赛加羚羊(Saiga tatarica)生态适应性研究──生态环境的差异性分析

自１９８８～１９９３年,结合《引进赛加羚羊驯化研究》,对赛加羚羊现代分布区、国内历史分布区和４３个样点的１１项气象地理要素计算欧氏距离和模糊相似优先化,并进一步作气候图解分析．发现引种区甘肃武威地区的生态环境与赛加羚羊现代分布区中的别特帕克达拉等地具有一定的相似性,气候类型介于哈萨克斯坦的半荒漠与荒漠草原之间,更相似于荒漠草原。认为赛加羚羊同其它生物种一样,有其特定的生态位,但随生态条件的变化而变化。要保证生态效能的充分发挥,赛加羚羊必须与环境统一,途径有三,其中在生态环境基本相似的区域内引种才是可行的。甘肃武威地区便是这种区域之一。进一步分析各种生态因子对环境的作用及物源状况十分重要     

Sensitivity to stress in the bivalve Macoma balthica from the most northern (Arctic) to the most southern (French) populations: low sensitivity in Arctic populations because of genetic adaptations?

The stress sensitivity, determined in copper exposureexperiments and in survival in air tests, and thegenetic structure, measured by means of isoenzymeelectrophoresis, were assessed in populations of theBaltic clam Macoma balthica (L.) from itssouthern to its northern distribution limit, in orderto test the hypotheses that near the distributionlimit the clams would be more stress sensitive andwould have a lower genetic variability. Thepopulations in west and north Europe show a stronggenetic resemblance. The populations in the sub-ArcticWhite Sea are genetically slightly different, and showa low stress sensitivity. The populations in theArctic Pechora Sea are genetically very distant fromthe other populations, and show the lowest stresssensitivity. Near the southern distribution limit, inagreement with the hypotheses, genetic variability islow and stress sensitivity high. On the other hand, incontrast to expectation, near the northerndistribution limit, in the populations of the PechoraSea, the genetic variability was higher, thus notreduced, and the stress sensitivity was low comparedto all other populations. Yet, it remains a questionif such is due to gradual physiologicalacclimatization (and ongoing differential selection)or to genetic adaptation.     

Feeding behaviour of Cerastoderma edule in a turbid environment: physiological adaptations and derived benefit

Resuspension of bottom sediments by wind andtide-driven currents often occur in shallow waters,coastal embayments and estuaries. These processes maylead to dramatic variations in the concentration andorganic richness of suspended particle assemblages.Since resuspended matter is mainly inorganic,decreasing organic contents are usually associatedwith higher seston loads.Under this environmental context the feeding behaviourof bivalves shows a wide degree of plasticity, whichhas been interpreted as having high adaptive value. Inorder to evaluate benefits derived from thisbehaviour, we have used functional relationshipsobtained in previous studies, relating feedingparameters to characteristics of suspended food, topredict the effect that different feeding responseswould have exerted. In cockles, main processesdetermining energy acquisition are feeding rates andpreingestive food selection. Thus, the procedurefollowed in the present work consisted of simulatingrates of food absorption under alternative feedingbehaviours characterised by: (a) no preferentialingestion of filtered organic matter and (b) maintenance ofconstant clearance rates. In theabsence of selection of organic matter at thepreingestive level, ingestion rate of organics (OIR)would decline with increasing seston loads to 30% ofvalues predicted by functions fitted to experimentaldata; difference in absorption rate (AR) would be evengreater, falling to 10%, due to the strong effectthat the organic content of ingested matter exerts onabsorption efficiency. On the other hand, had theclearance rate (CR) kept constant despite theincreasing seston load, OIR and AR would have fallento values respectively 30% and 49% lower than actualvalues.From these results it is concluded that the ability ofsorting particles before ingestion and the capabilityof adjusting clearance rate are key elements in thefeeding behaviour that enable cockles to be welladapted to cope with changes in the water columncaused by resuspension events.     

