Attraction of field-flying aphid males to synthetic sex pheromone

Summary Transparent plastic water traps, baited with the synthetic aphid sex pheromone components (4aS,7S,7aR)-nepetalactone and (1R,4aS,7S,7aR)-nepetalactol or control lures, were placed in four semi-sheltered field sites at a height of 1.1 m. Although males of twenty-one aphid species were collected from the water traps, onlySitobion fragariae (Walker) was abundant. In total, 8 pheromone traps produced 102 males compared with only 10 males in 8 control traps. The sex pheromone released by sexual femaleS. fragariae was identified as the nepetalactone used in the lures. Aphid sex pheromones may be more species-specific than previously thought and the presence of a host plant is not essential for males to locate sexual females.     

Salinity-temperature profiles in the Panama Canal Locks

In discussions concerning the possible construction of a Panamá sea-level canal it has been assumed that Gatún Lake, part of the present canal, acts as a fresh-water barrier to the migration of marine animals from either end of the Canal to the other. Methodical documentary salinity determinations have not been made previously, and only a few surface salinity observations have been recorded. Determinations of salinity-temperature profiles made in spring and fall, 1972, show essentially freshwater to be present from Miraflores Lake, through the Pedro Miguel Locks, through Gatún Lake, to, and including, the upper chambers of the Gatún Locks. With the exception of those of the lower chamber of the Miraflores Locks, the profiles indicate homogeneity and thorough vertical mixing of all water masses in the lock systems and lakes of the canal. Homogeneity of the water in the lock chambers is thought to be due to turbulence during filling of the chambers, to the piston-effect of large ships moving into the chambers, to the action of ships' propellers, and to density currents established as the lock gates are opened. Water in the approach channel at the Pacific end appears to be more homogeneous than that at the Atlantic end. The Panama Canal does, in fact, constitute a fresh-water barrier to the migration of the stenohaline marine biota of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.     

Classification and ordination of DDT and HCH in soil samples from the Guanting Reservoir, China

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) have been a major environmental issue, drawing much scientific and public attention due to their bioaccumulation potential, persistence and toxicity. Soil samples from three villages around the Guanting Reservoir, one of Beijing's five major water systems located to the northwest of the city, were collected in 2003 and analyzed to determine DDT and HCH-concentrations. The samples were also analyzed for soil texture, pH, and concentrations of total carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus to investigate their possible relationship to current OCP-concentrations. Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were used to study the distribution and contamination levels of OCPs within the study area. Classification splits were made to divide the 30 samples into three groups. The first group contained samples in soils from village C; the second group contained all of the samples in village B and most of the samples in village A; and the third group contained just three samples from village A, and the three samples had a relatively high concentration of OCPs. Ordination plots of the first two axes from PCA (cumulative percentage 80.91%) were constructed to explore the HCH and DDT-distribution patterns as well as the degradation ratios between the parent substances and their isomers.     

Carotenoid-dependent coloration of male American kestrels predicts ability to reduce parasitic infections

The signaling function of sexually selected traits, such as carotenoid-dependent avian plumage coloration, has received a great deal of recent attention especially with respect to parasitism and immunocompetence. We argue that parasite-mediated models of sexual selection may have an implicit temporal component that many researchers have ignored. For example, previous studies have demonstrated that carotenoid-dependent traits can signal past parasite exposure, current levels of parasitism, or the ability of individuals to manage parasitic infections in the future. We examined repeated measures of carotenoid-dependent skin color and blood parasitism in American kestrels (Falco sparverius) to distinguish whether coloration might signal current parasitism or the potential to deal with infections in the future. We found no evidence that coloration was related to current levels of parasitism in either sex. However, coloration of males significantly predicted their response to parasitism; males with bright orange coloration during prelaying, when mate choice is occurring, were more likely than dull yellow males to reduce their levels of infection by the time incubation began. Coloration during prelaying may advertise a male’s health later in the breeding season. For kestrels, the ability to predict future health would be highly beneficial given the male’s role in providing food to his mate and offspring. Coloration of females was not a significant predictor of parasitism in the future, and we provide several possible explanations for this result.     

The Role of Macrophytes in the Retention of Phosphorus in the River Thame,England

The effects of the growth of the dominant species of macrophytes on phosphorus transport in the River Thame, a nutrient enriched lowland clay catchment in southern England, were assessed using a mass-balance approach. Macrophyte abundance was estimated between late March and early June at three sites along the river. the plant biomass of phosphorus and the total phosphorus content of sediments in the main part of the river channel and sediments associated with the plant roots were measured on each occasion. Total phosphorus concentrations in the river water were measured at weekly intervals at a gauging station at the lower end of the study reach.

The results showed that the phosphorus content of plants at the site most impacted by sewage derived phosphorus was < 1% of the flux of total phosphorus estimated for the water column in April and May. Phosphorus contained in the total standing crop of macrophytes at the least impacted site was estimated as approximately 3% of the mean daily flux of total phosphorus in the water. Although no trends were found in the total phosphorus contents of the roots, shoots or sediments through the season, differences in the phosphorus content of the sediments were found between sites with different phosphorus loading. Higher porewater and Equilibrium Phosphate Concentrations (EPC_oS) were recorded at the site most impacted by sewage effluent when compared to an upstream sampling site.     

Adsorption and absorption of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and metabolites (DDD and DDE) by rice roots

A three-step sequential extraction procedure was applied to measure the concentrations of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) on rice root surface and in root tissues collected from two sites in Tianjin. Bulk and rhizosphere soils were also analyzed. The measured DDXs in the rhizosphere soils were significantly higher than those in the bulk soils. On average, p,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDD, and p,p'-DDE in the soil accounted for 38%, 47% and 15% of the total. For total DDXs, approximately one third remained on the outer surface of the roots. The partition of DDXs between rhizosphere soil and root surface depend on contaminant affinity to soil organic matter, soil organic matter content and root specific area. A case specific equation was developed to quantitatively describe the partition of DDXs between soil and root surface.     

Objectives,components and experiences in the development of The IOC Marine Pollution Monitoring System (MARPOLMON)

The Marine Pollution Monitoring System (MARPOLMON) constitutes a marine chemical component of the Global Environment Monitoring System (GEMS). The Programme covers all matters related to marine pollution research and associated monitoring activities required for the assessment of marine pollution. MARPOLMON constitutes the data-gathering activity, being directed to accurately determine levels of selected contaminants in several phases of the marine environment in various regions of the World Ocean. It is envisaged to utlize MARPOLMON generated data for the purposes of construction of mass-balances and making contamination and pollution assessments in regional and global contexts.Data gathering, reporting and exchange requires stringent control of the quality of the information retrieved, which in turn dictates the development and testing of standard methodology, its widespread adoption and intercomparison of methods and feedback-refinement of orogonal methods or hypotheses.