金枣柿与部分柿属植物亲缘关系的ISSR分析

应用ISSR标记对柿属(Diospyros)17份植物材料的亲缘关系进行分析,以明确金枣柿的分类地位。用君迁子(D. lotus L.)进行预扩增后,从100条引物中筛选出37条扩增清晰的多态性引物,这些引物共扩增出997条DNA条带,平均每个引物扩增的DNA条带数为26.94条,其中多态性DNA条带973条,占97.59%。根据ISSR扩增结果,进行聚类分析,结果表明: 17份柿属材料可明显分为2个大类群,其中金枣柿的6份试材为一个大类群,与组成另一类群的3个种形成明显遗传界限。通过聚类分析,结合形态观察,认为金枣柿极有可能是柿属的又一个新种。     

藏东南嘎隆拉和墨脱河谷蚂蚁群落研究

[目的]为了揭示藏东南地区蚂蚁群落的生态学规律,对藏东南嘎隆拉和墨脱河谷不同样地的蚂蚁群落进行了调查研究,揭示藏东南地区蚂蚁多样性。[方法]采用样地调查法和手拣法进行调查;利用Estmaete S 9.1.0程序对数据进行处理,分析抽样充分性;利用多样性分析法,分析了蚂蚁群落的组成、优势种、物种多样性、群落均匀度及群落相似性等群落特征。[结果]合计发现蚁科Formicidae昆虫8亚科,45属,96种。分析发现,不同植被类型优势种和稀有种组成不同,稀有种较多。低海拔区域的沟谷雨林和常绿阔叶林蚂蚁优势种具有明显的热带和亚热带特征。多样性分析发现,各样地中的蚂蚁群落物种丰富度0 42种,个体密度0.0 1 805.6头·m-2,多样性指数02.285 5,均匀度指数0.251 0 0.873 6,优势度指数0.147 0 1.000 0。其中海拔1 200 m沟谷雨林的蚂蚁物种丰富度最高(42种);海拔1 450 m季风常绿阔叶林的多样性指数最高(2.285 5),优势度最低(0.147 0);海拔2 960m高山松林均匀度指数最高(0.873 6);高海拔的针叶林蚂蚁物种丰富度和多样性均最低,优势度最高。北坡分布的物种稀少,南坡物种丰富;群落相似性系数表明不同海拔和植被的蚂蚁群落间差异显著。[结论]嘎隆拉和墨脱河谷生境存在明显差异,蚂蚁群落的物种数目、个体密度、多样性指数和均匀度指数总体呈现随海拔升高和植被的更替而降低的规律,但在南坡下部和中部出现2个峰值,分别为热带和温带物种的聚集群,表现出多域效应现象(Multi-Domain Effect)。植被、海拔和坡向对蚂蚁物种的分布和多样性影响深刻。     

Patterns of amphibian diversity in Brazilian Amazonia: conservation implications

A literature survey was conducted to determine the amphibian diversity and distribution in Brazilian Amazonia. Patterns of endemisms and similarity of fauna between localities were also addressed. Twenty-eight inventories were found for the region, the majority localized in areas with easier access by road or river. A minimum of 163 amphibian species was recorded for Brazilian Amazonia. Although many species are endemic to the Amazonian lowlands as an entity, the patterns of species uniqueness among sites suggested low endemic distribution within the lowlands of the Amazon Basin. The mean similarity between localities varied from low to intermediate (mean=0.40), indicating that the Brazilian Amazonia is characterized by distinctive assemblages of amphibians throughout its extension. Localities further apart had lower similarity. No threatened species were recorded. These results contribute to determine priority areas for new inventories and establishment of conservation units. We suggest that areas next to the Amazon deforestation frontier should be prioritized for new studies due to the high rate of alteration and potential loss of species. Additionally, studies on amphibian population dynamics are few in Brazilian Amazonia and more of them should be emphasized to help to draw a better picture of the status of amphibians in this region.     

The use of historical collections to estimate population trends: A case study using Swedish longhorn beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

Long term data to estimate population trends among species are generally lacking. However, Natural History Collections (NHCs) can provide such information, but may suffer from biases due to varying sampling effort. To analyze population trends and range-abundance dynamics of Swedish longhorn beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), we used collections of 108 species stretching over 100 years. We controlled for varying sampling effort by using the total number of database records as a reference for non-red-listed species. Because the general frequency of red-listed species increased over time, a separate estimate of sampling effort was used for that group. We observed large interspecific variation in population changes, from declines of 60% to several hundred percent increases. Most species showed stable or increasing ranges, whereas few seemed to decline in range. Among increasing species, rare species seemed to expand their range more than common species did, but this pattern was not observed in declining species. Historically, rare species did not seem to be at larger risk of local extinction, and population declines were mostly due to lower population density and not loss of sub-populations. We also evaluated the species’ declines under IUCN red-list criterion A, and four currently not red-listed species meet the suggested threshold for Near Threatened (NT). The results also suggested that species’ declines may be overlooked if estimated only from changes in species range.     

