Research Progress

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  Urbanization sharply influences biodiversity

  Aug 10, 2010
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  Mutualistic invasion of the invasive red turpentine beetle and its fungal associate

  Recent studies have investigated relationships between pairs or groups of exotic species to illustrate invasive mechanisms, but most have focused on interactions at a single trophic level. Here, we conducted pathogenicity tests, analyses of host volatiles, and fungal growth tests to elucidate an intricate network of interactions between the host tree, the invasive red turpentine beetle, and its fungal associates.Seedlings inoculated with two strains of Leptographium procerum isolated from Dendroctonus valens in China had significantly longer lesions and higher mortality rates than seedlings inoculated with other fungal isolates.

  Jul 20, 2010
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  Phylogenetic analysis and molecular characteristics of seven variant Chinese field isolates of PRRSV

  Jun 30, 2010
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  Mature eggs generated from dormant ovarian follicles

  Jun 25, 2010
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  Discovery of Pluripotent Marker of Mouse Stem Cells

  Jun 18, 2010
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  New systematics of Drepanoidea (Lepidoptera)

  Jun 04, 2010
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  Ambient temperature affects maternal investment strategies in lactating Brandt’s voles

  The maximum rate of sustained energy intake (SusEI) may limit reproductive effort, thermoregulatory capability and other aspects of an animal’s energy expenditure. Consequently, factors that limit SusEI are of interest. The ‘heat dissipation limitation hypothesis’ suggests that maximum SusEI during lactation is limited by the capacity to dissipate body heat generated as a byproduct of processing food and producing milk. In the present study, we tested the heat dissipation limitation hypothesis in lactating Brandt’s voles (Lasiopodomys brandtii). Female voles were mated and pregnant at 21(±1) °C. A random sample of animals was transferred into a hot room 30(±1) °C on the day of parturition.

  May 07, 2010
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  Hope for Wild Pandas

  May 05, 2010
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  Elevated CO2 changes the interactions between nematode and tomato genotypes differing in the JA pathway

  Atmospheric CO2 level is increasing rapidly and is expected to double in the next century. Most studies addressing how plant-herbivore interactions are affected by elevated CO2 have focused on aboveground herbivory. Few studies, however, have considered how CO2 affects interactions between plants and belowground herbivores. The current study examined how three isogenic tomato genotypes that differ in the JA pathway responded to elevated CO2, both alone and combined with M. incognita infection. The three isogenic genotypes, which differed in the jasmonic acid (JA) pathway, were suppressor of prosystemin-mediated responses2 (spr2) mutant plants, 35S::prosystemin (35S) plants, and wild type (Wt) plants.

  Apr 22, 2010
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  Development of a whole-cell biocatalyst for detoxification of a mixture of organophosphorus pesticides

  Synthetic organophosphates (OPs) are widely used to control agricultural pests and account for ~38% of the total pesticides used globally. In the United States alone, over 40 million kilograms of OP pesticides are consumed annually. OPs are acute neurotoxins by virtue of their potent inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). OP pesticides are mostly liposoluble and pose a hazard to humans through accumulation in the food chain. In a recent study carried out by Chuanling Qiao’s research group, E. coli strain XL1-Blue was genetically engineered to co-express methyl parathion hydrolase (MPH) and organophosphorus hydrolase (OPH) using two compatible vectors.

  Apr 14, 2010