Pseudogene and fibrin peptide which has rapid evolve speed and good stability are used in this study to determine the divergence date among groups.Through calculating the evolutionary rate of hemoglobin α chain,γ ch...Pseudogene and fibrin peptide which has rapid evolve speed and good stability are used in this study to determine the divergence date among groups.Through calculating the evolutionary rate of hemoglobin α chain,γ chain in vertebrate（including birds and mammals）,it is concluded that the evolutionary rate of hemoglobin α chain,γ chain is not invariable.It shows different evolutionary rates in different periods,that is,faster in early evolution stage and relatively slow in later stage.展开更多
The examination of organelle nucleotide contents across a range of groups can provide insight into evolutionary history. We compared the nucleotide contents of a large number of vertebrate and high C/G ratio invertebr...The examination of organelle nucleotide contents across a range of groups can provide insight into evolutionary history. We compared the nucleotide contents of a large number of vertebrate and high C/G ratio invertebrate mitochondria in both coding/non-coding regions and complete strands. For most nucleotides tested, high regression coefficients were obtained;when plotted with lines of best fit, G and T contents formed a cuneiform, and C and A contents overlapped. These findings suggest that vertebrate and high C/G ratio invertebrate mitochondria descended independently from the same origin.展开更多
Northeastern China contains widely distributed Jurassic terrestrial strata that have yielded many spectacular mammal and pterosaur fossils, in addition to feathered dinosaur fossils and more recent discoveries from Ji...Northeastern China contains widely distributed Jurassic terrestrial strata that have yielded many spectacular mammal and pterosaur fossils, in addition to feathered dinosaur fossils and more recent discoveries from Jianchang, particularly from western Liaoning. However, the fossil-bearing stratigraphic succession, regional correlation, and age estimates of the fossils found in Jianchang County and nearby areas have been contentious. Here, we report on the vertebrate fossil-bearing Jurassic stratigraphy from Linglongta, Jianchang County, western Liaoning, including a SHRIMP U-Pb zircon date unambiguously associated with the fossil horizons. The primary goal was to determine the vertebrate fossil-bearing succession. A further aim was to provide age estimations for the fossil-bearing horizon as well as the earliest appearance of feathered dinosaurs, the eutherian-placental clade, and transitional pterosaurs. Field investigations showed that the vertebrate fossil-bearing stratigraphic succession in Jianchang County mainly consists of basal andesites overlain by rhythmic tufts and tuffaceous lacustrine sediments, with the upper intermediate or acidic lavas interbedded with laminated more or less tuffaceous lacustrine deposits. This sequence correlates well with the Middle Jurassic Lanqifl＇iaojishan Formation in northeastern China. Detailed and accurate field observations showed that the well- preserved vertebrate fossils were buried in either the middle or the upper fine-grained laminated lacustrine deposits. Previous and current SHRIMP U-Pb zircon dates provide an age estimation of 161- 159 Myr for the fossil-bearing horizon and vertebrates. This indicates that the earliest appearance of feathered dinosaurs here was more than 159 Myr ago and unquestionably older than Archaeopteryx from Germany, making these the earliest known feathered dinosaurs in the world. Furthermore, the eutherian-placental clade and the known transitional pterosaurs first emerged no later than 161 Myr. The vertebrate assemblage unearthed recently from Linglongta and neighboring areas in Jianchang County belongs to the Daohugou Biota. In addition to feathered dinosaurs, this biota was characterized by mammals, primitive pterosaurs, insects, and plants and was present in Inner Mongolia, western Liaoning, and northern Hebei in northeastern China during the Middle-Late Jurassic.展开更多
1 Background The big data revolution is changing our lives and providing a fresh understanding of the world.Recently,being aware of the importance of Big Earth Data,the Chinese Academy of Sciences launched a project e...1 Background The big data revolution is changing our lives and providing a fresh understanding of the world.Recently,being aware of the importance of Big Earth Data,the Chinese Academy of Sciences launched a project entitled"Big Earth Data Science Engineering(CASEarth)"in the Strategic Priority Research Program to carry out innovative research on Big Earth Data(Guo,2017).Under this project。展开更多
The fundamental unit of rapid, physiological color change in vertebrates is the dermal chromato- phore unit. This unit, comprised of cellular associations between different chromatophore types, is relatively conserved...The fundamental unit of rapid, physiological color change in vertebrates is the dermal chromato- phore unit. This unit, comprised of cellular associations between different chromatophore types, is relatively conserved across the fish, amphibian, and reptilian species capable of physiological color change and numerous attempts have been made to understand the nature of the four major chro- matophore types （melanophores, erythrophores, xanthophores, and iridophores） and their bio- chemical regulation. In this review, we attempt to describe the current state of knowledge regard- ing what classifies a pigment cell as a dynamic chromatophore, the unique characteristics of each chromatophore type, and how different hormones, neurotransmitters, or other signals direct pig- ment reorganization in a variety of vertebrate taxa.展开更多
