Demographic responses to climate‐driven variation in habitat quality across the annual cycle of a migratory bird species

The demography and dynamics of migratory bird populations depend on patterns of movement and habitat quality across the annual cycle. We leveraged archival GPS‐tagging data, climate data, remote‐sensed vegetation data, and bird‐banding data to better understand the dynamics of black‐headed grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) populations in two breeding regions, the coast and Central Valley of California (Coastal California) and the Sierra Nevada mountain range (Sierra Nevada), over 28 years (1992–2019). Drought conditions across the annual cycle and rainfall timing on the molting grounds influenced seasonal habitat characteristics, including vegetation greenness and phenology (maturity dates). We developed a novel integrated population model with population state informed by adult capture data, recruitment rates informed by age‐specific capture data and climate covariates, and survival rates informed by adult capture–mark–recapture data and climate covariates. Population size was relatively variable among years for Coastal California, where numbers of recruits and survivors were positively correlated, and years of population increase were largely driven by recruitment. In the Sierra Nevada, population size was more consistent and showed stronger evidence of population regulation (numbers of recruits and survivors negatively correlated). Neither region showed evidence of long‐term population trend. We found only weak support for most climate–demographic rate relationships. However, recruitment rates for the Coastal California region were higher when rainfall was relatively early on the molting grounds and when wintering grounds were relatively cool and wet. We suggest that our approach of integrating movement, climate, and demographic data within a novel modeling framework can provide a useful method for better understanding the dynamics of broadly distributed migratory species.     

暗针叶林下华西箭竹（Fargesia nitida）对岷江冷杉（Abies faxoniana）幼龄植株种群动态的影响

通过不同华西箭竹（Fargesia nitida）环境中岷江冷杉（Abies faxoniana）幼龄植株种群生命表及存活曲线、死亡曲线、消失率曲线和生存函数曲线,分析种群动态趋势,并根据野外取样分析华西箭竹对岷江冷杉幼龄植株生物量分配的影响。结果表明：在暗针叶林下,岷江冷杉幼龄植株总的种群结构呈明显的金字塔型,存活曲线DeeveyⅢ型,幼苗个体丰富,死亡率高,进入小树阶段后有较高的生命期望。小密度华西箭竹增大了岷江冷杉幼苗、幼树的死亡率,该环境下的岷江冷杉幼龄植株种群存活曲线为DeeveyⅡ型,而无竹环境为DeeveyⅢ型。大密度华西箭竹环境中岷江冷杉小幼苗叶重比显著增大,异速生长显著增高。过于密集的华西箭竹严重抑制了岷江冷杉幼苗的定居,而小密度华西箭竹的存在对岷江冷杉的更新并非完全不利。     

薇甘菊(Mikania micrantha)天敌——安婀珍蝶(Actinote anteas （Doubleday & Hewitson）)实验种群生命表

为了研究安婀珍蝶（Actinote anteas（Doubleday ＆ Hewitson））能否在广东省室温下顺利繁殖以及探讨其繁殖的最适温度,研究通过观察建立了室温和恒温下的实验种群生命表.在温度18～35 ℃之间,相对湿度85%左右时,安婀珍蝶从第1代到第4代的种群趋势指数分别为22.78、34.28、12.53、19.47;其内禀增长率rm分别为0.0287、0.0308、0.0250、0.0282,表明在室温下安婀珍蝶实验种群的世代繁殖力较高.在14～26 ℃下的实验种群生命表中,安婀珍蝶23 ℃时,内禀增长率rm为0.0401,最高,说明23 ℃是安婀珍蝶的繁殖最适温度.这些都为安婀珍蝶能否在广东地区顺利建立稳定的种群提供了理论的依据.     

