免耕稻-鸭复合系统减少甲烷排放及其机理研究

以免耕不养鸭和翻耕不养鸭稻田为参照,研究了免耕稻-鸭复合系统中甲烷排放的日变化和季节变化以及稻-鸭复合系统中土壤氧化还原特性对甲烷排放的影响。结果表明:稻田甲烷排放通量日变化与日气温变化基本趋于一致。在水稻分蘖盛期和孕穗期,免耕养鸭稻田甲烷排放通量明显低于免耕不养鸭和翻耕不养鸭稻田, 3者之间甲烷排放通量大小差异白天明显,夜间较小。在水稻分蘖盛期、孕穗期和齐穗期,免耕养鸭稻田水中溶解氧含量比免耕不养鸭和翻耕不养鸭稻田提高38. 4% ~44. 7%。由于鸭子的活动,免耕养鸭稻田的氧化还原电位分别比免耕不养鸭和翻耕不养鸭稻田高11和18mV。而翻耕不养鸭稻田的还原物质总量分别是免耕养鸭稻田和免耕不养鸭稻田的4. 17~12. 34倍和3. 26~7. 02倍,其亚铁离子含量也明显高于后2者,表明翻耕使土壤还原程度增强,进而促进了稻田甲烷的排放。相关分析表明,免耕养鸭稻田氧化还原电位与还原物质总量、活性还原物质总量和亚铁离子含量呈极显著负相关,也与稻田甲烷排放通量呈负相关,但未达显著水平。     

免耕稻-鸭复合系统减少甲烷排放及其机理研究

以免耕不养鸭和翻耕不养鸭稻田为参照，研究了免耕稻-鸭复合系统中甲烷排放的日变化和季节变化以及稻-鸭复合系统中土壤氧化还原特性对甲烷排放的影响。结果表明：稻田甲烷排放通量日变化与日气温变化基本趋于一致。在水稻分蘖盛期和孕穗期，免耕养鸭稻田甲烷排放通量明显低于免耕不养鸭和翻耕不养鸭稻田，3者之间甲烷排放通量大小差异白天明显，夜间较小。在水稻分蘖盛期、孕穗期和齐穗期，免耕养鸭稻田水中溶解氧含量比免耕不养鸭和翻耕不养鸭稻田提高38．4％～44．7％。由于鸭子的活动，免耕养鸭稻田的氧化还原电位分别比免耕不养鸭和翻耕不养鸭稻田高11和18mV。而翻耕不养鸭稻田的还原物质总量分别是免耕养鸭稻田和免耕不养鸭稻田的4．17～12．34倍和3．26～7．02倍，其亚铁离子含量也明显高于后2者，表明翻耕使土壤还原程度增强，进而促进了稻田甲烷的排放。相关分析表明，免耕养鸭稻田氧化还原电位与还原物质总量、活性还原物质总量和亚铁离子含量呈极显著负相关，也与稻田甲烷排放通量呈负相关，但未达显著水平。     

湿地稻-鸭复合生态系统综合效益研究

2000年3月至2001年10月在湖南长沙进行了湿地稻-鸭复合生态系统综合效益的小区试验。结果表明,实行稻-鸭生态种养显著降低稻田甲烷排放量,与常规稻田相比,甲烷排放总量在早稻田与晚稻田分别降低44.2%和40.7%。各处理晚稻田甲烷排放总量高于早稻田甲烷排放总量。养鸭稻田与常规稻田相比,土壤肥力都有所增加,土壤容重降低,>0.25mm团聚体增加2.65～3.12百分点,土壤结构系数增加2.56～6.63百分点。同时,稻田土壤氧化还原状况也得到明显改善。湿地稻-鸭复合生态系统直接的经济效益也远高于常规稻田。     