Oxidative stress is a key physiological mechanism underlying life-history tradeoffs. Here, I use meta-analytic techniques to test whether sexual differences in oxidative balance are common in vertebrates and to identi...Oxidative stress is a key physiological mechanism underlying life-history tradeoffs. Here, I use meta-analytic techniques to test whether sexual differences in oxidative balance are common in vertebrates and to identify which factors are associated with such differences. The dataset included 732 effect size estimates from 100 articles （82 species）. Larger unsigned effect size （meaning larger sexual differences in a given marker） occurred in： reptiles and fish; those species that do not pro- vide parental care; and oviparous species. Estimates of signed effect size （positive values meaning higher oxidative stress in males） indicated that females were less resistant to oxidative stress than males in： reptiles while males and females were similar in fish, birds, and mammals; those species that do not provide parental care; and oviparous species. There was no evidence for a significant sexual differentiation in oxidative balance in fish, birds, and mammals. Effect size was not associ- ated with： the number of offspring; whether the experimental animals were reproducing or not; biomarker （oxidative damage, non-enzymatic, or enzymatic antioxidant）, the species body mass; the strain （wild vs. domestic）; or the study environment （wild vs. captivity）. Oxidative stress tended to be higher in females than males across most of the tissues analyzed. Levels of residual heterogeneity were high in all models tested. The findings of this meta-analysis indicate that diversification of reproductive strategies might be associated with sexual differences in oxidative balance. This explorative meta-analysis offers a starting platform for future research to investigate the rela-tionship between sex and oxidative balance further.展开更多
99.8% of extant vertebrate species on Earth, including humans, possess jaws(maxilla and mandible). The group which we belong to is accordingly referred to as jawed vertebrates or gnathostomes. The origin and rise of o...99.8% of extant vertebrate species on Earth, including humans, possess jaws(maxilla and mandible). The group which we belong to is accordingly referred to as jawed vertebrates or gnathostomes. The origin and rise of our group is undoubtedly one of the most critical evolutionary milestones in the history of vertebrates from fish to humans.展开更多
How the structure and base composition of genes changed with the evolution of vertebrates remains a puzzling question. Here we analyzed 895 orthologous protein-coding genes in six multicellular animals： human, chicke...How the structure and base composition of genes changed with the evolution of vertebrates remains a puzzling question. Here we analyzed 895 orthologous protein-coding genes in six multicellular animals： human, chicken, zebrafish, sea squirt, fruit fly, and worm. Our analyses reveal that many gene regions, particularly intron and 3~ UTR, gradually expanded throughout the evolution of vertebrates from their invertebrate ancestors, and that the number of exons per gene increased. Studies based on all protein-coding genes in each genome provide consistent results. We also find that GC-content increased in many gene regions （especially 5＇ UTR） in the evolution of endotherms, except in coding-exons. Analysis of individual genomes shows that 3t UTR demonstrated stronger length and GC-content correlation with intron than 5~ UTR, and gene with large intron in all six species demonstrated relatively similar GC-content. Our data indicates a great increase in complexity in vertebrate genes and we propose that the requirement for morphological and functional changes is probably the driving force behind the evolution of structure and base composition complexity in multicellular animal genes.展开更多
The structure of the cerebellar cortex is remarkably similar across vertebrate phylogeny. It is well developed in basaljawed fishes, such as sharks and rays with many of the same cell types and organizational features...The structure of the cerebellar cortex is remarkably similar across vertebrate phylogeny. It is well developed in basaljawed fishes, such as sharks and rays with many of the same cell types and organizational features found in other vertebrategroups, including mammals. In particular, the lattice-like organization of cerebellar cortex (with a molecular layer of parallel fibres,interneurons, spiny Purkinje cell dendrites, and climbing fires) is a common defining characteristic. In addition to the cerebellarcortex, fishes and aquatic amphibians have a variety of cerebellum-like structures in the dorso-lateral wall of the hindbrain.These structures are adjacent to, and in part, contiguous with, the cerebellum. They derive their cerebellum-like name from thepresence of a molecular layer of parallel fibers and inhibitory interneurons, which has striking organizational similarities to themolecular layer of the cerebellar cortex. However, these structures also have characteristics which differ from the cerebellum. Forexample, cerebellum-like structures do not have climbing fibres, and they are clearly sensory. They receive direct afferent inputfrom peripheral sensory receptors and relay their outputs to midbrain sensory areas. As a consequence of this close sensory association,and the ability to characterise their signal processing in a behaviourally relevant context, good progress has been made indetermining the fundamental processing algorithm in cerebellar-like structures. In particular, we have come to understand thecontribution to signal processing made by the molecular layer, which provides an adaptive filter to cancel self-generated noise inelectrosensory and lateral line systems. Given the fundamental similarities of the molecular layer across these structures, coupledwith evidence that cerebellum-like structures may have been the evolutionary antecedent of the cerebellum, we address the question:do both share the same functional algorithm? [Current Zoology 56 (3): 277-284, 2010].展开更多
Antarctica has significant environmental,scientific,historic,and intrinsic values,all of which are worth protecting into the future.This continent has a discrete number of places of scientific interest that exhibit gr...Antarctica has significant environmental,scientific,historic,and intrinsic values,all of which are worth protecting into the future.This continent has a discrete number of places of scientific interest that exhibit great potential as natural heritage sites;its geodiversity is of fundamental importance to scientific values of the continent,and the pursuit of geological and paleontological knowledge has had a strong influence on its historical values.Seymour Island was once called the‘Rosetta Stone’of Southern Hemisphere paleobiology,because this small island provides the most complete and richly fossiliferous Late Cretaceous–Paleogene sequence in Antarctica.In particular,fossil vertebrates form part of the evidence used in reconstructing the history of life on Antarctica.Paleontological heritage is considered a subset of geo-heritage that embodies both natural and historical components which has received only indirect recognition.Seymour Island is an outstanding paleontological area with high heritage value of its Late Cretaceous/Paleogene vertebrates and should be considered for geo-conservation and protection.This paper reviews vertebrate fossil occurrences and outcrops on Seymour Island and discusses some threats to these fossil sites.展开更多
