ULTRASTRUCTURAL ASPECTS OF SEXUAL REPRODUCTION IN THE RED TIDE DINOFLAGELLATE GONYAULAX TAMARENSIS1

The marine dinoflagellate Gonyaulax tamarensis Lebour is best known for its propensity to form blooms known as red tides in coastal waters worldwide. This paper examines the sexual cycle of this organism using light and electron microscopy. Sexual reproduction begins with contact between thecate gametes which subsequently shed their thecae to fuse along their pellicular layers. Nuclear fusion occurs well after cytoplasmic fusion and is characterized by several distinctive features: a highly vesiculate nucleoplasm without microtubules; nucleoli and V-shaped chromosomes abut the nuclear envelope distal to the region of nuclear contact; and each chromosome possesses a longitudinal line, the central chromosomal axis. Fusion results in a planozygote with numerous cytoplasmic storage products and a slightly thickened layer beneath the pellicle. Subsequent loss of thecal plates and a thickening of the sub-pellicular layer results in a non-motile hypnozygote. A newly-formed hypnozygote possesses numerous minute papillae along its outer surface, formed by the up-folding of the accumulating wall layer. Maturation of the hypnozygote wall results in a smooth three-layered wall, the outermost layer of which is the pellicular layer. Hypnozygote germination produces a large quadriflagellate plan-omeiocyte with a single nucleus and thecal plates identical to vegetative cells. Two subsequent divisions, presumably meiotic, result in Jour cells morphologically identical to vegetative cells.     

REPRODUCTIVE SEASONALITY OF WESTERN ATLANTIC BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS OFF NORTH CAROLINA, U.S.A.

We describe reproductive seasonality of bottlenose dolphins in North Carolina (NC), U.S.A., using strandings data from the entire coast of NC and sighting data from Beaufort, NC and by estimating dates of birth of known females. We found a strong peak of neonate strandings in the spring (April-May), and low levels of neonate strandings in the fall and winter. The distribution of neonate strandings was significantly different from a uniform distribution ( P < 0.001, K = 3.8). We found a unimodal distribution of 282 sightings of neonates with a diffuse peak in the summer. The temporal distribution of sightings of neonates departed significantly from a uniform distribution (P < 0.001, K = 5.1). Estimated birth dates of neonates from known females occurred in May ( n = 6) and June ( n = 4), with a single fall birth. These methods shed light on bottlenose reproductive patterns and underscore the value of using information from multiple types of data. Clarification of bottlenose dolphin reproductive patterns, such as the seasonality of birth, may enhance our understanding of the population structure of this species in the mid-Atlantic region.     

REPRODUCTION IN MALE ATLANTIC WALRUSES (ODOBENUS ROSMARUS ROSMARUS) FROM THE NORTH WATER (N BAFFIN BAY)

Age at sexual maturity and timing of the mating season were determined in male Atlantic walruses ( Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus , L.) from the "North Water" subpopulation in northern Baffin Bay. Testes and epididymides of 174 male walruses (between 0 and 30 yr old) from NW Greenland (1987–1990) were studied macroscopically and a subset of 57 specimens was analyzed microscopically. In physically mature bulls ( i.e. , ≥12 yr old), sperm or apparently ripe spermatids were found between 9 November and 12 July. In younger walruses these signs of fertility were found in a few specimens (7–11 yr old) collected between 9 January and 28 May. The mating season seems to peak in January—April. The youngest sexually mature individual was 7 yr old and the oldest apparently immature individual was 13 yr old. Average age of sexual maturity was 10.9 yr (95% C.I.: 9–6–12.2 yr) and all were sexually mature by the time they were 14 yr old. The non-spermiogenetic testes and epididymides showed accelerated growth between about the 5–6th and about the 12–15th year of life, indicating that sexual maturation occurs during these years. The length of the baculum increased gradually until about 12–15 yr of age, when physical maturity was reached.     