Survival of bacterial DNA and culturable bacteria in archived soils from the Rothamsted Broadbalk experiment

Dried soil samples from many sources have been stored in archives world-wide over the years, but there has been little research on their value for studying microbial populations. Samples collected since 1843 from the Broadbalk field experiment on crop nutrition at Rothamsted have been used to document changes in the structure and composition of soils as agricultural practices evolve, also offering an invaluable record of environmental changes from the pre- to post-industrial era in the UK. To date, the microbial communities of these soils have not been studied, in part due to the well-documented drop in bacterial culturability in dried soils. However, modern molecular methods based on PCR amplification of DNA extracted directly from soil do not require bacterial cells to be viable or intact and may allow investigations into the legacy of bacteria that were present at the time of sample collection.

In a preliminary study, to establish if dried soils can provide a historical record of bacterial communities, samples from the Broadbalk soil archive dating back to 1868 were investigated and plots treated with either farmyard manure (FYM) or inorganic fertilizer (NPK) were compared. As anticipated, the processes of air-drying and milling greatly reduced bacterial viability whilst DNA yields declined less and may be preserved by desiccation. A higher proportion of culturable bacteria survived the archiving process in the FYM soil, possibly protected by the increased soil organic matter. The majority of surviving bacteria were firmicutes, whether collected in 2003 or in 1914, but a wide range of genera was detected in DNA extracted from the samples using PCR and DGGE of 16S rRNA genes. Analysis of DGGE band profiles indicated that the two plots maintained divergent populations. Sequence analysis of bands excised from DGGE gels, from a sample collected in 1914, revealed DNA from - and β-proteobacteria as well as firmicutes. PCR using primers specific for ammonia oxidizing bacteria showed similar band profiles across the two treatments in recently collected samples, however older samples from the NPK plot showed greater divergence. Primers specific for the genus Pseudomonas were designed and used in real-time quantitative PCR to indicate that archived soil collected in 1868 contained 10-fold less pseudomonad DNA than fresh soil, representing around 10⁵ genomes g⁻¹ soil. Prior to milling, dramatically less pseudomonad DNA was extracted from recently collected air-dried soil from the NPK compared to the FYM plot; otherwise, the two plots followed similar trends. Overall bacterial abundance, diversity and survival during the archiving process differed in the two soils, possibly due to differences in clay and soil organic matter content. Nevertheless, the results demonstrate that air-dried soils can protect microbial DNA for more than 150 years and offer an invaluable resource for future research.     

天然甜槠林物种多样性的研究

本文运用物种多样性、物种丰富度、物种均匀度等分析方法对福建省周宁县天然甜槠林的群落组成进行研究。结果表明:甜槠群落物种多样性指数和均匀度值均较大,群落结构复杂、物种丰富。研究结果为保护该地域森林植被提供了理论依据。     

土壤微生物DNA木聚糖酶基因多样性的研究

采用国产硅胶Gk254（60型）代替进口Glass bead的改良方法抽提土壤微生物DNA，然后设计了一对扩增木聚糖酶基因片段的新简并引物，对抽提的土壤微生物DNA进行PCR扩增。扩增片段连接pMD18T载体，转化大肠杆菌，重组片段通过酶切进行RFLP分析后，测序分析得到10个木聚糖酶基因片段。对所得片段翻译的氨基酸序列进行BLAST分析表明有8个片段与来自放线菌的木聚糖酶具有较高的同源性，2个与假单胞菌的木聚糖酶具有较高的同源性。所得10个木聚糖酶片段的氨基酸序列同源性比较显示，第27个氨基酸均为天冬酰胺（N），暗示这些来自土壤微生物DNA的基因片段编码耐碱的木聚糖酶。通过构建系统进化树，发现扩增的木聚糖酶片段之间的相似性均在70％以上。     

Karyotypic Studies on Some Cultivated and Wild Species of Chenopodium (Chenopodiaceae)

Detailed karyotypic studies have been done in 20 wild and cultivated taxa of Chenopodium, which belong to three ploidy levels 2x, 4x and 6x. C. quinoa (4x) shows minor but consistent differences in the arm ratio of various chromosomes within the complements of different accessions. The chromosomes can be arranged in 18 pairs that suggest allotetraploid nature. The karyotype of C. berlandieri subsp. nuttalliae (4x) is basically similar to that of C. quinoa. C. bushianum (6x) is distinctly different from the above two species in showing highest ratio between longest and shortest chromosomes. C. album complex is characterized by consisting of 2x, 4x and 6x cytotypes. Marked karyotypic differentiation is seen even among various 2x accessions. The 4x cytotype has a more asymmetrical karyotype as compared with 2x and 6x cytotypes. The karyotypic differences are also apparent between two 6x cytotypes studied. C. strictum (6x) and C. giganteum (6x) show close similarity to 6x types of C. album.