2，2‘,4,4’和3，3‘,4,4’—四氯联苯（TCB）对小白鼠体外受精的影响

采用体外受精技术评价环境污染物2,2',4,4'-和3,3',4,4'-四氯联苯对小白鼠卵母细胞受精能力和2-细胞胚胎发育的毒性作用,实验结果表明：ρ（PCB）=0.1,1.0,10.0mg/mL的2,2',4,4'-和3,3',4,4'-四氯联苯均显著降低小白鼠卵母细胞的受精能力;ρ（PCB）=1.0,10.0mg/mL的2,2',4,4'-和3,3',4,4'-四氯联苯使卵母细胞的退人弦和2-细胞的畸形率显著增加;两种四氯联苯对小白鼠卵母细胞体外受精能力、退化率和2-细胞胚胎的畸形率无统计差异。     

纳米Co/Fe脱氯3,3＇,4,4＇-四氯联苯（BZ#77）

用气-质联用仪（GC-MS）监测厌氧条件下溶液中3,3’,4,4’-四氯联苯（BZ#77）被纳米级零价铁、Ni/Fe和Co/Fe双金属脱氯的情况,并尝试了用纳米级Co/Fe脱氯污染沙土中的四氯联苯,GC-MS结果表明：在3,3’,4,4’-四氯联苯浓度为10mg·l-1的乙醇/水体系中,纳米级Fe,Ni/Fe,Co/Fe的脱氯率分别为23.4%,68.6%和74.2%,其中,Co/Fe效果最好.溶液初始pH值为酸性时,纳米Co/Fe完全脱氯溶液中的3,3’,4,4’-四氯联苯可在几小时内实现,而溶液的离子强度对脱氯反应影响不大.对于模拟污染沙土含量为100mg·kg^-1的3,3’,4,4’-四氯联苯,10d后约11%的四氯联苯被纳米Co/Fe脱氯,添加乙醇可使脱氯率增加到25%,但不能完全脱氯.同位素实验证明,纳米Co/Fe脱氯3,3’,4,4’-四氯联苯是逐步进行的,氢取代苯环上的氯,氢原子源自反应介质中的水,最终脱氯产物为联苯.     

黄河中下游表层沉积物中多氯联苯的污染特征

对采自黄河中下游地区12个站点17个表层沉积物样品中的多氯联苯进行了定量分析测定,并讨论了多氯联苯在沉积物中的污染特征.结果表明:①黄河中下游表层沉积物中多氯联苯的浓度范围为ND—5·98μg·kg~(-1),受污染程度较轻;②沉积物样品中多氯联苯同族体的组成特征非常相似,都以含3—5个氯原子的PCB同族体为主,占多氯联苯总量的94·68%以上,且在大多数样品中含量顺序为:四氯联苯>三氯联苯>五氯联苯;③该地区表层沉积物中多氯联苯的含量与TOC和沉积物的机械组成无明显相关性,这可能与黄河中下游复杂的水利条件和沉积物自身的理化性质有关.     

设施土壤pH值与有机质演变特征研究

设施土壤的pH、有机质与土壤环境质量及设施栽培作物生产水平密切相关。文章对云南不同区域、不同大棚种植年限、不同轮作制度的设施土壤pH与有机质的演变特征进行研究,结果表明:大棚种植年限长的地区,土壤pH、有机质变化明显;随着大棚种植年限的增长,土壤pH呈下降趋势,有机质含量则呈上升趋势;随着土壤层次的加深,大棚土壤pH逐渐升高,而有机质则逐渐降低;不同轮作方式,花-菜轮作比菜-菜轮作有利于增加有机肥对设施土壤pH的缓冲性。     

废旧电容器存放点多氯联苯的污染特征

采用气相色谱-电子捕获检测器测定废旧电容器存放地点附近的土壤和植物中多氯联苯(PCBs)的含量.分析了羊茅草(Festuca.L)的叶和根中PCBs的变化,应用多元线性回归方法定量判别了PCBs污染类型,进而探讨了PCBs的分布特征.结果表明,存放点PCBs污染水平较高,污染类型与Aroclor 1248相似.随着离污染点距离的增加,PCBs浓度急剧下降.污染类型逐步偏离Aroclor 1248,二氯和三氯联苯的百分比升高,四氯和五氯联苯下降.表现出水相和气相传输的作用,在一般情况下,水相传输起主导作用.另外,PCBs在羊茅草的叶和根中浓度的比值有上升的趋势.这种变化趋势和PCBs大气传输过程相关联,大气传输的贡献随着距离的增加PCBs浓度水平逐步下降而逐步显现.     

