The postembryonic development and the sexual dimorphism of the skull of the Japanese skink, Eumeces latiscutatus, is described. In newborn hatchlings the fontanelle lies between the frontals and the parietal, and it still remains as a median suture in the parietal in young adults. Two degenerated elements, quad-ratojugal and tabular, appear in adults. The sexual dimorphism is not found in hatchlings and yearlings, and male hypermorphism becomes apparent as a male grows mature. As a male grows older, the dorsal temporal region becomes robust, the lateral margin of the squamosal swells out laterally, and the supratemporal fenestra comes to be closed by surrounding bones which unite tightly with each other. In female adults, however, such changes do not occur. The rise of the nuchal ridge in the parietal, the protrusion of the crest of the quadrate, the development of the basal tuber, and the fusion of some elments of the braincase occur later in females than in males. Males are larger in skull size than females.

The scincid lizard Plestiodon latiscutatus is found in the Izu Islands and Izu Peninsula of central Japan, whereas P. japonicus, a close relative, is found over the entire main island group of Japan, except the Izu Peninsula. The precise area of occupancy of these species was surveyed around the Izu Peninsula. Species identification was made through comparison of mitochondrial DNA partial sequences of specimens from the Izu Peninsula with those from the other regions, since morphological differences between these species have not yet been characterized. This study determined that these species are deeply diverged from each other in mitochondrial DNA sequence, and that the ranges of these species overlap only in a narrow zone. The results imply that gene flow between these species, if any, is restricted to a low level, without physical barriers. The boundary between the geographic ranges of these species was established as occurring along the lower Fuji River, Mt. Fuji, and the Sakawa River. This region is concordant with that of the old sea that is assumed to have separated the Izu Peninsula from other parts of the Japanese main island group until the middle Pleistocene. This pattern suggests that P. latiscutatus and P. japonicus were differentiated allopatrically before the connection of land areas of the Izu Peninsula and Honshu, the main island of Japan, and come into secondary contact through this connection. Thus, the species boundary is likely to have been maintained in situ, without physical barriers, since the secondary contact in the middle Pleistocene.

An ew entry of chiral anti-hyperlipoproteinemia drug is reported, showing an excellent preferential enrichment (PE) phenomenon whichi sn ot caused by ap olymorphic transitiond uring crystallization, but is proposedt o occur by an ovel mechanism involving partially irregular stackingo fR and S homochiral two-dimensional (2D) sheets with al arge dipole moment, followed by selective redissolution of one homochiral2 Ds heet into the mother liquor during crystallization. The cocrystal composedo f( RS)-2-{4-[(4-chlorophenoxy)methyl]phenoxy}propionic acid( CPPPA) and achiral isonicotinamide exhibitedasubstantial enrichment in the mother liquorupt o9 3% ee by simply repeating recrystallization undern onequilibrium conditions using high supersaturation. Furthermore, the depositedc rystals with low ee valueso btained at the end of PE experiment were secondh armonic generation (SHG)-positive,i ndicating the formation of homochiral domains in the deposited crystals, which reflects the proposed mechanism of PE.[a] Dr.

22The rhizosphere, which is the region of soil adjacent to plant roots, is affected by 23 the activities of both plant roots and associated microorganisms which cause changes in 24 soil properties including nutrient mineral composition. Accordingly, the actual 25 availability of plant nutrients may not be the same as that estimated on the basis of bulk 26 soil analysis. However, the extent and manner in which the availability of plant nutrients 27 in bulk and rhizosphere soils differ remain unclear. Therefore, the present study defined 28 the rhizosphere as the soil adhered to plant roots, established a set of small-scale protocols 29 for analyzing the nutrient minerals of small soil samples, and then characterized the 30 rhizosphere soil of sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench. The mineral contents of the 31 bulk and rhizosphere soil differed significantly, with nutrient contents generally greater 32 in the rhizosphere, and particularly remarkable accumulation was observed in regards to 33 ammonium ion and exchangeable potassium concentrations. Such accumulation might be 34 due, in part, to the greater per weight surface areas of rhizosphere soil particles, but other 35 mechanisms, including the accumulation of organic matter, could also be involved.3 36 Introduction 37 The environment in the immediate vicinity of plant roots, the rhizosphere, is 38 generally considered to be distinct from that of the surrounding soil (i.e., bulk soil), and 39 the differences in these two regions can be attributed to multiple factors. Respiration by 40 roots, for example, is associated with the consumption of oxygen and production of 41 carbon dioxide, thereby causing local changes in gas composition. Meanwhile, the 42 excretion of exudates by plant roots provides a food source for heterotrophic microbes 43 and promotes the establishment of distinct microbial communities [1][2][3]. Furthermore, the 44 selective uptake of nutrients by roots, release of protons or bicarbonate ions in exchange 45 with absorbed nutrients, and the release of plant-derived organic acids or chelators to 46 solubilize sparingly soluble salts cause changes in the chemical composition of the 47 rhizosphere [4]. Together, the resulting differences between the nutrient availabilities of 48 bulk and rhizosphere soil can have significant effects on plant growth. However, the 49 extent and manner in which the availability of plant nutrients in bulk and rhizosphere 50 soils differ remain unclear. For example, the ammonium ion (NH 4 + ) levels of rhizosphere 51 soil have been reported to be both higher [5][6][7] or lower [8,9] than that of bulk soil, and 52 the same trend has been reported for potassium (K) [10][11][12]. 53To gain insights into the rhizosphere, soil needs to be fractionated according to 54 distance from plant roots. The so-called "rhizobox" technique, for example, allows roots 55 grow within a compartment of soil that is separated from the surrounding region with fine 56 mesh, which prevents the roots from mixing with the surrounding soil but...

The Ryukyu five-lined skink, Eumeces marginatus, is an endemic species of the central and northern Ryukyus, and is composed of two morphologically defined subspecies, E. m, marginatus from the Okinawa Group, and E. m. oshimensis from the Amami and Tokara Groups.