The co-evolutionary relationship between bitterling fishes and freshwater mussels: insights from interspecific comparisons

Hypothesis: In parasites that use hosts for offspring development, adults may base oviposition decisions on a range of host traits related either to host quality or the co-evolutionary relationship between parasite and host. We examined whether host quality or co-evolutionary dynamics drive the use of hosts in the bitterling-mussel relationship. Organisms: Six species of bitterling fish (Acheilognathinae) and eight species of freshwater mussels (Unionidae, Corbiculidae) that are used by bitterling for oviposition. Site of experiments: Experimental tanks in Wuhan, China, at the site of the natural distribution of the studied species. Methods: Three experiments that controlled for host accessibility and interspecific interactions were conducted to identify host preferences among bitterling fishes and their mussel hosts. We started with a broad interspecific comparison. We then tested bitterling behavioural choices, their temporal stability, and mussel host ejection behaviour of the eggs of generalist and specialist bitterling species. Finally, we measured host mussel quality based on respiration rate and used published studies on mussel gill structure to infer mussel suitability as hosts for bitterling eggs. Results: We found significant interspecific differences among bitterling species in their use of mussel hosts. Bitterling species varied in their level of host specificity and identity of preferred hosts. Host preferences were flexible even among apparently specialized species and fishes switched their preferences adaptively when the quality of individuals of preferred host species declined. Mussels varied considerably in their response to oviposition through egg ejections. Host preference by a generalist bitterling species correlated positively with host quality measured as the efficiency of the mussel gills to extract oxygen from inhaled water. Host ability to eject bitterling eggs correlated positively with their relative respiration rate, probably due to a higher velocity of water circulating in the mussel gill chamber.

