Der begriff der Erklärung in Physik und Biologie

It is argued that the causal explanation of an event or fact has the same structure in physics and biology. This structure is represented in essence by the deductivenomologic model of explanation. Besides causal explanations, functional and teleologic explanations are considered to be legitimate and indispensable in (comparative) biology. At least in those areas of comparative biology that are based on the use of the principle of homology, the explanation of an event or fact also follows the deductive-nomologic model.     

Homology and phylogeny and their automated inference

The analysis of the ever-increasing amount of biological and biomedical data can be pushed forward by comparing the data within and among species. For example, an integrative analysis of data from the genome sequencing projects for various species traces the evolution of the genomes and identifies conserved and innovative parts. Here, I review the foundations and advantages of this "historical" approach and evaluate recent attempts at automating such analyses. Biological data is comparable if a common origin exists (homology), as is the case for members of a gene family originating via duplication of an ancestral gene. If the family has relatives in other species, we can assume that the ancestral gene was present in the ancestral species from which all the other species evolved. In particular, describing the relationships among the duplicated biological sequences found in the various species is often possible by a phylogeny, which is more informative than homology statements. Detecting and elaborating on common origins may answer how certain biological sequences developed, and predict what sequences are in a particular species and what their function is. Such knowledge transfer from sequences in one species to the homologous sequences of the other is based on the principle of 'my closest relative looks and behaves like I do', often referred to as 'guilt by association'. To enable knowledge transfer on a large scale, several automated 'phylogenomics pipelines' have been developed in recent years, and seven of these will be described and compared. Overall, the examples in this review demonstrate that homology and phylogeny analyses, done on a large (and automated) scale, can give insights into function in biology and biomedicine.     

黔北优势植物对槽谷型喀斯特生境的适应策略:基于功能性状与生态化学计量相关联的证据

以黔北槽谷型喀斯特地区三种优势植物化香(Platycarya strobilacea)、马尾松(Pinus massoniana)和烟管荚蒾(Viburnum utile)为研究对象,测定其叶片、枝条和根系的功能性状与C、N、P、Ca、Mg元素含量,分析植物不同器官间功能性状和生态化学计量学的特征与关联,探讨优势物种对槽谷喀斯特环境的适应策略。结果表明:(1)叶片干物质含量在物种间无显著差异,比叶面积、枝干物质含量、枝密度、粗根密度和中根密度在种间差异显著,比叶面积种间变异最大(32. 13%),而叶干物质含量种间变异最小(12. 76%)。(2)比叶面积与叶干物质含量、粗根和中根密度呈显著负相关,叶干物质含量、枝干物质含量、枝密度、粗根密度和中根密度两两正相关。(3)植物C含量在叶片、枝条和根系中的分配较为均匀,N、P、Mg含量均表现为叶片枝条根系,C/N、C/P表现为根系枝条叶片;叶片N/P范围为10. 89～27. 39,平均值为17. 75。(4)在相应器官内,N与P元素和N/P显著正相关,C与Ca、Mg元素显著负相关,Ca与Mg显著正相关,叶片Ca与叶片P显著负相关。(5)比叶面积与叶片N、P、Mg含量显著正相关,与叶片C含量显著负相关;粗根和中根组织密度与根Ca含量极显著正相关。这说明黔北槽谷喀斯特地区的优势植物在功能性状上产生分化,减少生态位重叠,以降低资源竞争。为适应干旱贫瘠环境,植物一方面形成低比叶面积、高干物质含量和高组织密度的功能性状组合,另一方面改变器官间的元素分配,增加枝条和根系的投资。     

Subsocial behaviour and brood adoption in mixed-species colonies of two theridiid spiders

