Ventral polarization vision in tabanids: horseflies and deerflies (Diptera: Tabanidae) are attracted to horizontally polarized light

Adult tabanid flies (horseflies and deerflies) are terrestrial and lay their eggs onto marsh plants near bodies of fresh water because the larvae develop in water or mud. To know how tabanids locate their host animals, terrestrial rendezvous sites and egg-laying places would be very useful for control measures against them, because the hematophagous females are primary/secondary vectors of some severe animal/human diseases/parasites. Thus, in choice experiments performed in the field we studied the behavior of tabanids governed by linearly polarized light. We present here evidence for positive polarotaxis, i.e., attraction to horizontally polarized light stimulating the ventral eye region, in both males and females of 27 tabanid species. The novelty of our findings is that positive polarotaxis has been described earlier only in connection with the water detection of some aquatic insects ovipositing directly into water. A further particularity of our discovery is that in the order Diptera and among blood-sucking insects the studied tabanids are the first known species possessing ventral polarization vision and definite polarization-sensitive behavior with known functions. The polarotaxis in tabanid flies makes it possible to develop new optically luring traps being more efficient than the existing ones based on the attraction of tabanids by the intensity and/or color of reflected light.     

Glass buildings on river banks as “polarized light traps” for mass-swarming polarotactic caddis flies

The caddis flies Hydropsyche pellucidula emerge at dusk from the river Danube and swarm around trees and bushes on the river bank. We document here that these aquatic insects can also be attracted en masse to the vertical glass surfaces of buildings on the river bank. The individuals lured to dark, vertical glass panes land, copulate, and remain on the glass for hours. Many of them are trapped by the partly open, tiltable windows. In laboratory choice experiments, we showed that ovipositing H. pellucidula are attracted to highly and horizontally polarized light stimulating their ventral eye region and, thus, have positive polarotaxis. In the field, we documented that highly polarizing vertical black glass surfaces are significantly more attractive to both female and male H. pellucidula than weakly polarizing white ones. Using video polarimetry, we measured the reflection-polarization characteristics of vertical glass surfaces of buildings where caddis flies swarmed. We propose that after its emergence from the river, H. pellucidula is attracted to buildings by their dark silhouettes and the glass-reflected, horizontally polarized light. After sunset, this attraction may be strengthened by positive phototaxis elicited by the buildings' lights. The novelty of this visual-ecological phenomenon is that the attraction of caddis flies to vertical glass surfaces has not been expected because vertical glass panes do not resemble the horizontal surface of waters from which these insects emerge and to which they must return to oviposit.     

Phototaxis and polarotaxis hand in hand: night dispersal flight of aquatic insects distracted synergistically by light intensity and reflection polarization

Based on an earlier observation in the field, we hypothesized that light intensity and horizontally polarized reflected light may strongly influence the flight behaviour of night-active aquatic insects. We assumed that phototaxis and polarotaxis together have a more harmful effect on the dispersal flight of these insects than they would have separately. We tested this hypothesis in a multiple-choice field experiment using horizontal test surfaces laid on the ground. We offered simultaneously the following visual stimuli for aerial aquatic insects: (1) lamplit matte black canvas inducing phototaxis alone, (2) unlit shiny black plastic sheet eliciting polarotaxis alone, (3) lamplit shiny black plastic sheet inducing simultaneously phototaxis and polarotaxis, and (4) unlit matte black canvas as a visually unattractive control. The unlit matte black canvas trapped only a negligible number (13) of water insects. The sum (16,432) of the total numbers of water beetles and bugs captured on the lamplit matte black canvas (7,922) and the unlit shiny black plastic sheet (8,510) was much smaller than the total catch (29,682) caught on the lamplit shiny black plastic sheet. This provides experimental evidence for the synergistic interaction of phototaxis (elicited by the unpolarized direct lamplight) and polarotaxis (induced by the strongly and horizontally polarized plastic-reflected light) in the investigated aquatic insects. Thus, horizontally polarizing artificial lamplit surfaces can function as an effective ecological trap due to this synergism of optical cues, especially in the urban environment.     

