Variability in response to toosendanin in a laboratory colony of<Emphasis Type="Italic">Trichoplusia ni</Emphasis>

Laboratory rearing of insects for scientific research ensures a constant supply of insects. However, laboratory colonies may diverge genetically and/or phenotypically from wild populations due to selection pressures in their artificial environment. This study examined how variation in a colony ofTrichoplusia ni influenced reproducibility over time of bioassays of toosendanin (a limonoid extracted from the bark ofMelia azedarach). In four of five experiments insect growth was reduced significantly (P=0.05) by the presence of toosendanin in the diet. The fifth experiment showed the same trend, but the effect was not significant. Mean larval mass of both control and treated insects also varied greatly among experiments. The considerable variability observed in this population highlights the importance of replicating experiments in time, and not just space, to confirm reproducibility of treatment effects. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting Jan. 23, 2007.     

管侧沟茧蜂寄生对粘虫在玉米植株上分布位置选择性的影响

为明确管侧沟茧蜂Microplitis tuberculifer寄生对粘虫Mythimna separata在玉米植株上分布位置的影响及相关机理,采用生物学观察法在温室和实验室内监测了被寄生与未被寄生的粘虫幼虫在玉米活体植株和离体叶片上的分布及管侧沟茧蜂结茧位置的变化。结果表明,被管侧沟茧蜂寄生的粘虫幼虫在玉米叶片背面的平均分布比例为36.29%,显著高于未被寄生粘虫的14.60%;寄生后第8天开始,被寄生粘虫在黄色叶片上的分布比例显著高于未被寄生粘虫;非滞育和滞育条件下,管侧沟茧蜂在玉米植株黄色叶片上的平均结茧数目分别为19.3个和15.3个,显著高于绿叶上的6.5个和4.7个及土面上的0.8个和0.7个,选择性试验发现湿度在结茧位置的选择中发挥着重要作用。研究表明,管侧沟茧蜂可以通过调控寄主粘虫在玉米植株上的分布位置协助其找到合适的结茧位置。     

Multi-scale study of bird species distribution and of their response to vegetation change: a Mediterranean example

Land use changes operate at different scales. They trigger a cascade of effects that simultaneously modify the composition or structure of the landscape and of the local vegetation. Mobil animals, and birds in particular, can respond quickly to such multi-scalar changes. We took advantage of a long term study on the response of songbirds to land-use changes on four Mediterranean islands in Corsica and Sardinia to explore the benefits of a multi-scale analysis of the relationships between songbird distribution, vegetation structure and landscape dynamics. Field data and aerial photographs were used to describe the vegetation at three different scales. Birds were censused by point counts. We used statistical variance decomposition to study how bird distribution and vegetation at various scales were linked. We analysed multi-scale vegetation changes (floristic composition, plot vegetation type, and landscape structure) and their consequences on bird distribution with multivariate and non-parametrical tests. The distribution of most species was linked to at least two spatial scales. The weight of a given scale was consistent with life-history traits for species whose biology was well-known. In the examples studied, vegetation composition, vegetation type and landscape changes that resulted from land abandonment negatively affected birds depending on open or heterogeneous areas. Our results emphasize that multi-scale analyses can greatly enhance our understanding of bird distribution and of their changes. Management of these populations should take into account measures at various spatial scales depending on the sensitivity of the species.     

嫁接幼苗正压气流导向方法及参数优化

负压吸附把持手具有对幼苗苗径变化适应性强、减少幼苗把持损伤的优点,但其难以实现对弯曲幼苗的自动吸附把持。针对上述问题,该研究提出了一种利用正压气流对弯曲幼苗进行导向的作业方法。以常见嫁接用黄瓜幼苗为代表进行研究,考察正压气流对纤细幼苗导向效果。首先进行了弯曲应力测定,结果表明,对于长轴平均直径为（1.82±0.07）mm、短轴平均直径为（1.47±0.02）mm的黄瓜幼苗在10 mm长度上矫正5 mm弯曲偏差时所需最大弯曲力平均值为（0.082±0.005）N;针对黄瓜幼苗进行了单管正压气流导向试验并进行高速摄影记录,结果表明,当正压气管内径为4 mm,负压把持手吸嘴口与正压气管口间距为25～30 mm,导向气压为0.3 MPa时,导向成功率为93.3%;为改善导向效果,对黄瓜幼苗进行双管正压气流导向试验,结果表明,在正压气管内径4 mm条件下,当负压把持手吸嘴口与正压气管口间距为20～25mm、导向气压为0.3 MPa时,黄瓜幼苗导向成功率为100%。该研究结果可为基于气力导向方法的幼苗把持作业提供技术参考。     

Avian predation on wild and cultured sea urchin <Emphasis Type="Italic">Strongylocentrotus intermedius</Emphasis> in a rocky shore habitat

ABSTRACT:   The present study reports the annual variation in consumption of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius by avian predators on a rocky shore where the culture of sea urchins has been conducted. Carrion crow and a few gull species were the most abundant avian predators and consumed a large number of sea urchins. Crows consumed mostly natural sea urchins, approximately 36 kg ww/ha per year on the intertidal rocky bench, but the gull species consumed mostly cultured sea urchins, approximately 100 kg ww/ha per year in the culture area. The seasonal variation in the amount of sea urchins consumed by crows was higher than that by the gull species, presumably because of the difference in foraging behavior in association with the seasonal tidal cycle. The natural sea urchins consumed are an allochthonous input from the subtidal to the intertidal habitat, and thus, crow predation may not affect the natural and the cultured populations of the sea urchin. The gull species consumed much of the cultured sea urchin, and thus, may be regarded as an effective predator causing damage to sea urchin culture. The results suggest that further studies are needed to determine why the gull species selectively feed on cultured sea urchins.     

