Parasitoid secretions provoke ant warfare

Insect social parasites are extreme specialists that typically use mimicry or stealth to enter ant colonies to exploit the rich, but fiercely protected, resources within their nests. Here we show how a parasitic wasp (parasitoid) contrives to reach its host, itself an endangered species of social parasite that lives inside the brood chambers of ant nests, by releasing semiochemicals to induce in-fighting between worker ants, locking the colony in combat and leaving it underprotected. Four of these chemicals are new to biology and have the potential to control pest species by inducing different agonistic behaviours in ants.     

九顶山自然保护区珍稀濒危植物资源调查研究

九顶山自然保护区有25种中国珍稀濒危保护植物名录中所列的珍稀濒危植物，包括2个濒危种，10个渐危种，13个稀有种，其中1级保护植物2种，2级保护植物12种，3级保护植物11种．这些珍稀濒危植物在园艺、药用、理论研究等方面具有重要价值．区系分析表明本区珍稀濒危植物多发生于第三纪以前，温带性质显著，中国特有成分占优势，和华中及青藏高原植物区系联系密切．     

Phenotypic and genetic variation between two populations of the Chinese yellow pond turtle, Mauremys mutica （Cantor, 1842）

Mauremys mutica (Cantor, 1842) is an endangered species in China. Main phenotypic variations in body color, body weight, body shape, clutch size, egg size, and hatchling size were revealed between the southern and northern populations. Both populations have the phenomenon of "larger male" sexual size dimorphism (SSD), especially in the southern population. Furthermore, genetic variations between the two populations were analyzed by RAPD band patterns of 30 random individuals in each population. The average genetic distance was 0.299±0.108 among the samples of two populations. The average genetic distance between southern and northern populations was 0.305±0.046. Cluster analysis indicated that all the individuals from the southern and northern populations were clustered among themselves to form two distinct clades. A total of 20 population-specific RAPD fragments were scored from 16 primers, and could be used as RAPD markers for distinguishing the southern and the northern population. Based on the nucleotide sequences of two RAPD markers, two pairs of SCAR primers (SC1-S and SC2-S) were designed, which could be used as SCAR markers for the southern population. According to the significant phenotypic and genetic variations, we suggested that the northern population and southern population might be considered as two separate taxa, the "northern taxon" and the "southern taxon", and the conservation should be respectively conducted on the two taxa.     

Primary measurement of pollen flow inLiriodendron chinense using RAPD markers

Techniques of tracking movements of pollen grains are essential for many topics in pollination biology. Pollen transfer ofLiriodendron chinense (Hemsl.) Sarg., a hermaphroditic plant, may be both interfloral and intrafloral pollination. Observations on pollinator movements and flower emasculated experiments in natural populations showed that most of pollen grains deposited on stigmas in a flower are foreign. But it is not certain whether cross pollination or long distance pollen transfer occurs in this insect-pollinated plant. The authors attempt to use random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) loci for paternity analysis to mark pollen dispersal. The results indicated pollen via gene transportation reached at least 100 m away from the pollen source in a selected population. The primary study suggests a larger effective population size in this endangered plant. With its rapid and simple characters, RAPD methods can be a suitable technique for marking pollen flow and able to be widely used in various taxa.     

凉山油橄榄主栽品种叶中营养物质和酚类含量的季节性变化

【目的】油橄榄叶是油橄榄产业发展过程中产生的农林废弃物,研究不同品种及叶龄油橄榄叶中主要营养物质和酚类含量在不同季节的变化,为油橄榄叶在药品、保健品和功能性食品等方面的高值化应用提供理论依据和技术支撑。【方法】以四川凉山6个油橄榄主栽品种的老叶和嫩叶为研究对象,检测其游离氨基酸(FAAC)、可溶性糖(SSC)和可溶性蛋白(SPC)等营养物质含量差异,并通过高效液相色谱法(HPLC)分析7种主要酚类成分(橄榄苦苷、芦丁、木犀草素-4'-O-葡萄糖苷、芹菜素-7-O-葡萄糖苷、木犀草素、槲皮素和芹菜素)含量的季节变化。【结果】凉山地区油橄榄老叶和嫩叶中主要营养物质和酚类成分呈季节性不均匀分布状态,7种酚类成分在夏秋季节波动幅度大,FAAC、SSC、SPC含量在2—3月和5—6月相对较高;6个品种中,‘鄂植’与‘卡林’叶中营养物质和酚类成分比其他品种丰富,且嫩叶中其含量水平比老叶的高。【结论】油橄榄叶中营养物质丰富和酚类成分稳定的最佳季节为春季,‘鄂植’和‘卡林’嫩叶可作为潜在的高值化应用品种材料来源加以开发和利用。     

