Crossing the threshold: an amphibian assemblage highly infected with Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in the southern Brazilian Atlantic forest

The fungal infection caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in amphibians is known to be lethal when infection intensity values exceed loads of 10,000 zoospores per individual. We investigated Bd infection intensity in 100 anurans of southern Brazil. Almost half of the individuals were infected and the intensity ranged from four to about 156,000 zoospore genomic equivalents. We found no clinical signs of chytridiomycosis and no evidence of mortality. However, we observed a reduction in the number of infected individuals with loads above 10,000 zoospores. This fact could be considered indirect evidence that individuals with high loads are removed from the population.     

Nocturnal foraging habitats of French and bluestriped grunts,Haemulon flavolineatum and H. sciurus,at Tobacco Caye,Belize

Synopsis Nocturnal foraging habitats of Haemulon flavolineatum and H. sciurus were investigated in the backreef habitat around Tobacco Caye, Belize. Grunts leave the reef at dusk to forage in the grass beds and sand flats surrounding the reef. The hypothesis that French and bluestriped grunts use separate foraging habitats was examined by following tagged fishes from their diurnal territories or schooling sites to nocturnal foraging grounds. The tag consisted of a small, glowing Cyalume light stick sutured to the dorsal musculature of the fish, next to the first dorsal fin. Surveys of foraging habitats were done to support the tracking study. Large quadrats (225 m²) were set out over the sand flats and grass beds during the day. The numbers of French and bluestriped grunts feeding in each habitat were counted one hour after dark. Foraging French grunts used sand flats, whereas bluestriped grunts usually fed in grass beds. Repeated sightings of two French grunts and one bluestriped grunt in the same individual night-time locations support the hypothesis that nocturnal foraging sites may be used repeatedly by the same individuals.     

Spatio-temporal distribution of the microphytobenthic biomass in intertidal flats of Tagus Estuary (Portugal)

A study on spatio-temporal distribution of microphytobhethos in intertidal zones of Tagus Estuary was carried out from 1990 to 1992. Near Lisbon, Portugal, Tagus Estuary is a shallow mesotidal estuary, covering an area of 320 km². The intertidal area ranges from 20 to 40% off the total area and it is constituted mainly by mudflats. Intertidal flats are richly populated by microalgae, diatoms being the most important and ubiquitos group.Spatial variation of microphytobethos was studied in spring 1990, 21 different sites were sampled. Microphytobenthos biomass was evaluated as chlorophyll a content of the surface centimeter, ranging from 10 to 240 mg m^–2. A Principal Component Analysis showed that 62% of the total variability found in intertidal flats of Tagus estuary could be attributed to two major factors: sediment type and tidal height. A hierarchical grouping defined 3 major groups of similar stations, each one representing a different strata of the ecosystem.One station from each group was chosen for the study of the temporal variation. A sampling, rogram took place from April 1991 to April 1992, with fortnightly sampling, the Chl a ranged from 20–300 mg m^–2. No clear seasonal variation was found, and our results indicated that tidal height of sampledsite played an essential role in temporal biomass evolution, thus upper littoral sites were influenced by climatic parameters, whereas in lower sites action of tides mainly controlled microphytic biomass.

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Résumé Une étude sur l'hétérogénéité spatio-temporelle du microphytobenthos dans les sédiments intertidaux de l'Estuaire du Tage a été accompli de 1990 á 1992.L'Estuaire du Tage, prés de Lisbonne (Portugal) est un estuaire peu profond, mesotidal, avec une aire total de 320 km². L'aire intertidale est comprise entre 20 et 40% du total, et constituéé surtout par des vasiéres. Ces slikkes sont peuplées par une communauté assez riche de microalgues, ou les diatomées sont les plus abundantes.La variation spatialle du microphytobenthos était évalué au Printemps 1990, ou 21 différentes stations étaient échantillonnées. La biomasse était évalué par la concentration enchlorophylle a du premier centimétre de sédiment, qui a varié de 10 á 240 mg Chl a m^–2. Une Analyse en Composants Principales a montré que 62% de la variabilité de la biomasse était lié á deux facteurs: le sédiment et l'hauteur vis-á-vis la marée. Une classification hiérarchique des stations par similitude a établi 3 groupes principaux, représantantles différents strates de écecosytéme.Une station de chaque groupement a été choisie pour l'étude de la variation temporelle, qui s'est deroulé d'avril 1991 á avril 1992, avec des prélévements deux fois par mois. Les valeurs de Chl a obtenus vont de 20 á 300 mg m^–2. Les variations saisonniéres observées ne sont pas claires: nos résultats indiquent que l'hauteur de la station (m) joue un rôle essentiel dans l'évolution temporel de la biomasse, c'est á dire, la biomasse microalgal des sites du supra-littoral est influencié par les paramétres climatiques, tandis que dans l'infra-littoral c'est l'action des marées le facteur principal.

