Effects of starvation on larval growth, survival and metamorphosis of Ivory shell Babylonia formosae habei Altena et al., 1981 (Neogastropoda : Buccinidae)

The impact of starvation on larvae of Ivory shell Babylonia formosae habei was studied in a laboratory experiment. Newly hatched veligers showed considerable tolerance to starvation due to their endogenous yolk material, and time to the point-of-no-return (PNR; the threshold point during starvation after which larvae can longer metamorphose even if food is provided) was calculated to be 104.5 h. However, starvation still affected larval growth, survival, and metamorphosis. Mean shell length of larvae increased 49.77 mum day(-1) for nonstarved, but only 11.13 mum day (-1) for larvae starved for 108 h. After larvae began feeding, their growth rates rapidly recovered to the level of the nonstarved following short periods of starvation (less than 48 h), but were inhibited and unable to ever reach the level of the nonstarved when being starved beyond 48 h. Percent metamorphosis was 53.75% for the nonstarved, but all larvae died before 10 days for those starved for 108 h. Starvation not only affected larval time to reach metamorphosis, but also caused the delay in the time to metamorphosis. For the nonstarved, larvae took only 11.5 days to reach spontaneous metamorphosis, but they took 20 days to reach spontaneous metamorphosis when starved for 96 h, and this duration of delayed metamorphosis reached 8.5 days. Furthermore, the importance of yolk material for maintaining larval survival of B. formosae habei during starvation periods is also discussed. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

小鲵属分子系统发育研究

小鲵属为亚洲特有的有尾两栖类，是小鲵科之模式属。现记载小鲵属动物有29种，占全科物种数一半以上（Frost, 2007），为小鲵科第一大属。该属分布跨越古北界和东洋界，分布于中国、朝鲜、韩国、日本等地区，其系统学研究一直以来颇为中外学者所关注。澄清该属的物种分类问题，阐明其种间的系统发育关系对整个小鲵科的系统演化与分布格局关系的研究具有关键性意义。 本论文以中国及周边地区的小鲵属物种为主要对象，主要利用分子生物学实验与生物信息学途径相结合的手段，运用支序系统学与分子进化生物学理论及分析方法，展开系统发育的研究。在此基础上诠释现存的分类问题，并探讨该属系统发育关系。 研究材料上，本研究采用野外采集与网络下载数据相结合的方法，获取了较为全面的小鲵属物种DNA序列资料。技术手段上，选取了线粒体DNA的Cytb、12S、16S、NADH 2、COI等多个基因部分片段序列，对小鲵属开展了较为全面系统的研究。分析方法上，针对小鲵属物种各类群的具体情况，运用了处于领域前沿的多种分析方法。应用PAUP、MrBayes、Modeltest、Mega等软件，采用了最大简约法（MP）、邻接法（NJ）、贝叶斯推断（BI）及K2P遗传距离分析等方法。 本研究对小鲵属进行了较为全面的系统发育研究，弥补了有关小鲵属系统发育研究的不足，并得出了以下结果： （1）关于豫南小鲵Hynobius yunanicus的有效性，基于细胞色素b序列的系统发育关系联合形态和染色体组型等证据证明了豫南小鲵是商城肥鲵的同物异名。 （2）获得了较为全面的小鲵属物种系统发育树，并以此解释了北海道滞育小鲵、东北小鲵、中国小鲵与义乌小鲵等存在的分类问题。 （3）本研究利用DNA条形码技术对小鲵属及小鲵科物种进行了鉴定，再次证明豫南小鲵为商城肥鲵的同物异名；并认为猫儿山小鲵与挂榜山小鲵为同物异名。 综上，本研究较为完整地勾勒了小鲵属的系统发育关系全貌，并对小鲵属物种的起源进行了推测。 Hynobius, the type genus of the Family Hynobiidae, is the only exclusively Asian salamander genus. This genus which contains 29 species (beyond half of total Family), is the key group in Hynobiidae. The genus distributed across Palaearctic and Oriental Realm, and was found in China, Korea, and Japan. Systematics of genus Hynobius draws attention of researchers all the times. Resolving the taxonomic and phynogenetic questions of Hynobius is very important to the evolutionary research of Family Hynobiidae. Firstly, studies on systematics of genus Hynobius based on morphology, karyotype and molecular phylogeny of Hynobius are reviewed along with existing questions of this genus. The sequential reaserch project of phylogenetics is perspectively outlined. Using molecular data, we compared Hynobius yunanicus with a sympatric species Pachyhynobius shangchengensis. Our cytb sequences associating with karyotypic and morphological data supportted that H. yunanicus is not a valid species, but a synonym of P. shangchengensis. Because of phenotypic plasticity, some morphological characters are not even suitable for identifying hynobiids. The taxonomy of hynobiids is still controversial to a certain extent (Zhao et al. 1993; Fei, 1999; Chen et al. 2001; Zeng et al. 2006) and needs to be resolved by a new method. Here we examined the utility of COI barcoding for the discrimination of hynobiids. Meantime, the taxonomy of this Family was looked-over again. Our result show that the DNA Barcoding based on COI is easier and more rapidly than classic methods. And the DNA Barcodes data supported the actual taxonomy of Hynobiidae. Based on the achievements of our research, the phylogeny of Hynobius was reconstructed including some new species (H. maoershanensis, H. guabangshanensis, etc). Besides the phylogenetics of Hynobius was outlined, some questions and the hypothesis about the origin of genus Hynobius was put out.

