60%唑醚·代森联水分散粒剂中吡唑醚菌酯在葡萄和土壤中的残留分析

建立了一种固相萃取-反相高效液相色谱检测60%唑醚·代森联水分散粒剂中吡唑醚菌酯在葡萄和土壤中的残留方法.方法的回收率为80.4%-98.4%,变异系数为1.8%-3.8%.最小检出量为2×10-10g,最低检测浓度为0.01 mg·kg-1.消解动态研究表明,吡唑醚菌酯在葡萄和土壤中消解较快,其半衰期分别为3.7-3.8d和8.7-10.2d.最终残留试验表明,60%唑醚·代森联水分散粒剂900mg(a.i.)·kg-1喷雾,4次药后7d,吡唑醚菌酯在葡萄和土壤中的最终残留量分别为0.1585-0.1886mg·kg-1和0.6935-0.7245 mg·kg-1,低于CAC规定吡唑醚菌酯在葡萄中的最高允许残留量(MRL值)2.0 mg·k-1.     

烯啶虫胺在棉花和土壤中的残留及消解动态

采用超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法测定烯啶虫胺在棉花和土壤中的残留.烯啶虫胺在棉叶中的平均回收率为99.41%-101.54%,变异系数为2.88%-5.76%;棉籽中烯啶虫胺的平均回收率为79.42%-94.19%,变异系数为1.06%-6.30%;在土壤中的平均回收率为96.68%-105.58%,变异系数为1.40%-4.81%.烯啶虫胺在棉花和土壤中的消解动态以及最终残留结果表明,烯啶虫胺消解较快,在山东省和河南省两地棉叶中的消解半衰期分别为5.75d和5.58d,土壤中的消解半衰期为1.45d和1.35d.在棉花上使用10%的烯啶虫胺水剂,按照最高推荐剂量和最高推荐剂量的1.5倍,施药3次,收获期距最后一次施药21d,烯啶虫胺在棉花和土壤中最终残留量均小于0.006mg·kg-1.     

噻嗪酮在番茄和土壤中的残留分析

建立了一种固相萃取-反相高效液相色谱检测噻嗪酮在番茄和土壤中残留的方法.方法的添加回收率为79.8%-109.2%,变异系数为2.8%-7.0%.最小检出量为6×10-11g,最低检测浓度为0.01mg·kg-1.消解动态研究表明,噻嗪酮在番茄中的消解半衰期为3.27-3.83d,在土壤中的消解半衰期为10.57-12.91d.最终残留试验研究表明,在嚷嗪酮含量为432g(a.I.)-ha-1与216g(a.I.)·ha-1,施药2次和3次的情况下,噻嗪酮在番茄中的最终残留2d为0.076-0.237 mg·kg-1,3d为0.013-0.105mg·kg-1噻嗪酮在土壤中的最终残留2d为0.067-0.294mg·kg-1,3d为0.044-0.197mg·kg-1.     

代森锰锌及其代谢物乙撑硫脲在马铃薯和土壤中的残留动态

采用田间试验方法研究代森锰锌及其代谢物乙撑硫脲(ETU)在马铃薯和土壤中的残留动态.气相色谱法定量分析,本方法马铃薯中代森锰锌和ETU的平均回收率分别为85.41%-95.47%和87.71%-92.19%;土壤中代森锰锌和ETU的平均回收率分别为85.61%-103.09%和91.08%-94.46%.结果表明:代森锰锌和ETU在马铃薯茎叶中消解较快,在合肥市和天津市两地其消解半衰期分别为6.41-7.89d和6.16-7.15d;在土壤中的消解半衰期分别为5.26-7.71d和9.80-10.16d.在马铃薯上使用了72%锰锌·霜脲可湿性粉剂,按照推荐剂量的2倍(3240gai·ha-1)最多施药4次,采收期距最后一次施药7d,马铃薯中代森锰锌残留量小于1.0mg·kg-1,ETU小于0.05mg·kg-1.说明该药为低残留、易消解农药.     