A universal trend of amino acid gain and loss in protein evolution

Amino acid composition of proteins varies substantially between taxa and, thus, can evolve. For example, proteins from organisms with (G + C)-rich (or (A + T)-rich) genomes contain more (or fewer) amino acids encoded by (G + C)-rich codons. However, no universal trends in ongoing changes of amino acid frequencies have been reported. We compared sets of orthologous proteins encoded by triplets of closely related genomes from 15 taxa representing all three domains of life (Bacteria, Archaea and Eukaryota), and used phylogenies to polarize amino acid substitutions. Cys, Met, His, Ser and Phe accrue in at least 14 taxa, whereas Pro, Ala, Glu and Gly are consistently lost. The same nine amino acids are currently accrued or lost in human proteins, as shown by analysis of non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms. All amino acids with declining frequencies are thought to be among the first incorporated into the genetic code; conversely, all amino acids with increasing frequencies, except Ser, were probably recruited late. Thus, expansion of initially under-represented amino acids, which began over 3,400 million years ago, apparently continues to this day.     

太湖流域大型底栖动物生物完整性研究

于2009年8月对太湖流域32个采样点的大型底栖动物和水环境因子进行了调查采样.选取太湖流域大型底栖动物的物种数、物种相对丰度、敏感-耐污类群组成、功能摄食类群和多样性指数等共22个参数作为构建太湖流域大型底栖动物生物完整性评价体系的候选参数.通过对候选参数在参考点位(8个)和受损点位(19个)之间的比较,最终确定了总分类单元数(total taxa)、摇蚊科分类单元数(chironomidae taxa)、甲壳+软体动物分类单元数(crustaceanmollusc taxa)、前3位优势分类单元相对丰度(top three of dominant taxa)以及香农威纳多样性指数(shannon-wienerindex)为构建评价体系的参数.通过比值法计算得到太湖流域各个采样点的生物完整性得分.在太湖流域监测的站点中7个为健康,7个为亚健康,6个为一般,5个为较差,3个为极差.Pearson相关性分析显示,B-IBI得分同亚硝酸氮、氨氮呈显著性负相关(P0.05).     

The evolution of alternative parasitic life histories in large blue butterflies

Large blue (Maculinea) butterflies are highly endangered throughout the Palaearctic region, and have been the focus of intense conservation research. In addition, their extraordinary parasitic lifestyles make them ideal for studies of life history evolution. Early instars consume flower buds of specific host plants, but later instars live in ant nests where they either devour the brood (predators), or are fed mouth-to-mouth by the adult ants (cuckoos). Here we present the phylogeny for the group, which shows that it is a monophyletic clade nested within Phengaris, a rare Oriental genus whose species have similar life histories. Cuckoo species are likely to have evolved from predatory ancestors. As early as five million years ago, two Maculinea clades diverged, leading to the different parasitic strategies seen in the genus today. Contrary to current belief, the two recognized cuckoo species show little genetic divergence and are probably a single ecologically differentiated species. On the other hand, some of the predatory morphospecies exhibit considerable genetic divergence and may contain cryptic species. These findings have important implications for conservation and reintroduction efforts.     

