The impact of special issues

With support from many authors from many different scientific fields,Zoological Research(ZR)successfully released eight special issues from 2011 to 2014 on various topics,including Animal Ecology and Resources,Animal Genetic Diversity,Development and Evolution,Fish Diversity and Primates and Animal Models of Human Diseases.These special issues strongly align with our aims and scope,which have been     

Fractal root system of Melica przewalskyi along different aspect in degraded grassland

Aims Fractal root system is phenotypic plasticity result of plant root architecture to respond to environmental heterogeneity, may reflect the growth strategy of plants to adapt to environmental conditions. Our objective was to explore the relationship between root fractal dimension and fractal abundance of fractal root system of Melica przewalskyi population in response to aspect variation in the northwest of China. Methods The study site was located in a degraded alpine grassland on the northern slope in Qilian Mountains, Gansu Province, China. Survey and sampling were carried out at 40 plots which were set up along four slope aspects transects with 20 m distance between adjacent plots. Handheld GPS was used to determine the elevation, longitude and latitude of each plot. ArcGIS was used to set up digital elevation model (DEM). Community traits were investigated and six individuals roots of M. przewalskyi were collected randomly at each plot. The samples were cleaned and divided into different organs, then scanning the root with the Win-RHIZO for measurements of fractal dimension and fractal abundance in laboratory, and their biomass were then measured after being dried at 80 °C in an oven. Important findings With the slope aspect turned from north to east, west, and south, the density, height and soil moisture content of the plant community displayed a pattern of initial decline, the height, density, root fractal abundance of M. przewalskyi increased and the root fractal dimension decreased. The root fractal dimension was negatively associated with the fractal abundance in all aspects, but the relationship varied along the slope aspects gradient; there was a highly significant negative correlation (p < 0.01) between the root fractal dimension and fractal abundance at north slope and south slope aspect, whereas the correlation only reached a significant level (p < 0.05) at the east slope aspect and west slope aspect; indicating that there is a trade-off between the root fractal dimension and fractal abundance. In addition, when the slope aspect changed from north to east, west and south, the standardized major axis (SMA) slope of the regression equation in the scaling relationships between root fractal dimension and fractal abundance increased (p < 0.05), indicating that the roots of M. przewalskyi at the droughty southern slope have less branch and more sparse in the same soil volume of root exploitation and utilization. Consequently, the resource allocation pattern on reasonable trade-off between root fractal dimension and fractal abundance in different slope aspect of M. przewalskyi, reflects the relationship between the income and the cost of construction of plant root architecture.     

红豆草组织培养物的超低温保存及其超微结构的观察

红豆草(Onobrychis viciaefolia Scop.)组织培养物在5%DMSO+10%甘油+8%蔗糖的冰冻保护剂及以1℃/分钟的速度降温到-35—-40℃,停留2小时后,投入液氮,40℃水浴快速化冻等条件下,存活率达60—70%,并保持了高的分化能力。电子显微镜的观察结果表明,快速冰冻和1℃/分钟慢速冰冻至-35℃—40℃不停留,对细胞结构造成严重的致死性破坏;-35℃停留30分钟对细胞结构的损伤是可逆性的;停留2小时的其超微结构基本上与对照材料无明显差别。     

沙棘的生态地理分布及其植物地理学意义

沙棘hippophae rhamnoides subsp．sinensis是分布于我国境内的一个亚种,是沙棘属中的原始类群。沙棘的分布区大体呈西南—东北走向,从西藏东北部起,经黄土高原,直至大兴安岭西南角。本文通过对分布区与各生态因子等量线相似性比较,并结合野外考察,探讨了沙棘对各生态因子的耐性限度、最适值以及限制因子。研究发现,沙棘灌丛不仅有一个比较稳定的分布区,而且受大的气候带的控制,表现出明显的水平地带性规律,其分布与我国的三大地理气候区分异规律相一致,正处在我国三大植被区的过渡地带。因而,沙棘的分布可以作为我国三大植被区分界的一个标志,这打破了以往认为灌丛没有明显水平地带性规律的概念。另外,本文还就沙棘分布区与建立人工沙棘园及我国种植制度区划和植树造林之间的关系进行了讨论。     

银缕梅属——中国金缕梅科一新属

在研究中国稀有濒危植物过程中,通过三年观察,作者发现小叶金缕梅绝无花瓣,无疑应从金缕梅族中分出,其形态特征又明显与无花瓣的蚊母树族和弗特吉族各属有差别,故成立新属——银缕梅属。     

茶园生态环境对红茶芳香化学物质及品质影响

国内外研究均表明,芳香化学物质是构成红茶品质的主要化学物质。茶叶中芳香化学物质的形成,与茶树品种、加工工艺密切相关。至于茶园生态环境和气象因子对红茶