马尾松不同林型对土壤理化性质的影响

以安徽省枞阳县大山村3种马尾松不同林型（马尾松纯林、马尾松-麻栎混交林、马尾松-枫香混交林）0~60 cm土层为研究对象,探讨3种马尾松林型的土壤理化性质变化规律,旨在为该区马尾松人工林的可持续发展和生产提供科学依据。结果表明：（1）0~60 cm土层,3种马尾松林型土壤容重随深度的增加而逐渐增加,混交林土壤容重显著低于纯林;土壤含水量随土层的加深而逐渐减小,其大小为：马尾松-枫香混交林>马尾松-麻栎混交林>马尾松纯林,马尾松-枫香混交林在土壤容重降低,土壤孔隙度增加及土壤含水量方面优于马尾松-麻栎混交林;（2）土壤pH值介于4.5~5.0之间,3种林型pH值随土层深度的增加而增大,但差异均不显著,其中马尾松-枫香混交林土壤pH值较高;（3）3种林型土壤有机质、全N、有效P和速效K均随土层深度的增加而减少,呈现明显的“表聚”现象,其质量分数表现为：马尾松-枫香混交林>马尾松-麻栎混交林>马尾松纯林;（4）土壤容重与土壤水分质量分数、有机质、全N、有效P和速效K等养分质量分数均呈负相关,土壤有机质与全N、有效P和速效K呈极显著的正相关,这说明土壤有机质在改善土壤理化性质和促进养分循环方面起着非常重要的作用。     

纳米Co/Fe脱氯3,3',4,4'-四氯联苯(BZ#77)

用气质联用仪(GC-MS)监测厌氧条件下溶液中3,3',4,4'-四氯联苯(Fe和Co/Fe双金属脱氯的情况.并尝试了用纳米级Co/Fe脱氯污染沙土中的四氯联苯,GC-MS结果表明:在3,3',4,4'-四氯联苯浓度为10mg·1-1的乙醇/水体系中,纳米级Fe,Ni/Fe,Co/Fe的脱氯率分别为23.4%,68.6%和74.2%,其中,Co/Fe效果最好.溶液初始pH值为酸性时,纳米Co/Fe完全脱氯溶液中的3,3',4,4'-四氯联苯可在几小时内实现,而溶液的离子强度对脱氯反应影响不大.对于模拟污染沙土含量为100mg·kg-1的3,3',4,4'-四氯联苯,10d后约11%的四氯联苯被纳米Co/Fe脱氯,添加乙醇可使脱氯率增加到25%,但不能完全脱氯.同位素实验证明,纳米Co/Fe脱氯3,3',4,4'-四氯联苯是逐步进行的,氢取代苯环上的氯,氢原子源自反应介质中的水,最终脱氯产物为联苯.     

Comparative Toxicity of PCBs and PBDEs Using Human Cancer Cell Lines and Zebrafish Embryos

研究了6种多氯联苯(PCBs)3,3′,4,4′-四氯联苯(PCB77)、2,3,3′,4,4′-五氯联苯(PCB105)、2,3′,4,4′,5-五氯联苯(PCB118)、3,3′,4,4′,5-五氯联苯(PCB126)、2,3,3',4,4',5-六氯联苯(PCB156)和商业型混合多氯联苯Aroclor1254,两种多溴联苯醚(PBDEs)2,2′,4,4′-四溴二苯醚(PBDE47)、十溴二苯醚(PBDE209)对人类癌细胞生长和斑马鱼脱膜与不脱膜胚胎发育的影响.8种化合物均使用0.01、0.1、1.0、10μmol·L-14个浓度进行1~6d的暴露实验.结果表明,PBDE209在最高浓度10μmol·L-1下对结肠癌细胞HCT116(暴露3d后)和RKO(暴露5d后)具有显著的生长抑制作用,所有化合物均对乳腺癌细胞没有显著影响.相比之下,化合物对受精后5~6h(5~6hpf)的斑马鱼胚胎的毒性效应显得比较明显,而各化合物对胚胎的致畸和致死效应又不相同,其毒性强弱依次为PCB126≈PCB156>PCB1254(Aroclor1254)>PBDE47>PCB77>PCB105≈PCB118≈PBDE209.其中PBDE209在未脱膜暴毒后均无致畸与致死现象,脱膜暴毒后最高浓度才表现出显著意义的致畸作用,而PBDE47在最高浓度下可产生高达80%的致畸率,这说明胚胎绒毛膜具有有效阻挡大分子物质如PBDE209进入的作用.PCBs的毒性效应与其空间结构密切相关.如PCB126和PCB105具有相同的分子式,前者在1μmol·L-1下就引起了显著的致死和致畸效应,而后者即使在10μmol·L-1下也没有显著的效应.实验结果也说明不同类型的实验对象所展示的毒性效应并不相同,化合物对体外培养的细胞和发育中的胚胎具有不同的影响.     

