A two-month study was conducted to test the effects of macroalgae on the growth and survivorship of juvenile lined seahorse （Hippocarapus erectus） in aquaria. Twenty-day old seahorses were cultured in the tanks with...A two-month study was conducted to test the effects of macroalgae on the growth and survivorship of juvenile lined seahorse （Hippocarapus erectus） in aquaria. Twenty-day old seahorses were cultured in the tanks with green alga Chaetomorpha linum, red alga Gracilaria tikvahiae, green plastic artificial plant （stargrass）, and black plastic net, respectively. Increases in wet mass and standard length for the seahorses were significantly higher in the tanks with macroalgae than those without macroalgae. The seahorse survivorships in the two macroalgal treatments were also significantly higher than those of the two treatments without macroalgae. In the treatments with macroalgae, the DO and pH were higher than those without marcoalgae. During the experiment, the color of seahorses was changed to certain extent. In the green background （the treatments with C. linum and stargrass）, 24.1% 28.4% of black seahorses decreased over time; whereas in the black （plastic net） or brown （G. tikvahiae） background treatments, 14.1% 16.3% of yellow seahorses decreased over time, for matching that of the background. Furthermore, the survival rate of seahorse was correlation with DO and pH, and strong correlation with standard length, wet mass and CF. Polyculture with macroalgae, survival rates of seahorse were higher than without macroaglae.展开更多
Seahorses have evolved many unique biological traits,including a male brood pouch,the absence of caudal and pelvic fins,and the lack of spleen and gut-associated lymphatic tissue.The mitogenactivated protein kinases(M...Seahorses have evolved many unique biological traits,including a male brood pouch,the absence of caudal and pelvic fins,and the lack of spleen and gut-associated lymphatic tissue.The mitogenactivated protein kinases(MAPKs)are known to be involved in various important biological processes including growth,differentiation,immunity,and stress responses.Therefore,we hypothesized that the adaptive evolution and expression of the MAPK gene family in seahorse may differ from those of other teleost species.We identified positive selection sites in the erk2,erk5,jnk1,and p38αMAPK genes of the lined seahorse Hippocampus erectus and tiger-tailed seahorse Hippocampus comes.A novel expression profile of MAPK cascade genes was found in seahorse larvae during the first day after birth based on the RNA-seq data of H.erectus,which refl ected vital signs of immune response to its parental immune system.The expression patterns of the four positively selected MAPK genes were analyzed following the bacterial challenge of Vibrio fortis,revealing their upregulation pattern in brood pouch and other immune tissues.This study enriched our knowledge of the evolution of the H.erectus MAPK subfamilies,and could help better understanding the functional role of MAPKs in teleosts.展开更多
Using five group dating of the fossil by Uranium series age method shows that the age of Nanjing Homo Erectus is between 280－ 430 ka B. P. Combining with the analysis of fossil mammalian form Stegodon, Sus.Lydekkeri ...Using five group dating of the fossil by Uranium series age method shows that the age of Nanjing Homo Erectus is between 280－ 430 ka B. P. Combining with the analysis of fossil mammalian form Stegodon, Sus.Lydekkeri Zdansly, M.pachyosteus Young, P.grayi Zdansky and E.SanmeniensisTeilhard et Pive teau, which are located in the same stratum, the authors thinks that the Nanjing Homo Erectus may have lived in the late Mid Pleistocene (about 350 ka B.P.). Based upon the spores and pollen in the cave sediments of the area, we can find that most of spores and pollen are subtropical and warm temperature types. For instance, broad leaf trees which are fond of warm climate, including Cunning hamia, Jsuga and Pinus ,as well as Morus, Carpinus and Ptendium. Among the above spores and pollen, only Tsuga,Liquidambar, Betula,Ulmus and Salix are the remainders of Humid hot environment from the Tertiary period. Above evidences illustrate that the living environment of the Nanjing Homo Erectus not only was not cloder but also was not drier than the Peking Man’s. It could be said that dry climate and the ice age of the Mid Pleistocene didn’t undergo this area.As for the manner of the Homo Erectus’s making stone artifact and using fire, because now we have not found the evidence of the stone artifact and the ash, the futher excavation to the talus of the Huludong cave should be needed.展开更多
From the comparison of the corresponding strata to the skull of the relic Homo erectus which was found in the Calabash cave of Nanjing Tangshan and dated in 350,000 aBP with other cave strata, the region of Tangsh...From the comparison of the corresponding strata to the skull of the relic Homo erectus which was found in the Calabash cave of Nanjing Tangshan and dated in 350,000 aBP with other cave strata, the region of Tangshan is a kind of periglacial environment before middle Pleistocene epoch. During the life span of Nanjing Homo erecturs , it had transformed to warm and humid sub-tropical climate from periglacial climate. The natural environment is similar to present except the individual high mountains.展开更多
