不同类别农药助剂对蚯蚓(Eisenia foetida)的急性毒性

为评价农药助剂对土壤生物的毒性效应,分别采用滤纸接触法和人工土壤法测定了不同类别农药助剂对赤子爱胜蚓(Eisenia foetida)的急性毒性。结果表明：19种非离子表面活性剂中,烷基酚聚氧乙烯醚与脂肪醇聚氧乙烯醚毒性较高,滤纸法48 h-LC₅₀为7.630～39.65 μg·cm^-2,人工土壤法14 d-LC₅₀为876.5～2786.6 mg·kg^-1,其它类型非离子表面活性剂毒性较低。5种阴离子表面活性剂中,十二烷基硫酸钠、十二烷基苯磺酸钙毒性高于木质素磺酸钠、木质素磺酸钙、亚甲基双萘磺酸钠,滤纸法48 h-LC₅₀为6.575～41.89 μg·cm^-2,人工土壤法14 d-LC₅₀为1195.0～1911.7 mg·kg^-1。13种溶剂中,二甲苯、乙苯、甲苯、正丁醇、环己酮表现出较高的毒性,滤纸法48 h-LC₅₀为6.587～57.62 μg·cm^-2,密封人工土壤法48 h-LC₅₀为181.9～781.5 mg·kg^-1。采用两种方法测得的5种填料高岭土、白炭黑、硅藻土、凹凸棒土和轻质碳酸钙的毒性均较低。由此可见,采用两种方法测得的毒性系统偏差接近,重现性均较好,并且滤纸接触法测得的毒力高于人工土壤法。     

肟菌酯对环境生物急性毒性及安全性评价

本试验通过研究肟菌酯对10种环境生物急性毒性效应,以期评价其对环境生物的毒性风险。结果表明,肟菌酯对日本鹌鹑(Coturnix coturnix japonica)的经口毒性7 d-LD50和短期饲喂毒性8 d-LC50分别大于2.00×103mg a.i.·kg-1bw和5.00×103mg a.i.·kg-1饲料,意大利蜜蜂(Apis mellifera L.)接触与经口毒性48 h-LD50分别为大于100μg a.i.·蜂-1和95.3μg a.i.·蜂-1,家蚕(Bombyx mori)96 h-LC50为1.61×103mg a.i.·L-1,蚯蚓(Eisenia foetida)14 d-LC50大于100 mg a.i.·kg-1干土,赤眼蜂(Trichogramma japonicum)24 h-LR50为0.337μg a.i.·cm-2,羊角月牙藻(Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata)72 h-EC50为5.80×10-3mg a.i.·L-1,大型溞(Daphnia magna Straus)48 h-EC50为1.72×10-2mg a.i.·L-1,斑马鱼(Brachydanio rerio)96 h-LC50为5.40×10-2mg a.i.·L-1,非洲爪蟾(Xenopus laevis)蝌蚪96 h-LC50为8.95×10-2mg a.i.·L-1,土壤微生物28 d硝酸盐转化速率差异小于25%。因此,根据《化学农药环境安全评价试验准则》毒性等级划分标准,肟菌酯对鸟、蜜蜂、家蚕、蚯蚓等陆生生物为低毒,对水生生物的绿藻、大型溞、斑马鱼、非洲爪蟾蝌蚪均为高毒或剧毒,而对天敌赤眼蜂属高风险,故在田间使用过程中应采取措施降低其对水生生物以及天敌昆虫赤眼蜂急性毒性风险,以免造成危害。     

22种常用除草剂对蚯蚓(Eisenia fetida)的急性毒性

为评价农药对土壤动物的影响,采用滤纸法和人工土壤法测定了22种常用除草剂对赤子爱胜蚓(Eisenia fetida)的急性毒性.滤纸法染毒48 h,特丁净、丙草胺、精异丙甲草胺、乙草胺和莎稗磷对蚯蚓为中等毒性,其LC50值为10.32(8310～12.23)～34.69(29.16～43.99) μg·cm-2;其次为...     

