Effects of temperature on the threshold of phosphorus for algal blooms

Algal blooms, worsening marine ecosystems and causing great economic loss, have been paid much attention to for a long time. Such environmental factors as light penetration, water temperature, and nutrient concentration are crucial in blooms processes. Among them, only nutrients can be controlled. Therefore, the threshold of nutrients for algal blooms is of great concern. To begin with, a dynamic eutrophication model has been constructed to simulate the algal growth and phosphorus cycling. The model encapsulates the essential biological processes of algal growth and decay, and phosphorus regeneration due to algal decay. The nutrient limitation is based upon commonly used Monod's kinetics. The effects of temperature and phosphorus limitation are particularly addressed. Then, we have endeavored to elucidate the threshold of phosphorus at different temperature for algal blooms. Based on the numerical simulation, the isoquant contours of change rate of alga as shown in the figure are obtained, which obviously demonstrate the threshold of nutrient at an arbitrary reasonable temperature. The larger the change rate is, the more rapidly the alga grows. If the phosphorus concentration at a given temperature remains larger than the threshold the algal biomass may increase monotonically, leading to the algal blooming. With the rising of temperature, the threshold is apparently reduced, which may explain why likely red tide disasters occur in a fine summer day. So, high temperature and sufficient phosphorus supply are the major factors which result in algal growth and blowout of red tide.

影响圆叶牵牛(Ipomoea purpurea)花中花青素含量的因子研究

表型是基因型和环境共同作用的结果，环境对物种进化起到了至关重要的作用。虽然人们已经知道环境因子会影响植物花青素的最终含量，但这样的影响是如何在自然环境中进行的仍是未知。较之以前泛泛研究经济作物或模式植物的花青素总含量与人工环境变量的关系的工作，本文探讨环境变化对半野生的圆叶牵牛自然状态下不同基因型植株、不同花青素的影响。 65株取自全国各地包括3种颜色8种基因型的圆叶牵牛被分别种到了温室和室外，温室32株，室外35株，用高效液相 (HPLC) 的方法检测盛花期 (07年9月-10月) 圆叶牵牛花中花青素的含量，同时每天分早中晚采集3次温室和室外的环境数据-照度、紫外线强度、温度、湿度。记录每朵花着生高度、朝向、当天植株开花数、植株根茎、植株生长天数等个体信息。 通过保留时间、紫外-可见吸收光谱数据、质谱数据以及参考文献确定了圆叶牵牛花瓣中主要的5种花青素，包括三个矢车菊素 (CY) 和两个天竺葵素 (PG)，根据它们所含的咖啡酸和葡萄糖基的个数将它们简写成CY3C4G、CY2C4G、CY3C5G、PG2C4G、PG3C5G。CY2C4G和CY3C4G仅在蓝紫色花中大量存在，PG2C4G及PG3C5G仅在粉色花中大量存在，CY3C5G在两种颜色的圆叶牵牛花中均有存在。 温室和室外的四个环境因子有显著差异，平均照度室外为温室的3.06倍，平均紫外线强度为温室的5.39倍。Z 检验表明，蓝紫色花中的CY3C5G在温室内外没有显著差异 (P=0.3070)，而温室内的CY2C4G (P<0.0001) 和CY3C4G (P<0.0001) 含量明显的低于室外，粉花中CY3C5G和PG3C5G在温室 (P=0.4533) 和室外 (P=0.9577) 没有显著差异，PG2C4G在温室内含量明显 (P=0.0003) 低于室外。 通过Kruskal- Wallis 检验,不同基因型植株各种花青素的相对含量显著不同 (P<0.0001)。室外不同基因型植株的花青素绝对含量显著不同 (P<0.0001)。温室不同基因型植株中，CY2C4G (P=0.0224) 和CY3C4G (P=0.0017) 的绝对含量显著不同，显著性比室外的低些。CY3C5G不同基因型的绝对含量有差异，但是差异不显著 (P=0.0633)。基因型对植株中各个花青素相对含量的影响是尤其显著的，基因型对于花青素绝对含量的影响，可能是基因型直接作用和不同基因型对环境差异的不同响应两方面造成的，所以在环境变异稍大的条件下，基因型更加能显示出它对花青素的含量的影响。 植株的生长天数与粉色圆叶牵牛的PG2C4G、PG3C5G以及蓝紫色圆叶牵牛的三个花青素呈一定的正相关，当天开花数对粉色花的PG3C5G以及蓝紫色花的三个花青素呈负相关，花的朝向 (北-东-南-西-北 对应数值为0-90-180-90-0)，对粉花的PG2C4G以及蓝紫花的CY2C4G和CY3C4G 呈正相关，植株大小对粉花的PG2C4G、PG3C5G以及蓝紫花的CY3C5G呈负相关。花所着生的高度对两种颜色花的影响是不同的，与蓝紫花的三个花色素呈负相关，对于粉色的PG2C4G、CY3C5G呈正相关。

