Lock‐and‐key structural isolation between sibling Drosophila species

Drosophila santomea Lachaise & Harry, which is endemic to the African island of São Tomé, and its sibling D. yakuba Burla comprise a new model system of speciation. They are morphologically distinguishable only by slight differences in the male genitalia and body coloration. As a previously undescribed difference, the aedeagus of D. yakuba bears a pair of stout spines (the ventral branches of the basal processes (VB)), instead of the paired humps found in D. santomea. Here, we show that this difference works as a lock‐and‐key isolating mechanism between the siblings. During conspecific copulation, D. yakuba females receive the spines in a pair of pocket‐shaped structures, which are protected by hardened plates, in the genitalia. The females of D. santomea, which lack such pockets, are wounded by the spines of the VB when mated with D. yakuba males. This genital mismatching resulted in leakage of the ejaculate, making 80% of the matings infertile and causing a prolonged struggle to separate pairs glued together by the ejaculate.     

A cytogenetic study of couples with recurrent spontaneous abortions and infertile patients with recurrent IVF/ICSI failure

PURPOSE:

This study was conducted to determine the frequency and contribution of chromosomal abnormalities in miscarriages and in couples with recurrent in vitro fertilization/intra cytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) failure.

MATERIALS and METHODS:

A total of 221 individuals; 79 with three or more recurrent spontaneous abortions and 142 with at least three IVF/ICSI failures. Chromosomal analysis from peripheral blood lymphocytes was performed according to standard cytogenetic methods using G-banding technique.

RESULTS:

Abnormal karyotype was found in 21 (9.50%) individuals. Of these 21 subjects, 4 (19.04%) exhibited sex chromosomal abnormalities and 17 (80.96%) had autosomal abnormalities. Male partners had significantly higher chromosomal abnormalities (5.88%) than of females (3.61%). These abnormalities were also higher in patients with recurrent spontaneous abortions than with IVF/ICSI failure (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS:

These data may be indicative that chromosomal abnormalities are involved more in spontaneous abortions than in recurrent IVF/ICSI failure. Cytogenetic analysis could be valuable for these couples when clinical data fail to clarify the cause.     

瘠薄红壤中有机物质的分解特征

通过田间定位试验观测,研究了瘠薄红壤条件下主要有机物质的分解速率和过程特征及控制因素。结果表明：瘠薄红壤中有机物质的分解速率较慢,不同有机物质的腐殖化系数在0.28-0.64之间,平均为0.45,此值约比一般红壤高34%;这与瘠薄红壤粘粒含量较高,酸度较大,原土有机质含量低有关,但在红壤地区导致有机物质分解速率差异的土壤性质诸因素中,土壤酸度占主导地位,其次是原土有机碳含量,瘠薄红壤中有机物质的分解速率在第1年比一般红壤中慢,第2年反而分解较快,其后这种差异逐渐缩小,瘠薄红壤条件下每100kg有机物质每年所能形成的土壤有机质量约在30kg左右,因此,适当施用有机肥可以较快地增加瘠薄红壤的有机碳含量。     

Bet‐hedging as a mechanism for the evolution of polyandry,revisited

Females that mate with multiple males (polyandry) may reduce the risk that their eggs are fertilized by a single unsuitable male. About 25 years ago it was hypothesized that bet‐hedging could function as a mechanism favoring the evolution of polyandry, but this idea is controversial because theory indicates that bet‐hedging via polyandry can compensate the costs of mating only in small populations. Nevertheless, populations are often spatially structured, and even in the absence of spatial structure, mate‐choice opportunity can be limited to a few potential partners. We examined the effectiveness of bet‐hedging in such situations with simulations carried out under two scenarios: (1) intrinsic male quality, with offspring survival determined by male phenotype (male's ability to generate viable offspring), and (2) genetic incompatibility (offspring fitness determined nonadditively by parental genotypes). We find higher fixation probabilities for a polyandrous strategy compared to a monandrous strategy if complete reproductive failure due to male effects or parental incompatibility is pervasive in the population. Our results also indicate that bet‐hedging polyandry can delay the extinction of small demes. Our results underscore the potential for bet‐hedging to provide benefits to polyandrous females and have valuable implications for conservation biology.     

Propagation of senescent mice using nuclear transfer embryonic stem cell lines

Senescent mice are often infertile, and the cloning success rate decreases with age, making it almost impossible to produce cloned progeny directly from such animals. In this study, we tried to produce offspring from such "unclonable" senescent mice using nuclear transfer techniques. Donor fibroblasts were obtained from the tail tips of mice aged up to 2 years and 9 months. Although most attempts failed to produce cloned mice by direct somatic cell nuclear transfer, we managed to establish nuclear transfer embryonic stem (ntES) cell lines from all aged mice with an establishment rate of 10-25%, irrespective of sex or strain. Finally, cloned mice were obtained from these ntES cells by a second round of nuclear transfer. In addition, healthy offspring was obtained from all aged donors via germline transmission of ntES cells in chimeric mice. This technique is thus applicable to the propagation of a variety of animals, irrespective of age or fertile potential.     

Female Bobolink molts into male-like plumage and loses fertility

ABSTRACT.   Among wild birds, females expressing a male-like phenotype have rarely been documented. During a study of Bobolinks ( Dolichonyx oryzivorus ) in Vermont, I observed a female that changed secondary sexually selected plumage forms between breeding seasons. During the 2006 breeding season, I monitored an individually marked female Bobolink in typical alternate plumage, with a light brown back and yellow undersides. This female produced a clutch of four eggs, and two young eventually fledged. In 2007, this female returned to the same area with predominately male alternate plumage, including black wing and body feathers, buff nuchal collar, and white scapulars and rump. She laid and incubated five eggs for 21 d before abandoning the nest; none of the eggs were fertile. I banded 324 additional female Bobolinks from 2002 to 2007 in the same study area and none exhibited similar between-year changes in plumage. In addition, a review of the literature revealed no previous reports of such changes. The male-like plumage and loss of fertility by the female Bobolink may have been due to an infection that damaged the left ovary, increasing androgen production and reducing estrogen production in the right ovotestis.