除草剂西玛津对非洲爪蟾生存和性腺发育的影响

为了研究三嗪类除草剂西玛津对两栖动物非洲爪蟾(Xenopus laevis)生存和性腺发育的毒性作用,并且与另一种三嗪类除草剂阿特拉津的毒性进行比较,将非洲爪蟾从46/47阶段开始暴露西玛津和阿特拉津到变态1个月后停止,再饲养2个月后将其解剖,取性腺做形态学和组织学观察.暴露期间,每天记录蝌蚪的生长发育情况和存活率.结果显示,在暴露的第1周内(蝌蚪处于46~50阶段),西玛津可导致蝌蚪死亡率明显升高,随后的时间内西玛津对非洲爪蟾的生存不再有明显影响,但却使发育阶段明显的不整齐.阿特拉津对非洲爪蟾的生存和发育则没有明显影响.西玛津和阿特拉津对非洲爪蟾性腺的总体形态和性别比没有明显影响,然而两种除草剂均在一定程度上导致了睾丸组织学的改变.西玛津可能与阿特拉津一样能够通过雌性化/去雄性化作用影响非洲爪蟾睾丸的发育.     

全氟烷基磺酸盐(PFOS)、全氟己烷磺酸盐(PFHS)和全氟丁烷磺酸盐(PFBS)对非洲爪蟾胚胎的发育毒性

全氟烷基磺酸盐(PFASs)在工业生产和生活中广泛应用,某些PFASs已成为环境中普遍的污染物。鉴于对动物和人类的潜在毒性,全氟辛烷磺酸盐(PFOS)已被禁用,由一些半衰期相对较短的短链PFASs(如全氟丁烷磺酸盐,PFBS)替代。虽然四碳的PFBS和六碳的全氟己烷磺酸盐(PFHS)已经广泛使用,但目前对其毒性及其机制的了解很少。通过检测发育毒性和致畸性的非洲爪蟾胚胎致畸试验(FETAX),得到PFOS、PFHS和PFBS半致死浓度(LC50),半致畸浓度(EC50)和最小抑制生长浓度(MCIG),比较研究了3种化合物的发育毒性。结果发现,PFOS的LC50、EC50和MCIG分别为51.46、108.20和35mg·L-1。PFHS和PFBS的LC50大于100mg·L-1,对胚胎形态和生长没有明显影响。PFASs暴露引起非洲爪蟾胚胎运动行为异常。FETAX结果表明,PFOS急性发育毒性明显大于PFHS和PFBS。     

多氯联苯(Aroclor 1254)对非洲爪蟾变态发育的影响

为了研究多氯联苯(Aroclor 1254)对非洲爪蟾变态发育的影响,将非洲爪蟾受精卵暴露在一定浓度(0、400ng·L-1、2μg·L-1、10μg·L-1、20μg·L-1)的Aroclor 1254中,直至完全变态.结果表明,20μg·L-1Aroclor1254暴露可使变态所需时间显著延长(p<0.05),低于20μg·L-1的各组变态所需时间与对照组无显著差异.2μg·L-1以上的Aroclor1254暴露可使蝌蚪甲状腺发生明显的组织学改变,包括甲状腺组织滤泡扩张、胶体面积相对缩小,滤泡细胞增殖、高度增加,并且这种变化随暴露剂量的增加而愈发明显.提示多氯联苯可干扰非洲爪蟾的变态发育,引起甲状腺组织学改变.采用定量组织病理学技术检测甲状腺激素干扰物较为灵敏,方法简单易行,是一种切实可行的筛选和确证甲状腺干扰物的体内方法.     

非洲爪蟾蝌蚪脑神经细胞体外培养方法的建立(Establishment of an in Vitro Method for Culturing Brain Neurons from Xenopus laevis Tadpoles)

体外培养的神经细胞是神经毒性机制研究和神经毒物筛查的重要材料.目前鼠体外神经细胞的应用最为广泛.鉴于近年来发育生物学的模型动物非洲爪蟾越来越多地应用于毒理学研究,论文建立了一种体外培养非洲爪蟾脑神经细胞的方法.该方法取52～53阶段的非洲爪蟾蝌蚪的脑组织,在L-15培养液中直接吹打获得分散细胞,接种于包被多聚赖氨酸的培养板中,22℃培养.培养细胞状态良好,72小时后神经元细胞初步建立神经网络.用β2tubulin7B9可对脑神经元细胞进行荧光染色,鉴别神经突的生长和神经网络的形成.与鼠脑神经元细胞体外培养方法比较,该方法具有无需胰蛋白酶分离、无需胶质细胞共培养、可同时操作多只脑、能获得大量细胞等简单快捷的特点.因此,体外培养的非洲爪蟾蝌蚪脑神经细胞可作为目前体外神经毒理研究中鼠脑神经元的补充材料,用于神经毒性机制的研究和神经毒物的筛查.     

