On the measurement and classification of colour in studies of animal colour patterns

In studies of animal colouration it is no longer necessary to rely on subjective assessments of colour and conspicuousness, nor on methods which rely upon human vision. This is important because animals vary greatly in colour vision and colour is context-dependent. New methods make it practical to measure the colour spectrum of pattern elements (patches) of animals and their visual backgrounds for the conditions under which patch spectra reach the conspecific's, predator's or prey's eyes. These methods can be used in both terrestrial and aquatic habitats. A patch's colour is dependent not only upon its reflectance spectrum, but also upon the ambient light spectrum, the transmission properties of air or water, and the veiling light spectrum. These factors change with time of day, weather, season and microhabitat, so colours must be measured under the conditions prevalent when colour patterns are normally used. Methods of measuring, classifying and comparing colours are presented, as well as techniques for assessing the conspicuousness of colour patterns as a whole. Some implications of the effect of environmental light and vision are also discussed.     

Protective systems against activated oxygen species compared in normal and fully habituated nonorganogenic sugarbeet calluses

Summary The levels of the water-soluble reductants ascorbic acid and glutathione and the activities of the enzymatic antioxidants superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, monodehydroascorbate and dehydroascorbate reductases and glutathione reductase were determined in a fully habituated nonorganogenic sugarbeet callus line (considered a neoplasm) compared with a normal hormone-dependent callus of the same plant. Ascorbic acid was not recovered from either of the two calluses, irrespective of the technique used. Glutathione was titrated at a slightly higher level in the normal callus. Catalase activity was almost nonexistent in the habituated callus. The other enzymes (superoxide dismutase, glutathione reductase, monodehydroascorbate reductase, dehydroascorbate reductase, and ascorbate peroxidase) were found to have higher activities in the habituated callus. The results are interpreted as a higher protection of the neoplastic habituated cells against oxygen-free radicals and hydroperoxide-dependent oxidations. Such strong scavenging properties of the habituated cell line could explain previous results already reported, namely the stimulation of cell division at the expense of cell differentiation.     

Comparing the adoption of protective behaviors: The framing effects of national culture and hazard onset type

On the basis of framing effect and protective action decision model, this study examines the differences in people's response to diverse hazard onset types (sudden or gradual) under different cultural frameworks (China and the United States) and the framing effects of culture and hazard onset type on people's perception and behavioral response. The data are derived from three questionnaire surveys on people's behavioral response to H7N9 and smog emergency in China and H1N1 in the United States. Results indicate that people with different cultures and diverse contexts of hazard onset type present substantial differences in risk perception, protective action perception, stakeholder perception, and behavioral expectations. Furthermore, culture and hazard onset type exert significant framing effects on people's three types of perception, reliance on official information sources, and intention to adopt protective actions. This research empirically verifies the existence of framing effect in culture and decision scenarios, thereby helping in developing different emergency communication strategies.     

Using the nematophagous fungus Esteya vermicola to control the disastrous pine wilt disease

The present study evaluated the protective effects of the nematophagous fungus Esteya vermicola on the large pine trees of Mt. Wora, Jinju, South Korea for six years. When pine trees were treated with E. vermicola 110 days before artificial normal pinewood nematode (PWN) infection, 30–50% of the trees survived for six years. When pine trees were treated with E. vermicola one week after artificial normal PWN infection, 40% of the trees were saved. In contrast, all of the control trees were killed by pine wilt disease in the first year. Although it has been more than six years since the beginning of this experiment, the existence of E. vermicola inside the treated pine trees was successfully detected using a PCR method with two pairs of specific primers for E. vermicola. These results suggest that E. vermicola possesses great potential as a biocontrol agent to combat the disastrous pine wilt disease. This is the first report of using nematophagous fungi to control pine wilt disease in the field for a duration of over five years.     

不同时期喷施多效唑对花生生理特性、产量和品质的影响

为确定高产条件下不同花生品种的最佳化控时期,以小花生品种‘花育20’(HY20)和大花生品种‘花育25’(HY25)为试验材料,研究了多效唑(PBZ)不同喷施时期对花生根系活力、叶绿素含量、叶片保护酶和碳、氮代谢酶活性,以及荚果产量和籽仁品质的影响.结果表明:不同时期喷施PBZ均提高了2个品种花生在结荚期的叶绿素含量、根系活力,以及叶片超氧化物歧化酶、过氧化物酶、过氧化氢酶、蔗糖合成酶、蔗糖磷酸合成酶和磷酸烯醇式丙酮酸羧化酶活性,降低了丙二醛(MDA)含量以及硝酸还原酶、谷氨酰胺合成酶、谷氨酸脱氢酶和谷氨酸合成酶活性,且PBZ喷施时间越早效果越明显.在饱果期,HY25的各指标以主茎高25cm时喷施PBZ的效果最好,但HY20在主茎高25 cm时喷施PBZ的保护酶活性降低,化控时间过早导致植株早衰,叶绿素含量、根系活力以及碳代谢酶活性也略低于CK,HY20的指标以主茎高30 cm时喷施PBZ效果最好.适宜时期PBZ处理提高了2个品种的荚果产量和经济系数,提高了脂肪含量和油酸相对含量以及O/L值.高产条件下,HY25和HY20的最适多效唑处理时期分别为花生主茎高25和30 cm左右.     