南海新生代碱性玄武岩的特征及其地球动力学意义

南海是西太平洋最大的边缘海之一，位于欧亚板块、印-澳板块以及太平洋板块之间。南海海底扩张停止(15.5Ma, Briais et al., 1993) 后的板内火山作用，影响着中国南部、中南半岛、大洋基底和分裂的微大陆片段的广大地区。对南海新生代玄武岩进行地球化学研究，不仅对于理解南海板内火山作用的深部地幔过程有着重要意义，而且对南海形成演化及含油气盆地形成的深部动力学机制有着深远意义。 南海新生代玄武岩K-Ar/Ar-Ar年龄为3.8-7.9Ma, 表明为晚中新世以来的岩浆活动产物，与周边地区的碱性火山岩在年龄上的一致性。岩石学特征表明，南海新生代玄武岩的矿物组合为橄榄石、单斜辉石、斜长石，与特征的碱性玄武岩的矿物组合一致。由橄榄石所计算的南海底潜在地幔温度(Tp)平均值为1661℃, 暗示南海地区下的地幔可能存在热量异常，为海南地区存在地幔柱的观点提供了证据。单斜辉石富钙、钛，由单斜辉石-熔体平衡温压计计算的岩浆房深度分别为：碱玄岩岩浆房深度约49km（对应压力为1.46～1.48 GPa）；粗面玄武岩岩浆房约25km（对应压力为0.76 GPa）；玄武岩岩浆房约15km（对应压力为0.44GPa）。由碱玄岩→粗面玄武岩→玄武岩，平衡温度(K)依次降低:从1535～1498→1429→1369。由斜长石微晶所计算的岩浆喷出地表的温度为989℃。 主量元素特征表明，岩石类型主要为碱玄岩，有少量的粗面玄武岩和玄武岩，属于碱性系列。微量元素方面，大离子亲石元素(LILE)以及高场强元素（HFSE）特别是Nb、Ta、Ti、Y等元素均呈现富集现象，Yb、Sc、Sr以及K、U、Th等生热元素相对亏损，微量元素及稀土元素分布岩石类似板内OIB微量元素的全球平均值。同位素地球化学研究表明，源区存在两个混合端员并具Dupal Pb异常：一个为DMM，位于软流圈或岩石圈地幔中；另一个为EM2源区，可能来自位于核-幔边界处的海南地幔柱而非大陆底岩石圈地幔。研究表明，南半球Dupal���常不存在全球范围内的地区专属性，本区存在的Dupal���常与南半球Dupal���常可能不存在联系。在南海新生代玄武岩的成因过程中，海南地幔柱在为岩石圈地幔的部分熔融作用提供所需的热量同时，也在物质上作出了贡献。南海盆新生代碱性玄武岩由不同程度的部分熔融作用，以及岩浆在上升期间或者在高位岩浆房中的橄榄石等矿物分离结晶作用所形成，同时还可能发生了堆晶作用。构造环境判别表明，玄武岩浆在上升到地表过程中几乎未受到地壳混染。 南海新生代玄武岩的地球化学研究表明，在玄武质岩浆的深部地幔演化过程中，海南地幔柱可能起着重要的作用。通过引入海南岛地幔柱这个概念，本文建立了一个新的有关南海形成演化的初步的概念性模型：（1）50-32Ma，印度洋板块-欧亚板块碰撞及其所导致的太平洋板块后退的综合效应为南海地区提供了一个伸展环境，此伸展环境为地幔柱物质的上升提供了通道；（2）32-21Ma，当地幔柱柱头到达软流圈时, 通过侧向物质流开始同扩张中心发生相互作用，促进了南海的扩张，并在26-24Ma期间发生了洋脊重新就位事件，使扩张中心从原来的18°N附近(即现今西北海盆的中心)调整到15.5°N附近（即现今的东部亚盆）；（3）21-15.5Ma, 随着地幔柱效应的逐渐增强，热点-洋脊相互作用越来越强烈，在大约21Ma发生了洋脊的再次重新就位事件，诱发了西南海盆的扩张；（4）15.5-现在，由于印澳板块前缘与巽他大陆碰撞，使得南海大约在15.5Ma停止扩张,并沿着南沙海槽及吕宋海沟向菲律宾岛弧及巴拉望地块之下俯冲，而南海热点继续活动，在地表处直到第四纪还有碱性玄武岩喷出。

