夏眠对刺参(Apostichopus japonicus (Selenka))能量收支的影响

夏眠是刺参最重要的生理特征;水温升高是其夏眠的主要诱发因子,而夏眠的临界温度与刺参体重密切相关。为揭示刺参夏眠对其能量利用对策的影响,测定了2种体重规格(134.0±13.5)g和(73.6±2.2)g刺参在10、15、20、25℃和30℃5个温度梯度下的能量收支。结果表明,温度和体重及其交互作用对刺参能量的摄入均有显著影响;而温度是影响其摄食能分配的主要因素。研究发现,刺参在非夏眠期、夏眠临界期和完全夏眠期的能量利用对策有所不同:在非夏眠期,刺参摄食能支出的最大组分是粪便能,占摄食能的比例超过50%,其次为呼吸耗能,占19.8%～39.4%,而生长能和排泄能占的比例较小,分别为5.7%～10.7%和2.9%～3.7%;在夏眠临界温度下,呼吸和排泄耗能占摄食能的比例均显著增大(分别为88.3%和13.6%),而生长能所占比例降为负值(-55.3%),刺参表现为负生长;而在夏眠期,刺参的摄食能和排粪能为零,为维持其基本生理活动,不得不动用以往贮存于体内的能量,消耗于呼吸和排泄等生理过程,供维持生命之用。总之,从能量生物学的角度看,夏眠的主要生态学意义在于刺参长时间处于相对高温环境,进而导致摄食受阻条件下的一种能量节约方式。     

Competition between Hardwood Hammocks and Mangroves

A bstract The boundaries between mangroves and freshwater hammocks in coastal ecotones of South Florida are sharp. Further, previous studies indicate that there is a discontinuity in plant predawn water potentials, with woody plants either showing predawn water potentials reflecting exposure to saline water or exposure to freshwater. This abrupt concurrent change in community type and plant water status suggests that there might be feedback dynamics between vegetation and salinity. A model examining the salinity of the aerated zone of soil overlying a saline body of water, known as the vadose layer, as a function of precipitation, evaporation and plant water uptake is presented here. The model predicts that mixtures of saline and freshwater vegetative species represent unstable states. Depending on the initial vegetation composition, subsequent vegetative change will lead either to patches of mangrove coverage having a high salinity vadose zone or to freshwater hammock coverage having a low salinity vadose zone. Complete or nearly complete coverage by either freshwater or saltwater vegetation represents two stable steady-state points. This model can explain many of the previous observations of vegetation patterns in coastal South Florida as well as observations on the dynamics of vegetation shifts caused by sea level rise and climate change.     

Cyclin E/Cdk2 is required for sperm maturation, but not DNA replication, in early sea urchin embryos

The cell cycle is driven by the activity of cyclin/cdk complexes. In somatic cells, cyclin E/cdk2 oscillates throughout the cell cycle and has been shown to promote S-phase entry and initiation of DNA replication. In contrast, cyclin E/cdk2 activity remains constant throughout the early embryonic development of the sea urchin and localizes to the sperm nucleus following fertilization. We now show that cyclin E localization to the sperm nucleus following fertilization is not unique to the sea urchin, but also occurs in the surf clam, and inhibition of cyclin E/cdk2 activity by roscovitine inhibits the morphological changes indicative of male pronuclear maturation in sea urchin zygotes. Finally, we show that inhibition of cyclin E/cdk2 activity does not block DNA replication in the early cleavage cycles of the sea urchin. We conclude that cyclin E/cdk2 activity is required for male pronuclear maturation, but not for initiation of DNA replication in early sea urchin development.     

Inducing enantioselective crystallization with and self-assembly of star-shaped hybrid polymers prepared via “grafting to” strategy

Helical polymers present some interesting and distinctive properties, and one of the most distinguished applications of them is the chiral recognition and resolution of enantiomers. In this work, star-shaped hybrid helical poly (phenyl isocyanide) (PPI) with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) as the core was designed and synthesized by “grafting to” strategy. The homoarm star-shaped hybrid POSS-(PPI)₈ was first obtained by the click reaction between azide-modified POSS (POSS-(N₃)₈) and alkynyl-modified PPI (PPI-Alkynyl). The hybrid POSS-(PPI)₈ was with predominated left-handed helical conformation and exhibited excellent ability in the enantioselective crystallization of racemic compounds. In the meantime, heteroarm star-shaped hybrid (PEG)₄-POSS-(PPI)₄ was prepared by the click reaction of POSS-(N₃)₈ with PPI-Alkynyl and alkynyl-modified poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG-Alkynyl). The hybrid (PEG)₄-POSS-(PPI)₄ was amphiphilic, and it could self-assemble to form spherical micelles in aqueous solutions.     