青藏高原东缘青杨（Populus cathayana Rehd.）遗传多样性研究

青杨（Populus cathayana Rehd.）是青杨派杨树的主要树种之一，为我国特有乡土树种，其主要分布区之一是我国的青藏高原，集中分布地带在甘肃省中部及青海省东部，四川省西北部岷江上游和松潘等地区。本研究以青藏高原东缘青杨天然分布区的6个群体143个个体为材料，用AFLP、SSR和叶绿体SSR分子标记分析青杨天然群体的遗传多样性，分析其遗传结构和分化，比较6个群体间遗传多样性的高低和群体间的遗传关系。旨在为青杨基因资源评价、保护与保存、遗传改良策略制定等提供科学理论依据。通过以上研究，得出如下主要研究结果： 1 AFLP分子标记研究结果 采用4对选择性引物对6个青杨天然群体143个个体进行分析，扩增谱带分析共检测到175个位点，其中173个位点表现为多态，多态位点百分率高达98.9%。从整体上表现出较高的遗传多样性，Nei’s基因多样度(h)水平为0.306。从青杨天然群体位点分布来看，有高达20%的位点（32位点）为群体所特有，仅有9.14%的位点（16位点）在所有群体中存在。群体间的遗传分化极大，所有遗传变异中，有48.9%的遗传变异存在于群体间。在个体群丛（Individuals cluster）和主坐标（PCO analysis）分析中，青杨各群体未呈现任何地理模式，Mantel检测也显示各群体间遗传距离与地理距离无明显相关。研究认为，由于地理和空间上大尺度的隔离和地形地貌复杂使得群体间无法进行基因交流，导致群体间遗传分化极大，另外各群体在不同的选择压力下，经历各自独立的进化历程，这些都可能导致群体间遗传距离与地理距离的不相关。 2 SSR分子标记研究结果 在SSR分析中，7个位点在6个青杨天然群体143个个体中共检测到79个等位基因，每位点检测到的等位基因数在5-16之间，平均11.3个，总体上多态位点百分率达100%。平均观察杂合度和期望杂合度分别为0.792和0.802。Hardy-Weinberg平衡检验表明青杨大部分群体都处于非平衡状态，群体大部分位点都是偏离哈迪-温伯格平衡（76.3%），只有23.7%的测验满足哈迪-温伯格平衡。分析青杨天然群体内和群体间的遗传变异，基因分化系数（GST）为0.373，即有62.7%的遗传变异存在群体内，37.3%的遗传变异存在群体间。群体内的遗传变异高于群体间水平。根据各群体遗传距离UPGMA聚类分析，有来自相临分布区、近似气候类型的群体聚在一起的趋势，但Mantel检测反映遗传距离与地理距离间并无明显相关性。 3 cpSSR分子标记研究结果 分析来自青藏高原东缘6个青杨天然群体，所用cpSSR引物中有5对cpSSR引物（CCMP2、CCMP5、SCUO01、SCU03、SCU07）都表现较高的多态性，单个引物检测的片段数都在4以上。5对cpSSR引物共检测片段数26个，组成了12种叶绿体DNA单倍型。各群体的单倍型分布和频率有较大差异，群体单倍型多样性范围为0-0.4926，TS、JZ、PW和SHY群体单倍型多样性高于QHY和LED群体水平。本研究发现，分布在青藏高原东缘的青杨天然群体，群体间不存在共享的单倍型，各群体间存在极大的遗传分化（GST=0.9223）。从青藏高原东缘地区经历的地质历史事件来看，第四纪的冰期气候变迁可能是造成青杨现今遗传结构模式的主要因素之一。根据单倍型在各群体的分布情况，进行青杨群体聚类分析结果，各群体无明显的分组现象，青杨各群体也未呈现任何清晰地理模式。 由于不同分子标记在对群体遗传多样性检测能力与效率上存在差异，所以三种标记检测的青藏高原东缘青杨天然群体遗传多性水平也不尽一致，但在与用同种方法检测其它物种或同一物种不同种源群体比较，三种分子标记方法都揭示了青藏高原东缘青杨天然群体具有中等偏上的遗传多样性水平。结果分析表明，群体间遗传分化极大，这是由于青杨天然群体分布于青藏高原东缘，既有高原又有高山峡谷，由于地理和空间上大尺度的隔离和地形地貌复杂导致了基因流物理上的阻隔。三种分子标记研究结果经Mantel分析检测，遗传距离与地理距离之间都无明显相关性。较为一致的解释是，青杨分布区域地理和空间上大尺度的隔离和和地形地貌复杂导致群体之间不存在均匀扩散现象，另外各群体在不同的选择压力下，经历各自独立的进化历程，这些都可能导致群体间遗传距离与地理距离的不相关。 The wide geographical and climatic distribution of P. cathayana Rehd. indicates that there is a large amount of genetic diversity available, which can be exploited for conservation, breeding programs and afforestation schemes. The results are as follows: 1 Research results of AFLP genetic diversity In present study, genetic diversity was evaluated in the natural populations of P. cathayana originating from southern and eastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of China by means of AFLP markers. For four primer combinations, a total of 175 bands were obtained, of which 173 (98.9%) were polymorphic. Six natural populations of P. cathayana possessed different levels of genetic diversity, high level of genetic differentiation existed among populations (GST=0.489) of P. cathayana. Individuals cluster and PCO analysis based on Jaccard’s similarity coefficient also showed evident population genetic structure with high level population genetic differentiation. The long evolutionary process coupled with genetic drift within populations, rather than contemporary gene flow, are the major forces shaping genetic structure of P. cathayana populations. Moreover, there is no correspondence between geographical and genetic distances in the populations of P. cathayana, seldom gene exchange among populations and different selection pressures may be the causes. Our finding of different levels of genetic diversity within population and high level of genetic differentiation among populations provided promising condition for further breeding or conservation programs. 