Influence of environmental factors on burrow irrigation and oxygen consumption in the mudflat invertebrate Urechis caupo

We examined burrow irrigation activity by the mudflat worm Urechis caupo in response to suspended food, ambient hypoxia (down to 3.3 kPa PO₂), hydrogen sulfide exposure (up to 100 µmol l^-1), and short-term temperature change (range 10-22°C). In normoxic, nutrient-free water at 14°C, O₂ consumption ( [(M)\dot]O₂ ) \left( {\dot M{\rm O}_2 } \right) was 45 nmol min^-1 g^-1, water flow rate ( [(V)\dot]_W ) \left( {\dot V_{\rm W} } \right) was 27 ml min^-1 (0.66 ml min^-1 g^-1), frequency of peristaltic waves (F_P) was 2.6 contractions min^-1, stroke volume (SV) was 11 ml, and O₂ extraction coefficient (EO₂) was 0.27. Adding suspended food to the burrow water occasionally elicited stereotypical feeding behavior but had no effect on any measured variables during nonfeeding periods. Hypoxia greatly decreased [(M)\dot]O₂ \dot M{\rm O}_2 (75% reduction at 3.3 kPa PO₂) but did not affect [(V)\dot]_W \dot V_{\rm W} , F_P, SV, or EO₂. Sulfide at 50 µmol l^-1 or less had no effect on burrow irrigation activity, whereas 100 µmol l^-1 sulfide decreased [(V)\dot]_W \dot V_{\rm W} by 58% and F_P by 50% but had no effect on SV. Temperature strongly affected [(V)\dot]_W \dot V_{\rm W} (Q₁₀ of 1.9 from 10°C to 22°C). We propose that U. caupo's ability to live in the hypoxic, sulfidic mud of productive mudflat environments, combined with its very efficient mucous net, allows it to process much less water for feeding than other suspension-feeding invertebrates. This, in turn, necessitates an efficient O₂ extraction mechanism, which is provided by the water lung activity of U. caupo's unique hindgut.     

微生物对三种入侵杂草化感作用的影响

微生物是化感作用生测实验中普遍存在的影响因素.研究用飞机草(Chromolaena odoratum L.)、假臭草(Eupatorium catarium Veldkamp)、蟛蜞菊(Wedelia chinensis Merr.)的直接水浸提样(含有微生物)与水浸提样的除菌液对小白菜、萝卜进行了生测实验,对比研究了微生物对3种入侵杂草化感作用的影响.结果表明,有微生物存在的水浸提液化感作用强度明显强于除菌液,并且3种入侵杂草的含微生物水浸提液化感作用之间有明显差异,以假臭草的化感作用最强、飞机草次之、蟛蜞菊最弱.而3种杂草的除菌液间差异不是很明显.因此推测,这几种入侵杂草的强化感作用与微生物有很大关系,很有可能是一些微生物助长了其中一些杂草的入侵潜力.     

Influence of behavior and mating success on brood-specific contribution to fish recruitment in ponds

One source of uncertainty in predicting the response of populations to exploitation is individual differences within a population in both vulnerability to capture and contribution to population renewal. For species with parental care, individuals engaged in nesting behavior are often targeted for exploitation, but predicting outcomes of this nonrandom vulnerability will depend in part on an understanding of how parental traits are related to potential for brood contribution to the population. Variation in brood-specific contribution to recruitment of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), a fish species with extended parental care, was quantified to determine if differences in mating success, parental care behaviors, and timing of reproduction influenced offspring recruitment. Dependence of these relationships on brood predation was tested in communities that differed in the presence of bluegill, Lepomis macrochirus, an important nest predator. Daily snorkel surveys were conducted in experimental ponds during spring to monitor male spawning and parental care behaviors in populations of largemouth bass. Tissue samples collected from larvae in nests were used to develop brood-specific DNA fingerprints for determining nest origins of fall recruits. Largemouth bass spawning period in bluegill ponds was longer and more variable in duration, with lower, more variable mating success, than in ponds without bluegill. In all populations, only one or two broods provided the majority of recruits, and these were broods produced during the earliest days of spawning by the oldest, largest males. In bluegill ponds, brood contribution from earliest nests also increased with brood size. Earliest nesters were the oldest males, and recruits from these nests were often above average in body size. Offspring needed to be guarded to at least swim-up larval stage to contribute any recruits. Termination of parental protection before offspring were free swimming mainly occurred with broods guarded by smaller males in ponds with brood predators. These age- and size-specific differences in timing of spawning and duration of parental care are consistent with influences of residual reproductive value and energetic constraints on reproductive behavior. Furthermore, these patterns of individual contribution to recruitment imply that fisheries that selectively target either nesting individuals or larger, older males could potentially decrease recruitment at the population scale.     