浅论稻田甲烷的产生和排放

目前的研究结果表明,我国稻田甲烷排放通量大约在7.8—60mg/m~2·h。稻田甲烷的排放包含着甲烷在水田土壤中的生成和从土壤向大气释放这样两个过程。前者是通过土壤中微生物活动分解复杂的有机物质,在渍水还原条件(氧化还原电位低于-200mv)下,由产甲烷菌最后转化形成甲烷;后者主要是通过水稻植株向大气释放,只有少量通过气泡或分子扩散从水田土壤通过田面水层向大气排放。显然,稻田甲烷的生成、排放是一个以生物学过程为中心,并与土壤环境、土表水层和大气环境的一些物理、化学条件密切相关的过程。土壤温度、pH值、水稻品种的生物学特性及稻田的水浆管理、施肥措施等等都会影响稻田甲烷的排放。只有研究并掌握稻田甲烷排放的机理及其影响因素,才能真正做到在争取水稻优质、高产的同时,抑制或减少甲烷的排放。     

青海湖高寒藏嵩草湿草甸湿地生态系统CO_2通量变化特征

基于涡度相关系统对青海湖藏嵩草湿草甸湿地生态系统CO_2通量变化特征及其影响因子进行研究。结果表明,青海湖藏嵩草湿草甸湿地生态系统CO_2通量具有明显的日变化和月变化特征。生长季表现为CO_2的净吸收,其吸收峰值出现在12:30—15:00之间,最大值为0.42 mg·m~(-2)·s~(-1),排放峰值出现在20:00—22:30之间,最大值为0.24 mg·m~(-2)·s~(-1)。非生长季日变化较小,总体表现为CO_2的净排放,除了11月,其他月份白天CO_2排放通量都明显大于夜间。2015年青海湖高寒藏嵩草湿草甸湿地生态系统全年净生态系统CO_2交换量为54.55 g·m~(-2),表现为碳源。路径分析表明,土壤温度、光合有效辐射和饱和水汽压差是影响CO_2通量日交换大小的主要控制因子。     

互花米草入侵盐沼湿地CH_4和N_2O排放日变化特征研究

甲烷(CH4)和氧化亚氮(N2O)是导致全球气候变暖的2种重要温室气体,探索其源汇及地域排放特征一直是全球变化研究领域的核心内容。CH4和N2O通量的日变化研究是正确估算大时间尺度下CH4和N2O排放量的基础。利用静态箱法原位观测了江苏沿海芦苇(Phragmites australis)、盐蒿(Suada salsa)、光滩、水面以及互花米草(Spartina alterniflora)入侵湿地CH4和N2O排放的日变化特征。结果表明,1)互花米草湿地地上部生物量为1.70 kg·m-2,土壤有机碳质量分数为13.55 g·kg-1;分别是芦苇和盐蒿湿地的2.50~3.43和2.15~4.15倍。2)互花米草和芦苇湿地土壤10 cm处氧化还原电位(Eh)有明显日变化,最低值出现在3:00,最高值出现在12:00;光滩和盐蒿湿地没有明显的日变化。3)互花米草湿地CH4日平均排放通量为0.52 mg·m-2·h-1,是其他湿地的2.12~6.40倍;N2O日平均通量为-3.24μg·m-2·h-1,显著低于盐蒿湿地、光滩和水面(P0.05)。互花米草和芦苇湿地CH4排放通量最高值(0.73 mg·m-2·h-1和0.30 mg·m-2·h-1)出现在15:00,最低值(0.37mg·m-2·h-1和0.17 mg·m-2·h-1)出现在3:00,均与土壤孔隙水中CH4浓度呈显著负相关(P0.05)。互花米草湿地CH4排放通量与10 cm土温、Eh和生态系统CO2净交换量(NEE)显著正相关(P0.05)。互花米草和芦苇湿地N2O通量9:00-18:00为负值,21:00—6:00为正值,均与NEE呈显著负相关(P0.05)。盐蒿湿地、光滩和水面CH4和N2O排放通量没有明显日变化特征。互花米草入侵提高了沿海湿地CH4排放,但降低了N2O排放,植物对CH4传输作用以及向根际传输O2和易分解有机物是导致互花米草和芦苇湿地CH4和N2O排放表现出日变化特征的原因。     