银叶老鹳草种群中诱导保护抗性的研究

银叶老鹳草种群中诱导保护抗性的研究刘登义,查德民,周忠泽劳斯·埃里克松（安徽师范大学生物系,芜湖２４１０００）（瑞典国立宇米欧大学生态植物学系）ＩｎｄｕｃｅｄＰｒｏｔｅｃｔｉｖｅＲｅｓｉｓｔａｎｃｅｉｎＧｒｅａｎｉｕｍｓｙｌｖａｔｉｃｕｍＰｏｐｕｌａ...     

Protective enzymatic systems against activated oxygen species compared in normal and vitrified shoots of Prunus avium L. L. raised in vitro

Vitrification of shoots of Prunus avium L. L. was induced and expressed in a four week in vitro multiplication cycle simply by replacing agar by gelrite. The first vitrification symptoms were visible from the 7th day on. Enzymatic antioxidants were compared weekly in crude extract of normal (on agar) and vitrifying (on gelrite) shoots. The activity of superoxide dismutase was higher in vitrifying shoots. The other enzymes (gaîacol-peroxidase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, mono- and dehydro-ascorbate reductases, glutathione reductase) had lower activities. Increased superoxide dismutase activity might mean hydrogen peroxide accumulation and decreased activities of the other enzymes, deficiency in its detoxification. The question therefore is raised whether the hyperhydric morphological abnormalities result from the accumulation of toxic oxygen forms. Vitrification is often considered as a morphological response to several stresses. Contrary to most plants which adapt themselves to stresses by increasing all the above defence enzymes, in vitro shoots under vitrifying conditions appear unable to react in a similar manner.Abbreviations Apx ascorbate peroxidase - Gpx gaîacol peroxidase - CAT catalase - H₂O₂ hydrogen peroxide - SOD superoxide dismutase - MDHAR monodehydroascorbate reductase - DHAR dehydroascorbate reductase - GR glutathione reductase - MS Murashige and Skoog (1962) - IBA indolebutyric acid - BAP benzyladenine - GA₃ gibberellic acid     

The fate of cytochrome b559during anaerobic photoinhibition and its recovery processes

The function of the cytochrome b₅₅₉, a Photosystem II (PS II) reaction center ubiquitous component is not yet known. Cytochrome b₅₅₉appears in a high (HP) or low (LP) potential form. The HP form is converted into the LP form during aerobic photoinhibition. It has been proposed before that this conversion, assumed to be reversible, ascribes protection against light stress of PS II by redirecting electron flow within PS II thus avoiding charge recombination of the primary radical pair and related oxidative damage. Here, we have used an experimental system allowing to assay the relation between the cytochrome b₅₅₉redox potential shift, its reversibility and protection against light induced PS II inactivation. Under anaerobic conditions fast reversible photoinactivation of PS II in isolated spinach thylakoids is observed accompanied by monomerisation of PS II. Monomers did not dissociate further into PS II sub-particles and did not migrate out of the grana partitions as observed in aerobic photoinactivation. The anaerobic photoinactivation is accompanied by an increase in the cytochrome b₅₅₉LP/HP ratio. However, despite recovery of PS II activity and partially of its dimeric form in darkness under aerobic conditions, no reversal of the cytochrome b₅₅₉redox potential shift accompanied these processes. Re-exposure of reactivated thylakoids having an increased PS II population in the LP form of the cytochrome b₅₅₉to strong illumination under aerobic conditions, did not result in a measurable protection of PS II as compared to control thylakoids. While it is possible that cytochrome b₅₅₉may play a protective role against light stress in PS II, the results presented here do not indicate that the increase in the ratio LP/HP form is involved in this process.     

洞庭湖区苇田拟垫跗蠼螋研究

拟垫跗蠼螋Proreus simulans(Stal)的生物学,包括栖息习性,越冬虫态和越冬场所,卵的历期;各龄若虫的形态特征与历期;成虫的耐饥能力,交配、产卵习性,越冬期成虫呼吸率和呼吸商等内容。捕食作用研究结果表明,该天敌的食蚜日均捕食量随龄次增大,4龄达到最大,至成虫以后保持稳定;各龄若虫及咸虫的功能反应均属H011lngⅡ型;著者最后认为拟垫跗蠼螋是一种有利用价值的捕食性天敌,并提出保护利用措施。     

不同胁迫预处理提高水稻幼苗抗寒性期间膜保护系统的变化比较

通过比较盐、冷和热激三种不同胁迫预处理提高水稻(Oryza sativa L.)抗寒性过程中膜保护系统的变化,探讨植物交叉适应机理。结果表明,水稻幼苗经不同胁迫预处理均可提高幼苗的抗寒性。与未预处理苗相比,不同胁迫(冷、热、盐)预处理之间在处理后、低温伤害后及恢复2d后的3个不同时期膜酶促和非酶促保护系统及同工酶酶谱变化各有异同,既有部分共性,也有其独特性。