Changes in Age-Related Reproductive Tactics in the Female of the Butterfly, Eurema hecabe

The occurrence of mate solicitation by virgin females was investigated in the butterfly Eurema hecabe. Young (1-day-old) virgin females rarely showed mate solicitation to male model, however, old (at least 6-day-old) virgin females frequently showed such flight. The duration of solicitation was significantly longer in older females than in younger ones. The age-related behavioral change occurs with female oogenesis (Hiroki and Kato 1996), and such behavior may thus be a result of female adaptation to maximize their fecundity. Received: 6 November 1997 / Accepted in revised form: 29 June 1998     

Triterpenoid and caffeic acid derivatives in the leaves of ragweed, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ambrosia artemisiifolia</Emphasis> L. (Asterales: Asteraceae), as feeding stimulants of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ophraella communa</Emphasis> LeSage (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Summary. The leaf beetle Ophraella communa infests almost exclusively Ambrosia artemisiifolia in the fields of Japan, even though it normally feeds on several Asteraceous plants. A filter paper bioassay showed that the feeding of O. communa is strongly stimulated by methanolic extracts of A. artemisiifolia. The feeding stimulants for O. communa have been isolated from methanolic extracts of A. artemisiifolia. -Amyrin acetate, -amyrin acetate, 5-caffeoylquinic acid (chlorogenic acid) and 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid from A. artemisiifolia have been identified as feeding stimulants for O. communa. Triterpenoid derivatives (-amyrin acetate or -amyrin acetate) and caffeic acid derivatives (3, 5-dicaffoylquinic acid or 5-caffeoylquinic acid) showed feeding stimulant activity when mixed together.     

Effective diffusivity of the uranyl ion in a granite from Inada, Ibaraki, Japan

The effective diffusivity of uranium(VI) in Inada granite has been determined by through-diffusion. Experiments were performed at room temperature (20–25°C) in a 0.1 mol 1⁻¹ KCl solution where uranium is present predominantly as the poorly sorbing UO₂²⁺. An effective diffusivity (D_e) of (3.6 ± 1.6) × 10⁻¹⁴ m² s⁻¹ was obtained, close to that for uranine (nonsorbing organic tracer), but one order of magnitude lower than those obtained for Sr²⁺ and NpO₂⁺, and two orders of magnitude lower than that obtained for I⁻. According to well established theory, a proportional relationship exists between D_e and the diffusivity in the bulk of the solution (D_v). The effective diffusivity obtained in granite was not proportional to D_v. This agrees with results obtained for effective diffusivity in a Swedish granite. The ratio D_e/D_v was found to be not constant but increased with D_e or D_v. This result suggests a limit to the application of the theory.     

Perceptions of small-scale fishermen on the value of marine resources and protected areas: case of Claveria,Northern Philippines

Establishing marine protected areas (MPAs) helps to restore and sustain marine and fishery resources, but in the Philippines only 20% of total MPAs are achieving their management objectives. We conducted a case study of a small MPA in Northern Philippines to understand socio-economic status and livelihoods of the fishermen stakeholders, and examine their attitudes and perceptions on marine resource values and conservation. Using an ordered probit model, we also investigated factors affecting these perceptions. We found a lower fish income ratio in higher income quartiles, a small share of local non-fishery income, and an apparent lack of other livelihood opportunities within the rural economy. The majority of fishermen had positive perceptions of the non-market value of marine resources, agreed with the need for MPAs, and perceived positive potential income benefit from MPAs. Level of education and fishing income were consistent significant positive determinants of these perceptions. Policy implications suggest: involving likely-to-be-displaced reef fishers in the crafting of management plans; conducting intensive research on appropriate and feasible livelihood options, for example, marine culture technologies; and designing explicit strategies to increase the propensity of coastal households to invest in children's education as a strategy for long-term sustainability of resource management.     