Cooperation and group living often evolves through kin selection. However, associations between unrelated organisms, such as different species, can evolve if both parties benefit from the interaction. Group living is rare in spiders, but occurs in cooperative, permanently social spiders, as well as in territorial, colonial spiders. Mixed species spider colonies, involving closely related species, have rarely been documented. We examined social interactions in newly discovered mixed-species colonies of theridiid spiders on Bali, Indonesia. Our aim was to test the degree of intra- and interspecific tolerance, aggression and cooperation through behavioural experiments and examine the potential for adoption of foreign brood. Morphological and genetic analyses confirmed that colonies consisted of two related species Chikunia nigra (O.P. Cambridge, 1880) new combination (previously Chrysso nigra) and a yet undescribed Chikunia sp. Females defended territories and did not engage in cooperative prey capture, but interestingly, both species seemed to provide extended maternal care of young and indiscriminate care for foreign brood. Future studies may reveal whether these species adopt only intra-specific young, or also inter-specifically. We classify both Chikunia species subsocial and intra- and interspecifically colonial, and discuss the evolutionary significance of a system where one or both species may potentially benefit from mutual tolerance and brood adoption.     

The Process Analysis Method of selecting indicators to quantify the sustainability performance of a business operation

This paper describes a method for assessing the degree of sustainability of a business operation, in terms of indicators related to the sustainability impacts of its particular activities. The Process Analysis Method considers the impact on the capital residing in the three domains: the environment, the economy and the domain of human/social capital. It is found, using the Brundtland definition of sustainability, that these impacts can be related to two business perspectives: (1) Resource efficiency, which measures the effectiveness of conversion of natural, financial, human and social capital; (2) Fairness in benefit which describes how fairly the benefits and disbenefits of changes in the three domains are distributed amongst stakeholders.The method requires a complete review of the activities of the business within an appropriately defined system boundary, in order to make an inventory of activities which affect the capital stores of value; those effects are found to relate to the business perspectives. The effects of these activities on stakeholders are identified, and those which are deemed to be significant are characterised by issues: these determine the selection of indicators whose values are given by metrics. The methodology thus enables the development of a comprehensive set of sustainability indicators and metrics for the particular business operation. The set of indicators will be similar for businesses with similar activities, so the methodology facilitates comparison and benchmarking. Further, the value of a particular indicator can be traced back through the analysis to a particular business process, which is especially helpful in guiding remedial action, since cause is linked to effect by the method.     

黔中木本植物叶功能性状对退化喀斯特土壤特性的响应

研究不同退化背景下优势木本植物功能性状的适应机制,有助于从功能生态学的角度来解释喀斯特山区的群落演替过程。本研究以贵州普定不同退化背景样地优势木本为研究对象,测定LT、LA、SLA、LDMC、LTD、Chlc6个叶片功能性状指标,分析土壤特性对区域内植被叶片功能性状的作用及影响,揭示喀斯特山区植物对不同环境的适应策略及其演替过程。结果表明:①喀斯特区退化环境下植被叶片向增大化趋势发展,以退耕地经济林最显著;火烧、火烧砍伐、退耕下植被性状差异显著,以LA、LTD、SLA变化范围最大,在相应样地可分别高达121.9%、118.08%、86.00%。②退化样地内叶片性状在乔木、灌木和藤本物种间差异显著,总体上灌木与藤本物种种间变异高于乔木物种,群落处于演替前中期阶段。③不同退化背景下土壤特性差异较大,与植被叶功能性状间具有显著相关性,其中土层深度、土壤养分与土壤含水率是植被叶功能性状的关键土壤特性因子。④退化区域植被叶性状表现出LA大、LT较小、SLA和LTD低、LDMC高、Chlc较低,趋向于发展贫瘠干旱性状组合。揭示了黔中退化喀斯特次生林内在差异性的演替规律,为喀斯特次生林的管理和生物多样性保护提供科学依据。     

Cross-species correlation between queen mating numbers and worker ovary sizes suggests kin conflict may influence ovary size evolution in honeybees

During social evolution, the ovary size of reproductively specialized honey bee queens has dramatically increased while their workers have evolved much smaller ovaries. However, worker division of labor and reproductive competition under queenless conditions are influenced by worker ovary size. Little comparative information on ovary size exists in the different honey bee species. Here, we report ovariole numbers of freshly dissected workers from six Apis species from two locations in Southeast Asia. The average number of worker ovarioles differs significantly among species. It is strongly correlated with the average mating number of queens, irrespective of body size. Apis dorsata, in particular, is characterized by numerous matings and very large worker ovaries. The relation between queen mating number and ovary size across the six species suggests that individual selection via reproductive competition plays a role in worker ovary size evolution. This indicates that genetic diversity, generated by multiple mating, may bear a fitness cost at the colony level.     

