Geographic variations of life history traits and potential trade-offs in different populations of the parasitoid Leptopilina heterotoma

Energy allocation is determined by resource availability and trade-offs among traits, and so organisms have to give some traits priority over others to maximize their fitness according to their environment. In this study, we investigated the geographic variations in life history traits and potential trade-offs in populations of the parasitoid Leptopilina heterotoma (Hymenoptera: Figitidae) originating from the north and the south of the Rh?ne–Sa?ne valley (over a gradient of 300?km, South-East France). We measured a set of traits related to reproduction, maintenance, and mobility using several estimators of each of these main functions determined at different times. We did not find any clear differences between populations from contrasting areas, whereas the southern populations, which were all assumed to be exposed to similar environmental conditions, displayed contrasting patterns of energy allocation. Thus, the most likely explanation seems to be that the evolution of the life history of L. heterotoma is probably shaped by local selective pressures, such as microclimate, microhabitats, or intensity of competition, rather than by regional ecological conditions. Using our study as an example, we discuss the interest of considering several traits and using different ways of measuring them, concluding that multiple measurements should be performed in future studies to ensure the robustness of the results.     

A life history continuum in the males of a Neotropical ant assemblage: refuting the sperm vessel hypothesis

Animal lifespans range from a few days to many decades, and this life history diversity is especially pronounced in ants. Queens can live for decades. Males, in contrast, are often assumed to act as ephemeral sperm delivery vessels that die after a brief mating flight—a view developed from studies of lekking species in temperate habitats. In a tropical ant assemblage, we found that males can live days to months outside the nest, a trait hypothesized to be associated with female calling, another common mating system. We combined feeding experiments with respirometry to show that lifespan can be enhanced over 3 months by feeding outside the nest. In one focal female calling species, Ectatomma ruidum, feeding enhanced male lifespan, but not sperm content. Extended lifespans outside the nest suggest stronger than expected selection on premating traits of male ants, although the ways these traits shape male mating success remain poorly understood.     

Extreme longevity in a deep-sea vestimentiferan tubeworm and its implications for the evolution of life history strategies

The deep sea is home to many species that have longer life spans than their shallow-water counterparts. This trend is primarily related to the decline in metabolic rates with temperature as depth increases. However, at bathyal depths, the cold-seep vestimentiferan tubeworm species Lamellibrachia luymesi and Seepiophila jonesi reach extremely old ages beyond what is predicted by the simple scaling of life span with body size and temperature. Here, we use individual-based models based on in situ growth rates to show that another species of cold-seep tubeworm found in the Gulf of Mexico, Escarpia laminata, also has an extraordinarily long life span, regularly achieving ages of 100–200 years with some individuals older than 300 years. The distribution of results from individual simulations as well as whole population simulations involving mortality and recruitment rates support these age estimates. The low 0.67% mortality rate measurements from collected populations of E. laminata are similar to mortality rates in L. luymesi and S. jonesi and play a role in evolution of the long life span of cold-seep tubeworms. These results support longevity theory, which states that in the absence of extrinsic mortality threats, natural selection will select for individuals that senesce slower and reproduce continually into their old age.     

Fostering coastal resilience to climate change vulnerability in Bangladesh,Brazil, Cameroon and Uruguay: a cross-country comparison

This paper describes a comparative study of four different cases on vulnerability, hazards and adaptive capacity to climate threats in coastal areas and communities in four developing countries: Bangladesh, Brazil, Cameroon and Uruguay. Coastal areas are vulnerable to sea-level rise (SLR), storm surges and flooding due to their (i) exposure, (ii) concentration of settlements, many of which occupied by less advantaged groups and (iii) the concentration of assets and services seen in these areas. The objective of the paper is twofold: (i) to evaluate current evidence of coastal vulnerability and adaptive capacity and (ii) to compare adaptation strategies being implemented in a sample of developing countries, focusing on successful ones. The followed approach for the case evaluation is based on (i) documenting observed threats and damages, (ii) using indicators of physical and socioeconomic vulnerability and adaptive capacity status and (iii) selecting examples of successful responses. Major conclusions based on cross-case comparison are (a) the studied countries show different vulnerability, adaptive capacity and implementation of responses, (b) innovative community-based (CBA) and ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) and (c) early warning systems are key approaches and tools to foster climate resilience. A recommendation to foster the resilience of coastal communities and services is that efforts in innovative adaptation strategies to sea-level rise should be intensified and integrated with climate risk management within the national adaption plans (NAPAs) in order to reduce the impacts of hazards.     