浑善达克沙地植被恢复中几个问题的研究

浑善达克沙地位于内蒙古自治区锡林郭勒高原中部，是我国温带草原区最主要的沙地之一。由于沙质土壤特性和大陆性季风气候等自然条件的限制，长期过度放牧导致了沙地植被退化、固定沙丘活化等一系列环境问题，进而威胁到区域生态安全和可持续发展。恢复和重建退化了的沙地植被，防止沙漠化的进一步扩大已经刻不容缓。 本论文的目的是揭示沙地植被类型与环境的生态关系、沙地植物群落结构特点以及播种时期对沙地人工草地青贮玉米产量的影响，为在沙漠化防治中选择合适的治沙物种、制定合理的植被恢复方案、确定符合当地气候特点的人工草地最佳播种时间等提供理论依据。论文包括三方面的内容：1浑善达克沙地中部丘间低地植物群落分布与土壤环境因子关系;2浑善达克沙地中部植物群落物种多样性与土壤环境因子关系;3播期对浑善达克沙地青贮玉米产量的影响。 对在浑善达克沙地中部丘间低地上获取的102个植物群落样方进行了分析，按照样方中建群种和优势种的重要值把它们归属于28个植物群落类型。对102个群落样方进行去趋势典范对应分析（DCCA），结果表明DCCA排序轴第一轴主要代表地下水位的变化梯度;第二轴主要代表土壤的全氮含量和有机质含量的变化梯度;第三轴则代表土壤溶液的酸碱度值，即地下水位、土壤有机质、全氮含量和土壤溶液酸碱度影响沙地丘间低地植物群落的分布格局。 对流动－半流动沙丘、固定沙丘、丘间低地和淖尔边缘湖沼等四种生境的物种多样性研究结果表明，分布在流动沙丘－半流动沙丘的植物群落的物种丰富度指数和物种多样性指数最低，生态优势度指数较高，均匀度指数相对较高;固定沙丘的物种丰富度指数、物种多样性指数和均匀度指数较高，优势度指数较低;丘间低地和淖尔边缘湖沼的植物群落的物种丰富度指数，多样性指数低于固定沙丘的，但是高于流动－半流动沙丘的，优势度指数高于固定沙丘的，均匀度指数低于流动－半流动沙丘的。各个指数和土壤环境因子的相关分析表明，土壤溶液的酸碱度、土壤全氮和有机质含量与物种多样性有着较强的相关关系。 人工草地青贮玉米分期播种的实验结果显示:随着播期的推迟,英红玉米的地上生物量由2453±161kg/hm2降至1055±68kg/hm2;巴贮玉米的地上生物量由2159±65kg/hm2降至1016±70kg/hm2。两个品种的叶面积和株高都随着播期的推迟逐渐下降。5月27日和6月4日播种的青贮玉米的株高、叶面积和地上生物量显著高于6月11日和6月18日播种的青贮玉米的株高、叶面积和地上生物量（p＜0.05）。实验结果表明将当前生产实践中播种时间由6月中旬提前至5月底和6月初可以显著提高种植青贮玉米的产量。