Little evidence for genetic variation associated with susceptibility to sea star wasting syndrome in the keystone species Pisaster ochraceus

The keystone species Pisaster ochraceus suffered mass mortalities along the northeast Pacific Ocean from Sea Star Wasting Syndrome (SSWS) outbreaks in 2013–2016. SSWS causation remains of debate, leading to concerns as to whether outbreaks will continue to impact this species. Considering the apparent link between ocean temperature and SSWS, the future of this species and intertidal communities remains uncertain. Surveys of co-occurring apparently normal and wasting P. ochraceus along the central Oregon coast in 2016 allowed us to address whether variation in disease status showed genetic variation that may be associated with differences in susceptibility to SSWS. We performed restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (2bRAD-seq) to genotype ~72,000 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci across apparently normal and wasting sea stars. Locus-specific analyses of differentiation (F_ST) between disease-status groups revealed no signal of genetic differences separating the two groups. Using a multivariate approach, we observed weak separation between the groups, but identified 18 SNP loci showing highest discriminatory power between the groups and scanned the genome annotation for linked genes. A total of 34 protein-coding genes were found to be located within 15 kb (measured by linkage disequilibrium decay) of at least one of the 18 SNPs, and 30 of these genes had homologies to annotated protein databases. Our results suggest that the likelihood of developing SSWS symptoms does not have a strong genetic basis. The few genomic regions highlighted had only modest levels of differentiation, but the genes associated with these regions may form the basis for functional studies aiming to understand disease progression.     

An apparent population decrease,or change in distribution,of Weddell seals along the Victoria Land coast

Ground counts during 1959–1968 compared with counts using high resolution (0.6 m²) satellite imagery during 2008–2012 indicated many fewer Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) at two major molting areas in the western Ross Sea: Edisto Inlet‐Moubray Bay, northern Victoria Land, and McMurdo Sound, southern Victoria Land. Breeding seals have largely disappeared from Edisto‐Moubray, though the breeding population in McMurdo Sound appears to have recovered from harvest in the 1960s. The timing of decline, or perhaps spreading (lower numbers of seals in more places), is unknown but appears unrelated to changes in sea ice conditions. We analyzed both historic and satellite‐derived ice data confirming a large expansion of pack ice mostly offshore of the Ross Sea, and not over the continental shelf (main Weddell seal habitat), and a thinning of fast ice along Victoria Land (conceivably beneficial to seals). Timing of fast ice presence and extent in coves and bays along Victoria Land, remains the same. The reduction in numbers is consistent with an altered food web, the reasons for which are complex. In the context of a recent industrial fishery targeting a seal prey species, a large‐scale seal monitoring program is required to increase understanding of seal population changes.     

Establishing the evolutionary compatibility of potential sources of colonizers for overfished stocks: a population genomics approach

Identifying fish stock structure is fundamental to pinpoint stocks that might contribute colonizers to overfished stocks. However, a stock's potential to contribute to rebuilding hinges on demographic connectivity, a challenging parameter to measure. With genomics as a new tool, fisheries managers can detect signatures of natural selection and thus identify fishing areas likely to contribute evolutionarily compatible colonizers to an overfished area (i.e. colonizers that are not at a fitness disadvantage in the overfished area and able to reproduce at optimal rates). Identifying evolutionarily compatible stocks would help narrow the focus on establishing demographic connectivity where it matters. Here, we genotype 4723 SNPs in 616 orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus) across five fishing areas off the Tasmanian coast in Australia. We ask whether these areas form a single genetic unit, and test for signatures of local adaptation. Results from amova , structure , discriminant analysis of principal components, bayesass and isolation by distance suggest that sampled locations are subjected to geneflow amounts that are above what is needed to establish ‘drift connectivity’. However, it remains unclear whether there is a single panmictic population or several highly connected populations. Most importantly, we did not find any evidence of local adaptation, suggesting that the examined orange roughy stocks are evolutionarily compatible. The data have helped test an assumption of the orange roughy management programme and to formulate hypotheses regarding stock demographic connectivity. Overall, our results demonstrate the potential of genomics to inform fisheries management, even when evidence for stock structure is sparse.     

