Regional implications of triassic or jurassic age for basalt and sedimentary red beds in the South Carolina coastal plain

Whole rock potassium-argon ages for samples of subsurface basalt recovered near Charleston, South Carolina, are interpreted to indicate a Triassic or Jurassic age for the basalt and underlying sedimentary red beds. This age is consistent with existing evidence indicating that an early Mesozoic basin is present in the subsurface of a large part of the coastal plain of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama.     

Gene flow and population differentiation

There are many possible spatial patterns of selection and gene flow that can produce a given cline structure; the actual geography of natural selection and gene flow must be worked out before an attempt is made to explain a given natural cline in terms of a model. The results of experimental and theoretical models show that it is possible for local differentiation to evolve parapatrically in spite of considerable gene flow if the selection gradients are relatively uniform. Irregularities in environmental gradients increase the sensitivity of clines to the effects of gene flow in proportion to the increase in the differences in gene frequencies between the emigrants and the demes receiving the immigrants. It is not necessary for a sharp spatial environmental change to be present for distinct differentiation to occur. In some cases even a gentle environmental gradient can give rise to marked spatial differentiation along a genetically continuous series of demes; such environmental differences may be below the practical limits of resolution in field studies. Any asymmetry in gene flow does not lead to dedifferentiation if the environmental gradient is smooth; it merely shifts the position of the transition zone between the differentiated areas from that which would be expected if there were no asymmetry. Abrupt geographic differences in gene, genotype, or morph frequencies should not, therefore, be interpreted as evidence for environmental changes in the immediate vicinity of the steepest part of the cline; neither should they be interpreted as evidence for geographic barriers, sharp environmental differences, or sexual isolation among the differentiated groups of populations when there are no other sources of evidence for these phenomena. Gene flow may be unimportant in the differentiation of populations along environmental gradients.     

Declining amphibian populations: the problem of separating human impacts from natural fluctuations

Reports of declining amphibian populations in many parts of the world are numerous, but supporting long-term census data are generally unavailable. Census data from 1979 to 1990 for three salamander species and one frog species at a breeding pond in South Carolina showed fluctuations of substantial magnitude in both the size of breeding populations and in recruitment of juveniles. Breeding population sizes exhibited no overall trend in three species and increased in the fourth. Recent droughts account satisfactorily for an increase in recruitment failures. These data illustrate that to distinguish between natural population fluctuations and declines with anthropogenic causes may require long-term studies.     

Exploring the genetic features and signatures of selection in South China indigenous pigs

To explore the genetic features and signatures of selection in indigenous pigs from South China and Duroc pigs, 259 pigs from six populations were genotyped using single-nucleotide polymorphism(SNP) BeadChips. Principal component analysis(PCA), effective population size(Ne), linkage disequilibrium(LD), and signatures of selection were explored and investigated among the six pig populations. The results showed the Ne of five South China indigenous pig populations has been decreasing rapidly since 100 generations ago. The LD between pairwise SNP distance at 100 kb ranged from 0.16 to 0.20 for the five indigenous pig populations, while it was 0.32 for the Duroc population. However, the LD of all six pig populations showed the opposite order at long distances(5 Mb). Furthermore, 15 potential signatures of selection associated with meat quality and age at puberty were exclusively detected in South China indigenous pigs, while eight potential signatures of selection associated with growth traits were detected in Duroc pigs. Our work provides valuable insights for the utilization and conservation of South China indigenous pigs.     

The search for evidence of large prehistoric earthquakes along the atlantic seaboard

The spacial distribution of seismically induced liquefaction features discovered along the Atlantic seaboard suggest that during the last 2000 to 5000 years, large earthquakes (body wave magnitude, m(b) >/= 5.8 +/- 0.4) in this region may have been restricted exclusively to South Carolina. Paleoliquefaction evidence for six large prehistoric earthquakes was discovered there. At least five of these past events originated in the Charleston, South Carolina, area, the locale of a magnitude 7+ event in 1886. During the past two millennia, large events may have occurred about every 500 to 600 years.     

