中国荸荠属植物果皮微形态特征及其分类学上的意义

报道了国产荸荠属２６ 种、３ 变种植物果皮在扫描电镜下的纹饰特征．结果表明,根据果皮细胞形状和外壁纹饰的差异,可分：（１） 光滑型纹饰：果实表面光滑,无细胞结构;（２） 网状纹饰：在（２） 类型中根据植物果皮垂周壁的结构和细胞形态又可分为两个亚型,即网状纹饰亚型和波形网状纹饰亚型．本属植物果皮微形态特征总体而言较为相近,表明是一个自然类群．果皮纹饰类型及微形态特征在组间或系间相互交叉和渗透,与传统分类中组、系的划分不相对应．此外,本属果皮微形态特征在种下等级的差异较明显,但在种内个体间比较稳定,变异很小．上述研究结果可为国产荸荠属种间区别提供依据．     

中国—喜马拉雅柴胡属的花粉形态及其系统学意义

本文报道了中国－喜马拉雅柴胡属（Ｂｕｐｌｅｕｒｕｍ Ｌ．）２４种，７变种，２变型的花粉形态研究结果，全部在光学显微镜和扫描电镜下作了比较观察。有关柴胡属花粉形态的研究，除大苞柴胡（Ｂ．ｅｕｐｈｏ－ｒｂｉｏｉｄｅｓ Ｎａｋａｉ）和红柴胡（Ｂ．ｓｃｏｒｚｏｎｅｒｉｆｏｌｉｕｍ Ｗｉｌｌｄ．）外，其余均为首次报道。根据该属花粉粒的形态和萌发孔特征，其花粉形态可分为三个类型，即：近菱形角孔类型、矩形边孔类     

中国－喜马拉雅柴胡属的花粉形态及其系统学意义

本文报道了中国－喜马拉雅柴胡属（ＢｕｐｌｅｕｒｕｍＬ．）２４种，７变种，２变型的花粉形态研究结果，全部在光学显微镜和扫描电镜下作了比较观察。有关柴胡属花粉形态的研究，除大苞柴胡（Ｂ．ｅｕｐｈｏｒｂｉｏｉｄｅｓＮａｋａｉ）和红柴胡（Ｂ，ｓｃｏｒｚｏｎｅｒｉｆｏｌｉｕｍＷｉｌｌｄ．）外．其余均为首次报道，根据该属花粉粒的形态和萌发孔特征，其花粉形态可分为三个类型，即：近菱形角孔类型、矩形边孔类型及其二者之间的过渡类型。花粉形态资料支持德国植物系统学家德鲁特（Ｏ，Ｄｒｕｄｅ，１８９８）关于柴胡属的系统位置，将其隶于芹亚科（Ａｐｉｏｉｄｅａｅ），芹族（Ａｐｉｅａｅ），葛缕子亚族（Ｃａｒｉｎａｅ）。     

不同宿主植物根瘤Frankia及其生物学特性

对从木麻黄、杨梅、桤木和胡颓子等宿主植物根瘤中获得的19株分离菌的离体培养形态特征、生理特性和交叉侵染特性等进行了比较分析.结果表明,各分离菌均有Frankia属所特有的分枝状菌丝、孢囊、泡囊或串珠状菌丝等形态结构;细胞壁类型多属胞壁Ⅲ型,生理类型多属B型,无氮诱导培养下都具有同氮酶活性,在BAP、JA或S培养液中菌体生长较好,以吐温-80和酪蛋白水解物为最佳碳、氮源.但不同宿主分离菌的形态和培养特征差异明显,木麻黄属分离菌菌丝较粗,孢囊数量较少,在BAP培养液中多旱荔肉白絮状颗粒沉淀;杨梅属菌丝较细,孢囊数量较多,在BAP培养液中多是浅红色颗粒沉淀;桤木属和胡颓子属的菌体形态特征在BAP培养液中与木麻黄属的相似,但桤木属菌丝较细,胡颓子属的菌丝较粗.根据回接及交叉侵染特性可将分离菌分为2个宿主特异类群:能侵染木麻黄苗木的木麻黄类群;只侵染原宿主并能在杨梅属、胡颓子属和桤木属间相互侵染,但不能使木麻黄属苗木结瘤的杨梅-桤木-胡颓子类群.图2表5参19     

