Storage and metabolism of radioactively labeled pyrrolizidine alkaloids by butterflies and larvae of Mechanitis polymnia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae,Ithomiinae)

Summary. Tracer feeding studies with radioactively labeled pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) were performed to attain experimental information about the specificity and mechanisms of uptake, metabolism and storage of PAs in the alkaloid sequestering ithomiine butterfly Mechanitis polymnia. Adult butterflies easily ingest the tracers offered dissolved in a saturated sugar solution. Feeding of [¹⁴C]rinderine (free base) confirmed that M. polymnia is well adapted to sequester and maintain PAs of the lycopsamine type. Approximately 80% of the ingested radioactivity can be recovered in methanol extracts of the butterflies over a period of at least 6 hours. Labeled rinderine is efficiently N-oxidized and transformed into a metabolite of still unknown structure. These two metabolites are formed in almost equal amounts and account for more than 90% of total radioactivity. After four hours the toxic free base is only detectable in traces. Radioactively labeled senecioylretronecine (free base), a PA that often accompanies PAs of the lycopsamine type in plants, is metabolized in a different manner. The toxic free base disappeared as fast as the tertiary rinderine, but the final products which accumulated in a stable ratio after 12 hours were mainly two polar metabolites of unknown structure; senecioylretronecine N-oxide accounts for less than 10% of total PAs. Labeled senecionine a macrocyclic PA, which never has been found in wild caught M. polymnia is only slowly N-oxidized. In females ca 50% of the ingested senecionine is still present as free base after 24 hours, whereas under the same conditions in males this percentage is only ca 20%. This difference in N-oxidation was the only significant sex-specific difference observed in various experiments. Larvae of M. polymnia which feed on Solanum tabacifolium, a plant that does not contain PAs, are able to sequester and partly N-oxidize labeled senecioylretronecine and senecionine. However, the storage is not very efficient; with the two tracers less than 5% of radioactivity remained in the bodies after 24 hours. Received 19 October 1999; accepted 24 November 1999     

Tropane and pyrrolizidine alkaloids in the ithomiinesPlacidula euryanassa andMiraleria cymothoe (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

Summary Larvae of the ithomiine butterflyPlacidula euryanassa sequester tropane alkaloids (TAs) from the host plantBrugmansia suaveolens and pass them through the pupae to freshly emerged adults. Wild caught adults also show in their tissues, variable amounts of pyrrolidizine alkaloids (PAs), probably sequestered from variable plant sources and subject to dynamics of incorporation, accumulation and utilization of PAs by ithomiine butterflies. The ratio TAs/PAs is also variable between different populations.Miraleria cymothoe, another ithomiine that feeds onB. suaveolens as larvae, does not sequester TAs from the host-plant, but sequesters PAs from plant sources visited by the adult butterflies. The main alkaloid found in both butterflies is lycopsamine, which also is the principal PA found in all genera of Ithomiinae.     

Sequestration of pyrrolizidine alkaloids by larvae ofTellervo zoilus (Lepidoptera: Ithomiinae) and their role in the chemical protection of adults against the spiderNephila maculata (Araneidae)

Summary Life stages of the primitive Australian ithomiine butterflyTellervo zoilus and its larval hostplant, the apocynaceous vineParsonsia straminea, were quantitatively assayed for pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs). PAs were found in all stages, mainly as N-oxides, being most concentrated in larvae and freshly-emerged adults. Although adults feed at various confirmed PA sources this probably does not compensate for losses, as wild-caught adults had considerably lower concentrations of PAs. The main alkaloid present in both freshly-emerged adults and in leaves of the host-plant was lycopsamine (1b), stored by butterflies in the N-oxide form. Its presence in higher proportion, in relation to intermedine (1a), in larvae, pupae and adults ofTellervo in relation to the host-plants suggests the inversion of intermedine to lycopsamine by the insects. No 14-member ring macrocyclic PAs were detected in either food-plant or butterflies. Several other PAs were found in wild-caught adults reflecting visits to other PA sources. PAs were also found in high concentrations in freshly-emerged individuals of the danaineEuploea core bred onParsonsia straminea. Wild-caughtDanaus affinis had high PA levels acquired from adult feeding. Freshly emergedEuploea raised onIschnocarpus frutescens andDanaus raised onIschnostemma carnosum (both PA-free) were preyed on by the orb weaving spiderNephila maculata, and showed no PAs. In all cases where PAs were present, most butterflies were liberated, usually cut out of the web unharmed, byNephila. The spider's response was not closely linked to PA concentration, however, and may also depend on hunger levels and previous experience with PA-containing butterflies. All control and other non-PA containing butterflies were consumed although rejection of some body parts of freshly-emergedDanaus affinis suggests that compounds other than PAs may be involved.     