Many blinding diseases,such as retinitis pigmentosa,age-related macular degeneration,and glaucoma involve the permanent loss of retinal neurons,especially photoreceptors or the centrally projecting retinal ganglion ce...Many blinding diseases,such as retinitis pigmentosa,age-related macular degeneration,and glaucoma involve the permanent loss of retinal neurons,especially photoreceptors or the centrally projecting retinal ganglion cells.Stem cells have been proposed as a potential source of cells for neuronal transplantation.展开更多
The Ypresian Cambay Shale Formation at Vastan and Mangrol lignite mines in Gujarat, western India, has yielded a rich vertebrate fauna with numerous taxa of European affinities. Here we report a new, approximately con...The Ypresian Cambay Shale Formation at Vastan and Mangrol lignite mines in Gujarat, western India, has yielded a rich vertebrate fauna with numerous taxa of European affinities. Here we report a new, approximately contemporary vertebrate assemblage from two fossiliferous layers in the nearby mine of Tadkeshwar. These layers have yielded a similar mammal fauna with the co-occurrence of the perissodactyl-like cambaytheriid Cambaytherium thewissi, the adapoid primates Marcgodinotius indicus and cf. Asiadapis cambayensis, and the hyaenodontid lndohyaenodon raoi. The presence of these species in both Vastan and Tadkeshwar mines and at different levels suggests that the deposits between the two major lignite seams represent a single land mammal age. Apart from the aforementioned species there is a new, smaller species of Cambaytherium, and a new genus and species of esthonychid tillodont. This fauna also contains the first large early Eocene vertebrates from India, including an unidentified Coryphodon-like pantodont, a dyrosaurid crocodyliform and a new giant madtsoiid snake. Among the Tadkeshwar vertebrates several taxa are of Gondwana affinities, such as Pelomedusoides turtles, dyr- osaurids, and large madtsoiids, attesting that the early Eocene was a crucial period in India during which Laurasian taxa of European affinities co-existed with relict taxa from Gondwana before the India-Asia collision. Our results suggest that terrestrial faunas could have dispersed to or from Europe during episodes of contact between the Indian subcontinent and different island blocks along the northern margin of the Neotethys, such as the Kohistan Ladakh island-arc system. Gondwana taxa might represent remnants of ghost lineages shared with Madagascar, which reached the Indian subcontinent during the late Cretaceous; alternatively they might have come from North Africa and passed along the southern margin of the Neotethys to reach the Indian subcontinent. These dispersals would have been possible as a result of favourable paleogeographic conditions such as the particular Neotethys conformation during the beginning of the early Eocene.展开更多
The inverted retina is a basic characteristic of the vertebrate eye.This implies that vertebrates must have a common ancestor with an inverted retina.Of the two groups of chordates,cephalochordates have an inverted re...The inverted retina is a basic characteristic of the vertebrate eye.This implies that vertebrates must have a common ancestor with an inverted retina.Of the two groups of chordates,cephalochordates have an inverted retina and urochordates a direct retina.Surprisingly,recent genetics studies favor urochordates as the closest ancestor to vertebrates.The evolution of increasingly complex organs such as the eye implies not only tissular but also structural modifications at the organ level.How these configurational modifications give rise to a functional eye at any step is still subject to debate and speculation.Here we propose an orderly sequence of phylogenetic events that closely follows the sequence of developmental eye formation in extant vertebrates.The progressive structural complexity has been clearly recorded during vertebrate development at the period of organogenesis.Matching the chain of increasing eye complexity in Mollusca that leads to the bicameral eye of the octopus and the developmental sequence in vertebrates,we delineate the parallel evolution of the two-chambered eye of vertebrates starting with an early ectodermal eye.This sequence allows for some interesting predictions regarding the eyes of not preserved intermediary species.The clue to understanding the inverted retina of vertebrates and the similarity between the sequence followed by Mollusca and chordates is the notion that the eye in both cases is an ectodermal structure,in contrast to an exclusively(de novo)neuroectodermal origin in the eye of vertebrates.This analysis places cephalochordates as the closest branch to vertebrates contrary to urochordates,claimed as a closer branch by some researchers that base their proposals in a genetic analysis.展开更多
The distribution and characteristics of LDH isoenzymes in different tissues of 25spe-cies of vertebrats were comparativety analysed by discontinuous polyacrylamide gel diskelectrophoresis,combined with experiments on ...The distribution and characteristics of LDH isoenzymes in different tissues of 25spe-cies of vertebrats were comparativety analysed by discontinuous polyacrylamide gel diskelectrophoresis,combined with experiments on heat and urea inhibition.The result showed that indifferent tissues of Cienopharyngodon idellus,Carassius,ayratus,Trichiurus haumete and Miichihysmiiuy in addition to the distribution of LDH isoenzymes,composed of A and B subuits,a E4isoenzyme band,moving very fast to the positive pole,was detectedin the eye tissue of Trichiurushaumele and a F4 isoenzyme hand,moving very slow to the positive pole,was found in liver andkidney of Cienopharyngodon idellus.The A4 isoenzyme band was found in different tisseues ofPleuronichlhys cornulus,inhabiting on the bottom of the ocean.From the amphition to the mammal,with the exception of Hyta arboreu immaculata,Chinnemys reevesii,Trioyx sinensis,Gallus gallusdomeslicus and Corvus macrorhynchos,which have special electrophoretic behaviours.In展开更多
