Spiroplasma infection causes either early or late male killing in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Drosophila</Emphasis>, depending on maternal host age

Symbiont-induced male-killing phenotypes have been found in a variety of insects. Conventionally, these phenotypes have been divided into two categories according to the timing of action: early male killing at embryonic stages and late male killing at late larval stages. In Drosophila species, endosymbiotic bacteria of the genus Spiroplasma have been known to cause early male killing. Here, we report that a spiroplasma strain normally causing early male killing also induces late male killing depending on the maternal host age: male-specific mortality of larvae and pupae was more frequently observed in the offspring of young females. As the lowest spiroplasma density and occasional male production were also associated with newly emerged females, we proposed the density-dependent hypothesis for the expression of early and late male-killing phenotypes. Our finding suggested that (1) early and late male-killing phenotypes can be caused by the same symbiont and probably by the same mechanism; (2) late male killing may occur as an attenuated expression of early male killing; (3) expression of early and late male-killing phenotypes may be dependent on the symbiont density, and thus, could potentially be affected by the host immunity and regulation; and (4) early male killing and late male killing could be alternative strategies adopted by microbial reproductive manipulators.     

Modeling of power plant impacts on fish populations

A simulation model was developed for assessing the effects of power plant impacts on fish populations. The model was based on biomass changes in a fish population that divided into 4 life stages: eggs, larvae, juveniles, and adults. Metabolism of fish was included in the model as assimilation and respiration with the effects of temperature push-pull regulation. A cohort technique was used for life stage transfers in the young stages. Compensation was included in terms of density-dependent mortality of the young fish. Power plant impacts on a fish population included entrainment (eggs and larvae) and impingement (juveniles and adults).The model was applied to the gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) population in Pool 14 of the Mississippi River in Illinois and lowa. The nearby nuclear power plant, the Quad-Cities Station, is located on the Illinois side. The simulation of the model with the 1976 field data estimates of the power plant entrainment and impingement predicted a 10 percent potential reduction of the population over 30 years. The simulated reduction of the population with the effects of different river flows showed that the result with the 1976 river flow data gave 1.5 times higher reduction than the results with data of other plant operation years, 1972 through 1975. Because the 1976 data recorded low river flow, the 10 percent reduction quoted above may be high.     

Behavioral and electroantennographic responsiveness of adult butterflies of six nymphalid species to food-derived volatiles

While adults of most species of butterflies visit flowers for food (nectar), those of certain species can feed on rotting food (e.g., exuded tree sap and rotting fruits). These food sources considerably differ in odor; flowers emit species-specific scents and rotting-food odors are characterized by fermentation products. To determine whether adult butterflies have different olfactory performances adaptive to their food selections, we examined the following responses of naïve adults of six nymphalid species, namely, Nymphalis xanthomelas, Kaniska canace, Vanessa indica, Cynthia cardui, Hypolimnas bolina, and Argyreus hyperbius: the proboscis extension reflex (PER) was evaluated as the behavioral criterion of preference for scent compounds, and the electroantennographic (EAG) response was assessed as the sensory criterion of antennal perception. All of these species are nectarivorous, but N. xanthomelas, K. canace, and V. indica also forage rotting food. The PERs to 52 tested compounds were in good agreement with the food habits of these butterflies. The six species showed high PERs to several aromatic compounds widely found in flower scents. Fermentation products such as ethanol and acetic acid elicited intermediate to high responses from the three species feeding on rotting foods. The other three species showed low PERs to these compounds, and acetic acid strongly inhibited the PER-eliciting activities of the other compounds. These results demonstrate that the olfactory preference for fermentation products is a characteristic of the rotting-food feeders. The spectrum of EAG responses to 37 tested compounds was relatively similar among the six species. Particular acyclic aliphatic compounds, including green leaf volatiles, elicited high EAG responses from all the species. Despite a high PER-eliciting activity, most aromatic compounds induced intermediate EAG responses; however, ethanol and acetic acid evoked very weak responses. The results suggest that in food selection, adult butterflies use a specific olfactory system to perceive these major food-derived volatiles.     