苋属入侵种的可能分布区预测及相关环境因子分析

苋属（Amaranthus）约40种，世界均有分布。我国有20种，分布很广，其中外来种为17种(11种为入侵种)，危害旱田作物、果树、茶树和蔬菜。反枝苋（Amaranthus retroflexus L.）是苋属入侵种中发生频率最多、分布最广、危害最严重的杂草。本文首先基于反枝苋在世界范围内4207个实际分布点及其对应的气候、地形和土壤三类要素28个环境因子的定量关系，利用主成分分析确定了影响其分布的主要环境因子，据此估测其中心可能分布区和最大可能分布区，并与实际分布点进行比较;然后利用GARP生态位模型和地理信息系统(GIS)对影响苋属8个入侵种地理分布的环境因子进行分析并对其全球可能分布区进行预测，并根据苋属入侵种与环境因子的关系对8个苋属入侵种进行聚类分析;最后基于Receiver Operating Characteristics(ROC)分析对GARP模型及GIS模型对反枝苋全球可能分布区的预测结果进行精度检验和比较，结果表明： (1) GIS模型预测显示14个环境因子在决定反枝苋全球分布格局中起着重要作用。反枝苋中心可能分布区位于新西兰南部、澳大利亚东南部、南美洲北部少数地区、北美洲西北部及东南部部分地区、欧洲大部分地区和中国东南部。最大可能分布区位于南美洲中南部、北美洲大部分、非洲北部小部分、澳大利亚南部及北部少数区域、欧洲大部分地区和亚洲大部分地区及中国除西藏、青海、新疆、四川西部以外的地区。中心可能分布区的预测结果与实际分布点吻合较好，而最大可能分布区则过于广阔。 (2) GARP模型预测显示14个环境因子中雨日频率，极端低温，海拔这三个环境因子的影响较为重要，是苋属8个入侵种分布的主要限制因子。聚类分析表明8种苋属入侵种按欧式距离的长度可分为三类：第一类：反枝苋、凹头苋;第二类：刺苋、皱果苋、尾穗苋;第三类：绿穗苋、白苋、北美苋。 ROC分析结果显示GARP模型对反枝苋的可能分布区模拟效果（AUCGARP=0.857）好于GIS模型，其中GIS模型对反枝苋中心可能分布区的模拟效果(AUCGIS-CENTER=0.832)好于最大可能分布区(AUCGIS-MAX=0.778)。 苋属8个入侵种均有分布的地区为澳大利亚沿海地区，新西兰，中国东南沿海，欧洲西部，南美洲部分国家，美国，非洲中部。 (3)两种模型所预测的反枝苋的可能分布区有很大程度的重合性，GARP模型预测的可能分布区大于GIS模型预测出的中心可能分布区，但小于GIS模型预测出的最大可能分布区，且和实际分布点拟合程度较好。

油菜内源和外源蛋白的表达及环境因素的影响

植物与昆虫的互作关系是个长期进化的过程，虫害给农业生产带来巨大损失。本研究以甘蓝型油菜（Brassica napus）为例，研究了不同环境条件和遗传背景下外源基因的表达与效用，同时利用蛋白质组技术，研究了虫害损伤模拟条件下植物可能存在的内源抗性机制。甘蓝型油菜中转入了人工合成的Bt（Bacillus thuringiensis）杀虫基因，能使植物产生抗虫蛋白抵御虫害。我们在湖北湖南两个实验点进行了大田实验，按植株生长发育的4个不同时期从转基因植株的叶片上采样，研究抗虫蛋白在植物体内的表达动态。植株顶部第三片展开叶的Bt毒蛋白浓度在结荚期前随植物生长而不断增加，而在结荚期出现或增或减的现象。采样叶片的可溶性总蛋白浓度含量一直呈增加的趋势，直到结荚以后出现含量的明显降低。同时，收集了转基因油菜与湘油15号在田间自然杂交形成的杂交后代种子用于栽培，用GFP仪检测杂交后代的绿色荧光蛋白（green fluorescent protein），并用聚合酶链式反应（polymerase chain reaction, PCR）检测并确认带有转基因的杂交植株。为了检测带有转基因的杂交后代油菜中Bt毒蛋白的杀虫效率，用对Bt毒蛋白敏感的试虫品系——初孵棉铃虫幼虫（Helicoverpa armigera）进行杀虫活性检测实验。结果表明，携带Bt基因的杂交湘油及其转基因亲本对试虫的体重增长量均产生了负面影响，可以推断在调查取样的植株生长发育阶段，转基因杂交后代与其转基因亲本植株的杀虫效率没有显著差异。转基因植物及其杂交后代中抗虫蛋白的持续表达及田间带有转基因的自播植物的出现会使害虫产生耐受抗性的潜在可能性增加。 相对于人为增加的抗虫基因，植物在长期对抗昆虫的过程中也进化形成了自我防御机制，能够产生特异的抗性蛋白来应对昆虫的取食。本研究用机械损伤模拟害虫取食，对比了油菜受到物理损伤前后可溶性总蛋白的含量变化并试图通过蛋白质组学技术来检测可能发生变化的蛋白质。Bradford定量测定发现，同一植株同一叶片损伤前后可溶性总蛋白含量差异显著，损伤后蛋白表达量显著增高。蛋白质组双向凝胶电泳及其差异分析显示，损伤前后有8个蛋白质点发生明显的上调或下调。选择其中2个差异蛋白点经过MALDI-TOF质谱鉴定，它们分别是Rubisco小亚基前体以及果糖－1，6－二磷酸醛缩酶和粪卟啉－3－氧化酶的混合物，这些蛋白质在其他植物的抗逆研究中也有报道，它们可能在油菜叶片应答机械损伤过程中对维持植物的生理功能也有重要作用。

