COMPARATIVE STUDIES ON GROWTH, RESPIRATION, PHOTOSYNTHESIS AND PIGMENT CONTENT IN RHODOPSEUDOMONAS PALUSTRIS

1. Comparative studies were performed on growth, photosyntheticand respiratory activities, and pigment content in Rhodopseudomonaspalustris.
2. The growth of the organism, as influenced by variousculturalconditions such as light, aerobiosis, anaerobiosisand nutritionalfactors was investigated.
3. The respiratoryactivity of the bacterium was found to be higherin dark-growncells than in cells grown in the light. The photosyntheticactivitydid not significantly depend on the growth conditionsof theculture. Cells of younger cultures were found to be moreactivethan those of older cultures, with respect both to respirationand photosynthesis.
4. The pigment content was found to be higherin the light-growncells than in the dark-grown ones. The ratiophotosyntheticactivity/bacteriochlorophyll was significantlyhigher in thelatter than in the former.
5. Light, as well asvarious nutritional factors, was found toexert a marked accelerationon pigment formation, although ithas not yet been possibleto culture cells completely lackingin photosynthetic pigmentsand accordingly in photosyntheticactivity.

¹ Present address: Division of Dermatology and Urology, TokyoMetropolitan Hiroo Hospital, Tokyo. ² Present address: Department of Biology, Saitama University,Urawa. ³ Present address: Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine,Yokohama University, Yokohama. ⁴ Present address: Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry,Faculty of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo. (Received July 23, 1961; )     

Revision of the Euthalia phemius complex (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) based on morphology and molecular analyses

Adults of the Euthalia phemius complex, which is composed of three South‐East Asian nymphalid species, Euthalia phemius, Euthalia ipona, and Euthalia euphemia, were genetically analysed by examining mitochondrial and nuclear genes. The E. phemius complex was also examined morphologically, with particular emphasis on wing markings and male genitalia. No significant differences amongst the three species in the complex were detected with respect to either genetic distance or genital morphology. We therefore conclude that the three currently recognized Euthalia species belong to a single species. Accordingly, E. ipona is synonymized with E. phemius. Euthalia euphemia is treated as a subspecies of E. phemius. Type specimens of all taxa and a synonymic list for the E. phemius complex are also given. In addition, we briefly discuss the evolution and biogeography of the species complex. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 164 , 304–327.     

镉在互花米草中积累、转运及亚细胞的分布

研究了在不同Cd浓度(0、5、100、200μg·g-1)处理下,互花米草花序、叶、茎、根茎、须根中Cd含量、积累量、转运特征,及Cd在互花米草体内的亚细胞分布。结果表明,Cd在互花米草不同器官中的积累能力存在较大差异。茎、根茎、须根中Cd含量及积累量随处理浓度的增加而升高,其中须根中Cd含量及积累量均高于其他器官。Cd处理浓度为100gμ·g-1时,花序和叶中Cd含量达到最大值,分别为8.65和7.82μg·g-1。在Cd处理浓度为200μg·g-1时,须根中Cd含量可高达390.00μg·g-1,积累量达3200μg·株-1。Cd在互花米草体内转运能力极低,绝大部分Cd积累在地下部位。Cd在互花米草亚细胞中的分布规律为细胞壁>胞液>细胞器。随着Cd处理浓度的增加,Cd在细胞壁中的分配比例增大,胞液中Cd分布比例则相应减小,细胞壁和胞液相互协调,增强互花米草对重金属Cd的耐性。     

Change in CO2 balance under a series of forestry activities in a cool-temperate mixed forest with dense undergrowth

To evaluate the effects on CO₂ exchange of clearcutting a mixed forest and replacing it with a plantation, 4.5 years of continuous eddy covariance measurements of CO₂ fluxes and soil respiration measurements were conducted in a conifer-broadleaf mixed forest in Hokkaido, Japan. The mixed forest was a weak carbon sink (net ecosystem exchange, −44 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹), and it became a large carbon source (569 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹) after clearcutting. However, the large emission in the harvest year rapidly decreased in the following 2 years (495 and 153 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹, respectively) as the gross primary production (GPP) increased, while the total ecosystem respiration (RE) remained relatively stable. The rapid increase in GPP was attributed to an increase in biomass and photosynthetic activity of Sasa dwarf bamboo, an understory species. Soil respiration increased in the 3 years following clearcutting, in the first year mainly owing to the change in the gap ratio of the forest, and in the following years because of increased root respiration by the bamboo. The ratio of soil respiration to RE increased from 44% in the forest to nearly 100% after clearcutting, and aboveground parts of the vegetation contributed little to the RE although the respiration chamber measurements showed heterogeneous soil condition after clearcutting.     