A study on phytoliths and their climate indexes is carried out from Homo erectus?cave deposits in HuluCave, Nanjing. Evidence shows that phytolith assemblages of the cave deposits are dominated by the cold resistant t...A study on phytoliths and their climate indexes is carried out from Homo erectus?cave deposits in HuluCave, Nanjing. Evidence shows that phytolith assemblages of the cave deposits are dominated by the cold resistant types with a lower warm index, reflecting an overall cold inclined climate. This possibly connects the cave deposits with glacial climate to a great extent, which is in accordance with thenorthern fauna revealed by fossil mammals and temperateclimate indicated by pollen assemblages. According to the distributional state of the phytoliths and their climate in-dexes on 4 profiles in the cave, it is revealed that profiles Ⅰand Ⅱ display certain cold/warm, and dry/wet fluctuations; profile Ⅲ shows a humid and cold condition with the high-est humility in the cave deposits; while profile Ⅳ indicates a possible quick accumulating process because of its stableclimate indexes except for its bottom and top.展开更多
This paper inspects the relationship between Homo erectus from Beijing, Nanjing and Chenjiawo on the viewpoint of environmental variations. Pieces of evidence show that Nanjing and Chenjiawo Homo erectus lived in glac...This paper inspects the relationship between Homo erectus from Beijing, Nanjing and Chenjiawo on the viewpoint of environmental variations. Pieces of evidence show that Nanjing and Chenjiawo Homo erectus lived in glacial age at the Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage (MIS) 16, while Homo erectus pekinensis in major interglacial age at MlSs 15-13. It is also recovered that the cave deposits in Tangshan, Nanjing, and Zhoukoudian, Beijing, as well as the deposits at the Homo erectus site in Chenjiawo, have undergone some similar development process. All of them originated from early-middle Middle Pleistocene, and have gone through the test of the major glacial age at MIS 16 and the major interglacial period at the paleosol stage S5. At the same time, they were also closely connected with some environment events, such as the uplift of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, the formation of glaciations and the loess accumulations.展开更多
Partial Rootzone Drying (PRD) is an irrigation technique which offers a means of modifying the growth and development of crops through relatively simple changes to the method of water delivery. The technique causes th...Partial Rootzone Drying (PRD) is an irrigation technique which offers a means of modifying the growth and development of crops through relatively simple changes to the method of water delivery. The technique causes the stimulation of physiological responses which are normally associated with water stress and this results in a significant reduction in water use through the production of chemical signals in drying roots. Partial drying of one half of the roots of plants grown with two root systems is rapidly translated into a reduction in transpiration and assimilation of all the crop leaves. The aim of this research is to examine and simulate the novel irrigation method (PRD), which would stimulate the endogenous stress response mechanisms of Conocarpus erectus trees in the pilot area of the Arabian Gulf University in Bahrain and wheat and maize crops in the Mashtul Pilot Area (MPA), Egypt using Saltmed model so that vigor is reduced and the efficiency of water use is enhanced. This is to be achieved by the manipulation of the hydration status of parts of a crop’s roots that could be used to control vegetative vigor without detrimental effects on canopy water relations. The PRD technique is researched for wheat as a winter crop and maize as a summer crop in Egypt. The technique causes the stimulation of physiological responses which are normally associated with water stress and this results in a significant reduction in water use through the production of chemical signals in drying roots. The results confirmed an increase in irrigation water use efficiency using PRD comparing with conventional flood irrigation. The research highly recommends applying the PRD method in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and in new reclaimed areas in Egypt to save water and improve crop quality.展开更多
Seahorses are specialized teleosts due to their unique male pregnancy and reproductive physiology. In particular, they have distinct gonad structures and different patterns of gametogenesis development in both sexes. ...Seahorses are specialized teleosts due to their unique male pregnancy and reproductive physiology. In particular, they have distinct gonad structures and different patterns of gametogenesis development in both sexes. However, the molecular mechanism of germ cell development in seahorses remains unknown. Nanos, which encodes conserved zinc-finger RNA-binding proteins, play essential roles for germline development in both vertebrates and invertebrates. In this study, we characterized the nanos gene family members and their potential roles in germline development in the lined seahorse, Hippocampus erectus. We showed that the nanos family members in the seahorse are the nanos1a, nanos1b, and nanos3 genes, while nanos2, a key germline stem cell (GSC) maintenance factor, is intriguingly absent. More interestingly, nanos3, which is reported to be a female-specific gene, was also highly expressed in male gonads, as well as in the early developmental stages of testes and ovaries. Our results also showed that nanos3 was highly expressed in early meiotic germ cells, and that expression levels of nanos3 were lower in the gonad after TBT exposure. These findings suggest that nanos3 may function during male germ cell development, and in female initial germ cell production – processes which are regulated by nanos2 in other teleosts. This is the first research into how nanos governs germ cell development in an ovoviviparous fish. Our study provides insights into the regulatory mechanisms of germ cells development, as well as the early events during gametogenesis in the family Syngnathidae.展开更多
With a mixed look of both Homo erectus and Homo sapiens,Yunxian Man,who could have connected different ancestors of ours,helps unveil a stage of fast diversification in human evolution.
