Are inbred offspring less fit? Survival in a natural population of Mexican jays

The importance of inbreeding avoidance for the fitness of individualsis currently undergoing reevahation. Especially when the frequencyof inbreeding is low, it may be difficult to accumulate sufficientinformation. In a long-term study of the Mexican jay (Aphelocomaultamarina) in Arizona, we found inbreeding, as determined bypedigree, to be rare even though this species exhibits strongnatal philopatry and commonly lives in social groups of closerelatives. Brood sizes of inbred pairs were significantly lowerthan those of outbred pairs, suggesting hatching failure; butthere was no difference in die probability that one or moreyoung would fledge from a nest. Survival of inbred nestlingsto die next year was significantly lower than that of outbrednestlings.     

云南亚热带南部表土孢粉组合与植被间的定量关系

以云南亚热带南部沿温度带分布的35个表土孢粉样品和7个植被样方调查为基础,计算了代表性孢粉类型的百分比和孢粉浓度,及常见孢粉的R值,并分析了影响R值的因素;同时,研究了植物群落和样方内孢粉组合的相似度。结果表明,云南亚热带南部表土样品孢粉产量丰富,蕨类植物孢子产量较高,具有典型的亚热带特征,且山地垂直分异显著;木本、草本植物花粉基本代表了区域内乔木和草本植物特征,蕨类植物孢子则具有超代表性;表土孢粉组合与植物群落间的相似系数绝大部分都在70％以上,表土孢粉组合基本上可以反映植物群落面貌;表明云南亚热带地区表土孢粉与现代植被之间具有较好的对应关系,这对在该区利用化石孢粉资料定量恢复古植被和重建古气候有重要意义。     

Patterns of evolution and extinction in proetid trilobites during the late Devonian mass extinction event,Canning Basin,Western Australia

Abstract: In the early Late Devonian, terminal Frasnian proetid trilobites have previously only been known from Europe and North Africa. For the first time, a rich fauna of late Frasnian proetids is described from the Virgin Hills Formation, Canning Basin, Western Australia. Seventeen species in six genera are described, of which three are new: Rudybole gen. nov., Palpebralina gen. nov. and Canningbole gen. nov. A new subgenus, Chlupaciparia (Australoparia) subgen. nov. is also described. Fourteen of the species are new: Palpebralia initialis sp. nov., P. pustulata sp. nov., ?P. sp. nov. A, Rudybole depressa sp. nov., Palpebralina pseudopalpebralis sp. nov. (comprising the subspecies P. pseudopalpebralis pseudopalpebralis subsp. nov. and P. pseudopalpebralis ultima subsp. nov.), P. minor sp. nov., P. ocellifer sp. nov., Canningbole latimargo sp. nov., C. henwoodorum sp. nov., C. macromma sp. nov., Pteroparia extrema sp. nov., Chlupaciparia (Chlupaciparia) planiops sp. nov., Chlupaciparia (Australoparia) australis sp. nov. and C. (Australoparia) lata sp. nov. The subspecies Rudybole adorfensis angusta subsp. nov. is also described. The proetids range through conodont Zones 11–13b and terminate at the Upper Kellwasser Event, which marks the terminal Frasnian mass extinction event. Three of the six proetid lineages, Palpebralia, Canningbole and Pteroparia, show evolutionary trends of eye reduction. Two of the remaining lineages, Rudybole and Palpebralina, consist exclusively of blind taxa. The last, Chlupaciparia, also comprises forms with reduced eyes. The proetids show a stepped pattern of extinction during the late Frasnian, which correlate with two Kellwasser biocrises documented in European/North African Frasnian sections. The highest diversity preceded the Lower Kellwasser event that occurred at the end of conodont Zone 12 and saw the extinction of all species present in that zone. However, only one genus, Pteroparia, locally became extinct. A major higher‐level taxonomic mass extinction at the top of Zone 13b initiated the Upper Kellwasser extinction event. This included extinction at the generic level, with all five remaining genera becoming extinct, and at the family level, with the loss of the Tropidocoryphidae.     

A comparative evaluation of oxygen mass transfer and broth viscosity using Cephalosporin-C production as a case strategy

The production of Cephalosporin-C (CPC) a secondary metabolite, using a mold Acremonium chrysogenum was studied in a lab scale Internal loop air lift reactor. Cephalosporin-C production process is a highly aerobic fermentation process. Volumetric gas–liquid mass transfer coefficient (k_La) and viscosity (η) were evaluated, during the growth and production phases of the microbial physiology. An attempt has been made to correlate the broth viscosity, η and volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient, k_La during the Cephalosporin-C production in an air lift reactor. The impact of biomass concentration and mycelial morphology on broth viscosity has been also evaluated. The broth exhibits a typical non-Newtonian fermentation broth. Rheology parameters like consistency index and fluidity index are also studied.     