Investigation of the relationship between invertebrate predation and biochemical composition,energy content,spicule armament and toxicity of benthic sponges at McMurdo Sound,Antarctica

The biochemical and energetic composition, spicule content, and toxicity of benthic sponges was investigated in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica from October through December 1984. The predominant organic constituent of sponges was soluble and insoluble protein. Levels of total protein ranged from 17.0 to 55.9% dr. wt. Levels of lipid and carbohydrate were low, ranging from 2.1 to 9.6 and 0.6 to 3.5% dr. wt, respectively. Levels of ash were high and variable (32 t0 79% dr. wt), reflecting species-specific differences in spicule contents. Calculated energy contents of sponges were low, with a mean of 9.8±3.5 kJ g^-1 dr. wt; ranging from 5.1 kJ g^-1 dr. wt in Sphaerotylus antarcticus to 17.4 kJ g^-1 dr. wt in Dendrilla membranosa. Insoluble protein accounted for the greatest contribution to the energetic composition of the sponges, while lipid and carbohydrate combined contributed to less than 25% of the overall energy. Normalized spicule volumes of sponges ranged from 0.15 to 0.38 cm³ g^-1 dr. wt. Ichthyotoxicity assays indicated that 9 (56%) of 16 antarctic sponge species were toxic. The most highly toxic species were Mycale acerata and Leucetta leptorhapsis. The high incidence of toxicity in antarctic sponges indicates that the current hypothesis suggesting a simple inverse relationship between toxicity and latitude in marine sponges is invalid. There was little correspondence between the energetic composition or spicule contents of the sponges and feeding patterns (electivity indices) of sponge-eating predators. Although the asteroid Perknaster fuscus antarcticus specializes on the highly toxic, fast-growing M. acerata, most antarctic sponge-eating predators appear to be generalists which feed on the more abundant, non- to mildly-toxic, sponge species. This feeding strategy is based on exploitation of low energy, sedentary prey, which require a minimal energy output to harvest.     

Influence of variability in larval development on recruitment success in the euphausiid Euphausia pacifica : elasticity and sensitivity analyses

Simple life-history models were employed to identify those larval stages of Euphausia pacifica (Hansen) with the greatest potential contribution to variability in recruitment success. Using stage-specific vital parameters (i.e. stage duration and specific mortality) the models explored the influence of developmental variability without ascribing the variability to any particular cause or forcing. Through such a non-mechanistic modelling approach, the critical periods in larval development were determined. The results led to inferences about larval population responses to temperature/food heterogeneity in the natural environment. Peaks in recruitment-success elasticity were evident for variability imposed during the egg and Furcilia I and II stages. The high elasticity of the egg stage suggested the importance of female nutrition and the timing and location of egg release in determining their viability and subsequent recruitment success. Peak elasticity during the Furcilia I and II stages supported the notion that indirect developmental pathways of pleopod development during these stages may be associated with diminished recruitment success. Sensitivity analyses further highlighted the influence of these early furcilia stages in determining recruitment success, and also suggested the importance of the Furcilia III and VII stages. The robustness of elasticity and sensitivity results with respect to the life-history structure utilized is discussed. A criterion is presented for the identification of life-history structures which might obscure the true elasticity relationships of a developmental sequence. Received: 27 April 1998 / Accepted: 14 September 1998     

