The effect of salinity on survival,bioenergetics and predation risk in the mud crabs <Emphasis Type="Italic">Panopeus simpsoni</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eurypanopeus depressus</Emphasis>

The effect of salinity on survival, bioenergetics and predation risk was studied in two common mud crabs in the Gulf of Mexico, Eurypanopeus depressus and Panopeus simpsoni. Eurypanopeus survived better at low salinities (the 28-day LC₅₀ of E. depressus was 0.19 PSU compared with 6.97 PSU for P. simpsoni). While low salinity increased energy expenditure and reduced food consumption and absorption, resulting in lower scope for growth, identical responses to salinity occurred in both species. Both species also had similar salinity-dependent patterns of hyper-osmoregulation. Because these physiological mechanisms could not explain differences between the two species in salinity tolerance, we explored the effect of salinity on competition for refugia. Eurypanopeus had higher resource holding potential for refugia, especially at low salinity. As a consequence it had lower predation risk to blue crabs in laboratory experiments. The higher tolerance by E. depressus for low salinities, and greater resource holding potential for refugia may explain why it has a more euryhaline distribution than P. simpsoni.     

Resource distribution,aggressive asymmetries and variable access to resources in the nectar feeding bellbird

Summary A continuum concept of spatial organization linking territoriality and social hierarchy suggests that individuals will alter their degree of exclusiveness and priority of access to resources in accord with the net benefits of aggression. Thus changes in resource distribution will produce changes in the control of resource space for any one individual. Similarly when comparing among individuals, responses will change in accord with their aggressive abilities when compared to those of possible opponents. The existence of such a continuum model of spacing was investigated in a nectar feeder, the New Zealand bellbird (Anthornis melanura: Meliphagidae). A natural change in spatial distribution of resources from highly concentrated to dispersed provided an opportunity to follow changes in access for known individuals. Comparison of individuals of different hierarchical status, sex and residential status was also possible within each system as was an estimate of comparative rewards. At the concentrated resource, individuals could be ranked in a dominance hierarchy although spatial separation between more dominant individuals did occur. At the more spatially dispersed resource, most individuals obtained a level of exclusive use. Access to both resources varied for different individuals but the asymmetries that related to greater access in one system also produced greater access in the other resource.     

Global optimization from suboptimal parts: foraging sensu lato by leaf-cutting ants

Central-place foraging theory has been unable to explain the load selection behavior of leaf-cutting ants (Atta spp., Attini: Formicidae). We suggest that this is due to incomplete consideration of the sequence of behaviors involved in resource acquisition by these ants. Unlike most central-place foragers, leaf-cutting ants do not return to their nests with food. Instead, the leaf fragments they gather must be processed within the nest to convert them to substrate for fungal gardens. We have shown previously that leaf fragment size affects the rate of distribution and processing of leaf tissue inside laboratory nests of Atta colombica. Including these tasks in the calculation of foraging rate may help explain load selection and other features of central-place foraging by Atta colonies. Here we develop a mathematical model of the complete sequence of external and internal tasks that lead to addition of substrate to fungal gardens. Using realistic parameter values, the leaf fragment sizes predicted to maximize a colony's rate of foraging in this broad sense correspond well with the mean fragment sizes actually collected by Atta colonies in the field. The optimal fragment size for global performance in the model is below the size that would maximize the delivery rate by above-ground foragers. The globally optimal size also fails to maximize the rate of either fragment distribution or fragment processing within the nest. Our results show how maximum collective performance of an ensemble of linked tasks may require behavior that would appear suboptimal in a piecemeal analysis of tasks.     