Photodegradation of hydroxyfluorenes in ice and water: A comparison of kinetics,effects of water constituents,and phototransformation by-products

The photochemical behavior of organic pollutants in ice is poorly studied in comparison to aqueous photochemistry.Here we report a detailed comparison of ice and aqueous photodegradation of two representative OH-PAHs,2-hydroxyfluorene (2-OHFL) and 9-hydroxyfluorene (9-OHFL),which are newly recognized contaminants in the wider environment including colder regions.Interestingly,their photodegradation kinetics were clearly influenced by whether they reside in ice or water.Under the same simulated s...     

Dynamics of bacterial communities during a seasonal hypoxia at the Bohai Sea: Coupling and response between abundant and rare populations

Marine bacterial community plays a vital role in the formation of the hypoxia zone in coastal oceans. Yet, their dynamics in the seasonal hypoxia zone of the Bohai Sea(BHS) are barely studied. Here, the 16S r RNA gene-based high-throughput sequencing was used to explore the dynamics of their diversity, structure, and function as well as driving factors during the gradual deoxygenation process in the BHS. Our results evinced that the bacterial community was dominated by Proteobacteria, followed b...     

A feasibility and cost comparison of perchloroethylene dry cleaning to professional wet cleaning: case study of Silver Hanger Cleaners, Bellingham, Massachusetts

The Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) has been working with the dry cleaning sector for over 10 years - focusing on the ultimate goal of eliminating the use of perchloroethylene in this sector due to the availability of less toxic, feasible alternatives. Professional wet cleaning has been identified as one of these alternatives and has been a focus of the Institute in recent years. In 2008, the Institute provided a matching grant to Silver Hanger Cleaners in Bellingham, Massachusetts to convert their operations from perchloroethylene-based to water-based processes. Two years of data have been collected from the facility, reflecting one year of solvent use and one year of dedicated professional wet cleaning. The analysis of that data is presented here, including capital costs, performance data and associated costs, operational costs, and resource use and associated costs.     

One year in the life of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bufo punctatus</Emphasis>: annual patterns of body temperature in a free-ranging desert anuran

The Mojave Desert is characterized by hot dry summers and cold winters. The red-spotted toad (Bufo (Anaxyrus) punctatus) is the predominant anuran species; yet little is known of their thermal histories and strategies to avoid temperature extremes. We measured body temperature (T(b)) in free-ranging adult toads across all four seasons of a year using implanted data loggers. There is marked individual variation in the temperatures experienced by these toads. As expected, toads generally escape extreme seasonal and diel temperature fluctuations. However, our data demonstrate a much wider estimated T(b) range than was previously assumed. Though often for short periods, red-spotted toads do experience T(b) as low as 3.1 degrees C and as high as 39.1 degrees C. All animals showed periods of prolonged thermal stability in cooler months and wider diel oscillations in warmer months. Red-spotted toad thermal history is likely a function of site choice; the exploitation of different refuges results in diverse thermal experiences. These data represent the most complete record of thermal experiences for a desert anuran and reveal greater extremes in body temperature than previously suggested.     

The classification of lands managed for conservation: existing and proposed frameworks, with particular reference to Australia

Comprehensive classification systems to accurately account for lands managed for biodiversity conservation, are an essential component of conservation planning and policy. The current international classification systems for lands managed for nature conservation are reviewed, with a particular emphasis on Australia. The need for a broader, all-encompassing, categorisation of lands managed for conservation is presented and a proposed broader categorisation system is developed—the Conservation Lands Classification. This classification system has the advantage of incorporating data on both tenure and protection mechanisms and has been applied in this paper using conservation lands in three Australian jurisdictions as examples. It is envisaged that this method of classification has the potential to significantly improve the ability to measure current and future trends in nature conservation across all land types at a variety of scales and hence is put forward in order to stimulate discussion on this important topic.     

Genotypic, size and morphological diversity of virioplankton in a deep oligomesotrophic freshwater lake (Lac Pavin, France)

We examined changes in morphological and genomic diversities of viruses by means of transmission electronic microscopy and pulsed field gel electrophoresis(PFGE) over a nine-month period(April–December 2005) at four different depths in the oligomesotrophic Lac Pavin. We found that the majority of viruses in this lake belonged to the family of Siphoviridae or were untailed, with capsid sizes ranging from 30 to 60 nm, and exhibited genome sizes ranging from 15 to 45 kb. On average, 12 different genotypes dominated each of the PFGE fingerprints. The highest genomic viral richness was recorded in summer(mean = 14 bands per PFGE fingerprint) and in the epilimnion(mean = 13 bands per PFGE fingerprint). Among the physico-chemical and biological variables considered, the availability of the hosts appeared to be the main factor regulating the variations in the viral diversity.