Mitochondrial DNA sequences transferred to the nucleus give rise to the so-called nuclear mitochondrial DNA （numt）. In the GenBank database, 244 numts have been found in six orders of birds （Anseriformes, Columbifo...Mitochondrial DNA sequences transferred to the nucleus give rise to the so-called nuclear mitochondrial DNA （numt）. In the GenBank database, 244 numts have been found in six orders of birds （Anseriformes, Columbiformes, Falconiformes, Charadriiformes, Galliformes and Passeriformes）. Sequences alignment （NCBI-BLASTN） was carded out with mitochondrial and corresponding nuclear genome sequences in nine vertebrate species. The sequences with high homology were considered as numts. The number of numts ranged from 15 in chicken to 159 in chimpanzee. The sequences of numts in macaque, chimpanzee, and human spanned 100% of the entire mammalian mitochondrial genome. The reconstructed frequency of the mitochondrial gene transferred to the nucleus demonstrated that the rRNA genes had high frequencies than other mitochondrial genes. Using the RepeatMasker program, the transposable elements were detected in the flanking regions of each numt. The results showed that less than 5% of the flanking sequences were made up of repetitive elements in chicken. The GC content of 5＇- and 3＇-flanking regions of numts in nine species was less than 44%. The analysis of the flanking sequences provided a valuable understanding for future study on mechanism of mitochondrial gene transfer to the nucleus and the site of numt integration.展开更多
The economic importance of silkworm has moved biologists to explore various intricate mechanisms of the action of vertebrate hormones. The dietary administration of several vertebrate hormones and prostaglandins enhan...The economic importance of silkworm has moved biologists to explore various intricate mechanisms of the action of vertebrate hormones. The dietary administration of several vertebrate hormones and prostaglandins enhanced both developmental and metabolic processes of silkworm, Bombyx mori L. The main objective of sericulture research is to apply the results to achieve superior quality silk and greater output, to apply lab findings to achieve desirable ecenomic results.展开更多
A new vertebrate fossil site, “Phu Sung” in Sakon Nakhon Province was discovered. Various vertebrate fossils belonging to fresh water shark, bony fish, turtle, crocodile and dinosaur were found in reddish silty muds...A new vertebrate fossil site, “Phu Sung” in Sakon Nakhon Province was discovered. Various vertebrate fossils belonging to fresh water shark, bony fish, turtle, crocodile and dinosaur were found in reddish silty mudstone of the Early Cretaceous Sao Khua Formation of the Khorat Group. Crocodilian remains including a complete skull and partial articulated skeleton are very well preserved associated with turtle remains. Moreover, well preserved 19 turtle shells were found accumulated together. These discoveries will certainly fulfill our knowledge about these aquatic taxa from the Early Cretaceous Sao Khua Formation. The exceptional preservation of Phu Sung fossils could probably relate to the paleoenvironment in the Early Cretaceous of Thailand.展开更多
Cluster analyses using the amino acid content predicted from the coding regions (13 genes) of complete vertebrate mitochondrial genomes as traits grouped selected vertebrates into two clusters, terrestrial and aquatic...Cluster analyses using the amino acid content predicted from the coding regions (13 genes) of complete vertebrate mitochondrial genomes as traits grouped selected vertebrates into two clusters, terrestrial and aquatic vertebrates. Exceptions were the hagfish (Eptatretus burgeri), thought to be an early ancestor of vertebrates, and the black spotted frog (Rana nigromaculata), which is terrestrial as an adult and aquatic as a larva. These two species fall into the terrestrial and aquatic clusters, respectively. Using the nucleotide (G, C, T and A) content in the coding and non-coding regions, and in the complete genome as traits, similar results were obtained but with some additional exceptions. In addition, phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA sequences produced a consistent result. The results of this study indicated that vertebrate evolution is controlled by natural selection under both an internal bias as a result of nucleotide replacement genomic rules, and an external bias caused by environmental biospheric conditions.展开更多
Objective The Early Cretaceous sediments are well-exposed in southern Jilin Province,and yield abundant invertebrate and plant fossils,including the typical EosestheriaEphemeropsis trisetalis-Lycoptera（E-E-L）assembl...Objective The Early Cretaceous sediments are well-exposed in southern Jilin Province,and yield abundant invertebrate and plant fossils,including the typical EosestheriaEphemeropsis trisetalis-Lycoptera（E-E-L）assemblage of the Jehol Biota（Shao Tiequan et al.,2017）.However,vertebrate fossils,especially tetrapods,are extremely rare and there is no formal documents on these fossils.Recently,a new fossil site dominated by fishes and turtles has been discovered in the middle part of the展开更多
基金Supported by Youth Foundation of Hunan Institution of Humanities,Science and Technology(2009QN08)Educational Reform Project of Hunan Institution of Humanities,Science and Technology(RKJGZ1013)~~
文摘Pseudogene and fibrin peptide which has rapid evolve speed and good stability are used in this study to determine the divergence date among groups.Through calculating the evolutionary rate of hemoglobin α chain,γ chain in vertebrate（including birds and mammals）,it is concluded that the evolutionary rate of hemoglobin α chain,γ chain is not invariable.It shows different evolutionary rates in different periods,that is,faster in early evolution stage and relatively slow in later stage.
