Bats of the Gulf of Guinea islands: faunal composition and origins

The present study compares the bat faunas of the islands of the Gulf of Guinea. Species composition. endemism and hypothetical origins are discussed. All families present in the mainland region are found in Bioko, a typical landbridge island. Foliage gleaning guild species (Nycteridae) show limited colonization abilities. This is also true of the family Rhinolophidae, but not for the closely related family Hipposideridae. The majority of the oceanic island species are African bats which show a widespread distribution and, therefore, have a high ecological plasticity. The continental relatives of the two endemic species Myonycteris brachycephala and Chaerephon tomensis are restricted to relatively small forested areas. Bioko's bat fauna is the result of the recent isolation from a formerly land-connected community. The oceanic bat faunas originated from the establishment of incomers from other areas. Nevertheless, extinction appears in both vicariant and dispersal processes, as an important factor in modelling the current bat communities of the Gulf of Guinea islands.     

Genetic analysis of populations of threatened snake species using RAPD markers

Snakes are a particularly threatened vertebrate taxon, with distributions of many species and populations becoming increasingly fragmented. At present, little is known about the degree of genetic differentiation that exists between isolated populations even though such information may be critical to their survival and conservation. As an example of how recently developed RAPD genetic markers can be used in conservation genetics, we present preliminary results from a study which used these DNA-based markers to assess population divergence in two threatened Canadian snakes, the black rat snake ( Elaphe o. obsoleta ) and the eastern massasauga rattlesnake ( Sistrurus c. catenatus ). We present information on the levels of variation and reliability of amplification for fragments generated from five primers. We then use a recently developed analytical technique to estimate levels of nucleotide diversity within populations and sequence divergence between populations. Our results show that intrapopulation levels of divergence as estimated by the methods of Clark & Lanigan ( Molecular Biology and Evolution 1993, 10 , 1096–1111) approximate those found for mtDNA in vertebrates and that diversity between snake populations is small and non-significant when tested using randomization procedures. Thus, our study provides an example of how RAPDs can be applied to conservation genetic studies of vertebrates and suggest that the snake populations we examined have only recently become isolated and maybe considered genetically equivalent from a conservation perspective, although this conclusion needs to be confirmed with other DNA-based markers.     

高原鼠兔季节性繁殖中的神经内分泌调控Ⅱ．不同光制对生殖恢复期的影响

本项研究将野外捕获的成年雄性高原鼠兔（Ｏｃｈｏｔｏｎａｃｕｒｚｏｎｉａｅ）分３组进行不同光制的饲养,以检验光周期对其神经内分泌─—生殖轴功能的影响：（１）长光照组睾丸及附属性腺的重量和血浆睾酮水平均明显高于自然光组（ｐ＜０．０５）和短光照组（ｐ＜０．０１）。（２）长光照组的松果腺重量（１．５±０．１毫克,ｎ＝１５）和褪黑激素含量（８９．７±５．８微微克／松果腺）,均显著低于其它两组。（３）自然光组和短光照组性腺的显著萌发表明,在高原鼠兔季节性繁殖的年周期中,其神经内分泌─—生殖轴对春分前短光照的抑制作用具有不应期。     

从水稻根部悬浮培养细胞分离原生质体及植株再生

以长香稻(Oryza sativa L．)(糯稻)的幼嫩种子根为材料,在Ms和N6培养基上诱导产生结构松软而分散的愈伤组织,经过AA液体培养基振荡悬浮培养,悬浮培养细胞经酶解后得到了活性较高的原生质体,试验结果表明这是分离原生质体较理想的材料。在附加2,4-D lmg／L(以下单位同)、KT(激动素)0．2、各氨酰胺876、天门冬酰胺266的Ms琼脂糖培养基中,诱导出了大量愈伤组织,在含KT2、NAA(α-萘乙酸)0．2、zT(玉米素)0．2、cH(水解酪蛋白)1000和4％椰子汁的N6培养基中成功地诱导出了由原生质体再生的植株。当代原生质体再生植株能正常开花、结实、产生种子;染色体数均为二倍性(2n＝24),最显著的特点是结实率低,穗粒数减步、生育期延迟。     

