Arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi as an ecology indicator for evaluating desert soil conditions

Arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) fungi are the most common underground symbiosis. They can form vesicles and arbuscules in the roots of about 80% of plant species. In this paper, using the arbuscular mycorrhiza’s colonization as an evaluating indicator in combination with other experimental indicators, we composed a system of evaluating various indices to analyze desert soil conditions. A fuzzy optimization system model was introduced to analyze the experimental results. The results showed that the soil quality was Yulin > Ecology Station > Yanchi > Shapotou > Dingbian. ‘μ _i ’, an indicator of soil quality, was the greatest in the topmost layer of soil, in the 0–10 cm soil, at the sampling sites Yulin, Ecology Station, Yanchi and Dingbian. However, at Shapotou the maximum value of μ _i was found in the 10–20 cm soil layer. The weight value of the AM fungal index ranged from 37% to 95% at different sites.     

香蕉吸芽苗内生真菌及其根际土壤真菌的鉴定

从香蕉吸芽苗的根、叶等组织内分离到11个属的真菌:曲霉属(Aspergillus)、炭疽菌属(Colletotrichum)、镰孢属(Fu-sarium)、胶帚霉属(Gliocladium)、木霉属(Trichoderma)、球二孢属(Botryodiplodia)、丝核菌属(Rhizoctonia)、单格孢属(Ulo-cladium)、散子囊菌属(Eurotium)、直双孢属(D idymaria)和丝葚霉属(Papuladpora)。炭疽菌属为优势菌,占内生真菌分离物总数的50%。从香蕉吸芽苗根际土壤中分离到10个属的真菌:曲霉属、镰孢属、木霉属、丝核菌属、毛霉属(Mucor)、青霉属(Penicillium)、拟青霉属(Paecilomyces)、帚霉属(Scopulariopsis)、球壳孢属(Sphaeropsis)和盾壳霉属(Coniothyrium)。拟青霉属、青霉属和毛霉属为优势菌,分别占根际土壤真菌分离物总数的39.7%、23.8%和17.5%。     

植被恢复措施对沙地土壤真菌数量动态的影响

采用涂抹平板法测定了流动沙丘、荒漠草原和不同建植年代(1956、1964、1981、1987年)人工植被区表层(0~10cm)土壤真菌含量,试图揭示植被恢复措施对沙地土壤真菌数量动态的影响。结果表明:荒漠草原表层土壤真菌数量最高,为(12.31±1.20)×103个.g-1;流动沙丘最低,为(0.36±0.37)×103个.g-1;人工固沙地土壤真菌含量以建植年份排序为:1956年>1964年>1981年>1987年;流动沙丘、荒漠草原和不同建植年代6个样地间土壤表层真菌含量差异达显著性水平(P<0.05).土壤真菌数量与土壤养分间的相关性分析表明二者间呈正相关关系.     

土壤真菌对威百亩熏蒸的响应特征

为探明土壤熏蒸后真菌群落的演变特征及其种间关系的变化规律,以揭示熏蒸剂对土壤生态系统的利害关系。选取威百亩作为典型熏蒸剂对连作3年黄瓜的土壤进行熏蒸处理,并采用高通量测序手段检测了各处理在不同时段的真菌群落。与未熏蒸对照处理(NM)相比,Chao1指数在低浓度(LM,50 mg·kg-1)和高浓度威百亩熏蒸处理(HM,100 mg·kg-1)中分别降低了14%(P=0.001)和16%(P=0.005),各处理真菌群落结构的差异也达显著水平。供试土壤中潜在典型病原真菌主要为Gibberella和Fusarium,且受到威百亩熏蒸的显著抑制,尤其在HM处理中,其丰度较NM处理分别降低了95%和53%(P0.05)。而潜在典型有益菌如Talaromyces和Arthrographis展现出与潜在病原菌相反的趋势,且这种趋势在HM处理中更明显。随着培养时间延长,虽然Gibberella和Fusarium在LM处理中展现出抑制-恢复的趋势,但在HM处理中其丰度随时间逐渐降低。Network关联分析结果显示,在NM处理中各功能菌丰度间均为正相关关系,而高浓度威百亩熏蒸后出现了优势菌对潜在病原菌的拮抗作用。综上所述,相比于低浓度威百亩熏蒸,高浓度威百亩不仅有效抑制了土壤中潜在病原真菌的活性,而且还通过调控真菌群落种间关系从而强化了优势菌对潜在病原真菌的拮抗作用,进而间接地增强了部分有益菌的活性。     

Crystal structure of an ancient protein: evolution by conformational epistasis

The structural mechanisms by which proteins have evolved new functions are known only indirectly. We report x-ray crystal structures of a resurrected ancestral protein-the approximately 450 million-year-old precursor of vertebrate glucocorticoid (GR) and mineralocorticoid (MR) receptors. Using structural, phylogenetic, and functional analysis, we identify the specific set of historical mutations that recapitulate the evolution of GR's hormone specificity from an MR-like ancestor. These substitutions repositioned crucial residues to create new receptor-ligand and intraprotein contacts. Strong epistatic interactions occur because one substitution changes the conformational position of another site. "Permissive" mutations-substitutions of no immediate consequence, which stabilize specific elements of the protein and allow it to tolerate subsequent function-switching changes-played a major role in determining GR's evolutionary trajectory.     

