Symbiosis insights through metagenomic analysis of a microbial consortium

Symbioses between bacteria and eukaryotes are ubiquitous, yet our understanding of the interactions driving these associations is hampered by our inability to cultivate most host-associated microbes. Here we use a metagenomic approach to describe four co-occurring symbionts from the marine oligochaete Olavius algarvensis, a worm lacking a mouth, gut and nephridia. Shotgun sequencing and metabolic pathway reconstruction revealed that the symbionts are sulphur-oxidizing and sulphate-reducing bacteria, all of which are capable of carbon fixation, thus providing the host with multiple sources of nutrition. Molecular evidence for the uptake and recycling of worm waste products by the symbionts suggests how the worm could eliminate its excretory system, an adaptation unique among annelid worms. We propose a model that describes how the versatile metabolism within this symbiotic consortium provides the host with an optimal energy supply as it shuttles between the upper oxic and lower anoxic coastal sediments that it inhabits.     

Intraspecific competition favours niche width expansion in Drosophila melanogaster

Ecologists have proposed that when interspecific competition is reduced, competition within a species becomes a potent evolutionary force leading to rapid diversification. This view reflects the observation that populations invading species-poor communities frequently evolve broader niches. Niche expansion can be associated with an increase in phenotypic variance (known as character release), with the evolution of polymorphisms, or with divergence into many species using distinct resources (adaptive radiation). The relationship between intraspecific competition and diversification is known from theory, and has been used as the foundation for some models of speciation. However, there has been little empirical proof that niches evolve in response to intraspecific competition. To test this hypothesis, I introduced cadmium-intolerant Drosophila melanogaster populations to environments containing both cadmium-free and cadmium-laced resources. Here I show that populations experiencing high competition adapted to cadmium more rapidly than low competition populations. This provides experimental confirmation that competition in a population can drive niche expansion onto new resources for which competition is less severe.     

胃肠道微生物区系在宿主体内共生作用的研究进展

宿主与肠道微生物区系长期共同进化的结果是宿主与细菌间的互利共生.在人的消化系统中拥有成千上万的共生细菌,这些共生细菌对宿主肠道的营养加工、粘膜免疫耐受和一些其它功能具有重要的作用.现行的分子生物学技术和无菌动物模型为研究宿主与共生细菌之间的分子机制提供了前所未有的机遇,有助于我们更深入地理解肠道的共生细菌对人正常生理功能的作用,从而发展新的治疗策略.     

Experimental evidence for apparent competition in a tropical forest food web

The herbivorous insects of tropical forests constitute some of the most diverse communities of living organisms. For this reason it has been difficult to discover the degree to which these communities are structured, and by what processes. Interspecific competition for resources does occur, but its contemporary importance is limited because most pairs of potentially competing insects feed on different host plants. An alternative way in which species can interact is through shared natural enemies, a process called apparent competition. Despite extensive theoretical discussion there are few field demonstrations of apparent competition, and none in hyper-diverse tropical communities. Here, we experimentally removed two species of herbivore from a community of leaf-mining insects in a tropical forest. We predicted that other species that share natural enemies with the two removed species would experience lower parasitism and have higher population densities in treatment compared with control sites. In both cases (on removal of a dipteran and a coleopteran leaf-miner species) we found significantly lower parasitism, and in one case (removal of the dipteran) we found significantly higher abundance a year after the manipulation. Our results suggest that apparent competition may be important in structuring tropical insect communities.     

Horizontal endosymbiont transmission in hydrothermal vent tubeworms

Transmission of obligate bacterial symbionts between generations is vital for the survival of the host. Although the larvae of certain hydrothermal vent tubeworms (Vestimentifera, Siboglinidae) are symbiont-free and possess a transient digestive system, these structures are lost during development, resulting in adult animals that are nutritionally dependent on their bacterial symbionts. Thus, each generation of tubeworms must be newly colonized with its specific symbiont. Here we present a model for tubeworm symbiont acquisition and the development of the symbiont-housing organ, the trophosome. Our data indicate that the bacterial symbionts colonize the developing tube of the settled larvae and enter the host through the skin, a process that continues through the early juvenile stages during which the trophosome is established from mesodermal tissue. In later juvenile stages we observed massive apoptosis of host epidermis, muscles and undifferentiated mesodermal tissue, which was coincident with the cessation of the colonization process. Characterizing the symbiont transmission process in this finely tuned mutualistic symbiosis provides another model of symbiont acquisition and additional insights into underlying mechanisms common to both pathogenic infections and beneficial host-symbiont interactions.     