Patterns of magpie nest utilization by a nesting raptor community in a secondary forest

For a total of 9 years, we examined the patterns of a nesting raptor community that utilized European Magpie (Pica pica) nests in the Zuojia Natural Reserve, northeast China. Eight raptor species and two other bird species were recorded nesting in magpie nests. The reuse rate of abandoned magpie nests was 51.6%, and the number of reused nests was positively correlated with their availability. Raptors utilized 83.3% of the reused abandoned magpie nests. Nests followed for more than 1 year were reused by raptors an average of 1.13 times. Interspecific nest usurpation was common, with 17.3% of new magpie nests being usurped by raptors, and four cases of usurpation occurred among different raptor species. At the community level, 8 of 11 raptor species took over magpie nests to breed in the study area, and 91.9% of their nests came from magpie nests. European Magpies represent the core species in the nest web of the local raptor community that utilizes magpie nests. At the forest stand level, closer proximity to forest edges and greater distances from occupied raptor nests were the best predictors of nest reuse. At the nest-site level, arbor density and canopy coverage were the best predictors of nest reuse.     

Oligocene mammals from Ethiopia and faunal exchange between Afro-Arabia and Eurasia

Afro-Arabian mammalian communities underwent a marked transition near the Oligocene/Miocene boundary at approximately 24 million years (Myr) ago. Although it is well documented that the endemic paenungulate taxa were replaced by migrants from the Northern Hemisphere, the timing and evolutionary dynamics of this transition have long been a mystery because faunas from about 32 to 24 Myr ago are largely unknown. Here we report a late Oligocene fossil assemblage from Ethiopia, which constrains the migration to postdate 27 Myr ago, and yields new insight into the indigenous faunal dynamics that preceded this event. The fauna is composed of large paenungulate herbivores and reveals not only which earlier taxa persisted into the late Oligocene epoch but also demonstrates that one group, the Proboscidea, underwent a marked diversification. When Eurasian immigrants entered Afro-Arabia, a pattern of winners and losers among the endemics emerged: less diverse taxa such as arsinoitheres became extinct, moderately species-rich groups such as hyracoids continued into the Miocene with reduced diversity, whereas the proboscideans successfully carried their adaptive radiation out of Afro-Arabia and across the world.     

气相色谱-质谱法测定食品模拟物中的1,1,1-三甲醇丙烷迁移

建立了1,1,1-三甲醇丙烷在水、3%乙酸、10%乙醇和橄榄油4种食品模拟物中迁移量的气相色谱-质谱(GC-MS)测定方法。水质模拟物和橄榄油模拟物均采用正戊烷进行提取。采用GC-MS法,在选择离子监测模式(SIM)下对1,1,1-三甲醇丙烷进行定性,采用内标法进行定量测定。结果表明:在0~12.0mg/L质量浓度范围内,1,1,1-三甲醇丙烷在4种食品模拟物中的线性相关系数在0.9995~0.9998之间,RSD(n=7)为0.43%~5.67%,方法检出限均为0.6mg/kg。加标回收率在90.3%~100.8%之间。该方法可满足4种不同性质的食品模拟物中1,1,1-三甲醇丙烷的快速筛查和准确定性、定量测定要求。     

陇南油橄榄加工废弃物中食品功能因子分析以及对小鼠急慢性毒理研究

实验中检测陇南油橄榄加工废弃物油橄榄果水和果渣中食品功能因子，用基础饲料喂养7 d后的小鼠，一次性空腹灌胃 20000、25000、30000 mg /kg·bw标准的油橄榄果渣粉和10、20、40 mL/kg·bw标准的油橄榄果水，开展小鼠急性毒理实验，同时以400 mg/kg·bw的标准和5 mL/kg·bw的标准连续空腹灌胃90 d，以生理盐水为对照组，开展小鼠慢性毒理实验。观察一次性空腹灌胃7 d后和连续灌胃90 d后小鼠生活状态和异常反应，检测小鼠体重、重要脏器的变化，血清中超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）、过氧化氢酶(CAT)和谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶（GSH-Px）的活力变化，以及丙二醛（MDA）的含量变化。结果显示果水中有16种食品功能因子，占比16.90%，果渣中含有有38种食品功能因子，占比50.07%。急慢性毒理实验说明油橄榄果渣和果水能显著提高小鼠血清中的SOD、CAT和GSH-Px活力，显著降低血清中的MDA含量，少量降低小鼠体重但是影响其生理功能，同时病理解剖未发现明显异常。陇南油橄榄加工废弃物中食品功能因子众多，营养丰富，且均无急慢性毒理作用，还具有降低体重和抗氧化能力。     