浑善达克沙地榆树树干液流动态研究

本文应用Granier热扩散技术对内蒙古浑善达克沙地榆树疏林林分进行树干液流通量研究，分别选择胸径大小占林分80%以上林木的三种胸径级（15-25cm，25-35cm，35-45cm）榆树样树各三株，应用Granier探针进行每隔15min的树干液流测定，同步测定林分环境因子，包括空气温度、相对湿度、土壤温度、土壤湿度、光合有效辐射、风速等10余个环境因子，在生长季节进行了5个月的测定，详细研究和分析了榆树树杆液流特征，其中包括昼夜变化趋势和规律、不同天气状况下的液流密度变化特点以及在生长季不同时期的液流密度变化规律，阐述了不同胸径级榆树树干液流变化特征。同时利用连续获得的树干液流通量与环境因子数据，分析了树干液流通量与环境因子的关系，阐明不同时期影响树干液流通量变化的主导因素，以及树干液流密度对环境因子的响应规律。并通过钻取样地内的树木生长年轮芯测定了榆树不同径级的边材面积，建立边材和胸径的关系方程，估算了不同胸径林分的边材面积以及冠层蒸腾的季节动态。 在晴朗的白天，不同胸径级榆树的树干液流密度变化曲线均呈单峰曲线，只是峰值持续的时间不同。不同胸径级榆树树干液流密度变化具有明显的昼夜节律性。在生长季结束后液流并不是马上停止，而是有微弱的波动。阴雨天液流密度变化曲线均不规则且液流密度值较小，甚至出现多峰曲线，而且峰值明显;液流密度的变化出现较大的波动性，夜间却有液流发生，而且值较晴天的夜间液流密度稍大。 林分不同胸径级榆树树干大径级木、中径级木和小径级木液流通量特征表现为: 榆树大径级木液流密度的峰值大于中等木，中等木峰值大于小径级木，差异明显;大径级木由于年龄较大，液流密度曲线变化平缓，没有明显的峰值，呈弧形曲线; 而且不同年龄的树木反映差别比较大，但是总体趋势还是受胸径的影响。 随季节推移生长季各月份液流密度均值基本逐渐减小，进入生长季末期(10月)基本处于微弱波动状态。液流通量月平均值最大值一般都出现在6-8月，大径级木、中径级木和小径级木各月液流通量变化差异较大。日液流通量比较分析得出，大径级木日液流通量最大值分别为394.53，中径级木为66.04，小径级木为63.56 kg∙ d-1。综合分析对不同胸径树木影响较大的环境因子为VPD，PAR，Ta; 但是在不同生长季节，对不同类型树木起主要作用的环境因子也不尽相同，但是PAR与VPD是其中基本主要起作用的两个因子。 通过建立边材与胸径的关系方程，得出边材和胸径关系(R2=0.99)。通过经验公式计算得出，林分生长期的蒸腾耗水量相当于2.24mm/day, 低于当地同期降雨量2.78mm/day.

