长江口及邻近海域浮游介形类的分布与季节变化

根据2002～2003年长江口29°00'～32°00'N、122°00'～123°30'E海域4个季节的调查.运用定量、定性方法,探讨了长江口及邻近海域浮游介形类总丰度的平面分布、季节变化、丰度变化与水团的关系,以及优势种的环境适应和优势种丰度对介形类总丰度的贡献;并与东海外海的分布特征进行了比较.结果表明,该海域浮游介形类总丰度具有明显的季节变化,春季最高,夏季次之,秋季最低.四季多样性指数(H')均低于2,其中冬季最高,夏季最低.共出现浮游介形类20种,春季最多(16种),秋季最少(3种).四季皆为优势种的仅有短棒真浮萤(Euconchoecia chierchiae),其它的主要有后圆真浮萤(E.maimai)和针刺真浮萤(E.aculeata)等.春季的后圆真浮萤和冬季的短棒真浮萤对总丰度的贡献最大(β>0.90).短棒真浮萤的分布对总丰度的季节变化有重要影响,由此形成介形类特有的变化特征.图5表3参20     

椒江口春、秋季浮游动物分布特征及与主要环境因子的关系

2009年5月和10月对椒江口(121.35°E～121.85°E,28.50°N～28.80°N)浮游动物进行调查,分析其群落结构、生物量和丰度的时空分布特征及与主要环境因子的关系.结果表明,该海域浮游动物有明显的季节变化,春季鉴定到14大类50种,卡玛拉水母(Malagazzia carolinae)为绝对优势种,秋季鉴定到14大类73种,优势种分别为百陶箭虫(Sagitta bedoti)、双生水母(Diphyes chamissonis)、亚强真哲水蚤(Eucalanus subcrassus)、微刺哲水蚤(Canthocalanus pauper)、中华胸刺水蚤(Centropages sinensis)和肥胖箭虫(Sagitta enflata);多样性指数为秋季(2.59)高于春季(1.82),生物量和丰度为春季(972.66 mg/m3和1 743.54 ind/m3)远高于秋季(65.30 mg/m3和31.94 ind/m3).总生物量和丰度的空间分布由优势种决定,春季高值区出现在咸淡水交汇的出海口处;秋季有沿河口向外递增的趋势.典范对应分析(CCA)表明,营养盐、盐度和溶解氧为影响春秋季椒江口浮游动物分布的环境因子;浮游动物群落存在明显的季节和空间异质性;各物种适宜的生态环境不同.与类似河口的现状相比,椒江口的浮游动物种类丰富,可能与影响该河口的水团多样有关;与历史资料相比,椒江口4、10月份浮游动物的生物量、丰度及优势类群保持相对稳定.图9表6参44     

长江口南北支浮游动物群落生态学研究

长江口特殊的生态环境使得浮游动物的种类组成、密度和时空分布等生态特征有别于其它水体。2005年秋季（丰水期）和2006年春季（枯水期）对长江口南北支浮游动物进行了2个航次的调查,沿南北支由西向东设立3个采样断面共20个采样点。共采集到浮游动物227种,其中轮虫65种,原生动物107种,枝角类15种,桡足类40种。优势种包括龟甲轮虫（Keratella）、刺簇多肢轮虫（Polyarthra trigla）、萼花臂尾轮虫（Brachionus calyciflorus）、砂壳虫（Difflugia）、表壳虫（Arcella）、砂壳纤毛虫（Tintinnid）、中华哲水蚤（Calanus sinicus）、汤匙华哲水蚤（Sinocalanus dorrii）、广布中剑水蚤（Mesocyclops leuckarti）、象鼻溞（Bosmina）等。文章对南北两支浮游动物的种类组成和结构进行了比较,南支浮游动物的种类、数量及生物多样都高于北支,南北两支的浮游动物群落相似度很低。南北两支水域环境的不同造成其浮游动物群落结构的较大差异,文章分析了环境因子与浮游动物群落结构的相关性,其中水温是重要的影响因素,水温的季节性决定了浮游动物在时间分布上的变化。盐度对浮游动物群落结构的影响主要决定了其物种生态类型及空间分布。从整体上看,南北支主要受长江径流控制,浮游动物的种类组成以淡水种为主,咸水种在断面3出现较多。     

