Effects of predator-induced visual and olfactory cues on 0+ perch (Perca fluviatilis L.) foraging behaviour

Abstract –  Foraging juvenile fish with relatively high food demands are usually vulnerable to various aquatic and avian predators. To compromise between foraging and antipredator activity, they need exact and reliable information about current predation risk. Among direct predator-induced cues, visual and olfactory signals are considered to be most important. Food intake rates and prey-size selectivity of laboratory-reared, naive young-of-the-year (YOY) perch, Perca fluviatilis , were studied in experiments with Daphnia magna of two size classes: 2.8 and 1.3 mm as prey and northern pike, Esox lucius , as predator. Neither total intake rate nor prey-size selectivity was modified by predator kairomones alone (water from an aquarium with a pike was pumped into the test aquaria) under daylight conditions. Visual presentation of pike reduced total food intake by perch. This effect was significantly more pronounced (synergistic) when visual and olfactory cues were presented simultaneously to foraging perch. Moreover, the combination of cues caused a significant shift in prey-size selection, expressed as a reduced proportion of large prey in the diet. Our observations demonstrate that predator-induced olfactory cues alone are less important modifiers of the feeding behaviour of naive YOY perch than visual cues under daylight conditions. However, pike odour acts as a modulatory stimulus enhancing the effects of visual cues, which trigger an innate response in perch.     

Long-term variation in brown trout, Salmo trutta L., stocking success in a large lake: interplay between availability of suitable prey and size at release

Abstract –  Factors affecting long-term variation in brown trout, Salmo trutta L., stocking success were examined in a large lake, Lake Oulujärvi, in central Finland. Brown trout were stocked in spring (late May to early June) in 1974–1991 and in summer (late June to early July) in 1992–2001. The biomass of the vendace, Coregonus albula (L.), population (prey) at release time had the largest positive effect on stocking success within both periods: biomass of adult vendace in spring and both 0+ and adult vendace in summer. Increasing the size of stocked fish had a positive effect if the vendace available at release were only adults. The increasing trend of predator-catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) [combined CPUE of northern pike Esox lucius L., burbot Lota lota (L.), and pike-perch Stizostedion lucioperca (L.)] through the study period and its negative effect on trout stocking success suggested an increasing effect of predation within the entire time series.     

Parasitoid community of the loreyi leaf wormMythimna (Acantholeucania) loreyi: Novel host-parasitoid associations and their efficiency in the eastern mediterranean region of Turkey

The loreyi leaf worm,Mythimna (Acantholeucania) loreyi Duponchel (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), is a pest of gramineous crops and causes significant economic damage to maize. In field surveys on maize to determine the parasitoid community and its impact on the pest in the eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey, nine parasitoid species were found associated with immature stages ofM. loreyi: The hymenopteran (Braconidae and Ichneumonidae) parasitoidsCotesia (=Apanteles) ruficrus (Haliday),Chelonus oculator Panzer,Meteorus ictericus Nees,Hyposoter didymator (Thunberg),Sinophorus sp.; and the dipteran (Tachinidae) parasitoidsPseudogonia rufifrons Wiedeman,Exorista rossica Mesnil,Gonia picea (Robineau-Desvoidy) andLinnaemya vulpina (Fallen) — the last three recorded for the first time as parasitoids ofM. loreyi in Turkey.C. ruficrus was the dominant parasitoid species, being recovered from 38.5% of the larvae collected and was also the most prevalent species, existing in 91.0% of the fields in whichM. loreyi was found. Total parasitism levels achieved by braconid species was 41.4%, by ichneumonid parasitoids 4.8%, and by tachinid parasitoids 1.9%. In a separate field experiment, seasonal population fluctuations and natural efficiency ofC. ruficrus onM. loreyi were found to be 35.1% and 42.4%, respectively. Population levels ofC. ruficrus were closely related to fluctuations in the population ofM. loreyi, with parasitism ranging between 0 and 77.3% during the study. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting Aug. 28, 2005.     

