胡杨体细胞再生植株及耐机制的研究

胡杨（Populus euphratica Oliv.）是干旱荒漠风沙前治地区唯一分布的乔木树种，具有极强的抗逆性，突出地表现出较强的耐盐碱能力。由于胡杨在繁殖上存在问题，种子采后极易丧失生活力和无性扦插繁殖难以生根，加之人们对胡杨耐盐抗逆机制缺乏了解，应而极大地制约了这一珍贵抗逆种质资源的开发和利用，现有资源的保存也受到严重危胁。试验首先利用植物细胞工程技术开展了胡杨体细胞再生植株的系统研究，并在分子水平上就愈伤组织的培养和器官发生过程中表达的特异蛋白开展了深入工作。其次，对胡杨耐盐机制进行了研究，分析了胡杨细胞盐胁迫响应蛋白，开展了盐胁迫条件下细胞对离子吸收和分配特性以及与耐盐有关的形态结构的研究。这一工作的开展对于有效地保存、开发和利用胡杨种质资源，对于荒漠化治理，以及深入认识胡杨耐盐性、丰富和发展木本植物耐盐理论，具有十分重要的意义。 研究取得的主要结果如下： 1.较好地解决了胡杨试管培养中黄萎和退化等难以克服的问题，通过全面和系统的比较研究和对培养条件的优化，首次获得了高频率的和成熟的胡杨体细胞再生植株体系。胡杨愈伤组织、离体叶片和离体茎段不定芽再生频率分别可达82.9％、100％和83％，试管苗生根为86.2％。 2.提出了以愈伤组织表达蛋白状况作为判定其器官发生能力的观点，确定了三类愈伤组织和器官发生中三个不同分化阶段的蛋白分子标记。利用SDS-PAGE和IEF－SDS－PAGE对胡杨不同类型愈伤组织和愈伤组织分化不定芽过程的蛋白进行了研究。结果表明：不同类型愈伤组织中表达的蛋白存在着一定差异。在光下和BA／NAA为1诱导产生的具有较强器官发生能力的茎基愈伤组织，其蛋白组分明显地少于其它类型的愈伤组织，表明其分化程度较低。经过黑暗和BA／NAA为0.5的继代培养，愈伤组织产生了特异的24。5KD和58.6KD的标记蛋白，并且也表达了其器官发生时表达的19KD和31KD蛋白。说明愈伤组织经过继代培养其器官发生能力下降是与细胞分化程度增加相关的。茎基愈伤组织在光下和BA／NAA为5的条件下进行器官发生诱导，随着愈伤组织形成分生细胞团块和不定芽原基明显地表达了20KD和55KD蛋白带，并且20KD蛋白中包含有特异的pI为5。5－6.5的蛋白。43KD和pI为6.5-7.5的蛋白为器官发生前期蛋白。本文不愈伤组织表达蛋白状况与器官发生能力间关系进行了讨论。 3.分离和鉴定了胡杨细胞盐胁迫响应蛋白，从蛋白表达上证实盐胁迫对胡杨细胞产生的影响明显地分为渗透胁迫和离子伤害胁迫两种效应。对悬浮培养的胡杨细胞进行NaCL和PEG(6000)胁迫处理，SDS－PAGE分析表明：NaCL和PEG胁迫处理的细胞均明显地表达了28KD和59KD蛋白带，表明28KD和59DK蛋白是与渗透胁迫有关的。66KD和60KD蛋白带仅在高水平盐胁迫细胞中显著表达，应而是与盐胁迫中离子伤害有关的蛋白。进一步证实胡杨细胞中28KD和66KD蛋白带表达受ABA诱导。通过IEF－SDS－PAGE证实，28KD蛋白包含有pI为8.0-9.0的蛋白，渗透胁迫和离子胁迫相关的分离和鉴定为通过蛋白途径克隆与渗透胁迫和离子胁迫相关基因，为深入认识胡杨耐盐机制奠定了基础。 4.通过X－射线细胞微区分析以及与毛白杨细胞比较发现，胡杨细胞对培养介质中高浓度的盐离子具有较强的拒吸作用和一定的忍耐性。胡杨细胞中液泡不具有积聚离子的功能，细胞分室性渗调节作用不明显。胡杨细胞膜对离子进入具有选择功能，表现在培养介质中Na和CL离子进入细胞和由细胞质进入液泡不以等摩尔数形式进行，进入的CL离子比Na离子约高50％，说明了二者通过质膜是由不同机制控制的，是分开进行的，也说明胡杨细胞拒Na离子强于拒CL离子。另外胡杨细胞受到盐胁迫时还表现出比较强的维持细胞内离子平衡的功能。正是由于上述特性，才赋予了胡杨细胞具有较强的耐盐性。 5.利用电子显微镜和光学显微镜中相差和微分干涉等技术，对胡杨细胞和组织结构进行了观察。与毛白杨细胞相比，胡杨细胞中具有较丰富的线粒体和质体，盐胁迫和渗透胁迫均明显地提高了细胞质中线粒体数和质体数，并使质体中内含体增多，细胞质中和液泡内缘出现明显的嗜饿物质。研究还发现，胡杨细胞膜与细胞壁之间呈齿状结合，说明了膜与壁之间结合的牢固性和稳定性，解释了胡杨细胞在胁迫中不易发生质壁分离的原因。胡杨细胞在受到盐或渗透胁迫时，细胞内出现明显的丝状结晚，细胞核变大，核仁明显。在器官和组织结构方面，胡杨根系具有发达的根冠和根内皮层，根毛较多，叶片输导组织不发达等。这些结构的存在与胡杨的抗逆性是密切相关的。文中从形态结构上阐述了胡杨的耐盐碱特性。