滆湖后生浮游动物群落结构研究

为了解滆湖浮游动物群落现状,于2009年5月至2010年3月对滆湖后生浮游动物群落结构特征和物种多样性进行调查.结果显示,滆湖后生浮游动物为100种,轮虫25属52种,枝角类12属21种,桡足类14属27种.后生浮游动物优势种主要有萼花臂尾轮虫(Brachionus calyciflorus)、角突臂尾轮虫(Brachionus angularis)、针簇多肢轮虫(Polyarthra trigla)、桡足幼体(copepodid)和长额象鼻潘(Bosmina longirostris).后生浮游动物年均密度为1572 L-1,轮虫数量占后生浮游动物总数的98.7％,后生浮游动物密度以春季为最大.后生浮游动物年均生物量为2.34 mg·L-1,生物量以夏季为最大,枝角类生物量与桡足类密度间呈极显著正相关(r=0.516,P＜0.01),轮虫生物量与桡足类生物量间呈显著负相关(r=-0.517,P＜0.05).滆湖后生浮游动物的密度和生物量随季节变化明显,各季节密度由大到小依次为春季、夏季、秋季和冬季,生物量由大到小依次为夏季、春季、秋季和冬季;后生浮游动物Shannon-Wiener多样性指数、Margalef丰富度指数和Pielou均匀度指数值表明滆湖水体处于轻-中污染状态.     

长江口南北支浮游动物群落生态学研究

长江口特殊的生态环境使得浮游动物的种类组成、密度和时空分布等生态特征有别于其它水体。2005年秋季(丰水期)和2006年春季(枯水期)对长江口南北支浮游动物进行了2个航次的调查,沿南北支由西向东设立3个采样断面共20个采样点。共采集到浮游动物227种,其中轮虫65种,原生动物107种,枝角类15种,桡足类40种。优势种包括龟甲轮虫(Keratella)、刺簇多肢轮虫(Polyarthra trigla)、萼花臂尾轮虫(Brachionus calyciflorus)、砂壳虫(Difflugia)、表壳虫(Arcella)、砂壳纤毛虫(Tintinnid)、中华哲水蚤(Calanus sinicus)、汤匙华哲水蚤(Sinocalanus dorrii)、广布中剑水蚤(Mesocyclops leuckarti)、象鼻溞(Bosmina)等。文章对南北两支浮游动物的种类组成和结构进行了比较,南支浮游动物的种类、数量及生物多样都高于北支,南北两支的浮游动物群落相似度很低。南北两支水域环境的不同造成其浮游动物群落结构的较大差异,文章分析了环境因子与浮游动物群落结构的相关性,其中水温是重要的影响因素,水温的季节性决定...     

红碱淖浮游动物群落结构特征及其与环境因子的关系

为了解红碱淖浮游动物群落结构特征及水质状况,科学保护沙漠湖泊生态健康,于2016—2017年调查了红碱淖浮游动物群落结构和主要水质理化指标,分析了该湖泊浮游动物现存量和多样性的季节变化规律及影响因子。结果表明,红碱淖全年共调查到浮游动物30属35种,种类组成以轮虫为主,占比为41.67%,优势种以小口钟虫(Vorticella microstoma)、唇形叶轮虫(Notholca labis)、虱形大眼溞(Polyphemus pediculus)、蒙古裸腹溞(Moina mongolica)、汤匙华哲水蚤(Sinocalanus dorrii)为主,种类数季节变化表现为冬季>春季>秋季>夏季。浮游动物年平均密度为61.9 L^-1,变化范围4.2～326.3 L^-1,年平均生物量为0.193 mg·L^-1,变化范围为0.001～1.138 mg·L^-1,浮游动物现存量存在季节差异,呈现出夏季>秋季>冬季>春季的特点。浮游动物Shannon-Weiner多样性指数和...     