The role of flatfishes in the organization and structure of the eastern Bering Sea ecosystem

We evaluated the role of flatfishes in the organization and structure of the eastern Bering Sea ecosystem using the Ecopath/Ecosim approach. As basic input data for the Ecopath/Ecosim model, we used estimates of biomass from bottom trawl surveys and age-structured population models, production/biomass (P/B) ratio, consumption/biomass (Q/B) ratio, diet composition (DC), and fisheries harvests for each component of species or species groups. We estimated the trophic level of each component, niche overlaps among flatfishes, and the impacts of competition and predation on flatfish species in the eastern Bering Sea ecosystem. Based on those estimates, we developed the tropho-dynamic structure of the ecosystem, and the model was used to simulate ecological effects of fishery exploitation patterns. No single flatfish species appeared to have a profound and uniquely important role in the organization and structure of the ecosystem. Instead, the most important component among the guild of flatfish species appeared to be yellowfin sole Pleuronectes asper, which had greater biomass than other flatfish and a relatively diverse diet among the small flatfish species. Pacific halibut Hippoglossus stenolepis, Greenland turbot Reinhardtius hippoglossoides, and arrowtooth flounder Atheresthes stomias were important keystone predators in the eastern Bering Sea ecosystem together with some groups of marine mammals and sea birds. Intra flatfish complex cannibalism was not observed, however, substantial diet overlaps were common in the flatfish guild system.     

Proposal for stock-recruitment relationship for Japanese sardine <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sardinops melanostictus</Emphasis> in North-Western Pacific

ABSTRACT:   This study assessed the stock-recruitment relationship (SRR) for the Japanese sardine Sardinops melanostictus in the North-western Pacific. Of the 20 SRR models investigated, the Akaike information criterion (AIC) was the minimum (AIC = 551.2) when the data were separated into two groups (A and B) and the log-normal distribution was applied as the error term. Group A was constructed with SRR data from 1976–1987 and 1992–2004. Group B consisted of data from 1988–1991. The AIC minimum model was R  = 22.8 S  ×  e ^ε for Group A, where R , S , and ε denote the recruitment of sardine (individual number of 0-year old fish), spawning stock biomass (SSB), and error term, respectively. This model indicated that recruitment was proportional to the SSB and that no density-dependent effect operated over the range of SSB investigated (51 000–11.3 million t). Recruitment was markedly higher (lower) when the sea surface temperature (SST) of the Kuroshio Extension area in February was low (high). The essential SRR can simply be expressed as R  = 22.8 S  ×  e ^ε with the level of recruitment deviating from the model to a greater or lesser degree depending on the environmental conditions.     

A new primer for 16S rDNA analysis of microbial communities associated with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Porphyra yezoensis</Emphasis>

To construct high-quality 16S rDNA clone libraries for microbial communities associated with Porphyra yezoensis and to minimize the detection of rDNA from leafy gametophytes of P. yezoensis, we designed a new 16S rDNA universal primer (75F). Of the clones prepared using 75F, which was designed to distinguish between bacteria and P. yezoensis, 95% were classified into four groups, namely, β-proteobacteria, γ-proteobacteria, Lentisphaerae, and Flavobacteria. PCR-based analysis of the 16S rDNA primer constructed in this study can be used to implement 16S rDNA-based methodologies for the investigation of microbial community composition and diversity related to the Porphyra group.     

Estimation of genetic parameters for growth traits of Japanese flounder <Emphasis Type="Italic">Paralichthys olivaceus</Emphasis> using an animal model

To estimate genetic parameters of growth traits in Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus, full-sib and half-sib families were produced in three consecutive years at the Beidaihe Central Experiment Station in China. Each year 8–28 families were produced. The body weight, body length and body depth at 180, 240, and 360 days of age were measured for 5,224 individuals. Four animal models were used to examine the phenotypic variation of growth traits and were compared using the likelihood ratio test. The results showed that estimates for additive genetic effect heritabilities varied greatly depending on the model, trait and age. The maternal effect had a significant impact on phenotypic variation only for body depth at 180 days of age, which explained 49% of the phenotypic variance. The ratio of full-sib effect to phenotypic variation ranged from 0.09 to 0.22. Growth traits all exhibited low heritability (0.13–0.39), indicating that there is the potential for family selection breeding for these traits in Japanese flounder. Using the full model with the fixed, full-sib family, additive and maternal genetic effects, genetic correlations among the three traits for fish of the same age were estimated to be more than 0.80. Generally, the genetic correlations gradually increased as age increased.