大黄鱼早期发育过程中免疫器官的发生

应用显微与超微技术研究了大黄鱼(Pseudosciaena crocea)初孵仔鱼至60日龄幼鱼免疫器官——头肾、胸腺与脾脏的发育.结果表明,免疫器官原基出现的先后顺序是头肾、脾脏和胸腺.3日龄仔鱼出现头肾原基,原始造血干细胞最早被发现于头肾,很快分化成不同类型的细胞.4日龄仔鱼出现脾脏原基和胸腺原基.脾脏靠近内脏,含大量窦状隙,有丰富的毛细血管、血细胞与血小板.胸腺是最迟出现的淋巴器官,但发育较快.胸腺位于鳃腔背上角,主要由胸腺细胞(淋巴细胞)和上皮细胞组成,分为外区和内区,二者虽没有明显界限,但容易区分.免疫器官出现小淋巴细胞顺序是胸腺、头肾和脾脏;淋巴组织的发育相对滞后.在大黄鱼仔鱼早期发育阶段,非特异性免疫系统起着重要作用.     

华南寒武纪碳酸盐岩中最早腕足动物的辐射、发育与分布

腕足动物是寒武纪冠轮动物分支的重要类群,在寒武纪大爆发期间海洋底栖动物群落结构构建中发挥着重要作用。研究表明华南最早的腕足动物出现在寒武系第二统。通过大量酸蚀处理和系统分析,发现华南寒武纪第二世碳酸盐岩相中赋存的腕足动物可分为8属12种和3个未定属种,都属于磷酸钙质舌形贝型,揭示了寒武纪早期磷酸钙质壳腕足动物的多样性及其形态差异。通过全球对比,力求探索寒武纪最早腕足动物的起源、多样性、分布与辐射。通过个体发育研究,揭示了异时发育在乳孔贝形态多样性中发挥的重要作用,同时表明寒武纪舌形贝型腕足动物发育中普遍存在滤食型浮游幼虫和变态发育的过程。因此变态发育的浮游幼虫可能是腕足动物的祖先特征。这与现代舌形贝明显不同,现代舌形贝的浮游幼虫为次级幼虫,演变为直接发育。此外,对比全球不同大陆腕足动物的首现,认为舌形贝型亚门腕足动物可能在寒武纪第二世初起源于东冈瓦纳与华南板块,随后开始向全球扩散。对寒武纪早期腕足动物多样性、个体发育与生物地层的深入研究,有助于增进对关键动物门类的早期起源与系统演化的认识,同时也将推动全球和区域寒武纪生物地层的划分与对比。     

大菱鲆早期发育过程中免疫器官的发生

应用组织切片研究了大菱鲆（Scophthalmus maximus）初孵仔鱼至60日龄幼鱼免疫器官的发育过程。结果表明,免疫器官原基出现的先后顺序是头肾、脾脏和胸腺。1日龄仔鱼可以观察到头肾原基,包含未分化的造血干细胞。5日龄时,脾脏原基出现,其淋巴化开始于27日龄且发育速度较慢。13日龄时,大菱鲆仔鱼胸腺原基出现,且...     

Evolution of Dentary Diastema in Iguanodontian Dinosaurs

The dentary diastema of iguanodontians has been considered to be related to its unique jaw mechanism for herbivorous adaptation. The dentary and diastema lengths of iguanodontians were measured and compared to elucidate the evolution of iguanodontian diastema. A gap in ratios between most non-hadrosaurid iguanodontians and hadrosaurids was observed, suggesting that all non-hadrosaurid iguanodontians, expect for Ouranosaurus nigeriensis and Protohadros byrdi, lack a diastema or have a short diastema, although some other taxa have been considered to have a long diastema in previous studies. In non-hadrosaurid iguanodontians, some large-sized forms, such as Iguanodon bernissartensis, Shuangmiaosaurus gilmorei, and possibly Eolambia caroljonesa, had a short diastema through ontogeny, whereas Ouranosaurus nigeriensis and Protohadros byrdi developed a long diastema convergently. The development of a long diastema of hadrosaurine hadrosaurids may be different from that of lambeosaurine hadrosaurids. Some hadrosaurines (Edmontosaurus annectens, Edmontosaurus regalis, and Saurolophus angustirostris) may have developed a long diastema in the subadult stage and showed little elongation of dentary diastema through ontogeny. Lambeosaurines (Corythosaurus casuarius and Lambeosaurus lambei) tend to have a short diastema in the embryonic and subadult stages, and an elongated diastema from the subadult to adult stages.     

