Female mate preference for a costly ornament in male guppies

Female mate preference for dorsal fin length in male guppies (Poecilia reticulata) was investigated. In a dichotomous choice experiment using live males, females preferred males with longer dorsal fins to those with shorter dorsal fins. When the dorsal fin lengths of the two males were reversed by surgical manipulation, the females reversed their preference. To further examine this preference behaviour, a second dichotomous choice experiment was conducted using digitally modified male images that differed only in dorsal fin lengths. In this next experiment, females preferred male images with a longer dorsal fin than those with a shorter dorsal fin. In order to clarify the cost of possessing a long dorsal fin for males, the effect of dorsal fin length on swimming performance of males was also examined with a flow chamber. Male swimming performance was enhanced by surgically shortening the dorsal fin. The result of this study suggests that the long dorsal fin of male guppies is a costly handicap that may have evolved due to female mate choice.     

Negative correlation between male ornament size and female preference intensity in a wild guppy population

Although traditional sexual selection theories for the evolution of ornamental male traits often assume consistency in female preferences for the traits over time, recent theories predict plasticity in female mate preferences and the contribution of plastic female preferences to the maintenance of polymorphism in male sexual ornaments. However, the plasticity of female preferences and its influences on male ornaments are almost unknown in natural populations. Here we examined both the intensity of female preferences and the exaggeration of a male ornament (relative area of orange spots) in a wild population of the guppy (Poecilia reticulata) every few months over a period of 3 years. Results indicated that female preference intensity was negatively correlated with the relative area of orange spots of males. In addition, we found a positive correlation between female preference intensity and the relative area of orange spots of males of their offspring generation. Because the relative area of orange spots of male guppies is a heritable trait, female preferences might have a strong influence on male orange spot size in the next generation. This study provides the first evidence of plastic female preferences depending on the scarcity of males with large ornaments in a natural population. Results of this study imply a possible contribution of female preferences for the maintenance of variation in male ornamentation.     

日本企业安全培训现状及对中国的启示

依据中日合作项目<加强中国国家安全生产科学技术能力计划>成果,系统介绍了日本企业安全培训相关法规要求、班组长培训讲师培养、安全培训指导方案编制等.同时,分析了中国安全培训现状,提出了开展企业内安全培训讲师培养,加强中国企业安全培训能力的建议,并对堵训目的、培训对象、培训讲师主要工作、培训主要内容等要点进行了阐述.本文对完善和提高中国企业安全培训具有重要的指导和参考意义.     

我国安全生产法制对策研究

分析了国内外安全生产法制现状，总结提出了我国存在的职业安全与健康分离、没有系统和规划、适用和衔接性差等特点和问题。阐述了安全生产法规体系建设的指导思想、基本原则以及基本框架，并提出了定期制定安全生产法规规划、梳理与评估法规体系实施效果、制定统一的劳动安全与健康法、编制安全生产计划、健全职业健康配套规定、保险与安全生产互动、以明确综合监管和专项监管以及安全生产规划、完善隐患治理、安全使用机械、健全企业自主管理体制等为重点对《安全生产法》进行修订的对策。     

Extended mutualism between termites and gut microbes: nutritional symbionts contribute to nest hygiene

All higher eukaryotes have established symbiotic relationships with diverse microorganisms. One of the most well-characterized symbiotic systems is that of termites and their intestinal microorganisms, which digest cellulose. Recently, diverse types of symbioses between gut microbes and host organisms including humans have received growing attention for various features of their complex interactions beyond nutrition. In termites, researchers are beginning to explore such function of gut symbionts, but only the contribution to internal immunity against entomopathogen is known in a few species. Here, we report that gut symbionts of the dampwood termite Zootermopsis nevadensis protect nests from the spread of the commensal bacterium Serratia marcescens, which has pathogenic potential. Defaunated termites dispersed S. marcescens in the surrounding environment by feeding on the bacteria, which then survived passage through their alimentary tracts, while non-defaunated termites did not. Loss of gut symbionts caused a significant reduction in intestinal acetate, which is an important carbon source for termites. Culture experiments showed that acetate had significant inhibitory effects on S. marcescens at a concentration as low as 12 mM, which indicated that the intestinal acetate of non-defaunated termites (40–130 mM) was capable of suppressing this bacterium. These results suggest that digestive derivatives produced by intestinal symbionts play an essential role in nest hygiene in addition to their nutritional function for termites. Our study provides a better understanding of the multifunctionality of symbiotic relationships in diverse organisms beyond nutrition.     