Phenological fate of plant-acquired pyrrolizidine alkaloids in the polyphagous arctiid Estigmene acrea

Summary. The alkaloid profiles of the life history stages of the highly polyphagous arctiid Estigmene acrea were established. As larvae individuals had free choice between a plain diet (alkaloid-free) and a diet that was supplemented with Crotalaria-pumila powder with a known content and composition of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs). Idiosyncratic retronecine esters (insect PAs) accounted for approximately half of the PAs recovered from the larvae. These alkaloids were synthesized by the larvae through esterification of dietary supinidine yielding the estigmines, and esterification of retronecine yielding the creatonotines. The retronecine is derived from insect-mediated degradation of the sequestered pumilines (macrocyclic PAs of the monocrotaline type). With one exception, the PA profiles established for larvae were found almost unaltered in all life-stages as well as larval exuviae and pupal cocoons. The exception is the males, which in comparison to pupae and adult females, showed a significantly decreased quantity of the creatonotines and pumilines. These data support the idea that the creatonotines are direct precursors of the PA-derived male courtship pheromone, hydroxydanaidal. Crosses of PA-free males with PA-containing females and vice versa confirmed an efficient trans-mission of PAs from males to females and then from females to eggs. In single cases a male bestowed almost his total PA load to the female, and a female her total load to the eggs. The results are discussed with respect to pheromone formation, PA transmission between life-stages, and the defensive role of PAs against predators and parasitoids     

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids between plants and insects: A new chapter of an old story

Summary Among alkaloids the pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) play a unique role in the interactions between plants and adapted insects. InSenecio spp. (Asteraceae) PAs are synthesized in the roots as alkaloidN-oxides which are specifically translocated into shootsvia the phloem-path and channeled to the preferred sites of storage (e.g. inflorescences) where they are stored in the cell vacuoles. In differentSenecio spp. senecionineN-oxide is produced as the common product of biosynthesis, which subsequentlyvia a number of simple but specific reactions is transformed into typical speciesspecific PA-patterns. Insects from diverse taxa sequester PAs for their own defense. Lepidopterans (e.g. arctiids such asTyria jacobaeae andCreatonotos transiens) may hydrolyze plant acquired ester-PAs and convert the resulting necine base into insect-specific PAs by esterification with an acid of their own metabolism. Adapted arctiids and the grasshopperZonocerus take up PAs in the state of the tertiary amine.N-Oxides are reduced in the guts prior to uptake. In the bodies the tertiary PAs are rapidlyN-oxidized by a specific mixed-function oxigenase and are maintained in theN-oxide state. The importance of the reversible interconversion of the nontoxicN-oxide (pro-toxine) into the toxic tertiary alkaloid is discussed as the specific feature of PAs in plant-insect interactions.     

Effects of furoquinoline alkaloids on the growth and feeding of two polyphagous lepidopterans

Summary. The furoquinoline alkaloids skimmianine and dictamnine were tested for effects on the feeding and growth of larvae of the generalist lepidopteran, Spodoptera litura. Skimmianine was further investigated for toxic and phototoxic effects on the larvae of Trichoplusia ni, also a generalist species. In feeding experiments with S. litura, growth and consumption of larvae decreased with increasing concentration of furoquinolines; skimmianine caused a greater reduction in growth than dictamnine. In T. ni, dietary skimmianine reduced growth and consumption; when administered topically, it significantly reduced consumption but without a concomitant reduction in growth. Phototoxicity of skimmianine was not apparent in T. ni because UV light failed to increase the negative effects of the alkaloid on larvae.     

