Full length transcriptomes analysis of cold-resistance of Apis cerana in Changbai Mountain during overwintering period.

Apis cerana in Changbai Mountain is an ecological type of Apis cerana, which is an excellent breeding material with cold-resistant developed by long-term natural selection under the ecological conditions. However, the physiological and molecular mechanisms of Changbai Mountain population under cold stress are still unclear. In this study, the Nanopore sequencing was carried out for the transcriptome of Apis cerana in Changbai Mountain in the coldest period of overwintering, which will provide a reference to the cold-resistant mechanism. We determined 5,941 complete ORF sequences, 1,193 lncRNAs, 619 TFs, 10,866 SSRs and functional annotations of 11,599 new transcripts. Our results showed that the myosin family and the C2H2 zinc finger protein transcription factor family possibly have significant impacts on the response mechanism of cold stress during overwintering. In addition, the cold environment alters genes expression profiles in honeybees via different AS and APA mechanisms. These altered genes in Hippo, Foxo, and MARK pathways help them counter the stress of cold in overwinter period. Our results might provide clues about the response of eastern honeybees to extreme cold, and reflect the possible genetic basis of physiological changes.

Reassessment of the taxonomic status of Craseomys and three controversial species of Myodes and Alticola (Rodentia: Arvicolinae).

The genera Myodes (red-backed voles) and Alticola (mountain voles) appear to be sister taxa based on morphological similarities, but molecular analyses fail to resolve them as monophyletic genera owing to the uncertain taxonomic status of Craseomys and Phaulomys. As a result of incomplete sampling of related specimens, ongoing controversies on the taxonomic positions of several generic and specific taxa necessitate further clarifications. Herein, we combined molecular, morphometric, and geometric morphometric approaches to analyze 217 specimens of 10 taxa of Myodes and Alticola systematically. We sequenced three genes (Cytb, COI, GHR) de novo from specimens with fresh tissues, and published sequences for M. shanseius and A. stoliczkanus for the first time. Based on this new molecular dataset, we produced phylogenetic trees using Bayesian inference, maximum likelihood, and maximum parsimony approaches. Our molecular and morphological analyses both identified three primary clades within Myodes and Alticola. The Craseomys-Phaulomys clade consistently separated from Myodes sensu stricto (s. str.) and Alticola s. str.-Platycranius. Our results support the resurrection of the genus Craseomys and the treatment of Phaulomys as its junior synonym. As Craseomys shanseius clustered with C. rufocanus in three gene phylogenies and this assessment was congruent with morphological results, we assigned C. shanseius to a subspecies of C. rufocanus. Specimens from one sampling site in Pulan County of Tibet possess M3 patterns typical of A. stoliczkanus and A. stracheyi, despite clustering together in matrilineal genealogy. Thus, we tentatively assigned A. stracheyi as a junior synonym of A. stoliczkanus. Our analyses confirmed the validity of A. semicanus and unambiguously distinguished it from A. argentatus by the ratio of tail length to head-body length, color of tail and feet, M3 pattern, and distribution.

A new species of the genus Triplophysa (Cypriniformes: Nemacheilidae), Triplophysa daochengensis, from Sichuan Province, China.

Triplophysa daochengensis sp. nov. is described from the Daocheng River, a northern tributary of the Jinsha River in Sichuan Province, China. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners by the following characters: body smooth and scales absent; lateral line complete; caudal peduncle compressed, depth unchanging; head length equal to caudal-peduncle length; lower jaw shovel-shaped; dorsal-fin origin anterior to pelvic-fin origin and closer to the tip of the snout than to the caudal-fin base, last unbranched ray hard; pelvic-fin tip not reaching anus; posterior chamber of gas bladder absent; intestine of spiral type with three winding coils.

A new species of Triplophysa Rendahl (Cypriniformes, Nemacheilidae) from Sichuan Province, China.

Triplophysa yajiangensis sp. nov. is described from the upper and middle reaches of the Yalong River, Yangtze Basin, Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China. This new species can be distinguished from other congeneric species by the following characters: body surface smooth and scaleless; lateral line complete; caudal peduncle compressed and tapered slightly; lower jaw shovel-shaped; head shorter than caudal peduncle; dorsal-fin origin anterior to pelvic-fin origin and closer to tip of snout than to caudal-fin base, last unbranched ray hard; pelvic-fin reaches or exceeds anus; posterior chamber of gas bladder absent; intestine spiral type with 3-5 winding coils.

Taxonomic position of Eothenomys wardi (Arvicolinae: Cricetidae) based on morphological and molecular analyses with a detailed description of the species.