2 Research results of SSR genetic diversity In this study, the genetic diversity of P. cathayana was investigated using microsatellite markers. In a total of 150 individuals collected from six natural populations in the southeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in China, a high level of microsatellite polymorphism was detected. At the seven investigated microsatellite loci, the number of alleles per locus ranged from 5 to 16, with a mean of 11.3, the observed heterozygosities across populations ranged from 0.408 to 0.986, with a mean of 0.792, and the expected heterozygosities across populations ranged from 0.511 to 0.891, with a mean of 0.802. The proportion of genetic differentiation among populations accounted for 37.3% of the whole genetic diversity. The presence of such a high level of genetic diversity could be attributed to the features of the species and the habitats where the sampled populations occur: The southeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is regarded as the natural distribution and variation center of the genus Populus in China. Variation in environmental conditions and selection pressures in different populations, and topographic dispersal barriers could be factors associated with the high level of genetic differentiation found among populations. The populations possessed significant heterozygosity excesses, which may be due to extensive population mixing at the local scale. The cluster analysis showed that the populations are not strictly grouped according to their geographic distances but the habitat characteristics also influence the divergence pattern. In addition, we suggest that population SHY should be regarded as an ecologically divergent species of P. cathayana. 3 Research results of cpSSR genetic diversity Genetic diversity of six natural populations of P. cathayana originating from the southeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in China was studied by use of cpSSR markers. Based on 5 pairs of polymorphic primers screened from 12 pairs of primers, twenty-six different length fragments and twelve different kinds of haplotypes were reduced in 143 samples. There were significant variant haplotypes among the populations．There were no shared haplotypes found among populations, analysis of molecular variance indicated that a high proportion of the total genetic variance was attributable to variations among populations (92.23%). The pattern of genetic structure which is associated with spatial separation, variation in environmental conditions and selection pressures in different populations, is also the result of geological historical factor. A molecular phylogenetic tree based on the 12 haplotypes showed that the populations are not strictly grouped according to their geographic distances.

