Many territorial animals exhibit reduced aggression towards neighbours. Known as ＂the dear enemy effect＂, this phenomenon has been documented among conspecific animals across a wide range of animal taxa. In theory, ...Many territorial animals exhibit reduced aggression towards neighbours. Known as ＂the dear enemy effect＂, this phenomenon has been documented among conspecific animals across a wide range of animal taxa. In theory, the dear enemy ef- fect can also exist between individuals of different species, particularly when those species compete for shared resources. To date, a heterospecific dear enemy effects has only been documented in ants. In this study, we test for both a conspecific and heterospe- cific dear enemy effect in neotropical rufous-and-white wrens Thryophilus rufalbus. This species competes for resources with banded wrens Thryophilus pleurostictus, a closely related sympatric congener. We used acoustic playback to simulate ruf- ous-and-white wren and banded wren neighbours and non-neighbours at the edges of rufous-and-white wren territories. Ruf- ous-and-white wrens responded more strongly to signals from their own species, demonstrating that resident males discriminate between conspecific and heterospecific rivals. They did not, however, exhibit a conspecific dear enemy effect. Further, they did not exhibit a heterospecific dear enemy effect. This could be due to neighbours and non-neighbours posing similar levels of threat in this system, to the possibility that playback from the edges of the subjects＇ large territories did not simulate a threatening signal, or to other factors. Our study provides the first test of a heterospecific dear enemy effect in vertebrates, and presents a valuable experimental approach for testing for a heterospecific dear enemy effect in other animals [Current Zoology 61 （1）： 23-33, 2015].展开更多
Ecological stoichiometry provides a framework for the balance and flow of elements between organisms and ecosystems.Elemental phenotypes have an important influence on the environmental adaptation and ecological evolu...Ecological stoichiometry provides a framework for the balance and flow of elements between organisms and ecosystems.Elemental phenotypes have an important influence on the environmental adaptation and ecological evolution of plants.There have been few reports on inter-and intra-specific phenotypic variations of ecological stoichiometric traits for congeneric species in a mixed forest although such variations are well-documented at the species level at global,regional and local scales.In this study,total carbon(TC),nitrogen(TN),phosphorus(TP)and potassium(TK)were measured in leaves and the elemental phenotypes were statistically analyzed in four species of oaks—Quercus fabri,Q.serrata var.glandulifera,Q.acutissima and Q.variabilis—in a mixed-oak secondary forest in Yushan,Jiangsu,China.The average element concentrations in the four oak species were not relatively higher than previously reported for oaks from world and Chinese flora.Ecological stoichiometry traits were correlated with tree height and diameter at breast height,indicating that phosphorous and potassium were positively correlated with tree size,while carbon was negatively correlated,especially the relationship between oak growth and total carbon or total phosphorus was obvious,and the study concluded that this was because plant growth depended on phosphorus storage and had opposite effects on leaf carbon accumulation.Based on tree plasticity index and the coefficient of variation,there was medium variation in element concentrations.The plasticity index of total carbon levels was the lowest,and that of potassium the highest.Principal component analysis and cluster analysis showed that the intra-specific variation among the four oak species was higher than inter-specific variation.From the perspective of nutrient supply and ecological adaptation,this study creates a foundation for the management of secondary oak forest stands.展开更多
Brood parasites such as the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus exploit the parental abilities of their hosts,hosts avoid brood parasitism and predation by showing specific behavior such as loss of feathers,emission of fear...Brood parasites such as the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus exploit the parental abilities of their hosts,hosts avoid brood parasitism and predation by showing specific behavior such as loss of feathers,emission of fear screams and contact calls,displaying wriggle behavior to avoid hosts or potential prey,pecking at hosts and prey,and expressing tonic immobility(showing behavior like feigning death or rapid escape from predators and brood parasites).These aspects of escape behavior are consistent for individuals but also among sites,seasons,and years.Escape behavior expressed in response to a broad range of cuckoo hosts and prey are consistently used against capture by humans,but also hosts and brood parasites and predators and their prey.An interspecific comparative phylogenetic analysis of escape behavior by hosts and their brood parasites and prey and their predators revealed evidence of consistent behavior when encountering potential parasites or predators.We hypothesize that personality axes such as those ranging from fearfulness to being bold,and from neophobic to curiosity response in brood parasites constitute important components of defense against brood parasitism that reduces the overall risk of parasitism.展开更多
