The effects of acclimation on thermal tolerance, desiccation resistance and metabolic rate in Chirodica chalcoptera (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Despite much focus on species responses to environmental variation through space and time, many higher taxa and geographic areas remain poorly studied. We report the effects of temperature acclimation on thermal tolerance, desiccation rate and metabolic rate for adult Chirodica chalcoptera (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) collected from Protea nerifolia inflorescences in the Fynbos Biome in South Africa. After 7 days of acclimation at 12, 19 and 25 degrees C, critical thermal maxima (mean+/-s.e.: 41.8+/-0.2 degrees C in field-fresh beetles) showed less response (<1 degrees C change) to temperature acclimation than did the onset of the critical thermal minima (0.1+/-0.2, 1.0+/-0.2 and 2.3+/-0.2 degrees C, respectively). Freezing was lethal in C. chalcoptera (field-fresh SCP -14.6 degrees C) and these beetles also showed pre-freeze mortality. Survival of 2 h at -10.1 degrees C increased from 20% to 76% after a 2 h pre-exposure to -2 degrees C, indicating rapid cold hardening. Metabolic rate, measured at 25 degrees C and adjusted by ANCOVA for mass variation, did not differ between males and females (2.772+/-0.471 and 2.517+/-0.560 ml CO2 h(-1), respectively), but was higher in 25 degrees C-acclimated beetles relative to the field-fresh and 12 degrees C-acclimated beetles. Body water content and desiccation rate did not differ between males and females and did not respond significantly to acclimation. We place these data in the context of measured inflorescence and ambient temperatures, and predict that climate change for the region could have effects on this species, in turn possibly affecting local ecosystem functioning.     

Adaptation or exaptation? An experimental test of hypotheses on the origin of salinity tolerance in Bufo calamita

The natterjack toad (Bufo calamita) shows variation in embryonic and larval salinity tolerance across populations in southern Spain. However, its aquatic/terrestrial biphasic life cycle, together with remarkable differences in salinity tolerance between Spanish and UK freshwater populations suggest an alternative hypothesis to local adaptation. Drought resistance during the terrestrial phase and salinity tolerance during the aquatic phase are both related to osmotic stress tolerance, and if there were an association between them, one could have evolved as an exaptation from the other. To test such an association, we reared B. calamita juveniles from three populations known to differ genetically in their salinity tolerance, under either dry or humid conditions. Drought decreased growth rate, enhanced burying behaviour, and decreased foraging activity and efficiency. No significant population x treatment interaction was found for any variable, i.e. populations were equally affected by drought. These results do not support the hypothesis of a genetic association between salinity and drought tolerance.     

昆虫记忆的形成机制及生态适应性

介绍近十几年来利用蜜蜂Apis mellifera L.、果蝇Drosophila melanogaster Meigen和寄生蜂等昆虫对学习和记忆行为研究的成果。这些研究表明昆虫的记忆形成是多阶段的。从短时记忆向长时记忆的形成过程中,cAMP反应元件结合蛋白(cAMP response element-bindingprotein,CREB)起重要的作用;而蘑菇体是学习、记忆形成的主要位点。已有的研究还表明昆虫记忆的动态是适应于不同物种的生态学需要。这些研究为探索昆虫和其它动物记忆的形成和生态适应性提供了理论基础。     

Lung Ischemia: A Model for Endothelial Mechanotransduction

Endothelial cells in vivo are constantly exposed to shear associated with blood flow and altered shear stress elicits cellular responses (mechanotransduction). This review describes the role of shear sensors and signal transducers in these events. The major focus is the response to removal of shear as occurs when blood flow is compromised (i.e., ischemia). Pulmonary ischemia studied with the isolated murine lung or flow adapted pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells in vitro results in endothelial generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and NO. The response requires caveolae and is initiated by endothelial cell depolarization via K_ATP channel closure followed by activation of NADPH oxidase (NOX2) and NO synthase (eNOS), signaling through MAP kinases, and endothelial cell proliferation. These physiological mediators can promote vasodilation and angiogenesis as compensation for decreased tissue perfusion.     

