Undesirable evolutionary consequences of trophy hunting

Phenotype-based selective harvests, including trophy hunting, can have important implications for sustainable wildlife management if they target heritable traits. Here we show that in an evolutionary response to sport hunting of bighorn trophy rams (Ovis canadensis) body weight and horn size have declined significantly over time. We used quantitative genetic analyses, based on a partly genetically reconstructed pedigree from a 30-year study of a wild population in which trophy hunting targeted rams with rapidly growing horns, to explore the evolutionary response to hunter selection on ram weight and horn size. Both traits were highly heritable, and trophy-harvested rams were of significantly higher genetic 'breeding value' for weight and horn size than rams that were not harvested. Rams of high breeding value were also shot at an early age, and thus did not achieve high reproductive success. Declines in mean breeding values for weight and horn size therefore occurred in response to unrestricted trophy hunting, resulting in the production of smaller-horned, lighter rams, and fewer trophies.     

Mutual mate choice in the Asiatic toad, Bufo gargarizans, exerts stabilizing selection on body size

Sexual selection is critical to both reproduction and evolution.The effects of male–male competition and female choice regarding body size have been examined in a large number of taxa,including toad species.Males and females have different optimal reproductive strategies,achieving breeding advantages in discrepant ways.Further,the relative contributions of intra-and inter-sexual size selection vary among species.Thus,to understand the mechanisms affecting mating success,it is important to consider both male–male and male–female interactions simultaneously and elucidate their interrelationship.In this study,we measured body sizes of all mated and unmated individuals in a population of Asiatic toad(Bufo gargarizans)and counted fertilized eggs of several clutches.Based on correlation and regression techniques,we tested for female choice and intra-sexual competition among males relative to body size gradients,and we compared the relative importance of these two processes for mating success.Our results reveal that male–male competition and female choice simultaneously contribute to sexual selection in toads.Furthermore,both interactions are most intense among smaller toads.The synergistic trends of male–male competition and female choice support the mutual mate choice hypothesis and works to stabilize body size in B.gargarizans.Normal distributions of breeding success relative to body size were detected for both sexes,suggesting that medium-sized individuals enjoy a reproductive advantage in the population studied.     

野生东方田鼠的实验动物化及标准的建立

摘要: 东方田鼠是重要的实验动物资源之一,本文总结了本实验室过去十几年来对东方田鼠进行的实验动物化工作,包括生物学性状、建群者与群体的有效大小、驯养、驯化( 实验动物化) 及进化动力等方面的研究以及实验动物化结果的评估和地方标准的制定。展望了以新一代基因组测序技术为基础进行的抗性基因的寻找与新品系的精细培育新方法的摸索。     

The buffer effect and large-scale population regulation in migratory birds

Buffer effects occur when sites vary in quality and fluctuations in population size are mirrored by large changes in animal numbers in poor-quality sites but only small changes in good-quality sites. Hence, the poor sites 'buffer' the good sites, a mechanism that can potentially drive population regulation if there are demographic costs of inhabiting poor sites. Here we show that for a migratory bird this process can apply on a country-wide scale with consequences for both survival and timing of arrival on the breeding grounds (an indicator of reproductive success). The Icelandic population of the black-tailed godwit, Limosa limosa islandica, wintering in Britain has increased fourfold since the 1970s (ref. 5) but rates of change within individual estuaries have varied from zero to sixfold increases. In accordance with the buffer effect, rates of increase are greater on estuaries with low initial numbers, and godwits on these sites have lower prey-intake rates, lower survival rates and arrive later in Iceland than godwits on sites with stable populations. The buffer effect can therefore be a major process influencing large-scale population regulation of migratory species.     

新型分子生物学技术在花卉定向育种中的应用进展

分子生物学技术可以提高花卉定向育种的效率和精准度,其中转基因技术是目前应用最广泛的花卉定向育种技术,基因编辑和高通量测序技术是近年来发展迅速的分子生物学技术。基于国内外研究现状,阐述了转基因和基因编辑技术在花色、花香、株型和抗性育种中的应用,以及高通量测序技术在花卉目标性状调控的分子机制研究、基因定位、分子标记开发方面助力花卉育种的研究进展。提出了利用新型分子生物学技术加快花卉定向育种进程的研究方向与建议,以期为定向培育出具有新奇花色、花香、花型、抗性的观赏植物新品种提供参考。     

The obscuration by dust of most of the growth of supermassive black holes

Supermassive black holes underwent periods of exponential growth during which we see them as quasars in the distant Universe. The summed emission from these quasars generates the cosmic X-ray background, the spectrum of which has been used to argue that most black-hole growth is obscured. There are clear examples of obscured black-hole growth in the form of 'type-2' quasars, but their numbers are fewer than expected from modelling of the X-ray background. Here we report the direct detection of a population of distant type-2 quasars, which is at least comparable in size to the well-known unobscured type-1 population. We selected objects that have mid-infrared and radio emissions characteristic of quasars, but which are faint at near-infrared and optical wavelengths. We conclude that this population is responsible for most of the black-hole growth in the young Universe and that, throughout cosmic history, black-hole growth occurs in the dusty, gas-rich centres of active galaxies.     

