Climbing Behaviour in Three African Rodent Species

The climbing ability and propensity of Thallomys paedidcus, Praomys natalensis and Saccostomus campestrls were studied in the laboratory. Thallomys was morphologically and psychologically best adapted to arboreal life, although Praomys had the highest climbing frequency, largely attributable to a greater exploratory tendency. All three species made use of the tail in a prehensile manner, and it was also used as a balancing organ by Thallomys and Praomys. These two species, but more noticeably Thallomys, made use of semi-opposable digits on the hind-feet whilst climbing. Only Thallomys scent-marked branches.     

The Systematics of Southern African Mammals

Hematological parameters in small-mouth yellowflsh (Barbia holubi) have been examined from February to November. Seasonal variations were observed in several of the parameters studied. Sexual differences were slight and no significant changes in haematology could be related to breeding season. The results are discussed in relation to other published observations.     

Habitats and Dispersal of Southern African Anura

The data required to make it possible to relate dispersal of southern African Anura to the habitats occupied are considered. Habitat must be defined in terms of breeding populations; data on the breeding seasons of the taxon under consideration are needed, with comparative data on possible competitors in the breeding sites. Possible routes of dispersal under present conditions are considered; the distribution of the habitats of some taxa are considered in relation to presumed past conditions. Possible centres of origin and dispersal of genera and species endemic to southern Africa are discussed.     

四种多年生禾本科牧草引种试验

为选择适于本地区栽培的高产、优质多年生禾本科牧草,于2014年至2015年在同仁县年都乎乡进行不同多年生禾草的引种试验。结果表明,四种多年生禾草都能适应本地区,但相比之下,在平均草层高度和产量方面多叶老芒麦明显高出其它三种牧草,更适宜在该地区大量种植,可以作为人工草地建设和天然草场改良的优良牧草。     

The Origins of the Southern African Mammal Fauna

This paper reports flocking, communal feeding and other aspects of sea-based social behaviour in the jackass penguin (Spheniscus demersus). Penguins tend to occur within about 15 km of the mainland, but range farther afield from the islands used for breeding and/or roosting. Relatively large groups of 50 and more birds occur more than 50 km from the nearest island, but seldom more than 15 km from the mainland. The majority of the sea-going population consists of birds occurring in groups. Mean group size is eight birds. In any one particular group the members all tend to perform the same behaviour at the same time. The tendency to form foraging groups and the highly synchronized diving and cohesion of these groups indicate that this behaviour is socially facilitated, suggesting that it is adaptive in terms of both enhanced prey location and capture. Feeding penguins do not submerge for long and do not dive deeply. Birds in diving groups perform head-dipping movements which might signal readiness to dive and thus promote synchronous activity. The paper points out how little is known about jackass penguins at sea - the environment in which they probably spend the majority of their time. Lack of information on the birds at sea precludes proper interpretation of many land-based events attending the biology of the bird and its conservation.     

4种禾草种子发芽条件的筛选研究

针对马唐(Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop)、止血马唐(Digitaria ischaemum (Schreib.) Schreib.)、细弱隐子草(Cleistogenes gracilis Keng)和糙隐子草(Cleistogenes squarrosa (Trin.) Keng)4种禾本科牧草种子发芽率低的现象,使用不同温度、不同浓度KNO2溶液和预冷等处理对其进行打破休眠和促进萌发的研究,并对供试种子的适宜发芽条件进行筛选.结果表明:马唐种子不存在休眠问题,预冷和KNO3溶液对促进其萌发均没有显著效果;止血马唐种子存在休眠且生活力偏低,预冷能够打破休眠,     

4种芒属植物光合特性研究

以芒(Miscanthus sinensis)、五节芒(M. floridulus)、荻(M. sacchariflorus)和南荻(M. lutarioriparius)等4种典型芒属植物为试验材料,用LI-6400便携式光合仪测量不同时期的光合特性,来研究芒属植物光响应及光合特性的季节性变化规律。结果表明:光合作用参数对不同光合有效辐射的响应在种间有差异,除南荻的光饱和点(LSP)在800 μmol·m^-2·s^-1左右外,其他3种约在1000 μmol·m^-2·s^-1;最大净光合速率(P_nmax)由大到小依次为荻(47.3 μmol·m^-2·s^-1)、南荻(38.6 μmol·m^-2·s^-1)、五节芒(20.4 μmol·m^-2·s^-1)、芒(8.0 μmol·m^-2·s^-1);表观量子效率(AQY)依次为荻(0.123)、南荻(0.108)、五节芒(0.089)、芒(0.022),荻和南荻的光能转化率强于五节芒和芒。主生长季的净光合速率(P_n)表现出明显的季节性变化,并与生长速率同步,种间差异极显著(P< 0.01),荻和南荻的P_n值高于芒和五节芒。 4种芒属植物在主生长季的水分利用率(WUE)最小值在6-7月,最大值在8-9月,表现出耐旱耐高温能力,且种间差异显著(P< 0.05)。     

