Scale‐dependent spatial patterns in benthic communities around a tropical island seascape

Understanding and predicting patterns of spatial organization across ecological communities is central to the field of landscape ecology, and a similar line of inquiry has begun to evolve sub‐tidally among seascape ecologists. Much of our current understanding of the processes driving marine community patterns, particularly in the tropics, has come from small‐scale, spatially‐discrete data that are often not representative of the broader seascape. Here we expand the spatial extent of seascape ecology studies and combine spatially‐expansive in situ digital imagery, oceanographic measurements, spatial statistics, and predictive modeling to test whether predictable patterns emerge between coral reef benthic competitors across scales in response to intra‐island gradients in physical drivers. We do this around the entire circumference of a remote, uninhabited island in the central Pacific (Jarvis Island) that lacks the confounding effects of direct human impacts. We show, for the first time, that competing benthic groups demonstrate predictable scaling patterns of organization, with positive autocorrelation in the cover of each group at scales < ~1 km. Moreover, we show how gradients in subsurface temperature and surface wave power drive spatially‐abrupt transition points in group dominance, explaining 48–84% of the overall variation in benthic cover around the island. Along the western coast, we documented ten times more sub‐surface cooling‐hours than any other part of the coastline, with events typically resulting in a drop of 1–4°C over a period of < 5 h. These high frequency temperature fluctuations are indicative of upwelling induced by internal waves and here result in localized nitrogen enrichment (NO₂ + NO₃) that promotes hard coral dominance around 44% of the island's perimeter. Our findings show that, in the absence of confounding direct human impacts, the spatial organization of coral reef benthic competitors are predictable and somewhat bounded across the seascape by concurrent gradients in physical drivers.     

Recent advances in the study of long-distance dispersal of aquatic invertebrates via birds

Although Darwin pioneered the study of long‐distance dispersal (LDD) of aquatic invertebrates via waterbirds, it remains in its infancy as a modern discipline. A handful of recent studies have quantified internal or external transport in the field, confirming that a variety of long‐distance migrants carry invertebrates both internally and externally. These studies show that variation in the morphology of vectors influences the frequency and size of propagules transported, and suggest that more invertebrate groups disperse via birds than was previously thought. Dispersal limitation has mainly been investigated for zooplankton in small experimental systems from which waterbirds were effectively excluded, and the extent of such limitation for invertebrate populations in wetlands interconnected by waterbird movements remains unclear. We expect that the spatial and temporal scales at which dispersal limitation constrains geographical ranges, species richness and genetic structure of invertebrates depends partly on the density of migratory birds using the area. Birds may have a major role in the expansion of exotic species. We propose several avenues for future research. There is a particular need for more quantitative studies of LDD by birds that will enable modellers to assess its role in maintaining invertebrate biodiversity among increasingly fragmented wetlands and in the face of climate change, as well as in the spread of invasive species.     

雌激素受体2（ESR2）mRNA 5′非翻译区内部核糖体进入位点活性的鉴定与分析

真核生物除了传统的帽依赖型翻译机制外,还存在内部核糖体进入位点（internal ribosome entry site, IRES）介导的翻译机制。雌激素受体2（estrogen receptor 2, ESR2）是雌激素受体家族成员之一,其编码的蛋白质在许多肿瘤中发挥重要的作用。ESR2蛋白的异常表达会导致众多肿瘤的发生,但其蛋白质翻译水平的调控机制至今仍不清楚。研究发现,在药物刺激的条件下,乳腺癌细胞MCF7/WT中ESR2蛋白的表达提高,但是其转录水平基本未见发生改变。猜测ESR2 mRNA 5′非翻译区（5′ untranslated region, 5′ UTR）具有IRES活性。为了验证ESR2 mRNA 5′ UTR是否具有IRES元件,将ESR2 mRNA 5′ UTR插入到双顺反子报告基因载体（pRF）中,构建pRL-ESR2-FL重组质粒载体,将其瞬时转染到HEK293细胞。结果发现,ESR2 mRNA 5′ UTR有假定的IRES活性。并且通过3个排除实验验证了ESR2 IRES活性与其5′ UTR中的内部潜在启动子（P<0.0001）、内部剪切位点以及核糖体通读无关。进一步对其序列进行截短研究发现,ESR2 IRES活性发挥的关键区域是3′端的439～468 nt,且ESR2 IRES最大活性的发挥依赖于5′ UTR序列的完整性。并且发现,ESR2 IRES活性的发挥不但需要特定的一级核酸序列,还要有稳定的二级茎环结构。此研究有望为ESR2蛋白调控的相关疾病提供新的药物治疗靶点。     