Non-adaptive origins of interactome complexity

The boundaries between prokaryotes, unicellular eukaryotes and multicellular eukaryotes are accompanied by orders-of-magnitude reductions in effective population size, with concurrent amplifications of the effects of random genetic drift and mutation. The resultant decline in the efficiency of selection seems to be sufficient to influence a wide range of attributes at the genomic level in a non-adaptive manner. A key remaining question concerns the extent to which variation in the power of random genetic drift is capable of influencing phylogenetic diversity at the subcellular and cellular levels. Should this be the case, population size would have to be considered as a potential determinant of the mechanistic pathways underlying long-term phenotypic evolution. Here we demonstrate a phylogenetically broad inverse relation between the power of drift and the structural integrity of protein subunits. This leads to the hypothesis that the accumulation of mildly deleterious mutations in populations of small size induces secondary selection for protein-protein interactions that stabilize key gene functions. By this means, the complex protein architectures and interactions essential to the genesis of phenotypic diversity may initially emerge by non-adaptive mechanisms.     

种群动态和遗传相关性研究进展

从空间和时间2个变化尺度上对种群动态反映在遗传结构、组成上的变化的研究进展作了总结．在空间尺度上,文献主要是从育种养殖、病虫害防治和珍稀濒危物种保护等方面进行研究,反映了在不同地理尺度（从不同的气候区到小的隔离生境）、不同海拔物种遗传组成的差异;在时间尺度上相应的文献较少,主要是通过研究在不同时间尺度上（昼夜变化,季节变化等）环境因子的变化对物种遗传组成的影响,并试图探究其影响机制．最后讨论了当前研究存在的一些不足和亟待解决的问题．     

分子标记辅助选择在植物育种中的应用与前瞻

植物育种项目包括两方面的重要工作，首先是确定育种材料中是否存在有用的遗传变异，其次是采用有效的方法把目标基因转移到品种中。分子育种包括分子标记辅助选择(MAS)和利用基因工程手段育种。选择是指在一个群体中选择符合需要的基因型，它是育种中最重要的环节之一。在传统育种中，选择的依据通常是表现型，从表现型推断基因型。表型选择对寡基因控制的质量性状较为有效，而时多基因控制的数量性状则效率不高。随着现代分子生物学的迅速发展，分子标记辅助选择技术为实现对基因型的直接选择提供了可能。阐述了分子标记辅助选择(MAS)的应用研究，讨论了MAS存在的问题以及发展前景和展望。     

Lagged effects of ocean climate change on fulmar population dynamics

Environmental variation reflected by the North Atlantic Oscillation affects breeding and survival in terrestrial vertebrates, and climate change is predicted to have an impact on population dynamics by influencing food quality or availability. The North Atlantic Oscillation also affects the abundance of marine fish and zooplankton, but it is unclear whether this filters up trophic levels to long-lived marine top predators. Here we show by analysis of data from a 50-year study of the fulmar that two different indices of ocean climate variation may have lagged effects on population dynamics in this procellariiform seabird. Annual variability in breeding performance is influenced by the North Atlantic Oscillation, whereas cohort differences in recruitment are related to temperature changes in the summer growing season in the year of birth. Because fulmars exhibit delayed reproduction, there is a 5-year lag in the population's response to these effects of environmental change. These data show how interactions between different climatic factors result in complex dynamics, and that the effects of climate change may take many years to become apparent in long-lived marine top predators.     

栗斑腹鹀种群数量变化的分析

1999年至 2 0 0 1年每年 4～ 7月在吉林省西部地区对栗斑腹种群数量及繁殖情况进行了调查 ,发现三年来栗斑腹种群数量连续下降 .其原因是 :人为干扰导致栗斑腹繁殖成功率及繁殖成活率降低 ,从而导致栗斑腹种群数量下降 ;研究地区内近几年连续高温干旱的天气也导致了栗斑腹种群数量的下降 ,气温升高 (R2 =0 9964 )、降雨量减少 (R2 =0 84 98)对栗斑腹种群数量下降的影响很大 .     

Parasitic Cape honeybee workers, Apis mellifera capensis, evade policing.

