GENETIC BASIS AND EVOLUTIONARY SIGNIFICANCE OF VENTRAL SKIN COLOR MARKINGS IN NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALES (EUBALAENA GLACIALIS)

Approximately one third of the North Atlantic right whale population has white ventral skin patches. Most white-marked animals have both a belly and a chin patch, and the distribution of white pigment suggests that the patches represent a single ventral marking that varies in size and location. Population frequencies and cow-calf inheritance patterns indicate that the white mark is an autosomal recessive trait. There is no evidence to suggest that ventral coloration patterns are currently under selection. White-marked and black cows appear to experience similar levels of reproductive success based on calving intervals and length of sighting histories. Also, white-marked animals were equally common among cows and nulliparous adult females and among live vs. dead animals. Male reproductive success could not be tested because calf paternity is not known; white-marked and black males exhibit similar survival rates. White-marked cows were more common among females that took some or all of their calves to the Bay of Fundy summer nursery area compared to females that did not visit Fundy. This suggests that female habitat-use patterns may influence nuclear gene flow. Increased sample sizes and additional markers are needed to further investigate gene flow.     

Nectar and hostplant scarcity limit populations of an endangered Oregon butterfly

As grassland habitats become degraded, declines in juvenile and adult food resources may limit populations of rare insects. Fender's blue butterfly (Icaricia icarioides fenderi), a species proposed for listing as endangered under the US Endangered Species Act, survives in remnants of upland prairie in western Oregon. We investigated the effects of limited larval hostplants and adult nectar sources on butterfly population size at four sites that encompass a range of resource densities. We used coarse and detailed estimates of resource abundance to test hypotheses relating resource quantity to population size. Coarse estimates of resources (percent cover of hostplant and density of nectar flowers) suggest that butterfly population size is not associated with resource availability. However, more detailed estimates of resources (density of hostplant leaves and quantity of nectar from native nectar sources) suggest that butterfly population size is strongly associated with resource availability. The results of this study suggest that restoring degraded habitat by augmenting adult and larval resources will play an important role in managing populations of this rare butterfly. Received: 20 June 1998 / Accepted: 25 November 1998     

蓝光对绿豆下胚轴愈伤组织形成和生长过程中蛋白质代谢的影响

蓝光、白光和黑暗对绿豆下胚轴愈伤组织形成和生长过程中蛋白质代谢的影响不同。培养后３～１８ ｄ ,蓝光处理材料的可溶性蛋白质含量明显高于白光处理,更高于黑暗培养的材料。蓝光和白光明显促进３Ｈ亮氨酸掺入蛋白质,而蓝光和白光处理后游离氨基酸含量与黑暗对照相比,下降时间早,幅度大。在培养过程中,蛋白酶活性的变化与游离氨基酸相似。蛋白质合成抑制剂环己酰亚胺（ＣＨＭ） 抑制愈伤组织生长,其中以蓝光最大,白光次之,黑暗最小。在培养基中加入ＣＨＭ 愈早,抑制程度愈大。实验表明,ＣＨＭ 抑制愈伤组织蛋白质合成,也是以蓝光最甚。由此可见,蓝光促进绿豆下胚轴愈伤组织的形成、生长和蛋白质合成。     

Recovery and Enhancement of Faded Cleared and Double Stained Specimens

Cleared and stained specimens may become faded and/or opaque after long periods in preservative solutions. We developed a technique to revitalize faded and/or destained specimens regardless of their age. By adapting and revising Wassersug's procedure for differential staining of bone and cartilage, we successfully cleared and restained numerous small amphibian specimens of various ages. After rehydrating, specimens were bleached in potassium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide, stained with alcian blue, and macerated with trypsin as needed. Alizarin red stain was applied or reapplied, although staining occasionally was unsuccessful in old formalin fixed specimens. After restaining, the specimens were dehydrated and placed in glycerol.     

Autotomy and regeneration of limbs in the male blue king crabParalithodes platypus from the Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk

Limb loss and the frequency of regeneration was investigated in the male blue king crabParalithodes platypus collected in the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea. TheP. platypus population in the Bering Sea is characterized by an anomalously high proportion of crabs with missing limbs, which is largely due to the intensive fishing. The present approach to the exploitation of the Bering Sea population, in which large intact crabs are removed and injured crabs are left to recover to the normal state, may result in a decline in the reproductive potential of this population as early as this coming year.     

一种简便的考马斯亮蓝G250蛋白质染色方法

介绍一种快速、简便、几乎无背景的考马斯亮蓝G250(CBB G250)染色方法.该方法所用试剂仅为稀盐酸和CBB G250, CBB G250的工作浓度为0.0015%,灵敏度达0.02 μg/带, 染色2 h达70%,4 h以上或染色过夜即可充分染色.与以往的考马斯亮蓝染色方法相比,该方法有经济方便、灵敏度高、几乎无背景等优点,便于推广应用.     