黄土高原水蚀风蚀交错区三种植被蒸散特征

利用称重式蒸渗仪结合Penman-Monteith公式研究了黄土高原水蚀风蚀交错区苜蓿、柠条和茵陈蒿3种植被不同时间尺度的蒸散特征,分析了植被株高、盖度和降水等因子对蒸散的影响并确定了作物系数(KC).结果表明:Logistic三参数模型可以较好拟合3种植被株高、盖度随时间的变化情况并确定了模型的参数.3种植被逐日蒸散变化受降水量的影响波动明显,反映了土壤水分状况控制条件下的蒸散过程.其月蒸散量的季节性差异均不明显,研究时段内总耗水量分别为苜蓿316 8mm、柠条317.7mm、茵陈蒿361.9mm,均高于同期降水量.苜蓿和茵陈蒿初期、中期和后期的KC分别为0.48、0.54、0.42和0.58、0.67、0.62,柠条初期和中期的KC为0 45、0.57,均高于当地典型农作物谷子的KC.     

几种植物生长调节物质对大花蕙兰组培原球茎增殖的影响

采用KC 培养基, 分别添加不同浓度的BA、KT、NAA 及KT+NAA 组合, 对大花蕙兰初代培养已分化出的原球茎进行了继代培养。结果发现:①BA 可加快原球茎的增殖速度, 但浓度超过0.5 mg/L 后增殖速度有所下降, 且原球茎变小呈暗绿色。②KT 的促进增殖效果好于BA, 但浓度超过1.0 mg/L 时, 增殖速度也有所下降, 原球茎变小。③NAA 促进原球茎增殖的效果明显好于BA、和KT, 但浓度大于1.0 mg/L 后增殖不再加快, 而且部分原球茎有变褐现象。④在KT 0.5~0.7 mg+NAA 0.7~1.0 mg/L 范围组合的KC 培养基上, 大花蕙兰原球茎增殖的速度和质量是比较理想的。考虑到较低的细胞分裂素和植物生长素有利于植物增殖过程中遗传性的稳定, 选择KT0.5 mg+NAA 0.7 mg/L 的KC 培养基作为大花蕙兰原球茎增殖培养基。     

Neoselachian (Chondrichthyes, Elasmobranchii) diversity across the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary

Fishes are often thought to have passed through mass extinctions, including the Cretaceous-Tertiary (KT) event, relatively unscathed. We show that neoselachian sharks suffered a major extinction at the K/T boundary. Out of 41 families, 7 became extinct (17±12%). The proportional measure increases at lower taxic levels: 56±10% loss of genera (loss of 60 out of 107) and 84±5% loss of species (loss of 182 out of 216). However, the Maastrichtian and Danian are characterized by a high number of singleton taxa. Excluding singletons we have calculated a 34±11% loss of genera and a 45±9% loss of species. The simple completeness metric (SCM) for genera displays a decrease from the Maastrichtian (94%) to the Danian (85%) indicating a rather complete fossil record of neoselachian genera. The extinctions were heavy among both sharks and batoids (skates and rays), but most severe among batoids, which lost almost all identifiable species. There were equal losses among open marine apex predators (loss of Anacoracidae, Cretoxyrhinidae, and Scapanorhynchidae) and durophagous demersal forms from the continental shelf and shallow seas (Hypsobatidae, Parapaleobatidae, Sclerorhynchidae, Rhombodontidae). Benthopelagic and deep-sea forms were apparently little affected. New families with similar ecological roles (Carcharhinidae, Isuridae, Torpedinidae) replaced these families in the Danian, and full diversity of the different shark and batoid groups had been recovered by the end of the Paleocene or early Eocene. Sharks and rays suffered levels of extinction entirely in line with other groups of organisms at the K/T extinction event.     

The effect of seed freezing on morphological characteristics of four pink species

The effects of nondeep (?10°C) and deep (?196°C) seed freezing on the morphological characteristics of four pink species were studied. As a rule, various regimes of seed freezing weakly affected plant growth and development. Relatively stable traits (flower diameter, the number of stem nodes, and root length) did not change. Reproductive shoots became slightly shorter, and the pattern of their distribution changed. The number of variable traits (the number of vegetative shoots and the number of flowers) was reduced. However, in the following year, the number of flowers was restored. Characteristics valuable for cryopreservation (the number of fruits and seed germinability) were essentially unchanged. Some stimulatory effects of seed freezing were noted: enhanced seed germination under unfavorable conditions and an increased upper limit of some indices, including the number of reproductive organs.     

用胆固醇代谢的房室模型速率系数来分析动脉粥样硬化程度

理论上认为胆固醇逆向转运的速率与动脉粥样硬化程序呈负相关。但目前尚无完善的测试血浆脂蛋白－胆固醇体内代谢的方法。我们运用同位素＾３Ｈ－胆固醇示踪方法,建立房室模型,选取健康兔与ＡＳ兔对照,研究血浆脂蛋白转运胆固醇能力的差异,并结合ＡＳ兔主动脉斑块程度对比,结果验证了上述理论,此法如改用短半衰期同位素或稳定性同位素标记的胆固醇,就可用于人体,这可为临床判断ＡＳ程度提供一种无创性的新方法。