Preliminary observations of a bacteriophage infectingXenorhabdus luminescens (Enterobacteriaceae)

A bacteriophage infective toXenorhabdus luminescens, a bacterial symbiont of heterorhabditid nematodes, was recovered from insects that supported poor nematode development. Plaque tests showed the phage particles to be infective only to primary and not secondary colonies ofX. luminescens. The phage was not infective toX. nenatophilus primaries or secondaries. The bacteriophage particles ranged 80–90 nm in length, with the head ranging from 40 to 50 nm in diameter. Restriction analysis was performed on isolated bacteriophage DNA. This first report of a bacteriophage fromXenorhabdus species has pratical implications since it could be detrimental to cultures ofHeterorhabditis nematodes that are being produced throughout the world for the biological control of insects.     

The range of life in amber: significance and implications in DNA studies

A survey of the major fossiliferous amber deposits is provided, including ages and various categories of life forms reported from each. The frequence of occurrence of the major groups of plants and animals in these amber deposits is also given. Thus far, DNA from four insect and one plant species has been extracted from amber fossils. In the case of the stingless bee in Dominican amber, evidence of reproducibility is provided, since two independent laboratories isolated DNA from six or more different specimens of the same insect.Amber sources for DNA studies are listed together with their advantages and disadvantages. The important points are the availability of desired pieces, the proper identification of the fossil, verification of the amber deposit, the cost involved, and the feasibility of causing damage to the specimen. The availability of several types of amber (Mexican, Dominican, Baltic, Chinese, Canadian, Siberian and Lebanese) at four major sources (academic collections, commercial dealers, private collections and amber mines) is discussed. The scientific implications of obtaining DNA from amber inclusions are presented.     

Mite parasitism of moths: Examples of paleosymbiosis in Dominican amber

Summary Two adult moths (families Gracillariidae and Tineidae) in Dominican amber each contained a pair of larval parasitic mites attached to their bodies. The larval mites were identified as belonging to the family Erythraeidae and represent the first fossil evidence of moths parasitized by mites. Phylogenic and evolutionary implications of this find are discussed in light of similar extant associations.     

Bdelloid rotifers in Dominican amber: Evidence for parthenogenetic continuity

Recently discovered representatives of the Class Bdelloidea from Tertiary amber from the Dominican Republic represent the oldest known fossils of the Phylum Rotifera. Assuming that the fossil bdelloids had a similar mode of reproduction as present day members of the Class (apomictic thelytoky), then contrary to current thought, some lines of parthenogenetic organisms are not doomed to an early extinction and have evolved built-in mechanisms for genetic diversity.     

Fossil habrotrochid rotifers in Dominican amber

Flask-shaped microfossils are reported from bracts of a moss in Eocene-Oligocene amber from the northern Dominican Republic. These microfossils are identical with the thecae of certain living moss-dwelling rotifers in the genusHabrotrocha (Bdelloidea), which have previously been reported as fossils only from Holocene peat. What may be an egg and a rotifer body fossil are associated with these thecae and further support the identification of these fossils withHabrotrocha; the fossils are almost identical to extantH. angusticollis. The parthenogenetic bdelloid rotifers have a longer evolutionary history than was previously thought; habrotrochid rotifers seem to have persisted for 35 million years with very little change in morphology or ecological role.     

A draft genome of Yersinia pestis from victims of the Black Death

Technological advances in DNA recovery and sequencing have drastically expanded the scope of genetic analyses of ancient specimens to the extent that full genomic investigations are now feasible and are quickly becoming standard. This trend has important implications for infectious disease research because genomic data from ancient microbes may help to elucidate mechanisms of pathogen evolution and adaptation for emerging and re-emerging infections. Here we report a reconstructed ancient genome of Yersinia pestis at 30-fold average coverage from Black Death victims securely dated to episodes of pestilence-associated mortality in London, England, 1348-1350. Genetic architecture and phylogenetic analysis indicate that the ancient organism is ancestral to most extant strains and sits very close to the ancestral node of all Y. pestis commonly associated with human infection. Temporal estimates suggest that the Black Death of 1347-1351 was the main historical event responsible for the introduction and widespread dissemination of the ancestor to all currently circulating Y. pestis strains pathogenic to humans, and further indicates that contemporary Y. pestis epidemics have their origins in the medieval era. Comparisons against modern genomes reveal no unique derived positions in the medieval organism, indicating that the perceived increased virulence of the disease during the Black Death may not have been due to bacterial phenotype. These findings support the notion that factors other than microbial genetics, such as environment, vector dynamics and host susceptibility, should be at the forefront of epidemiological discussions regarding emerging Y. pestis infections.     

Preliminary observations of a bacteriophage infecting Xenorhabdus luminescens (Enterobacteriaceae)

A bacteriophage infective to Xenorhabdus luminescens, a bacterial symbiont of heterorhabditid nematodes, was recovered from insects that supported poor nematode development. Plaque tests showed the phage particles to be infective only to primary and not secondary colonies of X. luminescens. The phage was not infective to X. nematophilus primaries or secondaries. The bacteriophage particles ranged 80-90 nm in length, with the head ranging from 40 to 50 nm in diameter. Restriction analysis was performed on isolated bacteriophage DNA. This first report of a bacteriophage from Xenorhabdus species has practical implications since it could be detrimental to cultures of Heterorhabditis nematodes that are being produced throughout the world for the biological control of insects.     

Hymenaea protera sp.n. (Leguminosae,Caesalpinioideae) from Dominican amber has African affinities

Hymenaea protera is described from amber originating from La Toca mine in the Dominican Republic. The fossil species is characterized by the presence of reduced petals as well as distinctly clawed showy petals with cordate to reniform bases and a glabrous, verrucose ovary with long hirsute hairs at its base and along one margin. The fossil species most closely resembles the extantH. verrucosa Gaertner which occurs in East Africa and adjacent islands. These findings are interpreted as supporting a hypothesis that the genusHymenaea arose in the late Cretaceous on the combined South American-African continents and that Cretaceous and early Tertiary landmass movements were significant in determining the present amphi-Atlantic distribution of the genus. It is proposed that at least the majority, if not all, of the amber recovered from La Toca mine and other mines in the vicinity with similar-aged deposits originated fromH. protera.     

A new antlion from Dominican amber (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae)

A new fossil species of antlion,Porrerus dominicanus is described from Dominican amber. Extant species ofPorrerus are found only in South America and Panama.A review of the current knowledge of fossil Myrmeleontidae is provided,     

英语写作中的主要干扰因素——汉语词语及句法

在导致英语写作时出现言语错误的各因素中母语的影响居为首位。而汉语对英语写作的干扰中以汉语的词语及句法的干扰较为突出。应使学生主动适应英语思维，有意识地避免母语的负迁移，不断提高英语写作能力。