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Understanding the effects of genotype, environment and their interactions on rice quality is of great importance for rice breeding and cultivation. In this study, six rice varieties with two indica, two japonica and two indica–japonica types of rice were selected and planted at ten locations in Zhejiang Province to investigate the genotype (G) × environment (E) on physicochemical and sensory properties and the differences of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) among the three types of rice. Analysis of variances showed that apparent amylose content (AC), total protein content (PC), alkali spreading value (ASV), RVA profiles, and appearance (ACR), palatability (PCR), and sensory evaluation value (SEV) of cooked rice and texture of cooled cooked rice (TCCR) were mainly affected by genotypic variation, whereas the smell of cooked rice (SCR) was mainly affected by environment (p < 0.05). The G × E effect was significant for most parameters. The weather in the middle and late periods of filling had important effects on the formation of rice quality, especially on setback (SB) and pasting temperature (PT) (p < 0.01). They were negatively correlated with the texture of cooked rice (TCR) and SEV (p < 0.05). Peak viscosity (PV) and breakdown (BD) were positively related to the sensory evaluation parameters (p < 0.01) and could be used to predict cooked rice quality. A total of 59 VOCs were detected, and indica, japonica and indica–japonica had 9, 6 and 19 characteristic compounds, respectively. The principal component analysis showed that the physicochemical and sensory properties and VOCs of indica–japonica rice were more stable than those of indica and japonica rice at ten locations in Zhejiang Province. It is helpful for rice breeders to understand how the environment affects the physicochemical, sensory properties and VOCs of the three rice types, and it is also important for food enterprises to provide rice products with stable quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: We measured female reproductive traits of a colubrid snake (Lycodon rufozonatus) from Zhejiang, East China in four years (1999, 2010, 2011, and 2014). After removing the influence of female size, postpartum body mass was greater in 2010 than in 2014, clutch mass was greater in 2010 than in 2011 and 2014, and egg size was greater in 2010 than in the other three years. Egg size was positively related to postpartum body condition in each year. Females laid larger eggs in 2010 than in other three years after removing the influence of maternal size and body condition. Our study does not follow the prediction that reproductive females with different amounts of resources to invest should give priority to adjusting the number rather than size of offspring. Long-term studies are especially suited for disentangling the effects of extrinsic and intrinsic factors on both total reproductive investment and reproductive allocation in offspring number versus offspring size. Female reproductive traits of the red-banded wolf snake (Lycodon rufozonatus) from Zhejiang, East China were studied in four years between 1999 and 2014. Egg-laying dates overall extended from late June to late July, and varied among years. Postpartum body mass, clutch size, clutch mass, and egg size were positively related to female size (snout vent length, SVL) in each year. Postpartum body mass, clutch mass, and egg size differed among years after accounting for female SVL, whereas clutch size did not. Setting female SVL at the same level, postpartum body mass was greater in 2010 than in 2014, clutch mass was greater in 2010 than in 2011 and 2014, and egg size was greater in 2010 than in the other three years. Females did not trade off egg size against number. Egg size was positively related to postpartum body condition in each year. Females laid larger eggs in 2010 than in other three years after removing the influence of maternal body condition. Our study provides evidence for the traditional view that reproductive output is highly linked to maternal body size in snakes, but not following Smith and Fretwell's (1974) classic prediction that females with different amounts of resources to invest in reproduction should give priority to adjusting the number rather than size of their offspring. Maternal body size and condition both are important sources of variation in egg size, but factors other than these two variables may also affect the size of eggs produced by female L. rufozonatus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Species-specific advertisement calls are the main mechanism of transmitting information between individuals in anuran amphibians and are therefore indispensable for anuran survival and reproduction. Survey methods that monitor these calls can be used for rapid species recognition, behavioral experiments, and conservation monitoring. In this study, we described