种生态系统服务间的权衡与协同关系空间异质性显著,CP-SC关系的Moran''s I指数最小（0.012）,NPP-SC和NPP-WY关系的Moran''s I指数均大于0.7。研究结果有利于深入理解退耕还林对南方红壤区生态系统服务时空变化的影响,并为确定生态脆弱区的生态农林牧业的发展方向与面向可持续发展目标的生态系统服务优化调控提供科学依据。     

Rooting Out Genetic Structure of Invasive Wild Pigs in Texas

Invasive wild pigs (Sus scrofa), also called feral swine or wild hogs, are recognized as among the most destructive invasive species in the world. Throughout the United States, invasive wild pigs have expanded rapidly over the past 40 years with populations now established in 38 states. Of the estimated 6.9 million wild pigs distributed throughout the United States, Texas supports approximately 40% of the population and similarly bears disproportionate ecological and economic costs. Genetic analyses are an effective tool for understanding invasion pathways and tracking dispersal of invasive species such as wild pigs and have been used recently in California and Florida, USA, which have similarly long-established populations and high densities of wild pigs. Our goals were to use molecular approaches to elucidate invasion and migration processes shaping wild pig populations throughout Texas, compare our results with patterns of genetic structure observed in California and Florida, and provide insights for effective management of this invasive species. We used a high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array to evaluate population genetic structure. Genetic clusters of wild pigs throughout Texas demonstrate 2 distinct patterns: weakly resolved, spatially dispersed clusters and well-resolved, spatially localized clusters. The disparity in patterns of genetic structure suggests disparate processes are differentially shaping wild pig populations in various localities throughout the state. Our results differed from the patterns of genetic structure observed in California and Florida, which were characterized by localized genetic clusters. These differences suggest distinct biological and perhaps anthropogenic processes are shaping genetic structure in Texas. Further, these disparities demonstrate the need for location-specific management strategies for controlling wild pig populations and mitigating associated ecological and economic costs. © 2021 The Wildlife Society. This article has been contributed to by US Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.