Female control of reproductive skew in cooperatively breeding brown jays (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cyanocorax morio</Emphasis>)

Brown jays (Cyanocorax morio) are long-lived, social corvids that live in large, stable, territorial groups (mean = 10 individuals). In this study, I determined the distribution of reproductive success within groups using multi-locus DNA fingerprinting. Breeding females produced virtually all (99%) of the young within their own nests. Reproduction within groups was highly skewed towards a single primary female, although long term data indicate that secondary females (female breeders that were usually younger and subordinate to the primary female) were sometimes successful. The high reproductive skew observed for females was associated with primary female aggression. Successful reproduction by secondary females may have been due to parental facilitation or the inability of primary females to completely suppress secondary females. Multiple paternity occurred in 31–43% of broods and extra-group paternity occurred in a minimum of 22% of broods. Patterns of paternity also varied between years, since females often switched or included new genetic mates. Although male consorts of nesting females fathered relatively few offspring (20%), they still had a higher chance of fathering offspring than any other single group male. Reproduction was less skewed for males than females as a result of female mating patterns. Female reproductive patterns are consistent with some of the predictions and assumptions from optimal skew models, while male reproductive patterns are not. The factors affecting skew in species with complex social systems such as incomplete control by breeders over subordinate reproduction, female control of paternity, and resource inheritance have not been well incorporated into reproductive skew models.Communicated by: J. Dickinson     

Both evaluation of resource quality and speed of recruited leaf-cutting ants (Acromyrmex lundi) depend on their motivational state

Summary During recruitment, running velocity of both outbound and laden workers of the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex lundi depended on the information about resource quality they received from the first successful recruiter. In independent assays, single scout ants were allowed to collect sugar solutions of different concentrations and to recruit nestmates. Recruited workers were presented with standardized paper discs rather than the sugar solution given to the original recruiting ant. Outbound recruited workers were observed to run faster the more concentrated the solution found by the recruiter. Speed of disc-laden workers also depended on the concentration of the solution found by the recruiter, i.e. on the information about food quality they received, since they had no actual contact with the sugar solution. Disc-laden workers ran, as intuitively expected, slower than outbound workers. The reduction in speed, however, could not be attributed to the effects of the load itself, because workers collecting discs of the same weight, but with added sugar, ran as rapidly as outbound, unladen workers. Workers collecting standardized sugared discs reinforced the chemical trail on their way to the nest. The percentage of trail-layers was higher when workers were recruited to 10% than to 1% sugar solution, even though they collected the same kind of discs at the source. Their evaluation of resource quality, therefore, depended on their motivational state, which was modulated by the information they received during recruitment. Using previously published data on energetics of locomotion in leaf-cutting ants, travel costs of A. lundi workers recruited to sugar solutions of different concentration could be estimated. For workers recruited to the more concentrated solution, both speed and oxygen consumption rate increased by a roughly similar factor. Therefore, although workers ran faster to the high-quality resource, their actual energy investment per trip remained similar to that made by workers recruited to the low-quality resource. It is suggested that the more motivated workers reduced travel time without increasing energy costs during the trip. The adaptive value of these responses seems to be related to a rapid transmission of information about a newly discovered food source.     

The influence of temperature and salinity on<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Acartia</Emphasis> (Copepoda: Calanoida) nauplii survival

Adult Acartia congeners, A. bifilosa, A. clausi, A. discaudata and A. tonsa, have distinct seasonal and spatial distribution patterns in Southampton Water (UK), reflecting patterns of temperature and salinity, respectively. The effect of these factors on other life stages, hatch success and naupliar survival was investigated by exposing the congeners to a range of salinity (15.5–33.3) and of temperature (5–20°C). A. clausi is known to prefer more saline waters, and showed highest hatch success at 33.3 salinity. A. tonsa is most tolerant to dilution, and at 15.5 salinity it had the highest hatch success of all the congeners. Hatch success in both A. bifilosa and A. discaudata was similar over the range of salinities investigated, confirming that they are intermediate species in terms of spatial distribution. The nauplii of all species survived well at the higher salinities and best at 33.3, which allows for differential transport of the poorly swimming nauplii to the mouth of the estuary until size and swimming ability increase, after which they can then return to regions of preferred salinity. The summer species, A. clausi and A. tonsa showed higher hatch success at 20°C, whereas A. discaudata, which is present in the water column all year round, showed no significant temperature-related differences in hatch success. A. bifilosa, which diapauses over summer, showed significantly higher hatch success at 10°C than at 20°C. The physiological relationship between temperature and development time was clear; naupliar survival of all species was highest at 20°C and all congeners reached the first copepodite stage (CI) significantly faster at 20°C. However, no consistent pattern was seen for salinity. It would appear that the adult Acartidae in Southampton Water remain in regions of their preferred salinity and lay eggs there which hatch well. However, because the nauplii are not good swimmers, they are swept towards the mouth of the estuary and into areas of higher salinity, where they remain and develop into more advanced stages before moving back up the estuary to take up their adult distribution pattern.Communicated by J.P. Thorpe, Port Erin     

