全氟辛烷磺化物(PFOS)诱导斑马鱼胚胎p53基因的点突变

将斑马鱼胚胎于0μg·1-1(空白对照),5μg·l-1,16μg·l-1和50μg·l-1全氟辛烷磺化物(PFOS)溶液中暴露染毒5h,采用变性高效液相色谱方法对PCR扩增的含斑马鱼胚胎p53基因外显子7的173 bp的目标片段进行突变分析.结果显示,16μg·l-1和50μg·l-1两个处理组与对照组相比均有显著性差异,表明PFOS可以诱导斑马鱼胚胎p53基因外显子7的点突变.     

Seasonal decline in reproductive performance varies with colony size in the fairy martin, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Petrochelidon ariel</Emphasis>

Reproductive success within populations often varies with the timing of breeding, typically declining over the season. This variation is usually attributed to seasonal changes in resource availability and/or differences in the quality or experience of breeders. In colonial species, the timing of breeding may be of particular importance because the costs and benefits of colonial breeding are likely to vary over the season and also with colony size. In this study, we examine the relationship between timing of breeding and reproductive performance (clutch size and nest success) both within and between variable sized colonies (n = 18) of fairy martins, Petrochelidon ariel. In four of these colonies, we also experimentally delayed laying in selected nests to disentangle the effects of laying date and individual quality/experience on reproductive success. Within colonies, later laying birds produced smaller clutches, but only in larger colonies. The general seasonal decline in nest success was also more pronounced in larger colonies. Late laying birds were generally smaller than earlier laying birds, but morphological differences were also related to colony size, suggesting optimal colony size also varies with phenotype. Experimentally delayed clutches were larger than concurrently produced non-delayed clutches, but only in larger colonies. Similarly, delayed clutches were more likely to produce fledglings, particularly later in the season and in larger colonies. We suggest that the reduced performance of late breeding pairs in larger colonies resulted primarily from inexperienced/low quality birds preferring to settle in larger colonies, possibly exacerbated by an increase in the costs of coloniality (e.g., resource depletion and ectoparasite infestations) with date and colony size. These findings highlight the importance of phenotype-related differences in settlement decisions and reproductive performance to an improved understanding of colonial breeding and variation in colony size.     

DNA聚合酶对PCR方法检测基因点突变的干扰分析

以野生型斑马鱼p53基因外显子7为目的片段,运用变性高效液相色谱(DHPLC),比较分析三种常用的商品DNA聚合酶对聚合酶链式反应(PCR)技术检测基因点突变的影响.DHPLC检测结果显示,Promega Shanghai公司Taq DNA聚合酶,Promega公司Taq DNA聚合酶和BD Biosciences公司高保真酶Advantage-HF2的分子突变频率分别为14.3%,5.95%和0.76%.通过DNA直接测序法确认表明,Promega公司Taq DNA聚合酶和BD Biosciences公司高保真酶Advantage-HF2的碱基突变频率分别为3.61×10-4和7.69×10-5.研究表明,不同的DNA聚合酶对PCR技术的检测结果有明显影响,高保真酶Advantage-HF2所造成的碱基错配率明显低于其它两种商业化Taq酶.     

Cooperative breeding and immunity: a comparative study of PHA response in African birds

Cooperatively breeding birds might be expected to suffer from higher costs of parasitism than pair-breeding species because of two aspects of their ecology which should facilitate horizontal transmission and possibly select for higher parasite virulence: first, they interact regularly with more individuals than pair-breeding species, and second, these individuals are commonly close relatives that could share similar resistance alleles. This hypothesis predicts that cooperative breeders should invest relatively more in immune defence than closely related species which breed in pairs. I tested this prediction comparatively in African birds by examining the response of the immune system to the mitogenic lectin, phytoahemagglutinin (PHA response) in relation to cooperative breeding. Among 66 species, of which 18 breed cooperatively, PHA response was significantly higher in cooperatively breeding species. This association appeared not to be confounded by body size, clutch size, nest position, coloniality or similarity owing to common phylogenetic descent. These results suggest that cooperatively breeding birds may have been selected to invest more than pair-breeders in defences against parasites. If so, then additional costs of philopatry and helping behaviour might be imposed on breeders, helpers and offspring.     

壬基酚聚氧乙烯醚降解前后的激素效应和诱变活性

采用重组基因酵母和SOS/Umu试验研究了壬基酚聚氧乙烯醚(NP₁₀EO)经生物降解前后的雌激素活性和致突变活性.结果表明,在降解反应开始后的4d内降解产物的雌激素活性较低且不具有致突变性.随着降解时间的不断增加,降解产物的雌激素活性和致突变性不断增强.降解20d后,降解产物的雌激素活性相当于1nmol 17-β雌二醇的61.6%,诱变比值大于2,表明壬基酚聚氧乙烯醚的生物降解产物同时具有雌激素活性和致突变活性,且两者在产生时间和活性数值方面均是同步的和成正相关的.因此致突变活性很可能是此类降解产物对生物机体具有雌激素活性的基础.     