营养盐浓度对中肋骨条藻优势种群富集多溴联苯醚的影响

以中肋骨条藻（Skeletonema costatum）和东海原甲藻（Prorocentrum donghaiense）组成中肋骨条藻优势种群的海洋微藻为研究对象,以我国近海水体中存在的3种丰度较高的多溴联苯醚同系物为代表,包括2,4,4＇-三溴联苯醚（BDE-28）、2,2’,4,4’-四溴联苯醚（BDE-47）和2,2＇,4,4＇,5-五溴联苯醚（BDE-99）,研究了硝酸盐浓度（0、128、512μmol·L-1）和磷酸盐浓度（0、8、32μmol·L-1）对中肋骨条藻优势种群生化成分和富集3种多溴联苯醚的影响,分析了中肋骨条藻优势种群对多溴联苯醚的富集量与生化成分的关系。结果表明,随着营养盐浓度的升高,单位藻细胞的富集量呈现降低趋势,硝酸盐浓度为0μmol·L-1时,3种多溴联苯醚同系物每106cells的富集量为3.93-5.01 ng,而硝酸盐浓度为512μmol·L-1时,每106cells富集量为3.53-3.94 ng,降低了10%-23%;不同硝酸盐浓度下单位体积藻液富集量差异较小,随硝酸盐浓度的升高,BDE-99和47富集量分别从0.180和0.179 ng·mL^-1降低到0.167和0.150 ng·mL^-1,BDE-28没有出现明显差异。与硝酸盐相似,多溴联苯醚单位藻细胞富集量也随着磷酸盐浓度的升高而呈现出降低的趋势,每106cells的富集量从磷为0μmol·L-1的3.04-3.28 ng降低到32μmol·L-1时的2.27-2.73 ng;不同磷酸盐浓度下单位体积藻液的富集量差异不显著,其中BDE-99富集量范围在0.188-0.190 ng·mL^-1,随磷酸盐浓度的升高,BDE-47和28富集量略有降低,从0.20 ng·mL^-1降低到约0.16 ng·mL^-1。中肋骨条藻优势种群单位细胞对多溴联苯醚富集随着营养盐浓度的增加而降低,其原因是营养盐浓度影响了其细胞生化成分,其中脂类含量与富集量存在正相关关系。对3种同系物富集量的比较发现,随多溴联苯醚同系物的Kow降低,富集量总体上呈现降低的趋势。     

2,2’,4,4’-和3,3’,4,4’-四氯联苯(TCB)对小白鼠体外受精的影响(英文)

采用体外受精技术评价环境污染物 2 ,2’ ,4,4’ 和 3,3’ ,4,4’ 四氯联苯对小白鼠卵母细胞受精能力和 2 细胞胚胎发育的毒性作用 .实验结果表明 :ρ(PCB) =0 .1,1.0 ,10 .0mg/mL的 2 ,2’ ,4,4’ 和 3,3’ ,4,4’ 四氯联苯均显著降低小白鼠卵母细胞的受精能力 ;ρ(PCB) =1.0 ,10 .0mg/mL的 2 ,2’ ,4,4’ 和 3,3’ ,4,4’ 四氯联苯使卵母细胞的退化率和 2 细胞的畸形率显著增加 ;两种四氯联苯对小白鼠卵母细胞体外受精能力、退化率和 2 细胞胚胎的畸形率无统计差异 .表 2参 2 5     

