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.     

遥感信息在土地资源等级划分与质量评价中的应用——以内蒙古乌拉盖开发区为例

本文利用 RS、GIS的高新科技手段 ,对乌拉盖综合开发区土地资源质量等级划分与评价进行了认真研究 ,编制出乌拉盖综合开发区土地资源质量等级分布图 ,对各不同土地资源质量等级进行了评价 ,为该地区确定最佳土地利用方向、提高土地资源的生产效益、经济效益和生态效益提供科学依据     

The installation of underground pipelines: effects on soil properties

Since the 1970s a network of underground pipes, up to 1200 mm diameter, has been installed in the UK to transmit crude oil to refineries and gas from onshore terminals for distribution. Chosen routes are subject to significant constraints. Current techniques for pipe installation involve topsoil removal and storage. Trench depth is set to allow a cover of 1200 mm overburden after pipes have been installed. The heavy machinery involved results in severe compaction of exposed subsoil. Subsoil is loosened comprehensively and topsoil replaced. Existing field drains are reconnected, and, if necessary, new drains with gravel backfill installed. Pipe installation usually takes place between April and October. Preventative measures to limit compaction during installation are not a practical option. If subsequent arable crops or grass are poorer or drainage more defective than before disturbance, the loss is assessed and compensation paid. To determine the cause of the loss >60, investigations have been made throughout the UK. Soil physical properties were assessed in an open trench using visual and tactile methods. Consistently, severe compaction in the subsoil was identified as the cause of poor crop growth or drainage; it was not observed in the topsoil. Specific recommendations for remedial action were made based on location, depth and severity of the compaction. These included the installation of additional land drains, increasing the amount of gravel above the drains, or further subsoil loosening orientated to cross gravel backfill. After appropriate remedial action, net compensation for crop losses was frequently small or negligible.     

绵羊BMP15基因B2突变可视化检测技术的建立

骨形态发生蛋白15（bone morphogenetic protein 15,BMP15）基因突变对绵羊排卵率、产仔数以及繁殖力有很大影响,本研究旨在建立快速可视化检测BMP15基因B2突变的技术。将改良的扩增阻滞突变系统（amplification refractory mutation system,ARMS）与核酸染料SYBR Green Ⅰ结合,针对BMP15基因B2突变设计ARMS特异性引物,使引物下游3'端的最后一个碱基为A,并在下游引物3'端的第3位碱基处设计额外的错配,以提高引物的特异性;经ARMS PCR扩增后,向产物中加入SYBR Green Ⅰ,通过肉眼观察PCR管内的颜色变化来检测BMP15基因的B2突变。经测序发现所采集的样本均为野生型,因此,利用重叠延伸PCR构建BMP15基因B2突变型模板,测序结果显示BMP15基因B2突变型模板构建成功。ARMS PCR结果显示,ARMS特异性引物能够只扩增突变型模板,而不会扩增野生型模板,且扩增效果良好。ARMS PCR扩增后加入SYBR Green Ⅰ发现已知野生型模板与阴性对照一致,呈SYBR Green Ⅰ原始颜色橙黄色,而已知突变型模板呈亮绿色,且色差明显,肉眼可辨。用建立的可视化检测BMP15基因B2突变的技术检测50个小尾寒羊基因组DNA （随机向其中20个样本中加入构建的BMP15基因B2突变型模板）,将可视化检测的突变型样本编号与混合样本时记录的编号对比,结果表明该技术能够准确检测绵羊BMP15基因的B2突变,且准确率高达100%。将构建的BMP15基因B2突变型的模板进行梯度稀释,对本试验可视化检测体系的灵敏度进行检测,发现ARMS可视化检测技术的灵敏度达到0.006 ng/μL。因此,本研究建立的技术能够可视化地检测绵羊BMP15基因B2突变,且准确率高,有望为高繁殖力绵羊的选育提供技术支持。     

基于视景仿真技术的联合收割机牵引及加载性能研究

随着农业机械化的不断发展,联合收割机的应用越来越普遍,大大地提高了农业生产效率。然而,在联合收割机使用中还存在一些驾驶员视域不开阔、可视环境差等不安全因素。针对这些问题,本文引入了视景仿真技术概念,通过构建基于视景仿真技术的联合收割机牵引及加载性能模型,对联合收割机的牵引及加载性能进行仿真分析。结果显示,将视景仿真技术应用与联合收割机,方便了驾驶员及时掌握实地信息,提高了牵引性能和加载性能,降低了驾驶危险系数。     

Decoding attraction: Improving vine weevil monitoring by exploiting key sensory cues

BACKGROUND

Monitoring is an integral component of integrated pest management (IPM) programmes used to inform crop management decisions. Vine weevil, Otiorhynchus sulcatus F. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), continues to cause economically significant losses in horticultural crops due to an inability to reliably detect the presence of this species before crop damage occurs. To improve vine weevil monitoring we investigated the behavioural responses of adult vine weevils to visual (monitoring tool shade/colour, height and diameter as well as the effect of monitoring tool and plant density) and olfactory (host plant and conspecifics) cues under glasshouse conditions.

