Nemertea inhabiting the Haploops (Amphipoda) community of the northern Øresund with special reference to the biology of Nipponnemertes pulcher (Hoplonemertea)

The densities of nemerteans and associated fauna on a soft-bottom sampling station (27–30 m deep) in the Øresund were determined from 47 cores (each 135 cm² in cross-section; 20 + cm deep) collected from September to December 1989; these data were compared with 14 cores taken from the same location in December 1982. Nine species of nemerteans were identified from cores and dredge samples: Palaeonemertea — Callinera-like sp.; Heteronemertea — Cerebratulus fuscus, C. marginatus, Lineus bilineatus, Micrura fasciolata, M. purpurea; Hoplonemertea — Amphiporus bioculatus, A. dissimulans, Nipponnemertes pulcher. Mean numbers of heteronemerteans were 32 and 10 m^?2 in 1982 and 1989, respectively, and hoplonemerteans were 90 and 71 m^?2 , respectively. Only one palaeonemertean was collected during both years. Mean densities of the dominant species, N. pulcher, were similar for the two years, 74 and 68 m^?2. The dominant groups of macrofauna (n m^?2) in 1989 were ostracods (1028), amphipods (618), polychaetes (514), and ophiuroids (449). Amphipods (>90% Haploops spp.) and polychaetes (at least 30 spp.) are the major potential prey for hoplonemerteans and heteronemerteans, respectively. Laboratory feeding experiments with N. pulcher revealed that it consumed amphipods (Haploops tenuis and H. tubicola) at a rate of 2.6 worm^?1 d^?1 during the first 12 hours, but after 36 hours and beyond the rate was maintained at approximately 0.2 worm^?1 d^?1. Beyond 12 hours this nemertean showed a tendancy to only partially evacuate its prey. It was demonstrated experimentally that N. pulcher has a supply of toxin capable of killing six amphipods in approximately one hour. Limited tests showed that N. pulcher fed on the cumacean Diastylis tumida, but not on the amphipod Maera loveni or the ostracod Philomedes globosus, and that Amphiporus dissimulans readily attacked Haploops spp., but not Maera or Philomedes. Although the results of laboratory experiments are tentative, they do suggest that suctorial hoplonemerteans can exert a potentially significant effect on benthic communities. Employing seven species of polychaetes as prey for Cerebratulus fuscus and Micrura fasciolata, only the latter responded positively to one of them, Glycera alba. The hermit crab Pagurus bernhardus violently rejected N. pulcher in all feeding trials.     

益生元与肠道微生态

益生元是一种非消化的成分,通过选择性的刺激肠道中一种或少数种益生菌的增长和/或活性而对宿主有利.具有抵抗致病菌侵入的天然功能.目前广泛研究的有果糖和半乳糖,体内与体外试验均表明不被正常人酶类所消化,在大肠中容易发酵,粪便内未能检出这种糖的成分.通过大肠细菌对益生元的发酵产生的短链脂肪酸是刺激双歧杆菌和乳杆菌增长的重要因素.应用现代技术获得了人肠道微生物细菌群的组成与种类的多样性.本文综述有关益生元的研究状况,强调益生元选择性刺激的机制和对人生理功能的影响.     

Ecology of Foliicolous Lichens at the “Botarrama” Trail (Costa Rica), a Neotropical Rain Forest. I. Species Composition and its Ecogeographical Implications1

A total of 217 species of typically foliicolous lichens were found at the “Botarrama” trail, a premontane rain forest in the Braulio Carrillo National Park, Costa Rica. The species composition confirmed the classification of this study sice as transitional between lowland wet and montane rain forest. In terms of species tichness, the foliicolous lichen flora was dominated by the families Gomphillaceae (Calenia, Echinoplaca, Gyalideopsis, and Tricharia), Trichotheliaceae (Porina and Tricbothelium), and Pilocarpaceae (Byssoloma and Fellhanera). The most frequent species were Porina mirabilis (including its supposed anamorph Phyllophiale alba), Gyalectidium filicinum, Porina rufula, and Strigula platypoda. A large proportion of the species was rare. Frequency distributions based on area cover corresponded well to general community models by closely fitting a log-normal approximation. Half of the species had narrow ecological amplitudes while more than 70 percent exhibited a wide geographical distribution, thus making che study site representative of a Neotropical rain forest. The use of foliicolous lichens as indicators of altitudinal zonation is discussed.     