植物DNA条形码技术

DNA条形码技术是利用标准的、具有足够变异的、易扩增且相对较短的DNA片段在物种内的特异性和种间的多样性而创建的一种新的生物身份识别系统,从而实现对物种的快速自动鉴定。尽管这一技术在理论上和具体应用上仍存在很多争论。但DNA条形码概念自2003年由加拿大分类学家Paul Hebert首次提出后就在世界范围内受到了广泛关注。在植物类群中条形码的研究和应用尚处于探索阶段,稍落后于对动物类群的研究,这主要表现在：（1）DNA条形码的选择及其评价仍没有统一的标准：（2）对类群较全面的形态分类学修订和植物DNA条形码研究的结合十分缺乏：（3）以往研究在取样上尺度较大,而对具体类群的研究较少,一个科或一个属只用有限的种类作为代表,同一种内的取样个体数量也不足,这样虽然表面上看来利用选定的DNA条形码可以较容易地把代表物种区分开,但实际上目前建议的植物DNA条形码（例如由生命条形码咨询委员会植物工作组最近提出的rbcL和matK）由于其分子进化速率较慢,在种级水平上,特别是对于那些经历了适应辐射或快速进化的属来说,分辨率较低。而DNA条形码的应用主要集中在属内物种水平的鉴别,因此只有针对具体类群进行探索研究,发现进化速率较快、分辨率高且通用性好的条形码,才可能为建立完整的条形码数据库起到积极有效的作用。     

Observation of a distinct transition in the mode of interconversion of ring pucker conformers in non-crystalline d-ribose-2'-d from 2H NMR spin-alignment

Internal motions of d-ribose selectively ²H-labeled at the 2 position were measured using solid state ²H NMR experiments. A sample of d-ribose-2 -d was prepared in a hydrated, non-crystalline state to eliminate effects of crystal-packing. Between temperatures of –74 and –60°C the C2–H2 bond was observed to undergo two kinds of motions which were similar to those of C2–H2/H2 found previously in crystalline deoxythymidine (Hiyama et al. (1989) J. Am. Chem. Soc., 111, 8609–8613): (1) Nanosecond motion of small angular displacement with an apparent activation energy of 3.6 ± 0.7 kcal mol^–1, and (2) millisecond to microsecond motion of large amplitude with an apparent activation energy 4 kcal mol^–1. At –74°C, the slow, large-amplitude motion was best characterized as a two-site jump with a correlation time on the millisecond time scale, whereas at –60°C it was diffusive on the microsecond time scale. The slow, large-amplitude motions of the C2–H2 bond are most likely from interconversions between C2-endo and C3-endo by way of the O4-endo conformation, whereas the fast, small-amplitude motions are probably librations of the C2–H2 bond within the C2-endo and C3-endo potential energy minima.     

新疆石竹属野生种核糖体DNA的ITS序列与亲缘关系

新疆是我国石竹属植物分布和分化中心,种质资源丰富。通过采用PCR直接测序法,对新疆石竹属（Dianthus)植物野生种共8个种及外类群（Lychnis coronata Thunb)rDNA的ITS区（包括ITS－1,5.8S,rDNA和ITS－2）进行序列测定。研究结果说明,新疆石生属植物的ITS序列总长度为617－621bp,长度变异较小,仅相差4bp,种间序列同源性很高,达97．6％－99．8％,外类群的序列同源性为80％左右。ITS区序列在石竹属内是相当保守的,石竹属物种间序列变异位点基本上是转移多于颠换,且转移率较高,转换／颠换率为1．0－3．0。系统地位和亲缘关系分析表明分布于中国的石竹属植物3个组即齿瓣组（sect.Barbulatum Williams)和石竹组（sect.Dianthus),遂瓣组（sect.Fimbriatum Williams)的亲缘关系较远,而sect.Dianthus与sect.Fimbriatum Williams的亲缘关系较近。ITS系统发育树揭示了石竹组起源早于遂瓣组和齿瓣组,其结果与传统形态学论述存在很大差异。     

