北京雾灵山自然保护区冬春季地面活动鸟兽红外相机初步调查

为了解北京雾灵山自然保护区野生动物资源现状,于2014年11月至2015年4月,在保护区内放置30台红外相机开展调查。结果共记录鸟类5目14科27种,兽类4目8科10种,其中勺鸡(Pucrasia macrolopha)、红角鸮(Otus sunia)、纵纹腹小鸮(Athene noctua)和中华斑羚(Naemorhedus griseus)为国家Ⅱ级重点保护野生动物。鸟类物种数月变化剧烈。相对丰富度最高的6种动物为狍(Capreolus pygargus)(60.19)、红嘴蓝鹊(Urocissa erythrorhyncha)(34.14)、星鸦(Nucifraga caryocatactes)(27.78)、岩松鼠(Sciurotamias davidianus)(23.34)、松鸦(Garrulus glandarius)(23.34)、中华斑羚(21.99)。对狍、岩松鼠、中华斑羚进行日活动节律分析,狍属晨昏活动型;中华斑羚有两个活动高峰;岩松鼠的日活动高峰集中在晨间,为单峰型。本研究提供了北京雾灵山部分鸟兽资源的最新动态现状及活动节律信息,同时表明红外相机在拍摄地栖性鸟类、大中型兽类、夜行性动物方面具有优势,而对于非地栖鸟类和小型兽类,红外相机有一定局限性。本研究为应用红外相机技术开展森林野生动物多样性监测提供了经验。     

On the chlorophyll a fluorescence yield in chloroplasts upon excitation with twin turnover flashes (TTF) and high frequency flash trains

Chlorophyll fluorescence is routinely taken as a quantifiable measure of the redox state of the primary quinone acceptor Q_A of PSII. The variable fluorescence in thylakoids increases in a single turnover flash (STF) from its low dark level F _o towards a maximum F _m^STF when Q_A becomes reduced. We found, using twin single turnover flashes (TTFs) that the fluorescence increase induced by the first twin-partner is followed by a 20–30% increase when the second partner is applied within 20–100 μs after the first one. The amplitude of the twin response shows a period-of-four oscillation associated with the 4-step oxidation of water in the Kok cycle (S states) and originates from two different trapped states with a life time of 0.2–0.4 and 2–5 ms, respectively. The oscillation is supplemented with a binary oscillation associated with the two-electron gate mechanism at the PSII acceptor side. The F(t) response in high frequency flash trains (1–4 kHz) shows (i) in the first 3–4 flashes a transient overshoot 20–30% above the F _m^STF = 3*F _o level reached in the 1st flash with a partial decline towards a dip D in the next 2–3 ms, independent of the flash frequency, and (ii) a frequency independent rise to F _m = 5*F _o in the 3–60 ms time range. The initial overshoot is interpreted to be due to electron trapping in the S₀ fraction with Q_B-nonreducing centers and the dip to the subsequent recovery accompanying the reoxidation of the double reduced acceptor pair in these RCs after trapping. The rise after the overshoot is, in agreement with earlier findings, interpreted to indicate a photo-electrochemical control of the chlorophyll fluorescence yield of PSII. It is anticipated that the double exciton and electron trapping property of PSII is advantageous for the plant. It serves to alleviate the depression of electron transport in single reduced Q_B-nonreducing RCs, associated with electrochemically coupled proton transport, by an increased electron trapping efficiency in these centers.     

The use of Tn5 transposable elements in a gene trapping strategy for the protozoan Leishmania

The use of transposable elements as a gene-trapping strategy is a powerful tool for gene discovery. Herein we describe the development of a transposable system, based on the bacterial Tn5 transposon, which has been used successfully in Leishmania braziliensis. The transposon carries the neomycin phosphotransferase gene, which is expressed only when inserted in-frame with a Leishmania gene present in the target DNA. Four cosmid clones from a L. braziliensis genomic library were used as targets in transposition reactions and four insertional libraries were constructed and transfected in L. braziliensis. Clones resistant to G418 were selected and analysed by immunofluorescence in order to identify the subcellular localisation of the protein coded by the trapped gene. A definitive subcellular localisation for neomycin phosphotransferase/targeted protein fusion was not obtained in any of the four Leishmania clones investigated. However, the constructed transposable element is highly efficient considering the frequency of insertion in large targets and is therefore a useful tool for functional genetic studies in Leishmania. Our data confirm the utility of the Tn5 transposon system for insertion of sequencing priming sites into target DNA. Furthermore, the high frequency of insertion and even distribution are important in studying genomic regions bearing long and polymorphic repetitive sequences.     