Effect of temperature on life table parameters of Podisus nigrispinus (Het., Pentatomidae) fed with Alabama argillacea (Lep., Noctuidae) larvae

Abstract: The influence of temperature on life table parameters of Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas) (Het., Pentatomidae) fed with Alabama argillacea (Hübner) (Lep., Noctuidae) larvae was studied. This predator was kept at constant temperatures of 20, 23, 25, 28, 30 and 33±0.2°C, at relative humidity of 60±10% and photoperiod of L : D 14 : 10. Gross (GRR) and net ( R ₀) reproductive rates of P. nigrispinus ranged from 1.6 to 366.6 and from 0.02 to 189.5 females/female at temperatures of 33 and 28°C, respectively; generation time ( T  ) ranged from 33.3 (33°C) to 85.5 (20°C) days; doubling time ( D ) from 0.82 (33°C) to 17.8 (20°C) days; intrinsic rate of increase ( r _m ) from −0.13 (33°C) to 0.12 (28°C) per day; and the finite rate of increase ( λ ) from 0.88 (33°C) to 1.12 (28°C) females/female added to the population per day. The ideal age to release P. nigrispinus should be when this predator presents higher reproductive values (VR _x ); that is, its adults are about 7 days old, independent of prevailing temperature. Population growth of P. nigrispinus was affected by temperature with maximum numerical response between 28 and 30°C. The negative population growth shown at 33°C may not occur in natural conditions due to milder microclimate in the cotton agroecosystem and due to oscillations of temperature in the course of the day.     

Thermoregulation and roost selection by reproductive female big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) roosting in rock crevices

A free-ranging maternity colony of big brown bats Eptesicus fuscus roosting in rock crevices along the South Saskatchewan River in south-eastern Alberta, Canada, was studied to understand better the discrepancy that exists in the literature regarding torpor use by reproductive female bats. Using radio-telemetry, thermoregulatory patterns and roost microclimate were recorded for pregnant, lactating and post-lactating females. Relative torpor use is described in several ways: the proportion of days on which torpor was used, depth, minimum body temperature, time spent in torpor, and a comprehensive torpor unit (degree-min). Pregnant and lactating female E. fuscus used torpor to the same extent overall (degree-min), but pregnant bats used torpor less frequently and with more time in deep torpor. Torpor was used to the greatest extent after weaning (post-lactation). Evidence is presented that the cost:benefit ratio for deep and prolonged periods of torpor may be highest during lactation. Microclimates of rock-crevice roosts mirrored the use of torpor throughout reproduction by bats. Lactation roosts (deeper, larger opening size) were more thermally stable and remained warmer at night compared to the shallow roosts used by pregnant and post-lactating females. It is shown that conclusions about relative use of torpor can differ depending on the units of comparison, necessitating measurement of all aspects of torpor (depth, duration and frequency). Comprehensive measurements, individual-based normothermic temperatures, and a definition of torpor that accounts for all energy savings, allow a more accurate depiction of patterns and facilitates inter-study comparisons.     

STRUCTURE AND REPRODUCTION OF AMANSIA AND MELANAMANSIA GEN. NOV. (RHODOPHYTA,RHODOMELACEAE) ON THE SOUTHEASTERN AFRICAN COAST1

Four species of Amansia Lamouroux were initially found in Natal. More Complete studies on these species revealed a new genus, Melanamansia, Which is described on the basis of presence of two dorsal pseudopericentral cells in two new species from Natal (M. seagriefii sp. nov. & M. fimbrifolia sp. nov.) in addition to other structural characters and features of pigmentation and reproduction. Pseudopericentral cells are not present in the type species of Amansia, A. multifida Lamouroux. The other two species of Amansia occurring in Natal, A. glomerata C. Agardh & A. loriformis sp. nov., have characters similar to the type species. Comparison of species from other regions of the world has shown that eight additional species, previously assigned to Amansia, belong to the new genus.     

