关键词： 饲养繁殖   动物模型   种群建立   实验动物科技   HCV   树鼩   相关产业   应用  

摘要： 不久前，云南省科学技术奖励办公室发布了2012年度云南省科学技术奖审定结果，中国医学科学院医学生物学研究所申报“树勋饲养繁殖种群建立及其在HCV动物模型中的应用”项目获得2012年度云南省科学技术进步奖一等奖。该项目成果开创了云南省特色实验动物资源——树鼩研究新的里程碑，彰显了云南省在树鼩饲养种群繁殖和运用树鼩建立HCV模型研究领域的顶尖实力。

关键词： Intron evolution   Molecular phylogenetics   Maximum parsimony   Metazoan phylogeny   Ecdysozoa   Rare genomic changes  

摘要： Gene structure data can substantially advance our understanding of metazoan evolution and deliver an independent approach to resolve conflicts among existing hypotheses. Here, we used changes of spliceosomal intron positions as novel phylogenetic marker to reconstruct the animal tree. This kind of data is inferred from orthologous genes containing mutually exclusive introns at pairs of sequence positions in close proximity, so-called near intron pairs (NIPs). NIP data were collected for 48 species and utilized as binary genome-level characters in maximum parsimony (MP) analyses to reconstruct deep metazoan phylogeny. All groupings that were obtained with more than 80% bootstrap support are consistent with currently supported phylogenetic hypotheses. This includes monophyletic Chordata, Vertebrata, Nematoda, Platyhelminthes and Trochozoa. Several other clades such as Deuterostomia, Protostomia, Arthropoda, Ecdysozoa, Spiralia, and Eumetazoa, however, failed to be recovered due to a few problematic taxa such as the mite Ixodes and the warty comb jelly Mnemiopsis. The corresponding unexpected branchings can be explained by the paucity of synapomorphic changes of intron positions shared between some genomes, by the sensitivity of MP analyses to long-branch attraction (LBA), and by the very unequal evolutionary rates of intron loss and intron gain during evolution of the different subclades of metazoans. In addition, we obtained an assemblage of Cnidaria, Porifera, and Placozoa as sister group of Bilateria + Ctenophora with medium support, a disputable, but remarkable result. We conclude that NIPs can be used as phylogenetic characters also within a broader phylogenetic context, given that they have emerged regularly during evolution irrespective of the large variation of intron density across metazoan genomes. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

关键词： Agriculture   Agroecology   Behavioral ecology   Biodiversity   Bioindicators   Biology   Conservation science   Ecological environments   Ecology   Ecosystems   Ecosystems agroecology   Entomology   Mammalogy   Research Article   Terrestrial environments   Zoology  

摘要： Anthropogenic habitat modification often has a profound negative impact on the flora and fauna of an ecosystem. In parts of the Middle East, ephemeral rivers (wadis) are characterised by stands of acacia trees. Green, flourishing assemblages of these trees are in decline in several countries, most likely due to human-induced water stress and habitat changes. We examined the importance of healthy acacia stands for bats and their arthropod prey in comparison to other natural and artificial habitats available in the Arava desert of Israel. We assessed bat activity and species richness through acoustic monitoring for entire nights and concurrently collected arthropods using light and pit traps. Dense green stands of acacia trees were the most important natural desert habitat for insectivorous bats. Irrigated gardens and parks in villages and fields of date palms had high arthropod levels but only village sites rivalled acacia trees in bat activity level. We confirmed up to 13 bat species around a single patch of acacia trees;one of the richest sites in any natural desert habitat in Israel. Some bat species utilised artificial sites;others were found almost exclusively in natural habitats. Two rare species (Barbastella leucomelas and Nycteris the baica) were identified solely around acacia trees. We provide strong evidence that acacia trees are of unique importance to the community of insectivorous desert-dwelling bats, and that the health of the trees is crucial to their value as a foraging resource. Consequently, conservation efforts for acacia habitats, and in particular for the green more densely packed stands of trees, need to increase to protect this vital habitat for an entire community of protected bats.