Positive polarotaxis in a mayfly that never leaves the water surface: polarotactic water detection in Palingenia longicauda (Ephemeroptera)

Tisza mayflies, Palingenia longicauda (Olivier 1791), swarm exclusively over the river Tisza (from which the name of the mayfly was derived). This river is bordered by a high vertical wall of trees and bushes, which hinder P. longicauda to move away horizontally from the water. During swarming, Tisza mayflies fly immediately above the river in such a way that their cerci touch the water frequently or sweep its surface. This continuous close connection with water and the vertical wall of the shore and riparian vegetation result in that Tisza mayflies never leave the water surface; consequently, they need not search for water. Several Ephemeroptera species move away far from water and return to it guided by the horizontal polarization of water-reflected light. To reveal whether also P. longicauda is or is not polarotactic, we performed a field experiment during the very short swarming period of Tisza mayflies. We show here that also P. longicauda has positive polarotaxis, which, however, can be observed only under unnatural conditions, when the animals are displaced from the water and then released above artificial test surfaces. P. longicauda is the first species in which polarotactic water detection is demonstrated albeit it never leaves the water surface, and thus, a polarotactic water detection seems unnecessary for it. The polarotactic behaviour of Tisza mayflies explains the earlier observation that these insects swarm above wet asphalt roads running next to river Tisza.     

Choosy males from the underground: male mating preferences in surface- and cave-dwelling Atlantic mollies (Poecilia mexicana)

Atlantic mollies (Poecilia mexicana) inhabit a variety of surface habitats, but they also occur in a sulfur cave in southern Mexico. We examined male mate choice relative to female body size in the cave population and in the most closely related surface-dwelling population from a nearby river. Males from both populations were either light- or dark-reared and could choose between two differently sized females either on the basis of visual cues in light or on the basis of solely nonvisual cues in darkness. Sexual preferences were estimated from the degree of association. Cave molly males always showed a preference for the larger female, both in light and in darkness. Among the surface males, only light-reared males showed a preference in the visual cues test, but not in darkness. In a control experiment, we demonstrated that male association preferences directly translate into actual mating preferences. Apparently, using visual cues for mate choice is the ancestral state in this system, and using nonvisual cues has evolved as a novel trait in the cave population. We discuss the evolution of nonvisual male mate choice in the context of changed environmental conditions, namely the absence of light, hypoxia, and toxic hydrogen sulfide in the cave.     

阴极极化对金属电极表面微生物膜的影响

阴极极化对不锈钢表面微生物膜的附着有一定的影响,通过 荧光显微镜记数和细菌双染色方法(AO+PI),对在不同电位下极 化过的不锈钢表面进行了观察,同时做了对比实验。实验证明在一 定的范围内(-800mV~-1000mV),阴极极化对微生物向洁净金属 表面的附着有一定的抑制作用,但是对已经附着的微生物膜不能 够起到脱除或完全杀灭作用,只能杀死靠近金属表面的微生物。通 过模拟膜实验,从侧面证明了只有微生物膜附着而无生物活性时, 钝性金属的开路电位不会发生正移。     

Empirical corroboration of an earlier theoretical resolution to the UV paradox of insect polarized skylight orientation

It is surprising that many insect species use only the ultraviolet (UV) component of the polarized skylight for orientation and navigation purposes, while both the intensity and the degree of polarization of light from the clear sky are lower in the UV than at longer (blue, green, red) wavelengths. Why have these insects chosen the UV part of the polarized skylight? This strange phenomenon is called the "UV-sky-pol paradox". Although earlier several speculations tried to resolve this paradox, they did this without any quantitative data. A theoretical and computational model has convincingly explained why it is advantageous for certain animals to detect celestial polarization in the UV. We performed a sky-polarimetric approach and built a polarized skylight sensor that models the processing of polarization signals by insect photoreceptors. Using this model sensor, we carried out measurements under clear and cloudy sky conditions. Our results showed that light from the cloudy sky has maximal degree of polarization in the UV. Furthermore, under both clear and cloudy skies the angle of polarization of skylight can be detected with a higher accuracy. By this, we corroborated empirically the soundness of the earlier computational resolution of the UV-sky-pol paradox.     