Objective:To explore the identity and phylogenetic relationships among the three medicinally important species of Sphaerostephanos from South India using isozymic profile.Methods:The young fronds were homogenized with...Objective:To explore the identity and phylogenetic relationships among the three medicinally important species of Sphaerostephanos from South India using isozymic profile.Methods:The young fronds were homogenized with 3.5 mL of ice-cold homogenizing buffer in a pre-chilled pestle and mortar.The supernatant was subjected to electrophoresis as described by Anbalagan poly acrylamide gel electrophoresis.Staining solutions for isoperoxidase was prepared as per Smila method for the detection of isoenzymes.Results:A total of six different bands in five different positions with different molecular weight/Rf values and four active zones have been observed in the isoperoxidase enzyme system of Sphaerostephanos.Only one band with MW/Rf 0.399 is common to two different species i.e.Sphaerostephanos arbuscula(S.arbuscula) and Sphaerostephanos unitus(S.unitus).Among the remaining four bands,two bands(R_f.0.23,0.47)are present in Sphaerostephanos subtruncatus(S.subtruncatus) and one distinct band has been observed individually in S.arbuscula(R_f.0.507) and S.unitus(R_f.0.56).Conclusions:The present preliminary molecular study through isozymic analysis shows the identity of all the three species and the present results confirm distinctness of these three species based on macromicromorphology,phytochemistry and cytology.展开更多
Background：In mid hills of Western Himalayas,Himachal Pradesh India,growth,yield and economics of Solanum khasianum as a potential medicinal herb under Pinus roxburghii（Chir pine） plantation has been studied for tw...Background：In mid hills of Western Himalayas,Himachal Pradesh India,growth,yield and economics of Solanum khasianum as a potential medicinal herb under Pinus roxburghii（Chir pine） plantation has been studied for two consecutive years to assess the performance of Solanum khasianum in undercanopy of Pinus roxburghii for developing Solanum khasianum and Pinus roxburghii based innovative silvi-medicinal system.Methods：Growth parameters such as plant height,number of branches per plant and leaf area index followed by yield were estimated after Solanum khasianum was grown on three topographical aspects as;Northern,North- western and Western at a spacing of 45 cm x 45 cm,followed by three tillage depths as;minimum（0 cm）,medium（up to 10 cm）and deep tillage（up to 15 cm）,in open and below canopy conditions treatment.The study was conducted to explore the possibility of using Solanum khasianum based silvi-medicinal system to utilize the below canopy of Chir pine forest for enhancing the productivity of forests besides the conservation of the medicinal herb.Results：The growth parameters such as plant height,number of branches per plant and leaf area index were nonsignificantly affected by topographical aspects and tillage practices,both below canopy and open conditions except fresh weight and dry weight of berries during harvesting stage.The maximum yield（0.61 t·ha^（-1）） was observed on Western aspect in open conditions as compared to below canopy of Chir pine.The highest gross returns were observed for the crop cultivated on Western aspect under deep tillage in open conditions than other aspect and tillage combinations.However the positive net returns from the crops raised in below canopy of Chir pine indicates its possible economic viability under agroforestry system as the gross returns was higher than the cost of cultivation.Conclusion：Solanum khasianum when grown in below canopy of Pinus roxburghii,its growth and yield indicated positive net returns.Solanum khasianum and Pinus roxburghii based silvi-medicinal system has the potential to enhance the overall productivity of Chir pine forest.This silvi-medicinal system gives scope for utilizing floor Chir pine forests for growth and production of Solanum khasianum beside conservation of the medicinal herb.展开更多