Incorporating intraspecific variation into species distribution models improves distribution predictions,but cannot predict species traits for a wide-spread plant species

The most common approach to predicting how species ranges and ecological functions will shift with climate change is to construct correlative species distribution models (SDMs). These models use a species’ climatic distribution to determine currently suitable areas for the species and project its potential distribution under future climate scenarios. A core, rarely tested, assumption of SDMs is that all populations will respond equivalently to climate. Few studies have examined this assumption, and those that have rarely dissect the reasons for intraspecific differences. Focusing on the arctic-alpine cushion plant Silene acaulis, we compared predictive accuracy from SDMs constructed using the species’ full global distribution with composite predictions from separate SDMs constructed using subpopulations defined either by genetic or habitat differences. This is one of the first studies to compare multiple ways of constructing intraspecific-level SDMs with a species-level SDM. We also examine the contested relationship between relative probability of occurrence and species performance or ecological function, testing if SDM output can predict individual performance (plant size) and biotic interactions (facilitation). We found that both genetic- and habitat-informed SDMs are considerably more accurate than a species-level SDM, and that the genetic model substantially differs from and outperforms the habitat model. While SDMs have been used to infer population performance and possibly even biotic interactions, in our system these relationships were extremely weak. Our results indicate that individual subpopulations may respond differently to climate, although we discuss and explore several alternative explanations for the superior performance of intraspecific-level SDMs. We emphasize the need to carefully examine how to best define intraspecific-level SDMs as well as how potential genetic, environmental, or sampling variation within species ranges can critically affect SDM predictions. We urge caution in inferring population performance or biotic interactions from SDM predictions, as these often-assumed relationships are not supported in our study.     

热驯化对鼎突多刺蚁热适应和运动行为的影响

为比较恒温和变温驯化对鼎突多刺蚁（Polyrhachis vicina Roger）热适应和运动行为的影响,将鼎突多翅蚁分别在15℃恒温和13.4～21.6℃变温下进行驯化,定量分析两种驯化温度对鼎突多翅蚁热适应和运动行为的影响.结果表明,恒温和变温驯化对鼎突多刺蚁的最适温度、逃避高温、运动中的停顿频率、疾跑速度、最大持续运动距离均有显著影响（p＜0.01）,而对逃避低温的影响不显著（p=0.343）;变温驯化后鼎突多刺蚁的最适温度仅有一个峰值,这不符合最适性模型的预测;恒温和变温驯化下鼎突多刺蚁的疾跑速度与最大持续运动距离都呈显著的正相关（分别为p=0.017和p＜0.001）,且经过变温驯化的鼎突多刺蚁的运动能力明显强于恒温驯化下个体的运动能力.     

Global assessment of coral bleaching and required rates of adaptation under climate change

Elevated ocean temperatures can cause coral bleaching, the loss of colour from reef‐building corals because of a breakdown of the symbiosis with the dinoflagellate Symbiodinium. Recent studies have warned that global climate change could increase the frequency of coral bleaching and threaten the long‐term viability of coral reefs. These assertions are based on projecting the coarse output from atmosphere–ocean general circulation models (GCMs) to the local conditions around representative coral reefs. Here, we conduct the first comprehensive global assessment of coral bleaching under climate change by adapting the NOAA Coral Reef Watch bleaching prediction method to the output of a low‐ and high‐climate sensitivity GCM. First, we develop and test algorithms for predicting mass coral bleaching with GCM‐resolution sea surface temperatures for thousands of coral reefs, using a global coral reef map and 1985–2002 bleaching prediction data. We then use the algorithms to determine the frequency of coral bleaching and required thermal adaptation by corals and their endosymbionts under two different emissions scenarios. The results indicate that bleaching could become an annual or biannual event for the vast majority of the world's coral reefs in the next 30–50 years without an increase in thermal tolerance of 0.2–1.0°C per decade. The geographic variability in required thermal adaptation found in each model and emissions scenario suggests that coral reefs in some regions, like Micronesia and western Polynesia, may be particularly vulnerable to climate change. Advances in modelling and monitoring will refine the forecast for individual reefs, but this assessment concludes that the global prognosis is unlikely to change without an accelerated effort to stabilize atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations.     