Recognition of foreign oviposition-marking pheromone in a multi-trophic context

Both phytophagous and parasitic insects deposit oviposition-marking pheromones (OMPs) following oviposition that function to inform conspecifics of a previously utilized host of reduced suitability. The blueberry maggot fly, Rhagoletis mendax Curran (Diptera: Tephritidae), deposits eggs individually into blueberries and then marks the fruit surface with an OMP which reduces acceptance of fruit for oviposition by conspecifics. Diachasma alloeum (Muesebeck) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is a parasitic wasp attacking larval R. mendax which also deposits an OMP, signaling conspecifics of a wasp-occupied host. Behavioral studies were conducted testing the hypothesis that the OMP of the parasitic wasp modifies the oviposition behavior of its host fly. In this study, we show that the OMP of D. alloeum is recognized by R. mendax, and female flies will reject wasp-marked fruit for oviposition. Thus, we present a rare demonstration of pheromonal recognition between animals occupying different taxonomic orders and trophic levels. This chemical eavesdropping may enhance the ability of the fly to avoid fruit unsuitable for larval development.     

Locomotor activity rhythm in Drosophila melanogaster after 600 generations in an aperiodic environment

The locomotor activity rhythm of flies from four populations of Drosophila melanogaster, maintained under constant light for more than 600 generations, was recorded in continuous light (LL) and continuous darkness (DD) using four different protocols. The main objective behind these experiments was to estimate the proportion of flies exhibiting circadian rhythm of locomotor activity in LL, and to investigate whether this could be increased by subjecting the flies to various light regimes. About 26% of the flies exhibited a circadian rhythm of locomotor activity in LL, and the proportion increased to about 48% after an exposure to 12 h of darkness. About 77% of the flies exhibited a circadian locomotor activity rhythm in DD. Persistence of circadian locomotor activity rhythm in a considerable proportion of these flies suggests an intrinsic adaptive value to possessing circadian rhythmicity, derived, perhaps, from the need to synchronise various processes within the organism.     

淀山湖夏季微囊藻毒素分布状况及其影响因素

为了解淀山湖夏季微囊藻毒素的昼夜、区域、垂直分布状况及其影响因素,在淀山湖上选择11个采样点,每个采样点设4个采样深度,进行24h的4次采样．测定水样中总氮（TN）,总磷（TP）,微囊藻毒素（MC）浓度,同时记录采样时的水温（TEM）、pH值、可见度（VDWB）、风向、风速．结果表明,MC分布具有明显的昼夜、区域差异,早晨和下午最高,西南水域明显低于其他区域,体现了光照、空气流动对MC分布的影响,同时MC的分布与总磷、pH值、可见度呈正相关（P＜0.05）,多因素分析显示,除光照、空气流动外,影响湖水MC分布的最主要因素为湖水可见度和水中总磷的含量．表明光照、空气流动、水体总磷含量是影响夏季淀山湖水体MC分布的主要原因．     

Infanticide by a solitary koinobiont ichneumonid ectoparasitoid of spiders

When encountering an already parasitized host, a parasitoid’s optimal choices (superparasitism, host rejection, host feeding or infanticide) seem to depend on the individual species’ life history, because the same choice may have different fitness consequences. We demonstrate infanticide under laboratory conditions by a polysphinctine, Zatypota albicoxa, which is a solitary koinobiont ectoparasitoid of spiders. The female always removed any previously attached egg or larva from the body of the host spider, Parasteatoda tepidariorum, with a rubbing behaviour. She rubbed her ovipositor back and forth toward the undersurface of the attached egg or of the saddle under the attached larva to pry it off and laid an egg after removal. When removing a larva, the infanticidal female engaged exclusively in unfastening the ‘saddle’ which fastens the larva to the body of the spider. All larvae were removed with the ‘saddle’ attached to the ventral surface of the body. The female invested more time to remove the medium second and the large penultimate instar larvae than to remove eggs and first instar larvae because of the labour involved in unfastening the saddle. Oviposition with infanticide of the medium second and the penultimate instar larvae imposed more time upon the female than that on an unparasitized host. Removal of any previous occupant in spite of the associated labour costs suggests that infanticide will always be adaptive, no matter the time costs to Z. albicoxa, because so much is invested in attacking the host and because the parasitoid cannot detect whether the spider is already parasitized until she achieves subjugation.     

