Summary Body size in the field cricket,Gryllus bimaculatus, contributes to fitness through its effects on competitive male mating success and female fecundity and is a character chosen
by females at mating. If females are to benefit from preferentially mating with large males they must be able to pass on the
advantages of large size to their offspring. The heritabilities of four aspects of body size were estimated by parent-offspring
regression. All aspects were shown to have heritable genetic variation despite the fact that theory predicts characters which
contribute to fitness should not be heritable. There may therefore be the potential for female choice in this species to be
adaptive. Some possible mechanisms for the maintenance of heritable variation are discussed. 相似文献
Recent theoretical arguments have claimed that negative relationships between the size and symmetry of secondary sexual traits
are indicative of honest signalling of male quality. The patterns of fluctuating asymmetry in beetle horns have been proposed
to support the honest signalling hypothesis. Here we examine three assumptions of the hypothesis, (1) that traits are costly
to produce; (2) the levels of fluctuating asymmetry are indicative of stress imposed during development; and (3) that males
with larger traits should have more symmetrical traits, using the horned beetle, Onthophagus taurus. Experimental manipulations of brood mass were used to manipulate horn size and asymmetry. The development of horns was found
to be environmentally determined and costly in terms of delayed development and increased risk of pre-adult mortality. Decreasing
resource availability increased relative horn asymmetry. However, horn height was positively related to absolute horn asymmetry.
While the results do support the hypothesis that sexual selection on secondary sexual traits should increase levels of fluctuating
asymmetry, they provide no support for the notion that the patterns of asymmetry honestly signal male quality. Horns are used
in disputes between males and may be indicative of male parental investment. Thus, we conclude that while horn size may be
an indication of male quality, the patterns of fluctuating asymmetry are not.
Received: 16 December 1996 / Accepted after revision: 5 May 1997 相似文献
Summary Reproduction for male bushcrickets is energetically expensive. Male Requena verticalis invest 70% of their daily energy reserves in calling to attract a female and providing her with a nutritious spermatophore. Males are thereby likely to be constrained in their mating frequency. I investigated constraints on reproduction imposed by body size and the levels of a protozoan gut parasite when males were fed diets that differed in their nutritional value. Males suffered a cost of reproduction in terms of an increasing interval between matings that was independent of diet and parasitic infection. After three successive matings, males decreased the magnitude of investment in courtship feeding when fed a diet poor in protein. Furthermore, these males suffered a reduction in the number of times they were capable of mating relative to males fed a diet rich in protein. Male size constrained mating frequency on both rich and poor diets; small males were able to mate less frequently than large males. There was an interaction between the effects of diet and parasitic infection on male mating frequency. Heavily infected males mated less frequently than uninfected individuals when fed the poor diet. However, males fed the rich diet were able to overcome the constraints imposed by parasitic infection. Reproductive constraints are discussed in relation to the costs of reproduction and their effects on courtship roles. 相似文献
Summary Examination of three populations of the field cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus revealed the presence of an acoustically-orienting parasitoid fly, Ormia ochracea (Tachinidae), in the population of crickets that has been introduced to the Hawaiian Islands. The cricket is native to Australia and the Pacific, and the fly is native to North America but has also been introduced to Hawaii. Up to 27% of males and 7% of females in Hawaii were infested with fly larvae. Song structure in the parasitized Hawaiian population was distinct from that of the other two groups, with the Hawaiian crickets showing several reduced song parameters. In addition, onset and cessation of calling at dusk and dawn were more abrupt in the Hawaiian population. These results are consistent with selective pressure from the phonotactic flies to decrease risky calling. Silent males were present in all three populations, suggesting that these noncallers may not represent a unique adaptation to the parasitoid.
Correspondence to: M. Zuk 相似文献
Mate choice by females has been documented in a variety of taxa. Female mate choice in species lacking male resource control
or paternal care might occur if preferred males provide protection from harassment. Female mate choice was investigated in
a natural population of the non-territorial lizard Ameiva plei (Teiidae). Consort pairs were allowed to form naturally. Consort males were significantly larger than non-consort males.
After removal of consort males, the “abandoned” female's reaction to the first male who approached her was recorded. Females
rejected all small males. Female preference for large males was significantly higher than preference for small males. Large
males may be better equipped to guard the females from harassment and behavior of large males is less harassing than behavior
of small males, thereby affording the female increased foraging time.