U-series ages of a set of speleothem samples from the two caves near Tangshan Town, Nanjing, determined by thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS), range from older than 500 KaBP to around 20 kaBP. These dated spe...U-series ages of a set of speleothem samples from the two caves near Tangshan Town, Nanjing, determined by thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS), range from older than 500 KaBP to around 20 kaBP. These dated speleothems with unequivocal stratigraphic layers in cave sediments provide basic data to establish a geochronologic sequence for the展开更多
The fauna of the Pleistocene Homo-bearing sites of Java has been well known for more than a century.A recent revision of the crocodylian remains confirmed both the validity of Gavialis bengawanicus and the synonymiza-...The fauna of the Pleistocene Homo-bearing sites of Java has been well known for more than a century.A recent revision of the crocodylian remains confirmed both the validity of Gavialis bengawanicus and the synonymiza-tion of Crocodylus ossifragus with C.siamensis.Here we report on a still unpublished crocodylian specimen collected by Eugene Dubois in the latest Early Pleistocene of Kali Gedeh that can be tentatively referred to the genus Crocodylus.The size of the specimen,the approximately 1 m long lower jaw in particular,indicat-ed that this crocodile attained a total length of approximately 6 or 7 m.Along with specimens from the Plio-Pleistocene of Africa,this material provides evidence for gigantism in Crocodylus.It is not clear whether or not the‘temperature-size rule’applies to fossil crocodylians,but due to the growing interest in predicting future temperature-related size changes of the extant organisms,it would be interesting to study in detail the past reac-tion to temperature changes of crocodylians and other terrestrial ectothermic animals.展开更多
基金The National Basic Research Program of China under contract No. 2006CB400608Ningbo Science and Technology Bureau under contract Nos 2005A610025 and 2006A610087K C Wong Magna Fund in Ningbo University
文摘A two-month study was conducted to test the effects of macroalgae on the growth and survivorship of juvenile lined seahorse （Hippocarapus erectus） in aquaria. Twenty-day old seahorses were cultured in the tanks with green alga Chaetomorpha linum, red alga Gracilaria tikvahiae, green plastic artificial plant （stargrass）, and black plastic net, respectively. Increases in wet mass and standard length for the seahorses were significantly higher in the tanks with macroalgae than those without macroalgae. The seahorse survivorships in the two macroalgal treatments were also significantly higher than those of the two treatments without macroalgae. In the treatments with macroalgae, the DO and pH were higher than those without marcoalgae. During the experiment, the color of seahorses was changed to certain extent. In the green background （the treatments with C. linum and stargrass）, 24.1% 28.4% of black seahorses decreased over time; whereas in the black （plastic net） or brown （G. tikvahiae） background treatments, 14.1% 16.3% of yellow seahorses decreased over time, for matching that of the background. Furthermore, the survival rate of seahorse was correlation with DO and pH, and strong correlation with standard length, wet mass and CF. Polyculture with macroalgae, survival rates of seahorse were higher than without macroaglae.