杂草对不同水稻品种化感作用的诱导效应

以高脚子粳稻、DV86、HG1和扬稻6号4个水稻品种和稗草、异型莎草、鸭舌草为材料，研究了不同水稻品种单栽或与杂草共栽时，水稻叶片水浸提液对稻田主要杂草稗草的化感作用。结果表明：在正常单栽条件下，高脚子粳稻抗稗草的化感潜力显著大于：HG1和DV86，三者的化感潜力均显著大于非化感品种扬稻6号。不同水稻品种与杂草共栽时，其化感作用均由不同程度的变化，HG1在与稗草共栽时，对稗草幼苗的生长抑制作用显著大于高脚子粳稻；DV86在与鸭舌草共栽时，对稗草幼苗的生长抑制最强。研究表明不同杂草对不同水稻品种的杂草化感作用的诱导效应存在显著差异。     

Parrotfish predation on cryptic sponges of Caribbean coral reefs

Some sponge species that live in crevices in the reef frame appear to be restricted to their cryptic habitat by predation. When cryptic sponges were excavated, on Guigalotupo reef, San Blas, Panama, exposing them to potential predators, they were eaten by fishes that are generally considered to be herbivores, primarily parrotfishes of the genus Sparisoma: S.aurofrenatum (Cuvier & Valenciennes), S.viride (Bonnaterre), and S.chrysopterum (Bloch & Schneider). Of the 9150 bites observed to be taken by these species during paired (i.e., with sponges versus without sponges) trials conducted in defined feeding areas during 1986, 1987, and 1988, 72% (i.e. 6581 bites) were on cryptic sponges, even though these were only offered during half of the total observation time and never constituted more than 7% of the cover of the feeding observation areas. Individual parrotfish returned over and over to take bites of the exposed cryptic sponges until they were entirely consumed. They vigorously chased each other away from the sponges, but exhibited no such defense of their usual algal foods. A total of 18 sponge species were tested. Of the cryptic and semi-cryptic sponge species tested, only one of six was rejected by the parrotfish. Two of these six sponge species were consistently consumed entirely, and two were consumed entirely whenever their surfaces were sliced off with a razor blade, demonstrating that these sponges concentrate defenses against predators in their surfaces. One semi-cryptic species and one semi-exposed species were fed upon, but not entirely consumed. By contrast, 11 of 12 of the exposed and semi-exposed species were rejected. Cryptic sponges grew out of their cavities in the reef only when protected by seasonally thick mats of macroalgae or by cages that excluded fish. Received: 10 January 1997 / Accepted: 4 February 1997     

A test of reproductive skew models in a field population of a multiple-queen ant

Determining the evolutionary basis of variation in reproductive skew (degree of sharing of reproduction among coexisting individuals) is an important task both because skew varies widely across social taxa and because testing models of skew evolution permits tests of kin selection theory. Using parentage analyses based on microsatellite markers, we measured skew among female eggs (n=32.3 eggs per colony, range=20–68) in 17 polygynous colonies from a UK field population of the ant Leptothorax acervorum. We used skew among eggs as our principal measure of skew because of the high degree of queen turnover in the study population. Queens within colonies did not make significantly unequal contributions to queen and worker adult or pupal offspring, indicating that skew among female eggs reflected skew among daughter queens. On average, both skew among female eggs (measured by the B index) and queen–queen relatedness proved to be low (means±SE=0.06±0.02 and 0.28±0.08, respectively). However, contrary to current skew models, there was no significant association of skew with either relatedness or worker number (used as a measure of productivity). In L. acervorum, predictions of the concession model of skew may hold between but not within populations because queens are unable to assess their relatedness to other queens within colonies. Additional phenomena that may help maintain low skew in the study population include indiscriminate infanticide in the form of egg cannibalism and split sex ratios that penalize reproductive monopoly by single queens within polygynous colonies.     

