Sociality reduces individual direct fitness in a communally breeding rodent,the colonial tuco-tuco (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ctenomys sociabilis</Emphasis>)

In many social vertebrates, remaining in the natal group leads to at least short-term reductions in the direct fitness of philopatric animals. Among communally breeding rodents, the direct fitness costs of philopatry appear to increase as the frequency of successful natal dispersal decreases, suggesting a functional link between constraints on natal dispersal and the reproductive consequences of sociality. To explore this relationship empirically, I documented patterns of direct fitness among female colonial tuco-tucos (Ctenomys sociabilis), which are group-living subterranean rodents from southwestern Argentina. Demographic data suggest that successful natal dispersal is rare in this species, leading to the prediction that natal philopatry in C. sociabilis is associated with significant reductions in individual direct fitness. Using data obtained during 1996–2001, I compared the direct fitness of females that dispersed from their natal group and bred alone as yearlings to that of females that lived and bred in their natal group as yearlings. Philopatric yearlings reared significantly fewer young to weaning than did disperser (lone) yearlings. Although neither survival to a second breeding season nor the estimated lifetime number of pups reared to weaning differed between dispersal strategies, the annual direct fitness of group-living females was 23–40% less than expected, suggesting that philopatric animals experienced a substantial direct fitness cost by remaining in their natal group. These data yield important insights into the adaptive bases for group living in C. sociabilis and suggest that constraints on natal dispersal are an important factor favoring group living in this species.Communicated by J. Wilkinson     

Testosterone and helping behavior in the azure-winged magpie (Cyanopica cyanus): natural covariation and an experimental test

In this study, we investigated patterns of natural covariation between testosterone and reproductive status in a cooperatively breeding bird species, the azure-winged magpie (Cyanopica cyanus). To assess the relationship between testosterone and breeding behavior, we also manipulated testosterone (T) levels early in the season (before breeding started) using testosterone-filled or empty implants. Our results do not support the hypothesis that circulating testosterone levels affect the occurrence of helping behavior in the azure-winged magpie. Helping males had similar T levels to breeding males. Furthermore, experimentally augmented plasma T did not affect the likelihood of becoming either a helper or a breeder. Overall, these results are consistent with previous findings in other bird species and only give some support to the behavioral suppression hypothesis, suggesting that helping in the azure-winged magpie is a flexible behavioral option moderated in the short-term by social and ecological factors. Experimentally elevated testosterone levels, however, reduced the reproductive success of male breeders because of markedly lower levels of paternal care, had similar effects on their mates, but had the contrary effect on helpers, which raised levels of parental effort. We suggest increases in the share of paternity and in social prestige as possible explanations for these results.Communicated by: A. Cockburn     

Efficient statistical mapping of avian count data

We develop a spatial modeling framework for count data that is efficient to implement in high-dimensional prediction problems. We consider spectral parameterizations for the spatially varying mean of a Poisson model. The spectral parameterization of the spatial process is very computationally efficient, enabling effective estimation and prediction in large problems using Markov chain Monte Carlo techniques. We apply this model to creating avian relative abundance maps from North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data. Variation in the ability of observers to count birds is modeled as spatially independent noise, resulting in over-dispersion relative to the Poisson assumption. This approach represents an improvement over existing approaches used for spatial modeling of BBS data which are either inefficient for continental scale modeling and prediction or fail to accommodate important distributional features of count data thus leading to inaccurate accounting of prediction uncertainty.     

抗真菌多肽——捷安肽素高产菌的选育

从新疆棉株上分离得到一株细菌ZK ,经培养物性状和生理生化鉴定 ,确定该菌为芽孢杆菌属 (Bacillussp.)菌 ,其代谢产物为一种抗病原真菌的肽类物质———捷安肽素 .以此株菌作为出发菌株 ,进行紫外线、微波和亚硝基胍诱变 ,诱变处理后获得高产突变株Mv2 8,在摇瓶试验中 ,该变异株产捷安肽素活性比出发菌株提高 31.6 % .图 5表 5参 12     