Bigger testes do work more: experimental evidence that testis size reflects testicular cell proliferation activity in the marine invertebrate,the free-living flatworm<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Macrostomum</Emphasis> sp.

Evolutionary theory predicts that more resources are allocated to sperm production when sperm competition is high. This prediction is supported by both comparative and experimental data on static measures of male allocation, such as testis and ejaculate size. However, resource allocation is a dynamic process, and it is therefore important to evaluate if the static measures reflect this. Such an evaluation has to our knowledge never been done. Immunocytochemical labelling with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) allows visualisation of cells in S-phase. BrdU becomes incorporated into cells if, and only if, they are actively undergoing DNA duplication, which is a dynamic process. The number of BrdU-positive cells in the testis can hence serve as a dynamic measure of male allocation, i.e. testicular activity. We evaluate the relationship between testis size and testicular activity in the marine flatworm Macrostomum sp. In a previous study, we showed that testis size is phenotypically plastic in this species, and that worms make larger testes when they are raised in larger groups. We use this plasticity to experimentally produce variation in testis size, and demonstrate that larger testes are associated with higher testicular activity. Moreover, testis size and testicular activity were related linearly. We have thus, for the first time, shown that testis size is a good measure of resource allocation to the male function. Moreover, increased testicular activity is probably one of the first steps in the upregulation of sperm production. It is thus expected that testicular activity is a more sensitive measure of short-term variation in male allocation than the commonly used static measures.Communicated by N. Wedell     

Spatial distribution,population dynamics and productivity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Spisula subtruncata</Emphasis>: implications for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Spisula</Emphasis> fisheries in seaduck wintering areas

Bivalves are important in shallow marine habitats, not at least being the major food resource for seaducks such as the common scoter (Melanitta nigra), thousands of which are wintering on the Western Coastal Banks, near the Belgian-French border (North Sea). Next to this ecological importance, fishable stocks of one of these bivalves, Spisula subtruncata, occur in the area. This study aimed at investigating S. subtruncata’s spatial distribution, population dynamics and productivity and its implications for a sustainable Spisula fishery in seaduck wintering areas. The spatial distribution of S. subtruncata was studied in 1994 and 1997 in two areas of the Belgian Western Coastal Banks. The population dynamics and production were investigated by monthly sampling of two stations between April 1995 and April 1996 and a seasonal sampling between April 1996 and April 1998. Spisula subtruncata had a patchy distribution in the deeper (6 m), fine sandy (200 ± 20 μm) sediments of the Abra alba community, mainly found in the western most part of the Western Coastal Banks. In August 1995, an overwhelming and successful recruitment was observed in this area: local densities were as high as 150,000 ind m⁻². Minor, non-successful recruitments were detected in August 1996 and 1997. Due to space limitation, high densities of S. subtruncata are hypothesized to be responsible for the occurrence of aberrant shapes as observed from August 1996 onwards. Growth was described by a seasonally oscillating version of the von Bertalanffy growth function (VBGF): a growth stop was observed from late autumn till early spring. The VBGF parameters K (growth constant) and L _∞ (asymptotic length) were estimated at 0.7–0.9 and 31–33 mm. A combination of length and individual biomass increment showed: (1) a faster length increment of smaller individuals during the second growing period (catching-up phenomenon), (2) a constant length combined with a decreasing individual biomass during the suboptimal winter periods (except for the first winter, when the individual biomass slightly increased), (3) a positive relationship between the individual biomass decrease and the seawater temperature during the winter periods, and (4) a strong increase of the individual biomass in early spring (April 1997 and 1998) because of gametogenesis, followed by a decrease because of spawning (August 1997). The extremely high total production of the 1995 year class in the tidal gully (Potje) during the study period was estimated at approximately 1,500 g ash-free dry weight (ADW) m⁻² or 600 g ADW m⁻² on average per year. Shellfisheries for S. subtruncata within seaduck wintering areas, such as the Western Coastal Banks, should be carefully deliberated since (1) an important food resource for the seaducks will decrease, (2) the ecologically most diverse and rich macrobenthic A. alba community will be heavily affected, and (3) the recovery of Spisula populations after depletion is expected to be erratic.     