Responses of three mouse species to deterrent chemicals in the monarch butterfly. I. Taste and toxicity tests using artificial diets laced with digitoxin or monocrotaline

Summary Of three common mouse species at the Mexican overwintering sites of the monarch butterfly, onlyPeromyscus melanotis eats monarchs. We hypothesized thatP. aztecus andReithrodontomys sumichrasti reject monarchs because they are more sensitive to the bitter taste and/or toxic effects of the cardiac glycosides (CGs) and pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) in the butterflies. Two-choice preference tests revealed no difference in taste avoidance thresholds to free base and N-oxide forms of the PA, monocrotaline, but very different avoidance thresholds to the CG, digitoxin. Avoidance thresholds forR. sumichrasti andP. aztecus were, in respective order, 1020 and 34 times less than that forP. melanotis. We also tested the toxic sensitivity of juvenile mice by chronically feeding diets containing digitoxin or monocrotaline at concentrations similar to those used in the preference tests. No species developed CG toxicity, but bothP. melanotis andP. aztecus developed moderate PA toxicity (R. sumichrasti was not tested for PA toxicity).P. aztecus grew more slowly and manyP. melanotis had hepatic metabolic lesions. Thus, the three mouse species responded very differently to the taste and toxic properties of CGs and PAs at ecologically relevant concentrations: 1) CGs were taste rejected by all species exceptP. melanotis, while PAs were not; and 2) PAs were toxic, while CGs were not.     

Asexuals looking for sex: conflict between species and mate-quality recognition in sailfin mollies (Poecilia latipinna)

When two closely related species are sympatric the process of species recognition (identifying conspecifics) and mate-quality recognition (increased fitness benefits) can yield a conflict when heterospecifics resemble high-quality conspecifics. Conflict in species versus mate-quality recognition may serve as a possible mechanism for the persistence of unisexual, gynogenetic Amazon mollies (Poecilia formosa). Amazon mollies require sperm from closely related species (e.g., sailfin mollies, P. latipinna) to start embryogenesis but inheritance is strictly maternal. When choosing mates, male sailfin mollies from populations sympatric with Amazon mollies may rely on traits indicating species identity rather than those indicating mate quality. Conversely, males from allopatric populations may rely more on traits indicating mate quality. Previous work has found that male sailfin mollies in sympatry exhibit a significantly greater mating preference for female sailfin mollies over Amazon mollies compared to males in allopatry. In addition, male sailfin mollies prefer to associate with and produce more sperm in the presence of larger conspecific females, which are more fecund. We hypothesized that male sailfin mollies experience a conflict in species recognition and mate-quality recognition in the presence of Amazon mollies that are relatively larger than female sailfin mollies. To test this hypothesis, we paired males from sympatric and allopatric populations with a larger Amazon molly and a smaller female sailfin molly. We scored the number of mating attempts that males directed to conspecific and heterospecific females. Males in most sympatric and allopatric populations demonstrate no clear preference for conspecifics. In addition, we found some evidence for a difference in mating preference between allopatric and sympatric populations with males from allopatry showing a greater heterospecific mate preference. These results indicate a conflict between species and mate-quality recognition. In sympatry this conflict may contribute to the persistence of gynogenetic Amazon mollies.     

A comparative study of aggressiveness in eastern North American field cricket species (genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gryllus</Emphasis>)

To understand the variation in aggressiveness and factors important for contest outcome, we quantified and compared agonistic interactions of four field cricket species in eastern North America: Gryllus fultoni (Orthoptera; Gryllidae), G. vernalis, G. pennsylvanicus, and G. rubens. The most aggressive behavior that we observed, the grapple, was frequently displayed in agonistic trials of G. pennsylvanicus and G. rubens. By contrast, we never observed this behavior in trials involving G. fultoni and G. vernalis. Consequently, species was the only significant variable affecting the variation in aggressiveness, whereas size difference, age difference, and contest duration had no significant effect. In species with high levels of aggressiveness, G. pennsylvanicus and G. rubens, the factors that might be indicative of resource holding potential such as size or age difference seemed to be significant for contest outcome. In species with low levels of aggressiveness, G. fultoni and G. vernalis, however, there were indications that contest outcomes were determined by aggressiveness itself rather than the size and age differences between opponents. Markov chain analyses revealed that the difference in aggressiveness between species with high and low levels of aggressiveness lay in a sequence of escalating behaviors: antennal fencing, mandible flare, and grapple. The escalated state of aggressiveness characterized by this behavioral sequence in G. pennsylvanicus and G. rubens seems to be the ancestral state in the North American Gryllus phylogeny. We argue that the loss of a tendency to use burrows in G. fultoni and G. vernalis might be related to low levels of aggressiveness in these species.     

