Study on Population Genetic Structure in Castanopsis fargesii with Microsatellite Markers

Genetic structure of four populations in Castanopsis fargesii Franch. in Fujian Province was studied with microsatellite (SSR) markers. A high level of genetic variation was detected in the populations of C. fargesii by using SSR with A=9.0, Ne=4.8, He=0.65 and the population differentiation coefficient ( Fst ) was only 0.031. The distributions of alleles of all loci were significantly different among the populations of C. fargesii , and the population differentiation could be found according to the distributions of SSR alleles. Some rare alleles in the populations of C. fargesii were revealed by SSR: Fifteen of 54 alleles appeared in one or two populations with lower frequencies; conservation of these rare alleles is of great importance.     

Integrated population modeling reveals the impact of climate on the survival of juvenile emperor penguins

Early‐life demographic traits are poorly known, impeding our understanding of population processes and sensitivity to climate change. Survival of immature individuals is a critical component of population dynamics and recruitment in particular. However, obtaining reliable estimates of juvenile survival (i.e., from independence to first year) remains challenging, as immatures are often difficult to observe and to monitor individually in the field. This is particularly acute for seabirds, in which juveniles stay at sea and remain undetectable for several years. In this work, we developed a Bayesian integrated population model to estimate the juvenile survival of emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri), and other demographic parameters including adult survival and fecundity of the species. Using this statistical method, we simultaneously analyzed capture–recapture data of adults, the annual number of breeding females, and the number of fledglings of emperor penguins collected at Dumont d'Urville, Antarctica, for the period 1971–1998. We also assessed how climate covariates known to affect the species foraging habitats and prey [southern annular mode (SAM), sea ice concentration (SIC)] affect juvenile survival. Our analyses revealed that there was a strong evidence for the positive effect of SAM during the rearing period (SAMR) on juvenile survival. Our findings suggest that this large‐scale climate index affects juvenile emperor penguins body condition and survival through its influence on wind patterns, fast ice extent, and distance to open water. Estimating the influence of environmental covariates on juvenile survival is of major importance to understand the impacts of climate variability and change on the population dynamics of emperor penguins and seabirds in general and to make robust predictions on the impact of climate change on marine predators.     

黄猄蚁对橡胶盔蚧种群消长的影响

调查西双版纳地区黄猄蚁OecophyllasmaragdinaFabricius对橡胶盔蚧Parasaissetianigra(Nietner)种群数量和寄生蜂的影响。结果表明:黄猄蚁对橡胶盔蚧种群消长及寄生蜂均有影响。"有蚂蚁"枝条上介壳虫种群数量显著高于"无蚂蚁"枝条。"有蚂蚁"枝条介壳虫死亡率和寄生蜂都显著低于"无蚂蚁"枝条。说明黄猄蚁的存在影响了橡胶树介壳虫的种群繁殖率和死亡率。建议在今后综合防治中,充分利用蚂蚁与橡胶树介壳虫关系。通过驱逐橡胶树上的蚂蚁来有效遏制介壳虫的发生。     

Point pattern analysis of different age-classes of Larix principis-rupprechtii in Luya Mountain Reserve, Shanxi Province, China

Larix principis-rupprechtii forest is an important vegetation formation and has a large distribution area in Luya Mountain Reserve, China. Spatial pattern analysis on individual trees in different age-classes of Larix principis-rupprechtii was made in this paper. Here, we employed the technique of point pattern analysis, which could analyze patterns under all scales along a gradient. It was based on spatial mapped points of individual distribution. The results of this study showed that the densities of the five age-classes varied in the order: age-class 3 > age-class 4 > age-class 5 > age-class 2 > age-class 1. Although age-classes 1 and 2 have much fewer individuals than other three age-classes do, the population was stable at present. However, it would be necessary to take some measures for improving population regeneration for a long-time view. The individuals of all age-classes focused on clumping distribution in space; however, their distribution pattern varied with the change of scale. This mainly depended on biological features of Larix principis-rupprechtii and forest environments, but it also meant that the scale was an important factor in controlling spatial distribution pattern of tree individuals. The feature of clumping distribution became more significant with the increase of age. The relationships between individuals in different age-classes were almost all significantly correlated with each other. These associations became more significant within the older age-classes. This suggested that the individuals of different age-classes were interdistributed, by which the population could get benefits in resource utilization. The technique of point pattern analysis is effective and easy to be used in species pattern study. Its results are more closer to the reality, especially for community structure. Translated from Acta Ecologica Sinica, 2004, 24(1): 35–40 [译自: 生态学报]     

