Harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) abundance within the Firth of Tay and Eden Estuary,Scotland: recent trends and extrapolation to extinction

1. Aerial surveys have detected alarming declines in counts of harbour seals in several regions across Scotland.
2. Demographic data and simple models were used to examine the recent decline in the numbers of harbour seals counted in one population within a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) on the east coast of Scotland. The models suggest that the continuation of current trends would result in the species effectively disappearing from this area within the next 20 years.
3. While the cause of the decline is unknown, it must be reducing adult survival because the high rate of decline cannot be wholly accounted for by changes in other demographic parameters.
4. Recovery of the population to the abundance recorded at the time the SAC was designated (2005) is likely to take at least 40 years, even if the cause of the decline is immediately identified and removed.
5. The models suggest that partial removal of the cause can have only limited benefits to population recovery, and there are unlikely to be any long‐term benefits from introducing or reintroducing additional individuals while the underlying problem persists. Therefore, if the population of harbour seals in this area is to recover it is essential that the sources of the increased mortality are identified and measures are put in place to manage these.

Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

WSSV envelope protein VP51B links structural protein complexes and may mediate virus infection

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV), an enveloped double‐stranded DNA virus, is the causative agent of a disease that has led to severe mortalities of cultured shrimps in Taiwan and many other countries. In the previous study, Penaeus monodon chitin‐binding protein (CBP) and glucose transporter 1 (Glut1), two cell membrane proteins, were found to at least interact with other 10 WSSV envelope proteins including VP51B. These envelope proteins might form a protein complex. According to the known information, VP51B was used to identify its role in the protein complex. Western blotting of the intact viral particles and fractionation of the viral components confirmed that VP51B is one of WSSV envelope proteins. In this study, the protein–protein interaction between VP51B and other WSSV envelope proteins was identified by far‐western blot experiment and VP51B was found to interact with VP24, VP31, VP32, VP39B and VP41A. Furthermore, the in vivo neutralization experiment using recombinant VP51B plus with VP39B showed the best inhibition. These data indicate that VP51B participates in the WSSV protein complex and plays an important role in WSSV infection.     

基于PSR模型的黄河陕西段鱼类增殖放流生态安全评价

基于压力、状态、响应模型(PSR)和层次分析法(AHP),确定17项指标通过数据的标准化处理,指标权重赋值、权重一致性检验、评价等级确定以及评价模型的构建,用生态安全评价黄河陕西段鱼类增殖放流效果,分析生态安全所面临的主要问题。结果表明:黄河陕西段2013年增殖放流生态安全度(ESI)评价等级为Ⅱ级,为良好状态;2014年评价等级为Ⅲ级,处于一般状态;2015年评价等级为Ⅳ级,处于较差状态,属于临界不安全状态以下水平。生态安全形势呈现出逐年下降局势。不安全状态受到影响较大的前3个指标是:黄河径流量变化影响、重要生境保持率和公众资源环境保护意识的影响,3个指标下降值占到下降ESI值的64.93%。其次还受到污水排放达标率、鱼类增殖放流量、政策和管理水平、鱼类生物多样性指数、保护区建设、水质综合污染指数、群落结构等诸多因素影响。研究显示,现阶段增殖放流对黄河生态安全有一定影响,还存在一定提升空间。     

Polymerisation of gluten proteins in developing wheat grain as affected by desiccation

The breadmaking quality of wheat is affected by the composition of gluten proteins and the polymerisation of subunits that are synthesised and accumulated in developing wheat grain. The biological mechanisms and time course of these events during grain development are documented, but not widely confirmed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to monitor the accumulation of gluten protein subunits and the size distribution of protein aggregates during grain development. The effect of desiccation on the polymerisation of gluten proteins and the functional properties of gluten were also studied. The results showed that the size of glutenin polymers remained consistently low until yellow ripeness (YR), while it increased during grain desiccation after YR. Hence, this polymerisation process was presumed to be initiated by desiccation. A similar polymerisation event was also observed when premature grains were dried artificially. The composition of gluten proteins, the ratios of glutenin to gliadin and high molecular weight-glutenin subunits to low molecular weight-glutenin subunits, in premature grain after artificial desiccation showed close association with the size of glutenin polymers in artificially dried grain. Functional properties of gluten in these samples were also associated with polymer size after artificial desiccation.     