基因工程链激酶(r—SK)纯化及其单克隆抗体制备和鉴定

采用Rotofor等电聚焦和分子筛技术纯化大肠杆菌表达的重组链激酶(r—SK),其纯度为97%。比活性1×10⁶IU／mg,回收率41％。分析所纯化的r—SK　N端氨基酸顺序证实其1—15个氨基酸顺序与SK基因的核苷酸顺序所示3联密码子一致。以纯化r—SK为抗原,通过杂交瘤技术构建了分泌抗r—SK单克隆抗体(McAb)杂交瘤细胞(4D11),该McAb属IgG1亚型．特异地作用于r-SK和C组口溶血性链球菌分泌的SK。用底物显色法测定该McAb可抑制SK对纤溶酶原的激活。Western blot法证实该McAb能识别分子量为16 250Da的r—SK的CNBr裂解片段。推测SK蛋白中第71残基至第237残基间的氨基酸顺序参与SK与纤溶酶原的结合。     

广东种子植物区系地理成分研究

广东种子植物区系共有２１９科１４３４属４９８６种。其中：①热带区系成分占有较大的比例,约占非世界属的６２．３％,表明广东区系受到热带区系的强烈渗透,次之为亚热带（至亚热带山地）成分约占３２．２％,及中国特有分布占５．６％;②以单型属（７２属）,单种属（５８５属）和寡种属（５６２属）占绝对优势,共占８５．０％,充分显示了广东区系的古老性和过渡性特点;③从区系组成和植被结构的特征成分来看,以华夏植物区系成分为主,包括：亚热带分布,亚热带山地分布,中国特有分布,东亚—北美间断分布,及一些亚洲热带分布中以亚热带为主的属：④在这些属中有东亚特有属１３２属,中国特有属７５属以及华南—西南—中南半岛特有属６８属等;这些属的存在毫无疑问地说明,广东区系是华夏植物区系的核心地区之一,同时也显示了热带区系与亚热带区系有着不可分隔的统一性。     

油梨果实的生长和内含物变化的观察

本文报道对油梨果实的生长及内含物的变化的观察结果．果实生长发育过程中,以６—７份生长最快,干物质及脂肪含量由低到高变化,以１１月份增加最快,蛋白质含量由高到低递诚．１１月份后含量相对稳定,总糖和维生素Ｃ含量随果实的发育程度而下降。     

水库对投饵网箱养鱼的负荷力

本文用１８个１４．３ｍ￣３的围隔组成的围隔群,以鲤为材料,研究了水库对投饵网箱养鱼的负荷力。实验中观测了水温、透明度、ｐＨ值、溶氧、化学耗氧量、生化需氧量与非离子氨等环境因素的变化。结束时将这些变化与我国渔业水质标准相比较,查明该负荷力约为３０００ｋｇ·ｈａ￣（－１）,建议增加２５－３５％的安全储备,以最大载鱼量１８００－２３００ｋｇ·ｈａ￣（－１）作为推荐值。     

Gain control in a proprioceptive feedback loop as a prerequisite for working close to instability

In the artificially closed femur-tibia control system of stick insects oscillations were induced in 3 different ways: Increasing the phase-shift by introducing an electronic delay, afference sign reversal and coupling the tibia to an inert mass. In all 3 cases the oscillations stopped after some time. The gain of the open-loop system was significantly smaller after the oscillations. Afference sign reversal by surgically crossing of the receptor apodeme of the femoral chordotonal organ for 25–85 days does not lead to altered characteristics of the control loop. When sinusoidal passive movements are forced upon the intact femur-tibia joint the forces resisting these movements do not decrease with time. In contrast to direct stimulation of the femoral chordotonal organ, these passive movements also influence the contralateral leg. The experiments show that the gain-control system of the femur-tibia control loop of stick insects consists of at least two components: A sensitization system (with inputs from many kinds of stimuli indicating some kind of disturbance) increases the gain of all reflex loops. A specific habituation-like system decreases the gain with repetitive stimulation only of one control system.Abbreviations fCO femoral chordotonal organ - SETi slow extensor tibiae motor neuron     

Oviposition substrate affects adult mortality, independent of reproduction, in the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus

Abstract.

• 1 Seed beetles (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) are commonly used to study the influence of reproduction on life-span and senescence. To study the physiological trade-off between reproduction and mortality, many experiments rely on manipulating access to oviposition substrates to manipulate the reproductive rate of females.
• 2 The presence of host seeds, independent of reproduction, results in increased mortality of female Cullosobruchus muculutus. This influence on mortality varies between two host seed species, suggesting a role of either allelochemicals or energetic costs associated with behaviour on hosts.
• 3 The influence of host seeds on survivorship, independent of reproduction, confounds the interpretation of cost-of-reproduction studies with seed beetles. This complication must thus be considered in the design and interpretation of life-history studies of seed beetles and other insects.