SPECIES FLOCK IN THE NORTH AMERICAN GREAT LAKES: MOLECULAR ECOLOGY OF LAKE NIPIGON CISCOES (TELEOSTEI: COREGONIDAE: COREGONUS)

Studies on north temperate fish species indicate that new habitat availability following the last ice sheet retreat has promoted ecological speciation in postglacial lakes. Extensive ecophenotypic polymorphisms observed among the North American Great Lakes ciscoes suggest that this fish group has radiated through trophic adaptation and reproductive isolation. This study aims at relating the ecomorphological and genetic polymorphisms expressed by the Lake Nipigon ciscoes to evaluate the likelihood of an intralacustrine divergence driven by the exploitation of alternative resources. Morphological variation and trophic and spatial niches are characterized and contrasted among 203 individuals. Genetic variation at six microsatellite loci is also analyzed to appraise the extent of genetic differentiation among these morphotypes. Ecomorphological data confirm the existence of four distinct morphotypes displaying various levels of trophic and depth niche overlap and specialization. However, ecological and morphological variations were not coupled as expected, suggesting that trophic morphology is not always predictive of ecology. Although extensive genetic variability was observed, little genetic differentiation was found among morphotypes, with only one morph being slightly but significantly differentiated. Contrasting patterns of morphological, ecological, and genetic polymorphisms did not support the hypothesis of ecological speciation: the most ecologically different forms were morphologically most similar, while the only genetically differentiated morph was the least ecologically specialized. The low levels of genetic differentiation and the congruence between θ and φ estimates altogether suggest a recent (most likely postglacial) process of divergence and/or high gene flow among morphs A, C, and D, whereas higher φ estimates for comparison involving morph B suggest that this morph may be derived from another colonizing lineage exchanging little genes with the other morphs. Patterns of ecophenotypic and genetic diversity are also compatible with a more complex evolutionary history involving hybridization and introgression.     

芝麻香型白酒大曲中酵母菌的分离与鉴定

为了开发利用白酒大曲中的酵母菌资源,采用稀释涂布平板法,从芝麻香型白酒大曲中分离得到15株酵母菌株。利用26S rRNA基因序列分析技术对其进行分类鉴定。结果表明,其中6株酵母菌为酿酒酵母（Saccharomyces cerevisiae）,6株为库德里阿兹威氏毕赤酵母（Pichia kudriavzevii）,3株为热带假丝酵母（Candida tropicalis）;并对代表菌株Y1、Y2及Y4进行了形态观察;最后通过随机扩增多态性DNA标记（random amplified polymorphic DNA, RAPD）对分离得到的酵母菌进行分型,表明6株酿酒酵母分属于5个株型,6株库德里阿兹威氏毕赤酵母分属于5个株型,3株热带假丝酵母分属于3个株型。     

Microbial Communities in Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park and Their Function as Indicators of Water Quality

Abstract

The objective of this study was to establish meaningful relationships between prokaryotic community profiles and water quality parameters in different water bodies (spring, stream, cave, and mine) in the middle reach of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park (C&O), Maryland. The microbial profiles in the water samples were determined using metagenomic analysis. The relationships between microbial phylogenetic profiles and water quality parameters were investigated using principal component analysis (PCA) and redundancy analysis (RDA). The most abundant phyla identified in most samples were Proteobacteria (55.4%), Bacteroidetes (12.3%), Actinobacteria (10.6%), Firmicutes (2.4%), Planktomycetes (1.8%), Verrucomicrobia (1.5%), Chloroflexi (1.5%), and Acidobacteria (1.3%), which are major bacterial and archaeal groups typically observed in natural freshwater environments. PCA showed that water chemistry was determined primarily by the geology of the site and the type of water source (i.e., spring, stream, cave, or mine). Most samples located in carbonate formations correlated with high alkalinity, inorganic carbon, and calcium, representing the typical karstic geochemistry. RDA shows that pH, electrical conductivity, temperature and nutrients including nitrate, phosphate, and sulfate, were significant determinants of the microbial ecology.     

Global synthesis of leaf area index observations: implications for ecological and remote sensing studies

Aim We present the first global synthesis of plant canopy leaf area index (LAI) measurements from more than 1000 published estimates representing ～400 unique field sites. LAI is a key variable for regional and global models of biosphere‐atmosphere exchanges of energy, carbon dioxide, water vapour, and other materials. Location The location is global, geographically distributed. Results Biomes with LAI values well represented in the literature included croplands, forests and plantations. Biomes not well represented were deserts, shrublands, tundra and wetlands. Nearly 40% of the records in the database were published in the past 10 years (1991–2000), with a further 20% collected between 1981 and 1990. Mean (± SD) LAI, distributed between 15 biome classes, ranged from 1.3 ± 0.9 for deserts to 8.7 ± 4.3 for tree plantations, with temperate evergreen forests (needleleaf and broadleaf) displaying the highest average LAI (5.1–6.7) among the natural terrestrial vegetation classes. Following a statistical outlier analysis, the global mean (± SD) LAI decreased from 5.2 (4.1) to 4.5 (2.5), with a maximum LAI of 18. Biomes with the highest LAI values were plantations > temperate evergreen forests > wetlands. Those with the lowest LAI values were deserts < grasslands < tundra. Mean LAI values for all biomes did not differ statistically by the methodology employed. Direct and indirect measurement approaches produced similar LAI results. Mean LAI values for all biomes combined decreased significantly in the 1990s, a period of substantially more studies and improved methodologies. Main conclusions Applications of the LAI database span a wide range of ecological, biogeochemical, physical, and climate research areas. The data provide input to terrestrial ecosystem and land‐surface models, for evaluation of global remote sensing products, for comparisons to field studies, and other applications. Example uses of the database for global plant productivity, fractional energy absorption, and remote sensing studies are highlighted.     

