The two FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT)-like genes of apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.), MdFT1 and MdFT2, have been isolated and characterized. MdFT1 and MdFT2 were mapped, respectively, on distinct linkage groups (LGs) with partial homoeology, LG 12 and LG 4. The expression pattern of MdFT1 and MdFT2 differed in that MdFT1 was expressed mainly in apical buds of fruit-bearing shoots in the adult phase, with little expression in the juvenile tissues, whereas MdFT2 was expressed mainly in reproductive organs, including flower buds and young fruit. On the other hand, both genes had the potential to induce early flowering since transgenic Arabidopsis, which ectopically expressed MdFT1 or MdFT2, flowered earlier than wild-type plants. Furthermore, overexpression of MdFT1 conferred precocious flowering in apple, with altered expression of other endogenous genes, such as MdMADS12. These results suggest that MdFT1 could function to promote flowering by altering the expression of those genes and that, at least, other genes may play an important role as well in the regulation of flowering in apple. The long juvenile period of fruit trees prevents early cropping and efficient breeding. Our findings will be useful information to unveil the molecular mechanism of flowering and to develop methods to shorten the juvenile period in various fruit trees, including apple.

Distribution, reproduction and feeding of the Greenland shark Somniosus (Somniosus) microcephalus, with notes on two other sleeper sharks, Somniosus (Somniosus) pacificus and Somniosus (Somniosus) antarcticusThe size and depth distribution, stomach contents and reproductive status of Somniosus (Somniosus) microcephalus, Somniosus (Somniosus) pacificus and Somniosus (Somniosus) antarcticus were examined from specimens collected from the North and South Atlantic, North and South Pacific, and the Southern Ocean. Specimens ranged in size from 42 to 480 cm total length, L T , and were taken from depths of 35-1280 m. Stomach contents included coelenterates, gastropods, cephalopods, echinoderms, crustaceans, elasmobranchs, teleosts, penguins, marine mammals and human waste. Female S. (S.) microcephalus mature at c. 450 cm and S. (S.) antarcticus at c. 435 cm L T ; a female S. (S.) pacificus of 430 cm was mature. Male S. (S.) microcephalus mature at c. 300 cm, but male S. (S.) antarcticus may not mature until c. 400 cm L T . The size at birth in these three species of Somniosus is c. 40 cm L T . # 2007 CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research # 2007 CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric ResearchThe three species in the subgenus Somniosus can attain a total length (L T ) of 5-7 m (Compagno, 1984;Cherel & Duhamel, 2004;Compagno et al., 2005). Due to their large size, deep-sea habitat and lack of commercial importance, their biology is poorly known (Castro, 1983;Compagno, 1984;Ebert et al., 1987). This study collected new information on the depth and size distribution, stomach contents and reproductive status of Somniosus (Somniosus) microcephalus, S. (S.) pacificus and S. (S.) antarcticus. MATERIALS AND METHODSA total of 49 S. (S.) microcephalus (64Á8-480Á0 cm L T ) were examined. These included 32 females and 13 males from the western coast of Greenland, one male from Iceland, one male from Boston, U.S.A., and two females from the Canary Islands. Of 34 Somniosus (S.) pacificus (41Á8-430Á0 cm L T ) examined, 14 females and six males were from the eastern Aleutian Islands, Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska, one male and four females from Japan (Suruga Bay, Sagami Bay and Hiraiso, Ibaraki) and eight females and one male from California, U.S.A. A total of 24 Somniosus (S.) antarcticus (100Á0-438Á0 cm L T ) were examined. These included 14 females and five males from the Tasman Sea and Macquarie Island, three females from South Africa and two males from Namibia.Specimens were caught with demersal trawls, longlines, droplines and gillnets; fishing gear is described in Yano (1995), Yano & Dahlheim (1994) and Yano & Tanaka (1984).Ln-converted L T and mass equations for S. (S.) microcephalus, S. (S.) pacificus and S. (S.) antarcticus were calculated by the least squares method. Curves for these three species (by sex) were fitted to the data using the formula:mass in kg, L T is in cm, and a and b are fitted constants. Stomachs from 39 S. (S.) microcephalus collected from western Greenland waters, 21 S. (S.) pacificus from the Bering Sea, Gulf of ...

The reproductive biology of 1124 male (165–760 mm TL) and 1476 female (175–898 mm TL) black dogfish,Centroscyllium fabricii, was examined. The sharks were caught off western Greenland with bottom otter trawls. Size at maturity was about 550 mm TL in males and 650 mm TL in females. Ovarian ova did not continue to develop during gestation. The sex ratio of embryos was 1:1. Litter size ranged from 4 to 40, with a mean of 16–4. The total number of mature ova, fertilized ova, or embryos tended to increase with size of the females. Development of black dogfish embryos is dependent solely on yolk reserves. Near-term embryos (152–192 mm TL) had completely absorbed their external yolk sacs. The smallest free-living specimens collected in this study were 165 mm TL for males and 175 mm TL for females. The black dogfish does not seem to have a well-defined breeding season. This species displayed a well-defined pattern of depth segregation by size. The sex ratios in five shallow depth strata (500–599, 600–699, 700–799,800–899, and 900–999 m) were 1:1, but those of three deeper depth strata (1000–1099,1100–1199, and 1200–1299 m) contained a significantly greater number of females than males. Four abnormal hermaphrodites possessed gonads containing both testicular and ovarian tis-sues. Two specimens had normal female reproductive organs (e.g. ovaries, oviducts, nidamental glands, and uteri) as well as claspers.

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