Response of cyanobacterial carbon concentrating system to light intensity: a simulated analysis

Cyanobacteria possess a delicate system known as the carbon concentrating mechanism (CCM), which can efficiently elevate the intracellular inorganic carbon (Ci) concentration via active transportation. The system requires energy supplied by photosystems; therefore, the activity of the Ci transporter is closely related to light intensity. However, the relationship between CCM and light intensity has rarely been evaluated. Here, we present an improved quantitative model of CCM in which light is incorporated, and developed a CCM model that modified after Fridlyand et al. in 1996. Some equations used in this model were inducted to describe the relationship between transport capacity and light intensity, by which the response of the CCM to light change is simulated. Our results indicate that the efficiency of the carbon concentrating system is sensitive to light intensity. When the external Ci concentration was low, CO2 uptake dominated the total Ci uptake with increasing light intensity, while under high external Ci concentrations HCO3- uptake primarily contributed to the total Ci uptake. Variations in the ratio of energy allocated between the transport systems could markedly affect the operation of CCM. Indeed, our simulations suggest that various combinations of Ci fluxes can provide a possible approach to detect the way by which the cell distributes energy produced by the photosystems to the two active Ci transport processes. The proportion of the energy consumed on CCM to the total energy expenditure for the fixation of one CO2 molecule was determined at 18%-40%.

甘肃鼢鼠粪尿气味对侵占行为的影响

气味是哺乳动物个体识别的主要途径，动物气味能传达个体、种、性别和优势地位等化学信息。对地面鼠个体气味识别的研究已有较多报道(Johnston et al., 1993; Johnston et al., 1994; Tang-Martinez et al., 1993)，对地下鼠气味识别研究仅见对鼹形鼠的报道(Heth et al., 1996a, 1996b; Heth et al., 1997; Todrank et al., 1996)。营地下生活的鼠类，如甘肃鼢鼠(Myospalax cansus)、鼹形鼠(Spalax ehrenbergi)等，常独居，终生栖息在自己的洞道内，从不离开并具有领域性和攻击行为。