互花米草入侵盐沼湿地CH4和N2O排放日变化特征研究

甲烷（CH4）和氧化亚氮（N2O）是导致全球气候变暖的2种重要温室气体,探索其源汇及地域排放特征一直是全球变化研究领域的核心内容。CH4和N2O通量的日变化研究是正确估算大时间尺度下CH4和N2O排放量的基础。利用静态箱法原位观测了江苏沿海芦苇（Phragmites australis）、盐蒿（Suada salsa）、光滩、水面以及互花米草（Spartina alterniflora）入侵湿地CH4和N2O排放的日变化特征。结果表明,1）互花米草湿地地上部生物量为1.70 kg·m^-2,土壤有机碳质量分数为13.55 g·kg^-1;分别是芦苇和盐蒿湿地的2.50-3.43和2.15-4.15倍。2）互花米草和芦苇湿地土壤10 cm处氧化还原电位（Eh）有明显日变化,最低值出现在3：00,最高值出现在12：00;光滩和盐蒿湿地没有明显的日变化。3）互花米草湿地 CH4日平均排放通量为0.52 mg·m^-2·h^-1,是其他湿地的2.12-6.40倍;N2O日平均通量为-3.24μg·m^-2·h^-1,显著低于盐蒿湿地、光滩和水面（P＜0.05）。互花米草和芦苇湿地CH4排放通量最高值（0.73 mg·m^-2·h^-1和0.30 mg·m^-2·h^-1）出现在15：00,最低值（0.37 mg·m^-2·h^-1和0.17 mg·m^-2·h^-1）出现在3：00,均与土壤孔隙水中CH4浓度呈显著负相关（P＜0.05）。互花米草湿地CH4排放通量与10 cm土温、Eh和生态系统CO2净交换量（NEE）显著正相关（P＜0.05）。互花米草和芦苇湿地N2O通量9：00-18：00为负值,21：00—6：00为正值,均与NEE呈显著负相关（P＜0.05）。盐蒿湿地、光滩和水面CH4和N2O排放通量没有明显日变化特征。互花米草入侵提高了沿海湿地CH4排放,但降低了N2O排放,植物对CH4传输作用以及向根际传输O2和易分解有机物是导致互花米草和芦苇湿地CH4和N2O排放表现出日变化特征的原因。     

种稻盆钵土壤甲烷排放通量变化的研究

通过温室盆栽试验，研究了不同冬作处理时后茬水稻生长期甲烷排放通量及土壤温度、土壤Ｅｈ的日变化规律。结果表明：连续晴天甲烷排放通量和土壤温度存在明显的昼夜变化，最大值出现在下午４时左右，最小值出现在凌晨４时左右，符合余弦函数变化规律；连续阴雨天甲烷排放通量有逐日降低的趋势，但其昼夜变化缺乏规律性。种稻盆钵土壤甲烷排放通量昼夜变化主要受０～１０ｃｍ深土壤温度的影响，而与土壤氧化还原电位无关。     

不同耕作制度对南方稻田甲烷排放的影响

以南方稻田温室气体甲烷排放为研究对象,选取冬季休闲和种植绿肥作物紫云英(AstragalussinicusL.)两种主要模式,在早稻(OryzasativaL.)移栽之前进行旋耕和翻耕两种处理,以全年休闲为空白对照,利用静态箱法测定甲烷排放通量。结果表明,甲烷排放在水稻抽穗期达到极大值,至收获甲烷排放呈减少趋势,以无稻全年休闲区甲烷排放通量最低,在抽穗至收获阶段平均排放速率为3.43mg·m-2·h-1,冬闲及冬季种植紫云英处理分别比无稻休闲区排放通量高114.3%和420.3%;甲烷浓度具有强烈的空间异质性,地表以上50cm空间内,早稻抽穗至成熟阶段甲烷浓度是大气甲烷浓度的35.2倍;稻田甲烷高浓度低排放速率以及低浓度高排放速率现象表明,甲烷排放速率与其浓度之间具有非一致性。     

稻田甲烷排放通量与农业管理措施的关系

1990至1992年对北京地区的麦后稻区及单季稻区进行了三年的稻田甲烷排放通量的测定,麦后稻区的甲烷排放通量约17.5mg/m~2·h;单季稻小区约在8.5-10mg/m~2·h。有机底肥的用量是影响甲烷排放通量的首要因素,旱直播及仅使用化肥可降低甲烷排放通量。在一定量有机底肥的条件下,采用间歇灌溉的方法既可保持或提高水稻的产量,又可抑制或降低甲烷的排放通量,但也观测到干干湿湿的状态下温室气体N_2O的排放通量有所增加。     

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.