Using species accumulation curves to estimate trapping effort in fauna surveys and species richness

Abstract The shape of species accumulation curves is influenced by the relative abundance and diversity of the fauna being sampled, and the order in which individuals are caught. We use resampling to show the variation in species accumulation curves caused by the order of trapping periods. Averaged species accumulation curves calculated by randomly assigning the order of trapping periods are smooth curves that are a better estimate of species richness and a more useful tool for determining the trapping effort required to adequately survey a site. We extend this concept of randomly resampling the trapping period to show that randomizing the number of individuals caught for each species over the number of collection periods (e.g. days) can provide an accurate estimate of the averaged species accumulation curve. This is particularly useful as it enables an accurate estimation of the proportion of the total number of species caught in an area during a survey from information on the number of individuals caught for each species and the number of trapping periods, and is not dependent on having knowledge of the trapping period in which each individual was caught. This calculation also enables an assessment to be made of the adequacy of fauna surveys to report a species inventory in environmental impact assessments when only a species list and relative abundance data are provided.     

Evaluation of light-emitting diodes as attractant for sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) in northeastern Brazil

Hoover Pugedo light traps were modified for use with green and blue-light-emitting diodes to trap phlebotomine sandflies in northeastern Brazil. A total of 2,267 specimens belonging to eight genera and 15 species were sampled. The predominant species were Nyssomyia whitmani(34.41%) and Micropygomyia echinatopharynx(17.25%).The green LED trap prevailed over the blue and control lights; however, no statistically significant difference could be detected among the three light sources. Even without statistical significance, we suggest using LEDs as an attractant for the capture of sandflies because of several advantages over the conventional method with incandescent lamps.     

The oligomeric state of the truncated mechanosensitive channel of large conductance shows no variance in vivo

The mechanosensitive channel of large conductance (MscL) from E. coli serves as an emergency release valve allowing the cell to survive acute osmotic downshock. It is one of the best studied mechanosensitive channels and serves as a paradigm for how a protein can sense and respond to membrane tension. Two MscL crystal structures of the orthologs M. tuberculosis and S. aureus have been solved showing pentameric and tetrameric structures, respectively. Several studies followed to understand whether the discrepancy in their stoichiometry was a species difference or a consequence of the protein manipulation for crystallization. Two independent studies now agree that the full-length S. aureus MscL is actually a pentamer, not tetramer. While detergents appear to play a role in modifying the oligomeric state of the protein, a cytoplasmic helical bundle has also been implicated. Here, we evaluate the role of the C-terminal region of S. aureus MscL in the oligomerization of the channel in native membranes by using an in vivo disulfide-trapping technique. We find that the oligomeric state of S. aureus MscLs with different C-terminal truncations, including the one used to obtain the tetrameric S. aureus MscL crystal structure, are pentamers in vivo. Thus, the C-terminal domain of the S. aureus protein only plays a critical role in the oligomeric state of the SaMscL protein when it is solubilized in detergent.     

Reactivity of trypsin in reverse micelles: neglected role of aggregate size compared to water-pool components