Walking on insect paths? Early ommatidial development in the compound eye of the ancestral crustacean, Triops cancriformis

 Ommatidia (the compound eye's functional units) in insects are formed by the recruitment of undifferentiated cells under the control of signalling factors. During this process, a sequence of "preclusters" composed of specifically arranged precursor cells is followed. In the growth zone of the eye of Triops, an ancestral crustacean, we observed a patterning process that corresponds well with that of insects. In both taxa, clusters with arc-like, five-cell and eight-cell patterns are found, and the sequence in which the photoreceptor or R-cells of each ommatidium become identifiable is basically the same. The first to appear are R8-like and R2/5-like cells, second are R3/4-like, and third are R1/6- and R7-like cells (if the fly's cell-numbering system is used). Thus, the morphogenetic steps during which the cell identities and the cellular architecture of the ommatidia develop appear to be conserved between these arthropod groups. Furthermore, the individual cells and cell pairs which build an insect ommatidium seem to have their homologues in crustaceans. In the evolution of developmental processes, intercellular recruitment seems to be a mechanism operating on the level of single cells even in distantly related species. Received: 12 May 2000 / Accepted in revised form: 17 May 2000     

Morphological distinctness despite large-scale phenotypic plasticity��analysis of wild and pond-bred juveniles of allopatric populations of Tropheus moorii

Cichlids are an excellent model to study explosive speciation and adaptive radiation. Their evolutionary success has been attributed to their ability to undergo rapid morphological changes related to diet, and their particular breeding biology. Relatively minor changes in morphology allow for exploitation of novel food resources. The importance of phenotypic plasticity and genetically based differences for diversification was long recognized, but their relationship and relative magnitude remained unclear. We compared morphology of individuals of four wild populations of the Lake Tanganyika cichlid Tropheus moorii with their pond-raised F(1) offspring. The magnitude of morphological change via phenotypic plasticity between wild and pond-bred F(1) fish exceeds pairwise population differences by a factor of 2.4 (mean Mahalanobis distances). The genetic and environmental effects responsible for among population differentiation in the wild could still be recognized in the pond-bred F(1) fish. All four pond populations showed the same trends in morphological change, mainly in mouth orientation, size and orientation of fins, and thickness of the caudal peduncle. As between population differentiation was lower in the wild than differentiation between pond-raised versus wild fish, we suggest the narrow ecological niche and intense interspecific competition in rock habitats is responsible for consistent shape similarity, even among long-term isolated populations.     

Intercontinental chemical variation in the invasive ant Wasmannia auropunctata (Roger) (Hymenoptera Formicidae): a key to the invasive success of a tramp species

Unicoloniality emerges as a feature that characterizes successful invasive species. Its underlying mechanism is reduced intraspecific aggression while keeping interspecific competitiveness. To that effect, we present here a comparative behavioural and chemical study of the invasive ant Wasmannia auropunctata in parts of its native and introduced ranges. We tested the hypothesis that introduced populations (New Caledonia archipelago) have reduced intraspecific aggression relative to native populations (e.g., Ilhéus area, Brazil) and that this correlates with reduced variability in cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs). As predicted, there was high intraspecific aggression in the Brazilian populations, but no intraspecific aggression among the New Caledonian populations. However, New Caledonian worker W. auropunctata remained highly aggressive towards ants of other invasive species. The chemical data corresponded with the behaviour. While CHCs of ants from the regions of Brazil diverged, the profiles of ants from various localities in New Caledonia showed high uniformity. We suggest that in New Caledonia W. auropunctata appears to behave as a single supercolony, whereas in its native range it acts as a multicolonial species. The uniformity of recognition cues in the New Caledonia ants may reflect a process whereby recognition alleles became fixed in the population, but may also be the consequence of a single introduction event and subsequent aggressive invasion of the ecosystem. Chemical uniformity coupled with low intraspecific but high interspecific aggression, lend credence to the latter hypothesis.     