金黄色葡萄球菌基因表达的DNA扣除法

[目的]金黄色葡萄球菌作为一种分布广泛的致病微生物和研究革兰氏阳性菌遗传背景的模式菌株,利用real-time RT PCR对相关毒素及调控基因进行表达定量分析,在生物、医学、食品检测等领域具有较大研究价值.[方法]对制备好的反转录(RT,含有cDNA和DNA)和非反转录(RTˉ,仅含DNA)样品进行Real-time PCR检测,根据经典(1 E)ˉ△△Ct相对定量算法并结合PCR效率公式建立一种基因表达相对定量分析的DNA扣除法,将得到的Ct值转换为各样品含量,从RT样品中扣除RTˉ样品的量,无需DNaseⅠ酶解处理就可以去除DNA的影响,RTˉ样品的检测结果还可同时作为稳定的DNA内参.[结果]采用以上方法分析金黄色葡萄球菌肠毒素A基因(sea)、16S rRNA和RNA Ⅲ的表达情况,在含有葡萄糖的NB培养基中sea的相对转录水平随着葡萄糖浓度的增大而升高,RNAⅢ的相对转录水平随葡萄糖浓度的变化而产生小幅度的波动,16S rRNA在菌体生长初期时的表达量较为稳定;与绝对定量法比较,结果差异较小(均小于15%),且差异不显著(p＞0.05).[结论]这种基于DNA扣除法的Real-time RT PCR相对定量方法可以有效的对金黄色葡萄球菌的基因表达进行分析.     

Rescuing infusion of miRNA-1 prevents cardiac remodeling in a heart-selective miRNA deficient mouse

Objective

The decreased expression of muscle-specific microRNA-1 (miR-1) has been found in many cardiovascular diseases and is considered to contribute to heart failure (HF). Here we investigated the role of miR-1 in myocardium protection by infusion of miR-1 in a cardiac global miRNA-deficient mouse.

Long‐term experimental manipulation of climate alters the ectomycorrhizal community of Betula nana in Arctic tundra

Climate warming is leading to shrub expansion in Arctic tundra. Shrubs form ectomycorrhizal (ECM) associations with soil fungi that are central to ecosystem carbon balance as determinants of plant community structure and as decomposers of soil organic matter. To assess potential climate change impacts on ECM communities, we analysed fungal internal transcribed spacer sequences from ECM root tips of the dominant tundra shrub Betula nana growing in treatments plots that had received long‐term warming by greenhouses and/or fertilization as part of the Arctic Long‐Term Ecological Research experiment at Toolik Lake Alaska, USA. We demonstrate opposing effects of long‐term warming and fertilization treatments on ECM fungal diversity; with warming increasing and fertilization reducing the diversity of ECM communities. We show that warming leads to a significant increase in high biomass fungi with proteolytic capacity, especially Cortinarius spp., and a reduction of fungi with high affinities for labile N, especially Russula spp. In contrast, fertilization treatments led to relatively small changes in the composition of the ECM community, but increased the abundance of saprotrophs. Our data suggest that warming profoundly alters nutrient cycling in tundra, and may facilitate the expansion of B. nana through the formation of mycorrhizal networks of larger size.     

Phosphorus release from resuspended sediment in the shallow and wind-exposed Lake Arresø, Denmark

Wind-induced sediment resuspension occurs frequently in the shallow and eutrophic Lake Arresø, Denmark. The impact of resuspension on internal phosphorus loading was investigated by laboratory experiments studying P-release from the undisturbed sediment surface and by experiments simulating resuspension events.Phosphorus release from undisturbed sediment sampled in May and August was 12 mg and 4 mg m^–2 d^–1, respectively. During experimental simulation of resuspension, soluble reactive phosphate (SRP) increased by 20–80 µg l^–1, which indicates that a typical resuspension event in the lake would be accompanied by the release of 150 mg SRP m^–2. The internal P loading induced by resuspension is estimated to be 60–70 mg m^–2 d^–1, or 20–30 times greater than the release from undisturbed sediment.SRP release during simulation of resuspension was mainly dependent on the equilibrium conditions in the water column and was basically independent of the increase in suspended solids and the duration of resuspension. A second simulation of resuspension conducted 26 hours later, did not result in any further release of SRP from sediment sampled in May. In contrast, there was an additional SRP release from sediment sampled in August, indicating that an exchangable P pool, capable of altering equilibrium conditions, is built up between resuspension events.It is concluded that resuspension, by increasing the P flux between sediment and water, plays a major role in the maintenance of the high nutrient level in Lake Arresø. A relatively high release rate is maintained during resuspension because of the low Fe:P ratio and the high concentration of NH₄Cl-extractable P in the sediment.