Seventy‐One Important Questions for the Conservation of Marine Biodiversity

The ocean provides food, economic activity, and cultural value for a large proportion of humanity. Our knowledge of marine ecosystems lags behind that of terrestrial ecosystems, limiting effective protection of marine resources. We describe the outcome of 2 workshops in 2011 and 2012 to establish a list of important questions, which, if answered, would substantially improve our ability to conserve and manage the world's marine resources. Participants included individuals from academia, government, and nongovernment organizations with broad experience across disciplines, marine ecosystems, and countries that vary in levels of development. Contributors from the fields of science, conservation, industry, and government submitted questions to our workshops, which we distilled into a list of priority research questions. Through this process, we identified 71 key questions. We grouped these into 8 subject categories, each pertaining to a broad component of marine conservation: fisheries, climate change, other anthropogenic threats, ecosystems, marine citizenship, policy, societal and cultural considerations, and scientific enterprise. Our questions address many issues that are specific to marine conservation, and will serve as a road map to funders and researchers to develop programs that can greatly benefit marine conservation. Setenta y Un Preguntas Importantes para la Conservación de la Biodiversidad Marina     

Use of two population metrics clarifies biodiversity dynamics in large-scale monitoring: the case of trees in Japanese old-growth forests

An alkaline comet assay and a micronucleus test were carried out on erythrocytes of the European chub, Squalius cephalus L., collected in spring and autumn in 2005 and 2006 at three sampling sites in River Sava, near Zagreb, Croatia. The results of comet assay showed the lowest genotoxic influence at the least polluted site, while higher DNA damage was observed at the polluted sites. Although the basal levels of DNA damage were elevated, a clear gradation of DNA damage was found due to pollution intensity in all sampling periods. The lowest cytogenetic damage as revealed by the micronucleus test (MNT) was observed as well at the least polluted site. High variations in MN frequency were observed between sampling periods, although the number of micronucleated erythrocytes was consistently the highest one at the polluted site. The comet assay as a biomarker of genotoxic effect exhibited higher sensitivity in discriminating the genotoxic capacity of studied polluted sites while the MNT was less sensitive. However, both tests should be used together in biomonitoring studies because they can reveal different aspects of DNA damage; comet assay, the early event of genotoxic exposure, and MNT, its final result as a mutagenic potential.     

d-Pinitol as a key oviposition stimulant for sulfur butterfly, Colias erate: chemical basis for female acceptance of host- and non-host plants

The sulfur butterfly, Colias erate, utilizes various legumes as host plants. We examined the chemical constituents of its primary host plant, Trifolium repens (white clover), to identify phytochemicals inducing oviposition by C. erate females. Since one of the four aqueous subfractions prepared from a methanolic extract of the plant has previously been shown to be the most responsible for the oviposition-stimulatory activity exerted by the plant, chemical analyses were conducted of the fraction concerned. Activity-directed fractionation of the subfraction by ion-exchange chromatography revealed that the key substance(s) resided in the neutral fraction. Preparative TLC of the neutral fraction and subsequent spectral analyses identified d-(+)-pinitol, glycerin, methyl β-d-glucoside, and myo-inositol as characteristic components together with ubiquitous sugars (e.g., sucrose and glucose). Of these, only pinitol singly evoked significant oviposition responses at concentrations over 0.05%. In dual-choice bioassays, however, females laid significantly more eggs on pinitol solutions admixed with glycerin or methyl β-d-glucoside than on pinitol alone. Two cyanoglucosides, linamarin, and lotaustralin, occurring in the other aqueous subfractions, also synergistically increased the oviposition response in combination with pinitol. The results clearly indicated that pinitol is a crucial oviposition stimulant involved in host recognition, while glycerin, methyl β-d-glucoside, linamarin, and lotaustralin function as synergists. We further examined the oviposition responses of C. erate females to aqueous fractions, along with their chemical compositions, that had been prepared from five other host plants and a non-host plant, Aristolochia debilis (Aristolochiaceae), on which oviposition occasionally took place in an outdoor cage during the experiments. The plant species accepted by ovipositing females were all found to contain pinitol in amounts enough to induce egg laying by the butterfly, thus leading to the conclusion that pinitol serves as the essential mediator in recognizing and accepting potential host plants.     