关键词： PHYLOGENY -- Molecular aspects   ANIMALS -- Classification   TREE graphs   ZOOLOGY -- Research   EVOLUTION (Biology)   RIBOSOMAL RNA   RESEARCH   INTERDISCIPLINARY research   MOLECULAR biology  

摘要： In a letter to T. H. Huxley written on 26 September 1857, Charles Darwin imagined a time to come "though I shall not live to see it, when we shall have very fairly true genealogical trees of each great kingdom of nature" (1). The publication of On the Origin of Species, two years later, prompted a century and a half of disagreement among zoologists proposing often wildly contradictory schemes of animal evolution. Clarity began to emerge with Field et al.'s landmark publication 25 years ago of an analysis of animal relationships based on ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequences (2). The paper made zoologists realize that molecular biology could and should be applied to traditional zoological questions.

关键词： Savanna   river   water quality   rainfall   biogeochemistry   seasonality   Serengeti   Tanzania  

摘要： Surface water resources play an important role in the transportation of nutrients within and between regions. Water quality varies spatially across landscapes, but the extent of this variability and the interaction between water quality and wildlife are not well-known. In some savannas, heterogeneous climatic and geologic patterns result in gradients of precipitation and soil nutrients, leading to temporal and regional differences in soil and vegetation quality. Wildlife utilise these seasonal patterns, influencing soil nutrient dynamics and vegetation. However, the impact of seasonally abundant wildlife, climate, and soils on surface water quality is unknown in savannas. Fluctuations in surface water quality were measured across the Serengeti ecosystem at 6-month intervals, and the influence of rainfall, watershed, and seasonal wildlife migration were then modelled. The results suggest that although soil composition in watersheds influences the concentration of soil-derived nutrients in rivers, rainfall and wildlife have a significant effect on the seasonal concentrations of most nutrients. The role of migratory wildlife in surface water quality in some watersheds is likely dampened by the large influence of resident species across seasons and habitats. The alteration of rainfall patterns by climate change is expected to influence nutrient transport into savanna rivers. Copyright (c) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

关键词： Tree frog tadpole   Postembryonic development   Thyroid hormone receptor   Gelatinase B   Proliferating nuclear antigen   Metamorphosis assay  

摘要： The Amphibian Metamorphosis Assay (AMA), developed for Xenopus laevis, is designed to identify chemicals that disrupt thyroid hormone (TH)-mediated biological processes. We adapted the AMA for use on an ecologically-relevant North American species, the Pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla), and applied molecular endpoints to evaluate the effects of the antibacterial agent, triclosan (TCS). Premetamorphic (Gosner stage 26-28) tadpoles were immersed for 21 days in solvent control, 1.5 mu g/L thyroxine (T-4), 0.3, 3 and 30 mu g/L (nominal) TCS, or combined T-4/TCS treatments. Exposure effects were scored by morphometric (developmental stage, wet weight, and body, snout-vent and hindlimb lengths) and molecular (mRNA abundance using quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction) criteria. T-4 treatment alone accelerated development concomitant with altered levels of TH receptors alpha and beta, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, and gelatinase B mRNAs in the brain and tail. We observed TCS-induced perturbations in all of the molecular and morphological endpoints indicating that TCS exposure disrupts coordination of postembryonic tadpole development. Clear alterations in molecular endpoints were evident at day 2 whereas the earliest morphological effects appeared at day 4 and were most evident at day 21. Although TCS alone (3 and 30 mu g/L) was protective against tadpole mortality, this protection was lost in the presence of T-4. The Pacific tree frog is the most sensitive species examined to date displaying disruption of TH-mediated development by a common antimicrobial agent. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

关键词： 小型哺乳动物   灵长类动物   实验动物   生物医学   树鼩   南亚热带地区   亲缘关系   生命周期  

摘要： 树鼩，一类外形似松鼠，生活在东南亚热带地区的小型哺乳动物。树鼩归属于树鼩目（Scandentia），有2科5属共20个种。其中树鼩属（Tupaia）有15个种，为最大的一个属。树鼩属中以北方树鼩（Tupaiabelangern和普通树鼩（聊反科蠡）较为著名。对于树鼩目该被置于食虫目还是灵长目有不少争议。普遍认为树鼩与灵长类动物具有较为接近的亲缘关系，并且还具有一些适合作物实验动物的独特的特点，如成年树鼩较小的体形尺寸，较高的脑体质量比，较短的生殖周期和生命周期，树鼩已被认为可以作为一种灵长类动物的替代动物。过去的十年以来，树鼩作为一种替代动物模型已经广泛地应用与生物医学研究和药物安全试验。