A complex social structure with fission–fusion properties can emerge from a simple foraging model

Precisely how ecological factors influence animal social structure is far from clear. We explore this question using an agent-based model inspired by the fission–fusion society of spider monkeys (Ateles spp). Our model introduces a realistic, complex foraging environment composed of many resource patches with size varying as an inverse power law frequency distribution with exponent β. Foragers do not interact among them and start from random initial locations. They have either a complete or a partial knowledge of the environment and maximize the ratio between the size of the next visited patch and the distance traveled to it, ignoring previously visited patches. At intermediate values of β, when large patches are neither too scarce nor too abundant, foragers form groups (coincide at the same patch) with a similar size frequency distribution as the spider monkey’s subgroups. Fission–fusion events create a network of associations that contains weak bonds among foragers that meet only rarely and strong bonds among those that repeat associations more frequently than would be expected by chance. The latter form subnetworks with the highest number of bonds and a high clustering coefficient at intermediate values of β. The weak bonds enable the whole social network to percolate. Some of our results are similar to those found in long-term field studies of spider monkeys and other fission–fusion species. We conclude that hypotheses about the ecological causes of fission–fusion and the origin of complex social structures should consider the heterogeneity and complexity of the environment in which social animals live.     

Local mate competition in the solitary parasitoid wasp <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ooencyrtus kuvanae</Emphasis>

Local mate competition (LMC) occurs when brothers compete with each other for mating opportunities, resulting in selection for a female-biased sex ratio within local groups. If multiple females oviposit in the same patch, their sons compete for mating opportunities with non-brothers. Females, in the presence of other females, should thus produce relatively more sons. Sex ratio theory also predicts a more female-biased sex ratio when ovipositing females are genetically related, and sex-ratio responses to foundress size if it differentially affects fitness gains from sons versus daughters. The mating system of the parasitoid wasp Ooencyrtus kuvanae meets assumptions of LMC. Females insert a single egg into each accessible egg of gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, host egg masses. Wasps complete development inside host eggs and emerge en masse, as sexually mature adults, resulting in intense competition among brothers. We tested the hypothesis that O. kuvanae exhibits LMC by manipulating the number of wasp foundresses on egg masses with identical numbers of eggs. As predicted by LMC theory, with increasing numbers of wasp foundresses on an egg mass, the proportions of emerging sons increased. In contrast, the presence of a sibling compared to a non-sibling female during oviposition, or the size of a female, did not affect the number or sex ratio of offspring produced. The O. kuvanae system differs from others in that larvae do not compete for local resources and thus do not distort the sex ratio in favor of sons. With no resource competition among O. kuvanae larvae, the sex ratio of emergent son and daughter wasps is due entirely to the sex allocation by ovipositing wasp foundresses on host egg masses.     