基于线粒体Cyt b基因的南海北部金钱鱼种群遗传结构分析

【目的】分析南海北部金钱鱼（Scatophagus argus）遗传多样性,明确其群体演化历史和分布动态,为金钱鱼养殖育种及其种质资源的合理开发利用提供科学依据。【方法】以采自福建东山（DS）、广东阳江（YJ）、海南海口（HK）、广西北海涠洲岛（BH）、广西钦州（QZ）、广西防城港（FC）及越南清化（TH）等南海北部的7个金钱鱼地理群体为研究对象,基于线粒体DNA细胞色素b基因（Cyt b）序列分析,利用DnaSP 5.10统计南海北部金钱鱼群体的单倍型、单倍型多样性指数（H_d）和遗传多样性指数（π）,通过邻接法（NJ）构建单倍型的系统发育进化树,以Network 4.6中的中介连接网络法构建单倍型网络图,并综合Tajima’s D检验、Fu’s Fs检验及核苷酸错配分布等方法分析金钱鱼群体的历史动态。【结果】7个金钱鱼地理群体的291条Cyt b基因序列定义为33个单倍型（Hap1~Hap33）,其中单倍型Hap1、Hap2和Hap7是南海北部金钱鱼在长期进化过程中形成的稳定优势基因型。7个金钱鱼地理群体的H_d为0.54103~0.77436,π为0.00112~0.00171,群体内遗传距离为0.00113~0.00171,遗传分化系数（F_st）为-0.01734~0.00364,基因流（Nm）为137.03888~inf。不同地理群体的单倍型均无规律地散布在单倍型系统发育进化树上,不存在与地理群体明显对应的系统分支,也未表现出明显的地理聚群分布特征。金钱鱼群体内个体间的遗传变异为100.74%,说明遗传变异全部来源于群体内个体间,即南海北部金钱鱼群体既无群体分化,也无以琼州海峡分隔的组群分化。Tajima’s D检验和Fu’s Fs检验结果均为显著负值,且核苷酸错配分布呈单峰分布,推测南海北部金钱鱼群体发生过群体扩张,且扩张事件约发生在3.4万年前,属于更新世晚期。【结论】南海北部7个金钱鱼地理群体的遗传多样性符合高单倍型多样性低核苷酸多样性类型,群体间遗传距离较小,亲缘关系较近,遗传分化不明显,且群体间存在频繁的基因交流,具有高度的遗传同质性,符合南海北部金钱鱼是一个随机交配种群的假设。     

Sex ratio of sea turtles: seasonal changes

Sex ratios of hatchling loggerhead turtles Caretta caretta taken from South Carolina and Georgia ranged from no females in nests laid in late May to 80 percent females in those laid in early July; the sex ratio decreased to 10 percent females in nests laid in early August. These seasonal changes are consistent with the role of temperature in directing sexual differentiation in various reptiles. The data have implications for understanding the demography of sea turtles and for their conservation.     

Evolution of male pheromones in moths: reproductive isolation through sexual selection?

Central to our understanding of the species concept is knowledge of the nature and evolution of reproductive isolating mechanisms. The once widely accepted model of Dobzhansky, which holds that isolation evolves through selection against hybrids of differentially adapted populations, is now largely rejected. This rejection is due to both theoretical difficulties and a paucity of examples of the predicted pattern of reproductive character displacement. From a survey of five families of Lepidoptera, entailing more than 800 species, evidence is given that male courtship pheromones have evolved within the context of sexual isolation as an adaptive response to mating mistakes between differentially adapted populations; however, distinct from the natural selection model of Dobzhansky, this report suggests the mechanism for change to be sexual selection.     

基因群体遗传多态性检测方法的比较研究

[目的]寻找基因的群体遗传多态性检测的理想方法,为基因突变的群体检测提供方法指导。[方法]以104头中国荷斯坦牛群为研究对象,扩增了牛TLR4基因243 bp特异性片段,分别采用SSCP和创造酶切位点的RFLP(CRS-RFLP)方法检测了扩增片段的第27 bp处C→T的突变,并对其方法进行了比较分析。[结果]结果表明,在104头个体的扩增片段中,SSCP未能检测出多态性,而CRS-RFLP方法检测出了多态性。[结论]在不能直接采用RFLP方法的情况下,与SSCP相比,创造酶切位点RFLP(CRS-RFLP)方法为群体多态性检测的理想选择。     

Olfactory-based orientation in artificially imprinted sea turtles

Sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempi) are being artificially imprinted to Padre Island, Texas, in an effort to establish a new nesting population. These turtles spent more time per exposure in solutions made of Padre Island sand and seawater than in control solutions in a multiple-choice test. This is evidence that sea turtles may detect differences in natural water samples and remember olfactory cues to which they were exposed neonatally and that these differences may affect their orientation behavior. This suggests that imprinting could be used as a conservation technique for establishing new breeding populations of endangered sea turtles.     