关键词： Elephant   Exclusion   experiment   Nitrogen   Phenol   Plant defence   Tannin  

摘要： We hypothesised that exclusion of long-term browsing leads to decreased nutrient concentrations, increased carbon-based secondary metabolites (CBSMs) and decreased shoot length in woody plants in semi-arid savannas. To test this, we sampled four deciduous woody species in a large-scale, long-term exclusion experiment. We found a tendency for large herbivore exclusion to either decrease nitrogen or increase tannin in two tree species. Phosphorus and total polyphenol responses indicated complex interactions with herbivore assemblage. Shoot length decreased under exclusion in two species, while a similar tendency existed in the remaining species. Therefore, we found limited support for our predictions that exclusion of browsing results in reduced nitrogen or increased CBSMs, but moderate support for decreased shoot length in semi-arid savannas. Dichrostachys cinerea, a fast-growing, aggressive invader in savannas, displayed C-limitation with removal of large herbivores because both shoot length and CBSMs decreased. In conclusion, effects of long-term browsing on deciduous trees in semi-arid savannas depend on the plant species, specific nutrients or CBSMs measured and the composition of the herbivore assemblages. Because elephant densities in the study area were high and most responses were associated with their exclusion, we conclude that elephants are important drivers of browse quality in the study area. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

关键词： Beetles   Coleoptera   oak trees   Quercus robur   seasonality   species richness   temporal partitioning  

摘要： 1. Species richness, abundance, body size, biomass, guild structure and temporal partitioning were examined in samples of 150 beetle species from oaks (Quercus robur L.) in southern Britain. 2. Abundance, species richness and biomass were highest in late June when leaves are in full flush, similar through much of the year for oak specialist beetle species, but were highest in July for generalists. Body size did not appear to vary significantly during the sampling period. 3. Temporal partitioning of feeding guilds was evident;predators and herbivores, peaked earlier in MayJune, and fungivores and scavengers peaked in JulyAugust. 4. Groups of closely related species, in Carabidae, Cantharidae and Curculionidae, often had similar seasonal patterns suggesting that temporal variation in both overall species richness and abundance for different guilds may be driven by resource availability rather than competition between closely related species. 5. Multidimensional scaling ordination shows an almost circular pattern in the beetle community underpinned by the most abundant species occurring throughout the year;vector analysis indicates that as temperatures increase and food resources become available, other species become abundant and influence patterns of similarity. 6. These patterns are also influenced by species that (i) have life cycles of 2 or more years, (ii) move between the ground, tree trunks and the canopy during the year and (iii) move from other tree species to oaks as these tree species lose their leaves earlier in Autumn. 7. The hypothesis that temporal patterns for invertebrate species in temperate trees are more coordinated than those in tropical trees is not supported.

关键词： lophophorates   Lophotrochozoa   Metazoa   systematics  

摘要： Molecular phylogenetics has resulted in conflicting accounts of the relationship between phoronids and brachiopods. Taxonomically comprehensive analyses of brachiopod and phoronid ribosomal DNA sequences (rDNAs) rooted with short-branched mollusc sequences uniformly find that phoronids nest within brachiopods as the sister of the three extant inarticulate lineages. Here, this is called the alternate topology because it does not match traditional, morphology-based ideas. Many other analyses of protein-coding genes and/or rDNAs place phoronids elsewhere, often as the sister group of all brachiopods, better matching traditional ideas. However, these analyses generally are based on data from small selections of brachiopods and phoronids, include data from a wide range of other metazoan taxa, and are rooted with distant outgroups. Here, I show that outgroup rooting of brachiopods and phoronid rDNAs is unreliable, and instead find the root position with procedures that are free from all distortions caused by distantly related taxa, i.e. by Bayesian and maximum likelihood relaxed-clock analyses of a purely ingroup alignment. All such analyses confirm the alternate topology: phoronids belong within the Brachiopoda as the sister group of the inarticulates. In addition, nine factors are identified that (singly or in combination) can cause misreporting of the phylogenetic signal in wide taxon-range analyses of both rDNA and amino acid sequence data. (C) 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 167, 82-92. doi: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2012.00869.x