文摘The examination of organelle nucleotide contents across a range of groups can provide insight into evolutionary history. We compared the nucleotide contents of a large number of vertebrate and high C/G ratio invertebrate mitochondria in both coding/non-coding regions and complete strands. For most nucleotides tested, high regression coefficients were obtained;when plotted with lines of best fit, G and T contents formed a cuneiform, and C and A contents overlapped. These findings suggest that vertebrate and high C/G ratio invertebrate mitochondria descended independently from the same origin.
基金support from the Natural Science Foundation ofChina (90914003)Foundation of Geology Institute of CAGS(No.J1106)China Geology Survey (1212010610421,1212011085477)
文摘Northeastern China contains widely distributed Jurassic terrestrial strata that have yielded many spectacular mammal and pterosaur fossils, in addition to feathered dinosaur fossils and more recent discoveries from Jianchang, particularly from western Liaoning. However, the fossil-bearing stratigraphic succession, regional correlation, and age estimates of the fossils found in Jianchang County and nearby areas have been contentious. Here, we report on the vertebrate fossil-bearing Jurassic stratigraphy from Linglongta, Jianchang County, western Liaoning, including a SHRIMP U-Pb zircon date unambiguously associated with the fossil horizons. The primary goal was to determine the vertebrate fossil-bearing succession. A further aim was to provide age estimations for the fossil-bearing horizon as well as the earliest appearance of feathered dinosaurs, the eutherian-placental clade, and transitional pterosaurs. Field investigations showed that the vertebrate fossil-bearing stratigraphic succession in Jianchang County mainly consists of basal andesites overlain by rhythmic tufts and tuffaceous lacustrine sediments, with the upper intermediate or acidic lavas interbedded with laminated more or less tuffaceous lacustrine deposits. This sequence correlates well with the Middle Jurassic Lanqifl＇iaojishan Formation in northeastern China. Detailed and accurate field observations showed that the well- preserved vertebrate fossils were buried in either the middle or the upper fine-grained laminated lacustrine deposits. Previous and current SHRIMP U-Pb zircon dates provide an age estimation of 161- 159 Myr for the fossil-bearing horizon and vertebrates. This indicates that the earliest appearance of feathered dinosaurs here was more than 159 Myr ago and unquestionably older than Archaeopteryx from Germany, making these the earliest known feathered dinosaurs in the world. Furthermore, the eutherian-placental clade and the known transitional pterosaurs first emerged no later than 161 Myr. The vertebrate assemblage unearthed recently from Linglongta and neighboring areas in Jianchang County belongs to the Daohugou Biota. In addition to feathered dinosaurs, this biota was characterized by mammals, primitive pterosaurs, insects, and plants and was present in Inner Mongolia, western Liaoning, and northern Hebei in northeastern China during the Middle-Late Jurassic.
基金supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant Nos.XDA19050102,XDB26000000)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.41530102,41672006)Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences of CAS(Grant Nos.QYZDJ-SSW-DQC002,QYZDB-SSW-DQC040).
文摘1 Background The big data revolution is changing our lives and providing a fresh understanding of the world.Recently,being aware of the importance of Big Earth Data,the Chinese Academy of Sciences launched a project entitled"Big Earth Data Science Engineering(CASEarth)"in the Strategic Priority Research Program to carry out innovative research on Big Earth Data(Guo,2017).Under this project。
文摘The fundamental unit of rapid, physiological color change in vertebrates is the dermal chromato- phore unit. This unit, comprised of cellular associations between different chromatophore types, is relatively conserved across the fish, amphibian, and reptilian species capable of physiological color change and numerous attempts have been made to understand the nature of the four major chro- matophore types （melanophores, erythrophores, xanthophores, and iridophores） and their bio- chemical regulation. In this review, we attempt to describe the current state of knowledge regard- ing what classifies a pigment cell as a dynamic chromatophore, the unique characteristics of each chromatophore type, and how different hormones, neurotransmitters, or other signals direct pig- ment reorganization in a variety of vertebrate taxa.