Association of haplotypes spanning PDZ-GEF2, LOC728637 and ACSL6 with schizophrenia in Han Chinese

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Strikingly different penetrance of LHON in two Chinese families with primary mutation G11778A is independent of mtDNA haplogroup background and secondary mutation G13708A

The penetrance of Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) in families with primary mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations is very complex. Matrilineal and nuclear genetic background, as well as environmental factors, have been reported to be involved in d

SEXUAL DIMORPHISM IN THE SNUB-NOSED LANGURS (COLOBINAE, RHINOPITHECUS)

Sexual dimorphism in the dentition and skeleton of the four extant species of snub-nosed langurs, Rhinopithecus (R.) bieti, R. (R.) brelichi, R. (R.) roxellana and R. (Presbytiscus) avunculus, was studied. The species shared a similar general pattern of sexual dimorphism, but were found to differ in respects that appear to reflect the influence of disparate socioecological and environmental factors. All the species showed marked canine dimorphism, but the very high degree of canine dimorphism in R. bieti appeared to be due to the intensity of intermale competition for mates during a temporally restricted breeding season, and possibly also to the intensity of competition between males for other resources during other times of the year. Sexual dimorphism in the postcranial skeleton of Rhinopithecus species was also most pronounced in R. bieti and may be related to the relatively higher frequency of terrestrial locomotion in males of the species. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Mechanism study on the frequent variations of cell-bound microcystins in cyanobacterial blooms in Lake Taihu: Implications for water quality monitoring and assessments

Although Microcystis-based toxins have been intensively studied, previous studies using laboratory cultures of Microcystis strains are difficult to explain the phenomenon that microcystin concentrations and toxin variants in natural blooms differ widely and frequently within a short-term period. The present study was designed to unravel the mechanisms for the frequent variations of intracellular toxins related to the differences in cyanobacterial colonies during bloom seasons in Lake Taihu, China. Monitoring of Microcystis colonies during warm seasons indicated that the variations in microcystins in both concentrations and toxin species were associated with the frequent alteration of Microcystis colonies in Lake Taihu. High concentration of microcystins in the blooms was always associated with two Microcystis colonies, Microcystis flos-aquae and Microcystis aeruginosa, whereas when Microcystis wesenbergii was the dominant colonial type, the toxin production of the blooms was low. Additionally, environmental factors such as temperature and nutrition were also shown to have an effect on the toxin production of the blooms, and may also potentially influence the Microcystis species present. The results of the present study provides insight into a new consideration for quick water quality monitoring, assessment and risk alert in cyanobacterium- and toxin-contaminated freshwaters, which will be beneficial not only for water agencies but also for public health. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Plankton Community Succession in Artificial Systems Subjected to Cyanobacterial Blooms Removal using Chitosan-Modified Soils

Using artificial systems to simulate natural lake environments with cyanobacterial blooms, we investigated plankton community succession by polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) fingerprinting and morphological method. With this approach, we explored potential ecological effects of a newly developed cyanobacterial blooms removal method using chitosan-modified soils. Results of PCR-DGGE and morphological identification showed that plankton communities in the four test systems were nearly identical at the beginning of the experiment. After applying the newly developed and standard removal methods, there was a shift in community composition, but neither chemical conditions nor plankton succession were significantly affected by the cyanobacteria removal process. The planted Vallisneria natans successfully recovered after cyanobacteria removal, whereas that in the box without removal process did not. Additionally, canonical correspondence analysis indicated that other than for zooplankton abundance, total phosphorus was the most important environmental predictor of planktonic composition. The present study and others suggest that dealing with cyanobacteria removal using chitosan-modified soils can play an important role in controlling cyanobacterial blooms in eutrophicated freshwater systems.

Colony development and physiological characterization of the edible blue-green alga, Nostoc sphaeroides (Nostocaceae, Cyanophyta)

The edible blue-green alga, Nostoc sphaeroides Kutzing, is able to form microcolonies and spherical macrocolonies. It has been used as a potent herbal medicine and dietary supplement for centuries because of its nutraceutical and pharmacological benefits. However, limited information is available on the development of the spherical macrocolonies and the environmental factors that affect their structure. This report described the morphogenesis of N. sphaeroides from single trichomes to macrocolonies. During the process, most structural features of macrocolonies of various sizes were dense maculas, rings, the compact core and the formation of liquid core; and the. laments within the macrocolonies showed different lengths and arrays depending on the sizes of macrocolonies. Meanwhile temperature and light intensity also strongly affected the internal structure of macrocolonies. As microcolonies further increased in size to form 30 mm macrocolonies, the colonies differentiated into distinct outer, middle and inner layers. The. laments of the outer layer showed higher maximum photosynthetic rates, higher light saturation point, and higher photosynthetic effciency than those of the inner layer; whereas the. laments of the inner layer had a higher content of chlorophyll a and phycobiliproteins than those of the outer layer. The results obtained in this study were important for the mass cultivation of N. sphaeroides as a nutraceutical product. (c) 2008 National Natural Science Foundation of China and Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier Limited and Science in China Press. All rights reserved.

