High genetic diversity of the symbiotic dinoflagellates in the coral Pocillopora meandrina from the South Pacific

Symbioses between dinoflagellates in the genus Symbiodinium (commonly referred to as zooxanthellae) and scleractinian corals are an essential feature for the maintenance of coral reefs. The fine-scale diversity and population structure of the zooxanthellae inhabiting the coral Pocillopora meandrina, a major reef building species in Polynesia, was examined. We used two polymorphic microsatellites to study seven populations from the South Pacific, whose host structuring has been previously investigated. The symbionts of P. meandrina showed high levels of diversity, with more than one zooxanthella genotype being identified in most of the host individuals. Genetic differentiation between symbiont populations was detected at a large scale (2,000 km) between the Tonga and the Society Archipelagos. Within the Society Archipelago, the two most remote populations (Tahiti and Bora-Bora; 200 km apart) were only weakly differentiated from each other. Statistical tests demonstrated that the symbiont genetic structure was not correlated with that of its host, suggesting that dispersal of the symbionts, whether they are transported within a host larva or free in the water, depends mainly on distance and water currents. In addition, the data suggests that hosts may acquire new symbionts after maternal transmission, possibly following a disturbance event. Lastly, the weak differentiation between symbiont populations of P. verrucosa and P. meandrina, both from Moorea, indicated that there was some host-symbiont fine-scale specificity detectable at the genetic resolution offered by microsatellites.     

Olfactory cues,genetic relatedness and female mate choice in the agile antechinus (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Antechinus agilis</Emphasis>)

Females show mate preferences for males that are genetically dissimilar to themselves in a variety of taxa, but how females choose these males is not clearly understood. In this study, we examined the effects of olfactory stimuli and genetic relatedness on female mate choice in a small carnivorous marsupial, the agile antechinus (Antechinus agilis), during two breeding seasons. Captive female antechinus in oestrus were provided with a combination of male urine and body scent from two novel males, one more genetically similar and one more dissimilar to the females, in a Y-maze olfactometer. Genetic relatedness between females and pairs of males was determined using highly polymorphic, species-specific, microsatellite markers. Females consistently chose to visit the scents of males that were genetically dissimilar to themselves first, spent significantly more time near the source of those scents and showed more sexual and non-exploratory behaviours near those scents. These data demonstrate that chemosensory cues are important in mate choice in the agile antechinus and that females prefer males that are genetically dissimilar to themselves.     

High degree of polyandry in Apis dorsata queens detected by DNA microsatellite variability

Workers of six colonies of the giant honeybee Apis dorsata from Sabah, Malaysia (five colonies) and Java (one colony) were genotyped using single locus DNA fingerprinting. The colonies from Sabah nested in colony aggregations of 5 and 28 nests respectively on two trees. Three DNA microsatellite loci (A14, A76, A88) with a total of 27 alleles provided sufficient genetic variability to classify the workers into distinct sub-families revealing the degree of polyandry of the queens. Queens mated on average with 30.17 ± 5.98 drones with a range from 19 to 53. The average effective number of matings per queen was 25.56 ± 11.63. In the total sample of 192 workers, 22 individuals were found that were not offspring of the colony's queen. Three of these were potentially drifted offspring workers from genotyped queens of colonies nesting on the same tree.     

Use of genetic algorithms to select input variables in decision tree models for the prediction of benthic macroinvertebrates

Predicting freshwater organisms based on machine learning is becoming more and more reliable due to the availability of appropriate datasets, advanced modelling techniques and the continuously increasing capacity of computers. A database consisting of measurements collected at 360 sampling sites in non-navigable watercourses in Flanders was applied to predict the absence/presence of benthic macroinvertebrate taxa by means of decision trees. The measured variables were a combination of physical–chemical (temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen concentration, conductivity, total organic carbon, Kjeldahl nitrogen and total phosphorus), structural (granulometric analysis of the sediment, width, depth and flow velocity of the river) and two ecotoxicological variables. The predictive power of decision trees was assessed on the basis of the number of Correctly Classified Instances (CCI). A genetic algorithm was introduced to compare the predictive power of different sets of input variables for the decision trees. The number of input variables was reduced from 15 to 2–8 variables without affecting the predictive power of the decision trees significantly. Furthermore, reducing the number of input variables allowed to ease the identification of general data trends.     

云南粳稻耐低磷特性的主基因加多基因遗传分析

磷高效水稻培育是提高土壤潜在磷利用效率的一种途径,通过对云南粳稻耐低磷特性的主基因加多基因遗传分析,可以明确耐低磷特性主基因的存在、对数及遗传效应的大小,为磷高效育种提供理论依据。本试验通过云南主栽粳稻品种合系35(Oryza sativa)与耐低磷极强早旱谷(Oryza sativa)配制P1、P2、F1、F2或F3世代,在云南省农科院进行低磷胁迫试验,对耐低磷鉴定和主基因加多基因联合遗传分析,结果表明:早旱谷的分蘖和株穗产量基因受两对主效基因 多基因相互配合遗传控制的,两对主基因间存在上位性效应,两主基因间效应差异较大。分蘖力F2主基因遗传率为58.82%~72.13%,F3主基因遗传率为45.88%~57.96%;株穗产量F2主基因遗传率60.94%~83.08%,F3主基因遗传率为62.20%~75.80%。因此育种中应当充分重视主基因的利用,利用主基因应以第一对主基因的加性效应为主,对后代耐低磷性状的选择宜从F2代开始,杂交的后期世代也要注意耐性的选择。     