川西青杨组(Section Tacamahaca Spach)不同种的亲缘关系分析

青杨组（Section Tacamahaca Spach）杨树是我国重要的乡土经济树种，目前对其分子遗传变异和系统进化的研究还很少，尤其是在青杨组杨树遗传资源极为丰富的川西地区，杨树的分子进化及亲缘关系的研究极为缺乏，非常不利于该树种遗传资源的开发和利用。本研究从川西地区收集了青杨（Populus cathayana）、青海杨（P. prezewalskii）、滇杨（P. yunnanensis）、康定杨（P. kangdingensis）、西南杨（P. schneideri）、小叶杨（P.simonii）和三脉青杨（P. trinervis）这7 个青杨组树种的10 个群体，利用多种分子标记手段对其种间的亲缘关系进行比较，并结合形态和地史资料进行了全面的研究和评价，得到了如下的主要研究结果： 1. SSR 和ISSR 位点变异丰富。通过10 对引物对50 个杨树个体的DNA 样品进行了SSR 分析，所有位点展现了丰富的群体间和种间的多态性，多态位点率达到了100%，每位点的等位基因数变化范围为5 ~ 17，平均为11.9 个；通过11 条ISSR 随机引物对供试的混合DNA 样品进行分析，共检测到130 个标记，其中多态性标记为119 个，多态百分率为91.5%。研究认为，SSR 单个标记能展现高水平信息，而ISSR 单个引物能探测更多数量多态性。通过两个标记的遗传距离、聚类图和PCA 分析，表明：同一种内不同群体间的同源性最高；康定杨和西南杨有较近的亲缘关系；小叶杨和三脉青杨聚合在一起，显示了其相互较近的亲缘关系；滇杨与其它杨树种可能存在着较远的亲缘关系。 2. 采用4 对选择性引物对7 个青杨组杨树种10 个群体进行AFLP 分析，总共扩增出284 个位点，其中200 个位点显示出了多态性，多态位点百分比为70.4%，平均多态带为50 条。TE-AFLP 的分析总共扩增出192 个位点，其中139 个位点显示出了多态性，多态位点百分比为72.4%，平均多态带为34.7 条。比较的结果表明AFLP、TE-AFLP 的遗传信息含量比较接近，略小于ISSR，大约仅为SSR 的1/3；但这两个基于AFLP 的标记系统的信息探察能力也远大于ISSR 和SSR 标记系统。这两个分子标记的聚类结果，显示小叶杨、三脉青杨和滇杨三个种聚为一组，其中小叶杨与三脉青杨的亲缘关系更近；其它几个杨树种聚为一类，西南杨与青杨表现出较近的亲缘关系。 3. 所有7 对cpSSR 引物中，仅有4 个叶绿体位点在种间具有多态性，而在种内群体中并不具有多态性，共检测出13 个条带，组合成了4 种不同的单倍型；对于cpDNA的5 对引物，共检测出了73 条酶切片段，其中52 条是多态带，组合成了9 种不同的单倍型；而5 对mtDNA 通用引物未能检测出多态性的条带，表现出线粒体的保守性。叶绿体的聚类分析认为，小叶杨、三脉青杨和滇杨有较近的母性起源，且依次聚合；其余四种杨树聚为一类，并且康定杨与西南杨表现出最近的亲缘关系，并依次与青杨和青海杨聚合。 4. 根据本文的分子数据，结合形态和生境分布资料分析认为：青杨组杨树种内群体间的遗传变异程度是小于种间的遗传差异，显示了与传统分类一致的结果；三脉青杨和小叶杨有很近的亲缘关系，可能拥有相同的祖先类群；滇杨与小叶杨和三脉青杨之间具有一定的亲缘关系，特别是在其母性祖先的起源上有着一定的同源性；西南杨与青杨和康定杨均保持着较近的亲缘关系，且有可能是这两个种原始祖先杂交后所形成的。 Although western Sichuan is regarded as a natural distribution and variation center forthe Section Tacahamaca of the Populus species in China, little is currently known about themajority of poplar species occurring in this region. In the present study, molecular data wereutilized to determine the genetic relationships among Populus species in Section Tacamahacain western Sichuan including P. cathayana, P. prezewalskii, P. yunnanensis, P. kangdingensis,P. schneideri, P. simonii and P.trinervis. The results are as fellows: 1. The genetic variation at SSR and ISSR loci was abundant. All the 10 SSR loci werepolymorphic, and the number of alleles per locus varied from 5 to 17 with a mean valueequaling 11.9. Based on the 11 ISSR primers, 130 clear and reproducible DNA fragmentswere generated, of which 119 (91.5%) were polymorphic. Our results reveal that single SSRlocus can present more genetic information, while more polymorphic bands can be detectedby single ISSR primer. Moreover, the genetic distance, cluster and PCA analysisdemonstrated that: a close relationship among accessions of the same species and suggestedmonophyly in P. przewalskii and P. cathayana; P. schneideri is genetically highly similar to P.kangdingensis; P. trinervis and P. simonii have a close genetic affinity; P. yunnanensis isdistinct from the other species. 2. Genetic relationships of poplar species in Section Tacamahaca from western Sichuanwere evaluated by means of AFLP and TE-AFLP. For four AFLP primer combinations, atotal of 284 bands were obtained of which 200 (70.4%) were polymorphic with the average of50 polymorphic bands. For four TE-AFLP primer combinations, a total of 192 band wereobtained of which 139 (72.4%) were polymorphic with the average of 34.7 polymorphicbands. Our results indicate that the genetic information of AFLP is similar to that ofTE-AFLP, and little less than that of ISSR, but only about 1/3 of that of SSR. However, theability of information detection of the two AFLP-based markers is much higher than that ofISSR and SSR. In addition, the cluster analysis of AFLP, TE-AFLP and combined data revealthat: P. yunnanensis, P. trinervis and P. simonii clustered together, and P. trinervis and P.simonii showed more closed affinity; the other four poplar species clustered together, P.cathayana and P. schneideri showed more closed origin especially. 3. The cpSSR analysis for seven Populus species belonging to the Section Tacamahaca.Four out of the seven analyzed chloroplast loci were polymorphic, whereas none of the lociwere polymorphic across the accessions within a species. 13 bands and 4 different kinds ofhaplotypes were reduced. Based on 5 pairs of cpDNA primers, 73 fragments (52 polymorphic)and 9 kinds of haplotypes were produced. However, none of the polymorphic was detected bythe 5 mtDNA primer pairs, revealing conservation of mtDNA region. The cluster analysis ofcpDNA revealed that: similar maternal phylogeny among P. yunnanensis, P. trinervis and P.simonii; the other four species clustered together, P. schneideri and P. kangdingensis showedmore closed maternal lineage especially. 4. Our molecular data, morphological characters and nature habitat revealed that: sameto the traditional taxonomy assignment, genetic variation within a same Populus species islower than that among Populus species in Section Tacamahaca; P. yunnanensis may share itschloroplast ancestor with P. trinervis and P. simonii; moreover, sister genetic relationship of P.trinervis and P. simonii indicated their similar origin; P. schneideri clustered with P.kangdingensis and P. cathayana, respectively, and may have derived from an ancienthybridization event involving the ancestors of the two species.