Disulphide structure of high-molecular-weight (HMW-) gliadins as affected by terminators

This study aimed at elucidating SS-bonds of HMW-gliadins (HGL) from wheat with the focus on terminators of glutenin polymerisation. HGL from wheat flour extracts non-treated or treated with the S-alkylation reagent N-ethylmaleinimide (NEMI) were compared. HGL from wheat flour Akteur were isolated, hydrolysed with thermolysin and the resulting peptides pre-separated by gel permeation chromatography and analysed by liquid chromatography/mass-spectrometry using alternating electron transfer dissociation/collision-induced dissociation. Altogether, 22 and 28 SS-peptides from samples without and with NEMI treatment, respectively, were identified. Twenty-six peptides included standard SS-bonds of α- and γ-gliadins, high-molecular-weight and low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits. Eleven SS-bonds were identified for the first time. Fifteen peptides unique to HGL contained cysteine residues from gliadins with an odd number of cysteines (ω5-, α- and γ-gliadins). Thus, gliadins with an odd number of cysteines, glutathione and cysteine had acted as terminators of glutenin polymerisation. Decisive differences between samples without and with NEMI treatment were not obvious showing that the termination of polymerisation was already completed in the flour. The two HGL samples, however, were different in the majority of ten peptides that included disulphide-linked low-molecular-weight (LMW) thiols such as glutathione and cysteine with the former being enriched in the non-treated HGL-sample.     

A rapid extensigraph protocol for measuring dough viscoelasticity and mixing requirement

The extensigraph is particularly useful in characterizing dough viscoelastic properties; however, testing throughput for standard method is low due to the prerequisite for farinograph water absorption, long dough resting and milling to prepare large amounts of flour. Therefore, a rapid extensigraph method was developed that reduced sample size (165 g wheat) for milling and more than tripled throughput. Wheat is milled in Quadrumat Junior mill with a modified sieving system. The resulting flour (100 g) was mixed with a pin mixer at constant water absorption to allow the evaluation of wheat genotypes at the absorption level they are expected to perform. Dough was subsequently stretched by an extensigraph after 15 min of floor time and 30 min resting. Strong correlations for extensigram R_max (r > 0.93), extensibility (r > 0.64) and area (r > 0.88) were found for the proposed method compared to the standard method. Mixing parameters (time and energy) obtained during dough preparation provided further information about dough strength and mixing requirement. By significantly reducing sample size requirement and increasing testing throughput, this rapid extensigraph method can be widely adopted in milling and baking industry and meets the need for a fast evaluation of dough strength in breeding trials.     

Three‐dimensional visualization of green fluorescence protein‐labelled Edwardsiella tarda in whole Medaka larvae

The invasive fish pathogen Edwardsiella tarda is common in aquatic environments and causes the environmentally and economically destructive emphysematous putrefactive disease called edwardsiellosis. In order to understand the organism's infection pathway, medaka larvae (Oryzias latipes) were immersion‐infected with E. tarda labelled with green fluorescence protein (GFP) and then visualized in three dimensions under confocal laser microscopy and light‐sheet fluorescence microscopy. Confocal microscopy revealed GFP‐labelled E. tarda in the mouth, head, gill bridges, gill cover, skin, membrane fin, gastrointestinal tract and air bladder, and in the caudal vein, somite veins, caudal artery and caudal capillaries. Light‐sheet microscopy additionally showed GFP‐labelled E. tarda in the pharyngeal cavity, muscle of the pectoral fin and cardiac atrium and ventricle. These findings suggest that during its infection of fish, E. tarda initially adheres to, and invades, the epithelial cells of the skin, gills and gastrointestinal tract (through the pharyngeal cavity); E. tarda then enters the blood vessels to access organs, including the air bladder and heart.     