Species‐specific responses to island connectivity cycles: refined models for testing phylogeographic concordance across a Mediterranean Pleistocene Aggregate Island Complex

The contribution of Pleistocene sea level changes to diversification patterns in archipelagos around the world, and specifically whether the repeated cycles of island connectivity and isolation acted as a ‘species pump’ is debated. The debate has been perpetuated in part because of the type of evidence used to evaluate the species‐pump hypothesis. Specifically, existing tests of the ‘Pleistocene Aggregate Island Complex’ (PAIC) model of diversification interpret the lack of concordant divergence times among multiple codistributed taxa as a rejection of the PAIC model. However, the null expectation of concordance disregards taxon‐specific ecological traits and geographic characteristics that may affect population persistence and gene flow among islands. Here, we study the factors affecting population divergence in thirteen flightless darkling beetle species (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) across the PAIC system of the Cycladic plateau in the Aegean archipelago. Based on isolation‐by‐resistance analyses, hierarchical amova and the degree of genealogical sorting on individual islands, we identify a major effect of bathymetry and habitat stability on the levels of genetic divergence across the PAIC, with island size and body size playing a secondary role as well. We subsequently use bathymetric maps and habitat association to generate predictions about the set of islands and group of taxa expected to show phylogeographic concordance. We test these predictions using hierarchical approximate Bayesian computation and show how our interpretations regarding the role of PAICs as drivers of divergence change when relying on a null expectation of concordance compared to a refined model that takes geography and ecological traits into account.     

A new phylogenetic test for comparing multiple high‐dimensional evolutionary rates suggests interplay of evolutionary rates and modularity in lanternfishes (Myctophiformes; Myctophidae)

The interplay between evolutionary rates and modularity influences the evolution of organismal body plans by both promoting and constraining the magnitude and direction of trait response to ecological conditions. However, few studies have examined whether the best‐fit hypothesis of modularity is the same as the shape subset with the greatest difference in evolutionary rate. Here, we develop a new phylogenetic comparative method for comparing evolutionary rates among high‐dimensional traits, and apply this method to analyze body shape evolution in bioluminescent lanternfishes. We frame the study of evolutionary rates and modularity through analysis of three hypotheses derived from the literature on fish development, biomechanics, and bioluminescent communication. We show that a development‐informed partitioning of shape exhibits the greatest evolutionary rate differences among modules, but that a hydrodynamically informed partitioning is the best‐fit modularity hypothesis. Furthermore, we show that bioluminescent lateral photophores evolve at a similar rate as, and are strongly integrated with, body shape in lanternfishes. These results suggest that overlapping life‐history constraints on development and movement define axes of body shape evolution in lanternfishes, and that the positions of their lateral photophore complexes are likely a passive outcome of the interaction of these ecological pressures.     

Using miniaturized radiotelemetry to discover the breeding grounds of the endangered New Zealand Storm Petrel Fregetta maoriana

Identification of breeding sites remains a critical step in species conservation, particularly in procellariiform seabirds whose threat status is of global concern. We designed and conducted an integrative radiotelemetry approach to uncover the breeding grounds of the critically endangered New Zealand Storm Petrel Fregetta maoriana (NZSP), a species considered extinct before its rediscovery in 2003. Solar‐powered automated radio receivers and hand‐held telemetry were used to detect the presence of birds on three island groups in the Hauraki Gulf near Auckland, New Zealand. At least 11 NZSP captured and radiotagged at sea were detected at night near Te Hauturu‐o‐Toi/Little Barrier Island with the detection of an incubating bird leading to the discovery of the first known breeding site for this species. In total, four NZSP breeding burrows were detected under mature forest canopy and three adult NZSP and two NZSP chicks were ringed. Telemetry data indicated NZSP showed strong moonlight avoidance behaviour over the breeding site, had incubation shifts of approximately 5 days and had a breeding season extending from February to June/July, a different season from other Procellariiformes in the region. Radiotelemetry, in combination with rigorously collected field data on species distribution, offers a valuable technique for locating breeding grounds of procellariiform seabirds and gaining insights into breeding biology while minimizing disturbance to sensitive species or damage to fragile habitat. Our study suggests an avenue for other breeding ground searches in one of the most threatened avian Orders, and highlights the general need for information on the location of breeding sites and understanding the breeding biology in data‐deficient birds.