Leaf variation in iridoid glycoside content ofPlantago lanceolata (Plantaginaceae) and oviposition of the buckeye,Junonia coenia (Nymphalidae)

Summary Chemical analysis of each individual leaf of fivePlantago lanceolata (Plantaginaceae) plants showed that iridoid glycoside content increased from undetectable in the oldest photosynthetic leaves to over 9% dry weight in the youngest leaves. The relative proportion of the two iridoid glycosides inP. lanceolata also changed with leaf age: older leaves had significantly more aucubin, whereas the youngest leaves had primarily or solely catalpol. Oviposition tests with femaleJunonia coenia (Nymphalidae) butterflies, showed that they laid most of their eggs on new leaves.     

Sequestration of prenylated benzoic acid and chromenes by Naupactus bipes (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) feeding on Piper gaudichaudianum (Piperaceae)

The curculionid beetle Naupactus bipes (Germar, 1824) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Brachycerinae) has shown feeding preference for leaves of Piper gaudichaudianum, demonstrating an unexpected specificity for an insect considered to be a generalist. The leaves of P. gaudichaudianum contain the prenylated chromenes gaudichaudianic acid (4, major compound) and its methyl ester (5) in addition to a chromene (3) lacking one prenyl residue. In addition to 4, roots contain the chromone methyl ester (1) and methyl taboganate (2, major compound). Feeding on roots, larvae of N. bipes sequester exclusively the root-specific compounds 1 and 2. Adult beetles sequester the leaf-specific chromenes 3 and 4, but were found to also contain compounds 1 and 2 that are absent in leaves. Therefore, it is suggested that 1 and 2 are sequestered by larvae and can be found in the body of adult insects after long-term storage. In addition, 3 and 4, the major compounds in leaves were found to be associated with the eggs.     

Variation in composition of predator-attracting allelochemicals emitted by herbivore-infested plants: Relative influence of plant and herbivore

Summary During foraging, natural enemies of herbivores may employ volatile allelochemicals that originate from an interaction of the herbivore and its host plant. The composition of allelochemical blends emitted by herbivore-infested plants is known to be affected by both the herbivore and the plant. Our chemical data add new evidence to the recent notion that the plants are more important than the herbivore in affecting the composition of the volatile blends. Blends emitted by apple leaves infested with spider mites of 2 different species,T. urticae andP. ulmi, differed less in composition (principally quantitative differences for some compounds) than blends emitted by leaves of two apple cultivars infested by the same spider-mite species,T. urticae (many quantitative and a few qualitative differences). Comparison between three plant species — apple, cucumber and Lima bean — reveals even larger differences between volatile blends emitted upon spider-mite damage (many quantitative differences and several qualitative differences).     

Survival of first instar larvae ofDanaus plexippus (Lepidoptera: Danainae) in relation to cardiac glycoside and latex content ofAsclepias humistrata (Asclepiadaceae)