文摘Oxidative stress is a key physiological mechanism underlying life-history tradeoffs. Here, I use meta-analytic techniques to test whether sexual differences in oxidative balance are common in vertebrates and to identify which factors are associated with such differences. The dataset included 732 effect size estimates from 100 articles （82 species）. Larger unsigned effect size （meaning larger sexual differences in a given marker） occurred in： reptiles and fish; those species that do not pro- vide parental care; and oviparous species. Estimates of signed effect size （positive values meaning higher oxidative stress in males） indicated that females were less resistant to oxidative stress than males in： reptiles while males and females were similar in fish, birds, and mammals; those species that do not provide parental care; and oviparous species. There was no evidence for a significant sexual differentiation in oxidative balance in fish, birds, and mammals. Effect size was not associ- ated with： the number of offspring; whether the experimental animals were reproducing or not; biomarker （oxidative damage, non-enzymatic, or enzymatic antioxidant）, the species body mass; the strain （wild vs. domestic）; or the study environment （wild vs. captivity）. Oxidative stress tended to be higher in females than males across most of the tissues analyzed. Levels of residual heterogeneity were high in all models tested. The findings of this meta-analysis indicate that diversification of reproductive strategies might be associated with sexual differences in oxidative balance. This explorative meta-analysis offers a starting platform for future research to investigate the rela-tionship between sex and oxidative balance further.
文摘99.8% of extant vertebrate species on Earth, including humans, possess jaws(maxilla and mandible). The group which we belong to is accordingly referred to as jawed vertebrates or gnathostomes. The origin and rise of our group is undoubtedly one of the most critical evolutionary milestones in the history of vertebrates from fish to humans.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.30930049 and 30870176(gsl))to D.T.or J-Q.C
文摘How the structure and base composition of genes changed with the evolution of vertebrates remains a puzzling question. Here we analyzed 895 orthologous protein-coding genes in six multicellular animals： human, chicken, zebrafish, sea squirt, fruit fly, and worm. Our analyses reveal that many gene regions, particularly intron and 3~ UTR, gradually expanded throughout the evolution of vertebrates from their invertebrate ancestors, and that the number of exons per gene increased. Studies based on all protein-coding genes in each genome provide consistent results. We also find that GC-content increased in many gene regions （especially 5＇ UTR） in the evolution of endotherms, except in coding-exons. Analysis of individual genomes shows that 3t UTR demonstrated stronger length and GC-content correlation with intron than 5~ UTR, and gene with large intron in all six species demonstrated relatively similar GC-content. Our data indicates a great increase in complexity in vertebrate genes and we propose that the requirement for morphological and functional changes is probably the driving force behind the evolution of structure and base composition complexity in multicellular animal genes.
文摘The structure of the cerebellar cortex is remarkably similar across vertebrate phylogeny. It is well developed in basaljawed fishes, such as sharks and rays with many of the same cell types and organizational features found in other vertebrategroups, including mammals. In particular, the lattice-like organization of cerebellar cortex (with a molecular layer of parallel fibres,interneurons, spiny Purkinje cell dendrites, and climbing fires) is a common defining characteristic. In addition to the cerebellarcortex, fishes and aquatic amphibians have a variety of cerebellum-like structures in the dorso-lateral wall of the hindbrain.These structures are adjacent to, and in part, contiguous with, the cerebellum. They derive their cerebellum-like name from thepresence of a molecular layer of parallel fibers and inhibitory interneurons, which has striking organizational similarities to themolecular layer of the cerebellar cortex. However, these structures also have characteristics which differ from the cerebellum. Forexample, cerebellum-like structures do not have climbing fibres, and they are clearly sensory. They receive direct afferent inputfrom peripheral sensory receptors and relay their outputs to midbrain sensory areas. As a consequence of this close sensory association,and the ability to characterise their signal processing in a behaviourally relevant context, good progress has been made indetermining the fundamental processing algorithm in cerebellar-like structures. In particular, we have come to understand thecontribution to signal processing made by the molecular layer, which provides an adaptive filter to cancel self-generated noise inelectrosensory and lateral line systems. Given the fundamental similarities of the molecular layer across these structures, coupledwith evidence that cerebellum-like structures may have been the evolutionary antecedent of the cerebellum, we address the question:do both share the same functional algorithm? [Current Zoology 56 (3): 277-284, 2010].