蓝粒小麦籽粒糊粉层色素研究初报

观察了蓝粒小麦籽粒灌浆期糊粉层色素形成情况,并分析了蓝粒糊粉层色素的成分。结果表明,在灌浆期,蓝粒小麦籽粒的糊粉层首先是靠近盾片的部分变蓝,而后逐渐向上扩展,在扩展的过程中,可以看到糊粉层着色部位既显蓝色,呈现一定程度的紫红色。蓝粒小麦籽粒糊粉层色素含矢车菊素（Ｄｅｌｐｈｉｎｉｄｉｎ,红色）、飞燕草素（Ｃｙａｎｉｄｉｎ,蓝色）芍药素等８种麦籽粒糊粉层色素含矢车菊素（Ｄｅｌｐｈｉｎｉｄｉｎ,红色）、     

光质对水稻幼苗初级氮同化的影响

用滤光膜过滤蓝色或红色荧光灯,得到纯的蓝光和红光,以白光为对照,研究不同光质对水稻（Ｏｒｙｚａ ｓａｔｉｖａ Ｌ．）幼苗初级氮同化的影响。结果表明：蓝光促进水稻黄化幼苗吸收ＮＯ＾－３含量,并促进ＮＲ（硝酸还原酶）的诱导。在蓝光下生长５￣７ｄ的幼苗的ＮＲ、ＮＩＲ（亚硝酸还原酶）、ＧＳ（谷氨酰胺合成酶）和ＧＯＧＡＴ（谷氨酸合酶）活性均高于白光下生长的,但第１０天以后,白光下生长的幼苗酶活性最高。与白光     

FORAGING STRATEGIES OF SYMPATRIC KILLER WHALE (ORCINUS ORCA) POPULATIONS IN PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND, ALASKA

Killer whales ( Orcinus orca ) feed on a wide variety of fish, cephalopods, and marine mammals throughout their cosmopolitan range; however, the dietary breadth that characterizes the species is not reflected in all populations. Here, we present the findings of a 14-yr study of the diet and feeding habits of killer whales in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Two non-associating forms of killer whale, termed resident and transient (Bigg et al. 1987), were identified. All prey seen taken by transients were marine mammals, including harbor seals ( Phoca vitulina ), Dall's porpoises ( Phocoenoides dalli ), Steller sea lions ( Eumetopias jubatus ), and harbor porpoises ( Phocoena phocoena ). Resident killer whales appeared to prey principally on salmon ( Oncorhynchus spp.), preferring coho salmon ( O. kisutch ) over other, more abundant salmon species. Pacific herring ( Clupea pallasi ) and Pacific halibut ( Hippocampus stenolepis ) were also taken. Resident killer whales frequently were seen to interact in non-predatory ways with Steller sea lions and Dall's porpoises, while transients were not. Differences in the social organization and behavior of the resident and transient killer whales in Prince William Sound are discussed in the light of the dietary differences documented here.     

Blue light inhibits stomatal development in soybean isolines containing kaempferol-3-O-2G-glycosyl-gentiobioside (K9), a unique flavonoid glycoside

Stomata have a fundamental role in controlling plant photosynthesis and transpiration, but very little is known about factors controlling stomatal differentiation and development. Lines of soybean that contain a specific flavonol glycoside, kaempferol‐3‐O‐2‐glycosyl‐gentiobioside (K9), as well as greatly reduced stomatal density, especially on the adaxial epidermis, have been identified. The specific effects of blue light photoreceptors on stomatal development in K9 lines and their isoline pairs containing no K9 were studied. Low irradiances of blue light (7% of total photosynthetically active radiation) added to high irradiances from low‐pressure sodium lamps strongly inhibited stomatal development on the adaxial epidermis of K9 lines, but not in isoline pairs differing putatively in only one gene and lacking K9. Overall, blue light slightly increased stomatal density on the abaxial epidermis in all isolines, demonstrating differential regulation of stomatal development in the upper and lower epidermis. Blue light also caused an increase in leaf area in all isolines, indicating that changes in stomatal density were not the non‐specific result of alterations in leaf area. Morphological studies revealed that the blue light‐induced reduction in stomatal density in K9 lines was due to reduced stomatal initiation as well as aborted or abnormal stomatal development. As the phytochrome photostationary state was kept constant, the results indicate that one or more blue light receptors are involved in the control of stomatal development. This system should be useful for the study of mechanisms controlling stomatal development, even if the photo‐inhibitory response is unique to K9 lines.