两种除草剂对蚯蚓的急性毒性及氧化胁迫效应

为评价两种常用除草剂草甘膦和精喹禾灵对土壤动物的影响,以赤子爱胜蚓(Eisenia fetida)为受试生物,采用滤纸接触法和人工土壤法测定了两种除草剂的急性毒性效应。并通过人工土壤染毒法研究了两种除草剂对蚯蚓体内超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)、过氧化物酶(POD)活性和丙二醛(MDA)含量的影响。结果表明,滤纸法染毒48 h,草甘膦和精喹禾灵对蚯蚓为低毒级,其LC50值分别为546.4和638.7μg·cm-2;人工土壤法染毒14 d,草甘膦和精喹禾灵对蚯蚓的LC50值分别为321.4和392.3 mg·kg-1,属低毒级。氧化胁迫试验结果表明,较低浓度草甘膦(≤4 mg·kg-1)和精喹禾灵(≤10 mg·kg-1)对蚯蚓体内抗氧化酶活性影响不显著,而40和80 mg·kg-1草甘膦在暴露7 d内对SOD、CAT和POD活性影响显著,表现为SOD活性显著提高,CAT和POD活性分别呈现降低-提高和提高-降低的变化趋势。暴露7 d内,100 mg·kg-1精喹禾灵对蚯蚓SOD活性表现为先刺激后抑制的变化趋势,CAT和POD活性显著提高。和对照相比,草甘膦污染土壤中蚯蚓体内MDA含量变化不显著,而高浓度精喹禾灵(100 mg·kg-1)污染土壤中,第7和14天时蚯蚓体内MDA含量显著提高。暴露14 d后,草甘膦和精喹禾灵对蚯蚓的氧化胁迫基本消失,说明供试浓度范围内草甘膦和精喹禾灵不会对蚯蚓造成严重的氧化损伤。与急性毒性结果相比,氧化胁迫效应更为敏感,可作为该两种除草剂对土壤生态影响早期预警中的生物标志物。     

10种常用农药对赤子爱胜蚓(Eisenia foetida)的急性毒性效应

为了评价农药对土壤无脊椎动物种群的生态风险,采用OECD标准滤纸法和人工土壤法测定了10种常用农药对蚯蚓(Eisenia foetida)的急性毒性效应。采用滤纸法,48h测定结果表明,4种氨基甲酸酯类(异丙威、甲萘威、速灭威和丁硫克百威)和2种有机磷类(毒死蜱和哒嗪硫磷)农药对蚯蚓的急性毒性(其LC50值为3.50(2.77～4.44)～72.42(59.58～88.05)μg·cm-2)明显高于3种昆虫生长调节剂(噻嗪酮、虫酰肼和呋喃虫酰肼)和吡蚜酮对蚯蚓的急性毒性(其LC50值>629.1μg·cm-2)。采用人工土壤法,14d测定结果表明,上述4种氨基甲酸酯类农药对蚯蚓的急性毒性(其LC50值为59.61(55.13～64.44)～134.1(127.0～141.5)mg·kg-1)明显高于上述2种有机磷类农药和其他农药对蚯蚓的急性毒性(其LC50值为193.0(180.1～206.8)～386.4(359.7～414.2)mg·kg-1)。上述结果表明,不同类型的农药对蚯蚓的毒性存在较大差异,且同一类型的不同农药品种对蚯蚓的毒性也存在较大差异。总体来看,氨基甲酸酯类农药比其他类型的农药对蚯蚓具有更高的毒性。根据《化学农药环境安全评价试验准则》,本研究采用人工土壤法测定的所有农药对蚯蚓均为低毒级。     