苹果和土壤中丙森锌的消解动态及残留规律

研究了苹果和土壤中丙森锌残留的气相色谱分析方法,及其代谢物乙撑硫脲的高效液相色谱分析方法,并在天津、山东烟台和陕西咸阳进行了苹果和土壤中丙森锌及其代谢物乙撑硫脲残留消解动态和残留规律田间试验研究.结果表明,在0.05—2 mg.kg-1的加标水平下,苹果和土壤中丙森锌的加标回收率分别为77.12%—92.85%和9.24%—94.68%,变异系数分别为3.30%—6.56%和3.29%—5.29%;在0.05—1 mg.kg-1的加标水平下,苹果和土壤中乙撑硫脲的加标回收率分别为80.91%—97.47%和84.11%—99.97%,变异系数分别为3.23%—3.82%和2.80%—3.40%.苹果和土壤中丙森锌和乙撑硫脲的最小检出量分别为5.0×10-10g和1.0×10-10g,其中苹果和土壤中丙森锌的最低检出浓度为0.025 mg.kg-1,乙撑硫脲的最低检出浓度为0.005 mg.kg-1.按1.5倍推荐剂量600倍稀释液在苹果上施用65%戊唑醇.丙森锌可湿性粉剂1次,丙森锌在苹果和土壤中的残留消解半衰期分别为6.0—6.8 d和8.7—10.1 d.按推荐剂量和1.5倍推荐剂量在苹果上各施用65%戊唑醇.丙森锌可湿性粉剂3—4次,2次施药间隔为10 d,距最后一次施药21 d时,丙森锌在苹果中的最高残留量低于我国农业行业标准规定的最大残留限量2 mg.kg-1.     

苯达嗪丙酯在土壤和小麦中的田间残留试验

建立了土壤和小麦种子、茎杆中苯达嗪丙酯的残留分析方法.研究了高剂量施药条件下土壤中的消解动态,并测定了土壤、小麦种子和茎杆中的最终残留.苯达嗪丙酯的最低检出限为10ng,在土壤和小麦中的最低检出浓度为0.05mg·kg-1.方法的平均添加回收率为88.7%—103.3%,变异系数为4.3%—16.4%.苯达嗪丙酯的消解动态试验表明:高剂量施药条件下苯达嗪丙酯在土壤中的半衰期分别为2.5d(北京)和3.1d(石家庄);当按推荐剂量施药时,小麦收获前10d,在土壤、小麦种子和茎杆中,北京和石家庄两地均未检出苯达嗪丙酯.     

氯吡脲在土壤和西瓜中的残留分析

建立了氯吡脲在土壤和西瓜中残留的HPLC分析方法.氯吡脲的添加回收率大于95%,变异系数小于10%,最小检出浓度为5 μg·kg-1,检测限为0.4ng.对西瓜消解动态的研究表明,氯吡脲在西瓜中消解较快,半衰期为1.20-1.67d;使用剂量为20-30mg a.i. ·kg-1水溶液于雌花开放当天或前后一天均匀喷洒瓜胎(或浸瓜胎)一次,西瓜收获时(施药后40d),样品中未检出氯吡脲残留.土壤消解动态研究表明:使用600 mg a.i.·hm-2的剂量对土壤喷雾,氯吡脲在土壤样品中的半衰期为9.87-15.3d;使用300-600mg a.i.·hm-2的剂量对土壤喷雾,西瓜收获时(施药后40d),土壤中均未检出氯吡脲残留.     

啶虫脒和仲丁威在水稻、土壤及田水中的残留消解动态

在天津、浙江和山东三地开展了两年田间试验研究,建立了一种同时测定水稻、土壤及田水中啶虫脒和仲丁威残留量的分析方法.结果表明,在0.005—0.5 mg.kg-1添加水平范围内,啶虫脒在水稻、土壤和田水中的添加平均回收率为74.21%—106.5%,变异系数为5.6%—14.2%;仲丁威在水稻、土壤和田水中的添加平均回收率为81.12%—108.6%,变异系数为2.31%—10.9%.啶虫脒和仲丁威的最小检出量分别为3.8×10-11g和2.3×10-11g;在稻米、稻壳、植株和土壤中的最低检出浓度为0.01 mg.kg-1,在田水中的最低检出浓度为0.005 mg.kg-1.田间试验结果表明,啶虫脒和仲丁威在水稻植株、土壤和田水中的残留消解动态规律均符合一级动力学反应模型,啶虫脒在水稻植株、土壤和田水中的残留消解半衰期分别为7.0—20.4 d、2.8—7.62d和6.7—15.0 d;仲丁威在水稻植株、土壤和田水中的残留消解半衰期分别为5.7—10.0 d、10.8—15.2 d和2.6—9.5 d.以推荐施药剂量60 g/亩和1.5倍推荐施药剂量90 g/亩,在水稻灌浆期开始第1次施药,最多施药3次,距最后一次施药21 d时,啶虫脒和仲丁威在稻米中的最高残留量分别为0.42 mg.kg-1和0.054 mg.kg-1,低于我国农业行业标准规定的小麦中啶虫脒最大残留限量0.5 mg.kg-1和我国国家标准规定的糙米中仲丁威最大残留限量0.5 mg.kg-1.     