黄淮地区冬小麦的抗晚霜冻害能力

使用人工移动霜箱,对黄淮麦区小麦霜冻害的抗冻性进行了研究。结果表明,按幼穗的冰点来判定不同品种的抗霜能力,可以将小麦的抗霜冻能力分为4个等级:-4℃以上抗性弱,-4～-5℃抗性较弱,-5～-6℃抗性较强,-6℃以下抗性强。随着生育进程的推进,小麦的冰点升高;随着茎高的增高,冰点升高,主茎和分蘖的受害率增大;随着细胞液浓度的升高,冰点降低,受害率降低。小麦在雌雄蕊末到药隔初的冰点温度较高。随着生育时期的推进,幼穗的冻死率升高,而其冻伤率降低。     

SEIB–DGVM: A new Dynamic Global Vegetation Model using a spatially explicit individual-based approach

We report the development of a new spatially explicit individual-based Dynamic Global Vegetation Model (SEIB–DGVM), the first DGVM that can simulate the local interactions among individual trees within a spatially explicit virtual forest. In the model, a sample plot is placed at each grid box, and then the growth, competition, and decay of each individual tree within each plot is calculated by considering the environmental conditions for that tree as it relates to the trees that surround it. Based on these parameters only, the model simulated time lags between climate change and vegetation change. This time lags elongated when original biome was forest, because existing trees prevent newly establish trees from receiving enough sunlight and space to quickly replace the original vegetation. This time lags also elongated when horizontal heterogeneity of sunlight distribution was ignored, indicating the potential importance of horizontal heterogeneity for predicting transitional behavior of vegetation under changing climate. On a local scale, the model reproduced climate zone-specific patterns of succession, carbon dynamics, and water flux, although on a global scale, simulations were not always in agreement with observations. Because the SEIB–DGVM was formulated to the scale at which field biologists work, the measurements of relevant parameters and data comparisons are relatively straightforward, and the model should enable more robust modeling of terrestrial ecosystems.     

大豆栽培种和野生种豆类胰岛素的基因分析

以栽培大豆和野生大豆的基因组ＤＮＡ为材料,利用ＰＣＲ技术扩增并克隆了豆类胰岛素基因,分析了两者的ＤＮＡ序列．结果表明,测定的ＤＮＡ序列分别为８４１ｂｐ和９０３ｂｐ,有４个核苷酸差异;在信号肽编码区域内各存在一个内含子,大小分别为３６８和３７０个核苷酸;在ＯＲＦ范围内,与前人报导的ｃＤＮＡ序列分别有１个和２个位点的核苷酸差异,从而导致相应位点的氨基酸发生变化．Ｓｏｕｔｈｅｒｎ杂交表明,栽培大豆和野生大豆的豆类胰岛素基因分别以单拷贝和多拷贝形式存在于基因组中     

One Hundred Questions of Importance to the Conservation of Global Biological Diversity

Abstract:  We identified 100 scientific questions that, if answered, would have the greatest impact on conservation practice and policy. Representatives from 21 international organizations, regional sections and working groups of the Society for Conservation Biology, and 12 academics, from all continents except Antarctica, compiled 2291 questions of relevance to conservation of biological diversity worldwide. The questions were gathered from 761 individuals through workshops, email requests, and discussions. Voting by email to short-list questions, followed by a 2-day workshop, was used to derive the final list of 100 questions. Most of the final questions were derived through a process of modification and combination as the workshop progressed. The questions are divided into 12 sections: ecosystem functions and services, climate change, technological change, protected areas, ecosystem management and restoration, terrestrial ecosystems, marine ecosystems, freshwater ecosystems, species management, organizational systems and processes, societal context and change, and impacts of conservation interventions. We anticipate that these questions will help identify new directions for researchers and assist funders in directing funds.