Beibu Gulf’s (BBG) Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins present both a genetic differentiation and phenotypical differences from conspecifics from other areas of the South China Sea. Given the recent urbanization and industrialization in southern China, humpback dolphins from the BBG warrant conservation attention. However, this population’s demographic trend is unclear, making it hard to take conservation measures. To assess the population status of humpback dolphins in the BBG, photo-identification surveys were conducted between 2015 and 2019 in the inshore region surrounding the Dafeng River Estuary, which represents the most urbanized and industrialized coastal area of the BBG region. Robust design modeling suggested a constant survival for the female adults (0.89, 95% CI: 0.83–0.94). In comparison, the survival of the juvenile and sex-undetermined adults dropped from 0.92 (95% CI: 0.75–0.98) in 2015 to 0.86 (95% CI: 0.71–0.94) in 2016 and bounced back to 0.89 (95% CI: 0.80–0.94) in 2018. The low level of survival may justify the rapid decline in the annual population size from 156 (95% CI: 133–184) in 2015 to 102 (95% CI: 98–107) in 2019. We found little impact of emigration on the dolphin demographic process. Instead, the low and fluctuating survivals, although with overlapping confidence intervals, seemingly suggested a presence of strong marine stressor(s). Our study highlighted that obtaining high-resolution data is essential to improving our understanding of the demographic dynamics. Moreover, the anthropogenic stress in the BBG region should be quantitatively studied in both temporal and spatial perspectives, to help depict the ecological response of the dolphins to anthropogenic activities.
Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (hereafter: Synechocystis) is a model organism for studying photosynthesis, energy metabolism, and environmental stress. Although known as the first fully sequenced phototrophic organism, Synechocystis still has almost half of its proteome without functional annotations. In this study, by using co-fractionation coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), we define 291 multi-protein complexes, encompassing 24,092 protein–protein interactions (PPIs) among 2062 distinct gene products. This information not only reveals the roles of photosynthesis in metabolism, cell motility, DNA repair, cell division, and other physiological processes, but also shows how protein functions vary from bacteria to higher plants due to changes in interaction partners. It also allows us to uncover the functions of hypothetical proteins, such as Sll0445, Sll0446, and Sll0447 involved in photosynthesis and cell motility, and Sll1334 involved in regulation of fatty acid biogenesis. Here we present the most extensive PPI data for Synechocystis so far, which provide critical insights into fundamental molecular mechanisms in cyanobacteria.
Tooth rake marks are usually used as an indicator of received aggression in odontocetes whose social interactions are difficult to observe directly. Photographic data from five locations of the northern South China Sea were used to analyze seasonal, demographic, and geographic effects on the density of tooth rake marks and dorsal fin notches in Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis, IPHDs). The analysis revealed that fresh tooth rake marks were most frequent during the dry season. Males exhibited significantly higher rake mark density than females and rake density declined significantly with age. The density of notches was also significantly higher for males than for females, and lower for young dolphins than for mid-aged and adult ones. Geographically, tooth rake mark and notch density were the highest in Sanniang Bay and Southwestern Hainan. These results provide indirect evidence of variation in social interactions across seasons, across the lifespan of an individual, between sexes, and among different locations. This variation may result from changes in biological parameters, differences in social lives, and habitat characteristics.A model to determine the sex of dolphins was tested, and after further validation, such sex assignment could contribute to understanding IPHDs' social structure.
Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 is a model organism for studying photosynthesis, energy metabolism, and environmental stress. Though known as the first fully sequenced phototrophic organism, Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 still has almost half of its proteome without functional annotations. In this study, we obtained 291 protein complexes, including 24,092 protein-protein interactions (PPIs) among 2,062 proteins by using co-fractionation and LC/MS/MS. The additional level of PPIs information not only revealed the roles of photosynthesis in metabolism, cell motility, DNA repair, cell division, and other physiological processes, but also showed how protein functions vary from bacteria to higher plants due to the changed interaction partner. It also allows us to uncover functions of hypothetical proteins, such as Sll0445, Sll0446, Sll0447 participating in photosynthesis and cell motility, and Sll1334 regulating the expression of fatty acid. Here we presented the most extensive protein interaction data in Synechocystis so far, which might provide critical insights into the fundamental molecular mechanism in Cyanobacterium.
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