Escape behaviour of solitary herring (Clupea harengus ) and comparisons with schooling individuals

The escape behaviour of solitary herring (Clupea harengus L.) startled by a sound stimulus was observed by means of high-speed video-filming. The results were compared with data from a previous study on the escape behaviour of schooling herring. Escape responses were divided into “away responses” and “towards responses” according to the orientation of the C-bend of the body relative to the stimulus. The proportion of away responses was smaller for solitary than for schooling herring. In solitary herring, the subsequent escape trajectories of fish making initial away responses showed a bimodal pattern of distribution, with modes at 130 and 180° from the stimulus. Trajectories following towards responses, however, were mainly within the semicircle directed at the stimulus, and their pattern of distribution differed from that of away responses. This result contrasts with observations on schooling herring, whose trajectories following both initial away and towards responses are directed away from the stimulus. In addition, we measured the response latency, defined as the interval of time between stimulus presentation and the first detectable movement of the fish. Solitary herring showed a higher proportion of short-latency responses (latency <50 ms) than schooling herring. Different behaviours appear to be exhibited by herring depending on whether they are solitary or within a school. We hypothesize that schooling may raise the threshold for initiation of fast escape responses, giving longer latencies and slower responses which are more appropriate in their directionality and reduce the possibility of collisions with neighbours. In addition, we suggest that schooling behaviour enhances the directionality and co-ordination of the escape response of the whole school, possibly increasing the probability of surviving a predator attack. Received: 2 October 1996 / Accepted: 17 October 1996     

The invasive venomous striped eel catfish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Plotosus</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">lineatus</Emphasis> in the Levant: possible mechanisms facilitating its rapid invasional success

The venomous striped eel catfish Plotosus lineatus was first recorded in the Mediterranean in 2002. Within 1–3 years, it has spread throughout the entire Israeli coast. We have studied its spatiotemporal distribution patterns via trawl surveys in order to determine the scale and extent of this invasion. Findings indicate that a population explosion has occurred, and the catfish now inhabits all sandy and muddy substrates up to ca 80 m. P. lineatus was found to recruit in autumn in the Mediterranean and displays similar or improved growth patterns and condition factor compared to those found in its native habitat. We discuss the possible ecological mechanisms responsible for its success: Benthic invaders are among its main prey items, suggesting an invasional meltdown process. We also point to the decline of indigenous species using its trophic and behavioral–ecological niche and hypothesize that they might be outcompeted and displaced by the catfish.     

Inter-sexual contests in the hermit crab <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pagurus bernhardus</Emphasis>: females fight harder but males win more encounters

Contests often occur between members of the same sex when they compete for access to mates, but inter-sexual contests may occur over access to other essential resources such as food or shelter. Despite the possibility that such contests are common, most studies focus on male fighting, and very few have analysed fights between males and females. Because males and females differ physically and physiologically, fighting ability or resource-holding potential (RHP) may also be subject to inter-sexual variation. In this study, we investigate size-controlled inter-sexual contests over the ownership of empty gastropod shells in the hermit crab Pagurus bernhardus. During these fights, there are two roles, attacker and defender, and we use a fully orthogonal experimental design to compare the performance of males and females in each role, when fighting either a male or female opponent. Although females fight more intensely, male attackers have an advantage when compared to females playing the attacker role, as they are more likely to evict the defender from its shell and thus win the resource. Further, in the defender role, male defenders are subject to shorter attacks than female defenders. The differences in agonistic performance could not be attributed to differences in perceived resource value between the sexes or to differences in body or weapon size. There are clear differences in the agonistic behaviour of males and females, and this possibility should be incorporated into models of contest behaviour. In particular, evolutionarily stable strategies may be expected to vary with sex ratios.     

Frequency of sublethal injury in a deepwater ophiuroid, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ophiacantha bidentata</Emphasis>, an important component of western Atlantic <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lophelia</Emphasis> reef communities