     

Temporal dynamics of estuarine phytoplankton: A case study of San Francisco Bay

Detailed surveys throughout San Francisco Bay over an annual cycle (1980) show that seasonal variations of phytoplankton biomass, community composition, and productivity can differ markedly among estuarine habitat types. For example, in the river-dominated northern reach (Suisun Bay) phytoplankton seasonality is characterized by a prolonged summer bloom of netplanktonic diatoms that results from the accumulation of suspended particulates at the convergence of nontidal currents (i.e. where residence time is long). Here turbidity is persistently high such that phytoplankton growth and productivity are severely limited by light availability, the phytoplankton population turns over slowly, and biological processes appear to be less important mechanisms of temporal change than physical processes associated with freshwater inflow and turbulent mixing. The South Bay, in contrast, is a lagoon-type estuary less directly coupled to the influence of river discharge. Residence time is long (months) in this estuary, turbidity is lower and estimated rates of population growth are high (up to 1–2 doublings d^–1), but the rapid production of phytoplankton biomass is presumably balanced by grazing losses to benthic herbivores. Exceptions occur for brief intervals (days to weeks) during spring when the water column stratifies so that algae retained in the surface layer are uncoupled from benthic grazing, and phytoplankton blooms develop. The degree of stratification varies over the neap-spring tidal cycle, so the South Bay represents an estuary where (1) biological processes (growth, grazing) and a physical process (vertical mixing) interact to cause temporal variability of phytoplankton biomass, and (2) temporal variability is highly dynamic because of the short-term variability of tides. Other mechanisms of temporal variability in estuarine phytoplankton include: zooplankton grazing, exchanges of microalgae between the sediment and water column, and horizontal dispersion which transports phytoplankton from regions of high productivity (shallows) to regions of low productivity (deep channels).Multi-year records of phytoplankton biomass show that large deviations from the typical annual cycles observed in 1980 can occur, and that interannual variability is driven by variability of annual precipitation and river discharge. Here, too, the nature of this variability differs among estuary types. Blooms occur only in the northern reach when river discharge falls within a narrow range, and the summer biomass increase was absent during years of extreme drought (1977) or years of exceptionally high discharge (1982). In South Bay, however, there is a direct relationship between phytoplankton biomass and river discharge. As discharge increases so does the buoyancy input required for density stratification, and wet years are characterized by persistent and intense spring blooms.     

UNC-52/perlecan affects gonadal leader cell migrations in C. elegans hermaphrodites through alterations in growth factor signaling

The unc-52 gene of Claenorhabditis elegans encodes a homologue of the basement membrane heparan sulfate proteoglycan perlecan. Viable alleles reduce the abundance of UNC-52 in late larval stages and increase the frequency of distal tip cell (DTC) migration defects caused by mutations disrupting the UNC-6/netrin guidance system. These unc-52 alleles do not cause circumferential DTC migration defects in an otherwise wild-type genetic background. The effects of unc-52 mutations on DTC migrations are distinct from effects on myofilament organization and can be partially suppressed by mutations in several genes encoding growth factor-like molecules, including EGL-17/FGF, UNC-129/TGF-beta, DBL-1/TGF-beta, and EGL-20/WNT. We propose that UNC-52 serves dual roles in C. elegans larval development in the maintenance of muscle structure and the regulation of growth factor-like signaling pathways.     

