Taste receptor genes are functionally important in animals, with a surprising exception in the bottlenose dolphin, which shows extensive losses of sweet, umami, and bitter taste receptor genes. To examine the generality of taste gene loss, we examined seven toothed whales and five baleen whales and sequenced the complete repertoire of three sweet/umami (T1Rs) and ten bitter (T2Rs) taste receptor genes. We found all amplified T1Rs and T2Rs to be pseudogenes in all 12 whales, with a shared premature stop codon in 10 of the 13 genes, which demonstrated massive losses of taste receptor genes in the common ancestor of whales. Furthermore, we analyzed three genome sequences from two toothed whales and one baleen whale and found that the sour taste marker gene Pkd2l1 is a pseudogene, whereas the candidate salty taste receptor genes are intact and putatively functional. Additionally, we examined three genes that are responsible for taste signal transduction and found the relaxation of functional constraints on taste signaling pathways along the ancestral branch leading to whales. Together, our results strongly suggest extensive losses of sweet, umami, bitter, and sour tastes in whales, and the relaxation of taste function most likely arose in the common ancestor of whales between 36 and 53 Ma. Therefore, whales represent the first animal group to lack four of five primary tastes, probably driven by the marine environment with high concentration of sodium, the feeding behavior of swallowing prey whole, and the dietary switch from plants to meat in the whale ancestor.

Seed treatment with endophytic fungi has been regarded as an effective method for plant parasitic nematode control. Endophytic fungi from cucumber seedlings were isolated and screened for their potential to be used as seed treatment agents against Meloidogyne incognita. Among the 294 isolates screened, 23 significantly reduced galls formed by M. incognita in greenhouse test. The 10 most effective isolates were Fusarium (5), Trichoderma (1), Chaetomium (1), Acremonium (1), Paecilomyces (1), and Phyllosticta (1). Their control efficacies were repeatedly tested and their colonizations as well as in vitro activity against M. incognita were studied. They reduced the number of galls by 24.0%-58.4% in the first screening and 15.6%-44.3% in the repeated test, respectively. Phyllosticta Ph511 and Chaetomium Ch1001 had high colonizations on both the roots and the aboveground parts of cucumber seedlings. Fusarium isolates had colonization preference on the roots, their root colonizations ranging from 20.1% to 47.3% of the total root area. Trichoderma Tr882, Paecilomyces Pa972, and Acremonium Ac985 had low colonizations on both the roots and the aboveground parts. Acremonium Ac985, Chaetomium Ch1001, Paecilomyces Pa972, and Phyllosticta Ph511 produced compounds affecting motility of the second stage juveniles of M. incognita. Based on these results, Chaetomium Ch1001 was considered to have the highest potential as a seed treatment agent for M. incognita biocontrol.

To develop an effective biocontrol strategy for management of Fusarium head blight on wheat caused by Fusarium graminearum, the bacterial biocontrol agent Pcho10 was selected from more than 1,476 wheat-head-associated bacterial strains according to its antagonistic activity in vitro. This strain was subsequently characterized as Pseudomonas chlororaphis subsp. aurantiaca based on 16S ribosomal DNA sequence analysis, assays of the BIOLOG microbial identification system, and unique pigment production. The major antifungal metabolite produced by Pcho10 was further identified as phenazine-1-carboxamide (PCN) on the basis of nuclear magnetic resonance data. The core PCN biosynthesis gene cluster in Pcho10 was cloned and sequenced. PCN showed strong inhibitory activity against F. graminearum conidial germination, mycelial growth, and deoxynivalenol production. Tests both under growth chamber conditions and in field trials showed that Pcho10 well colonized on the wheat head and effectively controlled the disease caused by F. graminearum. Results of this study indicate that P. chlororaphis subsp. aurantiaca Pcho10 has high potential to be developed as a biocontrol agent against F. graminearum. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the use of P. chlororaphis for the management of Fusarium head blight.

The aim of this study was to determine the bacteria present in the fecal material of the endangered Yangtze finless porpoise, Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis. Fecal samples were collected from 12 Yangtze finless porpoises living in the wild at Poyang Lake, located in Jiangxi Province, China. To determine the bacterial diversity, a 16S rRNA gene clone library using the bacterial PCR primers fD1 and rP2, was prepared. A total of 138 near-full-length sequences were analyzed and 39 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified. Sequences showing C97% similarity were grouped together as an OTU. Six different phyla were identified in which 38 OTUs were classified. Most of the OTUs contained sequences belonged to the phylum Firmicutes (51.3%), followed by Tenericutes (17.9%), Proteobacteria (15.4%), Actinobacteria (7.7%), Deinococcus-Thermus (2.6%) and Cyanobacteria (2.6%). A phylum could not be assigned for one clone within one OTU (2.6%). It appears that the Yangtze finless porpoise has a more diverse range of bacteria compared to other aquatic mammals, such as seals.

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The goals of this study were to compare the serum chemistry and hematology values of wild and semi-natural free-ranging Yangtze Finless Porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis ssp. asiaeorientalis) populations and to ascertain how these values change with the different environmental condition. For this study, samples were collected from 81 YFPs, 35 living in the wild and 46 living in a semi-natural reserve. Each population was divided into 8 life history categories; Male Calf, Female Calf, Juvenile Male, Juvenile Female, Adult Male, Pregnant, Lactating and Pregnant plus Lactating. Statistically significant differences in the various parameters were observed in the same life history categories for both populations. Generally, Lipid Profile, Hepatic Enzymes, Creatine Kinase, Red Blood Cells, Hemoglobin, Hematocrit and Neutrophils were significantly higher in the Tian-E-Zhou Oxbow population while, Creatinine, Phosphate, Lactate Dehydrogenase, Bilirubin and Lymphocytes were significantly higher in the Poyang Lake YFPs. Across the groups in the Tian-E-Zhou Oxbow population, a significant decrease in serum Albumin, Alkaline Phosphatase and Calcium, while a significant increase in the Neutrophils and Platelets was observed. Similarly, in the Poyang Lake, Alkaline Phosphatase levels in the Female Calves group, High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol in Lactating group, basophil counts in Pregnant plus Lactating group, lymphocytes counts in Juvenile Females group and Globulin and Total Protein levels in Pregnant group were significantly higher. This study in health assessments can help us to understand the effect of sex, age, reproductive status and environmental conditions on the well-being of Yangtze Finless Porpoises.

Removal of plants from the wild for horticulture purposes has eroded the level of genetic variation of N. sericea. Low levels of genetic diversity and a high degree of population differentiation indicate that management strategies should include conservation of natural habitats occupied by all six wild populations, and sampling of germplasm resources from multiple seed sources.

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