The occurrence and relative abundance of tissue (arm) regeneration in the ophiuroid, Ophiacantha bidentata (Retzius), was examined in individuals collected primarily among colonies of the deep-water coral Lophelia pertusa off the southeastern United States. Seven deep-water coral sites (384–756 m), located between Cape Lookout, NC, and Cape Canaveral, FL, were sampled in June 2004 using a manned submersible. The presence of regenerative tissue was evaluated by visual inspection of each individual ophiuroid, and the proportion of regenerating arms per individual was examined relative to size of individual, geographic location, and depth of collection. Ophiacantha bidentata, the dominant brittle star collected, commonly displayed signs of sublethal injury with over 60% of individuals displaying some evidence of regeneration. These levels of regeneration rival those reported for shallow-water ophiuroids. Larger individuals (>6.5 mm disc size) had a higher incidence of regeneration than smaller individuals. Size of individual and percent of regeneration were negatively correlated with depth. Although O. bidentata was significantly less abundant in southern versus northern sites, ophiuroid abundance did not appear to be influenced by amount or density of coral substratum. Presence of dense aggregations of O. bidentata indicates that they are an important component of the invertebrate assemblage associated with deep-water coral habitat especially in the northern part of the study area. Assuming that observed frequencies of injury and subsequent regeneration represent predation events then dense ophiuroid aggregations in deep-water coral habitats represent an important renewable trophic resource within these communities.     

Exposing males to female scent increases the cost of controlling <Emphasis Type="Italic">Salmonella</Emphasis> infection in wild house mice

Secondary sexual characters often provide indicators of a male’s resistance to infectious diseases to rivals and potential mates, but it is unclear why. It is often suggested that males honestly signal their health due to energetic and other physiological trade-offs between investing into secondary sexual traits vs resistance to infectious diseases. Our aim was to determine whether such a trade-off exists using wild-derived male house mice (Mus domesticus). We exposed male mice to female scent, a manipulation that induces elevations in testosterone concentration and the expression of a variety of testosterone-mediated secondary sexual traits, and tested whether this sexual stimulation impaired the males’ ability to resolve or cope with an experimental infection (Salmonella enterica). We kept the males on a controlled diet to prevent them from compensating by eating more food. We found that sexually stimulated males were able to control bacterial growth as effectively as sham-stimulated controls; however, to do so, they lost more body mass during infection compared to the controls. In contrast, we found no evidence that sexual stimulation reduced the body mass of uninfected male mice. These results indicate that males’ responses to female odor are not immunosuppressive per se, yet they increase the energetic costs of controlling infection. Our findings support the idea that there is a physiological trade-off between secondary sexual signaling vs resistance to infectious diseases and suggest that studies using only immunocompetence assays might fail to detect such energetic trade-offs. We dedicate this paper to the late Professor Chris Barnard who conducted pioneering research on this topic.     

Variation in behavioral and hormonal responses of adult male gray-cheeked mangabeys (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lophocebus albigena</Emphasis>) to crowned eagles (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Stephanoaetus coronatus</Emphasis>) in Kibale National Park,Uganda

Intensive study of arboreal forest-dwelling primates and their predators in Africa is increasingly revealing that crowned eagles (Stephanoaetus coronatus) are major predators of primates. Gray-cheeked mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena) are overrepresented in the diets of crowned eagles in Kibale National Park, Uganda, and adult male mangabeys are represented more than females. We focused on the behavior of adult male gray-cheeked mangabeys living in social groups in Kibale National Park (1) to clarify the interactions between mangabeys and eagles that might put adult males at greater risk and (2) to better understand individual variation in behavioral responses to predators. Adult male mangabeys in five groups responded to observer-confirmed presence of crowned eagles 88 times over a 13-month period. While all males gave alarm calls, only the highest-ranking male in each of four groups chased eagles. These males had elevated levels of fecal cortisol metabolites in the days immediately after they engaged in active defense, suggesting that they perceived such behavior as risky. In the one group where male ranks were unstable and there were no infants, no male was observed to chase eagles. We suggest that males pursue the dangerous tactic of chasing eagles only when they are likely to have offspring in the group. Males in larger groups also spent less time alarm calling to crowned eagles (from first to last call in a group), and our observations confirmed that the duration of their alarm calls was related to eagle presence. Thus, eagles spent less time around larger mangabey groups. Alarm calling by adult male mangabeys may signal to this ambush predator that it has been detected and should move on.     