国产山蚂蝗属植物花粉形态及其分类意义

目前对国产山蚂蝗属植物花粉形态的报道尚不系统,仅限于部分地区的少数种类.为向国产山蚂蝗属类群的分类学修订及系统关系探讨提供佐证,选取3亚属7组17种国产山蚂蝗属植物花粉,利用电镜扫描进行系统观察和比较分析.结果表明,本属花粉粒为单分体,单粒花粉球形、近长球形或长球形,具三孔沟.花粉粒外壁具网状,皱波状纹饰.根据花粉外壁纹饰对供试样品进行分类得到7个分类群,与宏观的形态差异有一定的对应性.测量和计算得到极轴长(P)、花粉沟长/极轴长(C/P)、花粉沟长/沟中部宽以及极轴长/赤道轴长(P/E)4个定量花粉形态数据,将编码后的纹饰分类结果与定量结果联合进行聚类分析,得到4个分类群,部分分类结果与宏观形态学分类吻合.对山蚂蝗属植物孢粉学性状的研究结果对其属下分类具有一定的参考和指导意义.     

青岛东风盐场中极端嗜盐古细菌的特性

从青岛东风盐场分离到3株嗜盐古细菌（编号：ZDA－1,ZDA－2和ZDA－5）,细胞为多形态杆状（0．7～15μm×2．0～50μm）,最适生长NaCl浓度为3．4mol／L,含有甘油二醚脂,类胡萝卜素色素和极性脂TGD－2（三糖基二醚脂）,x（C＋C）分别为63．7％,62．7％,和64．3％,据此,这3株菌可归入嗜盐小盒苗属（Hchoarcula）;但它们不水解淀粉,明胶不液化,不水解酪蛋白等生理生化特性不同于该属中现已正式承认的两个种,因此,本工作分离的3株菌可能是嗜盐小盒菌属一个新种.     

中国角蟾属精子的形态学研究(两栖纲:锄足蟾科)

采用光镜与电镜结合,对角蟾属１６个种１８个居群精子的形态结构进行观察和比较,并通过计算机图像处理对其各部位长度进行测量和计算,结果表明：角蟾属的精子主要包括头和尾两部分,头部呈螺旋状,尾部为波状或弯曲状,根据精子的头部形状和量度,角蟾属的精子可分为２类,角蟾属内种（或亚种）部精子存在一定的差别,但同种不同地理居群和不同个体的精子形态相同,仅长度略有变化,本文结果与形态学研究结果基本相吻合,可为该属     

新疆博格达山北坡表土花粉散布特征

基于博格达山北坡68个表土样品花粉组合特征,对比植物群落样方调查结果,借助聚类分析、主成分分析方法,探讨了表土花粉组合与现代植被分布的关系。研究表明,(1)博格达山北坡表土花粉可划归5个不同植被带,湿度是影响其分布的主要因素,藜科(Chenopodiaceae)、蒿属(Artemisia)、云杉属(Picea)花粉分布受气流影响显著,忽略它们对其他植被带花粉组合的干扰,表土花粉与现代植被分布对应良好。各植被带均有其特有的花粉组合方式,山地荒漠带藜科-蒿属组合占绝对优势,山地草原带演替为蒿属-藜科-禾本科(Poaceae)-蔷薇科(Rosaceae)组合,山地森林带以云杉属-桦木属(Betula)-蒿属-藜科-禾本科为主,高山草甸带以蒿属-云杉属-藜科-莎草科(Cyperaceae)组合为特征,高山垫状植被带表现为蒿属-藜科-蔷薇科-云杉属组合。(2)草本植物花粉含量(62.7%)优势明显,乔、灌木(37.3%)次之。蒿属(23.1%)、藜科(21.5%)、云杉属(18.1%)、莎草科(9.4%)、禾本科(8.6%)、桦木属(5.7%)、蔷薇科(5.3%)等科(属)含量高、变幅大,为最主要的花粉类型,可作为古气候研究的重要依据,藜科、蒿属产量大、易传播,表现出超代表性,云杉属代表性较好,莎草科则受自身结构及保存条件等多重因素影响呈低代表性。(3)蒿属/藜科(A/C)比值不仅能将山地荒漠带、山地草原带区分开,还能指示研究区域湿度变化,古环境重建时可作为区域有效湿度的代用指标。     

中国后生耳蕨组和新生耳蕨组（耳蕨属）的叶表皮解剖研究

利用光学显微镜对国产耳蕨属后生耳蕨组和新生耳蕨组３１个种４０个样品成熟叶表皮的细胞的形态特征的研究结果表明，后生耳蕨组和新生耳蕨组植物的气孔均分布在叶片下表皮，为气孔多形型，气孔基本类型有四细胞型和极型两种；气孔的类型、大小、气孔指数、表皮细胞形状等有一定的稳定性，可以作为后生耳蕨组和新生耳蕨组植物系统与分类研究的依据之一．     