有机烷酚类化合物致突变性研究

采用鼠伤寒沙门氏菌致突变试验(AmesTest)菌株TA97,TA98,TA100,TA102,对环境中潜在内分泌激素干扰污染物甲基苯酚等12种烷酚类有机物的致突变性进行研究。结果表明,除2,4-二氯苯酚外,烷酚类化合物对Ames试验中TA98菌株的平皿掺入试验,均诱发显示阳性反应;其中对壬基酚、2,6-二甲基苯酚、4-辛基酚等烷基酚类化合物呈强阳性反应,怀疑这几种化合物具有强致突变性,且以碱基移码型突变为主。      

原生质体融合技术选育高效菌株降解聚乙烯醇的研究

从自然界中分离得到4株能降解聚乙烯醇(PVA)的细菌,经紫外线诱变,得到两株具有单重抗药性的突变菌株S7(Str-,Kan+)和K15(Str+,Kan-),二者对PVA的去除率分别达到52%和58%。将S7和K15作为亲本菌株进行原生质体融合,并通过正交试验,对原生质体融合的条件进行优化,使融合率达到4.603×10-5。融合子F4菌株对PVA去除率达到79.9%,是原始菌株的两倍,将其培养成活性污泥后,PVA去除率可达87%,是普通活性污泥的3～4倍。     

Association of reproductive traits with captive- versus wild-sourced birds in trade

The wildlife trade is a billion-dollar global business, involving millions of people, thousands of species, and hundreds of millions of individual organisms. Unravelling whether trade targets reproductively distinct species and whether this preference varies between captive- and wild-sourced species is a crucial question. We used a comprehensive list of all bird species traded, trade listings and records kept in compliance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), and a suite of avian reproductive parameters to examine whether wildlife trade is associated with particular facets of life history and to examine the association between life-history traits and captive- and wild-sourced traded volumes over time. Across all trade, CITES listing, and CITES trade, large birds were more likely to be traded and listed, but their longevity and age at maturity were not associated with CITES listing or trade. We found species across almost the full range of trait values in both captive and wild trade between 2000 and 2020. Captive trade volumes clearly associated with relatively longer lived and early-maturing species; these associations remained stable and largely unchanged over time. Trait–volume associations in wild-sourced trade were more uncertain. Only body mass had a clear association, and it varied from negative to positive over time. Although reproductive traits were important in captive-sourced trade, species-level variation dominated trade, with even congeneric species varying greatly in volume despite similar traits. The collection and incorporation of trait data into sustainability assessments of captive breeding facilities are crucial to ensure accurate quotas and guard against laundering.     

Effects of forest fragmentation on avian breeding activity

Biodiversity declines and ecosystem decay follow forest fragmentation; initially, abundant species may become rare or be extirpated. Underlying mechanisms behind delayed extirpation of certain species following forest fragmentation are unknown. Species declines may be attributed to an inadequate number of breeding adults required to replace the population or decreased juvenile survival rate due to reduced recruitment or increased nest predation pressures. We used 10 years of avian banding data, 5 years before and 4 years after fragment isolation, from the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, carried out near Manaus, Brazil, to investigate the breeding activity hypothesis that there is less breeding activity and fewer young after relative to before fragment isolation. We compared the capture rates of active breeding and young birds in 3 forest types (primary forest, fragment before isolation, and fragment after isolation) and the proportion of active breeding and young birds with all birds in each unique fragment type before and after isolation. We grouped all bird species by diet (insectivore or frugivore) and nesting strategy (open cup, cavity, or enclosed) to allow further comparisons among forest types. We found support for the breeding activity hypothesis in insectivorous and frugivorous birds (effect sizes 0.45 and 0.53, respectively) and in birds with open-cup and enclosed nesting strategies (effect sizes 0.56 and 0.44, respectively) such that on average there were more breeding birds in fragments before isolation relative to after isolation. A larger proportion of birds in the community were actively breeding before fragment isolation (72%) than after fragment isolation (11%). Unexpectedly, there was no significant decrease in the number of young birds after fragment isolation, although sample sizes for young were small (n = 43). This may have been due to sustained immigration of young birds to fragments after isolation. Together, our results provide some of the strongest evidence to date that avian breeding activity decreases in response to fragment isolation, which could be a fundamental mechanism contributing to ecosystem decay.     

Moving from trends to benchmarks by using regression tree analysis to find inbreeding thresholds in a critically endangered bird

Understanding how inbreeding affects endangered species in conservation breeding programs is essential for their recovery. The Hawaiian Crow (‘Alalā) (Corvus hawaiiensis) is one of the world's most endangered birds. It went extinct in the wild in 2002, and, until recent release efforts starting in 2016, nearly all of the population remained under human care for conservation breeding. Using pedigree inbreeding coefficients (F), we evaluated the effects of inbreeding on Hawaiian Crow offspring survival and reproductive success. We used regression tree analysis to identify the level of inbreeding (i.e., inbreeding threshold) that explains a substantial decrease in ‘Alalā offspring survival to recruitment. Similar to a previous study of inbreeding in ‘Alalā, we found that inbreeding had a negative impact on offspring survival but that parental (vs. artificial) egg incubation improved offspring survival to recruitment. Furthermore, we found that inbreeding did not substantially affect offspring reproductive success, based on the assumption that offspring that survive to adulthood breed with distantly related mates. Our novel application of regression tree analysis showed that offspring with inbreeding levels exceeding F = 0.098 were 69% less likely to survive to recruitment than more outbred offspring, providing a specific threshold value for ongoing population management. Our results emphasize the importance of assessing inbreeding depression across all life history stages, confirm the importance of prioritizing parental over artificial egg incubation in avian conservation breeding programs, and demonstrate the utility of regression tree analysis as a tool for identifying inbreeding thresholds, if present, in any pedigree-managed population.