Achieving Open Access to Conservation Science

Conservation science is a crisis discipline in which the results of scientific enquiry must be made available quickly to those implementing management. We assessed the extent to which scientific research published since the year 2000 in 20 conservation science journals is publicly available. Of the 19,207 papers published, 1,667 (8.68%) are freely downloadable from an official repository. Moreover, only 938 papers (4.88%) meet the standard definition of open access in which material can be freely reused providing attribution to the authors is given. This compares poorly with a comparable set of 20 evolutionary biology journals, where 31.93% of papers are freely downloadable and 7.49% are open access. Seventeen of the 20 conservation journals offer an open access option, but fewer than 5% of the papers are available through open access. The cost of accessing the full body of conservation science runs into tens of thousands of dollars per year for institutional subscribers, and many conservation practitioners cannot access pay‐per‐view science through their workplace. However, important initiatives such as Research4Life are making science available to organizations in developing countries. We urge authors of conservation science to pay for open access on a per‐article basis or to choose publication in open access journals, taking care to ensure the license allows reuse for any purpose providing attribution is given. Currently, it would cost $51 million to make all conservation science published since 2000 freely available by paying the open access fees currently levied to authors. Publishers of conservation journals might consider more cost effective models for open access and conservation‐oriented organizations running journals could consider a broader range of options for open access to nonmembers such as sponsorship of open access via membership fees. Obtención de Acceso Abierto a la Ciencia de la Conservación     

Representation of the world's biophysical conditions by the global protected area network

Protected areas (PAs) are often implemented without consideration of already existing PAs, which is likely to cause an overrepresentation of certain biophysical conditions. We assessed the representativeness of the current PA network with regard to the world's biophysical conditions to highlight which conditions are underprotected and where these conditions are located. We overlaid terrestrial and marine PAs with information on biophysical conditions (e.g., temperature, precipitation, and elevation) and then quantified the percentage of area covered by the PA network. For 1 variable at a time in the terrestrial realm, high temperature, low precipitation, and medium and very high elevation were underrepresented. For the marine realm, low and medium sea surface temperature (SST), medium and high sea surface salinity (SSS), and the deep sea were underrepresented. Overall, protection was evenly distributed for elevation across the terrestrial realm and SST across the marine realm. For 2 variables at a time, cold and very dry terrestrial environments had mostly low protection, which was also the case for low SST and low and medium SSS across most depths for marine environments. Low protection occurred mostly in the Sahara and the Arabian Peninsula for the terrestrial realm and along the Tropic of Capricorn and toward the poles for the marine realm. Although biodiversity measures are of prime importance for the design of PA networks, highlighting biophysical gaps in current PAs adds a frequently overlooked perspective. These gaps may weaken the potential of PAs to conserve biodiversity. Thus, our results may provide useful insights for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to establish a more comprehensive global PA network.     

Quantitative composition of the defensive secretion ofBledius species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Oxytelinae) is adapted to naturally occurring predators

Summary The adaptation of defensive secretions to their target organisms was examined for the abdominal gland secretions ofBledius furcatus, B. spectabilis andB. arenarius. Therefore the target organisms of the secretion of theseBledius species (i.e. their predators) had to be identified. At the collection sites examined these were the earwigLabidura riparia, the antCataglyphis bicolor, the flyLispe candicans, different carabids of the generaPogonus, Dichirotrichus, Dyschirius, Bembidion andCalathus and the wading birdsHaematopus ostralegus andCalidris alba. The secretion of the abdominal glands contains the toxin ptoluquinone dissolved in either-dodecalactone and 1-undecene (B. furcatus andB. spectabilis) or in octanoic acid and octyloctanoate (B. arenarius). The ratio of these solvents is species-specific. Application experiments using some of the natural insect predators (L. riparia, C. bicolor, Pogonus, Di. gustavii, Dyschirius) revealed that these solvent ratios provided a more effective deterrent than other possible ratios. Thus by combining the solvents in certain ratios, the capability of cuticular penetration and therefore the effectiveness of the defensive secretions are adapted to their natural targets.     

Democracy versus development: New urban debates

The politics of development includes subtexts of choice, as underpinned by community consensus (or lack of it), against the larger backdrop of a liberal democracy, with its intricate power structures that influence the choice of concepts and often lead to complicity rather than consent. A dilemma exists between the understanding of field-level practitioners and that of academics, whose understandings of progress differ. Progress can (and often does) imply long-term change across generations whereas development is often more a matter of crisis management and delivering tangible results to end-users. This makes it a bone of contention across political systems, irrespective of local or global dynamics. Development can emerge as a tool to be wielded for power and further political mileage at the expense of progress. Progress cannot be studied as a counterpoint to development as the sense of history is often missing in development interventions. Development tends to be piecemeal as its very logic often stems from the rationale of power. This is not to suggest, however, that development is only about politics; it is definitely more than the politics of everyday life and involves all of civil society that requires its critical and immediate attention. In this sense, it has become a priority for politicians with an underlying agenda designed to out-manouevre dissent and all statements of protest.     