四种兔艾美耳球虫卵囊产量的比较

分别用4种兔艾美耳球虫经口接种45日龄无球虫感染兔,接种剂量为l×104个卵囊/兔.感染后4 d～20 d,以麦克马斯特氏法计数每天排出的卵囊.结果表明,肠艾美耳球虫排卵量最多,为365.76×l06个,中型艾美耳球虫为317.26×106个、黄艾美耳球虫为304.36×106个,大型艾美耳球虫排卵量最少,为200.12×106个.大型艾美耳球虫在感染后第6.5天有卵囊排出,第10.5天达到高峰(66.50×106个/只),占总量的33.23％;肠艾美耳球虫在感染后第9天有卵囊排出,第13天达到高峰(138.40×106个/只),占总量的37.83％;黄艾美耳球虫在感染后第9天有卵囊排出,第11天达到高峰(102.80×106个/只),占总量的33.78％;中型艾美耳球虫在感染后第4.5天有卵囊排出,第6.5天达到高峰(167.8×106个/只),占总量的52.89％.     

Climatic Influences on Establishment Pulses of Four Artemisia Species in Nevada

Shrub recruitment in arid and semiarid regions often occurs in pulses controlled by specific weather events. Previous research suggested that Wyoming sagebrush in Wyoming is no exception. We examined four species/subspecies of sagebrush in Nevada, in 2009 and 2010, to discover if evidence of recruitment pulses was contained in the annual growth-ring records. Sagebrush species and subspecies occur on a wide variety of ecological sites that require different management strategies. Species included black sagebrush (Artemisia nova A. Nelson), Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata subsp. wyomingensis Beetle & Young), Lahontan sagebrush (Artemisia arbuscula subsp. longicaulis Winward & McArthur), and low sagebrush (Artemisia arbuscula Nutt. ssp. arbuscula). Eighty stem sections were collected from each of 24 stands (6 stands per species or subspecies) at different geographic locations along east-west or north-south gradients where each species or subspecies naturally occurred. Annual growth-ring analysis was used to determine the year of establishment and the relationship between recruitment and weather events. Results indicated stand ages and locations were different (P > 0.001) among species and subspecies, and years of recruitment were strongly correlated with local and hemispheric weather patterns. Linear and multiple regressions modeled recruitment pulses for all four species. Weather-based predictor variables indicated complex interactions between recruitment and climatic controls. Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) index variables were prominent predictors for all four species at their associated sites. Other important local weather variables included total annual precipitation the year before recruitment, the year of recruitment, and the year following recruitment. In Nevada and the Great Basin, it is imperative that successful sagebrush seeding technologies are discovered and implemented. Ecological restoration and postfire rehabilitation methods should be timed correctly with respect to precipitation patterns (positive phase PDO) and/or designed to mimic conditions responsible for natural sagebrush recruitment.     

Four p67 alleles identified in South African Theileria parva field samples

Previous studies characterizing the Theileria parva p67 gene in East Africa revealed two alleles. Cattle-derived isolates associated with East Coast fever (ECF) have a 129 bp deletion in the central region of the p67 gene (allele 1), compared to buffalo-derived isolates with no deletion (allele 2). In South Africa, Corridor disease outbreaks occur if there is contact between infected buffalo and susceptible cattle in the presence of vector ticks. Although ECF was introduced into South Africa in the early 20th century, it has been eradicated and it is thought that there has been no cattle to cattle transmission of T. parva since. The variable region of the p67 gene was amplified and the gene sequences analyzed to characterize South African T. parva parasites that occur in buffalo, in cattle from farms where Corridor disease outbreaks were diagnosed and in experimentally infected cattle. Four p67 alleles were identified, including alleles 1 and 2 previously detected in East African cattle and buffalo, respectively, as well as two novel alleles, one with a different 174 bp deletion (allele 3), the other with a similar sequence to allele 3 but with no deletion (allele 4). Sequence variants of allele 1 were obtained from field samples originating from both cattle and buffalo. Allele 1 was also obtained from a bovine that tested T. parva positive from a farm near Ladysmith in the KwaZulu-Natal Province. East Coast fever was not diagnosed on this farm, but the p67 sequence was identical to that of T. parva Muguga, an isolate that causes ECF in Kenya. Variants of allele 2 were obtained from all T. parva samples from both buffalo and cattle, except Lad 10 and Zam 5. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that alleles 3 and 4 are monophyletic and diverged early from the other alleles. These novel alleles were not identified from South African field samples collected from cattle; however allele 3, with a p67 sequence identical to those obtained in South African field samples from buffalo, was obtained from a Zambian field isolate of a naturally infected bovine diagnosed with ECF. The p67 genetic profiles appear to be more complex than previously thought and cannot be used to distinguish between cattle- and buffalo-derived T. parva isolates in South Africa. The significance of the different p67 alleles, particularly the novel variants, in the epidemiology of theileriosis in South Africa still needs to be determined.     