Seasonal variation of nitrification along a salinity gradient in an urban estuary

A review on salinity adaptation of marine molluscsbased on mainly Russian scientific literature ispresented. The existence of two relativelyindependent systems of adaptation to extreme(resistance level) and moderate (tolerance level)changes of environmental salinity was shown. Theresistance of molluscs is based mainly on an impededwater-salt exchange with the external medium due tomantle cavity hermetization. The tolerance ofmolluscs is determined by cellular mechanisms ofadaptation. Reversible changes of protein and RNAsynthesis, alteration of the pattern of multiplemolecular forms of different enzymes, and theregulation of ionic content and cell volume wereshown to be of importance for the above mentionedmechanisms. The efficiency of resistance andtolerance adaptations to salinity changes may varyin different species and in different colourphenotypes of the same species (intrapopulationalpolymorphism). Parasites (trematodes) may suppressthe resistance of the mollusc-host to extremesalinity changes without effecting the host'scapacity for adaptive changes in salinitytolerance.     

Behavioral adaptations of two phytophagous insects feeding on two species of phototoxic Asteraceae

Two phototoxic plants of the Asteraceae family were studied in relation to species of phytophagous insects for which they are hosts:Argyrotaenia velutinana Wlk. feeding onChrysanthemum leucanthemum L. andChlorochlamys chloroleucaria (Guenée) colonizingRudbeckia hirta L. The toxicity of these two plants is related to the presence of acetylenes and thiophenes that induce a light-mediated production of deleterious singlet oxygen and other free radicals (phototoxicity). Results showed that females ofA. velutinana laid their eggs preferentially in the shade and the larvae adopted hiding behaviors, such as bending of ligulate corollas and silk spinning to build opaque shelters. By avoiding direct exposure to the sun, both behaviors may reduce phototoxicity associated with ingested plant materials. Furthermore, larvae ofC. chloroleucaria demonstrated a preference in the field for pollen, which constitutes a nonphototoxic tissue of their host plant. Experimental alterations of these specific behaviors induced important biological consequences for larvae of both insects such as mortality or reduction of larval growth rate. These results reinforce the idea that behavior may constitute an efficient adaptation to avoid phototoxicity.     

Structural and systematic study of an unusual tracheid type in cacti

Wide-band tracheids are a specialized tracheid type in which an annular or helical secondary wall projects deeply into the cell lumen. They are short, wide and spindle-shaped, and their bandlike secondary walls cover little of the primary wall, leaving most of it available for water diffusion. Wide-band tracheids appear to store and conduct water while preventing the spread of embolisms. They may be the most abundant tracheary element in the xylem, but they are always accompanied by at least a few vessels. Typically, fibers are absent wherever wide-band tracheids are present. Wide-band tracheids occur in the primary and secondary xylem of succulent stems, leaves and roots in genera of all three subfamilies of Cactaceae but were not found in the relictual genusPereskia, which lacks succulent tissues. In the large subfamily Cactoideae, wide-band tracheids occur only in derived members, and wide-band tracheids of North American Cactoideae are narrower and are aligned in a more orderly radial pattern than those of South American Cactoideae. Wide-band tracheids probably arose at least three times in Cactaceae.     

Homeoviscous theory under pressure. I. The fatty acid composition of Tetrahymena pyriformis NT-1 grown at high pressure

Tetrahymena was grown at up to 260 atm to see if the bilayer-ordering effect of pressure increased the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids in the membrane lipids. Both whole cells and microsomes showed no such change in their fatty acid composition. The most striking effect was seen in the former which showed a pressure-dependent increase in the proportion of C16:0 in relation to C16:Δ9. Homeoviscous adaptation to pressure does not appear to occur in this cell.     

Temperature-dependent morphological changes in membranes of bacillus stearothermophilus

Bacillus stearothermophilus cells vary the lipid fatty acid composition of cytoplasmic membranes with growth temperature. Spin label studies of such membranes have been interpreted to indicate lateral lipid phase separations at the growth temperature. We have now used freeze-fracture electron microscopy to confirm the spin label studies. Freeze-fracture faces of protoplasts indicate slight but distinct protein aggregation at the growth temperature. Aggregation increases rapidly with decreasing quench temperature in wild-type cells. In contrast we were unable to demonstrate extended protein segregation in membranes of a temperature-sensitive mutant that contains more than 58% branched fatty acids. Storage of protoplasts for prolonged times below the lipid phase transition results in the appearance of corrugated fracture faces with 300- to 500-Å repeat patterns, although this organism does not synthesize lecithins.