Summary Our paper addresses field survivorship of first instar monarch butterfly larvae (Danaus plexippus L., Lep.: Danainae) in relation to the dual cardenolide and latex chemical defenses of the sand hill milkweed plant,Asclepias humistrata (Asclepiadaceae) growing naturally in north central Florida. Survival of first instar larvae in the field was 11.5% in the first experiment (15–20 April 1990), and dropped to 3.4% in the second experiment (20–30 April). About 30% of the larvae were found glued to the leaf surface by the milkweed latex. Predator exclusion of non-flying inverte-brates by applying tanglefoot to the plant stems suggested that the balance of the mortality was due to volant inverte-brates, or to falling and/or moving off the plants. Regression analyses to isolate some of the other variables affecting survivorship indicated that first instar mortality was correlated with (1) increasing cardiac glycoside concentration of the leaves, (2) increasing age of the plants, and (3) the temporal increase in concentration of cardiac glycosides in the leaves. The study also provided confirmatory data of previous studies that wild monarch females tend to oviposit onA. humistrata plants containing intermediate concentrations of cardiac glycosides. Cardiac glycoside concentration in the leaves was not correlated with that in the latex. The concentration of cardenolide in the latex is extremely high, constituting an average of 1.2 and 9.5% of the mass of the wet and dry latex, respectively. The data suggest that an increase in water content of the latex is compensated for by an influx of cardenolide with the result that the cardenolide concentration remains constant in the latex systems of plants that are growing naturally. We also observed first instar larvae taking their first bite of milkweed leaves in the field. In addition to confirming other workers findings that monarch larvae possess elaborate sabotaging behaviour of the milkweed's latex system, we discovered that several larvae on their first bite involuntarily imbided a small globule of latex and instantly became cataleptic. This catalepsis, lasting up to 10 min, may have been in response to the high concentration of cardenolide present in the latex ofA. humistrata, more than 10 times that in the leaves. The results of the present study suggest that more attention should be directed to plant chemical defenses upon initial attack by first instar insect larvae, rather than attempting correlations of plant chemistry with older larvae that have already passed the early instar gauntlet. The first bite of neonate insects may be the most critical moment for coping with the chemical defenses of many plants and may play a much more important role in the evolution of insect herbivory than has previously been recognized.     

镉胁迫对不同镉富集能力海水养殖贝类抗氧化能力的影响——以扇贝和菲律宾蛤仔为例

为研究具有不同镉(Cd)富集能力的扇贝和菲律宾蛤仔在相同镉胁迫环境下的抗氧化能力反应的差异,将2种贝类于0.05mg·L-1Cd环境中暴露10 d,分别于第0天、2天、4天、6天、8天、10天分别取样检测内脏团中SOD、CAT、GPx、GST酶活性和GSH含量,同时分析内脏团中Cd的含量。结果表明,对于Cd胁迫组,扇贝和菲律宾蛤仔内脏团中SOD和CAT酶活反应相似,均呈先被诱导后被抑制的规律,且2种贝类的SOD和CAT活性差异较小。2种贝类内脏团中GSH含量、GST和GPx活性变化差异较大:扇贝内脏团中GSH含量显著降低(p0.05),GST和GPx活性均在第2天和第4天时处于显著诱导状态(p0.05),从第6天时处于抑制状态,而菲律宾蛤仔内脏团中GSH含量、GST和GPx活性在Cd暴露期间无显著变化,且2种贝类间比较,扇贝内脏团中GSH含量和GST活性在整个实验期间始终显著高于菲律宾蛤仔(p0.05),GPx活性从第4天开始高于菲律宾蛤仔;对于无镉污染的对照组,扇贝和菲律宾蛤仔内脏团中SOD、CAT和GPx活性无显著差异,但扇贝内脏团中GSH含量和GST活性显著高于菲律宾蛤仔,其中前者GSH含量约为后者的22倍。研究同时表明在相同镉环境下扇贝内脏团对Cd的富集浓度和富集速率均远高于菲律宾蛤仔。本研究明确了2种贝类在相同镉环境下的抗氧化反应的差异,推断出扇贝内脏团中高含量的GSH以及较高的GST和GPx活性可能在扇贝高富集、高耐受Cd方面起重要作用。     

Integrating phenological, chemical and biotic defences in ant-plant protection mutualisms: a case study of two myrmecophyte lineages