A perspective on the measurement of time in plant disease epidemiology

The growth and development of plant pathogens and their hosts generally respond strongly to the temperature of their environment. However, most studies of plant pathology record pathogen/host measurements against physical time (e.g. hours or days) rather than thermal time (e.g. degree-days or degree-hours). This confounds the comparison of epidemiological measurements across experiments and limits the value of the scientific literature.     

The effect of sowing date, stale seedbed, row width and mechanical weed control on weeds and yields of organic winter wheat

Three field experiments were carried out in organically grown winter wheat in Denmark. The treatments were sowing time (normal or late sowing) and false seedbed, row width (12 and 24 cm) and weed control method [untreated; mechanical weed control (weed harrowing at 12 cm supplemented with inter‐row hoeing at 24 cm); and herbicide weed control]. Weed biomass in midsummer was greatest on plots sown at the normal sowing time (compared with delayed sowing) and was reduced by mechanical or chemical weed control (compared with untreated plots). Row width alone had no influence on weed biomass, but in the experiment with high weed pressure, the more intensive mechanical weed control used at a row width of 24 cm reduced weed biomass. Normal sowing time tended to give higher yields, but this was only statistically significant in one of the three experiments. Wide rows gave a yield decrease in the experiment with low weed pressure. The effect of weed control on yield was dependent on the weed pressure. At low weed pressure, mechanical weed control caused a yield decrease compared with untreated or herbicide treated. At intermediate weed levels there were no differences, whereas at high weed pressure, mechanical weed control and herbicide treatment caused a yield increase compared with untreated. False seedbeds were shown to contribute to a decrease in the soil seed reserve.     

川西粉质黏土-衬砌接触面冻结强度规律研究

为揭示川西灌渠粉质黏土-衬砌接触面间冻结强度规律,针对川西地区灌渠渠基土开展了冻结作用下冻结温度、冻结时间、初始含水率、法向荷载4种影响因素在不同条件下的剪切试验.结果 表明:接触面间峰值抗剪强度与冻结温度、初始含水率变化呈负相关,与冻结时间、法向荷载变化呈正相关.此外,利用正交分析,揭示了4种因素对峰值抗剪强度影响的...     

高产奶牛孕检后同期发情程序选择的研究

为了研究适用于高产奶牛的同期发情程序方案,将218头膘情良好、子宫和卵巢发育正常的不同胎次荷斯坦牛随机分成两组,试验1组为106头,试验2组为112头,分别采用两种同期程序(0.5.6.8和0.7.8.9)进行处理,测定情期受胎率,用于评价两种同期程序对高产奶牛的适用性.结果表明,试验2组情期受胎率平均为41.96％,...     

食品安全与食品低温流通中的温度监控

食品的温度监控是一种有效的保证食品安全及保持冷藏链完整的手段,对冷冻冷藏食品在低温流通过程中实行温度监控是非常有必要的。目前,我国冷藏运输中的温度管理情况并不乐观,消费者获得的货物通常不能达到预计的要求。要解决这一问题,必须要借助于时间-温度指示器等来对其整个运输过程进行温度监控。本文对温度立法的必然性和前景,温度监控的重要性、原理以及在冷藏运输中的应用作了较详尽的介绍,并列举了几种国外时间-温度指示器的工作原理。     

Logistic模型评价寒地果桑最佳采收期

[目的]评价牡丹江地区果桑最佳采收期.[方法]对牡丹江地区果桑果实发育情况进行观测,应用Logistic方程拟合果桑果实生长曲线.[结果]Logistic方程拟合优度(R2)为0.96295,拟合效果好,模型选择正确,预测结果较真.[结论]最佳采收期应不迟于果桑落花后第5.34周,牡丹江地区应在5月下旬进行采摘.     

双质量飞轮内部传动结构强度及疲劳寿命分析

随着初级飞轮与次级飞轮相对转角的变化,分段变刚度双质量飞轮具有不同的刚度特性和非线性变化转矩,双质量飞轮内部传动结构作为传递动力和运动部分,结构可靠性和使用寿命必须保证.将建立的三维CAD模型导入HyperMesh软件中进行有限元分析前处理,建立了有限元分析模型,经过仿真求解计算,分析了结构变形、应力分布特点,对比分析...