全氟辛烷磺酸盐(PFOS)、全氟己烷磺酸盐(PFHS)和全氟丁烷磺酸盐(PFBS)对非洲爪蟾胚胎的发育毒性

全氟烷基磺酸盐(PFASs)在工业生产和生活中广泛应用,某些PFASs已成为环境中普遍的污染物。鉴于对动物和人类的潜在毒性,全氟辛烷磺酸盐(PFOS)已被禁用,由一些半衰期相对较短的短链PFASs(如全氟丁烷磺酸盐,PFBS)替代。虽然四碳的PFBS和六碳的全氟己烷磺酸盐(PFHS)已经广泛使用,但目前对其毒性及其机制的了解很少。通过检测发育毒性和致畸性的非洲爪蟾胚胎致畸试验(FETAX),得到PFOS、PFHS和PFBS半致死浓度(LC50),半致畸浓度(EC50)和最小抑制生长浓度(MCIG),比较研究了3种化合物的发育毒性。结果发现,PFOS的LC50、EC50和MCIG分别为51.46、108.20和35mg·L-1。PFHS和PFBS的LC50大于100mg·L-1,对胚胎形态和生长没有明显影响。PFASs暴露引起非洲爪蟾胚胎运动行为异常。FETAX结果表明,PFOS急性发育毒性明显大于PFHS和PFBS。     

低剂量Aroclor 1254和BDE-209单一和复合暴露的甲状腺干扰作用

本文旨在探讨低剂量PCBs和PBDEs单一暴露和复合暴露的甲状腺干扰作用.非洲爪蟾46期蝌蚪单独或共暴露于100 ng·L-1Aroclor 1254和BDE-209至62期.暴露结束后检测变态时间、甲状腺组织学结构、甲状腺相关基因表达水平等指标.结果发现,Aroclor 1254和BDE-209单独暴露使蝌蚪变态发育呈现一定的延迟趋势,而复合暴露却显著抑制蝌蚪变态发育;所有的暴露处理均导致蝌蚪甲状腺组织代偿性改变,表现为胶质面积减少,甲状腺滤泡上皮细胞高度显著增加;Aroclor 1254单独暴露显著抑制甲状腺激素受体(TRA)、Ⅱ和Ⅲ型脱碘酶(DI-2,DI-3)的表达,BDE-209单独暴露仅抑制DI-2的表达,但BDE-209协同促进Aroclor1254对肝脏内TRA表达的抑制作用.综上,低剂量Aroclor 1254和BDE-209单独暴露和复合暴露对非洲爪蟾变态发育具有一定的甲状腺抑制作用,复合暴露的抑制作用明显高于单一暴露的作用.鉴于甲状腺系统在脊椎动物生长发育过程中的重要作用,低剂量PCBs和PBDEs复合暴露的甲状腺干扰效应应该受到格外关注.     

全氟辛烷磺酸盐(PFOS)及替代品对两栖类蝌蚪的急性毒性

PFOS及其4种替代品对两栖动物非洲爪蟾和黑斑蛙蝌蚪的急性毒性结果为:用调聚法合成的织物三防整理剂对非洲爪蟾蝌蚪和黑斑蛙蝌蚪的96h-LC50分别为8和21mg·L-1,而PFOS对两种蝌蚪的96h-LC50分别为92和81mg·L-1。此实验结果说明织物三防整理剂的急性毒性高于PFOS。用电解氟化法合成的C4、C6织物三防整理剂和50%的全氟丁基有机铵盐阳离子表面活性剂浓度在100mg·L-1时,对两种蝌蚪都没有毒性。这说明,从急性毒性的角度,C4、C6织物三防整理剂和表面活性剂可作为PFOS的替代品使用,但是织物三防整理剂的急性毒性比PFOS大,作为替代品使用应慎重考虑。另外,PFOS和织物三防整理剂对黑斑蛙蝌蚪的急性毒性与对非洲爪蟾蝌蚪的急性毒性存在差异。出于保护我国本土两栖动物的目的,使用黑斑蛙开展毒性评价比使用非洲爪蟾更有现实意义。     