Received: 21 June 1996 / Accepted after revision: 28 December 1996 相似文献
The Prairie Pothole Region of the northern GreatPlains is an important region for waterfowl production becauseof the abundance of shallow wetlands. The ecologicalsignificance of the region and impacts from intensiveagriculture prompted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to select it as one ofthe first areas for developing and evaluating ecologicalindicators of wetland condition. We examined hypothesizedrelations between indicators of landscape and wetlandconditions and waterfowl abundance on 45 40 km2 study sites in North Dakota for1995–1996. Landscape condition was defined a priori as the ratio of cropland area to total upland area surroundingwetlands. Measures of waterfowl abundance included estimatednumbers of breeding pairs (by species and total numbers) and , a species-specific correction factor which effectively adjusts breedingpair estimates for annual or area-related differences in pondsize. Landscape indicators and waterfowl measures varied among regions. Results indicated that most areas in the Coteau region are ofmuch higher quality for ducks than those in the Drift Plain,and areas in the Red River Valley are of the poorest qualityfor ducks. Regression models demonstrated the impact ofagricultural development on breeding duck populations in the PrairiePothole Region. The most consistent landscape indicators ofwaterfowl abundance were percent of cropland and grassland. Models were inconsistent among years and species. Thepotential biotic indicators of landscape and wetland condition examined here wouldbe appropriate for temporal trend analyses, but because ofinherent geographic variability would not be appropriate forsingle-year geographic trend analyses without more extensiveevaluations to improve explanatory models. 相似文献
The ability to detect low levels of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) in aqueous samples is important due to the toxicity of both TNT and its breakdown products. We have been characterizing recombinant anti-TNT antibodies isolated from the Griffin library of phage displayed scFvs by selection for binders to the TNT-surrogate 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (TNB) coupled to the protein bovine serum albumin. Two candidate antibody fragments, TNB1 and TNB2, were isolated and evaluated by ELISA for their ability to bind to TNB coupled to the protein ovalbumin. Competition ELISA was then used to demonstrate antibody fragment binding to TNT in solution and to examine cross-reactivity towards several TNT-related compounds and other explosives. Both recombinant antibody fragments were incorporated into a continuous flow assay for the detection of TNT. TNB2, the best single chain antibody, showed a limit of detection of 1 ng ml(-1), comparable to a commercially available anti-TNT antibody in the same assay format. 相似文献
Objective: Despite successes in the 1980s and early 1990s, progress in reducing impaired driving fatalities in the United States has stagnated in recent years. Since 1997, the percentage of drivers involved in fatal crashes with illegal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels has remained at approximately 20 to 22%. Many experts believe that public complacency, competing social and public health issues, and the lack of political fortitude have all contributed to this stagnation. The number of alcohol-related crashes, injuries, and fatalities is still unacceptable, and most are preventable. The public needs to be aware that the problem presented by drinking drivers has not been solved. Political leaders need guidance on which measures will affect the problem, and stakeholders need to be motivated once again to implement effective strategies.
Methods: The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Transportation Research Board (TRB), Alcohol, Other Drugs, and Transportation Committee (ANB50) sponsored a workshop held at the NAS facility in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, on August 24–25, 2015, to discuss the lack of progress in reducing impaired driving and to make recommendations for future progress. A total of 26 experts in research and policy related to alcohol-impaired driving participated in the workshop. The workshop began by examining the static situation in the rate of alcohol-impaired driving fatal crashes to determine what factors may be inhibiting further progress. The workshop then discussed 8 effective strategies that have not been fully implemented in the United States. Workshop participants (16 of the 26) rated their top 3 strategies.
Results: 3 strategies received the most support: 1. Impose administrative sanctions for drivers with BACs = 0.05 to 0.08 g/dL.
2. Require alcohol ignition interlocks for all alcohol-impaired driving offenders. 3. Increase the frequency of sobriety checkpoints, including enacting legislation to allow them in the 11 states that currently prohibit them.
5 other important strategies included the following: (1) increase alcohol taxes to raise the price and reduce alcohol consumption; (2) reengage the public and raise the priority of impaired driving; (3) lower the illegal per se BAC limit to 0.05 for a criminal offense; (4) develop and implement in-vehicle alcohol detection systems; and (5) expand the use of screening and brief interventions in medical facilities.
Conclusions: Each of these strategies is proven to be effective, yet all are substantially underutilized. Each is used in some jurisdictions in the United States or Canada, but none is used extensively. Any one of the 3 strategies implemented on a widespread basis would decrease impaired driving crashes, injuries, and fatalities. Based on the research, all 3 together would have a substantial impact on the problem. 相似文献
This paper describes a study examining the potential of mineral magnetic, geochemical and organic properties to determine
if a 2003 wildfire in a catchment in British Columbia, Canada, caused a change in the sources of the suspended sediment transported
in the channel relative to a nearby unburnt (reference) catchment. The results show that some of the properties offer the
potential to determine sediment sources in the unburnt catchment. However, the 2003 wildfire modified the concentrations of
some properties and this can either compromise or enhance their ability as tracers in the burnt catchment. At present, the
source tracing results are inconclusive. This has implications for the use of certain properties as fingerprints and raises
important issues about approaches to sediment source identification. 相似文献
Injection molded nanocomposites have been successfully fabricated from cellulose acetate (CA), eco-friendly triethyl citrate
(TEC) plasticizer, and organically modified clay with and without maleic anhydride grafted cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB-g-MA)
as a compatibilizer. The effects of processing conditions such as mixing methods, pre-plasticizing times, extruder retention
times (RT) and addition of compatibilizer on the performance of these nanocomposites have been evaluated. The cellulosic plastic
with CA/TEC (80/20 wt%) was used as the polymer matrix for nanocomposite fabrication. The morphologies of these nanocomposites
were evaluated through X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies. The mechanical properties
of the nanocomposites were measured and have been correlated with the XRD and TEM observations. From all of the sequential
mixing methods used, powder–powder mixing leads to the most transparent nanocomposites. Cellulosic plastic-based nanocomposites
obtained using increased pre-plasticizing times and RT showed better exfoliated structures. In the system containing compatibilizer,
the minimum retention time required for obtaining almost completely exfoliated hybrid nanocomposites was shorter than in the
system without compatibilizer. 相似文献