A candidate NAD+ transporter in an intracellular bacterial symbiont related to Chlamydiae

Bacteria living within eukaryotic cells can be essential for the survival or reproduction of the host but in other cases are among the most successful pathogens. Environmental Chlamydiae, including strain UWE25, thrive as obligate intracellular symbionts within protozoa; are recently discovered relatives of major bacterial pathogens of humans; and also infect human cells. Genome analysis of UWE25 predicted that this symbiont is unable to synthesize the universal electron carrier nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+). Compensation of limited biosynthetic capacity in intracellular bacteria is usually achieved by import of primary metabolites. Here, we report the identification of a candidate transporter protein from UWE25 that is highly specific for import of NAD+ when synthesized heterologously in Escherichia coli. The discovery of this candidate NAD+/ADP exchanger demonstrates that intact NAD+ molecules can be transported through cytoplasmic membranes. This protein acts together with a newly discovered nucleotide transporter and an ATP/ADP translocase, and allows UWE25 to exploit its host cell by means of a sophisticated metabolic parasitism.     

灰飞虱Wolbachia群体生物学的遗传特性研究

Ｗｏｌｂａｃｈｉａ是存在于多种昆虫生殖器官的一类共生菌,它可能在宿 主群体中引起细菌质不亲和性而给宿 主带来生殖优势。对灰飞虱体内的Ｗｏｌｂａｃｈｉａｆｊｔｆｄｇｐｗ,ｖ ｇｍ ｐｇｃｆｍｗ ｑｎｎｋｕｄｙｊｒ ｄｏ ｎｕｉ     

癌生长是寄主中的过寄生现象

报道了人乳腺癌细胞MCF7和正常细胞MCF10,MRC5混合培养实验,分析了实验结果．结果表明：在营养物充足条件下癌细胞和正常细胞系寄生共存关系,而在饥饿条件下癌细胞和正常细胞是过寄生-捕食者和食饵的关系．讨论了此结果的生物医学含义．     

The role of parasites in sympatric and allopatric host diversification

Exploiters (parasites and predators) are thought to play a significant role in diversification, and ultimately speciation, of their hosts or prey. Exploiters may drive sympatric (within-population) diversification if there are a variety of exploiter-resistance strategies or fitness costs associated with exploiter resistance. Exploiters may also drive allopatric (between-population) diversification by creating different selection pressures and increasing the rate of random divergence. We examined the effect of a virulent viral parasite (phage) on the diversification of the bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens in spatially structured microcosms. Here we show that in the absence of phages, bacteria rapidly diversified into spatial niche specialists with similar patterns of diversity across replicate populations. In the presence of phages, sympatric diversity was greatly reduced, as a result of phage-imposed reductions in host density decreasing competition for resources. In contrast, allopatric diversity was greatly increased as a result of phage-imposed selection for resistance, which caused populations to follow divergent evolutionary trajectories. These results show that exploiters can drive diversification between populations, but may inhibit diversification within populations by opposing diversifying selection that arises from resource competition.     

Functional identification of an aggression locus in the mouse hypothalamus

Electrical stimulation of certain hypothalamic regions in cats and rodents can elicit attack behaviour, but the exact location of relevant cells within these regions, their requirement for naturally occurring aggression and their relationship to mating circuits have not been clear. Genetic methods for neural circuit manipulation in mice provide a potentially powerful approach to this problem, but brain-stimulation-evoked aggression has never been demonstrated in this species. Here we show that optogenetic, but not electrical, stimulation of neurons in the ventromedial hypothalamus, ventrolateral subdivision (VMHvl) causes male mice to attack both females and inanimate objects, as well as males. Pharmacogenetic silencing of VMHvl reversibly inhibits inter-male aggression. Immediate early gene analysis and single unit recordings from VMHvl during social interactions reveal overlapping but distinct neuronal subpopulations involved in fighting and mating. Neurons activated during attack are inhibited during mating, suggesting a potential neural substrate for competition between these opponent social behaviours.     

Host sanctions and the legume-rhizobium mutualism

Explaining mutualistic cooperation between species remains one of the greatest problems for evolutionary biology. Why do symbionts provide costly services to a host, indirectly benefiting competitors sharing the same individual host? Host monitoring of symbiont performance and the imposition of sanctions on 'cheats' could stabilize mutualism. Here we show that soybeans penalize rhizobia that fail to fix N(2) inside their root nodules. We prevented a normally mutualistic rhizobium strain from cooperating (fixing N(2)) by replacing air with an N(2)-free atmosphere (Ar:O(2)). A series of experiments at three spatial scales (whole plants, half root systems and individual nodules) demonstrated that forcing non-cooperation (analogous to cheating) decreased the reproductive success of rhizobia by about 50%. Non-invasive monitoring implicated decreased O(2) supply as a possible mechanism for sanctions against cheating rhizobia. More generally, such sanctions by one or both partners may be important in stabilizing a wide range of mutualistic symbioses.     