The catalytic efficiency of trypsin was estimated in cationic reverse micelles as a function of the concentration of water-pool components and aggregate size to determine their independent influence on enzyme activity. The variation in the aggregate size/water-pool size was achieved by changing both the W0 (mole ratio of water to surfactant) and the headgroup area of surfactant through introduction of hydroxyethyl groups at the polar head. The local molar concentrations of water present inside the water-pool ([H2O]wp) of different cationic reverse micelles across varying W0 was estimated using a modified phenyl cation-trapping protocol. The [H2O]wp in cationic reverse micelles (surfactant/isooctane/n-hexanol/water) increases with W0 and attains the molarity of normal water beyond W0=40 irrespective of the nature of headgroup. Concurrently, the catalytic activity of trypsin compartmentalized within the water-pool increases with the increase in [H2O]wp upto an optimal W0=40 in organized solutions of any surfactant. The aggregate size (determined by static light scattering) also increases expectedly with W0 and noticeably with the area of the surfactant headgroup at similar W0. Since the enzyme activity rises both with the increase in water-pool size and [H2O]wp, trypsin's efficiency was compared with these two parameters across reverse micelles of varying surfactant headgroup size at similar W0 to determine their probable independent influence in regulating the enzyme activity. Noticeably, the efficiency of trypsin rises two to ninefold in spite of the [H2O]wp being distinctly lower in case of hydroxyethyl group substituted surfactants compared to cetyltrimethylammonium bromide w/o microemulsions at similar W0. Thus, the influence of the aggregate size possibly plays an important role alongwith the [H2O]wp in modulating the enzyme activity.     

太阳能灭虫器对吐鲁番葡萄产区害虫的诱捕效果及对天敌安全性评价

本文研究了FWS-DBL-1新型太阳能灭虫器在320～580、360、400、460和520 nm 5种不同波长下对吐鲁番葡萄产区害虫的诱捕效果及对天敌安全性。结果表明:在5种波长下,灭虫器诱捕昆虫的种类相似,以鞘翅目、鳞翅目、半翅目、脉翅目、双翅目、直翅目和膜翅目等为主。诱捕的主要昆虫是蜉金龟Aphodius sp.、白云斑鳃金龟Polyphylla alba vicaria Semenov、额喙丽金龟Adoretus nigriforns Steven、毛喙丽金龟Adoretus hirsutus Ohaus、绣罗夜蛾Leucanitis picta Christoph和淘赏夜蛾Catocala puerpera Giorna等。其中:灭虫器在400 nm波长下的诱捕量最多,其次是320～580 nm和360 nm波长。综合分析比较:400 nm波长对鞘翅目害虫的诱捕效果最好,360 nm波长对鳞翅目和双翅目害虫的诱捕能力最强,520 nm波长对半翅目害虫的诱捕效果最好。对天敌的安全性研究表明:FWS-DBL-1太阳能灭虫器对天敌有一定的诱捕作用,益害比为1∶4～1∶5。诱捕量较多的是步甲科和草蛉科的天敌,占天敌总诱捕量的85.82%。在这5个波长中,360 nm波长下,灭虫器对天敌的诱捕作用最小,对天敌的安全性相对较高。     

Influence of an ecosystem engineer,the emergent macrophyte Sparganium erectum,on seed trapping in lowland rivers and consequences for landform colonisation

1. Plant physical ecosystem engineers can influence vegetation population and community dynamics by modifying, maintaining or creating habitats. They may also have the potential to act upon biotic processes, such as seed dispersal. 2. Examples exist of reduction in seed dispersal distances in vegetated compared to unvegetated terrestrial environments, and concentration of seed deposits associated with plant patches. Such effects in aquatic environments have been little studied, but the engineering effect of plant patches on patterns of flow velocity and sediment deposition in streams suggests that they may play a similar role. 3. In this study, we assess the potential of an emergent aquatic species, Sparganium erectum, to play a role in physically modifying river habitats and trapping seeds by examining patterns of seed deposition and substrate type in 47 river reaches across England and southern Scotland, U.K. 4. Areas of the river channel within or adjacent to S. erectum patches harboured more plant seeds and more species than unvegetated areas and had finer, sandier substrates with higher organic matter, total nitrogen and total phosphorus content. Most seed species were competitive, indicating that they were well suited to colonise the competitive environment of an S. erectum patch, and could potentially further stabilise accumulated sediments and contribute to landform development. 5. We demonstrate that S. erectum patches influence both the physical environment and the retention of seeds, in consistent patterns across the channel bed, for a range of lowland rivers that vary in stream power and geology and which can be expected to vary in levels of supply of fine sediment and seeds. 6. Our findings support the hypothesis that the fundamental influence of a riverine ecosystem‐engineering species on slowing fluid flow links the habitat creation process of sediment sorting and retention to seed trapping. We suggest the process is applicable to a wide range of aquatic and riparian vegetation. We also suggest that the mono‐specific and competitive growth, which is typical of these engineering species, will strongly influence the recruitment of trapped seeds.