Comparison between pollen counts at ground and at roof level in Basel (Switzerland)

Measurements of pollen frequency were made using two identical pollen traps, one situated at ground level and one at the height of about 30 m. There was no special difference between the results for the two traps in 1995, apart from an excess of pollen in the ground level trap originatinig from trees growing near the trap. In 1996 there was also a greater amount of birch pollen, this time at the roof level. There was also a great difference in the time at which the pollen first appeared between the two years, especially in the early spring.     

Genetic analysis of the Drosophila ellipsoid body neuropil: Organization and development of the central complex

The central complex is an important center for higher‐order brain function in insects. It is an intricate neuropil composed of four substructures. Each substructure contains repeated neuronal elements which are connected by processes such that topography is maintained. Although the neuronal architecture has been described in several insects and the behavioral role investigated in various experiments, the exact function of this neuropil has proven elusive. To describe the architecture of the central complex, we study 15 enhancer‐trap lines that label various ellipsoid body neuron types. We find evidence for restriction of gene expression that is correlated with specific neuronal types: such correlations suggest functional classifications as well. We show that some enhancer‐trap patterns reveal a single ellipsoid body neuron type, while others label multiple types. We describe the development of the ellipsoid body neuropil in wild‐type animals and propose developmental mechanisms based on animals displaying structural mutations of this neuropil. The experiments performed here demonstrate the degree of resolution possible from the analysis of enhancer‐trap lines and form a useful library of tools for future structure/function studies of the ellipsoid body. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Neurobiol 41: 189–207, 1999     

Biomechanical trade-offs bias rates of evolution in the feeding apparatus of fishes

Morphological diversification does not proceed evenly across the organism. Some body parts tend to evolve at higher rates than others, and these rate biases are often attributed to sexual and natural selection or to genetic constraints. We hypothesized that variation in the rates of morphological evolution among body parts could also be related to the performance consequences of the functional systems that make up the body. Specifically, we tested the widely held expectation that the rate of evolution for a trait is negatively correlated with the strength of biomechanical trade-offs to which it is exposed. We quantified the magnitude of trade-offs acting on the morphological components of three feeding-related functional systems in four radiations of teleost fishes. After accounting for differences in the rates of morphological evolution between radiations, we found that traits that contribute more to performance trade-offs tend to evolve more rapidly, contrary to the prediction. While ecological and genetic factors are known to have strong effects on rates of phenotypic evolution, this study highlights the role of the biomechanical architecture of functional systems in biasing the rates and direction of trait evolution.     

用“增强子陷阱”技术构造并筛选果蝇UAS/GAL4系统中GAL4新品系及脑基因表达图谱数据库的开发

"增强子陷阱"技术是建立果蝇脑全基因组表达图谱及其数据库的重要方法.筛选获得新特异表达的GAL4品系,可为进一步研究果蝇脑神经在学习记忆功能提供强有力的基因工具.通过"增强子陷阱"技术来获得果蝇突变体,并与报告转基因果蝇(UAS-EGFP)杂交,用荧光显微镜观察成年果蝇脑内荧光分布,从而获得该突变体的脑基因表达图谱,在此基础上利用JavaScript来建立果蝇脑全基因组表达数据库.目前获得基因突变体果蝇2 677种,大部分在果蝇脑中有表达,其中在果蝇嗅觉学习记忆相关脑区蘑菇体表达的基因有368个,且有部分基因特异地表达在某些传导通路上.这些果蝇基因突变体库及其表达图谱为进一步研究各基因的功能及作为遗传工具来研究各脑区结构和功能提供极大方便.     