Divergence estimates and early evolutionary history of Figitidae (Hymenoptera: Cynipoidea)

We examine the phylogenetic relationships of Figitidae and discuss host use within this group in light of our own and previously published divergence time data. Our results suggest Figitidae, as currently defined, is not monophyletic. Furthermore, Mikeiinae and Pycnostigminae are sister‐groups, nested adjacent to Thrasorinae, Plectocynipinae and Euceroptrinae. The recovery of Pycnostigminae as sister‐group to Mikeiinae suggests two major patterns of evolution: (i) early Figitidae lineages demonstrate a Gondawanan origin (Plectocynipinae: Neotropical; Mikeiinae and Thrasorinae: Australia; Pycnostigminae: Africa); and (ii) based on host records for Mikeiinae, Thrasorinae and Plectocynipinae, Pycnostigminae are predicted to be parasitic on gall‐inducing Hymenoptera. The phylogenetic position of Parnips (Parnipinae) was unstable, and various analyses were conducted to determine the impact of this uncertainty on both the recovery of other clades and inferred divergence times; when Parnips was excluded from the total evidence analysis, Cynipidae was found to be sister‐group to [Euceroptrinae + (Plectocynipinae (Thrasorinae + (Mikeiinae + Pycnostigminae)))], with low support. Divergence dating analyses using BEAST indicate the stem‐group node of Figitidae to be c. 126 Ma; the dipteran parasitoids (Eucoilinae and Figitinae), were estimated to have a median age of 80 and 88 Ma, respectively; the neuropteran parasitoids (Anacharitinae), were estimated to have a median age of 97 Ma; sternorrhynchan hyperparasitoids (Charipinae), were estimated to have a median age of 110 Ma; the Hymenoptera‐parasitic subfamilies (Euceroptinae, Plectocynipinae, Trasorinae, Mikeiinae, Pycnostigminae, and Parnipinae), ranged in median ages from 48 to 108 Ma. Rapid radiation of Eucoilinae subclades appears chronologically synchronized with the origin of their hosts, Schizophora (Diptera). Overall, the exclusion of Parnips from the BEAST analysis did not result in significant changes to divergence estimates. Finally, though sparsely represented in the analysis, our data suggest Cynipidae have a median age of 54 Ma, which is somewhat older than the age of Quercus spp (30–50 Ma), their most common host.     

Marked Amplification and Diversification of Products of ras Genes from Rat Brain,Rab GTPases,in the Ciliates Tetrahymena thermophila and Paramecium tetraurelia

ABSTRACT. Small GTPase Rab (products of ras genes from rat brain) is a widely conserved molecular switch among eukaryotes and regulates membrane trafficking pathways. It is generally considered that the number of Rab encoded in the genome correlates with multicellularity; however, we found that unicellular ciliates Tetrahymena thermophila (Tt) and Paramecium tetraurelia (Pt) possess many more Rab genes in their genome than the 64 HsRab genes in the human genome. We succeeded in isolating 86 cDNA clones of 88 TtRab genes in the Tetrahymena genome. By comparing the amino acid sequence of Rab in humans and the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, 42 TtRab belonged to subfamilies functionally characterized and designated as conventional Rab, while the remaining 44 TtRab were considered to be species‐specific. To examine the diversity of Rab in ciliates, we searched for Rab genes in the genome database of P. tetraurelia. Overall, 229 PtRab genes were found and categorized as 157 conventional and 72 species‐specific PtRab, respectively. Among them, nine PtRab genes showed high homology to seven TtRab, suggesting the conservation of ciliate‐specific Rab. These data suggested that the range of Rab is markedly amplified and diversified in ciliates, which may support the elaborate cellular structures and vigorous phagocytosis of those organisms.     

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci from Quercus mongolica var. crispula

Microsatellites were isolated and characterized for the Japanese oak species, Quercus mongolica var. crispula, distributed in temperate deciduous forests of Japan. Eleven of the 48 primer pairs designed successfully amplified unambiguous and polymorphic single loci among 67 Q. mongolica var. crispula individuals within a plot in southwestern Japan. The observed and expected heterozygosities of the 11 microsatellite markers ranged from 0.522 to 0.896 and from 0.536 to 0.882, respectively. These polymorphic microsatellite markers are useful for estimating pollen‐mediated gene flow in Q. mongolica var. crispula.