介核生物分子生物学研究进展

本文综述了国内外关于介核生物(主要包括甲藻和裸藻)分子生物学方面的研究进展。介绍了介核生物的分子分类进展及其特殊的分类地位，甲藻毒素和裸藻在环境检测上的应用，同时简介了介核藻类活性物质的开发利用前景。     

赣江上游河流水化学的影响因素及DIC来源

对赣江上游38 处水体采样点的水化学特征和溶解无机碳稳定同位素的分析, 发现其总溶解质浓度较低, 其中, 阳离子以Na⁺、Ca²⁺ 为主, 阴离子以Cl^- 和HCO₃ ^- 为主, Si 的浓度较高, 表征了典型硅酸盐地区河流的水化学组成特征。通过海盐校正分析得出, 研究区大气降水对河水溶解质的贡献率为11.5%, 扣除降水的贡献部分, 利用主成分分析的方法, 计算得出赣南流域受硅酸盐岩风化作用强烈, 同时由于受附近盐矿的影响, 蒸发盐岩的风化作用显著。另外, 根据δ¹³C 溶解无机碳DIC 的测量值约为-8.35‰~-13.74‰, 平均为-11.65‰, 利用质量平衡计算得出, 研究区DIC 的主要来源, 约68.5%来自于土壤CO₂, 31.5%来自于碳酸盐矿物的溶解, 进而得出流域岩石化学风化过程消耗的土壤CO₂ 为2.11×105 mol/yr·km², 来自碳酸盐本身的HCO₃ ^-含量为9.6×104 mol/yr·km²。由于地理位置和流域环境以及人为因素的差异, 各支流DIC 来源的比例亦有所差异。     

Population connectivity of an overexploited coastal fish,Argyrosomus coronus (Sciaenidae), in an ocean-warming hotspot

The West Coast dusky kob Argyrosomus coronus is a commercially exploited fish with a distribution confined to the Angola–Benguela Frontal Zone (ABFZ) of the southeastern Atlantic Ocean. A previous study revealed that during a recent period of local warming the species extended its distribution into Namibian waters, where it hybridised with the resident and congeneric Argyrosomus inodorus. Environmental changes are a major threat to marine biodiversity and when combined with overfishing have the potential to accelerate the decline of species. However, little is known regarding the evolutionary history and population structure of A. coronus across the ABFZ. We investigated genetic diversity, population structure and historical demographic changes using mtDNA control region sequences and genotypes at six nuclear microsatellite loci, from 180 individuals. A single, genetically homogeneous population was indicated across the distributional range of A. coronus (φ_ST = 0.041, F_ST = 0.000, D = 0.000; p > 0.05). These findings imply that the oceanographic features within the ABFZ do not appear to significantly influence population connectivity in A. coronus, which simplifies management of the species. However, reconstruction of the demographic history points to a close link between the evolutionary history of A. coronus and the environmental characteristics of the ABFZ. This outcome suggests the species’ vulnerability to the rapid environmental changes being observed across this region, and highlights a pressing need for transboundary management to mitigate the impacts of climate change in this global hotspot of seawater temperature changes.     

九孔鲍BMP-2基因cDNA克隆及表达分析

为探究BMP-2基因在九孔鲍(Haliotisdiversicolorsupertexta)中的功能,采用cDNA末端快速扩增(RACE)技术从九孔鲍外套膜中获得了BMP-2基因cDNA全长,并用实时荧光定量PCR(qRT-PCR)检测了BMP-2基因在各组织和发育时期的表达水平。结果表明:九孔鲍BMP-2基因cDNA全长2572bp,其中5′非编码区(5′UTR)123bp, 3′非编码区(3′UTR)1150bp,开放阅读框(ORF)为1299 bp,编码432个氨基酸,其分子质量为48.59ku,理论等电点(pI)为9.84;具有N端信号肽(1-39 aa)、TGF-β前肽区域(63-294 aa)和TGF-β成熟肽区域(331-432 aa),以及蛋白酶水解位点RLRR (272-275 aa)和7个保守的半胱氨酸残基,符合TGF-β超家族蛋白典型结构特征。系统进化树结果显示九孔鲍BMP-2基因和耳鲍聚为一支。qRT-PCR结果表明BMP-2基因在九孔鲍的6个组织中均有表达,在足、右侧壳肌、外套膜及肝脏中显著高表达;在检测的7个发育时期均表达,其中在受精卵、4细胞、8细胞、原肠胚、稚鲍时期表达量显著高于卵、幼鲍时期。研究表明BMP-2基因可能在九孔鲍贝壳形成中具有重要作用。     

银纳米杆高温熔化断裂弛豫性能的原子级模拟研究

采用分子动力学模拟方法,研究了不同长度银纳米杆在不同温度弛豫过程中的结构演变过程.结果表明:银纳米杆存在一与杆长相关的临界熔断温度,该临界熔断温度随杆长增加而显著降低.当温度大于熔点而小于临界熔断温度时,体系形成一个高度无序的球形团簇,而温度大于临界熔断温度时,体系则熔断成两个球形团簇.并给出了银纳米杆的产生该熔断现象的机理.     

原子掺杂对单元材料结晶能力的影响

2009年我们建立了一个凝结势模型用以预测材料形成单晶体的能力,表明单元体材料(Ni,Al,Cu,Ar,Mg)的结晶能力随凝结势的增大而单调增强.本文将凝结势模型应用于二元材料体系,并结合分子动力学模拟研究了6% Al原子掺杂对于Ni单晶材料结晶能力的影响.模拟结果发现,Al元素的掺杂会大大减弱Ni单晶的结晶能力,在此基础上提出了二元材料体系凝结势的定义,表明凝结势模型可广泛应用于预测二元体材料的结晶能力.     