3种助剂对赤子爱胜蚓的急性毒性

为了探究新型助剂LD-10与常用助剂NP-10、NP-4对土壤非靶标生物的影响,以赤子爱胜蚓(Eisenia fetida)为受试生物,采用自然土壤法和灭菌土壤法,研究了这3种助剂对土壤蚯蚓的急性毒性.结果表明,在自然土壤中LD-10、NP-10和NP-4对蚯蚓7d半致死浓度w(LC50)分别为482.58、1 077.50和343.17 mg·kg-1,14 d的w(LC50)分别为438.38、984.64和316.65 mg.kg-1.在灭菌土壤中LD-10、NP-10和NP-4对蚯蚓7d的w(LC50)分别为350.71、960.95和309.63 mg·kg-1,14d的w(LC50)分别为320.24、745.99和274.76 mg·kg-1.在自然土壤和灭菌土壤中3种助剂对赤子爱胜蚓均为低毒,毒性由大到小依次为NP-4、LD-10和NP-10,且3者在灭菌土壤中的毒性均明显高于自然土壤.     

5种酚类物质对中国白羽鹌鹑和中华蜜蜂的急性毒性

酚类物质作为一类主要的污染物,已引起国内外高度重视,但目前其对陆生生物的毒性研究较少。本试验探究了4-叔丁基苯酚、间甲酚、2-氯苯酚、2-甲酚、2,4-二氯苯酚这5种酚类物质对中国本土物种中国白羽鹌鹑和中华蜜蜂的急性毒性。在中国白羽鹌鹑的急性经口试验中,2-氯苯酚、2-甲酚的7 d的半致死浓度(7 d-LC50)分别为331 mg·kg~(-1)和413 mg·kg~(-1),其他3种酚类物质的7 d-LC50均大于限度值1 000 mg·kg~(-1);在中国白羽鹌鹑的急性饲喂试验中,5种酚类物质的8 d-LC50均大于限度值2 000 mg·kg~(-1);在中华蜜蜂的急性经口试验中,2-氯苯酚、2-甲酚和2,4-二氯苯酚的48 h-LC50分别为306 mg·L~(-1)、358 mg·L~(-1)和364 mg·L~(-1);在中华蜜蜂的急性接触试验中,2,4-二氯苯酚的48 h的半致死量(48 h-LD50)为2.6μg·蜂~(-1),其他4种酚类物质的48h-LD50均大于限度值100μg·蜂~(-1)。研究结果表明不同的酚类物质由于其结构不同亦表现出不同的毒性,甲酚的邻位取代比间位取代对中国白羽鹌鹑和中华蜜蜂的毒性更高,不同物种表现出了相似的规律性。5种酚类物质对我国本土物种中国白羽鹌鹑和中华蜜蜂毒性比对其他水生生物更敏感,存在良好的剂量效应关系。     

毒死蜱、马拉硫磷和氰戊菊酯对赤子爱胜蚓（Eisenia foetida）的急性毒性

采用滤纸接触法和土壤培养法研究了毒死蜱(Chlorpyrifos)、马拉硫磷(Malathion)和氰戊菊酯(Fenvalerate)对赤子爱胜蚓(Eisenia foetida)的急性毒性效应.滤纸接触法试验浓度分别设置为,毒死蜱:3.14、6.28、9.42、12.56、15.70、18.84μg·cm-2;马拉硫磷:3.10、6.20、12.40、18.60、24.80、31.40μg·cm-2;氰戊菊酯:0.31、0.62、1.24、1.86、2.48、3.14μg·cm-2.土壤培养法试验浓度分别设置为,毒死蜱:100、125、150、175、200、225、250mg·kg-1;马拉硫磷:350、400、450、500、550、600mg·kg-1;氰戊菊酯:20、30、40、50、60、70、80mg·kg-1.结果表明:采用滤纸接触法测得的各农药对蚯蚓48h的半数致死浓度(LC50)分别为毒死蜱12.26μg·cm-2、马拉硫磷19.61μg·cm-2、氰戊菊酯1.03μg·cm-2;采用土壤培养法测得的各农药对蚯蚓7d的LC50分别为毒死蜱427.67mg·kg-1、马拉硫磷742.53mg·kg-1、氰戊菊酯81.81mg·kg-1,14d的LC50分别为毒死蜱182.21mg·kg-1、马拉硫磷497.29mg·kg-1、氰戊菊酯37.46mg·kg-1.根据《化学农药环境安全评价试验准则》,这3种农药对蚯蚓的毒性均为低毒级.     

