Financial Costs of Conserving Captive-bred Wild Birds

This communication presents and discusses the financial costs recorded by a small Brazilian aviary in which a few captive-bred wild bird species have been kept. The highest expenses were associated with the birds’ diet, accounting for at least 60% of total costs. Among insectivorous-frugivorous birds, this figure was 88%. The most expensive food item was live food. Although initial costs for enclosures may be considerable, their durability means expenditures can be spread over time, mitigating their impact. Approximately 30% of the total costs for keeping the largest species studied here were linked to a spacious outdoor planted aviary. Quail from this flock required additional sanitary expenditure (i.e. 14% of the total) for controlling a previous parasitic infection. Total annual maintenance costs amounted to USD 298.00, USD 211.00 and USD 116.00 for each Pekin robin (Leiothrix lutea Scopoli, 1786), Livingstone's turaco (Tauraco livingstonii Gray, 1864), and Valley quail (Callipepla californica Shaw, 1798), respectively.     

贵州省国家重点保护野生植物物种丰富度分布特征及保护优先区分析

该研究以国家重点保护野生植物为指示物种,结合贵州各县(市、区)的国家重点保护野生植物调查统计信息,基于GIS技术,分析了贵州省国家重点保护野生植物物种丰富度分布特征;应用Dobson算法筛选识别贵州国家重点保护野生植物的保护优先区,并利用全省已建自然保护区信息评价分析所筛选的保护优先区的保护现状。结果表明:(1)在贵州国家重点保护野生植物的物种丰富度分布上,总体来说全省南部地区高于北部地区,环省界区域往内陆延伸的物种丰富度明显呈现减少趋势。(2)在75%和100%的国家重点保护野生植物物种保护水平上,筛选识别出了荔波县等4个和17个县域为保护优先区,其中分别有1个和9个国家重点保护野生植物保护优先区内涵盖的自然保护区面积低于5%,且涉及的自然保护区中68.26%的面积是市/县级。(3)贵州国家重点保护野生植物物种较丰富的区域和全省生物多样性热点区域与所筛选识别的保护优先区有较好的空间对应关系。(4)贵州国家重点保护野生植物的就地保护应以国家重点保护野生植物地理分布丰富的区域结合本研究筛选的保护优先区为重点,进行优先保护。     

福建九阜山野生果树资源及其开发利用

调查发现,福建尤溪九阜山省级自然保护区野生果树资源有31科41属85种7变种。种类最多的科是蔷薇科,有5属18种1变种,占总种数的20.7%;种类最多的属是悬钩子属,有11种,占总种数的12.0%;6种以上的大科有蔷薇科、壳斗科、桑科、葡萄科4科,共50种,占总种数的54.3%。开发潜力较大的种类主要有枳椇、南酸枣、乌饭树、构树、胡颓子、多花山竹子、金樱子、地菍、三叶木通和壳斗科栲属、蔷微科悬钩子属、葡萄科等种类。文中列出所有92种(含变种)野生果树的学名、性状、果期、果实用途及适生生境,并提出保护与开发利用建议。     

东乡普通野生稻与栽培稻苗期抗旱性的比较

干旱影响水稻生长发育,不论什么时期发生最终都导致产量损失。研究水稻资源抗旱性有助于水稻抗旱改良和稳定干旱胁迫下水稻的产量。东乡普通野生稻被公认为是栽培稻的祖先,对增强水稻抗旱性可能十分重要。对4份来自3个仅存的居群的东乡野生稻与15份栽培稻进行苗期抗旱性比较,考察了3次重复的盆栽土培试验中8个抗旱指标。表明东乡普通野生稻比栽培稻更为抗旱,表现在最大根长、茎长、根干重、根鲜重、根干鲜重比及抗旱指数等6个性状,而不表现在根数及根茎长比;其中茎长、最长根长、根干重、根鲜重及根系相对含水量对水稻苗期抗旱性影响更大。采用抗旱指数和抗旱总级别值法对水稻抗旱性进行评定,结果表明4份东乡野生稻材料间的抗旱性存在很大差异,且来水桃树下居群的抗性最高,东乡野生稻抗旱性可能与其原生境状况有关。结果认为东乡普通野生稻可作为栽培稻抗旱改良的遗传资源。     

Citizen science in schools: Engaging students in research on urban habitat for pollinators

Citizen science can play an important role in school science education. Citizen science is particularly relevant to addressing current societal environmental sustainability challenges, as it engages the students directly with environmental science and gives students an understanding of the scientific process. In addition, it allows students to observe local representations of global challenges. Here, we report a citizen science programme designed to engage school‐age children in real‐world scientific research. The programme used standardized methods deployed across multiple schools through scientist–school partnerships to engage students with an important conservation problem: habitat for pollinator insects in urban environments. Citizen science programmes such as the programme presented here can be used to enhance scientific literacy and skills. Provided key challenges to maintain data quality are met, this approach is a powerful way to contribute valuable citizen science data for understudied, but ecologically important study systems, particularly in urban environments across broad geographical areas.     