Experimental investigation on the chaotic phenomena in the wake of a natural thermal convection flow

Chaotic phenomena in the wake of thermal convection flow fields above a heating flat plate were investigated experimentally. A newly developed electron beam fluorescence technique (EBF) was used to simultaneously measure density fluctuation at 7 points in a cross section above the plate. Correlation dimensions, intermittence coefficients, Fourier spectrum have been obtained for different Grashof numbers. Spatial distribution of correlation dimensions are presented. The experimental result shows that there is a certain relationship between the density fluctuation and the Gr number. And time-spacial characteristic of chaos evolution is also given.

Approximate theory of natural-convection with small grashof number

To gain some insight into the behaviour of low-gravity flows in the material processing in space, an approximate theory has been developed for the convective motion of fluids with a small Grashof number Gr. The expansion of the variables into a series of Gr reduces the Boussinesq equation to a system of weakly coupled linearly inhomogeneous equations. Moreover, the analogy concept is proposed and utilized in the study of the plate bending problems in solid mechanics. Two examples are investigated in detail, i. e. the 2-dimensional steady flows in either circular or square infinite closed cylinder, which is horizontally imposed at a specified temperature of linear distribution on the boundaries. The results for stream function ψ, velocity u and temperature T are provided. The analysis of the influences of some parameters such as the Grashof number Gr and the Prandtl number Pr, on motions will lead to several interesting conclusions. The theory seems to be useful for seeking for an analytical solutions. At least, it will greatly simplify the complicated problems originally governed by the Navier-Stokes equation including buoyancy. It is our hope that the theory might be applicable to unsteady or 3-dimensional cases in future.

Simulation of Natural Gas Production in Hydrate Reservoirs

This paper simulates a one-dimensional physical model of natural gas production from hydrate dissociation in a reservoir by depressurization. According to the principles of solid hydrate decomposition in stratum and flow of natural gas in porous medium, the pressure governing equations for both gas zone and hydrate zone are set up based on the physical production model. Using the approximation reported by N. N. Verigin et al. (1980), the nonlinear governing equations are simplified and the self-similar solutions are obtained. Through calculation, for different reservoir parameters, the distribution characters of pressure are analyzed. The decline trend of natural gas production rate with time is also studied. The simulation results show that production of natural gas from a hydrate reservoir is very sensitive to several reservoir parameters, such as wellbore pressure and stratum porosity and permeability.

Angular distribution and conversion of multi-keV L-shell X-ray sources produced from nanosecond laser irradiated thick-foil targets

An experimental study on the angular distribution and conversion of multi-keV X-ray sources produced from 2 ns-duration 527nm laser irradiated thick-foil targets on Shenguang II laser facility (SG-II) is reported. The angular distributions measured in front of the targets can be fitted with the function of f(theta) = alpha+ (1- alpha)cos(beta) theta (theta is the viewing angle relative to the target normal), where alpha = 0.41 +/- 0.014, beta = 0.77 +/- 0.04 for Ti K-shell X-ray Sources (similar to 4.75 keV for Ti K-shell), and alpha = 0.085 +/- 0.06, beta = 0.59 +/- 0.07 for Ag/Pd/Mo L-shell X-ray Sources (2-2.8 keV for Mo L-shell, 2.8-3.5 keV for Pd L-shell, and 3-3.8 keV for Ag L-shell). The isotropy of the angular-distribution of L-shell emission is worse than that of the K-shell emission at larger viewing angle (>70 degrees), due to its larger optical depth (stronger self-absorption) in the cold plasma side lobe Surrounding the central emission region, and in the central hot plasma region (emission region). There is no observable difference in the angular distributions of the L-shell X-ray emission among Ag, Pd, and Mo. The conversion efficiency of Ag/Pd/Mo L-shell X-ray sources is higher than that of the Ti K-shell X-ray sources, but the gain relative to the K-shell emission is not as high as that by using short pulse lasers. The conversion efficiency of the L-shell X-ray sources decrease, with increasing atomic numbers (or X-ray photon energy), similar to the behavior of the K-shell X-ray Source.