A field test of the effects of familiarity and relatedness on social associations and reproduction in prairie voles

Inbreeding depression is a well-documented phenomenon. In animals, one means of avoiding the costs of inbreeding is through the recognition and avoidance of kin as mates. Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) are short-lived, socially monogamous rodents that demonstrate inbreeding depression in the laboratory. Field data indicate that pair formation in nature is opportunistic but pairing among close relatives seems uncommon. We examined the role of relatedness and familiarity on prairie vole social associations and reproduction by placing adult voles into 0.1-ha enclosures with familiar siblings, unfamiliar siblings, and unrelated, unfamiliar conspecifics. Live-trapping data indicated that indices of social pair bonding were random with respect to relatedness and familiarity. Among females whose litters were sired by a single male, litters were significantly more likely to be sired by unfamiliar than familiar males, but the number of litters sired by males that were unrelated to their partner was not different from the number of litters sired by males that were related to their partner. Additionally, females that produced offspring with familiar siblings were significantly more likely to have litters with multiple paternity than females not producing offspring with familiar siblings. However, multiple paternity was not influenced by relatedness of sires. Finally, older individuals were more likely to produce offspring with each other than with younger individuals. Our findings suggest that prior association is a more important mechanism of inbreeding avoidance than phenotype matching for prairie voles mating under ecologically relevant conditions.     

Influence of increased cod abundance and temperature on recruitment of northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis)

Despite an increase in northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) female biomass in the past years, the recruitment of the offshore population north and northeast of Iceland has remained very low. In this study, the influence of abiotic and biotic factors was studied in relation to shrimp recruitment. Two factors, cod (Gadus morhua) abundance and summer sea surface temperature (SST), were found to have a negative effect on offshore shrimp recruitment, explaining 71 % of the observed variation. Both cod abundance and temperature on the offshore shrimp grounds have increased in the past years, while recruitment has decreased and been at historically low levels since 2005. No significant relationship was found between recruitment and spawning biomass, indicating that recruitment variability is mainly driven by other factors. Cod abundance and summer SST are likely to affect different life stages of shrimp, as SST influences shrimp during its planktonic phase while cod abundance influences the demersal stage.     

陆生植物化感作用的抑藻研究进展

有效控制水华,治理富营养化水体是目前环境领域的研究热点和前沿。所谓化感物质,就是由植物、细菌、病毒和真菌所产生的二次代谢产物。利用水生植物的化感作用或化感物质抑制水体中藻类的爆发被认为是一种高效、低毒、环境亲合性好的方法而备受关注。然而,对于陆生植物应用于抑制藻类生长的研究却较少。文章在对化感作用的概念的演化、各种生物对藻类化感抑制作用、化感物质抑藻机理等方面进行了较系统的论述,总结了近年来国内外学者对于陆生植物化感作用抑藻的研究进展。文章认为相对于水生植物在抑藻方面的局限性,陆生植物的优势体现在对水生生态系统影响明显（化感作用明显）、所含抑藻化感物质种类丰富、不易受水生生态环境影响等方面,并对今后陆生植物抑藻技术的研究方向进行了展望,陆生植物中尤其是菊科植物化感抑藻应用前景广阔。最后指出,陆生植物的化感抑藻作用研究还存在进一步探索和改进化感物质的提取和鉴定方法、抑藻作用机理的研究、应用实际水体时的生态安全性等方面的问题。     

陆生植物化感作用的抑藻研究进展

有效控制水华,治理富营养化水体是目前环境领域的研究热点和前沿。所谓化感物质,就是由植物、细菌、病毒和真菌所产生的二次代谢产物。利用水生植物的化感作用或化感物质抑制水体中藻类的爆发被认为是一种高效、低毒、环境亲合性好的方法而备受关注。然而,对于陆生植物应用于抑制藻类生长的研究却较少。文章在对化感作用的概念的演化、各种生物对藻类化感抑制作用、化感物质抑藻机理等方面进行了较系统的论述,总结了近年来国内外学者对于陆生植物化感作用抑藻的研究进展。文章认为相对于水生植物在抑藻方面的局限性,陆生植物的优势体现在对水生生态系统影响明显(化感作用明显)、所含抑藻化感物质种类丰富、不易受水生生态环境影响等方面,并对今后陆生植物抑藻技术的研究方向进行了展望,陆生植物中尤其是菊科植物化感抑藻应用前景广阔。最后指出,陆生植物的化感抑藻作用研究还存在进一步探索和改进化感物质的提取和鉴定方法、抑藻作用机理的研究、应用实际水体时的生态安全性等方面的问题。     