基金Supported by the Shandong Province Science and Technology Support Program for Outstanding Youth of Colleges and Universities(No.2020KJF007)the Shandong Province Science and Technology Research Program for Colleges and Universities(No.J18KA146)+3 种基金the Yantai Foundation for Development of Science and Technology(Nos.2020LJRC120,2019CXJJ040)the Weihai Foundation for Development of Science and Technology(No.2017GNS10)the Key Special Project for Introduced Talents Team of Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory(Guangzhou)(No.GML2019ZD0407)the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation(No.2019A1515110199)。
文摘Seahorses have evolved many unique biological traits,including a male brood pouch,the absence of caudal and pelvic fins,and the lack of spleen and gut-associated lymphatic tissue.The mitogenactivated protein kinases(MAPKs)are known to be involved in various important biological processes including growth,differentiation,immunity,and stress responses.Therefore,we hypothesized that the adaptive evolution and expression of the MAPK gene family in seahorse may differ from those of other teleost species.We identified positive selection sites in the erk2,erk5,jnk1,and p38αMAPK genes of the lined seahorse Hippocampus erectus and tiger-tailed seahorse Hippocampus comes.A novel expression profile of MAPK cascade genes was found in seahorse larvae during the first day after birth based on the RNA-seq data of H.erectus,which refl ected vital signs of immune response to its parental immune system.The expression patterns of the four positively selected MAPK genes were analyzed following the bacterial challenge of Vibrio fortis,revealing their upregulation pattern in brood pouch and other immune tissues.This study enriched our knowledge of the evolution of the H.erectus MAPK subfamilies,and could help better understanding the functional role of MAPKs in teleosts.
基金Under the auspices of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (49771075) and Testing Foundation by the Modern Analysis
文摘Using five group dating of the fossil by Uranium series age method shows that the age of Nanjing Homo Erectus is between 280－ 430 ka B. P. Combining with the analysis of fossil mammalian form Stegodon, Sus.Lydekkeri Zdansly, M.pachyosteus Young, P.grayi Zdansky and E.SanmeniensisTeilhard et Pive teau, which are located in the same stratum, the authors thinks that the Nanjing Homo Erectus may have lived in the late Mid Pleistocene (about 350 ka B.P.). Based upon the spores and pollen in the cave sediments of the area, we can find that most of spores and pollen are subtropical and warm temperature types. For instance, broad leaf trees which are fond of warm climate, including Cunning hamia, Jsuga and Pinus ,as well as Morus, Carpinus and Ptendium. Among the above spores and pollen, only Tsuga,Liquidambar, Betula,Ulmus and Salix are the remainders of Humid hot environment from the Tertiary period. Above evidences illustrate that the living environment of the Nanjing Homo Erectus not only was not cloder but also was not drier than the Peking Man’s. It could be said that dry climate and the ice age of the Mid Pleistocene didn’t undergo this area.As for the manner of the Homo Erectus’s making stone artifact and using fire, because now we have not found the evidence of the stone artifact and the ash, the futher excavation to the talus of the Huludong cave should be needed.
文摘From the comparison of the corresponding strata to the skull of the relic Homo erectus which was found in the Calabash cave of Nanjing Tangshan and dated in 350,000 aBP with other cave strata, the region of Tangshan is a kind of periglacial environment before middle Pleistocene epoch. During the life span of Nanjing Homo erecturs , it had transformed to warm and humid sub-tropical climate from periglacial climate. The natural environment is similar to present except the individual high mountains.
文摘A study on phytoliths and their climate indexes is carried out from Homo erectus?cave deposits in HuluCave, Nanjing. Evidence shows that phytolith assemblages of the cave deposits are dominated by the cold resistant types with a lower warm index, reflecting an overall cold inclined climate. This possibly connects the cave deposits with glacial climate to a great extent, which is in accordance with thenorthern fauna revealed by fossil mammals and temperateclimate indicated by pollen assemblages. According to the distributional state of the phytoliths and their climate in-dexes on 4 profiles in the cave, it is revealed that profiles Ⅰand Ⅱ display certain cold/warm, and dry/wet fluctuations; profile Ⅲ shows a humid and cold condition with the high-est humility in the cave deposits; while profile Ⅳ indicates a possible quick accumulating process because of its stableclimate indexes except for its bottom and top.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 49971076) the Major Basic Research Projects of the Ministry of Science and Technology, China (Grant No. G2000077700).
文摘This paper inspects the relationship between Homo erectus from Beijing, Nanjing and Chenjiawo on the viewpoint of environmental variations. Pieces of evidence show that Nanjing and Chenjiawo Homo erectus lived in glacial age at the Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage (MIS) 16, while Homo erectus pekinensis in major interglacial age at MlSs 15-13. It is also recovered that the cave deposits in Tangshan, Nanjing, and Zhoukoudian, Beijing, as well as the deposits at the Homo erectus site in Chenjiawo, have undergone some similar development process. All of them originated from early-middle Middle Pleistocene, and have gone through the test of the major glacial age at MIS 16 and the major interglacial period at the paleosol stage S5. At the same time, they were also closely connected with some environment events, such as the uplift of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, the formation of glaciations and the loess accumulations.