长期定位施肥下紫色土土壤微形态特征

通过对紫色土长期定位施肥下不同施肥处理0～20 cm耕层土壤微形态特征的研究,试图说明施肥对紫色土微形态的影响.用单偏光显微镜对不同处理的土壤微形态进行了观察与分析.结果表明:长期不施肥料的CK处理,土壤耕层结构致密,很少有孔隙发育,土壤微结构为结构较差的碎屑聚积状-沙粒聚积状;长期单施化学肥料,土壤颗粒未形成结构体,少孔隙,土壤微结构主要为斑晶胶凝状-细沙粒聚积状结构,土壤结构比CK处理优;长期施用有机肥或有机无机肥料配施的处理,土壤粗颗粒数量显著增加,结构疏松,孔隙量大,动、植物残体丰富,有铁锰结核和腐殖质的形成和微团聚体的发育,土壤微结构类型以MNPK处理最好,为胶凝紧实状-多孔状结构.有机无机肥料配施能显著改良紫色土的结构,培肥土壤,实现土壤可持续发展.     

Safe betting: males help dull females only when they raise high-quality offspring

In evolutionary biology, whether parents should enhance or reduce parental care according to mate ornamentation is a subject of great debate. However, the evolution of female ornaments can shed light on this question. In theory, female ornamentation should be traded off against fecundity and thus cannot be wholly informative to males without a direct indication of fecundity. Hence, direct cues of offspring quality should affect the relationship between male investment and female ornamentation. Under this hypothesis, we manipulated two direct cues of offspring quality (egg size and color) after first egg laying in the blue-footed booby and registered male incubation patterns. In this species, foot color is a dynamic signal of current condition and in females is traded off with egg size. We found that males spent more time incubating when paired with dull females but only in nests with large eggs. Males also spent less time incubating small dull eggs. Results indicate that egg size, a direct cue of reproductive value, affected the relationship between male effort and female ornamentation. Males may be willing to help females that have invested in offspring at the expense of ornamentation, which suggests compensation when females are in low condition. Another possibility is that males relax their effort when paired with highly ornamented and fecund females because they have high parenting abilities. Our findings suggest that the information conveyed by female ornaments may depend on direct cues of fecundity. Results also highlight that parental decisions are complex, modulated by a combination of information sources.     

Predator detection and avoidance: Ornamentation of tube-caps of Diopatra spp. (Polychaeta: Onuphidae)

One strategy for predator avoidance involves the creation of a structural refuge. Onuphid polychaetes characteristically ornament above-sediment portions of their tubes (=tube-caps) with shell and algal debris. These species feed on the sediment surface through an opening in the tube-cap, and thus the ability to detect a surface predator while feeding would be advantageous. An investigation of the function of the ornamentation in Diopatra spp. suggests that ornamentation facilitates predator detection and avoidance. Three intensities of mechanical disturbance were applied directly to D. ornata tube-caps. When ornamented tube-caps were stimulated, the response of worms to the three intensities were significantly different, and increased in duration with greater intensities. In contrast, when no ornamentation was present, the responses were not significantly different, and were similar to the low-intensity response when ornamentation was present. This suggests that ornamentation should allow a worm to distinguish between harmful (high intensity due to mobile epifaunal predators) and profitable (low intensity due to drift algae) disturbances, and furthermore, worms with ornamented tube-caps should be more successful in escaping surface predators. Densities of intertidal populations of D. cuprea at Tom's Cove, Virginia, USA, correlated with the amount of tube ornamentation, consistent with this predator detection and avoidance hypothesis. Final tube-cap lengths of laboratory D. ornata and field D. cuprea were inversely related to the size of attached debris. When large debris was attached, cap formation ceased earlier and caps were shorter than when small debris or no debris was attached. Cryptic and food-catching functions would predict that highly ornamented tubes would be most advantageous, while only a few large debris would be required for disturbance transmission. Laboratory specimens showed no selectivity between 0.5 or 1.5 cm² shell; or 1.0 cm² or 3 to 8 cm² algae, and utilized shell and algae when available and according to relative abundance. Tube-caps of field specimens also showed positive correlations between shell attached and shell abundance in the local sediment. While such lack of selectivity may enhance cryptic properties of the tube-cap, it is argued that conditions seldom exist which would permit selectivity of debris size or of specific material. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that ornamentation functions as a created refuge for predator detection and avoidance and further suggest that the availability of ornamental debris in the environment indirectly can affect these species' distributions and abundances.     

