Mapping of quantitative trait loci for clinical–chemical traits in swine

Clinical–chemical traits are diagnostic parameters essential for characterization of health and disease in veterinary practice. The traits show significant variability and are under genetic control, but little is known about the fundamental genetic architecture of this variability, especially in swine. We have identified QTL for alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate (LAC), bilirubin (BIL), creatinine (CRE) and ionized sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) and calcium (Ca⁺⁺) from the serum of 139 F₂ pigs from a Meishan/Pietrain family before and after challenge with Sarcocystis miescheriana , a protozoan parasite of muscle. After infection, the pigs passed through three stages representing acute disease, subclinical disease and chronic disease. Forty-two QTL influencing clinical–chemical traits during these different stages were identified on 15 chromosomes. Eleven of the QTL were significant on a genome-wide level; 31 QTL were chromosome-wide significant. QTL showed specific health/disease patterns with respect to the baseline values of the traits as well as the values obtained through the different stages of disease. QTL influencing different traits at different times were found primarily on chromosomes 1, 3, 7 and 14. The most prominent QTL for the investigated clinical–chemical traits mapped to SSC3 and 7. Baseline traits of ALP, LAC, BIL, Ca⁺⁺ and K⁺ were influenced by QTL regions on SSC3, 6, 7, 8 and 13. Single QTL explained up to 21.7% of F₂ phenotypic variance. Our analysis confirms that variation of clinical–chemical traits is associated with multiple chromosomal regions.     

The interaction between host and host plant influences the oviposition and performance of a generalist ectoparasitoid

The successful development of parasitoids of herbivores depends on the quality of their host, which is often affected by the host plant. Therefore, a parasitoid’s oviposition decisions will directly depend on the host, but also on plant quality. Here, we investigated the direct effects of host species and the indirect effects of the host’s food plant on the oviposition decisions and performance of the gregarious ectoparasitoid Euplectrus platyhypenae Howard (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). With a series of no‐choice experiments, we determined the oviposition and performance of the parasitoid on: (1) two caterpillar species, fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda JE Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), and velvet armyworm, Spodoptera latifascia Walker, reared on maize (Zea mays L., Poaceae), (2) the same caterpillars reared on maize, bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L., Fabaceae), or squash (Cucurbita pepo L., Cucurbitaceae) leaves, and (3) S. latifascia caterpillars reared on leaves of wild and cultivated lima bean, Phaseolus lunatus L. All these insects and plants originate from Mesoamerica where they have coexisted for thousands of years in the traditional agricultural system known as Milpa in which maize, beans, and squash are planted together. We found that the preferred and best combination of host and host plant for parasitoid performance was S. frugiperda on maize. Parasitoids laid larger clutches, had higher survival, and more females and larger adults emerged from S. frugiperda reared on maize. However, when both caterpillar species were reared on squash, S. latifascia was the better host. Contrary to the literature, S. frugiperda was not able to develop on bean plants. Results from the lima bean experiment showed that parasitoid performance was best when S. latifascia was reared on leaves of cultivated compared to wild lima bean. These findings are discussed in the context of mixed cropping in which the ability of generalist parasitoids to switch among hosts and host plant species could be advantageous for pest management.     

不同密度樟树(Cinnamomum camphora)幼苗生长和叶片性状对氮磷添加的响应

人类活动改变了氮素从大气向陆地生态系统输入的方式和速率,进而导致森林生态系统养分变化和失衡。研究氮磷添加对不同密度樟树(Cinnamomum camphora)幼苗生长和叶片性状的影响,可以为全球氮磷沉降背景下亚热带地区樟树人工林的经营管理提供依据。本试验以1年生樟树幼苗为试验材料,选择氯化铵(NH_4Cl)作为氮肥模拟大气氮沉降,以二水合磷酸二氢钠(NaH_2PO_4·2H_2O)模拟磷添加。氮磷处理设置CK、施N、施P和施N+P 4个水平,种植密度设置10、20、40和80株·m~(-2 )4个水平。实验数据表明:N、P和N+P处理对樟树幼苗的苗高和地径均有促进作用,且N+P处理对幼苗生长的促进效果最好。N、P和N+P处理在整体上均能增加幼苗叶片的SPAD值,N和N+P处理均增加了幼苗叶片的比叶面积(SLA),而P处理减少了幼苗的SLA。随着种植密度的增大,N、P和N+P处理下樟树平均单株幼苗的苗高、地径、SPAD值呈现下降的趋势,各施肥处理下叶片的SLA变化规律不明显。密度和氮磷添加对叶片的SPAD值产生显著的交互作用。     