A framework to measure the wildness of managed large vertebrate populations

As landscapes continue to fall under human influence through habitat loss and fragmentation, fencing is increasingly being used to mitigate anthropogenic threats and enhance the commercial value of wildlife. Subsequent intensification of management potentially erodes wildness by disembodying populations from landscape-level processes, thereby disconnecting species from natural selection. Tools are needed to measure the degree to which populations of large vertebrate species in formally protected and privately owned wildlife areas are self-sustaining and free to adapt. We devised a framework to measure such wildness based on 6 attributes relating to the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of vertebrates (space, disease and parasite resistance, exposure to predation, exposure to limitations and fluctuations of food and water supply, and reproduction). For each attribute, we set empirical, species-specific thresholds between 5 wildness states based on quantifiable management interventions. We analysed data from 205 private wildlife properties with management objectives spanning ecotourism to consumptive utilization to test the framework on 6 herbivore species representing a range of conservation statuses and commercial values. Wildness scores among species differed significantly, and the proportion of populations identified as wild ranged from 12% to 84%, which indicates the tool detected site-scale differences both among populations of different species and populations of the same species under different management regimes. By quantifying wildness, this framework provides practitioners with standardized measurement units that link biodiversity with the sustainable use of wildlife. Applications include informing species management plans at local scales; standardizing the inclusion of managed populations in red-list assessments; and providing a platform for certification and regulation of wildlife-based economies. Applying this framework may help embed wildness as a normative value in policy and mitigate the shifting baseline of what it means to truly conserve a species.     

Some polyphagous Homoptera gain protection from their natural enemies by feeding on the toxic plantsSpartium junceum andErythrina corallodendrum (Leguminosae)

Summary Interactions were studied among alkaloid-containing legumes (Erythrina corallodendrum andSpartium junceum) and non-toxic plants (Citrus sinensis, Cucurbita moschata andEuphorbia tirucalli), several polyphagous homopterans,Aphis craccivora (Aphididae),Icerya purchasi, I. aegyptiaca (Margarodidae),Lepidosaphes ulmi (Diaspididae) andPlanococcus citri (Pseudococcidae), and some major natural enemies of these homopterans. Significant reductions in survival due to negative effects of alkaloid containing as compared with non-alkaloidal plants were recorded for the predatorsRodolia cardinalis andChilocorus bipustulatus, but not forCryptolaemus montrouzieri (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae),Chrysoperla carnea (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) andSympherobius sanctus (Neuroptera: Sympherobiidae). The development time of the larvae or pupae ofR. cardinalis, C. carnea andS. sanctus was longer on the toxic plants than on the non-toxic ones. The percentage of parasitism ofA. craccivora collected from the non-alkaloidal plantsVicia palaestina andMelilotus albus was much higher than that onS. junceum. The parasitoid complexes ofA. craccivora differed between both plant groups. The nutritive value of honeydew ofI. purchasi andA. craccivora, as expressed by the life span ofEncyrtus infelix (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) adults, was also investigated. Life spans were significantly longer when the wasps fed on honeydew produced on non-alkaloidal plants (C. sinensis andPittosporum tobira) than on alkaloid containing plants whenI. purchasi — but notA. craccivora — was the producer. It is suggested that the chemical defense ofE. corallodendrum andS. junceum is exploited by polyphagous phytophages to reduce predation. In nature, population growth and density of four of the investigated homopterans are conspicuously high when they developed on the alkaloid containing plant species, and very low on non-alkaloid plants. The efficiency of their natural enemies may be reduced by sequestration of alkaloids (or other toxic plant compounds) or their transfer into excreted honeydew. Therefore it is assumed that a generalist phytophagous homopteran may be protected from its natural enemies, although at different rates of efficiency, if it can safely sequester the host allelochemical when it develops on toxic species within its host range.     