In the reconstruction of past climate using stable carbon isotope composition (δ13C) in tree ring,the responses of the stable carbon composition (δ13C) of multiple tree species to environmental factors must be known...In the reconstruction of past climate using stable carbon isotope composition (δ13C) in tree ring,the responses of the stable carbon composition (δ13C) of multiple tree species to environmental factors must be known detailedly. This study presented two δ13C series in annual tree rings for Chinese hem-lock (Tsuga chinensis Pritz) and alpine pine (Pinus densata Mast),and investigated the relationships between climatic parameters and stable carbon discrimination (△13C) series,and evaluated the poten-tial of climatic reconstruction using △13C in both species,in a temperate-moist region of Chuanxi Pla-teau,China. The raw δ13C series of the two species was inconsistent,which may be a result of different responses caused by tree's inherent physiological differences. After removing the low-frequency ef-fects of CO2 concentration,the high-frequency (year-to-year) inter-series correlation of △13C was strong,indicating that △13C of the two tree species were controlled by common environmental conditions. The △13C series of the species were most significantly correlated with temperature and moisture stress,but in different periods and intensity between the species. During the physiological year,the impacts of temperature and moisture stress on △13C occur earlier for Chinese hemlock (previous December to February for moisture stress and February to April for temperature,respectively) than for alpine pine (March to May for moisture stress and April to July for temperature,respectively). In addition,in temperate-moist regions,the control on △13C of single climatic parameter was not strongly dominant and the op-timal multiple regressions functions just explained the 38.5% variance of the total. Therefore,there is limited potential for using δ13C alone to identify clear,reliable climatic signals from two species.展开更多
To determine a suitable DNA barcode for the genus Neonectria,the internal transcribed spacer rDNA,β-tubulin,EF-1α,and RPB2 genes were selected as candidate markers.A total of 205 sequences from 19 species of the gen...To determine a suitable DNA barcode for the genus Neonectria,the internal transcribed spacer rDNA,β-tubulin,EF-1α,and RPB2 genes were selected as candidate markers.A total of 205 sequences from 19 species of the genus were analyzed.Intra-and inter-specific divergences and the ease of nucleotide sequence acquisition were treated as criteria to evaluate the feasibility of a DNA barcode.Our results indicated that any single gene among the candidate markers failed to serve as a successful barcode,while the combination of the partial EF-1α and RPB2 genes recognized all species tested.We tentatively propose the combined partial EF-1α and RPB2 genes as a DNA barcode for the genus.During this study,two cryptic species were discovered,based on the combined data of morphology and DNA barcode information.We described and named these two new species N.ditissimopsis and N.microconidia.展开更多
The nucleus of a somatic cell could be dedif-ferentiated and reprogrammed in an enucleated heterogeneous oocyte. Some reconstructed oocytes could develop into blastocysts in vitro, and a few could develop into term no...The nucleus of a somatic cell could be dedif-ferentiated and reprogrammed in an enucleated heterogeneous oocyte. Some reconstructed oocytes could develop into blastocysts in vitro, and a few could develop into term normally after transferred into foster mothers, but most of cloning embryos fail to develop to term. In order to evaluate the efficacy of embryonic stem cell as nucleus donor in interspecific animal cloning, we reconstructed enucleated rabbit oocytes with nuclei from mouse ES cells, and analyzed the developmental ability of reconstructed embryos in vitro. Two kinds of fibroblast cells were used as donor control, one derived from ear skin of an adult Kunming albino mouse, and the other derived from a mouse fetus. Three types of cells were transferred into perivitelline space under zona pellu-cida of rabbit oocytes respectively. The reconstructed oocytes were fused and activated by electric pulses, and cultured in vitro. The developmental rate of reconstructed oocytes derived from embryonic展开更多
Co-evolutionary theory assumes co-adapted characteristics are a positive response to counter those of another species,whereby co-evolved species reach an evolutionarily stable interaction through bilateral adaptation....Co-evolutionary theory assumes co-adapted characteristics are a positive response to counter those of another species,whereby co-evolved species reach an evolutionarily stable interaction through bilateral adaptation.However,evidence from the fig-fig wasp mutualistic system implies very different co-evolutionary selection mechanisms,due to the inherent conflict among interacted partners.Fig plants appear to have discriminatively enforced fig wasps to evolve"adaptation characteristics"that provide greater benefit to the fig,and fig wasps appear to have diversified their evolutionary strategies in response to discriminative enforcement by figs and competition among different fig wasp species.In what appears to be an asymmetric interaction,the prosperity of cooperative pollinating wasps should inevitably lead to population increases of parasitic individuals,thus resulting in localized extinctions of pollinating wasps.In response,the sanctioning of parasitic wasps by the fig should lead to a reduction in the parasitic wasp population.The meta-populations created by such asymmetric interactions may result in each population of coevolved species chaotically oscillated,temporally or evolutionarily.展开更多