文摘Partial Rootzone Drying (PRD) is an irrigation technique which offers a means of modifying the growth and development of crops through relatively simple changes to the method of water delivery. The technique causes the stimulation of physiological responses which are normally associated with water stress and this results in a significant reduction in water use through the production of chemical signals in drying roots. Partial drying of one half of the roots of plants grown with two root systems is rapidly translated into a reduction in transpiration and assimilation of all the crop leaves. The aim of this research is to examine and simulate the novel irrigation method (PRD), which would stimulate the endogenous stress response mechanisms of Conocarpus erectus trees in the pilot area of the Arabian Gulf University in Bahrain and wheat and maize crops in the Mashtul Pilot Area (MPA), Egypt using Saltmed model so that vigor is reduced and the efficiency of water use is enhanced. This is to be achieved by the manipulation of the hydration status of parts of a crop’s roots that could be used to control vegetative vigor without detrimental effects on canopy water relations. The PRD technique is researched for wheat as a winter crop and maize as a summer crop in Egypt. The technique causes the stimulation of physiological responses which are normally associated with water stress and this results in a significant reduction in water use through the production of chemical signals in drying roots. The results confirmed an increase in irrigation water use efficiency using PRD comparing with conventional flood irrigation. The research highly recommends applying the PRD method in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and in new reclaimed areas in Egypt to save water and improve crop quality.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(42230409,42425004,and 42176120)the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation(2024A1515012304)+1 种基金the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Science(XDB42030204)the Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province,China(2023B1212060047).
文摘Seahorses are specialized teleosts due to their unique male pregnancy and reproductive physiology. In particular, they have distinct gonad structures and different patterns of gametogenesis development in both sexes. However, the molecular mechanism of germ cell development in seahorses remains unknown. Nanos, which encodes conserved zinc-finger RNA-binding proteins, play essential roles for germline development in both vertebrates and invertebrates. In this study, we characterized the nanos gene family members and their potential roles in germline development in the lined seahorse, Hippocampus erectus. We showed that the nanos family members in the seahorse are the nanos1a, nanos1b, and nanos3 genes, while nanos2, a key germline stem cell (GSC) maintenance factor, is intriguingly absent. More interestingly, nanos3, which is reported to be a female-specific gene, was also highly expressed in male gonads, as well as in the early developmental stages of testes and ovaries. Our results also showed that nanos3 was highly expressed in early meiotic germ cells, and that expression levels of nanos3 were lower in the gonad after TBT exposure. These findings suggest that nanos3 may function during male germ cell development, and in female initial germ cell production – processes which are regulated by nanos2 in other teleosts. This is the first research into how nanos governs germ cell development in an ovoviviparous fish. Our study provides insights into the regulatory mechanisms of germ cells development, as well as the early events during gametogenesis in the family Syngnathidae.
文摘With a mixed look of both Homo erectus and Homo sapiens,Yunxian Man,who could have connected different ancestors of ours,helps unveil a stage of fast diversification in human evolution.
文摘U-series ages of a set of speleothem samples from the two caves near Tangshan Town, Nanjing, determined by thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS), range from older than 500 KaBP to around 20 kaBP. These dated speleothems with unequivocal stratigraphic layers in cave sediments provide basic data to establish a geochronologic sequence for the
基金This research has been supported by Fondi ex-60%Universitàdi Torino(to M.Delfino)by the Ministerio de Economía y Com-petitividad de España(CGL2011-28681 to M.Delfino).
文摘The fauna of the Pleistocene Homo-bearing sites of Java has been well known for more than a century.A recent revision of the crocodylian remains confirmed both the validity of Gavialis bengawanicus and the synonymiza-tion of Crocodylus ossifragus with C.siamensis.Here we report on a still unpublished crocodylian specimen collected by Eugene Dubois in the latest Early Pleistocene of Kali Gedeh that can be tentatively referred to the genus Crocodylus.The size of the specimen,the approximately 1 m long lower jaw in particular,indicat-ed that this crocodile attained a total length of approximately 6 or 7 m.Along with specimens from the Plio-Pleistocene of Africa,this material provides evidence for gigantism in Crocodylus.It is not clear whether or not the‘temperature-size rule’applies to fossil crocodylians,but due to the growing interest in predicting future temperature-related size changes of the extant organisms,it would be interesting to study in detail the past reac-tion to temperature changes of crocodylians and other terrestrial ectothermic animals.