Sexual Predators,Energy Development,and Conservation in Greater Yellowstone

Abstract: In the United States, as elsewhere, a growing debate pits national energy policy and homeland security against biological conservation. In rural communities the extraction of fossil fuels is often encouraged because of the employment opportunities it offers, although the concomitant itinerant workforce is often associated with increased wildlife poaching. We explored possible positive and negative factors associated with energy extraction in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), an area known for its national parks, intact biological diversity, and some of the New World's longest terrestrial migrations. Specifically, we asked whether counties with different economies—recreation (ski), agrarian (ranching or farming), and energy extractive (petroleum)—differed in healthcare (gauged by the abundance of hospital beds) and in the frequency of sexual predators. The absolute and relative frequency of registered sex offenders grew approximately two to three times faster in areas reliant on energy extraction. Healthcare among counties did not differ. The strong conflation of community dishevel, as reflected by in‐migrant sexual predators, and ecological decay in Greater Yellowstone is consistent with patterns seen in similar systems from Ecuador to northern Canada, where social and environmental disarray exist around energy boomtowns. In our case, that groups (albeit with different aims) mobilized campaigns to help maintain the quality of rural livelihoods by protecting open space is a positive sign that conservation can matter, especially in the face of rampant and poorly executed energy extraction projects. Our findings further suggest that the public and industry need stronger regulatory action to instill greater vigilance when and where social factors and land conversion impact biological systems.     

Comparison of the insecticidal effects of water extracted and intact aromatic plants onAcanthoscelides obtectus,a bruchid beetle pest of kidney beans

Summary Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say) is one of the most damaging pests of kidney beans,Phaseolus vulgaris L. worldwide. However, aromatic plants from the families Lamiaceae, Lauraceae, Myrtaceae and Poaceae can protect kidney beans by direct or delayed insecticidal effect, through increased adult mortality and inhibition of beetle reproduction (both oviposition and adult emergence). The efficiency of hydrodistillated and intact plants fromThymus vulgaris andT. serpyllum, Mentha piperata, Rosmarinus officinalis, Satureia hortensis, Eucalyptus globulus, Laurus nobilis, Origanum vulgare, andCymbopogon nardus was compared. For both extracts,Origanum vulgare had the best effect. The insecticidal effect was induced by more than the essential oils because no significant difference was noticed between distilled and intact plants extract. Inhibition of reproduction was particularly important. These results suggest that lipidic as well as non lipidic, allelochemicals, such as phenolics, or non-protein amino-acids, or flavonoids may be involved in the toxicity of aromatic plants to this beetle.     

Rapid,recurring, structured survey versus bioblitz for generating biodiversity data and analysis with a multispecies abundance model

A bioblitz inexpensively and quickly generates biodiversity data, but bioblitzes are often conducted with haphazard, unreplicated sampling. Results tend to be taxonomically, geographically, or temporally biased, lack metadata, and consist of lists of observed taxa that do not enable further analyses or correction for imperfect detection. A rapid, recurring, structured survey (RRSS) uses a structured sampling design and temporal and spatial replication to survey randomly selected sites on a conservation property. We participated in a loosely structured bioblitz and a subsequent RRSS at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve in Springville (St. Clair County), Alabama (USA) to compare observed richness derived from the 2 survey approaches. The RRSS data structure enabled us to fit models that accounted for imperfect detection to estimate abundances, occupancy probabilities, and habitat associations. The loosely structured bioblitz data could not be used in such models. We present a new integrated multispecies abundance model that we applied to avian RRSS data. Our model extension enables estimation for the community, employs data augmentation to estimate the number of undetected species, and incorporates covariates. The RRSS generated a more comprehensive and less biased list of observed taxonomic richness than the loosely structured bioblitz (e.g., 73 vs. 45 bird species and 104 vs. 63 insect families from the RRSS vs. loosely structured bioblitz, respectively). Models fit to the RRSS data identified seasonal patterns in avian community composition and allowed for estimation of habitat–occupancy relationships for insect taxa. The RRSS protocol has potential for broad transferability as a standardized, quick, and inexpensive way to inventory biodiversity and estimate ecological parameters while providing an outreach opportunity.     

Sequestration of cucurbitacin analogs by New and Old World chrysomelid leaf beetles in the tribe Luperini

Summary Two South American polyphagous leaf beetles,Diabrotica speciosa andCerotoma arcuata, selectively accumulated the bitter tasting compound 23,24-dihydrocucurbitacin D in their body after ingesting root tissues of cucurbit plants. Similarly, three Asian Cucurbitaceae-feeding specialists in the genusAulacophora were found to sequester the same compound. Cucurbitacin analogs were shown to deter feeding by a bird predator, indicating an allomonal role for these compounds in cucurbitacin-associated chrysomelid leaf beetles both of New and Old Worlds. The strong affinity to cucurbitacins, selective sequestration of the analogs and consequent protection from predators suggested an ecological adaptation mechanism developed in common among these two geographically isolated subtribes in the Luperini.