Effect of available food and temperature on the growth and reproduction of Daphnia rosea

Population parameters of Daphnia rosea were studied at various concentrations of Chlorella sp. (0.25, 0.75 and 3.0 mg C l(-1)) at several temperatures (20, 25, 28, and 30 degrees C) in the laboratory. Although there were some differences in the degrees of the effects of the various temperature-food combinations, both food and temperature exerted influences on almost all of the main population parameters of D. rosea. At a water temperature of 28 degrees C, growth and reproduction were reduced, and at the lowest food level (0.25 mgC l(-1)), reproduction failed. D, rosea did not survive at 30 degrees C in spite of abundant food supply, indicating that 30 degrees C is a physiological limit. A positive relationship between body length and brood size was recognized at high and medium food levels. The slope of the regression was the highest at the highest food level and at the lowest temperature (20 degrees C). The low food level exerted a negative influence on the net reproductive rate by lowering the size of egg-bearing females, by decreasing the brood size of each size class, by decreasing the brood number per female, and by increasing the period of empty brood chamber. High water temperature (28 degrees C) also exerted a negative influence on the net reproductive rate in a similar way. For the better understanding of the key factors driving the midsummer dynamics of daphnids in the field, it may be of crucial importance to compare the population parameters of the field populations with experimentally derived values under controlled conditions of food concentration and temperature.

萱草属的进化与分类

根据现有记载，萱草属约有20种，主要分布在东亚，由于种间在外部形态和核型上的高度相似性，加之长期人工栽培，使本属植物的分类成为一个难题，我们做了大量的野外调查和温室栽培试验，获得了一些有意义的观察结果，对核型变异做了详细定量分析：系统观察了花粉扫描电镜特征，为了揭示属内可能的表征和分支关系，运用聚类分析，主成分分析及简约分析对属下类群做了定量研究．本文得到如下主要结论． 1．虽然迄今为止许多核型观察结果未能得到有分类学意义的结论，运用数量分析方法比较各分类群核型定量变异结果表明，其分类学意义是明显的，例如，北黄花菜、黄花菜和小黄花菜三者外部形态很一致，核型亦高度相似：大苞萱草和多花萱草的核型公式虽与前三者相同，但已出现明显的数量变异．同样，北萱草，折叶萱草和西南萱草虽有相同核型公式，亦出现明显数量变异．萱草则与所有其他类群的核型均有明显差别．核型对称性分析表明，臂比不对称性出现一个由低到高的演变序列：但长度不对称性与此无明显相关性．萱草和折叶萱草的臂比不对称性最低，西南萱草和北萱草升高，黄花菜，大苞萱草和多花萱草等最高． 2．观察到三种类型花粉;舟形具网纹，舟形具疣纹和亚球形具疣纹．萱草，北萱草，大苞萱草，北黄花菜，黄花菜，小黄花菜及多花萱草具第一种类型花粉;折叶萱草和西南萱草具第2种类型花粉;矮萱草具第三种花粉．以广义百合科其他类群作为复合外类群进行比较，推测花粉形态的演化序列为：舟形具网纹一舟形具疣纹一亚球形具疣纹． 3．在外部形态上，萱草因具二叉分枝花序，叶型苞片，根膨大适中，花蕾顶部绿色及花筒占花被比例较小等原始性状状态，结合不对称性较低的核型特征和舟形具网纹花粉特征，是现存种类中最原始类群;折叶萱草及北萱草等具较短的花筒，二叉分枝花序，单色花被及花蕾部绿色等特征显得进化程度不高．黄花菜因具夜间开花习性，长花筒，叶鞘红色等状态被认为是进化类群，大苞萱草高度压缩的花序形成头状花序，具总苞状宽大苞片及绳索状根被认为是特化类群，矮萱草个体矮小，单花，具亚球形疣纹花粉亦被认为是高度特化类群．外部形态，花粉特征，核型及地理分布之间存在着相关性;随地理水平分布由南向北，外部形态特征由原始到进化，核型不对称性由低到高：随地理垂直分布由低向高，形态特征由复杂到简化，核型不对称性由低到高，花粉形态由舟形具网纹到舟形具疣纹再到亚球形具疣纹，这两种趋势结合起来构画出了本属植物演化和地理分布的基本轮廊． 4．萱草是一个孤立的属，没有明确的外类群可供比较．在现存类群中．Dahlgren等(1985)认为本属与分布在非洲，地中海地区，西亚及中亚的Asphodeloideae（亚科）有较多的共有特征．本文比较了两个类群之后发现，萱草不但在许多一般特征上与Asphodeloideae -致，而且在小孢子同时型发生及含蒽醌等被认为是Asphodeloideae典型属性的特征上亦与后者相同．这些共有特征显示出二 者在系统发育上一定的联系．进一步比较发现两者在有差异的特征中，萱草属显得较为进化．二者的分布区是完全不同的;Asphodeloideae分布在中亚及其以西地区和非洲，而本属分布在东亚，延及西伯利亚，据本文分析，欧洲生长的一个种(H.lilioasphodelus，北黄花菜)是归化类群．北美和台湾没有自然分布，但栽培植物均生长良好，而且已有归化植物．由此似乎可以推测，本届的祖先与Asphodeloideae的祖先有亲缘关系，这种关系似可远溯到第三纪古地中海时期，或许当时与Asphodeloideae祖先有关系的一个分支分布于古地中海东南缘的康滇古陆，即与现今横断山地区相应的地区，由于喜玛拉雅造山运动引起的地质，地理和气候剧变，某些类群灭绝了，一个类群发展成现今的萱草属． 5．由于本属各分类群间形态及核型相似性程度较高，种间极易（人工）杂交，似无必要在属与种间增设组或系，根据本文研究结果及参考有关分类文献（国外种类），我们将萱草属处理为10种2亚种13变种：H.darrowiana Hu;小萱草(H.dumortieri Morr.)及北萱草(var. esculenta (Koidz.) Kitamura;西南萱草(H.forrestii Diels);萱草(H.fulva (L.) L.)及var. aurantiaca (Baker) Hotta, var. disticha (Donn.) Baker，重瓣萱草(var. kwanso Regel)，var. littorea (Makino)Hotta，长菅萱草(var. longituba (Miq.) Maxim，var. maculata Baroni，var. pauciflora Hotta et Matsuoka, var. rosea Stout, var. sempervirens (Araki) Hotta; H. hakuunensis Nakai;北黄花菜 (H. lilioasphodelus L. Var. lilioasphodelus)及黄花菜(ssp. citrina (Baroni) Xiong)，小黄花菜(ssp. minor(Mill.) Xiong)，var. corcana (Nakai) Xiong;大苞萱草 (H. middendorfii Trautv. et Mey var. middendorfii)及var. exaltata (Stout) Kitamura，长苞萱草(var. longibracteata Xiong);多花萱草(H. multiflora Stout);矮萱草(H. nana Smith ct Forrest);折叶萱草(H.plicata Stapf)。