Optimisation algorithms for spatially constrained forest planning

We compared genetic algorithms, simulated annealing and hill climbing algorithms on spatially constrained, integrated forest planning problems. There has been growing interest in algorithms that mimic natural processes, such as genetic algorithms and simulated annealing. These algorithms use random moves to generate new solutions, and employ a probabilistic acceptance/rejection criterion that allows inferior moves within the search space. Algorithms for a genetic algorithm, simulated annealing, and random hill climbing are formulated and tested on a same-sample forest-planning problem where the adjacency rule is strictly enforced. Each method was randomly started 20 times and allowed to run for 10,000 iterations. All three algorithms identified good solutions (within 3% of the highest found), however, simulated annealing consistently produced superior solutions. Simulated annealing and random hill climbing were approximately 10 times faster than the genetic algorithm because only one solution needs to be modified at each iteration. Performance of simulated annealing was essentially independent of the starting point, giving it an important advantage over random hill climbing. The genetic algorithm was not well suited to the strict adjacency problem because considerable computation time was necessary to repair the damage caused during crossover.     

Seasonal polydomy and unicoloniality in a polygynous population of the red wood ant Formica truncorum

Ant colonies may have a single or several reproductive queens (monogyny and polygyny, respectively). In polygynous colonies, colony reproduction may occur by budding, forming multinest, polydomous colonies. In most cases, budding leads to strong genetic structuring within populations, and positive relatedness among nestmates. However, in a few cases, polydomous populations may be unicolonial, with no structuring and intra-nest relatedness approaching zero. We investigated the spatial organisation and genetic structure of a polygynous, polydomous population of Formica truncorum in Finland. F. truncorum shifts nest sites between hibernation and the reproductive season, which raises the following question: are colonies maintained as genetic entities throughout the seasons, or is the population unicolonial throughout the season? Using nest-specific marking and five microsatellite loci, we found a high degree of mixing between individuals of the population, and no evidence for a biologically significant genetic structuring. The nestmate relatedness was also indistinguishable from zero. Taken together, the results show that the population is unicolonial. In addition, we found that the population has undergone a recent bottleneck, suggesting that the entire population may have been founded by a very limited number of females. The precise causes for unicoloniality in this species remain open, but we discuss the potential influence of intra-specific competition, disintegration of recognition cues and the particular hibernation habits of this species.     

Effects of intracolony variability in behavioral development on plasticity of division of labor in honey bee colonies

There is a genetic component to plasticity in age polyethism in honey bee colonies, such that workers of some genotypes become precocious foragers more readily than do workers of other genotypes, in colonies lacking older bees. Using colonies composed of workers from two identifiable genotype groups, we determined that intracolony differences in the likelihood of becoming a precocious forager are a consequence of differences in rates of behavioral development that are also evident under conditions leading to normal development. An alternative hypothesis, that differences in the likelihood of becoming a precocious forager are due to differences in general sensitivity to altered colony conditions, was not supported. In three out of three trials, workers from the genotype group that was more likely to exhibit precocious foraging in single cohort colonies also foraged at relatively younger ages in colonies in which workers exhibited normal behavioral development. In contrast, in three out of three trials, workers from the genotype group that was more likely to exhibit precocious foraging in single-cohort colonies did not show disproportionately more overaged nursing in colonies in which workers exhibited delayed development. These results indicate that genotypic differences in plasticity in age-related division of labor are based on genotypic differences in rates of behavioral development.     

Attitudes toward abortion for fetal anomaly in the second vs. the third trimester: A survey of Parisian obstetricians

Cross-cultural differences exist in prenatal diagnosis and abortion for fetal anomaly, stemming from variations in laws, reimbursement policies, litigation, physicians' decision-making authority, and attitudes toward the prevention of handicaps. The first part of this paper discusses such differences in France and the U.S. The second part describes a survey of practising obstetricians in Paris, designed to assess (1) their attitudes toward pregnancy termination for various conditions, (2) their concern about fetal viability, (3) their desire for diagnostic certainty before justifying a late abortion, and (4) their perceived role in such decision-making. Among the 64.8 per cent (N = 217) who responded, the majority supported third-trimester termination (TTT) for diseases such as spina bifida, trisomy 21 , microcephaly, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy; 30–59 per cent supported TTT for cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease; and 22–29 per cent supported TTT for haemophilia, tetralogy of Fallot, limb amputation, and Turner and Klinefelter syndromes. Obstetricians who approved of abortion across trimesters were less concerned with the certainty of diagnosis than its severity, more likely to think that abortion ought to be the parents' choice, but more likely to report making a recommendation to the parents about whether to abort a fetus. Such permissive abortion attitudes might imply more permissive prenatal diagnosis and abortion practice among Parisian obstetricians, which might lead to increased migration of patients from other E.C. countries. Cross-cultural variation in obstetric practice suggests that an international registry of pregnancies terminated for medical reasons, enabling further study of this issue, would be valuable.