The effect of organophosphorous insecticides upon catecholamine fluorescence in the corpus centrale and frontal ganglion of the house cricket, Acheta domesticus (L.)

Treatment of the house cricket Acheta domesticus (L.) with tetraethyl pyrophosphate and dicrotophos causes a depletion of the catecholamine stores of the central nervous system. Fluorescence microscopy of the brain and frontal ganglion 30 min after knock-down revealed a reduction in the catecholamine-specific fluorescence of the corpus centrale and frontal ganglion neuropile. In the corpus centrale the effect was much more pronounced and less variable with dicrotophos than with tetraethyl pyrophosphate, whereas both compounds appeared to have similar effects on the frontal ganglion. The possible relationship of this depletion to symptoms of intoxication requires further investigation.     

The effect of some herbicides on vesicular-arbuscular endophyte abundance in the soil and on infection of host roots

The effect of the herbicides di-allate, diquat, diuron, paraquat, tri-allate and trifluralin, at a range of application rates from 0.5 to 32 times that recommended by the manufacturers, on vesicular-arbuscular (V-A) endophyte spore abundance in the soil and on infection of wheat roots was investigated in field and glasshouse experiments. Paraquat and diquat had no measurable effect on V-A endophyte spore abundance. There was a slight trend to lower V-A endophyte spore numbers at high rates of application of di-allate and tri-allate but no trend for the other chemicals. Infection intensity (% root length infected) declined at high rates of di-allate and led to lower mycorrhizal root weights. The phosphorus content of the shoots was also reduced by di-allate. High doses of di-allate, diuron, tri-allate and trifluralin reduced most parameters of plant growth more than mycorrhizal parameters. It is therefore concluded that at normal application rates these chemicals are unlikely to affect adversely endomycorrhiza formation or function.     

Ecologically enhanced areas - a key habitat structure for re-introduced grey partridges Perdix perdix

We analysed the spatial distribution of home-ranges and the habitat use of re-introduced grey partridges Perdix perdix in relation to newly established ecologically enhanced areas, i.e. wild-flower strips and hedges, within an intensively cultivated area in Switzerland from which the species had become extinct. All birds settled within the ca. 30% of the study area where the proportion of enhanced areas was highest (5.8%). At the level of the individual family group, we found a significant over-proportional use of enhanced areas throughout the year. Furthermore, when the birds used the agricultural fields, the use densities strongly declined with distance from the nearest enhanced area. Thus, the availability and spatial distribution of ecologically enhanced areas were the main determinants of the partridges’ range use. These results indicate that a framework of ecologically enhanced areas is a key habitat structure for grey partridges, and that these enhancements, even if small in proportion, were the crucial first measure to restore the research area to an appropriate grey partridge habitat and, thus, the basis for successful re-introduction in this intensively cultivated area.