内蒙古乌拉特中旗温更辉长岩类的岩石学、地球化学特征及其构造意义

内蒙古乌拉特中旗温更地区发育了一套由角闪辉长岩和橄榄辉长岩组成的混杂堆晶岩系,主要造岩矿物为橄榄石、辉石、斜长石及角闪石等。电子探针数据分析表明,角闪辉长岩中的辉石为透辉石区,而斜长石An平均为86,属倍长石。这些岩石表现为大离子亲石元素（LILE）K,Rb,Sr,Ba明显富集,高场强元素（HFSE）Nb,Ta,Zr相对亏损。根据Al₂-TiO₂,Wo-En-Fs以及An-Mg′图解,结合其微量元素地球化学特征可以判断角闪辉长岩类形成于岛弧环境。橄榄辉长岩中橄榄石Fo平均为74,属贵橄榄石,斜长石An平均为80,属倍长石,辉石全部落入顽辉石区。这些岩石表现了贫SiO₂高MgO,富集大离子亲石元素K,Rb,Sr,Ba和轻稀土（LREE）,个别高场强元素Nb亏损,兼具大洋中脊与岛弧的特征。根据Wo-En-Fs以及An-En图解推测橄榄辉长岩产于弧后盆地环境。温更混杂辉长岩的形成与古亚洲洋板块的俯冲消减作用有关,是研究古亚洲洋演化历史的一个重要岩石学标志。     

改进的模糊C均值算法用于掺杂橄榄油的分类和半定量研究

针对橄榄油的掺杂检测问题,提出了基于粒子群优化算法的模糊C均值分类算法,可以同时进行分类和半定量分析,并建立了新的目标函数评价算法.结果表明改进的模糊C均值算法简单、快速、有效.     

FERN SECTION IN CUlZHOU BOTANICAL GARDEN

With the devcioprnent of economics and owing to certain factors of plants themselves,some ferns arc in a dangcrous situation. It is necessary to set up a fern section or fernaripm in Guizhou as a gene pool mainly for subtropical ferns, which can not be replaced by the hcrbariurn or natural preserve. A fern section in Guizhou Botanical Garden has been established, It's composed of a 3-are fern garden,a grccnhouse and a shed. 300 taxa of rems and fern aUics from Guizhou and East, South,North east, and South west patts in China have bccn gathered in recent 5 years. Another 3-year project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) is carded on for morc fern introduction. It will be not only for thc conservation of the rare and/or endangered pteridophytes, but as a base for fern researching, teaching, scientific propagating and exploiting.Practice shows that Guiyang, the capital of' Guizhou, is one of the ideal places for fern introduction and conscrvation in China.     

Insurance-based advantage to helpers in a tropical hover wasp

The origin and maintenance of eusociality is a central problem in evolutionary biology. Eusocial groups contain individuals that forfeit their own reproduction in order to help others reproduce. In facultatively eusocial taxa, offspring can choose whether to found new nests or become helpers in their natal groups. In many facultatively eusocial insects, offspring need continuous care during development, but adult carers have life expectancies shorter than the developmental period. When a lone foundress dies, her partly reared brood are usually doomed. Here, we show that helpers in a tropical hover wasp (Liostenogaster flavolineata) have an insurance-based advantage over lone foundresses because after a helper dies, most of the brood that she has partly reared will be brought to maturity by surviving nest-mates. After some of the helpers are experimentally removed from a multi-female nest, the reduced group is left with more brood than it would normally rear. We found that larger, more valuable extra brood were reared through to maturity, but not smaller, less valuable brood. Smaller brood may be sacrificed to feed larger brood, and reduced groups probably benefited from increased short-term helper recruitment. Rearing extra brood did not increase adult mortality or brood development time.     