Ward's Red-backed Vole (Eothenomys wardi) is a rodent from the family Cricetidae. This endemic species occurs only in extreme northwestern Yunnan province, China in the Mekong and Salween river divide. It occupies steep cliffs at 2,800 to 4,250 m above sea level on the remote Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. The validity of E. wardi is controversial and no specimens exist apart from the nominal series. In 2010, we collected 38 topotypes of E. wardi from Meri Snow Mountain. The results of our phylogenetic analyses based on nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial genes cytochrome b (cytb) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit one (COI) suggest that E. wardi is the sister group of E. custos, against its previously presumed sister species or conspecific species E. chinensis. In addition, seven out of 34 morphological characters differentiate E. wardi from other members of the genus Eothenomys. Therefore, we consider E. wardi to be a valid species and we provide its detailed morphological description.

[Algal community structure and water quality assessment on drawdown area of Kaixian waters in Three Gorges Reservoir during winter storage period].

The old town area of Kaixian county was flooded and showed reservoir characteristics after the water level of Three Gorges Reservoir got 172. 8 m in December 2008. The aquatic ecology and nutritional status of Kaixian drawdown area after water storage are still rarely reported. To understand the current water environment and changes in algal community structure of Kaixian drawdown area after 172.8 m water level, the algal composition, abundance, biomass distribution and changes of its sampling spots including Hanfeng Lake were observed twice during winter storage period in January and December 2009. The trends in phytoplankton community structure were analyzed and the water quality assessment of nutritional status was carried out. The results indicated that 6 phylums, 37 genera, 69 species of phytoplankton in total were identified in the two sampling, and the dominant species were Dinophyta and Cryptophyta. The cell density and biomass in December 2009 were lower than those in January 2009. The evaluation results of algal population structure and pollution indicators showed that the nutrition level of Kaixian drawdown area during the winter storage period was mesotrophic to eutrophic type, while diversity analysis result indicated moderate pollution.

[Seasonal variation of chlorophyll a and its potential relationship with various algal species in Xiaojiang River backwater area, Three Gorges Reservoir].

The seasonal variation of Chlorophyll a (Chla) in Xiaojiang river backwater area from May 2007 to April 2008 with 115 water samples was studied. Three trophic states i.e. Chla < or = 5 microg x L(-1), 5 microg x L(-1) < Chla < or = 19 microg x L(-1) and Chla >19 microg x L(-1), were applied to represent the potential relationship of Chla, algal cell density (CellD) and biomass (BioM) in Xiaojiang river backwater area. The results showed that the algal cell density, biomass and Chla had significantly positive correlations (r > 0.70, Sig. < or = 0.01) and their seasonal variation processes are synchronous. The average values of Chla and biomass of chlorophyta, diatoms, cyanobacteria, dinoflagellate during the study period in Xiaojiang river backwater area were (9.58 +/- 10.77), (1605 +/- 647), (707 +/- 124), (511 +/- 266) and (4019 +/- 1345) microg x L(-1), respectively. When Chla < or = 5 microg x L(-1), chlorophyta, diatoms and Chla were significantly positively correlated; while under 5 microg x L(-1) < Chla < or = 19 microg x L(-1) level, only cyanophytes and Chla showed a significantly positive correlation; At Chla > 19 microg x L(-1) level, Chla was positively correlated to dinoflagellate, and there were no significant correlations among Chla and other algae.

[Seasonal succession of phytoplankton function groups in the Xiaojiang (Pengxi) River backwater area, Three Gorges Reservoir].

Phytoplankton function classification came from the physiological characteristics and habitat adaption of specific phytoplankton species, matching the growth strategy of the species with the habitat template. The phytoplankton functional groups were classified based on the C-R-S growth strategy and its favored habitat. Phytoplankton function classification was applied in this study to the backwater area of Xiaojiang (Pengxi) River (XBA) of the Yangtze in the Three Gorges Reservoir. 26 functional groups were classified based on the phytoplankton species data from May, 2007 to April, 2009. J/F/H1/P/Lo/LM/B/Y/G/C was the major functional groups in the 2-year survey, while functional groups of MP/D/X1/X2/W1/W2 were also dominant and frequently detected. The succession traits among 5 sampling spots were generally the same. Succession series of the functional groups between the 2 years showed distinct. However, seasonal succession of functional groups based on the C-R-S strategy showed to have some in common: S/CS type dominated in the spring, while in the summer flood season a co-occurrence of S/CS type and R/CR type was evident. From autumn, the succession from S/CS type to R/CR type which dominated in winter was remarkable. In the February to March, the shift from R/CR type in winter to S/CS type in the early spring was completed in a relatilve short time span.

Coulomb dissociation of 8B and the low-energy cross section of the 7Be(p,gamma)8B solar fusion reaction.

An exclusive measurement of the Coulomb breakup of 8B into 7Be+p at 254A MeV allowed the study of the angular correlations of the breakup particles. These correlations demonstrate clearly that E1 multipolarity dominates and that E2 multipolarity can be neglected. By using a simple single-particle model for 8B and treating the breakup in first-order perturbation theory, we extract a zero-energy S factor of S17(0)=18.6+/-1.2+/-1.0 eV b, where the first error is experimental and the second one reflects the theoretical uncertainty in the extrapolation.