香溪河水生昆虫功能性状及功能多样性空间格局

近年来,生物多样性研究已从群落物种多样性拓展至功能多样性层面,使用功能性状表征功能组成及功能多样性是当前底栖动物生态学研究的热点之一。物种功能性状对环境变化敏感,对群落和种群沿环境梯度的演替具有许多潜在的指示作用。为了解香溪河水系水生昆虫功能性状空间分布格局及环境因子对功能多样性的影响,于2005年12月及2006年1月、2月对该水系的香溪河、九冲河、高岚河、古夫河4条河流的水生昆虫进行了调查,并对理化指标进行了测定;参考相关文献资料,本研究选择化性、漂移性、游泳能力、吸附能力、形状、个体大小、流态偏好、温度偏好、生活型、营养习性等10个功能性状纳入分析。研究结果发现,香溪河水系共鉴定水生昆虫127种,四节蜉(Baetis sp.)、高翔蜉(Epeorus sp.)、短尾石蝇(Nemoura sp.)为区域优势分类单元,相对丰度分别为38.6%、9.1%、6.7%;4条河流间优势物种组成差异较大。10个功能性状中相对丰度最高的等级性状分别为1世代/a(Volt2)、高漂移率(Drft3)、无游泳能力(Swim1)、无吸附能力(Atch1)、流线型(Shpe1)、小型个体(Size1)、沉积/侵蚀流态兼好型(Rheo2)、广温型(Ther2)、附着型(Habi4)、收集者(Trop1);单因素方差分析及独立样本T检验表明,化性、附着能力、大小、流速偏好、温度偏好、漂移性、生活型、营养习性等性状级别间差异显著,而游泳能力、形状性状等级间无显著差异。对10个功能性状的33个等级性状在4条河流间相对丰度的差异性进行研究,结果发现,Volt1、Drft2、Swim2、Atch1、Atch2、Size3、Rheo1、Ther3、Habi2、Habi3、Trop3、Trop5等12个等级性状相对丰度在4条河流间差异显著。功能性状多样性、树状图功能多样性用来描述4条河流功能多样性,结果表明,功能性状多样性指数均值在古夫河、高岚河、九冲河、香溪河分别为2.8、3.2、6.9和5.4;树状图功能多样性指数均值在分别为4.8、5.7、11.1、8.8。功能冗余度均值在4条河流分别为2.9、3.4、4.6、3.9。运用逐步回归分析功能多样性、功能冗余度与环境参数的关系,结果表明,功能性状多样性指数受总氮、水深影响显著;树状图功能多样性指数受总氮、水深、流速影响显著;功能冗余度指数受硝态氮、溶解氧、二氧化硅影响显著。     

Assessing wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genetic diversity using quality traits, amplified fragment length polymorphisms, simple sequence repeats and proteome analysis

The genetic diversity among 10 Iranian bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) genotypes was analysed using 12 quality traits, 320 amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP) polymorphic fragments, 491 simple sequence repeats (SSR) alleles and 294 proteome markers. The results revealed that the genotypes differed for quality traits, AFLP, SSR and proteome markers. The average genetic diversity based on quality traits (0.684 with a range of 0.266–0.997) was higher than AFLP (0.502 with a range of 0.328–0.717), SSR (0.503 with a range of 0.409–0.595) and proteome (0.464 with a range of 0.264–0.870) markers. Although there were apparent similarities between the groupings of particular genotypes, the overall correspondence between the distance matrices appeared to be rather low. In this study, the cluster analysis based on AFLP data showed the closest agreement with genotypes’ regions of origin or pedigree information. In addition to the genetic diversity assessment, specific proteins with known function were detected uniquely for the studied genotypes. Our results suggest that the classification based on quality traits and genotypic markers of these wheat genotypes will be useful for wheat breeders to plan crosses for positive traits.     