基金Funding for this study was provided by PICT 0607-2018 and UNLP 11N812
文摘Antarctica has significant environmental,scientific,historic,and intrinsic values,all of which are worth protecting into the future.This continent has a discrete number of places of scientific interest that exhibit great potential as natural heritage sites;its geodiversity is of fundamental importance to scientific values of the continent,and the pursuit of geological and paleontological knowledge has had a strong influence on its historical values.Seymour Island was once called the‘Rosetta Stone’of Southern Hemisphere paleobiology,because this small island provides the most complete and richly fossiliferous Late Cretaceous–Paleogene sequence in Antarctica.In particular,fossil vertebrates form part of the evidence used in reconstructing the history of life on Antarctica.Paleontological heritage is considered a subset of geo-heritage that embodies both natural and historical components which has received only indirect recognition.Seymour Island is an outstanding paleontological area with high heritage value of its Late Cretaceous/Paleogene vertebrates and should be considered for geo-conservation and protection.This paper reviews vertebrate fossil occurrences and outcrops on Seymour Island and discusses some threats to these fossil sites.
基金supported by grants from the Spanish Ministerio de Cienciay Tecnología(BFU2007-67540)the Junta de Extremadura(PRI06A195,GR10152)
文摘Many blinding diseases,such as retinitis pigmentosa,age-related macular degeneration,and glaucoma involve the permanent loss of retinal neurons,especially photoreceptors or the centrally projecting retinal ganglion cells.Stem cells have been proposed as a potential source of cells for neuronal transplantation.
基金The Leakey Foundation,the National Geographic Society(Grant Nos.6868-00,7938-05,8356-07,8710-09 and 8958-11 to K.D.R.)Department of Science and Technology,Government of India(ESS/23/Ves092/2000 and SR/S4/ES-254/2007 to R.S.R.)+3 种基金Council for Scientific and Industrial Research of India(ES Grant 560,21/EMR-II to A.S.)the Director,Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology,Dehradun,India(to K.K.)the Federal Science Policy Office of Belgium(BELSPO BR/121/A3/Pal Eur Africa to T.S.)supported fieldwork and researcha networking project(BELSPO BL/36/fwi05 to T.S.)funded travels of two Belgian and three Indian researchers to India and Belgium,respectively,to exchange their scientific expertise
文摘The Ypresian Cambay Shale Formation at Vastan and Mangrol lignite mines in Gujarat, western India, has yielded a rich vertebrate fauna with numerous taxa of European affinities. Here we report a new, approximately contemporary vertebrate assemblage from two fossiliferous layers in the nearby mine of Tadkeshwar. These layers have yielded a similar mammal fauna with the co-occurrence of the perissodactyl-like cambaytheriid Cambaytherium thewissi, the adapoid primates Marcgodinotius indicus and cf. Asiadapis cambayensis, and the hyaenodontid lndohyaenodon raoi. The presence of these species in both Vastan and Tadkeshwar mines and at different levels suggests that the deposits between the two major lignite seams represent a single land mammal age. Apart from the aforementioned species there is a new, smaller species of Cambaytherium, and a new genus and species of esthonychid tillodont. This fauna also contains the first large early Eocene vertebrates from India, including an unidentified Coryphodon-like pantodont, a dyrosaurid crocodyliform and a new giant madtsoiid snake. Among the Tadkeshwar vertebrates several taxa are of Gondwana affinities, such as Pelomedusoides turtles, dyr- osaurids, and large madtsoiids, attesting that the early Eocene was a crucial period in India during which Laurasian taxa of European affinities co-existed with relict taxa from Gondwana before the India-Asia collision. Our results suggest that terrestrial faunas could have dispersed to or from Europe during episodes of contact between the Indian subcontinent and different island blocks along the northern margin of the Neotethys, such as the Kohistan Ladakh island-arc system. Gondwana taxa might represent remnants of ghost lineages shared with Madagascar, which reached the Indian subcontinent during the late Cretaceous; alternatively they might have come from North Africa and passed along the southern margin of the Neotethys to reach the Indian subcontinent. These dispersals would have been possible as a result of favourable paleogeographic conditions such as the particular Neotethys conformation during the beginning of the early Eocene.
文摘The inverted retina is a basic characteristic of the vertebrate eye.This implies that vertebrates must have a common ancestor with an inverted retina.Of the two groups of chordates,cephalochordates have an inverted retina and urochordates a direct retina.Surprisingly,recent genetics studies favor urochordates as the closest ancestor to vertebrates.The evolution of increasingly complex organs such as the eye implies not only tissular but also structural modifications at the organ level.How these configurational modifications give rise to a functional eye at any step is still subject to debate and speculation.Here we propose an orderly sequence of phylogenetic events that closely follows the sequence of developmental eye formation in extant vertebrates.The progressive structural complexity has been clearly recorded during vertebrate development at the period of organogenesis.Matching the chain of increasing eye complexity in Mollusca that leads to the bicameral eye of the octopus and the developmental sequence in vertebrates,we delineate the parallel evolution of the two-chambered eye of vertebrates starting with an early ectodermal eye.This sequence allows for some interesting predictions regarding the eyes of not preserved intermediary species.The clue to understanding the inverted retina of vertebrates and the similarity between the sequence followed by Mollusca and chordates is the notion that the eye in both cases is an ectodermal structure,in contrast to an exclusively(de novo)neuroectodermal origin in the eye of vertebrates.This analysis places cephalochordates as the closest branch to vertebrates contrary to urochordates,claimed as a closer branch by some researchers that base their proposals in a genetic analysis.