Difference in the predation impact enhanced by morphological divergence between introduced fish populations

The strength of predation impact on recipient environments may vary among introduced populations due to their local adaptations to different prey. We examined whether functional diversification associated with morphological differences may be observed among the introduced populations of invasive bluegill sunfish Lepomis macrochirus (Perciformes, Centrarchidae) in Japan. The two examined populations are morphologically different, although they were recently derived from a common American source and colonized in different lakes. We performed a laboratory experiment wherein these populations were fed the benthic (chironomid larva) and the pelagic prey (daphnid zooplankton). The results revealed that a population colonizing in a shallower lake and foraging on benthic invertebrates in the wild had a greater impact on the benthic prey, whereas the other population colonizing in a deeper lake and foraging on crustacean zooplankton have consumed the pelagic prey more efficiently. A series of regression analyses showed that morphological differences among individuals were responsible for these population differences. The evidence obtained suggests that morphological adaptations by introduced bluegill populations enhance the strength of predation impact on a prey resource consumed in a relevant environment, but reduce the impact on the other prey. Thus, although the introduced Japanese populations were recently derived from a common ancestor, the predation impacts on the native prey community vary due to morphological adaptations to different prey.  © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2007, 91 , 601–610.     

披针叶茴香对变化光环境的表型可塑性

植物对变化光环境的表型可塑性大小影响其在林下生境中分布、生长和更新。为探讨披针叶茴香在不同光环境下的整体表型可塑性及其适应机制,采用遮荫试验模拟5种光照条件(100%、52%、33%、15%和6%相对光照强度),研究了不同光环境下披针叶茴香叶片形态、生理、解剖结构、根系形态以及生物量分配等的变化。结果表明:叶生物量在5种光照处理之间差异不显著,但叶面积和比叶面积均随光照强度减弱显著增加。遮荫处理增加了叶绿素a、叶绿素b和类胡萝卜素的含量,但叶绿素a/b比值随光照强度减弱而降低。遮荫降低了非结构性碳水化合物(淀粉和可溶性糖)和可溶性蛋白的含量,增加了叶片氮和磷含量,对叶片氮/磷比影响较小。在52%和33%相对光照处理下,叶片中硝酸盐含量最低,而在100%和6%相对光照处理下硝酸盐积累较多。根生物量、细根和粗根的长度、表面积以及比根长和比根表面积在5种光照处理之间均没有显著差异,根系氮含量在低光环境(15%和6%相对光照处理)中显著降低。随光照强度减弱,披针叶茴香采取保守生存策略,并没有增加叶生物量的分配,而是分配较多的生物量给枝条和树干,储存能量。综合来看,披针叶茴香具有较宽的光生态幅,在6%—100%光照强度下均能正常生长,遮荫有利于披针叶茴香地上和总生物量的积累,52%的相对光照条件下生长最佳。变化光环境下根系性状和整体结构的可塑性相对较低,叶片生理性状的可塑性在披针叶茴香适应光环境变化过程中发挥了主要作用。     

Behavioral thermoregulation in a tropical gastropod: links to climate change scenarios

Tropical species are vulnerable to global warming because they live at, or near to, their upper thermal threshold limits. Therefore, the predicted increase in the frequency of warming events in the tropics is expected to be critical for the survival of local species. This study explored the major environmental variables which were thought to be correlated with body temperatures (BTs) of the tropical snail Littoraria scabra at the niche level. A correlation between BT and substrate temperature (ST) was detected from field observations which suggests a possible causal relationship between both substrate and BTs. In contrast, there was no correlation between BT and air temperature. Field observations suggest that 33.4 °C may be L. scabra upper limit of substrate surface temperature, although further experiments are needed to assess if the upper limit of physiological tolerance is actually different. As L. scabra individuals were free to choose their substrata, the observed distribution pattern at the niche level is related to L. scabra's behavior. Additionally, substrate surface temperatures were very heterogeneous at centimeter scale (i.e. from 22.5 to 53.1 °C) and L. scabra was shown to select specific STs (i.e. between 22.5 and 33.4 °C) rather than microhabitat type. Therefore, L. scabra did not seem to behaviorally thermoregulate through microhabitat selection nor aggregation. In contrast, behavioral experiments showed that L. scabra has the ability to actively select a thermally favorable site over short temporal scale (i.e. individual average speed of 1.26 cm min^?1) following exposure to high temperatures above 33.4 °C. Hence, this study supports the crucial need to integrate intertidal invertebrate behavioral responses to thermal constraints in climate change studies.