中国野生豆科植物资源及豆类蛋白研究概况

豆科植物在世界上分布广泛,有非常重要的经济价值、生态价值、药用价值和观赏价值。豆类蛋白作为植物源蛋白中的优质蛋白,在我国启动“国民营养计划”之双蛋白工程之后,其价值得到重视和开发。我国野生豆科资源丰富,但大部分地区的野生豆科资源没有得到合理的开发和利用。本文结合文献资料,对我国各地区的野生豆科植物资源和价值进行概述,并对豆科植物蛋白质的研究方法进行了系统归纳,以期对野生豆科植物资源及豆类蛋白的应用前景做出展望。     

中国野生葡萄遗传多样性的RAPD分析(英文)

以起源于中国的 18个野生葡萄种 (73个株系 )、1个欧美杂交种、7个欧洲葡萄品种、1个砧木品种和河岸葡萄 (VitisripariaL .)一个品系为试材 ,利用RAPD技术研究了中国野生葡萄的遗传多样性。从 2 80个随机引物中筛选出 2 0个多态性好的引物扩增供试材料 ,产生了 191条多态性带。应用UPGMA聚类方法 (类平均法 ) ,获得了 83份材料的遗传距离矩阵及聚类分析树系图 ,且聚为 2 2类 12组。河岸葡萄、欧洲葡萄 (V .viniferaL .)及欧美杂种与中国野葡萄亲缘关系较远。在中国野葡萄中 ,菱叶葡萄 (V .hancockiiHance)与其他种的亲缘关系最远 ,秦岭葡萄 (V .qinlingensisP .C .He)次之。并可将中国野葡萄资源的 18个种、变种和类型分为 10组。种内不同花型株系间的遗传变异较大。     

海洋野生鱼酶解提取鱼油的工艺分析

海洋野生鱼与养殖鱼比较, 其鱼油中含更多的二十碳五烯酸（EPA）、二十二碳六烯酸（DHA）、脂溶性维生素等活性成分。为提高海洋野生鱼的利用价值, 以野生小带鱼为原料进行酶法提油工艺研究。分析了不同的温度, 时间, pH值等影响因素下的提取、萃取以及离心效果, 以响应面法确定了最佳的酶解工艺条件: 液固比为6、pH7.3、酶量1000 u/g原料、搅拌速度200 r/min、45oC酶解90 min; 最优萃取条件: 萃取剂100 mL(每20 g鱼糜原料)、pH4.0、40oC萃取25 min; 离心条件: 离心速度3000 r/min (1865 g)、离心时间10 min。上述工艺条件下提油率为79.90%。改进了传统的鱼油提取工艺, 在活性成分保护上有较大改善。     

Structural studies on the co-chaperone Hop and its complexes with Hsp90

The tetratricopeptide repeat domain (TPR)-containing co-chaperone Hsp-organising protein (Hop) plays a critical role in mediating interactions between Heat Shock Protein (Hsp)70 and Hsp90 as part of the cellular assembly machine. It also modulates the ATPase activity of both Hsp70 and Hsp90, thus facilitating client protein transfer between the two. Despite structural work on the individual domains of Hop, no structure for the full-length protein exists, nor is it clear exactly how Hop interacts with Hsp90, although it is known that its primary binding site is the C-terminal MEEVD motif. Here, we have undertaken a biophysical analysis of the structure and binding of Hop to Hsp90 using a variety of truncation mutants of both Hop and Hsp90, in addition to mutants of Hsp90 that are thought to modulate the conformation, in particular the N-terminal dimerisation of the chaperone. The results establish that whilst the primary binding site of Hop is the C-terminal MEEVD peptide of Hsp90, binding also occurs at additional sites in the C-terminal and middle domain. In contrast, we show that another TPR-containing co-chaperone, CyP40, binds solely to the C-terminus of Hsp90.Truncation mutants of Hop were generated and used to investigate the dimerisation interface of the protein. In good agreement with recently published data, we find that the TPR2a domain that contains the Hsp90-binding site is also the primary site for dimerisation. However, our results suggest that residues within the TPR2b may play a role. Together, these data along with shape reconstruction analysis from small-angle X-ray scattering measurements are used to generate a solution structure for full-length Hop, which we show has an overall butterfly-like quaternary structure.Studies on the nucleotide dependence of Hop binding to Hsp90 establish that Hop binds to the nucleotide-free, ‘open’ state of Hsp90. However, the Hsp90-Hop complex is weakened by the conformational changes that occur in Hsp90 upon ATP binding. Together, the data are used to propose a detailed model of how Hop may help present the client protein to Hsp90 by aligning the bound client on Hsp70 with the middle domain of Hsp90. It is likely that Hop binds to both monomers of Hsp90 in the form of a clamp, interacting with residues in the middle domain of Hsp90, thus preventing ATP hydrolysis, possibly by the prevention of association of N-terminal and middle domains in individual Hsp90 monomers.