in detail 10 call parameters from three sympatric species in the genus Microhyla and analyzed the differences in call parameter among these species to provide a basis for systematic monitoring, acoustic analysis and taxonomic study of this genus. Methods: The quantitative analyses of temporal and spectral call parameters were used in our study for the advertisement calls of three sympatric Microhyla species (M. beilunensis, M. fissipes and M. heymonsi) in Zhejiang Province, East China. Results: Our results showed the following: (1) Significant differences existed among the three sympatric Microhyla species in call duration (CD), call interval (CI), number of pulses (NP), pulse rate, call intensity (CIT), dominant frequency (DF) and frequency of the first to fourth formants (F1, F2, F3 and F4). (2) Some spectral parameters (DF, F1 and F3) were negatively correlated with the body size of the vocalizing individuals in each species. (3) The coefficients of variation within individuals (CVw) for CIT, DF and F1-F4 were smaller than 5%, whereas the CVW for CI was larger than 10% in each species. (4) The principal component analysis and discriminant function analysis showed that call parameters could distinguish the three Microhyla species. (5) The phylogenetic generalized least squares analysis showed that phylogenetic relationships affected CD and NP against snout-vent length (SVL), DF and NP against CD, and NP against DF, but not of DF against SVL; based on the phylogenetic analysis, CD and NP were not related to SVL, but DF was negatively related to SVL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species of the genus Megophrys from Zhejiang Province, China is described. Molecular phylogenetic analyses supported the new taxon as an independent clade nested into the Megophrys clade and sister to M. lishuiensis. The new species could be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following morphological characteristics: (1) small size (SVL 31.0-36.3 mm in male and 41.6 mm in female); (2) vomerine ridge present and vomerine teeth absent; (3) tongue not notched behind; (4) a small horn-like tubercle at the edge of each upper eyelid; (5) tympanum distinctly visible, rounded; (6) two metacarpal tubercles in hand; (7) relative finger lengths: II < I < IV < III; (8) toes with rudimentary webbing at bases; (9) heels overlapping when thighs are positioned at right angles to the body; (10) tibiotarsal articulation reaching tympanum to eye when leg stretched forward; (11) an internal single subgular vocal sac in male; (12) in breeding male, the nuptial pads with black nuptial spines on the dorsal bases of the first and second fingers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cenozoic continental basalts from Zhejiang Province, southeast China are tholeiitic to weakly alkalic in composition, with moderate MgO contents (6–11 wt.%) and an average Mg # of 62. They display typical OIB-like trace element features, including enrichment in most incompatible elements, both LILE and LREE, and negative K, Pb, Zr, Hf anomalies. In particular, they are characterized by high Fe/Mn (73 ± 5), La/Yb (19 ± 6) and Nb/Ta (18.8 ± 0.4) ratios, which can be attributed to the presence of residual clinopyroxene, garnet and rutile in the mantle source. Based on these minerals, the following hybrid source rocks are hypothesized: garnet pyroxenite/eclogite and peridotite. Clinopyroxene–liquid thermobarometry indicates clinopyroxene crystallization temperatures of > 1257 °C. This is higher than the assumed temperature at the base of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) (~ 1220 °C) beneath Zhejiang, thus the magmas were presumably derived from the asthenosphere. Some typical geochemical features such as negative K, Pb anomalies, positive Ba, Sr, Nb, Ta anomalies and the extremely high Os isotopic signatures, suggest participation of EM-like mantle sources, indicative of ancient subducted oceanic crust. ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) i (0.7037–0.7046) and 143 Nd/ 144 Nd (0.512832–0.512990) isotope ratios point to the presence of mixed components in the source region, i.e., DMM, EM1 and EM2. Recent seismic tomographic images of the mantle beneath Zhejiang suggest the presence of a subducted slab of oceanic lithosphere in the transition zone. Based on the combined geophysical and geochemical evidence, we propose that the major source of the Zhejiang basaltic magmas was the ancient subducted oceanic slab in the transition zone with an EM-like signature. The other magma sources include depleted asthenospheric peridotite possessing a DMM-like signature. The dynamics of this upwelling hybrid magma was apparently related to westward subduction of the Pacific plate underneath the eastern Asian continent. This process may have triggered the widespread Cenozoic volcanism related to the lithospheric thinning in East China in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]