Genetic structure of Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico populations of sea bass,menhaden, and sturgeon: Influence of zoogeographic factors and life-history patterns

To assess the influence of zoogeographic factors and life-history parameters (effective population size, generation length, and dispersal) on the evolutionary genetic structure of marine fishes in the southeastern USA, phylogeographic patterns of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) were compared between disjunct Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico populations in three coastal marine fishes whose juveniles require an estuarine or freshwater habitat for development. Black sea bass (Centropristis striata), menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus andB. patronus) and sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrhynchus) samples were collected between 1986 and 1988. All species showed significant haplotype frequency differences between the Atlantic and Gulf, but the magnitude and distribution of mtDNA variation differed greatly among these taxa: sea bass showed little within-region mtDNA polymorphism and a clear phylogenetic distinction between the Atlantic and Gulf; menhaden showed extensive within-region polymorphism and a paraphyletic relationship between Atlantic and Gulf populations; and sturgeon exhibited very low mtDNA diversity both within regions and overall. Evolutionary effective sizes of the female populations (N _f (e)) estimated from the mtDNA data ranged fromN _f (e) = 50 (Gulf of Mexico sturgeon) toN _f (e) = 800 000 (Atlantic menhaden), and showed a strong rank-order agreement with the current-day census sizes of these species. The relationship betweenN _f (e) and the estimated times of divergence (t) among mtDNA lineages (from conventional clock calibrations) predicts the observed phylogenetic distinction between Atlantic and Gulf sea bass, as well as the paraphyletic pattern in menhaden, provided the populations have been separated by the same long-standing zoogeographic barriers thought to have influenced other coastal taxa in the southeastern USA. However, vicariant scenarios alone cannot explain other phylogenetic aspects of the menhaden (and sturgeon) mtDNA data and, for these species, recent gene flow between the Atlantic and Gulf coasts is strongly implicated. These data are relevant to management and conservation issues for these species.Please address all requests for reprints to Dr. J. C. Avise     

Does male harassment of females contribute to reproductive synchrony in the grey seal by affecting maternal performance?

We investigated the possibility that male harassment of lactating females differed in relation to time of birth in the grey seal, Halichoerus grypus, on Sable Island, Nova Scotia. This was done by comparing the frequency of male disturbances, maternal performance and pup growth for females that either gave birth during the peak of the pupping season or after the peak. Of the females, 58% gave birth in a 7-day period near the beginning of the pupping period, when the operational sex ratio was 2–4 females per male. Late in the pupping period the operational sex ratio reversed to about 1 female for every 2 males. The relative frequency of disturbances by males was significantly greater for late-pupping mothers than for peak-pupping ones (1.9 vs. 1.4 encounters/h). Females that gave birth late also were disturbed by males 3 times more often than females that gave birth during the peak (3.4 vs. 1.1 % of observation time). Late-pupping mothers spent 22% less time suckling (4.0 vs. 5.1 % of observation time), had 30% slower growing pups (1.7 vs. 2.4 kg/d), and weaned pups that were 16% lighter (45.6 vs. 54.0 kg). The effect of birth time on pup mass gain and weaning mass was not attributable to factors such as maternal mass, pup birth mass or pup sex. We conclude that the reduced maternal performance is likely the result of the increased male harassment. As reduced weaning mass can lead to reduced juvenile survival, male harassment may have contributed to the enhanced reproductive synchrony in this species.     

Phylogeography of two Atlantic squirrelfishes (Family Holocentridae): exploring links between pelagic larval duration and population connectivity

Genetic surveys of reef fishes have revealed high population connectivity within ocean basins, consistent with the assumption that pelagic larvae disperse long distances by oceanic currents. However, several recent studies have demonstrated that larval retention and self-recruitment may be higher than previously expected. To assess connectivity in tropical reef fishes, we contribute range-wide mtDNA surveys of two Atlantic squirrelfishes (family Holocentridae). The blackbar soldierfish, Myripristis jacobus, has a pelagic juvenile phase of about 58 days, compared to about 71 days (~22% longer) in the longjaw squirrelfish, Holocentrus ascensionis. If the pelagic duration is guiding dispersal ability, M. jacobus should have greater population genetic structure than H. ascensionis. In comparisons of mtDNA cytochrome b sequences from 69 M. jacobus (744 bp) and 101 H. ascensionis (769 bp), both species exhibited a large number of closely related haplotypes (h=0.781 and 0.974, π=0.003 and 0.006, respectively), indicating late Pleistocene coalescence of mtDNA lineages. Contrary to the prediction based on pelagic duration, M. jacobus has much less population structure (φ_ST=0.008, P=0.228) than H. ascensionis (φ_ST=0.091, P<0.001). Significant population partitions in H. ascensionis were observed between eastern, central and western Atlantic, and between Brazil and the Caribbean in the western Atlantic. These results, in combination with the findings from 13 codistributed species, indicate that pelagic larval duration is a poor predictor of population genetic structure in Atlantic reef fishes. A key to understanding this disparity may be the evolutionary depth among corresponding taxonomic groups of “reef fishes”, which extends back to the mid-Cretaceous and encompasses enormous diversity in ecology and life history. We should not expect a simple relationship between pelagic larval duration and genetic connectivity, among lineages that diverged 50–100 million years ago.     