文摘Many territorial animals exhibit reduced aggression towards neighbours. Known as ＂the dear enemy effect＂, this phenomenon has been documented among conspecific animals across a wide range of animal taxa. In theory, the dear enemy ef- fect can also exist between individuals of different species, particularly when those species compete for shared resources. To date, a heterospecific dear enemy effects has only been documented in ants. In this study, we test for both a conspecific and heterospe- cific dear enemy effect in neotropical rufous-and-white wrens Thryophilus rufalbus. This species competes for resources with banded wrens Thryophilus pleurostictus, a closely related sympatric congener. We used acoustic playback to simulate ruf- ous-and-white wren and banded wren neighbours and non-neighbours at the edges of rufous-and-white wren territories. Ruf- ous-and-white wrens responded more strongly to signals from their own species, demonstrating that resident males discriminate between conspecific and heterospecific rivals. They did not, however, exhibit a conspecific dear enemy effect. Further, they did not exhibit a heterospecific dear enemy effect. This could be due to neighbours and non-neighbours posing similar levels of threat in this system, to the possibility that playback from the edges of the subjects＇ large territories did not simulate a threatening signal, or to other factors. Our study provides the first test of a heterospecific dear enemy effect in vertebrates, and presents a valuable experimental approach for testing for a heterospecific dear enemy effect in other animals [Current Zoology 61 （1）： 23-33, 2015].
基金The work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(No 3177030224)Jiangsu Forestry Science and Technology Innovation and Promotion Project(LYKJ[2017]025).
文摘Ecological stoichiometry provides a framework for the balance and flow of elements between organisms and ecosystems.Elemental phenotypes have an important influence on the environmental adaptation and ecological evolution of plants.There have been few reports on inter-and intra-specific phenotypic variations of ecological stoichiometric traits for congeneric species in a mixed forest although such variations are well-documented at the species level at global,regional and local scales.In this study,total carbon(TC),nitrogen(TN),phosphorus(TP)and potassium(TK)were measured in leaves and the elemental phenotypes were statistically analyzed in four species of oaks—Quercus fabri,Q.serrata var.glandulifera,Q.acutissima and Q.variabilis—in a mixed-oak secondary forest in Yushan,Jiangsu,China.The average element concentrations in the four oak species were not relatively higher than previously reported for oaks from world and Chinese flora.Ecological stoichiometry traits were correlated with tree height and diameter at breast height,indicating that phosphorous and potassium were positively correlated with tree size,while carbon was negatively correlated,especially the relationship between oak growth and total carbon or total phosphorus was obvious,and the study concluded that this was because plant growth depended on phosphorus storage and had opposite effects on leaf carbon accumulation.Based on tree plasticity index and the coefficient of variation,there was medium variation in element concentrations.The plasticity index of total carbon levels was the lowest,and that of potassium the highest.Principal component analysis and cluster analysis showed that the intra-specific variation among the four oak species was higher than inter-specific variation.From the perspective of nutrient supply and ecological adaptation,this study creates a foundation for the management of secondary oak forest stands.
文摘Brood parasites such as the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus exploit the parental abilities of their hosts,hosts avoid brood parasitism and predation by showing specific behavior such as loss of feathers,emission of fear screams and contact calls,displaying wriggle behavior to avoid hosts or potential prey,pecking at hosts and prey,and expressing tonic immobility(showing behavior like feigning death or rapid escape from predators and brood parasites).These aspects of escape behavior are consistent for individuals but also among sites,seasons,and years.Escape behavior expressed in response to a broad range of cuckoo hosts and prey are consistently used against capture by humans,but also hosts and brood parasites and predators and their prey.An interspecific comparative phylogenetic analysis of escape behavior by hosts and their brood parasites and prey and their predators revealed evidence of consistent behavior when encountering potential parasites or predators.We hypothesize that personality axes such as those ranging from fearfulness to being bold,and from neophobic to curiosity response in brood parasites constitute important components of defense against brood parasitism that reduces the overall risk of parasitism.
