The behaviour of Drosophila adult hindgut stem cells is controlled by Wnt and Hh signalling

The intestinal tract maintains proper function by replacing aged cells with freshly produced cells that arise from a population of self-renewing intestinal stem cells (ISCs). In the mammalian intestine, ISC self renewal, amplification and differentiation take place along the crypt-villus axis, and are controlled by the Wnt and hedgehog (Hh) signalling pathways. However, little is known about the mechanisms that specify ISCs within the developing intestinal epithelium, or about the signalling centres that help maintain them in their self-renewing stem cell state. Here we show that in adult Drosophila melanogaster, ISCs of the posterior intestine (hindgut) are confined to an anterior narrow segment, which we name the hindgut proliferation zone (HPZ). Within the HPZ, self renewal of ISCs, as well as subsequent proliferation and differentiation of ISC descendants, are controlled by locally emanating Wingless (Wg, a Drosophila Wnt homologue) and Hh signals. The anteriorly restricted expression of Wg in the HPZ acts as a niche signal that maintains cells in a slow-cycling, self-renewing mode. As cells divide and move posteriorly away from the Wg source, they enter a phase of rapid proliferation. During this phase, Hh signal is required for exiting the cell cycle and the onset of differentiation. The HPZ, with its characteristic proliferation dynamics and signalling properties, is set up during the embryonic phase and becomes active in the larva, where it generates all adult hindgut cells including ISCs. The mechanism and genetic control of cell renewal in the Drosophila HPZ exhibits a large degree of similarity with what is seen in the mammalian intestine. Our analysis of the Drosophila HPZ provides an insight into the specification and control of stem cells, highlighting the way in which the spatial pattern of signals that promote self renewal, growth and differentiation is set up within a genetically tractable model system.     

Spatial Heterogeneity of Vegetation in China

The spatial heterogeneity and ecological characteristics of 74 vegetation types and the lack of vegetation type within the 9.6 million km2 of Chinese territory were studied using data from the China vege- tation map. The analysis used 877 large quadrats 10 mm×10 mm (actual size 100 km×100 km), which cov- ered about 8.77 million km2. Each large-quadrat was divided into four small 5 mm×5 mm quadrats (actual size 50 km×50 km). The frequency of occurrence of all vegetation types was recorded in each small quadrat. The survey using the Shiyomi method of vegetation analysis based on the beta-binomial distribution was adopted to describe the frequency of occurrence and spatial heterogeneity for each kind of vegetation. The weighted average heterogeneity of all the vegetation types in the landscape provides a measure of the landscape level heterogeneity which describes the spatial intricacy of the existing vegetation composition. The maximum spatial vegetation heterogeneity was 0.8620 in the frigid-temperate coniferous forest of Larix (V1), which dominates cold moist northeast China. The minimum spatial heterogeneity with a low occurrence was the Caragana tibetica in the gravel desert in the western Yellow River Hetao area. The minimum occur- rence with a low spatial heterogeneity was the Monsoon rainforest on rock in Guangxi and Yunnan Provinces. The vegetation types on the Qing-Zang Plateau were found to be representative of Chinese vegeta- tion because of the very high occurrence and spatial heterogeneity of these vegetation types. The weighted average of the heterogeneity was 0.677, while the vegetation diversity index was 3.29.     

日本那须地区人工草地牧草生物量随时间变化的解析--Ⅱ地下生物量

国立草地研究所位于日本中部的西那须地区，在其所辖人工草地的放牧试验区内，进行了以下实验：(1)研究不同放牧压对地下生物量的影响(1974-1981年)，(2)研究不同施肥水准对地下生物量的影响(1982-1989年)．在与上述相同的放牧样地内，除去了放牧条件的差异(以相同的放牧压和施肥水准)，继续进行了5年的放牧试验(1990-1994)．结果表明地下生物量(包括新鲜的根和地下茎)的季节和年度变化较大，呈现出随着放牧年限增加而年年递减的趋势．     

Fractals in Spatial Patterns of Vegetation Formations

Introduction The quantification of spatial patterns, a focal subject in ecological research, is used as a foundation for meas-urement and analysis of the quality of habitats and the biodiversity[1]. Historically, the dominant approach has been used to cho…