实验条件下四种啮齿动物的日能量收支

1997年在内蒙古鄂尔多斯沙地对小毛足鼠、三趾跳鼠、子午沙鼠和黑线仓鼠日能量收支进行研究。结果表明,4种鼠日能量收支均表现为夏季低,春秋两季高。单位体重日能量收支与其体重呈极显著的负次幂相关,其关系式为:日能量收支(Jg^-1d^-1)=2432.3×体重(g)^－0446。以平均日代谢率为基础的日能量收支实测值与Grodzinski等(1975)经验模型的期望值接近,而与Nagy(1994)经验模型的期望值相差较大。     

黄土母质生土上4种豆科牧草根系生长特征的研究

以黄土母质生土为供试土壤,采用根管土柱栽培方法,研究了苜蓿(Medicago sativa L.)、草木樨(Melilotus of ficinalis Desr.)、小冠花(Coronilla buxifolia Hance.)和红三叶(Trifolium pratense L.)4种豆科牧草根系生长规律的差异.结果表明:4种豆科牧草根系各项指标的增长随生育期变化(时间构型)皆呈“S”型增长模型,可划分为缓增期、速增期和顶峰期,在一个生长季内,根系不存在衰老死亡生物量急剧减少的现象;4种豆科牧草根系垂直分布存在很大差异,根系生物量空间呈“T”型分布,其垂直递减率符合指数递减方程Y=A·e-b     

中国四种芒属植物的地理分布及气候模式研究

为了明确4种芒属植物在我国的分布水平和气候模式,本文通过查阅馆藏标本和实地调查相结合,对4种芒属植物野生居群所在地的地理因子和气候因子进行统计分析。结果如下:南荻(Miscanthus lutarioriparius)水平分布的范围111.48~120.81°E,28.18~34.82°N,垂直分布范围为0~321m,荻(M.sacchariflorus)的水平分布范围为29.90~47.53°N,106.27~113.76°E,垂直分布范围为-1~1 455m,五节芒(M.floridulus)的水平分布范围为19.14~38.33°N,104.78~122.39°E,垂直分布范围为0~1 650m,芒(M.sinensis)的水平分布范围为18.81~43.56°N,100.44~127.55°E,垂直分布范围为-12~1 678m;芒属植物分布的气候模式为:年平均降雨量202.40~2 444.00mm、年积温2 074.00~8 500.00℃、平均温度1.20~24.40℃、夏季极端高温30.90~45.20℃、冬季极端低温-23.21~10.64℃、1月份平均气温-24.10~18.70℃、7月份平均气温18.00~32.70℃、全年无霜期110.00~365.00d,年累积日照时间511.00~2 868.00h;主成分分析结果表明:芒属4个种的第1主成分均可命名为气温因素,且起主导作用是1月份平均气温和全年无霜期;第2主成分则主要由年降雨量和日照时间决定。以上研究结果表明芒属植物在我国分布广、气候适应性强,具有作为能源植物开发的潜力。     

四种嵩草属植物叶片酯酶和过氧化物酶同工酶分析

采用聚丙烯酰胺凝胶垂直板电泳技术，对四种嵩草属植物－小嵩草（ｋｏｂｒｅｓｉａｐｙｇｍ－ａｅａ）、矮嵩草（Ｋ．ｈｕｍｉｌｉｓ）线叶嵩草（Ｋ．ｃａｐｉｌｌｉｆｏｌｉａ）和嵩草（Ｋ．ｂｅｌｌａｄｉｉ）的叶片酯酶和过氧化物酶同工酶进行分析。试验结果显示，四个种的酯酶同工酶泳动成两大区域，Ｒｆ值分别为０．３８～０．８６和０．０８，过氧化物酶同工酶泳动形成５个区域，Ｒｆ值分别为０．９７，０．６８～０．７７，０．５２～０．６３，０．２９～０．３７和０．０８。酶谱比较结果表明，嵩草和线叶嵩草亲缘关系较近，而二者同小嵩草、矮嵩草间，以及小嵩草同矮嵩草之间亲缘关系较远。