2017年冬季斯科舍海南极磷虾种群结构变动研究

斯科舍海蕴含着丰富的南极磷虾资源,是重要的南极磷虾渔场,该海域南极磷虾种群结构存在显著的时空差异。为了解该海域冬季南极磷虾的种群结构变动,以明晰渔场的变化,并探究南极磷虾的越冬机制,利用2017年5—8月渔业资源调查随机收集的样本,对冬季布兰斯菲尔德海峡和南乔治亚岛东北水域南极磷虾种群结构差异进行分析。结果显示,2017年冬季各月南极磷虾性比差异不大,均为雌性占比稍高于雄性,且各月性成熟度分布不存在显著差异。总体而言,雌性磷虾在整个冬季月份,除个例外均为未成熟个体。对于雄性磷虾,5月未成熟个体少于成熟个体;6月未成熟个体多于成熟个体;7月未成熟个体显著多于成熟个体;8月均为未成熟个体。对于布兰斯菲尔德海峡和南乔治亚岛两区域,整体来说,随月份增加,磷虾雌、雄个体的成熟个体数量减少,而未成熟个体数量逐渐增加。通过历史资料对比可知,斯科舍海冬季磷虾种群结构存在较为显著的年际和年间变化。     

The cheetah is depauperate in genetic variation

A sample of 55 South African cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus) from two geographically isolated populations in South Africa were found to be genetically monomorphic at each of 47 allozyme (allelic isozyme) loci. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of 155 abundant soluble proteins from cheetah fibroblasts also revealed a low frequency of polymorphism (average heterozygosity, 0.013). Both estimates are dramatically lower than levels of variation reported in other cats and mammals in general. The extreme monomorphism may be a consequence of a demographic contraction of the cheetah (a population bottleneck) in association with a reduced rate of increase in the recent natural history of this endangered species.     

中国矮马群体mtDNA Cytb基因遗传多样性及系统进化研究

【目的】利用线粒体细胞色素 b（mtDNA Cytb）基因为标记,从分子水平探讨中国5个矮马136个样本的遗传多样性和系统进化研究,为中国矮马的开发利用以及生物多样性保护提供基础资料。【方法】对矮马样本mtDNA Cytb基因进行PCR扩增和测序,运用现代生物信息学方法进行数据处理。【结果】共检测到27个单倍型,40个多态位点,约占分析位点总数的3.51%。云南矮马具有最高的单倍型多样度（Hd）（0.869）,最低的为四川矮马（0.740）,核苷酸多样度（Pi）最高的为贵州矮马（0.00435）,最低的为宁强矮马（0.00227）,各群体间的遗传多样性相差不大。系统发育树和NETwork图中每一分支均含有5个矮马群体的信息。【结论】5个矮马群体总体上具有较高的遗传多样性,其中云南、贵州及德保矮马的遗传多样性相对较高,四川和宁强矮马相对较低;系统发生关系分析说明中国5个矮马群体存在基因交流,具有多重母系起源。     

大豆不育性自然变异的发现与鉴定

1998-2003年从8327份大豆资源和414个大豆杂种后代群体中分别获得11和6个不育新种质。对这17个不育种质与原亲代形态性状比较结果表明10个从大豆资源群体所获得的不育种质与原亲本相似，其不育性可能由基因突变所致。17个不育材料中13个雄性完全不育，4个部分不育，由人工平行杂交试验结果及不育株自然结荚状况可将不育种质的雌性育性分为可育、部分不育和完全不育3类，雌雄育性组合有6种不育类型。17个不育材料中7个为雄性完全不育-雌性可育类型（MS-FF），其中NJS-3H、NJS-4H、NJS-8H具有良好的自然异交结荚能力；2个为雄性完全不育-雌性部分不育类型（MS-FPS）； 2个为雄性部分不育-雌性可育类型（MPS-FF）；另各有1个分别为雌雄完全不育（MS-FS）、雌雄部分不育（MPS-FPS）和雄性部分不育-雌性完全不育类型（MPS-FS），还有3个表现雄性不育，雌性育性有待进一步分析。遗传分析表明新发现的核不育材料均为由核基因控制的核不育材料。其中NJS-8H（单显性基因遗传的MS-FF类型）、NJS-2H和NJS-12H（单隐性基因遗传的MS-FPS新类型）、NJS-9（可能受双隐性基因控制的MPS-FF类型）、NJS-7H（受双隐性基因控制的MPS-FPS类型）、NJS-10H（花和叶形均异常的MPS-FS类型）等不育性类型为以往未曾报导的。其他材料的不育性均受单隐性基因控制。5个品种大群体测定结果，不育性突变频率为0~1.87×10-4，通过自然变异选择可获得不同类型的大豆核不育种质，应重视自然变异的选择与积累，以供进一步雌雄育性变异与生殖生物学研究及其育种利用。     

覆盖野生稻全基因组染色体片段置换系构建进展

野生稻长期处于野生状态,经受了各种灾害和不良环境的自然选择,保存着栽培稻不具有的或已经消失了的特异基因,抗逆性较强,是天然的基因库。染色体片段置换系是进行基因分析的理想材料。建立染色体片段置换系群体,不仅可以挖掘新的基因资源,还可以实现植物分子育种从单个基因利用到基因组综合利用的跨越发展。文中介绍了染色体片段代换系群体的特点和构建原理,综述了野生稻染色体片段代换系群体构建及应用的研究进展,并对其研究方向进行了分析和展望, 以便为今后开发和利用野生稻资源提供理论依据。     