生物结皮胞外多糖理化特性及菌群结构的季节动态

胞外多糖(EPS)是蓝藻重要抗逆物质,也是生物结皮中主要的碳储存形式,对结皮的物质循环、稳定度等具有重要作用。本研究以古尔班通古特沙漠不同季节(1月、4月、7月、10月)生物结皮为对象,对其EPS含量、组成、形貌特征及微生物群落结构进行了动态研究。结果表明: 1)EPS的分泌格局呈现明显的季节动态变化特征。1、4、7、10月EPS含量分别为81.72、52.46、76.77、70.54 μg·cm^-2,叶绿素a含量分别为2.7、4.94、4.2、5.98 μg·cm^-2,说明冬、夏两季蓝藻将固定的有机碳更多地分配给EPS,而春、秋两季则更多地用于自身生物量的积累。2)各个季节的EPS均由7种单糖组成,且葡萄糖和半乳糖的相对摩尔百分比之和为46%～56%,显著高于另外5种单糖;EPS的单糖组分与气温和降水之间具有显著的相关性;各季节EPS的傅里叶红外图谱无明显差别。3)原子力显微镜观测结果显示,7月、10月EPS具有更多的丝状及粗绳状结构,而1月、4月则呈块状结构。4)16S rDNA高通量测序结果表明,4个季节下蓝藻门和微鞘藻属始终为生物结皮优势细菌门和属,其相对丰度显著高于其他细菌门和属。变形菌门的相对丰度与岩藻糖和半乳糖的相对摩尔百分比呈显著正相关关系,说明单糖的百分比组成对结皮中异养细菌影响显著。在荒漠生境中,温度、水分等环境因子随季节变化显著,结皮胞外多糖理化特性及细菌群落的季节性变化受温度、水分、光照等气象因子的共同调控。     

西双版纳热带季雨林通量分配及能量平衡问题北大核心CSCD

为了探讨我国西双版纳热带季雨林的能量分配和平衡问题,利用涡度相关系统和常规气象仪器的连续监测结果,分析了不同季节的能量通量特征和闭合特点。结果表明,西双版纳热带季雨林全年的净辐射、潜热通量、显热通量、土壤热通量和热储存量分别是4546.07、2453.24、492.22、-10.47和45.93 MJ/m^(2),土壤为热源,潜热年总值占净辐射的54.0%,显热占10.8%,能量以蒸发散为主要的耗损形式。辐射和能量有明显的日变化和季节动态,各能量分量的日变化几乎都呈白天高夜间低的单峰趋势,反照率整体为0.10~0.12,波动不大;波文比季节差异明显,为0~0.8。热带季雨林的全年闭合度为0.67,未考虑热储量时,闭合度为0.51~0.79,考虑热储量为0.53~0.80。可见,在林冠茂密的热带季雨林中,热储量对能量闭合度的贡献不大,忽略热储量并不是导致能量不闭合的主要原因。     

热带季节雨林林窗边缘不同热力作用面热力效应的季节变化特征

通过对热带季节雨林雾凉季和湿热季昼间林窗区域不同热力作用面的热力效应初步分析,指出在西双版纳,不论是雾凉季还是湿热季,热带季节雨林林窗边缘壁面均具有不可忽视的热力作用,且由于受林缘树木的影响,热力效应较强的东侧,北侧林缘壁面最大区域出现位置高于次生林林窗,而强度小于次生林林窗,显示了林窗边缘壁面的热力效应除与太阳高度角,太阳辐射的时间长短和强度有关之外,林窗边缘树木高度也是不可忽视的因子,其结果可为进一步研究林窗小气候形成机制提供研究基础,为研究林窗更新及生物多样性问题提供科学参考。     

Crustacean and rotifer composition of temporary ponds in the Doñana National Park (SW Spain) during floods

The zooplankton of 18 temporary ponds in the Doñana National Park (SW Spain) was studied during floods in February and May 1997. A total of 37 rotifer taxa and 34 crustaceans species were identified (17 cladocerans, 2 ostracans, 4 diaptomids, 7 cyclopodids, 1 harpacticoid, 1 anostracan, 1 notostracan and 1 conchostracan). Zooplankton samples were collected separately from the littoral and the open-water of 12 different ponds. Commonly distributed zooplankton species (frequency of appearance 50%) were not segregated to either the littoral or the open-water according to a chi-square test (P>0.005). The study ponds were divided into seasonal, intermediate and ephemeral ponds according to the length of their hydroperiod. The total numbers of both crustacean and rotifer taxa were highest in the intermediate-hydroperiod ponds (26 and 32 taxa, respectively). The total number of zooplankton taxa collected in both February and May was not significantly correlated to the hydroperiod of the temporary ponds of Doñana during the study period (r=0.165, P=0.526). 21 rotifer taxa and 20 crustacean species were found in the ephemeral ponds; the number of restricted species was also relatively high (3 rotifers and 4 crustaceans). Therefore, the ephemeral ponds held a relatively rich community during floods compared to other temporary ponds of Doñana despite their small size and short wet phase.