文摘Objective:To explore the identity and phylogenetic relationships among the three medicinally important species of Sphaerostephanos from South India using isozymic profile.Methods:The young fronds were homogenized with 3.5 mL of ice-cold homogenizing buffer in a pre-chilled pestle and mortar.The supernatant was subjected to electrophoresis as described by Anbalagan poly acrylamide gel electrophoresis.Staining solutions for isoperoxidase was prepared as per Smila method for the detection of isoenzymes.Results:A total of six different bands in five different positions with different molecular weight/Rf values and four active zones have been observed in the isoperoxidase enzyme system of Sphaerostephanos.Only one band with MW/Rf 0.399 is common to two different species i.e.Sphaerostephanos arbuscula(S.arbuscula) and Sphaerostephanos unitus(S.unitus).Among the remaining four bands,two bands(R_f.0.23,0.47)are present in Sphaerostephanos subtruncatus(S.subtruncatus) and one distinct band has been observed individually in S.arbuscula(R_f.0.507) and S.unitus(R_f.0.56).Conclusions:The present preliminary molecular study through isozymic analysis shows the identity of all the three species and the present results confirm distinctness of these three species based on macromicromorphology,phytochemistry and cytology.
文摘Background：In mid hills of Western Himalayas,Himachal Pradesh India,growth,yield and economics of Solanum khasianum as a potential medicinal herb under Pinus roxburghii（Chir pine） plantation has been studied for two consecutive years to assess the performance of Solanum khasianum in undercanopy of Pinus roxburghii for developing Solanum khasianum and Pinus roxburghii based innovative silvi-medicinal system.Methods：Growth parameters such as plant height,number of branches per plant and leaf area index followed by yield were estimated after Solanum khasianum was grown on three topographical aspects as;Northern,North- western and Western at a spacing of 45 cm x 45 cm,followed by three tillage depths as;minimum（0 cm）,medium（up to 10 cm）and deep tillage（up to 15 cm）,in open and below canopy conditions treatment.The study was conducted to explore the possibility of using Solanum khasianum based silvi-medicinal system to utilize the below canopy of Chir pine forest for enhancing the productivity of forests besides the conservation of the medicinal herb.Results：The growth parameters such as plant height,number of branches per plant and leaf area index were nonsignificantly affected by topographical aspects and tillage practices,both below canopy and open conditions except fresh weight and dry weight of berries during harvesting stage.The maximum yield（0.61 t·ha^（-1）） was observed on Western aspect in open conditions as compared to below canopy of Chir pine.The highest gross returns were observed for the crop cultivated on Western aspect under deep tillage in open conditions than other aspect and tillage combinations.However the positive net returns from the crops raised in below canopy of Chir pine indicates its possible economic viability under agroforestry system as the gross returns was higher than the cost of cultivation.Conclusion：Solanum khasianum when grown in below canopy of Pinus roxburghii,its growth and yield indicated positive net returns.Solanum khasianum and Pinus roxburghii based silvi-medicinal system has the potential to enhance the overall productivity of Chir pine forest.This silvi-medicinal system gives scope for utilizing floor Chir pine forests for growth and production of Solanum khasianum beside conservation of the medicinal herb.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 90211018, 40501076 and 40371118)the International Partnership Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. CXTD-Z2005-2)the Innovation Project of the Key Laboratory of Cryosphere and Environment, Cold and Arid Re-gions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences
文摘In the reconstruction of past climate using stable carbon isotope composition (δ13C) in tree ring,the responses of the stable carbon composition (δ13C) of multiple tree species to environmental factors must be known detailedly. This study presented two δ13C series in annual tree rings for Chinese hem-lock (Tsuga chinensis Pritz) and alpine pine (Pinus densata Mast),and investigated the relationships between climatic parameters and stable carbon discrimination (△13C) series,and evaluated the poten-tial of climatic reconstruction using △13C in both species,in a temperate-moist region of Chuanxi Pla-teau,China. The raw δ13C series of the two species was inconsistent,which may be a result of different responses caused by tree's inherent physiological differences. After removing the low-frequency ef-fects of CO2 concentration,the high-frequency (year-to-year) inter-series correlation of △13C was strong,indicating that △13C of the two tree species were controlled by common environmental conditions. The △13C series of the species were most significantly correlated with temperature and moisture stress,but in different periods and intensity between the species. During the physiological year,the impacts of temperature and moisture stress on △13C occur earlier for Chinese hemlock (previous December to February for moisture stress and February to April for temperature,respectively) than for alpine pine (March to May for moisture stress and April to July for temperature,respectively). In addition,in temperate-moist regions,the control on △13C of single climatic parameter was not strongly dominant and the op-timal multiple regressions functions just explained the 38.5% variance of the total. Therefore,there is limited potential for using δ13C alone to identify clear,reliable climatic signals from two species.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 31070015 and 31000009)the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KSCX2-EW-J-6)Research on Network of Applied Microbes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KSCX2-YW-G-068)
文摘To determine a suitable DNA barcode for the genus Neonectria,the internal transcribed spacer rDNA,β-tubulin,EF-1α,and RPB2 genes were selected as candidate markers.A total of 205 sequences from 19 species of the genus were analyzed.Intra-and inter-specific divergences and the ease of nucleotide sequence acquisition were treated as criteria to evaluate the feasibility of a DNA barcode.Our results indicated that any single gene among the candidate markers failed to serve as a successful barcode,while the combination of the partial EF-1α and RPB2 genes recognized all species tested.We tentatively propose the combined partial EF-1α and RPB2 genes as a DNA barcode for the genus.During this study,two cryptic species were discovered,based on the combined data of morphology and DNA barcode information.We described and named these two new species N.ditissimopsis and N.microconidia.
基金This work was supported by the fund of Climbing Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology (Grant No. 95-specific-08) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KSCX1-05-01).
文摘The nucleus of a somatic cell could be dedif-ferentiated and reprogrammed in an enucleated heterogeneous oocyte. Some reconstructed oocytes could develop into blastocysts in vitro, and a few could develop into term normally after transferred into foster mothers, but most of cloning embryos fail to develop to term. In order to evaluate the efficacy of embryonic stem cell as nucleus donor in interspecific animal cloning, we reconstructed enucleated rabbit oocytes with nuclei from mouse ES cells, and analyzed the developmental ability of reconstructed embryos in vitro. Two kinds of fibroblast cells were used as donor control, one derived from ear skin of an adult Kunming albino mouse, and the other derived from a mouse fetus. Three types of cells were transferred into perivitelline space under zona pellu-cida of rabbit oocytes respectively. The reconstructed oocytes were fused and activated by electric pulses, and cultured in vitro. The developmental rate of reconstructed oocytes derived from embryonic
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (31270433,31170408)National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (31325005)+2 种基金NSFC-Yunnan United Fund (U1302267)the West Light Foundation of the Chinese Academy of Sciencesthe Special Fund for the Excellent Youth of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KSCX2-EW-Q-9)
文摘Co-evolutionary theory assumes co-adapted characteristics are a positive response to counter those of another species,whereby co-evolved species reach an evolutionarily stable interaction through bilateral adaptation.However,evidence from the fig-fig wasp mutualistic system implies very different co-evolutionary selection mechanisms,due to the inherent conflict among interacted partners.Fig plants appear to have discriminatively enforced fig wasps to evolve"adaptation characteristics"that provide greater benefit to the fig,and fig wasps appear to have diversified their evolutionary strategies in response to discriminative enforcement by figs and competition among different fig wasp species.In what appears to be an asymmetric interaction,the prosperity of cooperative pollinating wasps should inevitably lead to population increases of parasitic individuals,thus resulting in localized extinctions of pollinating wasps.In response,the sanctioning of parasitic wasps by the fig should lead to a reduction in the parasitic wasp population.The meta-populations created by such asymmetric interactions may result in each population of coevolved species chaotically oscillated,temporally or evolutionarily.