An Economic Assessment of Wildlife Farming and Conservation

Abstract:  The supply-side approach to conservation, as recommended by economists, prescribes the provision of cheap substitutes for wildlife commodities in an effort to lower the price of such commodities and reduce harvesting pressure. We developed a theoretical economic model to examine whether wildlife farming or ranching indeed contributes to conservation. We first present the naïve economic model that lends support to the supply-side approach. This model is incomplete because it fails to capture the fact that most wildlife markets are not perfectly competitive (instead, models are characterized by a small number of suppliers who have a certain degree of market power), which also implies that it fails to incorporate strategic interaction between suppliers. We then present an alternative model of the (illegal) wildlife trade that reflects imperfect competition and strategic interaction, and demonstrate that wildlife farming may stimulate harvesting (or poaching) rather than discourage it. By applying the model to the case of rhinoceros poaching and ranching, we demonstrate the potentially ambiguous outcomes of rhinoceros-ranching initiatives—wild rhinoceros stocks may recover or suffer from additional depletion, depending on key parameters and the type of competition on output markets. We also show that this type of ambiguity may be eliminated when policy makers restrict quantities of farmed output through a quota system; in that case, introducing wildlife farming will unambiguously promote conservation. In the absence of such accompanying regulation, however, policy makers should be careful when stimulating wildlife farming and be aware of potentially adverse consequences.     

Ames试验法对阴离子合成洗涤剂安全性的评价

合成洗涤剂能否引起基因突变，有无潜在危害，已引起人们的彬大关注，我们对成都产合成洗涤剂厂生产的双猫牌洗衣粉进行了Ames试验，结果表明，不同浓度的洗涤剂对TA98，TA102每组菌株的回变菌落数均未超过对应溶剂对照回变菌落数的2倍，说明双猫牌洗衣粉在受试浓度下，对所用菌株无诱变活性，即未发现该产品具有致突变作用。     

斑马鱼及其胚胎在毒理学中的实验研究与应用进展

作为一种模式生物,斑马鱼具有很多其他模式生物所不具备的优点,已被广泛应用于生物学各领域,具有十分广阔的发展前景.论文首先介绍了斑马鱼的基因组学,包括正向遗传学、反向遗传学以及斑马鱼在药物研发和人类疾病研究中的应用;其次就斑马鱼在发育生物学中的应用进行了概述;最后,介绍了斑马鱼在毒理学各方面(急性毒性、内分泌干扰、发育毒性、神经毒性、血管研究和癌症研究)的应用进展.     

Molecular diagnosis of a novel heterozygous 268C→T (R90C) mutation in TGIF gene in a fetus with holoprosencephaly and premaxillary agenesis

We report the sonographic diagnosis and molecular analysis of holoprosencephaly (HPE) and premaxillary agenesis in a second-trimester fetus with a 46,XY karyotype. Mutational sequence analyses for the entire coding region and exon–intron boundaries of SHH, ZIC2, SIX3 and TGIF genes identified a novel heterozygous missense TGIF mutation 268C→T (CGC→TGC change) that predicts an Arg90Cys substitution in the homeodomain region of TGIF. The proband's parents did not carry the mutation. The present case is an example of the heterogeneous entity of the HPE spectrum and demonstrates that adjunctive molecular analyses of distinct human genes for HPE can reassure genetic counselling by elucidating the genetic pathogenesis, especially in cytogenetically normal fetuses affected with HPE. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

廊坊市近50年气温的时空变化特征

采用1964—2013年廊坊市9个气象站的气温观测资料,分析廊坊市日平均气温、日最高气温、日最低气温的时空变化特征,并利用Morlet小波变化和Mann—Kendall突变检验等方法对廊坊市日平均、日最高、日最低气温进行周期分析和突变检验。结果表明:(1)平均气温、平均最高气温、平均最低气温和高温极值变暖趋势显著,年际增长率分别为0.38℃/10a、0.28℃/10a、0.38℃/10a、0.36℃/10a;(2)平均气温、平均最高气温、平均最低气温、高温极值、低温极值和高温日数均具有4~6a的短周期、9a的较长周期和一个年代际的长周期;(3)20世纪80年代中期到90年代中期平均气温、平均最高气温、平均最低气温、高温极值、低温极值和高温日数均存在一个显著突变;(4)平均气温、平均最高气温、平均最低气温、高温极值、低温极值和高温日数在空间分布上均呈现南高北低趋势。