三种因素对海水生物流化床启动期间营养盐去除及amoA基因表达的影响

在实验室规模下,以旋转式生物流化床(CB-FSB)为研究对象,研究了初始总氨氮(TAN)、水温及滤料膨胀率3种条件下,海水生物流化床生物过滤功能启动期间TAN和亚硝酸盐氮(NO-2-N)去除及amoA基因数量的变化。结果显示:生物流化床生物过滤功能启动所需时间随着水温的升高而缩短,在水温为15℃、20℃和25℃时,启动所需时间分别为27 d、25 d和23 d;初始TAN质量浓度的升高也会缩短生物流化床生物过滤功能启动所需要的时间,在初始TAN质量浓度为1 mg/L、2 mg/L、4 mg/L时,启动所需时间分别为24 d、22 d和21 d;在膨胀率为100%和150%时,启动所需时间无明显差别,分别为21 d和20 d,明显好于膨胀率为50%时启动所需时间27 d;amoA基因的数量变化与TAN去除率的变化有一定的相关性,并随着初始TAN浓度的升高而增多,在4 mg/L时数量最多,达到2.76×10~7copies/g。     

脲酶抑制剂与硝化抑制剂对稻田土壤氮素转化的影响

【目的】本研究旨在阐明脲酶抑制剂(urease inhibitor,UI)和硝化抑制剂(nitrification inhibitor,NI)对稻田土壤氮素转化的影响,探讨抑制剂提高稻谷产量以及氮肥利用率的机理。【方法】本试验设在我国南方红壤稻田,共5个处理:1)不施氮肥(CK);2)尿素(U);3)尿素+脲酶抑制剂(U+UI);4)尿素+硝化抑制剂(U+NI);5)尿素+脲酶抑制剂+硝化抑制剂(U+UI+NI);脲酶抑制剂采用N-丁基硫代磷酰三胺(NBPT),硝化抑制剂采用3,4-二甲基吡唑磷酸盐(DMPP)。在水稻分蘖期和孕穗期测定土壤脲酶活性、硝酸还原酶活性、土壤铵态氮含量、硝态氮含量以及微生物碳、氮的含量,分析NBPT与DMPP对水稻两个主要生育期土壤氮素供应的影响,比较各处理的产量以及氮肥利用率,通过逐步回归分析研究以上各指标对产量的影响,探明脲酶抑制剂NBPT与硝化抑制剂DMPP在稻田的增效机理。【结果】1)与单施尿素相比,添加NBPT以及NBPT与DMPP配施均显著提高稻谷产量与地上部氮素回收率,两个处理分别增产6.56%与8.24%,氮素回收率提高幅度为19.4%与23.7%。2)与单施尿素相比,添加NBPT以及NBPT与DMPP配施,显著降低水稻分蘖期的土壤脲酶活性和铵态氮含量,显著提高孕穗期的铵态氮含量,而对此时期的脲酶活性无显著影响,所有处理对两个时期的硝态氮含量、硝酸还原酶活性、微生物量碳、氮含量均无显著影响;因此,NBPT对于抑制脲酶活性以及提高铵态氮含量的作用主要在孕穗期之前,而单施DMPP没有显著效应。3)从各项土壤指标与水稻产量相关性的逐步回归分析结果来看,水稻分蘖期与孕穗期稻田土壤中铵态氮含量对水稻产量影响显著,而且孕穗期的影响大于分蘖期,其余指标则对产量无显著影响。【结论】脲酶抑制剂NBPT以及NBPT与硝化抑制剂DMPP配施显著提高孕穗期土壤中的铵态氮含量,显著提高稻谷产量以及地上部氮素回收率,证明了生产上氮肥后移的重要意义。