Possibilities and limitations of a comparative assessment of process technologies from a cleaner production point of view

This article presents a method for a comparative assessment of process technologies from a cleaner production point of view as well as the results of testing this method in practice. Based on these results and on an analysis of existing technology information systems, an estimation is made of the general possibilities and limitations of a comparative assessment of process technologies from a cleaner production point of view. Finally, the resulting consequences for the definition of ‘best available techniques' in accordance with the new EC Council Directive Concerning Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) are discussed. This article argues that apart from the difficulties related to the valuation of different kinds of materials and energy a major limiting factor is caused by the fact that the function of a production has to be defined very precisely to enable a comparison between different types of process technologies in sufficient detail.     

钢铁冶炼尘两种采样方法PM2.5中元素的比较研究

通过系统随机采样法和稀释通道采样法分别对钢铁行业下载灰和烟道飞灰中7个采样点的样品进行采集,采用电感耦合等离子体质谱仪（ICP-MS）和电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱仪（ICP-OES）对元素进行检测,运用分歧系数、相关样本非参数检验和曲线拟合对元素特征和含量进行比较研究.结果表明：两种方法采集到的颗粒物样品中Fe、Ca、Si、Mg、Al、K、Ti、Na和Ba元素含量较高;不同城市间不同采样方法所得元素含量总体趋势一致,但含量上存在较大差异;分歧系数结果表明两种采样方法间总体元素特征必定不相似;相关样本非参数检验和曲线拟合表明除Cr、Cs、Cu、Tl外其他元素含量存在显著性差异,通过曲线拟合对存在显著性差异的元素进行分析,可得到两种采样方法间各元素的相关关系.     

玉米根际微生物氮磷转化的功能基因组学分析

化肥减量增效是保障农业生态环境安全的重要基础.微生物是调控土壤氮磷循环的关键驱动力,研究根际微生物氮磷转化功能可以为进一步提高土壤氮磷利用率提供微生物学调控途径.基于3种典型农田土壤（黑土、潮土和红壤）的田间微区试验,利用宏基因组测序技术研究玉米根际微生物在土壤氮磷转化过程中功能基因的差异及调控因子.结果表明,根际微生物功能多样性受土壤类型影响,黑土和潮土的根际微生物功能多样性主要受含水量和养分含量的影响,红壤受全磷（TP）和速效磷（AP）影响.在土壤氮转化方面,编码氮转化过程通路中相关酶的基因丰度以脲酶基因（ureC）和葡萄糖脱氢酶基因（gdh）丰度最高,分别为7.25×10^-5~12.88×10^-5和4.47×10^-5~7.49×10^-5.同化性硝酸盐还原的功能基因在红壤中总丰度要高于黑土和潮土,其它过程相关酶的功能基因总丰度以潮土最高.编码氮代谢过程相关酶的功能基因丰度主要受土壤细菌丰富度、全钾（TK）和TP含量的驱动.在土壤磷转化方面,催化有机磷矿化的碱性磷酸酶基因（phoD）数目为1093个,酸性磷酸酶基因（PHO）数目为42个.phoD丰度高出PHO丰度2个数量级,此外,同种土壤类型下施肥对phoD和PHO丰度没有显著影响.随机森林分析表明phoD和PHO丰度均受土壤水分、有机质（OM）和全氮（TN）显著影响,但AP含量对PHO丰度影响最大.从功能基因组水平研究了玉米根际微生物的氮磷转化特征,为利用微生物功能提高农田生态系统氮磷利用率提供了科学依据.     