应用黑斑蛙胚胎测试化学品发育毒性的方法

选择合适的尤其是本土生物种进行化学品生态毒性评估,对于各国化学品的环境管理十分重要.本文选择我国本土两栖种黑斑蛙的胚胎为试验生物,以半数致死浓度LC50、半数致畸浓度TC50、致畸指数TI及最小抑制生长浓度MCIG为终点指标,建立了黑斑蛙胚胎发育毒性试验方法.以五氯酚、视磺酸、氯化镉、重铬酸钾为测试物研究了方法的敏感性,并以五氯酚为测试物研究了方法的可重复性.结果显示:五氯酚、视磺酸、氯化镉和重铬酸钾对黑斑蛙胚胎的LC50分别为572.3 μg·L-1、54.8 μg·L-1、6.8 mg·L-1和97.5 mg· L-1.五氯酚、视磺酸和氯化镉对黑斑蛙胚胎的TC50分别为246.5 μg·L-1、18.7 μg· L-1和3.4 mg·L-1,TI分别为2.3、2.9和2.0,MCIG分别为160.0 μg· L-1、10.1 μg·L-1和2.4 mg·L-1.重复性试验发现,五氯酚的LC50、TC50、TI及MCIG的变异系数分别为12.6％、18.0％、23.0％和18.6％.与文献中非洲爪蟾胚胎试验的数据比较,这些数据显示黑斑蛙胚胎与非洲爪蟾胚胎对测试物的敏感性存在一定的差异,各个终点指标的变异系数相当.因此,本文建立的黑斑蛙胚胎发育毒性试验可以用于化学品的发育毒性评价,为我国化学品环境管理提供技术支持.     

全氟烷基磺酸盐(PFOS)及其替代品对两栖类胚胎的发育毒性

用非洲爪蟾胚胎致畸实验和黑斑蛙胚胎发育毒性实验,比较研究了PFOS及其4种替代品对两栖动物胚胎的发育毒性。结果发现,用调聚法合成的织物三防整理剂和50%的全氟丁基有机铵盐阳离子表面活性剂同PFOS一样对非洲爪蟾胚胎有明显毒性,且织物三防整理剂和表面活性剂的毒性强于PFOS;电解氟化法合成的C4织物及C6织物三防整理剂(以下简称C4及C6织物三防整理剂)对非洲爪蟾胚胎没有明显毒性。与非洲爪蟾不同,PFOS和4种替代品对黑斑蛙胚胎没有明显毒性。结果显示,从生物安全性的角度分析,C4和C6织物三防整理剂可作为PFOS的替代品使用,而织物三防整理剂和表面活性剂的毒性比PFOS大,作为PFOS替代品使用需要慎重考虑。     

除草剂乙草胺对非洲爪蟾性腺发育的影响

使用性腺发育对内分泌干扰作用敏感的两栖动物非洲爪蟾作为模型动物,通过考察性别比、性腺整体形态和组织学形态来揭示乙草胺对其性腺发育的影响,从而确定乙草胺是否具有内分泌干扰活性.46/47期蝌蚪经不同浓度(5μg·L-1、10μg·L-1、20μg·L-1)的乙草胺暴露处理至变态后1个月,在变态结束后3个月时,解剖性腺、鉴别雌雄并固定性腺做组织切片.实验中对照组所有性腺都为典型的卵巢或睾丸,雌性百分率为48.78%(20/41).而乙草胺暴露组却出现了明显的异常睾丸,其总体上是睾丸,但又带有部分卵巢的特征,在统计性别时将具有异常睾丸的爪蟾归为雄性.5μg·L-1、10μg·L-1、20μg·L-1暴露组的雌性百分率分别为:57.14%(24/42)、66.67%(22/36)、55.26%(21/38).虽经统计分析无显著性差异,但乙草胺暴露组中雌性多于雄性的趋势和出现带有雌性特征的雄性的现象,一定程度上却暗示了乙草胺可能对非洲爪蟾的性腺发育有雌性化作用.正常睾丸的组织学结构应有发育成熟的生精小管,其内有各个时期的精子囊和生精细胞及精子.但经乙草胺处理的爪蟾睾丸却表现出几种明显的异常:没有生精小管,相反却像发育早期的睾丸一样,充满大量的精原细胞,完全没有生精细胞和精子;有生精小管结构,但其内精子囊结构不明显,生精细胞少并且排列混乱,其间有很大的空隙;睾丸出现腔隙,并有大量体细胞存在,这种结构与57期的卵巢相似;睾丸中出现异常的生精细胞,与58期卵巢的卵细胞相似;睾丸组织中有明显的卵细胞散布.组织学研究发现的乙草胺导致的睾丸结构证明了乙草胺对非洲爪蟾的睾丸发育有抑制雄性化作用和雌性化作用,即乙草胺对非洲爪蟾的性腺发育有内分泌干扰作用.     

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.     

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     

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.     

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.     

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.