文摘The distribution and characteristics of LDH isoenzymes in different tissues of 25spe-cies of vertebrats were comparativety analysed by discontinuous polyacrylamide gel diskelectrophoresis,combined with experiments on heat and urea inhibition.The result showed that indifferent tissues of Cienopharyngodon idellus,Carassius,ayratus,Trichiurus haumete and Miichihysmiiuy in addition to the distribution of LDH isoenzymes,composed of A and B subuits,a E4isoenzyme band,moving very fast to the positive pole,was detectedin the eye tissue of Trichiurushaumele and a F4 isoenzyme hand,moving very slow to the positive pole,was found in liver andkidney of Cienopharyngodon idellus.The A4 isoenzyme band was found in different tisseues ofPleuronichlhys cornulus,inhabiting on the bottom of the ocean.From the amphition to the mammal,with the exception of Hyta arboreu immaculata,Chinnemys reevesii,Trioyx sinensis,Gallus gallusdomeslicus and Corvus macrorhynchos,which have special electrophoretic behaviours.In
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30470936)
文摘Mitochondrial DNA sequences transferred to the nucleus give rise to the so-called nuclear mitochondrial DNA （numt）. In the GenBank database, 244 numts have been found in six orders of birds （Anseriformes, Columbiformes, Falconiformes, Charadriiformes, Galliformes and Passeriformes）. Sequences alignment （NCBI-BLASTN） was carded out with mitochondrial and corresponding nuclear genome sequences in nine vertebrate species. The sequences with high homology were considered as numts. The number of numts ranged from 15 in chicken to 159 in chimpanzee. The sequences of numts in macaque, chimpanzee, and human spanned 100% of the entire mammalian mitochondrial genome. The reconstructed frequency of the mitochondrial gene transferred to the nucleus demonstrated that the rRNA genes had high frequencies than other mitochondrial genes. Using the RepeatMasker program, the transposable elements were detected in the flanking regions of each numt. The results showed that less than 5% of the flanking sequences were made up of repetitive elements in chicken. The GC content of 5＇- and 3＇-flanking regions of numts in nine species was less than 44%. The analysis of the flanking sequences provided a valuable understanding for future study on mechanism of mitochondrial gene transfer to the nucleus and the site of numt integration.
文摘The economic importance of silkworm has moved biologists to explore various intricate mechanisms of the action of vertebrate hormones. The dietary administration of several vertebrate hormones and prostaglandins enhanced both developmental and metabolic processes of silkworm, Bombyx mori L. The main objective of sericulture research is to apply the results to achieve superior quality silk and greater output, to apply lab findings to achieve desirable ecenomic results.
文摘A new vertebrate fossil site, “Phu Sung” in Sakon Nakhon Province was discovered. Various vertebrate fossils belonging to fresh water shark, bony fish, turtle, crocodile and dinosaur were found in reddish silty mudstone of the Early Cretaceous Sao Khua Formation of the Khorat Group. Crocodilian remains including a complete skull and partial articulated skeleton are very well preserved associated with turtle remains. Moreover, well preserved 19 turtle shells were found accumulated together. These discoveries will certainly fulfill our knowledge about these aquatic taxa from the Early Cretaceous Sao Khua Formation. The exceptional preservation of Phu Sung fossils could probably relate to the paleoenvironment in the Early Cretaceous of Thailand.
文摘Cluster analyses using the amino acid content predicted from the coding regions (13 genes) of complete vertebrate mitochondrial genomes as traits grouped selected vertebrates into two clusters, terrestrial and aquatic vertebrates. Exceptions were the hagfish (Eptatretus burgeri), thought to be an early ancestor of vertebrates, and the black spotted frog (Rana nigromaculata), which is terrestrial as an adult and aquatic as a larva. These two species fall into the terrestrial and aquatic clusters, respectively. Using the nucleotide (G, C, T and A) content in the coding and non-coding regions, and in the complete genome as traits, similar results were obtained but with some additional exceptions. In addition, phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA sequences produced a consistent result. The results of this study indicated that vertebrate evolution is controlled by natural selection under both an internal bias as a result of nucleotide replacement genomic rules, and an external bias caused by environmental biospheric conditions.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(grants No.41202012 and 41172009)China Geological Survey(grant No.1212011120149)+1 种基金the Project ‘‘111’’,China(grant No.B-06008)Shandong University of Science&Technology Research Fund(grant No.2015TDJH101)
文摘Objective The Early Cretaceous sediments are well-exposed in southern Jilin Province,and yield abundant invertebrate and plant fossils,including the typical EosestheriaEphemeropsis trisetalis-Lycoptera（E-E-L）assemblage of the Jehol Biota（Shao Tiequan et al.,2017）.However,vertebrate fossils,especially tetrapods,are extremely rare and there is no formal documents on these fossils.Recently,a new fossil site dominated by fishes and turtles has been discovered in the middle part of the