Ecological and evolutionary consequences of spatial and temporal variation in pre-dispersal seed predation

Pre-dispersal seed predation may have important effects on population dynamics and trait evolution in plants. In this review, we first present a conceptual framework of the strength of pre-dispersal seed predation and its variation in space and time. We consider the interaction between plants and their seed predators to be “strong” when it affects plant population dynamics or causes changes in plant trait–fitness relationships, and “weak” when it has no such effects, and propose ways of how to adequately assess these effects. Second, we review the ecological literature between 1991 and 2005 to evaluate documented effects of pre-dispersal seed predation on plants and draw five major conclusions. (1) Pre-dispersal seed predation rates are usually low but sometimes high, and show a considerable variation in space and time. (2) Direct evidence suggests that pre-dispersal seed predation can have a significant effect on recruitment and plant population growth rate. Accumulating evidence of seed-limited recruitment suggests that such effects are common. (3) Pre-dispersal seed predation affects selection on several plant traits, such as flowering phenology and flower number, which are usually interpreted mainly in the context of plant–pollinator interactions. (4) The patterns of variation in the interactions between plants and pre-dispersal seed predators suggest that geographic selection mosaics may be common. (5) Although there are numerous studies estimating seed predation, there are still rather few studies that have aimed at examining the interaction explicitly in terms of effects on plant population dynamics and trait selection. From these we know that seed predators can have important, and often variable, effects on plant population dynamics and trait evolution. However, it still remains to assess how important they are across study systems and relative to other aspects of the plant's biotic and abiotic environment.     

Carrying capacity in a heterogeneous environment with habitat connectivity

A large body of theory predicts that populations diffusing in heterogeneous environments reach higher total size than if non‐diffusing, and, paradoxically, higher size than in a corresponding homogeneous environment. However, this theory and its assumptions have not been rigorously tested. Here, we extended previous theory to include exploitable resources, proving qualitatively novel results, which we tested experimentally using spatially diffusing laboratory populations of yeast. Consistent with previous theory, we predicted and experimentally observed that spatial diffusion increased total equilibrium population abundance in heterogeneous environments, with the effect size depending on the relationship between r and K. Refuting previous theory, however, we discovered that homogeneously distributed resources support higher total carrying capacity than heterogeneously distributed resources, even with species diffusion. Our results provide rigorous experimental tests of new and old theory, demonstrating how the traditional notion of carrying capacity is ambiguous for populations diffusing in spatially heterogeneous environments.     

Isolation and identification of eight microsatellite loci in the Cherokee darter (Etheostoma scotti) and their variability in other members of the genera Etheostoma, Ammocrypta, and Percina

The Cherokee darter Etheostoma scotti is a federally threatened fish endemic to the Etowah River system of northwest Georgia. In order to analyse the population structure and genetic diversity of this fish, eight tetranucleotide microsatellite genetic markers were developed. The marker set was applied to 13 additional darter species to test cross-species amplification and polymorphism. Successful amplification was obtained for all eight loci in each of the 13 other species of darters, with between seven and eight polymorphic loci per species.     

Dynamics of competitive population abundance of Lactobacillus plantarum ivi gene mutants in faecal samples after passage through the gastrointestinal tract of mice

AIM: This study aims to evaluate the impact of mutation of previously identified in vivo-induced (ivi) genes on the persistence and survival of Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS1 in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of mice. METHODS AND RESULTS: Nine Lact. plantarum ivi gene replacement mutants were constructed, focussing on ivi genes that encode proteins with a predicted role in cell envelope functionality, stress response and regulation. The in vitro growth characteristics of the mutants appeared identical to those observed for the wild-type strain, which agrees with the recombination-based in vivo expression technology suggestion that these genes are not transcribed in the laboratory. Quantitative PCR experiments demonstrated differences in the relative population dynamics of the Lact. plantarum ivi mutants in faecal samples after passage through the GI tract of mice. CONCLUSIONS: The in situ competition experiments revealed a 100- to 1000-fold reduction of the relative abundance of three of the ivi gene mutants, harbouring deletions of genes predicted to encode a copper transporter, an orphan IIC cellobiose PTS and a cell wall anchored extracellular protein. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: These experiments clearly establish that the proteins encoded by these three genes play a key role in Lact. plantarum performance during passage of the GI tract.