Clone of Chinese Jinan red-cross yellow cattle and evaluation of reproductive characteristics of cloned calf

Somatic cell clone technology is a viable approach to preserving endangered livestock and wildlife genetic resources. In the present research, somatic cell nuclear transfer （SCNT） was performed using granulose cells from the critical endangered Chinese red-cross yellow cattle as donor cells. A total of 211 oocytes were manipulated and 166 （79%） of them were successfully enucleated. 112 （67.4%） SCNT embryos were reconstructed, 94 （83%） of them cleaved, and 48 （43 %） of them developed to blastocyst stage. SCNT blastocysts were transferred to 6 Holstein recipients, and 2 （33%） of them were found to be pregnant. One of them maintained to term and delivered a calf, whereas another aborted. Effect of different fusion buffer （mannitol vs. Zimmerman fusion buffer） and different activation methods （calcium ionophore＋6-DMAP vs. cycloheximide＋CB） on fusion rate and development of SCNT embryos were investigated. The results indicated that： （i） on condition of two DC pulses of 2.5 kV/cm for 10 μs each, fusion rates were higher in mannitol solution than in Zimmerman fusion buffer （71% vs. 61%, respectively, p 〈 0.05）, but the blastocysts rates did not differ between two treatments （36 % vs. 39 %, p〉0.05 ）; （ii） There was no significant difference in development rates to the blastocyst stage for SCNT embryos activated by calcium ionophore＋6-DMAP or by cycloheximide＋CB （42% vs. 46%, respectively, p〉0.05）. Microsatellite DNA analysis examining 28 loci confirmed that the cloned calf was genetically identical to the donor Jinan red-cross yellow cattle and different from the recipient females. Growth and reproductive performance of cloned cow were evaluated, and there were no difference i cross-red n it between cloned and normal control Jinan yellow cattle. Furthermore, the cloned yellow cow has delivered a healthy yellow calf.     

人工招引啄木鸟防控天牛技术在南方人工林的应用探究

福建省是松材线虫病(Bursaphelenchus xylophilus)的疫区,发生的染病和疑似染病面积已超过6 700 hm~2。控制松材线虫病的关键是防治其传播媒介松墨天牛(Monochamus alternatus)。从"以鸟治虫"的生物防治的思路出发,探索人工鸟巢招引啄木鸟技术,验证该技术在南方森林的适用性。在建瓯天湖山和七里街水库共架设100个鸟巢,其中1个被凿穿,9个有凿痕,凿洞率达10%。啄木鸟喜欢杜英等较软的木材制作的人工鸟巢;啄木鸟对挂设树种(阔叶树或针叶树)没有明显偏好,但对挂设树种的直径有偏好,喜欢直径20 cm左右的巢树。本文认为在将人工招引啄木鸟技术推广并用于防控松墨天牛之前,应需对此方法的招引成效作进一步探索和验证。     

基于CiteSpace的国内外苦苣苔科植物文献计量分析研究

苦苣苔科(Gesneriaceae)是目前世界上高等植物专科专属研究的热点科。我国的苦苣苔科植物大多属岩栖性植物,绝大部分分布在岩溶地区,这些特化物种的生存、分化与岩溶地貌密不可分。本文利用计量学软件CiteSpace处理分析2000-2021年的国内外相关文献,阐明苦苣苔科植物研究力量的主要分布,概述国内外研究方向并挖掘未来研究热点。根据关键词时区图和突变词,认为今后可能的研究方向如下：(1)开展种群生物学调查、经典分类学研究及新分类群的发现和发表,理清地理分布格局,建立种质资源库;(2)繁育体系的完善及濒危植物生物学特性研究;(3)开展包括系统发育重建等的苦苣苔科植物的分子生物学研究,为类群分类、系统演化及物种进化提供证据;(4)挖掘复苏植物耐旱调控机制及生态适应机制,为农作物安全问题及岩溶地区保护和治理提供新思路。     

Turnover of sex chromosomes induced by sexual conflict

Sex-determination genes are among the most fluid features of the genome in many groups of animals. In some taxa the master sex-determining gene moves frequently between chromosomes, whereas in other taxa different genes have been recruited to determine the sex of the zygotes. There is a well developed theory for the origin of stable and highly dimorphic sex chromosomes seen in groups such as the eutherian mammals. In contrast, the evolutionary lability of genetic sex determination in other groups remains largely unexplained. In this theoretical study, we show that an autosomal gene under sexually antagonistic selection can cause the spread of a new sex-determining gene linked to it. The mechanism can account for the origin of new sex-determining loci, the transposition of an ancestral sex-determining gene to an autosome, and the maintenance of multiple sex-determining factors in species that lack heteromorphic sex chromosomes.