Seasonal occurrence of Aphis glycines and physiological responses of soybean plants to its feeding

The soybean aphid Aphis glycines Matsumura （Hemiptera： Aphididae） is an important pest of soybean in China. To monitor and manage this pest effectively it is neces-sary to understand its population dynamics and demographics, as well as the physiological responses of soybean plants to its feeding. In this study, using field surveying and suction-trap monitoring, we investigated the population dynamics of the soybean aphid in Xiuyan County, Liaoning Province in northeastern China during 2009-2012. The results indicatedthat the population dynamics of the soybean aphid followed a unimodal curve distribution, with the insect generally colonizing soybean fields from the middle of June to early Julyand the population reaching a peak between early July and early August. On the whole, soybean aphids occurred in suction-traps at least 2 weeks earlier than they were foundin field surveys. A total of 72 alates were collected by suction-trapping over the 4 years, with the earliest alate captures occurring on 28 May in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 4 June in 2010. The life table parameters clearly showed that this aphid had a short doubling time （4.73 ± 0.21 days）, and 7.36± 0.98 nymphs were produced by a soybean aphid adult during its lifetime （13.57 ± 0.30 days）. Finally, biochemical assays indicated that the amount of malondialdehyde and the activities of four defense-related enzymes in soybean leavessignificantly changed between 0 day and 7 days of aphid infestation. Polyphenol oxidase （PPO） and catalase （CAT） activities increased more dramatically after 1 day of aphid feed-ing. In addition, significantly higher levels of superoxide dismutase and CAT were found after aphid feeding for 7 days, whereas there was no significant change in the activitiesof peroxidase and PPO. Consequently, this study will be beneficial in determining the seasonal occurrence of the soybean aphid and selecting insect-resistant soybean varieties,and thus in developing a theoretical framework for appropriate management strategies.     

The "school trap": a mechanism promoting large-amplitude out-of-phase population oscillations of small pelagic fish species

Small coastal pelagic marine fishes often form mixed schools containing two or more species. Individuals of a less abundant species, which are entrained in schools that are dominated numerically by a more abundant species, may be adversely impacted. This may help to account for an observed pattern of strong alternations in dominance between sardines and anchovies in a number of regions of the world's oceans.     

An unexpectedly large working stroke from chymotryptic fragments of myosin II

Recent structural evidence indicates that the light chain domain of the myosin head (LCD) bends on the motor domain (MD) to move actin. Structural models usually assume that the actin-MD interface remains static and the possibility that part of the myosin working stroke might be produced by rotation about the acto-myosin interface has been neglected. We have used an optical trap to measure the movement produced by proteolytically shortened single rabbit skeletal muscle myosin heads (S-1(A1) and S-1(A2)). The working stroke produced by these shortened heads was more than that which the MD-LCD bend mechanism predicts from the full-length (papain) S-1’s working stroke obtained under similar conditions. This result indicates that part of the working stroke may be caused by motor action at the actin-MD interface.     

Status and distribution of jaguarundi in Texas and Northeastern México: Making the case for extirpation and initiation of recovery in the United States

The jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi) is a small felid with a historical range from central Argentina through southern Texas. Information on the current distribution of this reclusive species is needed to inform recovery strategies in the United States where its last record was in 1986 in Texas. From 2003 to 2021, we conducted camera‐trap surveys across southern Texas and northern Tamaulipas, México to survey for medium‐sized wild cats (i.e., ocelots [Leopardus pardalis], bobcats [Lynx rufus], and jaguarundi). After 350,366 trap nights at 685 camera sites, we did not detect jaguarundis at 16 properties or along 2 highways (1050 km²) in Texas. However, we recorded 126 jaguarundi photographic detections in 15,784 trap nights on 2 properties (125.3 km²) in the northern Sierra of Tamaulipas, Tamaulipas, México. On these properties, latency to detection was 72 trap nights, with a 0.05 probability of detection per day and 0.73 photographic event rate every 100 trap nights. Due to a lack of confirmed class I sightings (e.g., specimen, photograph) in the 18 years of this study, and no other class I observations since 1986 in the United States, we conclude that the jaguarundi is likely extirpated from the United States. Based on survey effort and results from México, we would have expected to detect jaguarundis over the course of the study if still extant in Texas. We recommend that state and federal agencies consider jaguarundis as extirpated from the United States and initiate recovery actions as mandated in the federal jaguarundi recovery plan. These recovery actions include identification of suitable habitat in Texas, identification of robust populations in México, and re‐introduction of the jaguarundi to Texas.