乌梁素海底泥处置区小洼区水质及浮游动植物变化分析

为掌握乌梁素海底泥处置示范区小洼区工程运行后的水质及水生动植物群落结构变化特征,于2021年9月对小洼区的治理区、非治理区,以及八、九排干湿地的水质、浮游植物、浮游动物进行检测,分析了水质、浮游动植物群落结构特征及优势种变化情况。结果表明,水质除TN外,均满足《地表水环境质量标准》(GB 3838—2002)Ⅲ类水标准。水质存在显著空间差异,表现为治理区水质优于非治理区及排干湿地区。检测区域浮游植物以蓝藻为主,假鱼腥藻(Pseudoanabaena sp.)为绝对优势种。浮游动物优势种以无节幼体(nauplius)和角突臂尾轮虫(Bachionus anbmdaris Gosse)为主。浮游动植物多样性指数水质评价结果显示水体处于中营养状态。小洼区检测对比分析结果表明生态治理措施有效改善了水质及生态环境。本研究将为乌梁素海湖泊后续底泥修复、水质改善、富营养化防治的调控策略制定提供支撑。     

酸性河流中浮游动物群落分析

为研究浮游动物对广东大宝山矿区外排酸性废水的响应,以评估周边及下游水域的水生态环境现状,于2010年9月采样调查了广东大宝山矿区周边河流的浮游动物状况,对比分析了受矿山酸性废水影响严重的水域与影响较小的水域浮游动物的种类组成、丰度、生物多样性指数及均匀度等指标差异,并探讨了浮游动物群落与环境因子之间的关系.结果表明,检出的46种浮游动物中轮虫类种类最多,有24种,枝角类和桡足类分别为10种和9种,原生动物仅有3种.其中受污染较为严重的受损组(S1~S3)几乎未发现浮游动物,臂尾轮虫和异尾轮虫在相对受污染影响较小的恢复组(S4~S7)占有较大优势.调查得到的浮游动物最大丰度及生物量分别为378.26 ind./L和1.990 1 mg/L.相关分析表明,pH、总氮、氨氮、高锰酸盐指数(CODMn)、硅酸盐及重金属铅和铬等环境因子对浮游动物群落分布影响显著.     

茂名近岸海域中、小型浮游动物群落特征及其与环境因子的关系

近年来,随着茂名经济迅猛发展及涉海工程建设,其近海海域遭到日益严重的污染,海域环境日趋恶化。为更好地了解茂名近岸海域中小型浮游动物群落结构及其与环境因子的关系,摸清中小型浮游动物的种类组成及其空间分布状况,保护近岸海域生物多样性,分别于2019年夏季(6月)和秋季(9月)对茂名近海浮游动物进行调查。调查共发现浮游动物52种,以桡足类为主(达到40种,占比76.92%)。秋季浮游动物平均丰度和平均生物量(分别为29.82 ind·m^-3和282.08 mg·m^-3)均高于夏季(分别为15.71×10³ ind·m^-3和110.23 mg·m^-3)。短角长腹剑水蚤(Oithona brevicornis)、小长腹剑水蚤(Oithona nana)、强额拟哲水蚤(Paracalanus crassirostris)和小拟哲水蚤(Paracalanus parvus)为茂名近岸海域春、夏季优势种。夏季和秋季浮游植物物种多样性指数平均值分别为3.06和2.69,丰富度指数平均值分别为3.65和3.38,均匀度指数平均值分别为0.71和0.66。运用BIO-ENV方法分析了浮游动物群落结构以及与浮游植物丰度、环境因子之间的关系,结果表明浮游植物丰度、溶解氧、盐度、水温、水深是影响夏季浮游动物群落的主要环境因子,水深、浮游植物丰度是影响秋季浮游动物群落的主要环境因子。     

