Leaf traits of natural populations of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Adiantum reniforme</Emphasis> var. <Emphasis Type="Italic">sinensis</Emphasis>, endemic to the Three Gorges region in China

Leaf mass per unit area (LMA), carbon and nitrogen contents, leaf construction cost, and photosynthetic capacity (P _max) of Adiantum reniforme var. sinensis, an endangered fern endemic to the Three Gorges region in southwest China, were compared in five populations differing in habitat such as soil moisture and irradiance. The low soil moisture and high irradiance habitat population exhibited significantly higher LMA, area-based leaf construction (CC_A), and carbon content (C_A), but lower leaf nitrogen content per unit dry mass (N_M) than the other habitat populations. The high soil moisture and low irradiance habitat populations had the lowest CC_A, but their cost/benefic ratios of CCA/P _max were similar to the medium soil moisture and irradiance habitat population due to their lower leaf P _max. Hence A. reniforme var. sinensis prefers partially shaded, moist but well-drained, slope habitats. Due to human activities, however, its main habitats now are cliffs or steeply sloped bare rocks with poor and thin soil. The relatively high energy requirements and low photosynthetic capacity in these habitats could limit the capability of the species in extending population or interspecific competition and hence increase its endangerment.     

Construction and characterisation of a yeast artificial chromosome library containing five haploid sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris L.) genome equivalents

A yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) genomic library of Beta vulgaris was constructed in the pYAC4 vector. High-molecular-weight DNA was prepared from agarose-embedded leaf protoplasts from a triploid cultivar. The library was found to contain 33,500 clones in an ordered array of microtiter plates. Mean size of the inserts was estimated to be 135 kb, and the library should therefore represent the equivalent of five haploid genomes. The library was characterised for the presence of highly repetitive, chloroplast and single-copy sequences. In order to isolate single-copy sequences, 18 pools of DNA, each from 1920 individual YAC clones, were prepared for rapid screening of the library by the polymerase chain reaction. The results of these screenings showed that the number of isolated clones was at or near the frequency expected.     

百合科扭柄花属一个新的染色体基数

对中国云南西部和西北部分布的腋花扭柄花Streptopus simplex的4个居群进行了细胞学研究。生长在云南西北香格里拉县(原中甸县)碧塔海和小中甸冷杉林中的腋花扭柄花两个居群的体细胞染色体数目为2n=2x=18,而生长在高黎贡山的福贡县片马和贡山县的灌丛中的植物体细胞染色体数目则为2n=2x=14。2n=14为腋花扭柄花一个新的染色体数目,x=7为扭柄花属一个新的染色体基数。香格里拉碧塔海和小中甸两个居群的核型公式分别为2n=4m+8sm+4st和2n=8m+2sm+6st,染色体逐渐变小;贡山和福贡片马两个居群的核型公式分别为2n=14=4m+10sm和2n=14=7m+7sm,其中第一对中部着丝粒的染色体显著大于其余染色体。由于x=8是扭柄花属最常见的染色体基数,因此可认为x=8是腋花扭柄花的染色体原始基数,x=7的数目是衍生的;x=7居群染色体的一条大染色体可能是由x=8的染色体的两条st型染色体的着丝粒发生了罗伯逊易位而来。     

Population status,habitat dependence,and reproductive ecology of Bahama Orioles: a critically endangered synanthropic species

ABSTRACT Recent elevation of critically endangered Bahama Orioles (Icterus northropi) to species status prompted us to evaluate their population status, habitat use, and breeding ecology. From surveys, we estimated that at least 141 to 254 individuals remain globally, with 90 to 162, 24 to 44, and 27 to 48 individuals remaining on North Andros Island, Mangrove Cay, and South Andros Island, The Bahamas, respectively. Orioles were observed nesting exclusively in anthropogenic habitat (residential and agricultural land), but home ranges also included nearby pine forest and coppice (dry broadleaf forest). Most nests (40 of 46, or 87%) were in nonnative coconut palm (Cocos nucifera), with native Sabal palmetto and Thrinax morrisii, and an introduced Brassaia actinophylla also used. Trees selected by orioles for nesting were significantly taller, less likely to have shrubs underneath, further from cover, and had more palm trees nearby than randomly selected palm trees. Three of eight nests with known contents were parasitized by Shiny Cowbirds (Molothrus bonariensis). Lethal yellowing disease recently devastated coconut palms and reduced the number of orioles on North Andros, but palms on Mangrove Cay and South Andros remain healthy. The juxtaposition of anthropogenic habitat to suitable native habitats may be more important than any single factor for Bahama Orioles, especially for breeding adults and fledged young. Conservation of coppice habitat, at high risk for agricultural and residential development, is crucial for survival of this critically endangered synanthropic species.     

