During conjugation of Paramecium caudatum, nuclear events occur in a scheduled program. Morphological studies on nuclear behavior during conjugation of P. caudatum have been performed since the end of the 19th century...During conjugation of Paramecium caudatum, nuclear events occur in a scheduled program. Morphological studies on nuclear behavior during conjugation of P. caudatum have been performed since the end of the 19th century. Here we report on new details concerning the conjugation of P. caudatum through the staining of conjugating ceils with protargol, carbol fuchsin solution, Hoechst 33342 and immunofluorescence labeling with monoclonal antibody of anti-a tubulin. 1） The crescent nucleus is a characteristic of the meiotic prophase of P. caudatum, has an unstained area. We stained this area with protargol, which was separated from the chromatin area and was not detected by the other stainings. 2） In regards to the four meiotic products, it has long been considered that only one product enters the paroral cone region （PC） and survives after meiosis. However, our protargol and immunofluorescence labeling results indicated that PC entrance of the meiotic product happened before the completion of meiosis instead of after. 3） In our previous study, protargol staining indicated the presence of a swollen structure around the central part of the ＂U＂ and ＂V＂ shaped spindles connecting the two types of prospective pronuclei. However, immunofluorescence labeling with anti-a tubulin antibodies gave a different image from protargol. All these observations form the basis for further studies of their molecular mechanisms.展开更多
Periphytic biofilms in aquaculture waters are thought to improve water quality, provide an additional food source, and improve the survival and growth of some reared animals. In the AsiaPacific region, particularly in...Periphytic biofilms in aquaculture waters are thought to improve water quality, provide an additional food source, and improve the survival and growth of some reared animals. In the AsiaPacific region, particularly in China, artificial reefs are commonly used in the commercial farming of sea cucumbers. However, few studies have examined the epilithic biofilms on the artificial reefs. To gain a better understanding of the succession of epilithic biofilms and their ecological processes in sea cucumber culture waters, two experiments were conducted in culture waters of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus in Rongcheng, China, using artificial test panels. On the test panels of succession experiment, more than 67 species were identified in the biofilms. On the test panels of seasonal variation experiment, more than 46 species were recorded in the biofilms. In both experiments, communities of epilithic biofilms were dominated by diatoms, green algae and the annelid Spirorbis sp. In the initial colonization, the dominant diatoms were Cocconeis sp., Amphora spp. and Nitzschia closterium in June, which were succeeded by species of Navicula, Cocconeis and Nitzschia(July to September), and then by Licmophora abbreviata, Nitzschia closterium and Synedra spp. in the following months. A diatom bloom in the autumn and filamentous green algae burst in the summer were also observed. Ecological indices well annotated the succession and seasonal changes in epilithic communities. Multidimensional scaling(MDS) analysis found significant differences in diatom community composition among months and seasons. Fast growth of biofilms was observed in the summer and autumn, whereas the biomass of summer biofilms was largely made up of filamentous green algae. Present results show that the components of epilithic biofilms are mostly optimal foods of A. japonicus, suggesting that biofilms on artificial reefs may contribute important nutritional sources for sea cucumbers during their growth seasons. Future works should include quantitative determination of the contribution of epilithic biofilms to the diet of A. japonicus, potential roles of epilithic biofilms in regulating the water quality of sea cucumber ponds, and the regulation of epilithic biofilms in sea cucumber culture ponds.展开更多
文摘During conjugation of Paramecium caudatum, nuclear events occur in a scheduled program. Morphological studies on nuclear behavior during conjugation of P. caudatum have been performed since the end of the 19th century. Here we report on new details concerning the conjugation of P. caudatum through the staining of conjugating ceils with protargol, carbol fuchsin solution, Hoechst 33342 and immunofluorescence labeling with monoclonal antibody of anti-a tubulin. 1） The crescent nucleus is a characteristic of the meiotic prophase of P. caudatum, has an unstained area. We stained this area with protargol, which was separated from the chromatin area and was not detected by the other stainings. 2） In regards to the four meiotic products, it has long been considered that only one product enters the paroral cone region （PC） and survives after meiosis. However, our protargol and immunofluorescence labeling results indicated that PC entrance of the meiotic product happened before the completion of meiosis instead of after. 3） In our previous study, protargol staining indicated the presence of a swollen structure around the central part of the ＂U＂ and ＂V＂ shaped spindles connecting the two types of prospective pronuclei. However, immunofluorescence labeling with anti-a tubulin antibodies gave a different image from protargol. All these observations form the basis for further studies of their molecular mechanisms.
基金Supported by the National Key Technology R&D Program of China(No.2006BAD09A01)the Science and Technology Development Project in Shandong Province(No.2010GHY10505)the Science and Technology Development Project of Yantai(No.2011049)
文摘Periphytic biofilms in aquaculture waters are thought to improve water quality, provide an additional food source, and improve the survival and growth of some reared animals. In the AsiaPacific region, particularly in China, artificial reefs are commonly used in the commercial farming of sea cucumbers. However, few studies have examined the epilithic biofilms on the artificial reefs. To gain a better understanding of the succession of epilithic biofilms and their ecological processes in sea cucumber culture waters, two experiments were conducted in culture waters of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus in Rongcheng, China, using artificial test panels. On the test panels of succession experiment, more than 67 species were identified in the biofilms. On the test panels of seasonal variation experiment, more than 46 species were recorded in the biofilms. In both experiments, communities of epilithic biofilms were dominated by diatoms, green algae and the annelid Spirorbis sp. In the initial colonization, the dominant diatoms were Cocconeis sp., Amphora spp. and Nitzschia closterium in June, which were succeeded by species of Navicula, Cocconeis and Nitzschia(July to September), and then by Licmophora abbreviata, Nitzschia closterium and Synedra spp. in the following months. A diatom bloom in the autumn and filamentous green algae burst in the summer were also observed. Ecological indices well annotated the succession and seasonal changes in epilithic communities. Multidimensional scaling(MDS) analysis found significant differences in diatom community composition among months and seasons. Fast growth of biofilms was observed in the summer and autumn, whereas the biomass of summer biofilms was largely made up of filamentous green algae. Present results show that the components of epilithic biofilms are mostly optimal foods of A. japonicus, suggesting that biofilms on artificial reefs may contribute important nutritional sources for sea cucumbers during their growth seasons. Future works should include quantitative determination of the contribution of epilithic biofilms to the diet of A. japonicus, potential roles of epilithic biofilms in regulating the water quality of sea cucumber ponds, and the regulation of epilithic biofilms in sea cucumber culture ponds.