基于CoCA分析的长江干流浮游动植物群落交互影响研究

国内有关浮游动植物群落之间关系的研究目前鲜有报道。为研究研究浮游植物与浮游动物之间的交互影响作用,以天鹅洲保护区长江干流河段为研究区域,分别于2014年10月(秋季)、2015年1月(冬季)、2015年5月(春季)和2015年7月(夏季)开展了浮游植物和浮游动物监测,采用种群更替率和DCA(Detrended Correspondence Analysis)分析了浮游植物和浮游动物群落四季变化特征,并进一步采用CoCA(Co-CorrespondenceAnalysis)揭示浮游植物与浮游动物群落之间的关联格局。结果显示,4次调查共检出浮游植物104种,其中硅藻58种,甲藻4种,金藻3种,蓝藻11种,裸藻2种,绿藻23种,隐藻3种;4次调查的浮游植物种类均以硅藻门浮游植物为主,其次是绿藻门与蓝藻门。浮游动物共检出88种,其中原生动物31种,轮虫27种,浮游甲壳动物30种。原生动物夏季种类数最高,为18种。轮虫则以春季与冬季种类数最高,同为16种。浮游甲壳动物则以春季种类数最高,为20种,桡足类种类多于枝角类。种群更替率结果显示,浮游植物和浮游动物种类随季节演替的变化均较明显,所有类群种群更替率均达到50%以上,尤其是轮虫在夏—秋间的演替率达到了78%。DCA分析进一步表明,浮游植物群落四季演替明显,但浮游动物四季变化差异不大。CoCA分析则显示,浮游植物群落与浮游动物群落之间交互影响显著,其中硅藻门浮游植物和浮游甲壳动物在冬季的相互影响最为突出。     

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.     

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 palaeo-hydrogeological model for arsenic contamination in southern and south-east Asia

An argument is presented in which areas of natural arsenic contamination of modern groundwaters throughout Asia have a common origin. Arsenic originally accumulated in oceanic ferro-manganoan sediments of the eastern Palaeo-Tethys. This was further concentrated through oceanic crustal extinction in what later became the south-east Chinese accreted mineralised terrain. Proto-Himalayan uplift of this area created the palaeo-drainage systems of the Ganges – Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Mekong, and Red Rivers, with consequent headwater erosion of arsenic-rich sediments. Their downstream deposition as immature and easily redistributed Neogene sandstones, silts, and iron-rich clays has created secondary and tertiary reservoirs of adsorbed and authigenic arsenic, from which the current arsenic-rich groundwaters have evolved. Considering river basins within the above palaeo-hydrogeological framework provides a basis for assessing the risk of arsenic in groundwater basins of south and south-eastern Asia.     

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.     

Cost‐effective conservation of an endangered frog under uncertainty

How should managers choose among conservation options when resources are scarce and there is uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of actions? Well‐developed tools exist for prioritizing areas for one‐time and binary actions (e.g., protect vs. not protect), but methods for prioritizing incremental or ongoing actions (such as habitat creation and maintenance) remain uncommon. We devised an approach that combines metapopulation viability and cost‐effectiveness analyses to select among alternative conservation actions while accounting for uncertainty. In our study, cost‐effectiveness is the ratio between the benefit of an action and its economic cost, where benefit is the change in metapopulation viability. We applied the approach to the case of the endangered growling grass frog (Litoria raniformis), which is threatened by urban development. We extended a Bayesian model to predict metapopulation viability under 9 urbanization and management scenarios and incorporated the full probability distribution of possible outcomes for each scenario into the cost‐effectiveness analysis. This allowed us to discern between cost‐effective alternatives that were robust to uncertainty and those with a relatively high risk of failure. We found a relatively high risk of extinction following urbanization if the only action was reservation of core habitat; habitat creation actions performed better than enhancement actions; and cost‐effectiveness ranking changed depending on the consideration of uncertainty. Our results suggest that creation and maintenance of wetlands dedicated to L. raniformis is the only cost‐effective action likely to result in a sufficiently low risk of extinction. To our knowledge we are the first study to use Bayesian metapopulation viability analysis to explicitly incorporate parametric and demographic uncertainty into a cost‐effective evaluation of conservation actions. The approach offers guidance to decision makers aiming to achieve cost‐effective conservation under uncertainty.     

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.