Host genotype and age have no effect on rejection of parasitic eggs

Egg rejection belongs to a widely used host tactic to prevent the costs incurred by avian brood parasitism. However, the genetic basis of this behaviour and the effect of host age on the probability of rejecting the parasitic egg remain largely unknown. Here, we used a set of 15 polymorphic microsatellite loci, including a previously detected candidate locus (Ase64), to link genotypes of female great reed warblers (Acrocephalus arundinaceus), a known rejecter, with their egg rejection responses in two host populations. We also tested whether host female age, as a measure of the experience with own eggs, plays a role in rejection of common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) eggs. We failed to find any consistent association of egg rejection responses with host female genotypes or age. It seems that host decisions on egg rejection show high levels of phenotypic plasticity and are likely to depend on the spatiotemporal variation in the parasitism pressure. Future studies exploring the repeatability of host responses towards parasitic eggs and the role of host individual experience with parasitic eggs would greatly improve our understanding of the variations in host behaviours considering the persistence of brood parasitism in host populations with rejecter phenotypes.     

大宁河2010年春季水华浮游植物群落结构分析

2010年3月对大宁河发生水华现象的水质及其浮游植物进行调查监测研究,应用多样性指数、物种丰富度指数及均匀性指数对藻类多样性进行评价,研究了藻类的优势种、细胞密度及藻类的空间分布。结果表明,其水质属于中富营养型,浮游植物主要为甲藻门的拟多甲藻,绿藻门的小球藻,共鉴定出7个门31个属。在水平方向,S8点的藻密度最大;在垂直方向,各种浮游植物藻类细胞密度出现明显的分层变化,不同深度的优势种也有一定的差异;在水华期间,表层藻细胞密度最高,随着深度的增加,藻类细胞密度逐渐减小。     

A simple mathematical model for rime and glaze-ice accretion due to freezing rain on a horizontal plane surface

A mathematical model, which simualates rime and glaze-ice accretion due to freezing rain on a horizontal plane surface, is described. The thermal transients within the accreted ice are governed by local surface heat and mass transfer balances for the impacting supercooled droplets. The evolution of the rime and glaze-ice surfaces are formulated in terms of moving boundary and Stefan-type problems, respectively. During glaze accretion, the flow of unfrozen water (run-back water) is modelled in the context of the thin liquid film approximation.Analytical solutions are obtained and, in particular, the mathematical structure of the transition from rime to glaze accretion is examined, using the method of matched asymptotic expansions. Illustrative results are given for horizontal plane surfaces having circular and square cross-section.     

Free-flight phonotaxis in a parasitoid fly: behavioural thresholds, relative attraction and susceptibility to noise

 The phonotactic capacity of tachinid flies to acoustically detect and localize a sound source simulating their cricket host was investigated in a large flight room. Acoustic measurements were performed to estimate the actual stimulus delivered to the flies, revealing highly heterogeneous sound fields. When presented with a simulated cricket song in red or infrared light conditions, the flies readily flew to the sound source and landed on it. Behavioural phonotactic thresholds were established as a function of carrier frequency and were found to coincide well with the frequency of the host's natural song (4.5–5.2 kHz). Experiments revealed that the same range of frequencies is preferentially attractive to the free-flying flies, and that the reliability of signal detection in the presence of noise is best at behaviourally relevant frequencies. Received: 23 February 2000 / Accepted in revised form: 6 June 2000     

施工扬尘空间扩散规律研究

通过检测建筑工地边界附近同一平面坐标1.5～4.1 m范围内不同高度处的降尘浓度变化,研究了建筑工地边界施工扬尘垂直扩散规律;通过监测建筑工地外同方向0～210 m范围内不同距离、相同高度(3 m)处的降尘浓度变化,研究了建筑工地施工扬尘水平扩散规律,通过数据回归分别得出了施工扬尘垂直、水平的扩散模型.结果表明,建筑工地边界同一平面坐标上方的施工降尘浓度与高度的2次方成反比关系,边界外部同一高度、同一方向的施工降尘浓度与监测点距工地中心距离的2次方成反比关系,施工活动和自然条件等因素主要影响垂直和水平扩散常数的大小.     