Changes in the structure of a zooplankton community during a Ceratium (dinoflagellate) bloom in a eutrophic fishless pond

The community structure of zooplankton was studied in a eutrophic, fishless Japanese pond. The ecosystem was dominated by a dinoflagellate, Ceratium hirundinella, two filter-feeding cladocerans, Daphnia rosea and Ceriodaphnia reticulata, and an invertebrate predator, the dipteran Chaoborus flavicans. The midsummer zooplankton community showed a large change in species composition (the Daphnia population crashed) when a heavy Ceratium bloom occurred. It is shown that (i) the rapid density decline of D.rosea in mid-May was mainly caused by a shortage of edible phytoplankton, which was facilitated by the rapid increase in C.hirundinella abundance; (ii) the low density of D.rosea in June-July was considered to be mainly caused by the blooming of Ceratium hirundinella (which may inhibit the feeding process of D.rosea), while predation by C.flavicans larvae, the changing temperature, the interspecific competition and the scarcity of edible algae were not judged to be important; (iii) the high summer biomass of the planktonic C.flavicans larvae was maintained by the bloom of C.hirundinella, because >90% of the crop contents of C.flavicans larvae were C.hirundinella during this period. The present study indicates that the large-sized cells or colonies of phytoplankton are not only inedible by most cladocerans, but the selective effect of the blooming of these algae can also influence the composition and dominance of the zooplankton community, especially for the filter-feeding Cladocera, in a similar way as the selective predation by planktivorous fish. The large-sized phytoplankton can also be an important alternative food for ominivorous invertebrate predators such as Chaoborus larvae, and thus may affect the interactions between these predators and their zooplanktonic prey. In this way, such phytoplankton may play a very important role in regulating the dynamics of the aquatic food web, and become a driving force in shaping the community structure of zooplankton.