Comparison of PM10 concentrations in high- and medium-volume samplers in a desert environment

The USEPA replaced TSP with PM₁₀ as the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for particulate matter. The commercially available PM₁₀ sampler is a high-volume model using quartz fiber filters. In certain investigations, such as source apportionment studies, chemical analysis of the filter is necessary, however, many analyses cannot be run on quartz filters. An alternate filter such as Teflon is amenable to XRF and ion chemical analyses but is not amenable to analysis for carbon. To overcome these problems DRI constructed a medium-volume PM₁₀ sampler that is capable of collecting particulates on both Teflon and quartz fiber filters simultaneously. This paper describes the design of the DRI medium-volume PM₁₀ sampler, discusses a method for determining equivalence of two samplers, the results of applying the method to test the equivalence of the medium-volume sampler and a commerical high-volume sampler, and examines differences between PM₁₀ and TSP measurements in a southwestern desert.     

旋风炉附烧处理后解毒铬渣的安定性研究

着重阐明了铬渣经旋风炉附烧及炉外水淬处理后生成的玻璃体粒化解毒渣的安定性问题。通过对解毒渣的物相结构、浸溶性和高温稳定性等试验分析，最终判明解毒渣在小于或等于５００℃条件下没有反玻璃化倾向，在自然环境中储放和用作建材，都是安定和安全的     

珠三角空气质量模拟关键不确定性来源识别

由于受到模型输入参数不确定性和模型结构不确定性的影响,利用大气化学传输模型模拟空气质量普遍存在偏差.对大气化学传输模型进行不确定性诊断分析、识别其关键不确定性来源是提高空气质量模拟的重要手段,本研究以珠三角为研究区域,利用HDDM-SRSM不确定性诊断方法量化了清单排放（SO₂、NO_x、VOCs和NH₃）、边界条件浓度和气象（风速和温度）等模型输入参数不确定性对空气质量模拟的影响.结果表明：SO₂、NO₂和O₃模拟受排放、边界条件和气象不确定性影响明显,其相对不确定性为15.19%~43.33%.在这些因素中,边界条件、风速和前体物（NO_x和VOCs）排放是O₃模拟的关键不确定性来源,但各因素不确定性贡献比例在昼夜存在明显差异.在夜间,风速不确定性对O₃模拟影响增大,其平均贡献比例上升至29.6%,表明改进风速模拟有助于改善夜间O₃模拟;在白天,NO_x和VOCs排放不确定性对O₃峰值浓度模拟影响增大,其平均贡献比例上升至32.26%,表明改进前体物排放模拟有助于提高白天O₃模拟准确性.不同于O₃,SO₂、NO₂模拟更容易受到排放不确定性的影响,尤其是垂直分配的不确定性.模拟与观测结果对比也表明,合理的烟囱参数设置可以降低源排放垂直分配不确定性,提高SO₂和NO₂的模拟效果.     

双肢剪力墙考虑剪切变形和转动惯量时的自振周期

剪力墙结构在水平振动时的自振周期是确定地震作用时首要的动力特性参数.以双肢剪力墙为例,按是否考虑剪切变形和转动惯量的影响分成两种方法,根据结构自由振动微分方程及其自振周期公式,计算比较了不同墙肢宽高比下两种方法的计算结果,分析了剪切变形和转动惯量对结构自振周期的影响.计算结果表明:考虑剪切变形和转动惯量时,双肢剪力墙结构自振周期增加,且随着振型的提高自振周期涨幅增大;当左右墙肢宽度相等,墙肢宽高比大于等于1/7、1/9和1/12时,相应地计算结构第一、第二和第三自振周期时不能忽略剪切变形和转动惯量的影响.     

混合填料应用于生物滴滤塔脱除SO2实验研究

作者运用生物技术从环境中分离筛选出对二氧化硫气体有较好降解作用的氧化亚铁硫杆菌作为降解菌,分别选用陶粒、活性炭、混合填料作为生物滴滤塔填料,进行脱除SO2气体的对比研究实验。结果表明,添加陶粒的活性炭混合填料在不降低活性炭填料塔脱硫效率的前提下,可以有效改善活性炭填料层的孔隙率,降低滴滤塔运行压降;随着入口浓度的增大,SO2的净化效率逐渐降低,在较短停留时间内,T.f菌不能有效利用喷淋液里的铁离子,双氧化系统不能有效运行,导致净化效果较差;在低喷淋密度时,随着喷淋密度的增加,净化效率随之增加,但当喷淋密度过大时,净化效率反而会逐渐降低。     

Endemism and dispersal: comparative phylogeography of three surgeonfishes across the Hawaiian Archipelago

To evaluate the hypothesis that a general correlation exists between species range size and dispersal ability, we surveyed mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence variation in three surgeonfish species with vastly different ranges: Ctenochaetus strigosus, Hawaiian endemic, N = 531; Zebrasoma flavescens, North Pacific, N = 560; Acanthurus nigrofuscus, Indo-Pacific, N = 305. Collections were made throughout the 2,500 km expanse of the Hawaiian Archipelago and adjacent Johnston Atoll. Analyses of molecular variance demonstrate that all three species are capable of maintaining population connectivity on a scale of thousands of km (all species global Φ_ST = NS). However, rank order comparison of pairwise Φ_ST results and Exact test P-values revealed modest but significantly different patterns of gene flow among the three species surveyed, with the degree of genetic structure increasing as range size decreases (P = 0.001). These results are consistent with mtDNA surveys of four additional Hawaiian reef fauna in which a wide-spread Indo-Pacific species exhibited genetic homogeneity across the archipelago, while three endemics had significant population subdivision over the same range. Taken together, these seven cases invoke the hypothesis that Hawaii’s endemic reef fishes evolved from species with reduced dispersal ability that, after initial colonization, could not maintain contact with parent populations. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.