Reproduction on the edge: large-scale patterns of individual performance in a marine invertebrate

Reproductive output is a central attribute of life history, providing a measure of individual and population performance. The fields of ecology, biogeography, and evolutionary biology take disparate approaches in addressing spatial variation in reproduction, and thus we lack clear predictions for how reproductive output should vary geographically. We empirically investigate these contrasting theoretical approaches by determining geographic patterns in reproductive output for intertidal populations of the purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, at 15 sites spanning a large geographic distance (9 degrees span of latitude) from central California, USA, to Baja California, Mexico. Contrary to predictions from biogeography, some of the highest values of reproductive output are at sites near the species' southern range boundary. Additionally, sea urchins do not exhibit a latitudinal gradient in reproduction, but rather show considerable mesoscale variation in reproductive output. Spatial analyses reveal that this variation is correlated with coastal topographic features that are known to influence the pattern of nearshore nutrient flux and circulation. We hypothesize that urchins' reproductive output may be driven by the spatial distribution of their food supply, drift macroalgae, the abundance of which is influenced by both nutrient supply and alongshore transport processes that are coupled to topographic features. Large-scale studies such as this provide valuable insight into the causes of species' range limits, population connectivity, habitat reserve design, and forecasting the effects of climate change on species' distributions.     

Relationships between sponges and crabs: patterns of epibiosis on Inachus aguiarii (Decapoda: Majidae)

The association between sponges and the crab Inachus aguiarii Brito Capello, 1876 was studied by analysing the relationships between sponge distributional patterns on the crab carapaces and several morphological and biological crab parameters. Juveniles, mature females and mature males were differentiated on the basis of sex dimorphism and terminal pubertary moult. All three groups were fouled to different degrees by sponges. Percent sponge cover was related to carapace size only in mature males whereas mature females, all but one of which were ovigerous, were extensively covered regard-less of their size. It is proposed that some behavioural patterns unique to females, such as long resting periods in sponge-rich microhabitats, are responsible for these high sponge covers in females. Sponges showed two trends in the colonization of the carapace, leading to either a monopolizing or a sharing of the available carapace surface. The sponge species found on the carapaces studied are not obligatory epibionts of crabs, but are believed to reflect the sponge population characterizing the crab home range.     

A field test of processed oil shale reclamation strategies designed for minimal use of limited resources

Reclamation of processed oil shale disposal areas in the arid and semi-arid regions of Utah, Colorado and Wyoming faces several challenging problems. Shallow topsoil, harsh climate and limited water supply and low suitability of processed oil shale as a plant growth medium must be addressed if any reclamation plan is to be successful.A prototype reclamation plan that addressed the harsh environmental conditions was proposed early in the development of oil shale in eastern Utah. Studies to validate the reclamation plan were initiated in 1978 on a simulated oil shale disposal area at Anvil Points, Colorado.Four native shrubs, one forb and a grass, were successfully established by planting container-grown transplants into a topsoil-filled V-shaped trench. Supplemental water was provided from an adjacent water harvesting slope. The roots of the transplanted species grew into the adjacent shale from the soil trench, thus indicating their adaptability to the adverse oil shale conditions.Support for this research was provided by the White River Shale Corporation, Salt Lake City, Utah.     

A field test of the Bruce effect in the monogamous prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster)

The Bruce effect is a widely studied reproductive phenomenon in rodents in which exposure of pregnant females to unknown males causes termination of the current pregnancy. The Bruce effect has been reported from numerous studies in the laboratory, and one field study with the promiscuous gray-tailed vole, Microtus canicaudus, failed to support it. We conducted a field study with the monogamous prairie vole, M. ochrogaster, to determine if complete replacement of the male population every 10-14 days affected pregnancy and juvenile recruitment. The mean days to first parturition for control and treatment females were 36.8 and 44.4 days. Fifty-five percent of control females and 33% of treatment females conceived within the first 14 days of the study. All control females and 79% of treatment females successfully delivered at least one litter. These differences between treatment and control populations provide minimal support for the Bruce effect when compared with results from laboratory studies. Nulliparous females may have experienced some pregnancy disruption, but not parous females. Removal of mates, rather than exposure to strange males, may have contributed more to the lower reproductive success of treatment females than exposure to strange males. Treatment females, however, had lower juvenile recruitment than controls, which may have been due to infanticide from strange males. Our results are more similar to those of the field study of the gray-tailed vole than predicted, based on laboratory studies of prairie voles.     