Diet composition of large striped bass (Morone saxatilis) in Chesapeake Bay

Large (>458 mm) striped bass (Morone saxatilis) are dominant predators in Chesapeake Bay. In recent years, the Chesapeake Bay stock of striped bass has increased dramatically, raising concerns about their predatory impact and their forage requirements. In response to these concerns and the need for more recent ecological studies, this investigation was conducted to characterize feeding habits of large striped bass in Chesapeake Bay. Stomach contents from 1225 striped bass from 458 to 1151 mm TL were examined in the spring and fall of 1997 and 1998. Striped bass consumed 52 different species of vertebrates and invertebrates; however, only a few species of clupeoid and sciaenid fishes dominated diets across both the seasons and size ranges of striped bass examined. Of finfish species, menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) was the dominant prey in most areas and gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) replaced menhaden in importance in lower salinity waters. Spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) and other sciaenid fishes and anadromous herrings (Alosa spp.) also contibuted large percentages of striped bass diet. Although pelagic schooling fishes formed the majority of the diet, benthic fishes contributed a higher percentage to the diet than in previous studies of striped bass diet composition.

Improving pinniped diet analyses through identification of multiple skeletal structures in fecal samples

Marine mammal diet is typically characterized by identifying fish otoliths and cephalopod beaks retrieved from stomachs and fecal material (scats). The use and applicability of these techniques has been the matter of some debate given inherent biases associated with the method. Recent attempts to identify prey using skeletal remains in addition to beaks and otoliths are an improvement; however, difficulties incorporating these data into quantitative analyses have limited results for descriptive analyses such as frequency of occurrence. We attempted to characterize harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) diet in an area where seals co-occur with several salmon species, some endangered and all managed by state or federal agencies, or both. Although diet was extremely variable within sampling date, season, year, and between years, the frequency and number of individual prey were at least two times greater for most taxa when prey structures in addition to otoliths were identified. Estimating prey mass in addition to frequency and number resulted in an extremely different relative importance of prey in harbor seal diet. These data analyses are a necessary step in generating estimates of the size, total number, and annual biomass of a prey species eaten by pinnipeds for inclusion in fisheries management plans.