Spatial Assessment of the Alder Tree in Kushiro Mire, Japan using Remotely Sensed Imagery – Effects of the Surrounding Land Use on Kushiro Mire

The relationship between alder (Alnus japonica) distribution and surrounding land use in Kushiro Mire was spatially assessed using remotely sensed imagery. From the result, it was found out that the expanding area of alder trees in Kushiro Mire was affected by the agricultural land area in the upper course of the river basin and flooding in the lower course of the river. The soil sediments flowing into the Kushiro Mire from the agricultural land resulted in heavy sedimentation that favors the growth of alder trees. Consequently, the number and density of alder trees has increased. The future distribution of alder trees was predicted based on the mechanism of expansion of the alder-tree area in Kushiro Mire, and it was found that large vegetation areas in Kushiro Mire will be changed to areas with alder trees.     

抚顺城区大气悬浮颗粒物污染与呼吸系统疾病死亡率相关性的定量分析

为了定量分析大气总悬浮颗粒物(TSP)对居民呼吸系统疾病死亡率的影响,采用单因素泊松(Poisson)回归分析法,研究了辽宁省抚顺市城区TSP浓度变化与市区1999～2003年呼吸系统疾病死亡率的相关关系.结果发现,在消除了时间、气象等因素影响后,滞后4日TSP浓度每增加50μg·m-3,呼吸系统疾病总人群组死亡率相对危险度(OR)增加1.02195(95%CI=1.00195～1.04245),即滞后4日TSP浓度变化造成总人群组呼吸系统疾病死亡率明显增加的超额死亡率为2.195%.抚顺城区大气TSP污染可能是市区居民呼吸系统疾病死亡率增加的原因之一.     

Biodegradation of synthetic surfactants by river microorganisms

Ｂｉｏｄｅｇｒａｄａｔｉｏｎｏｆｓｙｎｔｈｅｔｉｃｓｕｒｆａｃｔａｎｔｓｂｙｒｉｖｅｒｍｉｃｒｏｏｒｇａｎｉｓｍｓ￥ＨｉｄｅａｋｉＭａｋｉ；ＫｅｎｒｏｕＴｏｋｕｈｉｒｏ；ＹａｓｕｈｉｒｏＦｕｊｉｗａｒａ；ＭｉｃｈｉｈｉｋｏＩｋｅ；ＫｅｎｊｉＦｕｒｕｋ...     

Genetic influence on caste determination underlying the asexual queen succession system in a termite

The question of how reproductives and sterile workers differentiate within eusocial groups has long been a core issue in the study of social insects. Recent studies have shown that not only environmental factors but also genetic factors affect caste differentiation. In the termite Reticulitermes speratus, queens produce their replacements (neotenics) asexually but use normal sexual reproduction to produce other colony members. Here, we demonstrate a genetic influence on caste determination underlying the asexual queen succession system in this termite species. Thelytoky in termites is accomplished by automixis with terminal fusion, yielding almost completely homozygous offspring; thus, parthenogenetically and sexually produced offspring profoundly differ in heterozygosity. An analysis of the relationship between the reproductive dominance of female neotenics obtained from experimentally orphaned colonies and their genotypes at five microsatellite loci showed that homozygosity at two loci influenced the developmental priority and/or reproductive quality of neotenics. These results suggest the existence of a multi-locus system affecting the queen fecundity and explain why parthenogens have genetic priority to become neotenics in this termite species.     

Ultraweak photon emission from herbivory-injured maize plants

Following perception of herbivory or infection, plants exhibit a wide range of inducible responses. In this study, we found ultraweak photon emissions from maize leaves damaged by Helicoverpa armigera (Noctuidae). Interestingly, mechanically damaged maize leaves treated with caterpillar regurgitants emitted the same intensity and pattern of photon emissions as those from maize leaves damaged by caterpillars. Furthermore, two-dimensional imaging of the leaf section treated with the oral secretions clearly shows that photon emissions were observed specifically at the lip of the wound exposed to the secretions. These results suggest that the direct interaction between maize leaf cells and chemicals contained in caterpillar regurgitants triggers these photon emissions.