海南岛原始农业起源的几个问题

海南岛原始农业起源较黄河、长江流域及华南地区其它地方为晚,大约发生在新石器中期。海南岛栽培农业萌芽于挖掘地下块根块茎植物,最先驯化和栽培的是薯蓣类块根块茎植物。海南岛野生稻资源丰富,且自然条件适宜于稻作生长,但海南岛不可能是我国栽培稻起源地,海南岛陆稻栽培大约发生在新石器中期的后段,晚于薯蓣栽培的发生。水稻栽培大约发生在新石器晚期,晚于陆稻栽培。海南岛史前由于地广人稀,可供人类采集渔猎的资源极其丰厚富足,在此环境中,本岛居民对自然资源具有高度的依赖性,并产生所谓“惰农”现象。     

The structure of haplotype blocks in the human genome

Haplotype-based methods offer a powerful approach to disease gene mapping, based on the association between causal mutations and the ancestral haplotypes on which they arose. As part of The SNP Consortium Allele Frequency Projects, we characterized haplotype patterns across 51 autosomal regions (spanning 13 megabases of the human genome) in samples from Africa, Europe, and Asia. We show that the human genome can be parsed objectively into haplotype blocks: sizable regions over which there is little evidence for historical recombination and within which only a few common haplotypes are observed. The boundaries of blocks and specific haplotypes they contain are highly correlated across populations. We demonstrate that such haplotype frameworks provide substantial statistical power in association studies of common genetic variation across each region. Our results provide a foundation for the construction of a haplotype map of the human genome, facilitating comprehensive genetic association studies of human disease.     

Dominance in physiological phenotypes and fitness at an enzyme locus

Aminopeptidase-I allozymes, which are products of the Lap locus in the marine mussel, Mytilus edulis, differ in their catalytic efficiencies. These biochemical differences result in genotype-specific rates of change in the free amino acid pool, that is, cell volume regulation, when mussels are subjected to changes in salinity. A high degree of dominance was found among genotypes for these biochemical and physiological phenotypes. Selection models that incorporate dominance adequately predict observed genotypic properties at the Lap locus among natural populations that exhibit clinical allele frequency. This suggests that a high degree of dominance for fitness must also occur at this locus in natural populations. These results provide additional evidence that the maintenance of an allele frequency cline is operating by natural selection at the Lap locus.     

陕南蔬菜根结线虫群体的mtDNA-PCR-RFLP快速种类鉴定

[目的]运用mtDNA-PCR-RFLP技术快速鉴定陕南蔬菜根结线虫,为根结线虫的有效防治提供参考。[方法]在形态学、同工酶鉴定的基础上,运用mtDNA-PCR-RFLP电泳技术,对采自陕南3市18县区的37个为害蔬菜的根结线虫种群进行了鉴定。[结果]在所鉴定的种群中,32个种群为南方根结线虫（Meloidogyne incognita）,2个种群为花生根结线虫（M.arenaria）,1个种群为北方根结线虫（M.hapla）,1个种群为南方根结线虫和花生根结线虫的混合群体,1个种群为南方根结线虫和北方根结线虫的混合群体;其中南方根结线虫是陕南为害蔬菜的主要根结线虫。[结论]形态学方法应仅作为辅助鉴定手段,而同工酶表型和mtDNA-PCR-RFLP分析均可作为快速而可靠地鉴定中国常见根结线虫种类的方法。     

利用结构基因座分析中国蒙古羊系统内部分不同生态型绵羊品种遗传分化关系及距离隔离机制

 【目的】探讨蒙古羊系统内部分品种间的遗传分化关系,揭示蒙古羊系统内主要不同生态型地方绵羊品种形成的地理距离隔离机制。【方法】以中国蒙古羊系统内5个地方绵羊品种,湖羊、同羊、小尾寒羊、滩羊和洼地绵羊为研究对象,以多座位电泳法检测5个地方绵羊品种的20个结构基因座（包括Al、Gc、Tf、Cp、Alp、Ary-Es、Lap、Hb-α、Hb-β、Xp、CA、Dia-I、Dia-Ⅱ、MDH、GPI、EsD、α2-M、Cat、Ly和Ke）的变异。【结果】5个绵羊群体间的系统发生关系不满足距离隔离模式,绵羊群体间的遗传分化关系的远近与其地理分布并未表现出紧密的线性相关。【结论】5个绵羊品种分别起源于不同时期的蒙古羊始祖群体,同时在品种间存在一定程度的基因交流,并在各自特有的生态环境中经历不同程度的自然选择和人为选择培育而成。