RESULTS

Monitoring tool shade, height and diameter all influenced monitoring tool efficacy, with individuals exhibiting a preference for black, tall and wide monitoring tools. The total number of individuals recorded in monitoring tools increased with monitoring tool density. By contrast, plant density did not influence the number of individuals recorded in monitoring tools. Yew-baited monitoring tools retained a larger number of individuals compared to unbaited ones. Similarly, more vine weevils were recorded in monitoring tools baited with yew and conspecifics than in unbaited monitoring tools or those baited with only yew. Baiting monitoring tools with conspecifics alone did not enhance the number of vine weevils recorded in monitoring tools.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study confirms that visual and olfactory cues influence vine weevil behaviour. This provides information on key factors that influence vine weevil monitoring tool efficacy and can be used to inform the development of a new monitoring tool for this pest. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.     

基于视觉的苗期作物株间除草关键技术研究现状

基于视觉的苗期作物和杂草的图像分割技术逐渐成熟,通过视觉技术对苗期作物进行精准识别和定位,是实现株间除草的关键技术和难点。作物的精准识别首先需要利用颜色特征将图像中的作物、杂草和土壤背景进行分割;其次利用实际识别对象的位置特征,形状特征,纹理特征,光谱特征等构造新的特征向量,结合成熟的分类算法对作物和杂草进行特征分类识别。针对棉苗和大豆苗,主要提取位置特征、形状特征,多采用支持向量机为主分类算法;针对玉米,主要提取位置特征、纹理特征,多采用人工神经网络为主的分类算法;针对部分蔬菜苗,主要提取形状特征、光谱特征,多采用算法结合的优化算法,具体实现时需要根据离线样本学习的结果来平衡苗期作物的识别准确率与实时性。在目前的算法中,主要存在三方面的问题:作物特征提取效果易受到遮挡、光照等干扰;分类算法目前还不能得到非常令人满意的准确性和实时性;目前算法一般是针对某种时段的作物,不具有通用性。这些都是后续算法研究中需要进一步解决的问题。     

3DMAX应用下的智能插秧机外观优化

为进一步提高智能插秧机的结构布局协调性与感染力水平,利用3DMAX应用平台进行插秧机外观优化研究。考虑土壤湿润程度对插秧刀具的影响等因素,结合插秧机分插机构传动部件与插植臂等执行部件的相互关系与约束条件,以偏心齿轮啮合传动特性,建立用于智能插秧机外观优化的数学模型,得到关键部件与机构的三维物理模型与无缝装配模型。从结构细化设计与外观造型设计两大角度分别对插秧机体、驾驶座、车轮、插秧装置等曲线参数优化,插秧作业场景与插秧特征提取及组件元素3D建模等操作进行3DMAX场景下智能插秧机的外观呈现与界面设计布局,实现了智能插秧机的3D可视化管理与动画效果展示,且动作一致性较好,设计合理可行。农机三维建模技术对准确实现结构优化有很好的预知功能,对大型农机设备结构设计搭建人机交互虚拟平台有一定的参考价值。     

融合卷积神经网络与视觉注意机制的苹果幼果高效检测方法

果实表型数据高通量、自动获取是果树新品种育种研究的基础,实现幼果精准检测是获取生长数据的关键。幼果期果实微小且与叶片颜色相近,检测难度大。为了实现自然环境下苹果幼果的高效检测,采用融合挤压激发块(Squeeze-and-Excitation block, SE block)和非局部块(Non-Local block, NL block)两种视觉注意机制,提出了一种改进的YOLOv4网络模型(YOLOv4-SENL)。YOLOv4模型的骨干网络提取高级视觉特征后,利用SE block在通道维度整合高级特征,实现通道信息的加强。在模型改进路径聚合网络(Path Aggregation Network, PAN)的3个路径中加入NL block,结合非局部信息与局部信息增强特征。SE block和NL block两种视觉注意机制从通道和非局部两个方面重新整合高级特征,强调特征中的通道信息和长程依赖,提高网络对背景与果实的特征捕捉能力。最后由不同尺寸的特征图实现不同大小幼果的坐标和类别计算。经过1 920幅训练集图像训练,网络在600幅测试集上的平均精度为96.9%,分别比SSD、Faster R-CNN和YOLOv4模型的平均精度提高了6.9百分点、1.5百分点和0.2百分点,表明该算法可准确地实现幼果期苹果目标检测。模型在480幅验证集的消融试验结果表明,仅保留YOLOv4-SENL中的SE block比YOLOv4模型精度提高了3.8百分点;仅保留YOLOv4-SENL中3个NL block视觉注意模块比YOLOv4模型的精度提高了2.7百分点;将YOLOv4-SENL中SE block与NL blocks相换,比YOLOv4模型的精度提高了4.1百分点,表明两种视觉注意机制可在增加少量参数的基础上显著提升网络对苹果幼果的感知能力。该研究结果可为果树育种研究获取果实信息提供参考。