Accurate ab initio study of low-lying electronic states of phosphorus nitride radical

This paper employs the highly accurate valence internally contracted multireference configuration interaction method to investigate the potential energy curves (PECs) for the ground state (X¹Σ⁺) and two low-lying excited states (A¹Π and D¹Δ of phosphorus nitride (PN) radical with the correlation-consistent basis set, aug-cc-pV6Z, in the valence range. Relativistic effects are considered in these calculations. The spectroscopic constants of the X¹Σ⁺ and A¹Π states are calculated based on the PECs, and the results are in good accord with the available experimental data. The first 30 vibrational states for the A¹Π state and the first 40 vibrational states for the A¹Π state are determined when J=0. For each vibrational state, molecular constants G(υ), B(υ) and D(υ) are also attained.     

LMWOA (low molecular weight organic acid) exudation by salt marsh plants: Natural variation and response to Cu contamination

This work aimed to evaluate, in vitro, the capability of roots of two salt marsh plants to release low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs) and to ascertain whether Cu contamination would stimulate or not organic acids exudation. The sea rush Juncus maritimus and the sea-club rush Scirpus maritimus, both from the lower Douro river estuary (NW Portugal), were used. Plants were collected seasonally, four times a year in 2004, during low tide. After sampling, plant roots were washed for removal of adherent particles and immersed for 2 h in a solution that matched salinity (3) and pH (7.5) of the pore water from the same location to obtain plant exudates. In one of the seasons, similar experiments were carried out but spiking the solution with different amounts of Cu in order to embrace the range between 0 and 1600 nM. In the final solutions as well as in sediment pore water LMWOAs were determined by high performance liquid chromatography. Plants were able to release, in a short period of time, relatively high amounts of LMWOAs (oxalate, citrate, malate, malonate, and succinate). In the sediment pore water oxalate, succinate and acetate were also detected. Therefore, plant roots probably contributed to the presence of some of these organic compounds in pore water. Exudation differed between the plant species and also showed some seasonally variation, particularly for S. maritimus. The release of oxalate by J. maritimus increased with Cu increase in the media. However, exudation of the other LMWOAs did not seem to be stimulated by Cu contamination in the media. This fact is compatible with the existence of alternative internal mechanisms for Cu detoxification, as denoted by the fact that in media contaminated with Cu both plant species accumulated relatively high amounts (29–83%) of the initially dissolved Cu. This study expands our knowledge on the contribution of globally dominant salt marsh plants to the release of LMWOAs into the environment.     

The strain‐dependent spatial evolution of garnet in a high‐P ductile shear zone from the Western Gneiss Region (Norway): a synchrotron X‐ray microtomography study

Reaction and deformation microfabrics provide key information to understand the thermodynamic and kinetic controls of tectono‐metamorphic processes, however, they are usually analysed in two dimensions, omitting important information regarding the third spatial dimension. We applied synchrotron‐based X‐ray microtomography to document the evolution of a pristine olivine gabbro into a deformed omphacite–garnet eclogite in four dimensions, where the 4^th dimension is represented by the degree of strain. In the investigated samples, which cover a strain gradient into a shear zone from the Western Gneiss Region (Norway), we focused on the spatial transformation of garnet coronas into elongated garnet clusters with increasing strain. The microtomographic data allowed quantification of garnet volume, shape and spatial arrangement evolution with increasing strain. The microtomographic observations were combined with light microscope and backscatter electron images as well as electron microprobe (EMPA) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis to correlate mineral composition and orientation data with the X‐ray absorption signal of the same mineral grains. With increasing deformation, the garnet volume almost triples. In the low‐strain domain, garnet grains form a well interconnected large garnet aggregate that develops throughout the entire sample. We also observed that garnet coronas in the gabbros never completely encapsulate olivine grains. In the most highly deformed eclogites, the oblate shapes of garnet clusters reflect a deformational origin of the microfabrics. We interpret the aligned garnet aggregates to direct synkinematic fluid flow, and consequently influence the transport of dissolved chemical components. EBSD analyses reveal that garnet shows a near‐random crystal preferred orientation that testifies no evidence for crystal plasticity. There is, however evidence for minor fracturing, neo‐nucleation and overgrowth. Microprobe chemical analysis revealed that garnet compositions progressively equilibrate to eclogite facies, becoming more almandine‐rich. We interpret these observations as pointing to a mechanical disintegration of the garnet coronas during strain localization, and their rearrangement into individual garnet clusters through a combination of garnet coalescence and overgrowth while the rock was deforming.     

Influence of pore size and geometry on peat unsaturated hydraulic conductivity computed from 3D computed tomography image analysis

In organic soils, hydraulic conductivity is related to the degree of decomposition and soil compression, which reduce the effective pore diameter and consequently restrict water flow. This study investigates how the size distribution and geometry of air‐filled pores control the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of peat soils using high‐resolution (45 µm) three‐dimensional (3D) X‐ray computed tomography (CT) and digital image processing of four peat sub‐samples from varying depths under a constant soil water pressure head. Pore structure and configuration in peat were found to be irregular, with volume and cross‐sectional area showing fractal behaviour that suggests pores having smaller values of the fractal dimension in deeper, more decomposed peat, have higher tortuosity and lower connectivity, which influences hydraulic conductivity. The image analysis showed that the large reduction of unsaturated hydraulic conductivity with depth is essentially controlled by air‐filled pore hydraulic radius, tortuosity, air‐filled pore density and the fractal dimension due to degree of decomposition and compression of the organic matter. The comparisons between unsaturated hydraulic conductivity computed from the air‐filled pore size and geometric distribution showed satisfactory agreement with direct measurements using the permeameter method. This understanding is important in characterizing peat properties and its heterogeneity for monitoring the progress of complex flow processes at the field scale in peatlands. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.