全氟辛烷磺酸盐(PFOS)替代品对中国白羽鹌鹑的生态毒性

为研究全氟辛烷磺酸盐(perfluorooctane sulfonate,PFOS)替代品对环境生物的毒害效应,选用中国白羽鹌鹑作为受试生物,建立其环境危害评价毒性测试方法,并对PFOS替代化学品进行了急性经口、急性饲喂及繁殖毒性的风险评价。结果表明,全氟丁基有机铵盐阳离子表面活性剂急性经口毒性实验的LD50为500.44mg·kg-1,其余3种替代化学品在上限浓度2000mg·kg-1,白羽鹌鹑均未出现明显死亡,4种PFOS替代品对中国白羽鹌鹑的急性经口毒性均为低毒。全氟丁基有机铵盐阳离子表面活性剂急性饲喂毒性实验的LC50为970.50mg.kg-1,对白羽鹌鹑的饲喂毒性为中毒,而其余3种替代化学品在上限浓度5000mg·kg-1,白羽鹌鹑均未出现明显死亡,对中国白羽鹌鹑的急性饲喂毒性为低毒。在长期饲喂过程中,织物三防整理剂和C6织物三防整理剂会表现出一定的生殖毒性,造成中国白羽鹌鹑的孵化率降低,胚胎死亡率及未受精率升高;全氟丁基有机铵盐阳离子表面活性剂会影响到中国白羽鹌鹑的未受精率,C4织物三防整理剂未表现出明显的生殖毒性。     

17种常用除草剂对蚯蚓的急性毒性

蚯蚓在改良土壤、消解农业废弃物、提高土壤养分和作物产量方面发挥着重要的作用。为了评价除草剂对蚯蚓的毒性,采用滤纸接触法和人工土壤法测定了17种除草剂对赤子爱胜蚓(Eisenia fetida)的急性毒性。滤纸接触法染毒48 h,噁唑酰草胺对赤子爱胜蚓的毒性最高,半数致死浓度LC_(50)(median lethal concentration)为7.6μg·cm~(-2),属高毒级;其次为丙草胺、高效氟吡甲禾灵和灭草松,LC_(50)分别为10.7、12.7、61.3μg·cm~(-2),属中毒级;二氯喹啉酸、2甲4氯钠、苯唑草酮、草铵膦、烟嘧磺隆和双草醚对赤子爱胜蚓的LC_(50)分别为143.0、198.2、211.1、466.9、433.7、649.2μg·cm~(-2),属低毒级;吡嘧磺隆、五氟磺草胺、嘧啶肟草醚、氰氟草酯、乙羧氟草醚、二甲戊灵和硝磺草酮对赤子爱胜蚓的LC_(50)均大于1 000μg·cm~(-2),属微毒级。人工土壤法染毒14 d,高效氟吡甲禾灵对赤子爱胜蚓的毒性最高,LC_(50)为148.9 mg·kg~(-1);其次为丙草胺、2甲4氯钠、二甲戊灵和噁唑酰草胺,LC_(50)分别为211.5、335.0、342.4、345.7 mg·kg~(-1);此外,其他供试除草剂对赤子爱胜蚓的LC_(50)均大于500 mg·kg~(-1)。根据《化学农药环境安全评价试验准则》中的分级标准,采用人工土壤法测定的17种除草剂对赤子爱胜蚓的毒性均为低毒级。该研究可为评估除草剂对蚯蚓的生态风险提供新的数据信息,同时可为农业生产中安全使用除草剂提供技术指导。     

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.