The role of the egg jelly coat in protecting<Emphasis Type="Italic">Hyla regilla</Emphasis> and<Emphasis Type="Italic">Bufo canorus</Emphasis> embryos from ultraviolet B radiation during development

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have suggested that Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation may play a role in amphibian population declines. Some of these studies also indicate that egg hatching success is unaltered in some species of anurans as a result of UVB exposure. It has been proposed that the egg mass jelly provides photoprotection to the developing embryos. METHODS: Direct spectrophotometric scans of egg jelly, scans of egg jelly methanol extracts, and experimental manipulation in a solar simulator during development were all used to assess the role of egg mass jelly as a photoprotective agent. RESULTS/DISCUSSION: For Hyla regilla, scans of egg jelly and methanolic extracts (for mycosporine-like amino acid content) both displayed no absorption in the UV range. Experimental manipulation (removal of egg mass jelly) with both Hyla regilla and Bufo canorus egg masses in a solar simulator demonstrated that egg mass jelly played no apparent role in photoprotection of either of these species. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results in this study it seems unlikely that the egg jelly coat is playing a crucial role in protecting developing embryos from the impact of UVB radiation.     

利用休止细胞法选择性脱除燃料油中有机硫

红球菌(Rhodococcus sp .)FS-1菌株能通过专一性断裂C—S键的途径脱除二苯并噻吩 (DBT)中的有机硫作为自身生长需要的硫源 ,从而降低油品中的硫含量 .本文利用该菌的休止细胞对DBT和柴油的脱硫活力进行了研究 .结果表明 ,该菌株对DBT及柴油中的有机硫均有良好的选择性脱除作用 .DBT浓度为0.5～1.0mmol/L、油水比例为 1:5时 ,脱硫效果最佳 .采用二次脱硫法可使柴油脱硫率达85%以上 ,证明FS-1能有效脱除柴油中的有机硫 .烃质组分的气相色谱分析表明 ,FS-1作用前后的柴油烃类组分基本没有改变 ,说明该菌的脱硫作用是特异性针对硫原子的 ,不会破坏柴油的有效成分 .     

双酚A对萼花臂尾轮虫生殖的影响

应用生态毒理学研究方法,研究了不同浓度双酚A(BPA)对萼花臂尾轮虫生殖的影响,内容包括:2d的种群增长率(r),3d的混交雌体数/非混交雌体数(MF/AF)、混交率(MR)、雄体数/雌体数(M/F)、携卵雌体数/非携卵雌体数(OF/NOF)、受精率(FR),7d的休眠卵产量(RE)及2d的休眠卵孵化率(HR).结果显示,与对照组相比,BPA 0.5mg/L及以上浓度显著降低轮虫2d的r值(0.83~0.86);BPA对轮虫3d的M/F及OF/NOF无显著影响;但BPA 0.25~1.0mg/L显著降低MF/AF、MR, BPA 0.125mg/L及以上浓度显著降低FR(3.33%~15.33%)和RE(25.2~39.2ind/8mL); BPA 0.0625~1.0mg/L显著降低HR(8.0%~22.0%).因此,既然BPA对测试的轮虫生殖具有负面影响,为保护浮游动物,其在自然水体中浓度必须监控.     

Pigment allocation to eggs decreases plasma antioxidants in a songbird

Although evidence is accumulating on the adaptive function of female ornamentation, very little is known about maternal allocation decisions involving sexual signaling and other reproductive functions. Blue egg coloration has been suggested as a sexually selected signal of female quality to males, and some recent studies are in accordance with this hypothesis. Blue eggshell coloration results from the deposition of biliverdin pigment by laying females, which is a potent antioxidant. Thus, egg pigmentation should be costly in terms of antioxidants, an assumption of the signaling hypothesis that has not been tested yet. We induced increased reproductive effort in a set of female pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca through nest removal and measured egg pigmentation and plasma antioxidant levels in relation with a control group. Experimental females showed a negative association between egg color and plasma antioxidant levels, while there was no relationship for control birds. This supports that egg pigmentation is costly in terms of general antioxidant defenses and suggests a tradeoff between the allocations to both traits. Furthermore, experimental females with more colorful eggs raised more fledglings, especially when breeding early. Controls did not show a relationship between egg color and reproductive success. Females laying more colorful eggs could have shifted their allocation decisions towards current reproduction, at the expense of their own antioxidant defenses. Our results highlight that blue egg coloration is a life-history trait, subject to tradeoffs with other attributes, and seems to be especially informative under harsh breeding conditions.     

PERIVITELLINE pH OF SALMONIDE EGGS IN RELATION TO AMBIENT pH1

ABSTRACT: Eggs from salmon and brown trout were reared at 6 pH levels in the pH range 4.1–7.5. By micropuncture, the pH of the perivitelline fluid (PVF) was measured at different stages of development with an antimony microelectrode system. The pH of the PVF falls with decreased pH of the ambient media, although no point of equilibrium was found at the lower pH levels. When eggs were reared at pH levels 4.1–4.7, the pH of the PVF in salmon eggs was 0.4 units above the ambient media, while that in trout eggs was 1.0 pH units above. Decreased pH of the PVF during the later, actively ion accumulation, embryonic stages will subject the embryos to ion regulating stresses similar to those registered for adult fishes.     

Reduction of recruitment of Acartia pacifica nauplii from benthic resting eggs due to organochlorine pesticides

Many estuarine and coastal planktonic copepods depend on the hatching of benthic resting eggs for recruitment ofnauplii to the water column population. The potential effects of two organochlorine pesticides, hexchloriobinzene （HCH） and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane （DDT）, on the recruitment of A ccu＇tla pacifica nauplii from benthic resting eggs in the seabed of Xiamen Bay were experimentally investigated. The abundance of A. pacifica nauplii hatched from the sediment significantly decreased with the increase of pesticide concentration. Trimmed Spearman-Karber analysis gave sediment 96-h LC50 values were 84.81 ng/g for HCH, and 157.94 ng/g for DDT. The median AI （Al50） was -0.77, which suggested that the combined effect of riCH and DDT showed a weak effect than individual effects. There was a positive relationship between mortality and exposure time in DDT treatment, while the relationship was not significant in HCH treatment. The results suggest that organochlorine pesticides can reduce recruitment of A. pacifica nauplii from benthic resting eggs to planktonic population.     

Heavy metal exposure reduces hatching success of Acartia pacifica resting eggs in the sediment

The potential effects of three heavy metals （Cu, Pb, and Cd） on hatching success ofAcartia pacifica resting eggs in the sediment of Xiamen Bay were experimentally investigated. The number ofA. pacifica nauplii hatched from the sediment sharply decreased with the increase of metal concentration and exposure time from 3 to 30 d. An increase of the Cu concentration from 34.8 to 348 mg/kg, reduced the number of hatched nauplii by 46.6%-100%. An increase of the Pb concentration from 75.2 to 752 mg/kg, reduced the number of hatched nauplii by 21.4%-78.9%. An increase of the Cd concentration from 0.68 to 6.8 mg/kg, reduced the number of hatched nauplii by 31.6%-94.7%. The number of nauplii also significantly decreased with the increase of mixed-metal concentration and exposure time in the mixed-metal test. Trimmed Spearman-Karber analysis gave sediment metal 72-h LC50 values of 1.25 mmol Cu/kg, 1.73 mmol Pb/kg, and 0.054 mmol Cd/kg, which suggested that Cd was the most toxic to A. pacifica resting eggs in the three tested metals. The results indicate that heavy metals with higher concentrations can reduce recruitment of A. pacifica nauplii from benthic resting eggs to planktonic population.