Relocation of the Cape honeybee, Apis mellifera capensis, by bee-keepers from southern to northern South Africa in 1990 has caused widespread death of managed African honeybee, A. m. scutellata, colonies. Apis mellifera capensis worker bees are able to lay diploid, female eggs without mating by means of automictic thelytoky (meiosis followed by fusion of two meiotic products to restore egg diploidy), whereas workers of other honeybee subspecies are able to lay only haploid, male eggs. The A. m. capensis workers, which are parasitizing and killing A. m. scutellata colonies in northern South Africa, are the asexual offspring of a single, original worker in which the small amount of genetic variation observed is due to crossing over during meiosis (P. Kryger, personal communication). Here we elucidate two principal mechanisms underlying this parasitism. Parasitic A. m. capensis workers activate their ovaries in host colonies that have a queen present (queenright colonies), and they lay eggs that evade being killed by other workers (worker policing)-the normal fate of worker-laid eggs in colonies with a queen. This unique parasitism by workers is an instance in which a society is unable to control the selfish actions of its members.     

Isolation and characterization of class I MHC genes in the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

Artificial breeding is an important project to protect,recover and reintroduce endangered species.Knowledge of the population’s genetic diversity at functional loci is important for the establishment of effective captive breeding programs.The major histocompatibility complex(MHC) genes are ideal candidate genetic markers to inform planned breeding,due to their high levels of polymorphism and importance in the main immune coding region of the vertebrate genome.In this study,we constructed BAC-based contigs and isolated six functional MHC class Ⅰ genes from the giant panda(Ailuropoda melanoleuca),which we designated Aime-C,Aime-F,Aime-I,Aime-K,Aime-L and Aime-1906.Analyses of the tissue expression patterns and full-length cDNA sequences of these class I genes revealed that Aime-C,-F,-I and-L could be considered classical class Ⅰ loci,due to their extensive expression patterns and normal exonic structures.In contrast,Aime-K and-1906 appeared to be nonclassical genes based on their tissue-specific expression patterns and the presence of an abnormal exon 7 in both genes.We established techniques for genotyping exons 2 and 3 of the classical loci using locus-specific single strand conformation polymorphism(SSCP) and sequence analysis.In the Chengdu captive population,we identified one monomorphic locus(Aime-F) and three polymorphic loci with different numbers of alleles(4/4/4 exon 2 alleles at Aime-C/I/L and 6/5/5 exon 3 alleles at Aime-C/I/L).The distributions of the Aime-C,-I and-L alleles among members of different families were in good agreement with the known pedigree relationships,suggesting that the genotyping results are reliable.Therefore,the MHC-I genotyping techniques established in this study may provide a powerful tool for the future design of scientific breeding or release/reintroduction programs.     

Noninvasive genetic assessment of the population trend and sex ratio of the Shennongjia population of Sichuan snub-nosed monkeys （Rhinopithecus roxellana）

Effective population management relies on assessments of population size and sex ratio.However,these estimates are difficult to obtain for elusive and rare species.Recently,noninvasive genetic census methods have been developed as an alternative to tradi-tional capture-mark-recapture methods.In this study,we estimated the size of the Sichuan snub-nosed monkey(Rhinopithecus roxellana) population in the Shennongjia Nature Reserve(SNR) using a noninvasive sampling method based on 16 microsatellite loci.We also used a PCR-based genetic method to sex the sampled individuals and infer the population sex ratio.The population size of R.roxellana in the SNR was estimated to be 1044 individuals(95% CITIRM:613-1409) .The estimated population sex ratio is more female-biased than expected,which we attribute to the sampling biased towards one male units and limited sampling of bachelor male units.Moreover,there is no suggestion that the heavy traffic road through the reserve might block movement of monkeys.The results of this study indicate genetic assessments based on a noninvasive sampling method can provide useful in-formation regarding populations of elusive primates.     