蚕豆蚜种群动态与蚕豆生理变化的关系

本文以蚕豆和蚕豆蚜构成的人工种间关系系统为对象,研究了蚜虫种群动态和植物生理变化的关系。发现蚕豆生理应激过程能影响蚕豆蚜种群的生殖率、存活率等种群特征,从而调节其种群的动态。蚕豆还能传导放大昆虫种群自主调节的信息。蚜虫种群的适应过程,包括减小种群数量(低生殖率和迁移),降低对植物的胁迫,从而维持种间关系系统的持续发展。本文还初步将植物的生理应激过程与昆虫种群的动态过程相耦联,建立动态模型,对种间关系的发展趋势进行了分析和讨论。     

陕南茶树栽培区域生态与地方品种分布

陕南秦巴山区是亚热带北缘地区。由于生态环境复杂,地区差异性大,茶树栽培与引种受到一定限制。大致以汉江谷地粮作区为界,南部大巴山北麓低山丘陵区为适栽区;北部秦岭南麓低山丘陵区则为次适栽区。地方茶树群体品种有7个,约由28个地方品种组成,呈斑、块状分布。     

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CELL CYCLE AND LIGHT‐LIMITED GROWTH RATE IN OCEANIC PROCHLOROCOCCUS (MIT9312) AND SYNECHOCOCCUS (WH8103) (CYANOBACTERIA)1

The relationships between growth rate, cell‐cycle parameters, and cell size were examined in two unicellular cyanobacteria representative of open‐ocean environments: Prochlorococcus (strain MIT9312) and Synechococcus (strain WH8103). Chromosome replication time, C, was constrained to a fairly narrow range of values (～4–6 h) in both species and did not appear to vary with growth rate. In contrast, the pre‐ and post‐DNA replication periods, B and D, respectively, decreased with increasing growth rate from maxima of ～30 and 10–20 h to minima of ～4–6 and 2–3 h, respectively. The combined duration of the chromosome replication and postreplication periods (C+D), a quantity often used in the estimation of Prochlorococcus in situ growth rates, varied ～2.4‐fold over the range of growth rates examined. This finding suggests that assumptions of invariant C+D may adversely influence Prochlorococcus growth rate estimates. In both strains, cell mass was the greatest in slowly growing cells and decreased 2‐ to 3‐fold over the range of growth rates examined here. Estimated cell mass at the start of replication appeared to decrease with increasing growth rate, indicating that the initiation of chromosome replication in Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus is not a simple function of cell biomass, as suggested previously. Taken together, our results reflect a notable degree of similarity between oceanic Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus strains with respect to their growth‐rate‐specific cell‐cycle characteristics.     

Ultrahigh resolution drug design. II. Atomic resolution structures of human aldose reductase holoenzyme complexed with Fidarestat and Minalrestat: implications for the binding of cyclic imide inhibitors

The X-ray structures of human aldose reductase holoenzyme in complex with the inhibitors Fidarestat (SNK-860) and Minalrestat (WAY-509) were determined at atomic resolutions of 0.92 A and 1.1 A, respectively. The hydantoin and succinimide moieties of the inhibitors interacted with the conserved anion-binding site located between the nicotinamide ring of the coenzyme and active site residues Tyr48, His110, and Trp111. Minalrestat's hydrophobic isoquinoline ring was bound in an adjacent pocket lined by residues Trp20, Phe122, and Trp219, with the bromo-fluorobenzyl group inside the "specificity" pocket. The interactions between Minalrestat's bromo-fluorobenzyl group and the enzyme include the stacking against the side-chain of Trp111 as well as hydrogen bonding distances with residues Leu300 and Thr113. The carbamoyl group in Fidarestat formed a hydrogen bond with the main-chain nitrogen atom of Leu300. The atomic resolution refinement allowed the positioning of hydrogen atoms and accurate determination of bond lengths of the inhibitors, coenzyme NADP+ and active-site residue His110. The 1'-position nitrogen atom in the hydantoin and succinimide moieties of Fidarestat and Minalrestat, respectively, form a hydrogen bond with the Nepsilon2 atom of His 110. For Fidarestat, the electron density indicated two possible positions for the H-atom in this bond. Furthermore, both native and anomalous difference maps indicated the replacement of a water molecule linked to His110 by a Cl-ion. These observations suggest a mechanism in which Fidarestat is bound protonated and becomes negatively charged by donating the proton to His110, which may have important implications on drug design.     

The count of number of organisms by the areal method

A model is proposed to link the basic parameters of a population obtained by the areal method of count. The model is based on regular changes of occurrence and abundance consequent upon changes in the area of the sample plot. This method is applicable to the conditions of aggregation of counted species on the plot under study.