大凉螈繁殖生态

大凉螈是我国特有的珍稀有尾两栖动物,其种群数量目前呈现明显下降趋势,然而涉及该物种保护的繁殖生态学研究仍十分匮乏。通过融合围栏陷阱及标志重捕的样方调查法,对大凉螈石棉栗子坪种群繁殖个体和变态登陆幼体的迁徙、繁殖群体种群大小、繁殖场内雌雄有效性比变化等进行了研究。运用Jolly-Seber法估测了繁殖种群大小,运用单因素方差分析或Kruskal-Wallis秩和检验比较了不同时期进入繁殖场的雄性大凉螈头体长及体重,运用t检验或者Wilcoxon秩和检验比较了雌雄性间形态上的差异,运用t检验、t′检验或Wilcoxon秩和检验比较了野外抱对雄性与非抱对雄性间的体征差别,运用Pearson相关分析探讨了雌性产卵量与其身体形态的关系,同时观察了卵的孵化情况。研究结果表明:大凉螈的繁殖季为每年的4月下旬到7月下旬,幼体最早于8月上旬变态登陆。估测调查地繁殖场内雄性大凉螈繁殖种群大小约为391尾,雄螈较雌螈更早进入繁殖场且在场内停留时间更长,体重较轻的雄螈较晚迁入繁殖场。有效性比明显偏雄(雌/雄:0.03—0.10)。雌雄间具明显性二型性,雌性个体的头体长、体重及肥满度均大于雄性,而雄性的尾高和尾长占全长的比例则大于雌性。对比自然抱对雄性和非抱对雄性个体发现,抱对个体在头体长、体重和尾高等体征方面显著大于非抱对个体,暗示这些形态特征可能在雄性竞争配偶的过程中起到关键作用。雌螈在室内条件下平均产卵数为176枚,产卵历时2—4 d,产卵量与雌性肥满度正相关,卵的平均孵化期为15.7 d,孵出幼体平均全长为9.74 mm。     

Melanin is crucial for growth of the black yeast Hortaea werneckii in its natural hypersaline environment

Melanin has an important role in the ability of fungi to survive extreme conditions, like the high NaCl concentrations that are typical of hypersaline environments. The black fungus Hortaea werneckii that has been isolated from such environments has 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene-melanin incorporated into the cell wall, which minimises the loss of glycerol at low NaCl concentrations. To further explore the role of melanin in the extremely halotolerant character of H. werneckii, we studied the effects of several melanin biosynthesis inhibitors on its growth, pigmentation and cell morphology. The most potent inhibitors were a 2,3-dihydrobenzofuran derivative and tricyclazole, which restricted the growth of H. werneckii on high-salinity media, as shown by growth curves and plate-drop assays. These inhibitors promoted release of the pigments from the H. werneckii cell surface and changed the medium colour. Inhibitor-treated H. werneckii cells exposed to high salinity showed both decreased and increased cell lengths. We speculate that this absence of melanin perturbs the integrity of the cell wall in H. werneckii, which affects its cell division and exposes it to the harmful effects of high NaCl concentrations. Surprisingly, melanin had no effect on H. werneckii survival under H₂O₂ oxidative stress.     

Influence of plant developmental stage on microbial community structure and activity in the rhizosphere of three field crops

Seasonal shifts in rhizosphere microbial populations were investigated to follow the influence of plant developmental stage. A field study of indigenous microbial rhizosphere communities was undertaken on pea (Pisum satvium var. quincy), wheat (Triticum aestivum var. pena wawa) and sugar beet (Beta vulgaris var. amythyst). Rhizosphere community diversity and substrate utilization patterns were followed throughout a growing season, by culturing, rRNA gene density gradient gel electrophoresis and BIOLOG. Culturable bacterial and fungal rhizosphere community densities were stable in pea and wheat rhizospheres, with dynamic shifts observed in the sugar beet rhizosphere. Successional shifts in bacterial and fungal diversity as plants mature demonstrated that different plants select and define their own functional rhizosphere communities. Assessment of metabolic activity and resource utilization by bacterial community-level physiological profiling demonstrated greater similarities between different plant species rhizosphere communities at the same than at different developmental stages. Marked temporal shifts in diversity and relative activity were observed in rhizosphere bacterial communities with developmental stage for all plant species studied. Shifts in the diversity of fungal and bacterial communities were more pronounced in maturing pea and sugar beet plants. This detailed study demonstrates that plant species select for specialized microbial communities that change in response to plant growth and plant inputs.