鹅掌楸雌配子体败育对生殖的影响

胚珠和雌配子体败育是限制鹅掌楸生殖成功的一个重要因素。中国东部和西部鹅掌楸种群在雌配子体发育的各阶段上的败育程度有差异,以西部种群的发育较好。西部分布区较合适的生境促进了胚囊的发育,一定温度和湿度的环境可以活化珠心细胞输送营养物质供给雌配子体发育,提高受精和结籽的能力     

Mating tactics in external fertilizers when sperm is limited

Among externally fertilizing animals in aquatic habitats, theproportion of a female's egg clutch that is successfully fertilizedoften falls below 100%. In many such species, particularly incoral reef fishes, males spawn daily at high frequencies, oftenwith little or no sperm competition. A major evolutionary problemfor such males is how best to allocate sperm over successivespawns. Females face the problem of ensuring complete fertilizationof their egg clutch. Here we model male and female mating tacticswhen daily sperm production is limited and with various assumptionsconcerning how differences in the number of sperm released duringa mating influence the number of eggs fertilized. The modelsreveal conditions under which males can maximize daily reproductivesuccess, either by releasing a fixed number of sperm duringall successive spawns or by matching sperm numbers to the clutchsize of their mates. These patterns of sperm allocation exertdifferent pressures on females, which may respond evolutionarilyby developing various mating tactics of their own.     

Differential effects of elevated ultraviolet-B radiation on the photochemical and reproductive performances of dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous arid-environment ephemerals

Four dicotyledonous Astcraceac and four monocotyledonous Iridaceac species were grown from seed under three different effective ultraviolet-B (UV-B, 280–320 nm) fluenccs, which approximated those received daily over the natural growing periods of these species at their southerly and northerly distribution limits under ambient stratospheric ozone, and at the northerly limit assuming a 20% ozone depletion. Diminished photochemical efficiencies, delayed flowering, decreased flower production, pollen germination and tube growth, and reduced numbers of seeds set, accompanied by corresponding increases in mass per seed, were observed mainly in dicotyledons under elevated UV-B radiation, despite their higher foliar and pollen polyphenolic contents, their possession of trinucleatc pollen and their natural occurrence at lower latitudes than monocotyledons with binucleate pollen. The results demonstrate the difficulties in determining plant sensitivity to UV-B radiation from polyphenolic content, pollen type and natural geographic distribution, and suggest that monocotyledons possess other attributes that confer greater resilience to UV-B radiation.     

The adaptive significance of colour pattern polymorphism in the Australian scincid lizard Lampropholis delicata

Females of Lampropholis delicata are dimorphic for colour pattern, the difference between morphs being the presence or absence of a distinct white mid-lateral stripe. A less distinct striped morph occurs also in males. We evaluated alternative hypotheses for the maintenance of this polymorphism by examining temporal and spatial variation in morph frequency, testing for differential selection among morphs using data on body size and reproductive traits from preserved specimens, and experimentally manipulating colour pattern in free-ranging lizards of both sexes, to assess the influence of the lateral stripe on survival rates. We found that the relative frequency of striped individuals varied among populations and decreased from north to south in both sexes, coincident with an increasing incidence of regenerated tails. Morph frequencies did not change through time within a population. Striped gravid females appeared to survive better and produced larger clutches than did non-striped females. In our experimental study, the relationship between survival and colour morph differed between the two sexes; males painted with a white lateral stripe had lower survival than control (brown stripe) males, but survival did not differ between striped and control females. The different response in the two sexes may be due partly to differences in temperature and microhabitat selection. We propose that the white lateral stripe decreases susceptibility to predators in gravid females but increases risk of predation in males, especially in combination with low temperatures. The polymorphism might be maintained by: (1) opposing fitness consequences of the stripe in males and females; (2) sex-specific habitat selection; and (3) gene flow in combination with spatial variation in relative fitness of the two morphs.