On the social structure of offspring rearing in the burrower bug,<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Sehirus cinctus</Emphasis> (Hemiptera: Cydnidae)

Maternal-offspring interactions are important in a variety of animals. Understanding the evolution of these interactions requires that we also study the broader social context in which they occur. To date, behavioral studies on burrower bugs, Sehirus cinctus, have focused exclusively on interactions between mothers and offspring. Here we ask whether these interactions occur in a social context that extends beyond the family unit of a mother and her own genetic offspring. Such social structure can arise from behaviors that occur before eggs are laid, or from actions of individuals that occur post-hatching. We present field data showing that lay sites of mothers are spatially aggregated on a scale that would lead to behavioral interactions among families. Microsatellite markers suggest neighboring mothers are unrelated. Laboratory experiments do not support the hypothesis that spatial aggregation results from a direct attraction of females to one another. Other laboratory studies reported here indicate that, after hatching, unrelated clutches sometimes join together to form multifamily groups. Experiments reveal that mothers are not necessary for these joining events to occur. In sum, these data suggest that both mothers and offspring play active, but different, roles in generating the social environment in which offspring rearing occurs.Communicated by N. Wedell     

Information transfer and gain in flocks: the effects of quality and quantity of social information at different neighbour distances

We assessed experimentally how the quality and quantity of social information affected foraging decisions of starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) at different neighbour distances, and how individuals gained social information as a function of head position. Our experimental set up comprised three bottomless enclosures, each housing one individual placed on a line at different distances. The birds in the extreme enclosures were labelled senders and the one in the centre receiver. We manipulated the foraging opportunities of senders (enhanced, natural, no-foraging), and recorded the behaviour of the receiver. In the first experiment, receivers responded to the condition of senders. Their searching rate and food intake increased when senders foraged in enhanced conditions, and decreased in no-foraging conditions, in relation to natural conditions. Scanning was oriented more in the direction of conspecifics when senders behaviour departed from normal. In the second experiment, responses were dose dependent: receivers increased their searching rate and orientated their gaze more towards conspecifics with the number of senders foraging in enhanced food conditions. In no-foraging conditions, receivers decreased their searching and intake rates with the number of senders, but no variation was found in scanning towards conspecifics. Differences in foraging and scanning behaviour between enhanced and no-foraging conditions were much lower when neighbours were separated farther. Overall, information transfer within starling flocks affects individual foraging and scanning behaviour, with receivers monitoring and copying senders behaviour mainly when neighbours are close. Information transfer may be related to predation information (responding to the vigilance of conspecifics) and foraging information (responding to the feeding success of conspecifics). Both sources of information, balanced by neighbour distance, may simultaneously affect the behaviour of individuals in natural conditions.Communicated by H. Kokko     

A genetic component to size in queens of the ant,<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Formica truncorum</Emphasis>

The genetic basis of morphological traits in social insects remains largely unexplored. This is even true for individual body size, a key life-history trait. In the social insects, the size of reproductive individuals affects dispersal decisions, so that small size in queens is often associated with reduced dispersal, and large size with long-range dispersal and independent colony founding. Worker size is connected to division of labour when workers specialize in certain tasks according to their size. In many species, variation in worker size has been shown to increase colony performance. In this study, we present the first evidence of an additive genetic component to queen size in ants, using maternal half sib analysis. We also compared intra-colony size variation in colonies with high (queen doubly mated) versus low (queen singly mated) genetic variability. We found a high and significant heritability (h²=0.51) for queen size in one of the two study years, but not in the other. Size variation among queens was greater in colonies headed by a doubly mated queen in one of the study years, but not in the other. This indicates that genetic factors can influence queen size, but that environmental factors may override these under some circumstances. The heritability for worker size was low (h²=0.09) and non-significant. Increased genetic diversity did not increase worker size variation in the colonies. Worker size appeared largely environmentally determined, potentially allowing colonies to adjust worker size ratios to current conditions.Communicated by J. Heinze     

Criteria for the evaluation of dioxins in the environment

In FRG and other countries unequivocal criteria for the limitation of dioxins (PCDD's/PCDF's) in food like vegetables and fruits are lacking. These have to be directly associated with the limitation of dioxins in the soil and the deposition of particulate matter as the two main pathways for plant contamination. Based on recent investigations in the vicinity of cable-waste incinerators in Northrhine-Westphalia with comparatively high contents of dioxins in garden plants and soils and other sources of dioxins, considerations are given for the establishment of the criteria urgently needed.     