Genetic Improvement and Crop Management Strategies to Minimize Yield Losses in Warm Non-traditional Wheat Growing Areas due to Spot Blotch Pathogen Cochliobolus sativus

Spot blotch caused by Cochliobolus sativus emerged as a major threat to wheat production in the warmer non-traditional wheat growing areas in the late 1980s. This foliar disease causes significant yield losses annually (15–20% on average in South Asia) endangering the livelihoods of millions of small farmers. Effective measures in the field are needed to mitigate the impact of spot blotch on food security in affected areas. This review summarizes the global knowledge on genetic improvement and crop management strategies to minimize yield losses based on latest field research. Recent studies have shown that spot blotch severity is highly influenced by stress factors affecting crop physiology which in turn affects host tolerance and resistance to the pathogen. Soil nutrient and water stress aggravate spot blotch-induced grain yield losses. Heat stress which is gradually increasing in Asia causes higher levels of disease damage. Genetic improvement is the cornerstone of a sustainable control of spot blotch in all affected regions. Resistance is essentially based on Chinese and South American sources and inter-specific crosses with broadly adapted semi-dwarf germplasm. A list of genotypes consistently reported in the last 10 years to harbor at least partial resistance to spot blotch, along with their inheritance of resistance, has been compiled to help breeding programmes. As the fungus is aggressive under conditions of high relative humidity and heat which in turn influences plant susceptibility, a synthesis of the different tools for scoring disease severity is given. Because resistance is incomplete, the ultimate goal is the accumulation of minor genes of resistance in adapted high yielding genotypes. This paper shows how the use of resistant varieties, timely seeding, adequate fertilization, crop rotation, and the judicious use of fungicides can be part of an integrated management strategy for controlling yield losses due to spot blotch.     

小花三脉紫菀和狭叶三脉紫菀的区别:形态学和细胞学证据

产自湖北神农架的狭叶三脉紫菀Aster ageratoides var. gerlachii (Hance) Chang一直被各种文献和有关标本馆误定为小花三脉紫菀A. ageratoides var. micranthus Ling。我们对二者进行了野外采集和形态学、细胞学的比较研究,分析了导致错误鉴定的原因,重新确定了二者的界限。小花三脉紫菀无横走地下茎,这一性状具有重要的分类学价值。核型研究发现,小花三脉紫菀为二倍体,2n=2x=18=18m,核型属1A型;狭叶三脉紫菀则是四倍体,2n=4x=36=32m+4sm (2SAT),核型属2A型。二变种的染色体数目、核型均为首次报道。狭叶三脉紫菀在湖北为新分布记录。     

EVOLUTIONARY INTERACTIONS BETWEEN SEXUAL AND ALL-FEMALE TAXA OF CYPRINOTUS (OSTRACODA: CYPRIDIDAE)

Freshwater ostracodes show both an exceptionally high incidence of transitions to unisexuality and, in some cases, an extraordinary level of clonal diversity. There is no understanding of the agents promoting these transitions to thelytoky, although it has been suggested that their frequency may set the stage for sexual taxa to infuse clonal diversity into unisexuals. This study examines the nature and origins of clonal diversity in the unisexual ostracode Cyprinotus incongruens. A combination of allozyme and cytogenetic studies revealed the presence of two diploid clones of this species at three temperate sites and ten clones at one arctic site including three diploids, five triploids, and two tetraploids. The low heterozygosity (0%–20%) of its diploid clones suggests that parthenogenesis has arisen spontaneously in C. incongruens rather than through hybridization, as in vertebrate asexuals. Polyploid clones appear to owe their origin to genome additions from sexual taxa, although subsequent mutational divergence has played a role in further enhancing diversity. Two triploid clones have apparently originated from the incorporation of a haploid genome from the sexually reproducing C. glaucus, as evidenced by their high heterozygosity and possession of alleles otherwise found only in that species. Other polyploid clones have likely arisen as a result of interbreeding between bisexual and unisexual C. incongruens. These results suggest that both the incidence of spontaneous transitions to clonality and the frequency of interbreeding with relatives may be the key processes that govern clonal diversity in unisexual ostracodes.     

环境参数变化对γ射线诱变微生物的影响

报告了在非自然环境中培养选育青霉菌菌株的一些结论。实验表明随着辐射剂量的增加菌株的致死率也相应增加;当辐照剂量相同时,与自然环境相比其致死率有所提高,且随着非自然环境参数值的增加而增加。当电场强度为３００ｋＶ／ｍ、磁场强度为６００Ｇｓ时,正变率有一极大值。