Summary. We examined the role of plant phenology in the evolution of anti-herbivore defence in symbiotic ant-plant protection mutualisms. Phenology of the host-plant affects traits of its herbivores, including size, growth rate, development time, and gregariousness. Traits of herbivores in turn determine what traits ants must have to protect their host. Diversity in plant phenological traits could thus help explain the great ecological diversity of coevolved ant-plant mutualisms. We explored the postulated causal chain linking phenology of the plant, herbivore adaptations to phenology, and ant adaptations for protection, by comparing two myrmecophytes presenting strong contrasts in phenology. In Leonardoxa africana, a slow-growing understory tree, growth at each twig terminal is intermittent, the rapid flushing of a single leaf-bearing internode being followed by a pause of several months. In contrast, axes of Barteria nigritana, a tree of open areas, grow continuously. Analysis of the phenology (kinetics of expansion) and chemistry of leaf development (contents of chlorophylls, lignin, and nitrogen during leaf growth) showed that these two species exhibit strongly contrasting strategies. Leonardoxa exhibited a delayed greening strategy, with rapid expansion of leaves during a short period, followed by synthesis of chlorophylls and lignins only after final leaf size has been reached. In contrast, leaves of Barteria expanded more slowly, with chlorophylls and lignin gradually synthesised throughout development. Differences in the phenology of leaf development are reflected in differences in the duration of larval development, and thereby in size, of the principal lepidopteran herbivores observed on these two plants. This difference may in turn have led to different requirements for effective defence by ants. The strategy of phenological defence may thus affect the evolution of biotic defence.     

Implications of mangrove dynamics for private and use in bragança, north Brazil: a case study

This work analyses effects of recent variations in the tidal inundation frequency in a mangrove ecosystem in the Bragança peninsula, North Brazil, and its implications for land occupation and use. Field data, time series of remote sensing images and local legislation were analysed focusing on the potential socio-economic impact of a changing environmental setting due to a rise in relative sea level. In the investigated period (1972–1997), vegetation changes along the coastline indicate net losses of mangrove coverage. In the central part of the peninsula, a topographically higher herbaceous plain constituting part of a farm presents an active progression of mangrove forest into an area previously dominated by grasses and herbs. This area measured 8.8 km² in 1972 but was gradually reduced to 5.6 km² in 1997, while progressively replaced by a monospecific stand of the black mangrove,Avicennia germinans. A linear extrapolation indicates that the elevated plain may be completely covered by mangrove by 2035. Current Brazilian legislation prohibits the extraction of mangrove trees without an officially approved management plan. Thus, the usable area of the farm has suffered a reduction by ca. 36% over 25 yr and we predict that is could be entirely replaced by mangroves in the next 35 yr. In this case study, legislation and ecosystem characteristics are analysed and a management plan discussed which could represent income alternatives for affected resource users at the local and regional level.     

Interpopulational differences in chemical composition and chemosensory recognition of femoral gland secretions of male lizards Podarcis hispanica: implications for sexual isolation in a species complex

Summary. Molecular studies suggest that the Iberian wall lizard, Podarcis hispanica, forms a species complex with several monophyletic types. In Central Spain two of these types are spatially not isolated and may interact. Sex pheromones are important for species recognition and, thus, differences between lizards’ types in chemicals used in intraspecific communication could lead to reproductive isolation. Analyses by GC-MS showed that the femoral gland secretions of adult males of different types were different. Males of one type had twelve exclusive compounds, and proportions of some shared compounds differed. This presumably would reflect selection for the persistency and efficiency of chemical signals in different environments; less volatile compounds and with a higher chemical stability being favoured in the type of lizards inhabiting more humid climatic conditions. Differential tongue-flick rates to scents from femoral secretions indicated that males were able to detect and discriminate between males of different types based on chemical cues alone. In contrast, females detected but did not seem able to discriminate between scents of the two types of males. Thus, multiple factors might be simultaneously acting either against or in favor of speciation, leading, on the one hand, to genetic differences between types, but, on the other hand, probably precluding an effective reproductive isolation in areas where both types of lizards may interact.     

Determining factors that influence the dispersal of a pelagic species: A comparison between artificial neural networks and evolutionary algorithms

