Estimating the abundance and diversity of butterflies

Concern about the apparent decline in butterfly populations has led to projects designed to obtain quantitative information on their abundance and diversity. Three methods of sampling communities of butterflies are suggested, and the use of a diversity index, β, is recommended. This index gives an estimate of the probability that an individual sampled at random from a community will be different from the previous individual sampled. Change and stability in diversity can be used as a guide for conservation and management programmes.     

An Experiment to Control Fomes annosus in Second Rotation Pine Crops

Stump removal was found to singnificantly reduce killing byFomes annosus in second rotation crops of pine. Poisoning andgirdling of trees prior to felling and also stump poisoningfailed to control the disease. In this experiment no significantdifferences were detected in the susceptibility of Scots andCorsican pine to attack. Increasing periods of delay beforereplanting resulted in less mortality. An equation is presented,based on factors of the first rotation crop which may be usedto predict losses likely to occur when a site is replanted.Root attack by F. annosus results in reduced growth and yieldas well as mortality. The results from the experiment are discussed in trems of themangement of pine crops attacted by F. annosus in Theford Chase.     

Preliminary observations on the effects of burning on the hemiptera (Heteroptera and Auchenorhyncha) of limestone grassland

Samples of Hemiptera were taken in September 1972, from areas of carboniferous limestone grassland which were burnt in April and May 1972, and from adjacent unburnt areas. Significantly larger numbers of species, of both Heteroptera and Auchenorhyncha, were recorded from the unburnt areas, and the species-diversity of the samples was significantly greater. The effects of burning on individual species are considered in relation to their biology and the effects of other kinds of management. The results are discussed in relation to the management of grassland for the conservation of wildlife, and a short review of the effects of burning on populations of invertebrate animals is made.     

The exploitation of helix pomatia L.

The evidence at present available, although incomplete, gives rise to fears for the future of the edible snail Helix pomatia L. The scale of exploitation is increasing, particularly in Eastern Europe, to meet growing demand, mainly from the West. The growth of legislation to control collecting supports the evidence of declining numbers, but the legislation does not appear to be backed by sufficiently detailed population ecology studies. The need for co-ordinated international action on farming, legislation and ecological study is urged.     

Fats and oils. Determination of fat in body tissues and in food mixtures.

The official final action acid hydrolysis method, 14.019, for the determination of fat in foods was successfully applied, with slight modifications, to the analysis of homogenates of food, feces, and animal tissues as well as dry samples of mixed foods. In samples containing sucrose or fructose, it was necessary to carry out a fermentation procedure before acid hydrolysis to avoid problems encountered when these sugars were present.     

Chemical Control of the Pine Shoot Moth, Rhyacionia buoliana (Denis and SchiffermUller) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in Seed Orchards in Britain

In 1970 and 1971 a high population of Rhyacionia buoliana (Denisand SchiffermÜller), the Pine shoot moth, appeared in aseed orchard of Pinus contorta Douglas ex Loud, in Wiltshire.The opportunity was taken to compare several alternative insecticideswith DDT. Field trials in March and August showed that fenitrothioncan be used as an alternative to DDT to control the Pine shootmoth.     

A comparison of some red and yellow earths in tropical queensland and northeast Brazil

Red and yellow earths are kaolinitic and generally sesquioxidic soils having massive B horizons with porous, earthy fabrics and weak profile differentiation but usually displaying a gradual increase in clay content with depth. They are widespread in tropical Queensland and northeast Brazil where comparable climates prevail although the vegetation is markedly different. Their parent materials are mostly quartzitic sedimentary rocks or unconsolidated sediments and the soils occur in a wide variety of topographic and geomorphic situations. In both regions it is probable that many of the soils have not formed under the present climatic conditions.Profile morphology, drainage, silt and clay contents, clay mineralogy, and soil chemistry have been compared and contrasted between the red and yellow earths within and between the two regions. Canonical variate analysis has shown that, on the basis of surface soil chemical attributes, the red earths can be separated from the yellow earths within each region and that the Queensland soils can be separated from the Brazilian soils.     

Long-term effects of five ameliorants on a saline-sodic soil of South Africa

The effects of five ameliorants for saline-sodic soil reclamation on certain chemical and physical soil properties over a four-year period of observation are reported. Of these ameliorants, three are conventionally used (gypsum, sulphur, manure); the other two are for this purpose either unusual (potassium sulphate) or relatively unknown (molasses meal). Results published in a previous paper demonstrated that molasses meal had a very rapid-acting favourable effect on most soil physical properties whilst soil chemical conditions remained essentially unchanged. The effect on physical properties was presumably due to soil aggregation by the polysaccharide component of molasses meal. As a follow-up this paper shows, however, that this aggregation does not last long; the rigidly arid climatic conditions under which this experiment was carried out apparently do not favour the preservation of structural bonds consisting of polysaccharide gums. Consequently, a gradual decline of structural conditions took place after the second year. Although initially not as effective as molasses meal, gypsum and sulphur retained their favourable influence on physical properties over a longer period. Potassium sulphate and farmyard manure provided virtually no benefits.