昆虫多样性三十年研究进展

当前, 全球昆虫数量和多样性均处于下降趋势, 而导致这一趋势的原因主要包括人为干扰及气候变化。本文基于森林、草地、农业、水生和土壤生态系统, 以植食性、访花、捕食性、寄生性、食果以及食腐昆虫为重点功能昆虫群, 综述了近三十年来国内外昆虫多样性研究领域的主要进展, 并分析了发展趋势。近年来, 昆虫多样性的研究维度不断拓展, 形态多样性研究不断深入, 系统发生多样性、功能多样性和遗传多样性等研究也显著加强。此外, 昆虫多样性研究的空间尺度也逐步扩大, 大尺度区域性研究甚至全球范围的调查持续增长。昆虫进化历史也被引入多样性格局研究中, 并随着系统发生信息学方法的普及而被整合到生态系统建成和生物多样性形成机制研究中。未来需要加强关键昆虫类群整合分类学研究、功能性状多样性、林冠昆虫多样性、互作网络结构等方向的研究。     

A comparison between the homocyclic aromatic metabolic pathways from plant-derived compounds by bacteria and fungi

Aromatic compounds derived from lignin are of great interest for renewable biotechnical applications. They can serve in many industries e.g. as biochemical building blocks for bioplastics or biofuels, or as antioxidants, flavor agents or food preservatives. In nature, lignin is degraded by microorganisms, which results in the release of homocyclic aromatic compounds. Homocyclic aromatic compounds can also be linked to polysaccharides, tannins and even found freely in plant biomass. As these compounds are often toxic to microbes already at low concentrations, they need to be degraded or converted to less toxic forms. Prior to ring cleavage, the plant- and lignin-derived aromatic compounds are converted to seven central ring-fission intermediates, i.e. catechol, protocatechuic acid, hydroxyquinol, hydroquinone, gentisic acid, gallic acid and pyrogallol through complex aromatic metabolic pathways and used as energy source in the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Over the decades, bacterial aromatic metabolism has been described in great detail. However, the studies on fungal aromatic pathways are scattered over different pathways and species, complicating a comprehensive view of fungal aromatic metabolism. In this review, we depicted the similarities and differences of the reported aromatic metabolic pathways in fungi and bacteria. Although both microorganisms share the main conversion routes, many alternative pathways are observed in fungi. Understanding the microbial aromatic metabolic pathways could lead to metabolic engineering for strain improvement and promote valorization of lignin and related aromatic compounds.     

棒状乳杆菌FZU63发酵对红茶汤风味品质改善的作用

乳酸菌发酵可赋予茶饮料独特的香气与滋味,且可改变其物质组成,产生益生因子等。目前,针对乳酸菌在不同发酵阶段对茶汤中风味物质形成影响的研究较少。本研究以从中国传统泡菜中筛选获得的棒状乳杆菌FZU63为发酵菌株,对不同发酵阶段红茶汤中的挥发性香气成分、还原糖、游离氨基酸、有机酸等含量的变化过程进行分析,并对发酵红茶汤的感官品质进行评价。结果表明,棒状乳杆菌FZU63以红茶汤中的葡萄糖、果糖、甘露糖和木糖作为发酵过程中的主要碳源物质。红茶汤经棒状乳杆菌FZU63发酵作用后,香气成分丰度显著增加,且主要香气组分结构发生改变,发酵红茶汤在花香、坚果香的基础上增添了水果香;此外,部分苦味氨基酸含量下降,甜味和鲜味氨基酸含量增加;并且,乳酸、苹果酸、柠檬酸等有机酸含量在发酵过程中呈现积累。同时,感官评定结果表明棒状乳杆菌FZU63发酵可改善红茶汤的感官品质,且在发酵48h后达到较优。本文系统分析了经棒状乳杆菌发酵不同阶段对红茶汤风味的影响,可为乳酸菌发酵茶饮料的品质控制与产业化应用提供理论参考。     

利用电子鼻评价桃果实香气

为了明确不同桃品种资源果实香气差异,对桃果实香气评价和品质改良提供参考,本研究利用电子鼻系统对桃品种资源果实整果香气进行测定和区分.通过PEN 3.5电子鼻系统采集74份不同品种资源桃果实芳香成分并得到了不同传感器的响应值,采用主成分(PCA)、线性判别法(LDA)和负荷加载(LO)方法分析数据.LO分析结果显示,硫化...     