大连市公众海洋环境意识调查分析

研究公众的海洋环境意识对建立正确的海洋环境观,遏制当前海洋环境恶化趋势,建立和谐的人海关系具有非常重要的意义。本文采用问卷和访谈的方法调查了大连市公众的海洋环境意识,并运用SPSS软件对调查数据进行了统计分析,结果显示,大连公众的海洋环境意识水平中等偏上,没有极端表现,但这一水平还有待提高。最后,提出加强青少年海洋环境意识教育,政府带头,公众提高自身参与意识等几点建议来加强大连市公众海洋环境意识的提高。     

草原生态价值观——保护呼伦贝尔草原生态环境的必由之路

呼伦贝尔草原是我国优质的天然牧场和重要的畜牧业生产基地,因自然植被保存较好,生物多样性丰富,区位优势显著,被誉为＂绿色净土＂和＂北国碧玉＂。然而近些年来,由于人为因素的影响,已使该草原大面积发生退化、沙化,湿地面积急剧缩减,水土流失现象不断加剧,草原的生态环境遭到严重的破坏。本文在分析呼伦贝尔草原生态环境现状的基础上,提出草原生态价值观的理念,并结合可持续发展的思想,对呼伦贝尔草原的生态环境的维护提出几点对策。     

水生野生动物自然保护区河流生态系统服务功能价值评价——以长江湖北宜昌中华鲟自然保护区为例

论文根据长江湖北宜昌中华鲟自然保护区的特点,尝试对保护区所在江段河流生态系统服务价值建立了评价体系,主要对该保护区河流生态系统服务价值中的直接使用价值和间接使用价值进行了评估。结果表明:保护区生态功能服务年总价值为59 920×104元,以间接使用价值为主要体现,占总价值的66.4%。间接价值中以珍稀水生野生动物(中华鲟、胭脂鱼)的保护价值最高,为27 290×104元/年,占总价值的45.54%,远远超过了其科研价值(410×104元/年)。表明保护区的建立对珍稀水生野生动物保护及其特有生境的保存、产卵栖息地保留方面具有重要意义,但政府应加强科研投入。     

大连市土壤中汞背景值影响因素分析

主要研究了土类、母岩,质地、有机质、土地利用方式、地貌等不同土壤环境因子对大连市土壤中汞背景值的影响,通过各环境因子变异系数的计算得知影响的主要因素是土地利用方式和母岩。给出了大连市土壤中汞的自然背景含量。分析表明,大连市土壤汞背景值偏高是由于母岩的不同及工农业生产活动的影响所致。     

渤海沉积物中重金属分布及环境背景值

讨论了渤海25柱岩芯样细颗粒（<0.063mm）中重金属含量分布,采用统计学方法确定了底质重金属的分布类型,通过渤海中部岩芯样分析结果,获得渤海沉积物中Cu、Pb、Zn、Cd的环境背景值。在研究中,借助Pb²¹⁰测年技术测定了百年前沉积层中重金属含量,结果与渤海底质Cu、Pb、Zn和Cd环境背景值是吻合的。     

达索普冰芯中现代环境信息记录

１９９６－０７－０８,中美联合考察队成功地考察了希夏邦马地区达索普冰川,并提出了一支２０ｍ长的冰芯,这支冰芯是迄今为止世界上海拔最高的冰芯。对资料分析发现离子含量变经显示强烈的周期性变化,反映了季节变化的特征。离子浓度高低变化将指示气候的冷暖变化,并与δ＾１８Ｏ存在着对应关系,