Direct observation of attosecond light bunching

Temporal probing of a number of fundamental dynamical processes requires intense pulses at femtosecond or even attosecond (1 as = 10(-18) s) timescales. A frequency 'comb' of extreme-ultraviolet odd harmonics can easily be generated in the interaction of subpicosecond laser pulses with rare gases: if the spectral components within this comb possess an appropriate phase relationship to one another, their Fourier synthesis results in an attosecond pulse train. Laser pulses spanning many optical cycles have been used for the production of such light bunching, but in the limit of few-cycle pulses the same process produces isolated attosecond bursts. If these bursts are intense enough to induce a nonlinear process in a target system, they can be used for subfemtosecond pump-probe studies of ultrafast processes. To date, all methods for the quantitative investigation of attosecond light localization and ultrafast dynamics rely on modelling of the cross-correlation process between the extreme-ultraviolet pulses and the fundamental laser field used in their generation. Here we report the direct determination of the temporal characteristics of pulses in the subfemtosecond regime, by measuring the second-order autocorrelation trace of a train of attosecond pulses. The method exhibits distinct capabilities for the characterization and utilization of attosecond pulses for a host of applications in attoscience.     

环境胁迫对禾草—内生真菌共生体的影响

Neotyphodium属内生真菌与禾本科植物之间的共生关系因其与农牧业的密切关系而受到研究者们的广泛关注。Neotyphodium属内生真菌长期生活在植物体内的特殊环境中,并与宿主协同进化,在演化过程中二者形成互惠共生关系,一方面内生真菌可从宿主中吸收营养供自己生长需要,另一方面内生真菌可增强宿主植物的抗旱性、抗病性和抗虫性,促进宿主植物生长并提高其竞争能力,但也对家畜产生毒性。     

Sulphide mining by the superextensile foot of symbiotic thyasirid bivalves

In a symbiotic association between an invertebrate host and chemoautotrophic bacteria, each partner has different metabolic requirements, and the host typically supplies the bacteria with necessary reduced chemicals (sulphide or methane). Some combination of anatomical, physiological and behavioural adaptations in the host often facilitates uptake and transport of reduced chemicals to the symbionts. We have studied five species of bivalve molluscs of the family Thyasiridae (that is, thyasirids) three of which harbour chemoautotrophic bacteria. Here we show that the symbiotic bivalves extend their feet to form elongated and ramifying burrows in the sediment, most probably to gain access to reduced sulphur. Closely related bivalves (including some thyasirid species) without bacterial symbionts show no comparable foot extension behaviour. The length and number of burrows formed by chemosymbiotic thyasirids are related to the concentration of hydrogen sulphide in the sediment. The burrows are formed by the foot of each bivalve, which can extend up to 30 times the length of the shell, and may be the most extreme case of animal structure elongation documented to date.     

旅游孤岛效应形成原因及其治理路径

景区与社区关系一直以来都是理论研究和产业实践高度关注的领域，也是旅游目的地实现优质发展难以回避的焦点问题.研究以反映景区与社区隔离关系的旅游孤岛效应作为切入视角，解释封闭型景区与周边社区矛盾冲突的诱发原因，并构建缓和矛盾冲突的治理路径.主要结论如下：1) 旅游孤岛效应关于空间与权利理论在分析封闭型景区与周边社区矛盾冲突时具有较高的适用性；2) 旅游资源资本化演进过程发挥作用的极化、虹吸、封闭三种空间作用力量，使封闭型景区与周边社区关系呈现出对抗程度递增的协调型冲突、竞争型冲突、对抗型冲突三种状态；3) 根据对三种类型矛盾冲突的诱因分析提出相对应的治理路径，形成缩小发展差异、降低封闭阻滞、弱化矛盾对立的三大治理思路.基于旅游孤岛效应视角分析景区与社区之间的矛盾冲突，既拓展了社区参与旅游发展的研究领域，也有助于促进目的地旅游的高质量发展，还有利于维护社会的和谐稳定与发展.     