Postcopulatory sexual selection favours intrinsically good sperm competitors

We used guppies to study repeatability in sperm competitiveness and postcopulatory sexual selection on male ornamentation. In a block design involving 25 pairs of males, artificial insemination was used to mate each pair (A and B) to four unrelated females—two that were mated with the combined ejaculates of both males (sperm-competition treatment) and two receiving sperm from each of the two males individually (single-male treatment). Our analysis revealed significantly repeatable patterns of paternity across females in the sperm-competition treatment, suggesting that certain males are intrinsically better sperm competitors than others, irrespective of female identity. Next, we compared mean brood success (number of offspring per brood) between sperm competition and single-male treatments. We found no significant effect of treatment on female fecundity, suggesting that the previously reported direct benefits of polyandry in this species may be due to factors such as differential maternal effects or differences in the number of inseminated sperm between treatments. Our artificial insemination assay was designed to control both factors. Finally, we determined whether variation in relative paternity was random with respect to male phenotype. Unlike previous work on Trinidadian populations, we found no significant relationship between male sexual ornamentation and sperm competitiveness in the focal population.     

Leg ornamentation and the efficacy of courtship display in four species of wolf spider (Araneae: Lycosidae)

This study used both correlative and experimental video playback methods to test the hypothesis that the secondary sexual traits of male wolf spiders act to increase the efficacy of visual courtship displays. Direct observations of courtship of several lycosid genera and a review of the literature revealed a significant association between ornamentation and visual courtship displays. This suggests that the ornamentation may be playing the role of amplifier for a visual display. To test this hypothesis, male courtship behaviors of four Schizocosa species were experimentally manipulated using video-imaging techniques. Females of species with non-visually displaying, non-ornamented males (Schizocosa duplex and S. uetzi) did not increase in frequency of receptivity when tufts were added to conspecific males. In a species with a visual display and foreleg pigmentation (S. stridulans), the addition of foreleg tufts increased female receptivity. In a tufted species (S. crassipes), females tended to decrease their receptivity when male ornamentation was completely removed. In visually displaying species, ornamentation acts to increase female receptivity, supporting its role as an amplifier of a visual display. Received: 29 December 1997 / Received in revised form: 23 October 1999 / Accepted: 13 December 1999     

The dominance of seismic signaling and selection for signal complexity in Schizocosa multimodal courtship displays

Schizocosa wolf spiders show tremendous diversity in courtship complexity, with different species employing varying numbers of components within and across sensory modalities. Using a comparative approach, we investigate the importance of each signaling modality in the courtship display of five Schizocosa species (three stridulating and two drumming) by assessing mating success under manipulated signaling environments. Irrespective of the degree of male ornamentation, the three stridulating species exhibit a dependence on the seismic, but not visual, signaling environment for mating success. Mating was independent of signaling environment for the two drumming species. We next ask whether the degree to which each species depends upon a signaling modality for mating (i.e., modality importance) is correlated with the estimated modality-specific signal complexity. We first calculate effect sizes for the influence of seismic versus visual signaling environments on the likelihood to mate for ten Schizocosa species and then use an element-counting approach to calculate seismic and visual signal complexity scores. We use a phylogenetic regression analysis to test two predictions: (1) the importance of seismic signaling is correlated with seismic signal complexity and (2) the importance of visual signaling is correlated with visual signal complexity. We find a significant relationship between visual signal importance and visual signal complexity, but no relationship between seismic signal importance and seismic signal complexity. Finally, we test the hypothesis that selection acts on complexity per se by determining whether seismic and visual signal complexity is correlated across species. We find support for this hypothesis in a significant relationship between seismic and visual signal complexity.     

Costs and benefits of capsaicin-mediated control of gut retention in dispersers of wild chilies

A fundamental way in which animal-dispersed plants can influence the viability and distribution of dispersed seeds is through control of retention time in the guts of dispersers. Using two species of wild chilies and their dispersers, we examined how chemical and physical properties of fruits and seeds mediate this interaction. Capsicum chacoense is polymorphic for pungency, occurs in Bolivia, and is dispersed mostly by elaenias. Capsicum annuum is not polymorphic, occurs in Arizona (USA), and is dispersed mostly by thrashers. We first tested whether capsaicin, the substance responsible for the pungency of chilies, affects gut retention time of seeds in primary dispersers. Capsaicin slowed gut passage of seeds but did so in a manner that differed greatly between bird species because the constipative effects of capsaicin occurred only after an 80-minute time lag. Elaenias in Bolivia held only 6% of C. chacoense seeds for > 80 minutes, whereas thrashers in Arizona held 78% of C. annuum seeds for > 80 minutes. Next we examined the effects of retention time on seed viability and germination. Increased retention resulted in a greater proportion of seeds germinating in C. annuum, had no effects on non-pungent C. chacoense, and had negative effects on pungent C. chacoense. These divergent effects are explained by differences in seed coat morphology: seed coats of pungent C. chacoense are 10-12% thinner than those of the other two types of seeds. Thus, longer retention times damaged seeds with the thinnest seed coats. In C. annuum, seed viability remained high regardless of retention time, but germination increased with retention, suggesting a role for scarification. Thus, in C. annuum, fruit chemistry appears well matched with seed morphology and disperser physiology: capsaicin extends gut retention for most seeds, resulting in greater seed scarification and higher germination rates. Increased retention of pungent C. chacoense seeds is detrimental, but because the primary consumers have short retention times, capsaicin slows only a small proportion of seeds, minimizing negative effects. These results illustrate the importance of context in studies of fruit secondary metabolites. The same chemical can have different impacts on plant fitness depending on its morphological, physiological, and ecological context.     