How flies respond to honey bee pheromone: the role of the foraging gene on reproductive response to queen mandibular pheromone

In this study we test one central prediction from sociogenomic theory—that social and non-social taxa share common genetic toolkits that regulate reproduction in response to environmental cues. We exposed Drosophila females of rover (for ^R) and sitter (for ^s) genotypes to an ovary-suppressing pheromone derived from the honeybee Apis mellifera. Surprisingly, queen mandibular pheromone (QMP) affected several measures of fitness in flies, and in a manner comparable to the pheromone’s normal effect on bee workers. QMP-treated sitter flies had smaller ovaries that contained fewer eggs than did untreated controls. QMP-treated rover flies, by contrast, showed a more variable pattern that only sometimes resulted in ovary inhibition, while a third strain of fly that contains a sitter mutant allele in a rover background (for ^s2) showed no ovarian response to QMP. Taken together, our results suggest that distinctly non-social insects have some capacity to respond to social cues, but that this response varies with fly genotype. In general, the interspecific response is consistent with a conserved gene set affecting reproductive physiology. The differential response among strains in particular suggests that for is itself important for modulating the fly’s pheromonal response.     

碳捕获与油藏封存CO_2气源途径经济性比较方法

气源是影响碳捕获与封存技术推广的关键因素之一。以CO2气藏、含CO2天然气藏和高能耗企业废气三种气源途径为对象,研究了气源途径的经济性比较方法,构建了P1、P2指标及其计算模型,并对模型中经济要素在不同气源途径下的构成和计算方法进行分析。最后采用上述方法对中国现运行的三个捕集示范项目进行了实例验证。该研究的方法可以为CO2-EOR项目气源途径选择决策提供指导。     

Evolutionary developmental biology: its concepts and history with a focus on Russian and German contributions

Evolutionary theory has been likened to a “universal acid” (Dennett 1995) that eats its way into more and more areas of science. Recently, developmental biology has been infused by evolutionary concepts and perspectives, and a new field of research—evolutionary developmental biology—has been created and is often called EvoDevo for short. However, this is not the first attempt to make a synthesis between these two areas of biology. In contrast, beginning right after the publication of Darwin’s Origin in 1859, Ernst Haeckel formulated his biogenetic law in 1872, famously stating that ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny. Haeckel was in his turn influenced by pre-Darwinian thinkers such as Karl Ernst von Baer, who had noted that earlier developmental stages show similarities not seen in the adults. In this review, written for an audience of non-specialists, we first give an overview of the history of EvoDevo, especially the tradition emanating from Haeckel and other comparative embryologists and morphologists, which has often been neglected in discussions about the history of EvoDevo and evolutionary biology. Here we emphasize contributions from Russian and German scientists to compensate for the Anglo-American bias in the literature. In Germany, the direct influence of Ernst Haeckel was felt particularly in Jena, where he spent his entire career as a professor, and we give an overview of the “Jena school” of evolutionary morphology, with protagonists such as Oscar Hertwig, Ludwig Plate, and Victor Franz, who all developed ideas that we would nowadays think of as belonging to EvoDevo. Franz ideas about “biometabolic modi” are similar to those of a Russian comparative morphologist that visited Jena repeatedly, A. N. Sewertzoff, who made important contributions to what we now call heterochrony research—heterochrony meaning changes in the relative timing of developmental events. His student I. I. Schmalhausen became an important contributor to the synthetic theory of evolution in Russia and is only partly known outside of the Russian-reading world because only one of his many books was translated into English early on. He made many important contributions to evolutionary theory and we point out the important parallels between Schmalhausen’s ideas (stabilizing selection, autonomization) and C. H. Waddington’s (canalization, genetic assimilation). This is one of the many parallels that have contributed to an increased appreciation of the internationality of progress in evolutionary thinking in the first half of the twentieth century. A direct link between German and Russian evolutionary biology is provided by N. V. Timoféeff-Ressovsky, whose work on, e.g., fly genetics in Berlin is a crucial part of the history of evo-devo. To emphasize the international nature of heterochrony research as predecessor to the modern era of EvoDevo, we include Sir G. R. de Beer’s work in the UK. This historical part is followed by a short review of the discovery and importance of homeobox genes and of some of the major concepts that form the core of modern EvoDevo, such as modularity, constraints, and evolutionary novelties. Major trends in contemporary EvoDevo are then outlined, such as increased use of genomics and molecular genetics, computational and bioinformatics approaches, ecological developmental biology (eco-devo), and phylogenetically informed comparative embryology. Based on our survey, we end the review with an outlook on future trends and important issues in EvoDevo.     