Positive buoyancy in eel leptocephali: an adaptation for life in the ocean surface layer

Many planktonic organisms have adaptations such as floats or lighter substances to obtain buoyancy to help them remain in the surface layer of the ocean where photosynthetic primary production occurs and food is most abundant. The almost totally transparent eel larvae, called leptocephali, are a unique member of the planktonic community of the surface layer, but their ecology and physiology are poorly understood. We conducted a comparative study on the specific gravity of planktonic animals including 25 taxa of 7 phyla of marine invertebrates and 6 taxa of leptocephali (vertebrate) to gain a broad perspective on the buoyancy of the eggs and larval stages of the Japanese eel. The specific gravity values of the various freshly caught marine invertebrate taxa varied widely from 1.020 to 1.425, but leptocephali had some of the lowest values (1.028–1.043). Artificially cultured live leptocephali had even greater buoyancies with specific gravities of 1.019–1.025 that were close to or lower than seawater, and their buoyancy showed ontogenetic changes among the different early life history stages. Leptocephali appear to have a unique mechanism of buoyancy control by chloride cells all over body surface through osmoregulation of body fluid contained in the extracellular matrix of transparent gelatinous glycosaminoglycans filling their bodies. This adaptation is likely a key factor for their survival by helping them to remain in the surface layer where food particles are the most abundant, while being transparent for predator avoidance. The ontogenetic change in buoyancy of eel eggs, leptocephali and glass eels likely enhances their larval survival, transport, and recruitment to terrestrial freshwater habitats.     

Studies on automated survey system of environmental chemicals by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-computer II. Three dimensional mass chromatography

A three dimensional mass chromatography (TDMC), which is the extended method of mass chromatography, has been developed for the analysis of environmental chemicals. A considerable performance was suggested by the combination of TDMC to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-computer system.     

Polychlorinated biphenyl (118) activates osteoclasts and induces bone resorption in goldfish

To analyze the effect of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) 118 on fish bone metabolism, we examined osteoclastic and osteoblastic activities, as well as plasma calcium levels, in the scales of PCB (118)-injected goldfish. In addition, effect of PCB (118) on osteoclasts and osteoblasts was investigated in vitro. Immature goldfish, in which the endogenous effects of sex steroids are negligible, were used. PCB (118) was solubilized in dimethyl sulfoxide at a concentration of 10 ppm. At 1 and 2 days after PCB (118) injection (100 ng/g body weight), both osteoclastic and osteoblastic activities, and plasma calcium levels were measured. In an in vitro study, then, both osteoclastic and osteoblastic activities as well as each marker mRNA expression were examined. At 2 days, scale osteoclastic activity in PCB (118)-injected goldfish increased significantly, while osteoblastic activity did not change significantly. Corresponding to osteoclastic activity, plasma calcium levels increased significantly at 2 days after PCB (118) administration. Osteoclastic activation also occurred in the marker enzyme activities and mRNA expressions in vitro. Thus, we conclude that PCB (118) disrupts bone metabolism in goldfish both in vivo and in vitro experiments.     

Application of an ELISA for PCB 118 to the screening of dioxin-like PCBs in retail fish

A commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit was evaluated for the determination of toxic equivalents (TEQs) of dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in retail fish. The ELISA was highly specific for 2,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB 118), which is generally the most abundant dioxin-like PCB isomer found in fish. The quantitative limit of the ELISA (using 3,3',4'-trichloro-4-methoxybiphenyl as a surrogate standard for PCB 118) was 10 ng ml(-1) (125 pg assay(-1)) in the standard curve, corresponding to 50 pg PCB 118 g(-1) in the tested sample. Good recoveries of PCB 118 (78.7-112.3%) were obtained for spiked purified fish extracts according to the ELISA. Good linearity was also obtained in dilution tests using purified fish extracts. No significant interference of the matrix was observed in the ELISA when this purification procedure was used. Recovery tests in which PCB 118 was added to fish samples also resulted in acceptable recoveries (60.2-82.3%) in the ELISA following purification. The ELISA results for fish samples correlated well with the TEQ concentrations of dioxin-like PCBs obtained by high-resolution gas chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry (r = 0.92, n = 26). These data indicate that the ELISA kit is suitable for screening retail fish for the TEQs of dioxin-like PCBs.