互联网企业投资的跟进者策略分析

在网络经济中电子商务投资的先行者已占得先机的情况下,跟进者应如何选择竞争策略?为解决这一问题,该文在对互联网企业投资的跟进者优劣势进行分析的基础上,建立了基于物种相互作用模型的互联网企业投资跟进者策略选择模型。结果表明,资源获取能力是影响跟进者策略选择的重要因素,跟进者在具有强竞争力的条件下,并购、合围策略是适合的战略选择;相反,则宜采取市场细分“拾余补漏”策略将与先行者的竞争关系转化为互惠共生关系。     

一种同时多线程指令队列竞争缓解策略

同时多线程结构利用线程级并行和指令级并行的优势,提高了指令吞吐率,但线程对关键资源（如指令队列）的竞争会削弱这种优势,造成资源浪费,又会降低处理器性能。提出了指令队列利用参数,通过分析指令队列利用率与处理器性能的关系,用实验评估了在四线程情况下,典型静态指令队列竞争缓解策略（如Dwarn、2OP_Block、Static）及其组合对处理器性能的影响。给出了load依赖链模型,分析了基于load依赖链的基准程序线程特性,提出了一种结合线程特性的指令队列竞争缓解策略。实验结果表明,该策略能够加速执行指令吞吐率较高的线程,通过提升此类线程的性能使整体指令吞吐率进一步增加。     

Non-mitochondrial complex I proteins in a hydrogenosomal oxidoreductase complex

Trichomonas vaginalis is a unicellular microaerophilic eukaryote that lacks mitochondria yet contains an alternative organelle, the hydrogenosome, involved in pyruvate metabolism. Pathways between the two organelles differ substantially: in hydrogenosomes, pyruvate oxidation is catalysed by pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase (PFOR), with electrons donated to an [Fe]-hydrogenase which produces hydrogen. ATP is generated exclusively by substrate-level phosphorylation in hydrogenosomes, as opposed to oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria. PFOR and hydrogenase are found in eubacteria and amitochondriate eukaryotes, but not in typical mitochondria. Analyses of mitochondrial genomes indicate that mitochondria have a single endosymbiotic origin from an alpha-proteobacterial-type progenitor. The absence of a genome in trichomonad hydrogenosomes precludes such comparisons, leaving the endosymbiotic history of this organelle unclear. Although phylogenetic reconstructions of a few proteins indicate that trichomonad hydrogenosomes share a common origin with mitochondria, others do not. Here we describe a novel NADH dehydrogenase module of respiratory complex I that is coupled to the central hydrogenosomal fermentative pathway to form a hydrogenosomal oxidoreductase complex that seems to function independently of quinones. Phylogenetic analyses of hydrogenosomal complex I-like proteins Ndh51 and Ndh24 reveal that neither has a common origin with mitochondrial homologues. These studies argue against a vertical origin of trichomonad hydrogenosomes from the proto-mitochondrial endosymbiont.     

Evolution of ecological differences in the Old World leaf warblers.

Sympatric species that belong to the same ecological guild usually differ in their behaviour and morphology, and these differences are often interpreted as adaptations to having to make use of different resources. Evidence supporting this interpretation comes from association between ecology and morphology among species, in which an a priori functional relationship is reasonable. But one problem with such comparisons is that members of a guild may be closely related, so the more closely related species can share a greater similarity in their morphology and ecology simply as a result of the lingering legacy of a common ancestor. In principle, the importance of historical legacy can be evaluated from phylogenetic relationships and times since divergence for all species, but this is rarely possible because these data are not available. Here we use a phylogeny for eight sympatric species of warbler in the genus Phylloscopus, based on their mitochondrial DNA sequences, to remove the effects of historical legacy. Without these effects, we find strong support for adaptive interpretations of among-species variation in habitat selection, prey-size choice and feeding method. Ecological variation along any of these three niche axes is associated with predictable morphological variation. We also find evidence for historical legacy in that more closely related species are often more similar behaviourally and morphologically. This paradoxical result can be reconciled because the most closely related species tend to differ along only one niche axis, habitat choice. In contrast, the evolution of prey-size choice and feeding method occurred rapidly and early in the diversification of this group. Once a new ecological zone was occupied, subsequent morphological change along these niche axes was limited, accounting for the similarity of closely related species.     

学校内部教育公平问题的探索与研究

教育公平已成为学界研究的热点,但研究者关注的大多是宏观层面的教育公平,即城乡之间、区域之间的教育资源的配置是否公平;其实,在学校内部的教育教学过程中也存在着许多不公平现象。学校内部存在的教育不公平现象包括班级之间、学科之间的教育资源配置不公平,课堂教学中的各种不公平,教师教学评价的不公平和教师关注和期望等隐性教育资源分配的不公平。要消除这些不公平现象,首先,要逐步实现小班化教学和分层教学;其次,学校领导要在班级之间和学科之间公平合理地配置教育教学资源;再次,教师要努力提高自己的教育公平意识和教育公平行为。