Size and shape variation in the planktonic foraminiferHeterohelix striata (late cretaceous, southern Scandinavia)

The biserial planktonic foraminiferal species Heterohelix striata (Ehrenberg)has been analyzed by morphometric techniques from six sequential late Maestrichtian core samples from southern Sweden and one sample from the Daniaquarry of Denmark. The study is based on measurements of number of chambers, size of test (length, width, and thickness),marginal angle, and chamber sizes. In addition, prolocular and apertural sizes were analyzed in the Daniaquarry sample. The study includes analyses of the ontogenetic development of the tests, stratigraphic variation in size and shape, intrasample variability, and relationship between gross morphology of the test and prolocular and apertural dimensions.     

The developmental trend of labrum and median eyes of Orsten-type preserved Phosphatocopina (Crustacea)

The Phosphatocopina (Crustacea,Arthropoda) is an important group of 'Orsten-type' preserved fossils.It is resolved as the sister-group of Eucrustacea.Here we study the labrum,the median eyes,and the inner lamella of Phosphatocopina based on the selected specimens respectively from western Hunan,South China,and Sweden.The labrum characters of different species exhibit interspecific difference.The ratio of labrum length/shield length is significant to the reconstruction of the ontogeny of phosphatocopines.The...     

Paedomorphosis and shell-colour polymorphism of a desert landsnail

Environmentally-driven paedomorphosis, the retention of juvenile characteristics by adults, is an overlooked alternative to adaptive genetic hypotheses regarding shell colour in landsnails. We previously considered two adaptive explanations of shell-colour polymorphism in the desert landsnailTrochoidea simulata, namely temperature and predation. However, neither of these factors adequately explained this colour variation. We subsequently described the importance of available CaCO₃as the driving force underlying colour variation in this species. Here we consider the consequences of differential access to CaCO₃by individuals of different colour morphs. We describe variation in shell shape of different colour morphs, and conclude that shell-colour variation in this species is a consequence of paedomorphosis in brown individuals. Individuals may change colour ontogenetically from brown to white, while some remain brown-shelled throughout their lives. Brown snails, like juveniles, are thin- and flat-shelled, and have relatively larger apertures than white snails. This paedomorphosis is environmentally-based, being correlated with soil CaCO₃content.     

A New Juvenile Specimen of Lufengosaurus Huenei Young, 1941 (Dinosauria: Prosauropoda) from the Lower Jurassic Lower Lufeng Formation of Yunnan, Southwest China

Abstract: A skull and a series of associated cervical vertebrae (ZLJ0112) discovered from the Lower Lufeng Formation (Lower Jurassic) are determined as a juvenile specimen of Lufengosaurus huenei Young 1941 based on amended autapomorphies. Differences between ZLJ0112 and the holotype (sub-adult specimen) are considered as ontogenetic characteristic changes of L. huenei. Since some of these differences are present in other prosauropod dinosaurs (i.e., forms of the maxillary vascular foramen are irregular; the frontal contribution to the dorsal margin of the orbit is substantial; the frontal contribution to the supratemporal fossa is absent; the supratemporal fenestra is visible in lateral view; the supraoccipital inclined at 75 degrees; the parasphenoid rostrum lies level with the occipital condyle; the retroarticular process is short; the axial postzygapophysis project caudally beyond the end of the centrum) they may be common ontogenetic changes in prosauropod dinosaurs.