Micromodification of element distribution in glass using femtosecond laser irradiation

We report micromodification of Eu element distribution in a silicate glass with femtosecond laser irradiation. Elemental analysis shows that the content of Eu decreased at the focal point and increased in a ring-shaped region around the focal point, which indicates migration of Eu ions has been induced by the femtosecond laser irradiation. Confocal fluorescence spectra demonstrate that the fluorescence intensity of Eu3+ ions increased by 20% in the laser-induced, Eu-enriched, ring-shaped region compared with that for nonirradiated glass. The mechanism for the laser induced change in fluorescence properties of Eu3+ has been investigated. (C) 2009 Optical Society of America

Electric field distribution in resonant reflection filters under normal incidence

Electric field distributions inside resonant reflection filters constructed using planar periodic waveguides are investigated in this paper. The electric fields may be intensified by resonance effects. Although the resonant reflection peaks can be quite narrow using weakly modulated planar periodic waveguides, the strong electric field enhancement limits their use in high-power laser systems. Strongly modulated waveguides may be used to reduce the electric field enhancement and a cover layer may be used to narrow the bandwidth at the same time. Desired results (i.e. almost no electric field enhancement together with narrow bandwidth) can be realized using this simple structure.

Global distribution of Y-chromosome haplogroup C reveals the prehistoric migration routes of African exodus and early settlement in East Asia

The regional distribution of an ancient Y-chromosome haplogroup C-M130 (Hg C) in Asia provides an ideal tool of dissecting prehistoric migration events. We identified 465 Hg C individuals out of 4284 males from 140 East and Southeast Asian populations. We genotyped these Hg C individuals using 12 Y-chromosome biallelic markers and 8 commonly used Y-short tandem repeats (Y-STRs), and performed phylogeographic analysis in combination with the published data. The results show that most of the Hg C subhaplogroups have distinct geographical distribution and have undergone long-time isolation, although Hg C individuals are distributed widely across Eurasia. Furthermore, a general south-to-north and east-to-west cline of Y-STR diversity is observed with the highest diversity in Southeast Asia. The phylogeographic distribution pattern of Hg C supports a single coastal 'Out-of-Africa' route by way of the Indian subcontinent, which eventually led to the early settlement of modern humans in mainland Southeast Asia. The northward expansion of Hg C in East Asia started similar to 40 thousand of years ago (KYA) along the coastline of mainland China and reached Siberia similar to 15 KYA and finally made its way to the Americas. Journal of Human Genetics (2010) 55, 428-435; doi:10.1038/jhg.2010.40; published online 7 May 2010

Genetic differentiation and cryptic speciation in natural populations of Drosophila lacertosa

Drosophila lacertosa, an Oriental member of the robusta species group in the virilis-repleta radiation, has a wide distribution from northern India throughout China to the Far East. Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial ND2 gene sequences revealed two ge

The stripe-backed weasel Mustela strigidorsa: taxonomy, ecology, distribution and status

1. The stripe-backed weasel Mustela strigidorsa is one of the rarest and least-known mustelids in the world. Its phylogenetic relationships with other Mustela species remain controversial, though several unique morphological features distinguish it from congeners. 2. It probably lives mainly in evergreen forests in hills and mountains, but has also been recorded from plains forest, dense scrub, secondary forest, grassland and farmland. Known sites range in altitude from 90 m to 2500 m. Data are insufficient to distinguish between habitat and altitudes which support populations, and those where only dispersing animals may occur. 3. It has been confirmed from many localities in north-east India, north and central Myanmar, south China, north Thailand, north and central Laos, and north and central Vietnam. Given the limited survey effort, the number of recent records shows that the species is not as rare as hitherto believed. Neither specific nor urgent conservation needs are apparent.