The selective cause of an ancient adaptation

Phylogenetic analysis reveals that the use of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP) by prokaryotic isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) arose around the time eukaryotic mitochondria first appeared, about 3.5 billion years ago. We replaced the wild-type gene that encodes the NADP-dependent IDH of Escherichia coli with an engineered gene that possesses the ancestral NAD-dependent phenotype. The engineered enzyme is disfavored during competition for acetate. The selection intensifies in genetic backgrounds where other sources of reduced NADP have been removed. A survey of sequenced prokaryotic genomes reveals that those genomes that encode isocitrate lyase, which is essential for growth on acetate, always have an NADP-dependent IDH. Those with only an NAD-dependent IDH never have isocitrate lyase. Hence, the NADP dependence of prokaryotic IDH is an ancient adaptation to anabolic demand for reduced NADP during growth on acetate.     

Hernandulcin: an intensely sweet compound discovered by review of ancient literature

Ancient Mexican botanical literature was systematically searched for new plant sources of intensely sweet substances. Lippia dulcis Trev., a sweet plant, emerged as a candidate for fractionation studies, and hernandulcin, a sesquiterpene, was isolated and judged by a human taste panel as more than 1000 times sweeter than sucrose. The structure of the sesquiterpene was determined spectroscopically and confirmed by chemical synthesis. Hernandulcin was nontoxic when administered orally to mice, and it did not induce bacterial mutation.     

濒危药用植物手参内生真菌及根际土壤真菌多样性研究进展

手参为兰科植物手参Gymnadenia conopsea的干燥块茎,是我国传统中药材,也是特色蒙药材。手参因具有极高的药用价值而长期被过度采挖,加之自然繁殖率低,原生境破坏严重,使其野生资源极度匮乏,现以被《濒危野生动植物种国际贸易公约》列为二级珍稀濒危植物 。兰科植物与真菌共生,真菌对手参生长具有重要影响,因此开展恢复生态资源栽培已成为必然趋势,而筛选获取有效促进手参幼苗生长的共生真菌是关键。基于此,本文通过文献研究整理统计了涉及到中国8个省和其他4个国家的手参内生真菌和根际土壤真菌多样性及其生物学功能研究现状,统计到手参内生真菌共隶属于79属,其中角担菌属、青霉菌属、曲霉属、背芽突霉属、木霉属和Zymosep‐toria为手参内生真菌优势类群。从手参不同器官中分离得到的内生真菌属数从多到少依次为：块茎>地上茎、叶>果荚>原球茎>幼苗,花中未分离到;隶属产地排序依次为：西藏>北京>甘肃>四川>吉林>河北、黑龙江。手参内生真菌在植物不同器官及不同产地间存在明显差异。手参根际土壤真菌共隶属于43属,其中镰刀菌属、木霉属、耙齿菌属为手参根际土壤真菌优势类群。手参根际土壤真菌群落结构在不同产地间也存在明显差异,并且各产地手参根际土壤真菌优势类群各不同。手参内生真菌对手参种子萌发及生长发育有着重要,并具有明显抑菌活性。要全面了解手参内生真菌需要进一步扩大手参分布范围,考虑手参不同生长期内生真菌群落结构变化,内生真菌分离鉴定技术的优化与提升以及生物功能的研究与评价等工作,为手参人工繁殖、内生菌资源的开发与利用提供参考。     

The caracol tower at chichen itza: an ancient astronomical observatory?