林木分子育种研究的基因组学信息资源述评

分子育种是指利用与性状相关的DNA标记进行选育,也称标记辅助选择或标记辅助育种,广义上还包括基因工程育种和基因组学辅助育种。林木分子育种为早期选择和加速育种提供了极具潜力的高效手段。笔者对林木分子育种研究的基因组学信息资源进行了进展综述和前景展望。近30年来,林木分子标记技术从早期的低通量方法发展到目前基于微阵列芯片和新一代测序的高通量技术,如测序分型、转录组测序、重测序、扩增子测序和外显子组测序等,并广泛用于连锁作图、关联分析和基因组选择等林木性状相关的DNA变异检测研究。随着2006年毛果杨基因组序列的发表,已有50余个树种完成了基因组测序。基于连锁作图和关联研究检测了林木10余个属生长、材性和抗逆及非木质产品品质等性状相关的大量基因组位点,主要趋势表现为：① 表型广泛,涵盖经济性状、生理指标和代谢成分等;②标记数量成千上万甚至上百万,覆盖全基因组;③转录组和降解组等多组学的分子变异开始应用;④ 利用大群体以提高位点检测的精度;⑤ 重视环境的影响,大田试验设置多个地点,解析QTL与环境、年份的互作效应;⑥ 结合参考基因组序列和/或转录组差异表达基因进一步挖掘性状相关的候选基因,建立了桉属、松属和云杉属等主要造林树种的基因组选择模型。此外,积累了泛基因组、相关软件和算法、功能基因、基因组编辑技术及网站和数据库等其他信息资源。林木分子育种面临的挑战主要包括：① 如何获得稳定性好的性状相关基因组位点和基因组选择（GS）模型;② 缺乏自动化、无损和高通量的表型测定技术;③对大基因组的针叶树和一些多倍体树种,仍难获得高质量的基因组序列;④ 标记辅助选择增加了常规育种之外的费用,且存在不确定性;⑤多数树种的加速育种仍较困难。后基因组时代的林木分子育种将有效结合到常规育种程序中,显著促进遗传增益的提高。     

Highly fecund mothers sacrifice offspring survival to maximize fitness

Why do highly fecund organisms apparently sacrifice offspring size for increased numbers when offspring survival generally increases with size? The theoretical tools for understanding this evolutionary trade-off between number and size of offspring have developed over the past 25 years; however, the absence of data on the relation between offspring size and fitness in highly fecund species, which would control for potentially confounding variables, has caused such models to remain largely hypothetical. Here we manipulate egg size, controlling for maternal trait interactions, and determine the causal consequences of offspring size in a wild population of Atlantic salmon. The joint effect of egg size on egg number and offspring survival resulted in stabilizing phenotypic selection for an optimal size. The optimal egg size differed only marginally from the mean value observed in the population, suggesting that it had evolved mainly in response to selection on maternal rather than offspring fitness. We conclude that maximization of maternal fitness by sacrificing offspring survival may well be a general phenomenon among highly fecund organisms.     

The cost of inbreeding in Arabidopsis

Population geneticists have long sought to estimate the distribution of selection intensities among genes of diverse function across the genome. Only recently have DNA sequencing and analytical techniques converged to make this possible. Important advances have come from comparing genetic variation within species (polymorphism) with fixed differences between species (divergence). These approaches have been used to examine individual genes for evidence of selection. Here we use the fact that the time since species divergence allows combination of data across genes. In a comparison of amino-acid replacements among species of the mustard weed Arabidopsis with those among species of the fruitfly Drosophila, we find evidence for predominantly beneficial gene substitutions in Drosophila but predominantly detrimental substitutions in Arabidopsis. We attribute this difference to the Arabidopsis mating system of partial self-fertilization, which corroborates a prediction of population genetics theory that species with a high frequency of inbreeding are less efficient in eliminating deleterious mutations owing to their reduced effective population size.     

Clonal origin of haematopoietic colonies in the postnatal mouse liver

The liver of the neonatal mouse continues to show haematopoietic activity for up to 2 weeks after birth and morphological analysis has shown that this activity becomes focused in discrete haematopoietic colonies by the end of the first week postnatal. Furthermore, each colony contains cells of one haematopoietic lineage only, that is, erythroid, myeloid or pre-B-lymphoid cells. This pattern of differentiation suggests that each colony is derived from a single committed precursor cell, which, if true, would represent the first demonstration of non-mixed haematopoietic colonies in normal development and would provide a useful system for studying the factors affecting the clonal diversity of haematopoietic stem cells and their lineage-committed progeny. Here we have analysed the haematopoietic foci in the liver of neonatal mouse chimaeras, using a newly developed ubiquitous in situ cell marker system which clearly demonstrates the clonal origin of these colonies.     

Life-history traits of voles in a fluctuating population respond to the immediate environment.

Life-history traits relating to growth and reproduction vary greatly among species and populations and among individuals within populations. In vole populations, body size and age at maturation may vary considerably among locations and among years within the same location. Individuals in increasing populations are typically larger and start reproduction earlier in the spring than those in declining populations. The cause of such life-history variation within populations has been subject of much discussion. Much of the controversy concerns whether the memory of past conditions, leading to delayed effects on life-history traits, resides in the environment (for example, predators, pathogens or food) or intrinsically within populations or individuals (age distribution, physiological state, genetic or maternal effects). Here we report from an extensive field transplant experiment in which voles were moved before the breeding season between sites that differed in average overwintering body mass. Transplanted voles did not retain the characteristics of their source population, and we demonstrate an over-riding role of the immediate environment in shaping life-history traits of small rodents.