Olfaction in the female sheep botfly

The nasal botfly Oestrus ovis (Diptera, Cyclorrhapha: Oestridae) is a myiasis-causing insect species, which affects the health of sheep, goats and humans. Gravid females are viviparous and larviposit into the animal’s nostrils. Host-searching and larvipositing flies are visually guided and influenced by climatic conditions, whereas olfaction seemed to play no role in this process. However, here, we show that the antennae of adult O. ovis female flies are relatively small but well developed and inhabited by several types of olfactory sensilla. Further, we show that the antennal lobes of this species receive input from antennal afferents and consist of a clearly defined glomerular organisation. We also give the first evidence of the fly’s ability to detect several synthetic odour compounds. Our findings provide a morpho-functional basis for future investigations on olfactory-mediated behaviour of this insect pest.     

不同光照强度下香溪河浮游植物演替过程研究

为丰富三峡水库浮游植物演替机制,为三峡水库“潮汐式”调度提供理论依据和基础数据,基于前期香溪河水华易发区现场监测结果,其水下光照强度变化范围为1 800~17 000 lx,据此开展不同梯度恒定光照条件下香溪河源水混合浮游植物群落演替过程的室内控制试验.结果表明:①按照R*法则和关键光强假说,在其他环境条件适宜的情况下,光照为4 500 lx时,香溪河源水中混合浮游植物的生物量和多样性最高.②CSR理论（Competitor-Stress Tolerator-Ruderals Theory）中的浮游植物环境适应机制及生长策略不能准确解释不同梯度恒定光照控制条件下浮游植物的演替规律.光照条件是影响浮游植物群落演替方向的关键要素,而演替方向由群落发生演替时的光照条件与该群落中藻种关键光强的匹配程度决定.③香溪河源水中混合藻种的不同梯度恒定光照控制试验结果显示,小球藻（Chlorella sp.）、衣藻（Chlamydomonas sp.）、栅藻（Scenedesmus sp.）、肾形藻（Nephrocytium sp.）、微囊藻（Microcystis sp.）、色球藻（Chroococcus sp.）、隐藻（Cryptomonas sp.）和小环藻（Cyclotella sp.）的最适光强分别为3 000、8 000、13 000、6 000、6 000、13 000、13 000和6 000 lx.研究显示,将光照控制在合适的阈值范围,有助于维持浮游植物的多样性,对水华防治具有重要意义.      

用BaCl2滴定法快速测定硫酸盐的研究

用铬酸钡光度法、EDTA滴定法、间接原子吸收法、离子色谱法等方法测定SO42-检测上限都很低(12-200mg/L),且只适用于清洁水,若水样混浊则全引起较大的误差.有的地下水,SO42-浓度高达44000mg/L,用BaCl2滴定法测定SO42-:测试水样,以溴酚蓝做酸碱指示剂,加1∶50盐酸,调为pH=3.5,加入30ml异丙醇,以钍试剂做终点指示剂,滴加0.01mol/L BaCl2,砖红色为终点,根据BaCl2用量计算SO42-浓度.本方法快捷、准确、测定范围大,上限可达2000mg/L,克服了光度法测定浑浊水样引起误差大的缺点.     

Common volatiles are major attractants for neonate larvae of the specialist flea beetle <Emphasis Type="Italic">Altica koreana</Emphasis> (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Olfactory stimuli play an important role in the host searching of larval phytophagous insects. Previous studies indicate that larvae that have to find feeding sites after hatching are generally attracted to host volatiles. However, there are few studies on the olfactory responses of neonate larvae to host volatiles in cases when those larvae hatched on the host plant. In the present study, we determined the olfactory responses of neonate larvae of the specialist flea beetle, Altica koreana Ogloblin, to host and six non-host plants, using a static-air "arena." Larvae responded significantly to the host plant Potentilla chinensis Ser. and five of six non-host plants, compared to the control. Larvae did not prefer the host plant over the non-host plants (except Artemisia sp.) when offered a choice. Additionally, odours of a non-host plant, which were unattractive to neonate larvae, may have masked the attractive odour of the host plant. These results indicate that common volatiles can play a major role in attracting larvae of this specialist to plants, but attraction to such odours may not be the major mechanism of host choice.