猪2、7和8号染色体上影响血常规指标的数量性状基因座(QTL)检测

以3个品种（长白猪、大白猪、松辽黑猪）16个公猪家系共计368头仔猪组成资源群体,在猪2、7和8号染色体上共选取35个微卫星标记,采用基于线性混合模型的方差组分分析方法,对影响与猪白细胞、红细胞和血小板相关的共计18项血常规指标的数量性状基因座（quantitative trait loci,QTL）进行了检测．通过似然比检验,并以自由度为2的卡方分布作为检验统计量的分布,共发现22个在P〈5％水平下显著的QTL,其中在2号染色体上有9个,分别影响白细胞总数、中性粒细胞数、平均红细胞体积、血红蛋白含量、平均红细胞血红蛋白浓度、血小板总数、平均血小板体积、血小板分布宽度和血小板压积,在7号染色体有7个,分别影响白细胞总数、中性粒细胞数、平均红细胞血红蛋白浓度、血红蛋白含量、血小板总数、平均红细胞体积和红细胞分布宽度变异,在8号染色体上有6个,分别影响中性粒细胞百分比、淋巴细胞百分比、平均红细胞血红蛋白浓度、血小板总数、血小板压积和平均红细胞体积．为尽可能地避免由于多重检验所造成的假阳性率的升高,我们采用了控制假检出率（false discovery rate,FDR）的方法来对这22个QTL进行进一步检验,发现有14个达到FDR〈5％显著水平,其中又有9个达到FDR〈1％显著水平．     

Trait coordination and environmental filters shape functional trait distributions of forest understory herbs

1. Understanding the drivers of trait selection is critical for resolving community assembly processes. Here, we test the importance of environmental filtering and trait covariance for structuring the functional traits of understory herbaceous communities distributed along a natural environmental resource gradient that varied in soil moisture, temperature, and nitrogen availability, produced by different topographic positions in the southern Appalachian Mountains.
2. To uncover potential differences in community‐level trait responses to the resource gradient, we quantified the averages and variances of both abundance‐weighted and unweighted values for six functional traits (vegetative height, leaf area, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, leaf nitrogen, and leaf δ¹³C) using 15 individuals of each of the 108 species of understory herbs found at two sites in the southern Appalachians of western North Carolina, USA.
3. Environmental variables were better predictors of weighted than unweighted community‐level average trait values for all but height and leaf N, indicating strong environmental filtering of plant abundance. Community‐level variance patterns also showed increased convergence of abundance‐weighted traits as resource limitation became more severe.
4. Functional trait covariance patterns based on weighted averages were uniform across the gradient, whereas coordination based on unweighted averages was inconsistent and varied with environmental context. In line with these results, structural equation modeling revealed that unweighted community‐average traits responded directly to local environmental variation, whereas weighted community‐average traits responded indirectly to local environmental variation through trait coordination.
5. Our finding that trait coordination is more important for explaining the distribution of weighted than unweighted average trait values along the gradient indicates that environmental filtering acts on multiple traits simultaneously, with abundant species possessing more favorable combinations of traits for maximizing fitness in a given environment.

     

Condition dependence and the maintenance of genetic variance in a sexually dimorphic black scavenger fly

The maintenance of genetic variation in traits under strong sexual selection is a longstanding problem in evolutionary biology. The genic capture model proposes that this problem can be explained by the evolution of condition dependence in exaggerated male traits. We tested the predictions that condition dependence should be more pronounced in male sexual traits and that genetic variance in expression of these traits should increase under stress as among‐genotype variation in overall condition is exposed. Genetic variance in female and nonsexual traits should, by contrast, be similar across environments as a result of stabilizing selection on trait expression. The relationship between the degree of sexual dimorphism, condition dependence and additive genetic variance (V_a) was assessed for two morphological traits (body size and relative fore femur width) affecting male mating success in the black scavenger fly Sepsis punctum (Diptera: Sepsidae) and for development time (a nonsexual trait often correlated with body size). We compared trait expression between the sexes for two cross‐continental populations that differ in degree of sexual dimorphism (Ottawa and Zurich). Condition dependence was indeed most pronounced in males of the strongly dimorphic Zurich population (males larger), and V_a was similar for males and females unless the trait was strongly sex specific and condition dependent. Contrary to prediction, however, V_a primarily increased under food limitation in both sexes, and genetic variance in fore femur width was low to nil, perhaps depleted by putatively strong sexual selection. Solely for body size of Zurich males, V_a increased more in males than females at limited food, in accordance with the predictions of the genic capture model. Overall therefore, quantitative genetic evidence in support of the model was inconsistent and weak at best.     

358个欧洲小麦品种的农艺性状鉴定与评价

本文研究了欧洲18个国家20世纪育成的代表性品种358个,简述了各国品种的特点,全部品种的生育期、株高、主穗粒数和千粒重等性状变异丰富。总体上,株高随育成年限逐年代降低的趋势明显;主穗粒数有随育成年代逐渐增加的趋势;生育期和千粒重与品种育成时间之间无明显相关。分析了株高和抽穗期对穗粒数和千粒重的影响,向育种家推荐了一批优良种质,并提供了部分品种的系谱。