Although our investigations reveal a number of significant astronomical events coinciding with many of the measured alignments presented in Table 1, not every alignment appears to have an astronomical match which we can recognize. It may be that only some of the sighting possibilities we have discussed were actually functional. Moreover, our search of significant astronomical events to match the alignments has included only those which seem of obvious functional importance to us: sun, moon, and planetary extremes and the setting positions of the brightest stars. We have emphasized those celestial bodies which are documented in the literature as having been of importance. Perhaps hitherto unrecognized constellations were sighted in the windows, perhaps fainter stars, the heliacal rising and setting times of which could have served to mark important dates in the calendar. While we propose no grand cosmic scheme for the astronomical design of the Caracol it can be inferred that the building, apart from being a monument related to Quetzalcoatl, was erected primarily for the purpose of embodying in its architecture certain significant astronomical event alignments, in the same sense that a modern astronomical ephemeris exhibits information of importance to us in the keeping of the current calendar. There are examples in the Mesoamerican historical literature of deliberate attempts to align buildings with astronomical directions of importance. For example, Maudslay (33) quotes Father Motolinia, who tells us that in Tenochtitlan the festival called Tlacaxipeualistli "took place when the sun stood in the middle of Huicholobos, which was at the equinox, and because it was a little out of the straight, Montezuma wished to pull it down and set it right." According to Maudslay, worshipers were probably facing east to watch the sun rise between the two oratories on the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan at the time of the equinox. The directions of the faces of the Lower and Upper platforms of the Caracol seem to have been laid out deliberately to point to horizon events involving the sun and the planet Venus. Of the lines taken through the windows, the Venus setting points seem most plausible to us in view of both the accuracy with which they fit the architecture and the historical evidence bearing upon the importance of Venus to the Mesoamerican people. A specific connection between the Venus calendar in the Dresden Codex and the sighting of the extreme positions of the planet along the horizon, however, is yet to be established. It is especially significant that alignments in both the base and the top of the tower relate to Venus. The solar equinox alignment in window I remains problematical, although the arrangement probably functioned as an approximate means of determining the first day of spring and the first day of autumn. Lines pointing to individual bright stars undoubtedly should be given lower value. If one is willing to carry the matching game to its ultimate completion, a stellar object can always be found which, although very obscure, will fit an alignment. In our consideration of the problem we have attempted to single out bright stars which appeared or disappeared on significant calendar dates. Other round structures resembling the Caracol exist in Mesoamerica (20), although there are comparatively few built by the Maya. Nearly all can be attributed to the cult of Quetzalcoatl (34). To our knowledge none have been carefully measured and analyzed for astronomical orientations. The ruined tower Q-152 at Mayapan bore distinct similarities to the Caracol, both in shape and structure. It probably contained only a single doorway which faced west. Both structures possessed circular corridors. A circular tower is still standing at Paalmul on the coast of Quintana Roo north of Tulum. Pollock (20, p. 115) states that it has a single room in the turret. A window similar to No. I in the Caracol faces northwest, the same direction as the base of the front of the structure. It may be astronomically significant that the Yucatecan towers fronted in approximately the same direction. Andrews (34) reports the existence of a curious circular building located at Puerto Rico, Campeche, near Xpujil. His crosssectional view of the tower bears a close resemblance to Ruppert's sketch (6, figure 293) of a horizontal section taken through the windows remaining at the top of the Caracol. Hartung (12) has suggested a possible astronomical use for the Puerto Rico tower, but no analysis of the orientation of its "windows," which are much smaller than those of the Caracol, has yet been conducted. Other circular buildings are reported at Ake (20, p. 113) and Isla Cozumel (35, p. 557). We hope that future investigations of the remains of Yucatecan towers will shed further light upon the significance and use of the Caracol as an astronomical observatory.     

煤矸石土壤修复中丛枝菌根的接种效应

针对煤矸石尾矿区生态修复过程中存在的主要问题,通过生物措施在自然状况下接种丛枝菌根真菌摩西球囊霉,研究其对煤矸石土壤修复的生态影响。结果表明,接种菌根8个月后,植株成活率均提高了30%以上,菌根在植株根际的侵染率均超过50%;土壤中重金属含量较对照有明显下降,尤其是不同植物土壤中Mn含量与对照相比分别降低49.83、24.73、44.45 mg/kg;铜和镉也有不同程度的下降,土壤中有机质和有效氮含量均明显提高,其中有机质和有效氮含量分别提高65.78%、84.08%。说明丛枝菌根在煤矸石山土壤修复中具有较好的生态接种效应。     

Drugs. Reinventing an ancient cure for malaria

As drug resistance renders cheap antimalarials ineffective, a promising candidate has emerged from an overlooked source: Asia. Used as herbal remedies in China for 2000 years, artemisinins haven't yet been approved for clinical use in Western countries. But abundant clinical data show that a water-soluble form called artesunate knocks down the number of parasites in the blood faster than any other drug does.     

Fossilization of an ancient (devonian) soft-bodied worm

A shell-boring polychaete worm was found replaced by the min eral limonite-goethite; this fossil is probably a limonite-goethite pseudo morph after pyrite, suggesting that the soft-bodied worm was originally re placed by pyrite. External structures such as a prostomium, anterior tentacle like palps, peristomial cirri, parapodia, setae bundles of the parapodia, and dorsal cirri of the parapodia are pre served. This worm resembles living members of the family Spionidae in form and habit. This discovery extends the known range of this family (Cre taceous?, Miocene to Recent) back about 365 million years to the Devo nian period.