How do plants defend themselves against pathogens-Biochemical mechanisms and genetic interventions

In agro-ecosystem, plant pathogens hamper food quality, crop yield, and global food security. Manipulation of naturally occurring defense mechanisms in host plants is an effective and sustainable approach for plant disease management. Various natural compounds, ranging from cell wall components to metabolic enzymes have been reported to protect plants from infection by pathogens and hence provide specific resistance to hosts against pathogens, termed as induced resistance. It involves various biochemical components, that play an important role in molecular and cellular signaling events occurring either before (elicitation) or after pathogen infection. The induction of reactive oxygen species, activation of defensive machinery of plants comprising of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidative components, secondary metabolites, pathogenesis-related protein expression (e.g. chitinases and glucanases), phytoalexin production, modification in cell wall composition, melatonin production, carotenoids accumulation, and altered activity of polyamines are major induced changes in host plants during pathogen infection. Hence, the altered concentration of biochemical components in host plants restricts disease development. Such biochemical or metabolic markers can be harnessed for the development of “pathogen-proof” plants. Effective utilization of the key metabolites-based metabolic markers can pave the path for candidate gene identification. This present review discusses the valuable information for understanding the biochemical response mechanism of plants to cope with pathogens and genomics-metabolomics-based sustainable development of pathogen proof cultivars along with knowledge gaps and future perspectives to enhance sustainable agricultural production.     

Comparison of parameters from rhythmometric models with multiple components on hybrid data

Population multiple components is a statistical tool useful for the analysis of time-dependent hybrid data. With a small number of parameters, it is possible to model and to predict the periodic behavior of a population. In this article, we propose two methods to compare among populations rhythmometric parameters obtained by multiple component analysis. The first is a parametric method based in the usual statistical techniques for comparison of mean vectors in multivariate normal populations. The method, through MANOVA analysis, allows comparison of the MESOR and amplitude-acrophase pair of each component among two or more populations. The second is a nonparametric method, based in bootstrap techniques, to compare parameters from two populations. This test allows one to compare the MESOR, the amplitude, and the acrophase of each fitted component, as well as the global amplitude, orthophase, and bathyphase estimated when all fitted components are harmonics of a fundamental period. The idea is to calculate a confidence interval for the difference of the parameters of interest. If this interval does not contain zero, it can be concluded that the parameters from the two models are different with high probability. An estimation of p-value for the corresponding test can also be calculated. Both methods are illustrated with an example, based on clinical data. The nonparametric test can also be applied to paired data, a special situation of great interest in practice. By the use of similar bootstrap techniques, we illustrate how to construct confidence intervals for any rhythmometric parameter estimated from population multiple components models, including the orthophase, bathyphase, and global amplitude. These tests for comparison of parameters among populations are a needed tool when modeling the nonsinusoidal rhythmic behavior of hybrid data by population multiple component analysis.     

Identification of Vitis vinifera (-)-alpha-terpineol synthase by in silico screening of full-length cDNA ESTs and functional characterization of recombinant terpene synthase

The flavour and aroma of certain Vitis vinifera grape varieties is dominated by volatile terpenes and small volatile aldehydes. Monoterpenes contribute to the final grape and wine aroma and flavour in form of free volatiles and as glycoside conjugates of monoterpene alcohols. Typical monoterpenol components of the cultivar Gewürztraminer and other aroma-rich grape varieties are linalool, geraniol, nerol, citronellol, and alpha-terpineol. In a functional genomics effort to identify genes for the formation of monoterpene alcohols in V. vinifera, a database of full-length cDNA sequences was screened in silico and yielded two clones for putative monoterpene synthases. The gene products were functionally characterized by expression in Escherichia coli, in vitro enzyme assay and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) product identification as multi-product (-)-alpha-terpineol synthases.