Effects of salinity on the clam <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chamelea gallina</Emphasis> haemocytes. Part II: Superoxide dismutase response

The effects of different salinity levels (28, 34 and 40‰) on functional responses of Chamelea gallina haemocytes were evaluated in a two part study dealing with modulations of immune parameters. This part (Part II) of the study was focused on the superoxide dismutase (SODs) activity and expression in haemocyte lysate and cell-free haemolymph. Results of this study established that the exposure of C. gallina specimens at 40‰ salinity provoked a decrease in Mn-SOD and Cu/Zn-SOD activities in haemocyte lysate suggesting a declining superoxide anion generation at the highest salinity tested. Expression of MnSOD was coherent with activity values, while Cu/ZnSOD showed two immunoreactive bands. The former corresponds to the cytosolic Cu/Zn-SOD (16 kDa) was not coherent with the enzyme activity and the second (28–30 kDa) probably attributed to EC-SOD. In cell-free haemolymph, Mn-SOD activity decrease and Cu/Zn-SOD activity increase at 40‰ were observed, likely due to EC-SOD contribution, strongly induced at the same salinity. After EC-SOD detection with two different antibody, we postulate that the EC-SOD like-protein band (29 kDa) may be constitute partly by EC-SOD and probably by Cu/Zn-SOD dimeric form not completely dissociated under reducing condition or a Cu/Zn-SOD degenerated but still recognized by antibody. The cell-free haemolymph increase of EC-SOD at high salinity values plays an important role in immune defence of C. gallina. According to the conclusion of Part I of this study, our data confirmed the destabilizing effect of 40‰ salinity on haemocyte functionality, while to 28‰ exposure, data don’t confirm its stressful action as instead stated by results of Part I. Further studies are necessary to clear up this discrepancy.     

Alternative mating tactics in dimorphic males of the harvestman <Emphasis Type="Italic">Longiperna concolor</Emphasis> (Arachnida: Opiliones)

Intense male–male competition for females may drive the evolution of male morphological dimorphism, which is frequently associated with alternative mating tactics. Using modern techniques for the detection of discontinuous allometries, we describe male dimorphism in the Neotropical harvestman Longiperna concolor, the males of which use their elongated, sexually dimorphic legs IV in fights for the possession of territories where females lay eggs. We also tested three predictions related to the existence of alternative mating tactics: (1) if individuals with relatively longer legs IV (majors) are more likely to monopolize access to reproductive resources, they are expected to remain close to stable groups of females more than individuals with relatively shorter legs IV (minors) do; (2) if minors achieve fertilization by moving between territories, they are expected to be less faithful to specific sites; and (3) majors should be observed in aggressive interactions more often. We individually marked all the individuals from a population of Longiperna during the reproductive season and recorded the location of each sighting for males and females as well as the identity of males involved in fights. Majors were more likely to have harems, and large majors were even more likely to do so. Majors were more philopatric and all males involved in fights belonged to this morph. These results strongly suggest that the mating tactic of the majors is based on resource defense whereas that of the minors probably relies on sneaking into the territories of the majors and furtively copulating with females.     

Individual specialization in the hunting wasp <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trypoxylon</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Trypargilum</Emphasis>) <Emphasis Type="Italic">albonigrum</Emphasis> (Hymenoptera,Crabronidae)

Individual-level variation in resource use occurs in a broad array of vertebrate and invertebrate taxa and may have important ecological and evolutionary implications. In this study, we measured the degree of individual-level variation in prey preference of the hunting wasp Trypoxylon albonigrum, which inhabits the Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil. This wasp captures several orb-weaving spider genera to provision nests. Individuals consistently specialized on a narrow subset of the prey taxa consumed by the population, indicating the existence of significant individual-level variation in prey preferences. The population niche was broader in the wet season in terms of both prey size and taxa. In the case of prey size, the population niche expansion was achieved via increased individual niche breadths, whereas in the case of prey taxa, individual niches remained relatively constrained, and the population niche expanded via increased interindividual variation. The observed pattern suggests the possibility of functional trade-offs associated with the taxon of the consumed prey. The nature of the trade-offs remains unknown, but they are likely related to learning in searching and/or handling prey. We hypothesize that by specializing on specific prey taxa, individuals increase foraging efficiency, reducing foraging time and ultimately increasing reproductive success.