Portrait of an Asian stalk-eyed fly

Diopsid flies have eyes set on stalks which are in some cases so long that the distance between the eyes exceeds the body length. These conspicuous structures have given rise to much speculation about their adaptive value, but there are very few actual observations by which to judge these hypotheses.Cyrtodiopsis whitei Curran lives in the tropical rainforest of Malaysia. We describe a number of aspects of its morphology and biology, some functional properties of the eye, and the ritualized fights between males, by which harems are acquired. The evolutionary significance of the eyestalks is discussed: they represent structures subjected to a double selection pressure; they are an adaptation by which a sensory system is better matched to the special problems encountered in a densely structured habitat (in that the field of view is extended and the ability to estimate distance and size and to identify objects at a large distance is improved), also they act as key stimulus for species recognition and as releaser for intraspecific behaviour.     

淮河干流基于生态流量的目标鱼类选择研究

基于目标物种的生境需求,确定合理的生态流量过程对河流生态系统保护和修复至关重要.与以往主观选择珍稀鱼类或者主要经济鱼类作为推求生态流量的目标物种不同,从产卵环境和摄食环境等方面对淮河干流目标鱼类的筛选进行研究,运用层次分析法构建判断矩阵,计算各备选鱼类的排序权值,筛选淮河干流对生境要求具有代表性的目标鱼类.结果表明,鳊鱼对淮河干流水生生物的生境需求具有较好代表性,可作为淮河干流生态流量估算的目标鱼类.本研究为缺失珍稀特有物种的河流如何选择用于生态流量计算的目标生物,提供了一种有效的方法.     

包头南海湖浮游植物优势种生态位及种间联结性季节分析

为了解寒旱区浮游植物群落年内结构变化和演替规律及其优势种的联结性,于2017年12月~2018年11月对包头市南海湖的浮游植物群落进行了调查分析.共鉴定出浮游植物7门66属151种,其中浮游植物优势种有4门15属15种,其种类和丰度随季节而变化.运用改进的Levins公式和Petraitis指数测定浮游植物优势种的生态位量度,发现不同季节各优势种的生态位宽度和生态位重叠不尽相同,各优势种对环境因子的适应能力也存在较大差异,在年内各种生境条件下,微小平裂藻生态位变化幅度最显著,依此认为微小平裂藻可作为南海湖水体污染状态指示种,且有可靠的生态学依据.生态位重叠值中ΔSO_ij值表示物种发展趋势,可第一时间反映南海湖水质是否受到外来因素干扰.群落物种相关性、种间联结性检验结果显示,南海湖浮游植物种间联结性总体上呈正关联关系,128对优势种对中仅有10对显现显著联结性,可见南海湖群落种间联结不紧密,群落结构不稳定,处于演替的初、中期阶段.     

呼和浩特市不同粒径空气颗粒物中汞的分布规律

采用分级采样装置 ,于冬夏两季采集呼市三个不同功能区不同粒径空气颗粒物中的汞进行分析 ,结果表明 :呼市空气颗粒物中的汞含量冬季明显高于夏季 ;冬季空气颗粒物中的汞含量为居民区 >交通区 >对照区 ,夏季为交通区 >居民区 >对照区 ;空气中汞主要富集在可吸入粒子中。