苹果和土壤中甲基硫菌灵及其代谢物残留消解动态

研究了甲基硫菌灵及其代谢物多菌灵在苹果和土壤中的消解动态和最终残留。苹果和土壤中甲基硫菌灵及多菌灵采用乙酸乙酯提取,提取液经旋转蒸发仪浓缩后经SPE氨基净化柱净化,过0.22μm滤膜后上机,采用超高效液相色谱和272 nm紫外检测器检测,外标法定量。添加浓度为0.05、1.0、5.0 mg·kg-1时,苹果中甲基硫菌灵的添加回收率在76.3%~108.5%之间,相对标准偏差为1.7%~5.7%;土壤中甲基硫菌灵的添加回收率在90.0%~106.7%之间,相对标准偏差为2.6%~7.4%;苹果中多菌灵的添加回收率在82.7%~109.3%之间,相对标准偏差为8.6%~11.5%;土壤中多菌灵的添加回收率在77.9%~116.9%之间,相对标准偏差为4.8%~7.3%;检测方法满足农药留分析要求。在山东省泰安市、安徽省宿州市、河北省保定市3个试验点两年的消解动态试验结果表明:施药后,甲基硫菌灵在苹果和土壤中均很快转化为多菌灵。甲基硫菌灵在苹果和土壤中的半衰期均小于6.3 d,属于易降解农药。两年三地的最终残留试验结果表明,甲基硫菌灵及代谢物多菌灵在苹果和土壤中最终残留量均低于0.05 mg·kg-1,小于我国规定的最大残留限量(MRL)3.0 mg·kg-1和欧盟规定的MRL 0.5 mg·kg-1。说明按照推荐的甲基硫菌灵在苹果上的施用方法:施用药量(有效成分)500 mg·kg-1,施药2次,施药间隔7 d,采收间隔期大于21 d,在以上条件下施药是安全的。     

80%胺鲜酯·甲哌鎓在棉花和土壤中的残留及消解动态

采用超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法测定胺鲜酯与甲哌鎓在棉花和土壤中的残留.胺鲜酯与甲哌鎓在棉叶中的平均回收率为86.9%—115.4%,变异系数为2.2%—11.3%;棉籽中胺鲜酯与甲哌鎓的平均回收率为76.3%—98.4%,变异系数为3.1%—9.8%;在土壤中的平均回收率为81.3%—108.2%,变异系数为2.7%—8.4%;胺鲜酯与甲哌鎓在棉花和土壤中的消解动态以及最终残留结果表明,在山东和河南省两地,胺鲜酯与甲哌鎓在棉叶中消解较土壤中快,在山东省棉叶及土壤中的消解半衰期分别为1.3—4.5 d和4.3—7.6 d,在河南省棉叶及土壤中的消解半衰期分别为1.3—1.9 d和4.1—6.2 d.80%胺鲜酯.甲哌鎓可溶性粉剂在棉花和土壤中最终残留量均小于0.005 mg·kg-1.     

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.     

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     

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.     

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.     

Compliance with and ecosystem function of biodiversity offsets in North American and European freshwaters

Land-use change via human development is a major driver of biodiversity loss. To reduce these impacts, billions of dollars are spent on biodiversity offsets. However, studies evaluating offset project effectiveness that examine components such as the overall compliance and function of projects remain rare. We reviewed 577 offsetting projects in freshwater ecosystems that included the metrics project size, type of aquatic system (e.g., wetland and creek), offsetting measure (e.g., enhancement, restoration, and creation), and an assessment of the projects’ compliance and functional success. Project information was obtained from scientific and government databases and gray literature. Despite considerable investment in offsetting projects, crucial problems persisted. Although compliance and function were related to each other, a high level of compliance did not guarantee a high degree of function. However, large projects relative to area had better function than small projects. Function improved when projects targeted productivity or specific ecosystem features and when multiple complementary management targets were in place. Restorative measures were more likely to achieve targets than creating entirely new ecosystems. Altogether the relationships we found highlight specific ecological processes that may help improve offsetting outcomes.     

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.