Effects of polyaluminium chloride on the freshwater invertebrate Daphnia magna

In a number of countries across the world, aluminium in the form of polyaluminium chloride has been used in the treatment of freshwaters for the direct removal of cyanobacteria, or phosphorus removal, but knowledge about its effect on zooplankton species is poor. In our study, polyaluminium chloride toxicity was tested on both artificial and natural freshwaters for a better understanding and prediction of effects in real ecosystems. Our results indicate that prediction of effects in a real ecosystem based on standard ISO methods is insufficient, and tests with nontarget species (including invertebrates) should be done before each treatment using the water samples from the treated location. Effective concentrations of polyaluminium chloride can differ markedly according to the type of water composition used in the assay. Our experiments proved that EC₅₀ values can fluctuate between 9.89 and 54.29 mg·L^?1 of Al³⁺, and the toxicity is dominantly dependent on the treated water conductivity. This parameter seems to be the dominant source of different effects on zooplankton species after treatment and thus should be properly tested before each use of polyaluminium chloride as a treatment compound.     

Coral cavity sponges depend on reef-derived food resources: stable isotope and fatty acid constraints

The diet of cavity sponges on the narrow fringing reefs of Curaçao, Caribbean was studied. The origin and resources of the bulk food of these sponges, i.e., dissolved organic matter (DOM), were identified using stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes and fatty acid biomarkers. We found that phytoplankton and its derived DOM from the adjacent open sea and from reef overlying water is not the main source of food for most of the sponges examined nor is bacterioplankton. Interestingly, dual stable isotope signatures (δ¹³C_org, δ¹⁵N_org) and fatty acid biomarkers appoint coral mucus and organic matter derived from crustose coralline algae (CCA) as probable food sources for encrusting sponges. Mucus-derived DOM may contribute up to 66% to the diet of examined sponges based on results of dual isotope mixing model analysis. The contribution of CCA (as purported representative for benthic algae) was smaller with values up to 31%. Together, mucus- and CCA-derived substrates contributed for 48–73% to the diet of sponges. The presence of the exogenous fatty acid 20:4ω6 in sponges, which is abundant in coral mucus of Madracis mirabilis and in CCA, highlights these reef-derived resources as sources of nutrition for DOM feeding cavity sponges. The relatively high concentrations of exogenous 20:4ω6 in all sponges examined supports our hypothesis that the bulk of the food of the cavity sponge community is reef-derived. Our results imply that cavity sponges play an important role in conserving food and energy produced within the reef.     

入侵物种三裂叶蟛蜞菊挥发物对杂草叶绿素含量的影响

研究了华南地区外来入侵植物三裂叶蟛蜞菊(Wedelia trilobata L.)挥发物对本地区3种主要杂草的叶绿素含量的影响,以揭示其化感作用的机理。结果表明:三裂叶蟛蜞菊植株挥发物和挥发油对稗草(Echinochloa crusgalli(L.)Beauv.)、三叶鬼针草(Bidens pilosa L.)和青葙(Celosia argentea L.)叶绿素含量有明显的抑制作用。在同一实验条件下,250.0 g三裂叶蟛蜞菊新鲜茎叶及含有0.10 mL、0.25 mL和0.50 mL挥发油容器中生长的稗草、三叶鬼针草和青葙的叶绿素含量明显减少,稗草的叶绿素含量分别比对照减少56.5%、41.9%、49.6%和64.9%;三叶鬼针草的叶绿素含量分别比对照减少6.45%、4.35%、15.3%和24.8%;青葙的叶绿素含量分别比对照减少53.3%、17.6%、33.3%和71.5%。结论:三裂叶蟛蜞菊挥发物的化感作用可使受体植物的叶绿素含量减少。其作用机理值得深入研究。