Effects of gibberellin A(3) on growth and microcystin production in Microcystis aeruginosa (cyanophyta)

Environmental. factors that affect the growth and microcystin production of microcystis have received worldwide attention because of the hazards microcystin poses to environmental safety and public health. Nevertheless, the effects of organic anthropogenic pollution on microcystis are rarely discussed. Gibberellin A(3) (GA(3)) is a vegetable hormone widely used in agriculture and horticulture that can contaminate water as an anthropogenic pollutant. Because of its common occurrence, we studied the effects of GA3 on growth and microcystin production of Microcystis aeruginosa (M. aeruginosa) PCC7806 with different concentrations (0.001-25mg/L) in batch culture. The control was obtained without gibberellin under the same culture conditions. Growth, estimated by dry weight and cell number, increased after the GA3 treatment. GA3 increased the amounts of chlorophyll a, phycocyanin and cellular-soluble protein in the cells of M. aeruginosa PCC7806, but decreased the accumulation of water-soluble carbohydrates. In addition, GA3 was observed to affect nitrogen absorption of the test algae, but to have no effect on the absorption of phosphorus. The amount of microcystin measured by enzyme-Linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) increased in GA3 treatment groups, but the stimulatory effects were different in different culture phases. It is suggested that GA3 increases M. aeruginosa growth by stimulating its absorbance of nitrogen and increasing its ability to use carbohydrates, accordingly increasing cellular pigments and thus finally inducing accumulation of protein and microcystin. (C) 2007 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Response of macrozoobenthos communities to ecological engineering remediation in a hypertrophic urban lake

The relationship of macrozoobenthos communities with some environmental variables, and their response to the ongoing restoration measures were studied in a small hypertrophic urban lake near the Yangzte River, China. Twenty taxa including 9 oligochaetes, 7 insects, 2 mollusks and two other animals were found during March 2005 to May 2006. The reappearance of some indigenous macrozoobenthos species showed that the ecological engineering remediation carried out was helpful for the recovery of the macrozoobenthos communities. Through canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), it was detected that temperature (T), conductivity (COND), Secchi depth/deep (SD/Deep), TN, total suspended solids (SS) and chemical oxygen demand (CODcr) were significant environmental factors that influenced the pattern of macrozoobenthos. Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri, Tanypus sp. and Alocinma longicornis could be used as potential bio-indicators in monitoring the development of ecological restoration.

Morphological variability between wild populations and inbred stocks of a Chinese minnow, Gobiocypris rarus

Gobiocypris rarus, a small, native cyprinid fish, is currently widely used in research on fish pathology, genetics, toxicology, embryology, and physiology in China. To develop this species as a model laboratory animal, inbred strains have been successfully created. In this study, to explore a method to discriminate inbred strains and evaluate inbreeding effects, morphological variation among three wild populations and three inbred stocks of G. rarus was investigated by the multivariate analysis of eight meristic and 30 morphometric characters. Tiny intraspecific variations in meristic characters were found, but these were not effective for population distinction. Stepwise discriminant analysis and cluster analysis of conventional measures and truss network data showed considerabe divergence among populations, especially between wild populations and inbred stocks. The average discriminant accuracy for all populations was 82.1% based on conventional measures and 86.4% based on truss data, whereas the discriminant accuracy for inbred strains was much higher. These results suggested that multivariate analyses of morphometric characters are an effective method for discriminating inbred strains of G. rarus. Morphological differences between wild populations and inbred strains appear to result from both genetic differences and environmental factors. Thirteen characters, extracted from stepwise discriminant analysis, played important roles in morphological differentiation. These characters were mainly measures related to body depth and head size.