Seed trait changes in dispersers' guts and consequences for germination and seedling growth

The effectiveness of a frugivore as a disperser of a plant is greatly determined by how fruits and seeds are handled in its mouth and its digestive tract. Although a number of studies have investigated the effect of avian ingestion on germination, we still know very little about the modifications to seeds during ingestion and the specific consequences on plant fitness. Here we investigate for the first time the different mechanisms by which germination patterns of seeds are modified following ingestion by frugivores. Specifically, we examine changes in seed mass, water content, permeability, seed coat thickness, texture, and resistance in two common Mediterranean fleshy-fruited plants, Phillyrea angustifolia and Myrtus communis, after ingestion by Eurasian Blackbirds, Turdus merula. We found a number of differences between the plant species: Phillyrea seeds lost mass, mainly due to water loss, and had thinner coats after gut passage, but Myrtus seeds did not. Seeds of both species showed increased permeability, while Myrtus seeds in particular became less resistant to breakage. No quantifiable changes in seed coat texture were detected in either species, although this trait was partly associated with differences in germination rate in Phillyrea. High intraspecific plant variation was found for most seed traits measured. Seed passage through birds' guts sped up germination in both species, especially in Myrtus. Increased permeability in seeds of both species following ingestion resulted in a higher germination rate. Moreover, seeds with thick coats (and in the case of Phillyrea, harder coats) germinated at a slower rate and produced seedlings that also grew more slowly, indicating a cost of coat thickness and/or hardness for seedling emergence. Results obtained here contribute to explaining the great heterogeneity in germination responses among and within plant species and the large variety of factors, both intrinsic and extrinsic to the plants, that influence such responses.     

A field test of the Hamilton–Zuk hypothesis in the Trinidadian guppy (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Poecilia reticulata</Emphasis>)

The Hamilton–Zuk hypothesis proposes that females prefer male secondary sexual traits because they are honest indicators of parasite resistance. Despite the attention that this hypothesis has received, its role in sexual selection remains equivocal. This study presents the first field test in guppies of two key predictions of the Hamilton–Zuk hypothesis: (1) that within populations, the most highly ornamented males have the fewest parasites and (2) that among populations, males in high parasite populations have the most conspicuous ornaments. Five hundred male guppies from 19 distinct populations in the Northern Range of Trinidad were inspected for Gyrodactylus parasites and photographed. Eight measures of orange spot ornamentation were used to test the predictions: hue, saturation, lightness, relative area, number, and area-weighted hue, saturation, and lightness. Parasite load had no significant effect on any of these measures. There was also no relationship between orange spot ornamentation and parasite abundance among populations. Guppies from high-predation environments had significantly more parasites, and their orange coloration was lighter and less saturated than that in guppies from low-predation environments. Despite previous lab results, this study found no relationship between parasite load and male orange spot ornamentation.     

Ornamentation predicts reproductive success in female pipefish

In the sex-role reversed pipefish Syngnathus typhle females compete for access to males and males are choosy. Females develop a temporary ornament when competing over mates with other females and when performing nuptial dances with males. This ornament is an amplification of the normal striped pattern in these fishes. We here show experimentally that (1) the contrast of this normal pattern forecasts the extent to which the ornament is shown, (2) contrast and ornamentation honestly signal female quality (egg numbers), (3) contrast and ornamentation accurately predict female mating success, (4) contrast is a phenotypically plastic trait specifically exaggerated under situations of female – female competition, and (5) neither contrast nor ornament are energetically expensive to the females (i.e., they are independent of short-term nutritional status). Hence, as predicted in sex-role reversed species, ornament design is constrained by costs to female fecundity: an energetically demanding ornament would impair on a female's ability to produce eggs. The type of ornament described here is the expected one, costly for reasons other than being energetically expensive to produce. Received: 4 April 1996 / Accepted after revision: 27 October 1996