Because of increasing transport and trade there is a growing threat of marine invasive species being introduced into regions where they do not presently occur. So that the impacts of such species can be mitigated, it is important to predict how individuals, particularly passive dispersers are transported and dispersed in the ocean as well as in coastal regions so that new incursions of potential invasive species are rapidly detected and origins identified. Such predictions also support strategic monitoring, containment and/or eradication programs. To determine factors influencing a passive disperser, around coastal New Zealand, data from the genus Physalia (Cnidaria: Siphonophora) were used. Oceanographic data on wave height and wind direction and records of occurrences of Physalia on swimming beaches throughout the summer season were used to create models using artificial neural networks (ANNs) and Na?ve Bayesian Classifier (NBC). First, however, redundant and irrelevant data were removed using feature selection of a subset of variables. Two methods for feature selection were compared, one based on the multilayer perceptron and another based on an evolutionary algorithm. The models indicated that New Zealand appears to have two independent systems driven by currents and oceanographic variables that are responsible for the redistribution of Physalia from north of New Zealand and from the Tasman Sea to their subsequent presence in coastal waters. One system is centred in the east coast of northern New Zealand and the other involves a dynamic system that encompasses four other regions on both coasts of the country. Interestingly, the models confirm, molecular data obtained from Physalia in a previous study that identified a similar distribution of systems around New Zealand coastal waters. Additionally, this study demonstrates that the modelling methods used could generate valid hypotheses from noisy and complicated data in a system about which there is little previous knowledge.     

镉在方斑东风螺组织内的蓄积及镉的毒性：水相暴露与食物相暴露比较

为比较直接经水体与经营养传递的2种镉(cadmium,Cd)暴露方式对方斑东风螺(Babylonia areolata)不同组织Cd蓄积和毒性的差异,采用室内模拟法,将螺暴露于含Cd水体(Cd2+:100μg·L-1)或喂食含Cd饵料(牡蛎,34.56μg·g-1以干质量计,先经水体100μg·L-1Cd2+暴露达平衡)30d后再进行15d净化。结果显示,暴露期间,除食物相组螺胃肠道Cd浓度在第10天极显著高于对照组,但随后迅速下降外,其他各组织在2种途径及胃肠道在水相暴露时Cd的浓度均逐渐上升,暴露30d后肝胰脏中Cd浓度最高;净化期,螺鳃中Cd排出率较高,胃肠道与肝胰脏的排出率较低,至净化期末除食物相组鳃中Cd浓度与对照组无显著差异外,2种处理中其他各组织Cd浓度仍显著高于对照组。2种暴露途径中金属硫蛋白(metallothionein,MT)浓度仅在螺肝胰脏中逐渐增加,且与Cd的蓄积呈显著线性正相关。与食物相组相比,水相Cd暴露引起螺肝胰脏脂质过氧化水平(lipid peroxidation,LPO)更高,且内脏团中Cd与其亚细胞成分的金属敏感组分结合的百分比也更高。结果表明,Cd通过营养传递对螺产生的毒性较水体直接暴露低,但摄食是螺蓄积Cd的主要途径;净化后除鳃外水相暴露组螺各组织Cd的排出率较低;因此为了健康养殖与食用安全,东风螺工厂化养成时对饵料与水体Cd浓度的监测均应引起足够的重视。     

碳纳米管影响无机砷(As(III)和As(V))对大型蚤毒性的研究：特定砷形态的作用

作为一种新兴的纳米材料,羟基多壁碳纳米管(OH-MWCNTs)可能与其他污染物在水环境中共存,并进一步影响它们的毒性、输移和归趋。因此,评价碳纳米管存在下砷的毒性变化需要得到更多的关注。该试验探索了在不同pH值条件下,OH-MWCNTs诱导砷(As(III)和As(V))对水生生物大型蚤的毒性变化的潜在机制。发现了H₂AsO₃^-和H₂AsO₄^-是对大型蚤毒性最大的As(III)和As(V)。比较As(III)和As(V)的结果,发现pH值是影响砷毒性最重要的因素。此外,OH-MWCNTs影响砷对大型蚤毒性的结果表明,OH-MWCNTs的存在可以提高砷的毒性。通过吸附实验进一步研究了砷与OH-MWCNTs的相互作用。OH-MWCNTs 对As(V)吸附容量高于As(III)。总而言之, OH-MWCNTs对某些形态砷的吸附是解释砷毒性增强的可靠证据。
精选自Xinghao Wang, Ruijuan Qu, Ahmed A. Allam, Jamaan Ajarem, Zhongbo Wei, Zuoyao Wang. Impact of carbon nanotubes on the toxicity of inorganic arsenic [As(III) and As(V)] to Daphnia magna: the role of the certain arsenic species. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry: Volume 35, Issue 7, pages 1852–1859, July 2016. DOI: 10.1002/etc.3340
详情请见http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/etc.3340/full