Reproductive conflict in animal societies: hierarchy length increases with colony size in queenless ponerine ants

Dominance interactions determine reproductive status in many animal societies, including many cooperatively breeding vertebrates and eusocial Hymenoptera without queen-worker dimorphism. Typically, the dominant individual monopolises reproduction, and subordinates behave like helpers. In Dinoponera queenless ants, workers are totipotent females and can potentially reproduce, yet only the top-ranking worker actually reproduces. Individual workers ranked immediately below the dominant breeder worker (gamergate) are hopeful reproductives. Whether or not a worker benefits from joining the hierarchy of high-ranking workers depends on the trade-off between the probability of becoming dominant and reproducing directly, and the colony-level cost of an additional lazy high ranker. Inclusive fitness models predict that the length of the dominance hierarchy depends on relatedness, colony size, and the linearity of the hierarchy. Here, we test the effect of colony size by comparing hierarchy length among three species that differ in colony size (Dinoponera australis: median=14 workers, quartiles=10 and 19 workers; D. gigantea: median=41, quartiles=33 and 74; D. quadriceps: median=78, quartiles=55 and 90). Although difficulties in defining where the hierarchy ends hamper comparisons, the results are in broad agreement with the predictions. Hierarchies are close to the predicted lengths and are longer in species with larger colonies (one, three and three workers in the three species in order from smallest to largest colony vs two, three and four predicted). These conclusions are further supported by determining Kokko and Lindström's λ index of skew, which is smaller (i.e. characteristic of a longer hierarchy) in species with larger colonies.     

Diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii in oligotrophic versus eutrophic culture: models and ultrastructure

Populations of marine diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii were grown in continuous cultures enriched with f/2 medium. One of the two contrasting cultures (‘eutrophic’) received 5.6 times more nutrients than the other (‘oligotrophic’). Two mathematical models are analyzed to estimate eutrophication differences. The second model based on the Michaelis–Menten uptake and Droop growth shows that cells in the eutrophic culture should have about 56% higher content of silica which is the limiting nutrient. Diatom samples were prepared for the transmission electron microscopy after cells have been kept in chemostats for 37 days. The structure of diatom cells was investigated and a comparison is made between cells grown in oligotrophic and eutrophic conditions. In eutrophic culture, dividing cells were encountered more frequently while cell concentration was approximately equal in both chemostats. The central vacuole of cells in eutrophic culture accumulated dispersed and compact material from amorphous to spherical shape. In some cells the large central vacuole had fibrilar and peppered dense materials in addition to translucent granules, vesicules and multivesicular bodies. In the cytoplasm we found increased number of multivesicular bodies, dense and lucent granules some of which enclose membrane particles and lucent vesicules. Dense material depositions observed in the vacuole are also seen in the cytoplasm associated with organelles, mitochondria and plasmalemma. Cells have well-developed, active and slightly increased number of dictyosomes (5–6). Some dictyosomes with dense secretory material in the cistern are apparently engaged in a granule formation process. Functional significance of dense material in the central vacuole, which has not been observed in cells grown in oligotrophic condition, is discussed.     

广州市菜园土和蔬菜中镉含量水平及污染评价

探讨了广州市各区、市菜园土和蔬菜中的重金属Cd污染状况,测定了95份土壤样品以及292份蔬菜样品中的镉含量,并对广州市各区市菜园土中Cd污染程度进行了评价。研究结果表明,不同种类的蔬菜中,叶菜类对重金属Cd的吸收和富集较高,瓜豆类较低。蔬菜中重金属Cd的含量受土壤中Cd含量的影响。与国内其它城市相比,广州市蔬菜地土壤中的Cd平均含量处于较高水平;蔬菜则以海珠、番禺两区Cd含量相对较高,高于其它城市的含量水平。     

Population genetics of the swimming crab<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Callinectes bellicosus</Emphasis> (Brachyura: Portunidae) from the eastern Pacific Ocean

The population genetics and historical demography of the swimming crab Callinectes bellicosus from the eastern Pacific were assessed using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences from portions of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and cytochrome b (Cytb) genes. Analysis of molecular variance of sequence data from crabs collected from nine localities, ranging from the upper to lower Gulf of California and the outer coast of the Baja California peninsula, revealed an absence of population structure, suggesting a high level of gene flow over a wide geographic area. Maximum-likelihood estimates of long-term effective population size obtained with the program FLUCTUATE, in addition to highly significant values obtained from neutrality tests (Tajimas D, Fu and Lis D, and Fus F_S) and mismatch analysis, are consistent with a population expansion dating to the Pleistocene epoch. Phylogenetic analysis of C. bellicosus sequences using both neighbor-joining and Bayesian methods revealed a widely distributed subclade (clade II) cryptically embedded at low frequency in the main (clade I) population. Although sequence divergence between the two clades was low (1.1% COI; 0.6% Cytb), statistical support for the split was high. The Kimura-2-parameter genetic distance between C. bellicosus and the sympatric and morphologically similar C. arcuatus was high (d=0.17) and similar to the genetic distance between C. bellicosus and the allopatric C. sapidus from the western Atlantic (d=0.18), suggesting an ancient (Miocene) divergence of C. bellicosus and C. arcuatus.Communicated by P.W. Sammarco, Chauvin     

Effect of complexation by natural phytoplankton exudates on the accumulation of cadmium and copper by the haptophyceae Cricosphaera elongata

The accumulation of cadmium and copper by Cricosphaera elongata is determined in the absence and presence of natural phytoplankton exudates. The concentrations of metals accumulated increase with increasing concentrations of metals in the medium. Organic substances liberated into the culture medium by C. elongata are able to decrease the amounts of metals taken up.     

River water quality management model using genetic algorithm

Conventional mathematical programming methods, such as linear programming, non linear programming, dynamic programming and integer programming have been used to solve the cost optimization problem for regional wastewater treatment systems. In this study, a river water quality management model was developed through the integration of a genetic algorithm (GA). This model was applied to a river system contaminated by three determined discharge sources to achieve the water quality goals and wastewater treatment cost optimization in the river basin. The genetic algorithm solution, described the treatment plant efficiency, such that the cost of wastewater treatment for the entire river basin is minimized while the water quality constraints in each reach are satisfied. This study showed that genetic algorithm can be applied for river water quality modeling studies as an alternative to the present methods.     

Molecular receptive ranges of olfactory receptor neurones responding selectively to terpenoids, aliphatic green leaf volatiles and aromatic compounds, in the strawberry blossom weevil Anthonomus rubi

Summary. An important question in insect-plant interactions is which of the numerous plant compounds contribute to the perception of odour qualities in herbivorous insects and are likely to be used as cues in host-searching behaviour. In order to identify which plant-produced volatiles the strawberry blossom weevil Anthonomus rubi detects, we have used electrophysiological recordings from single olfactory neurones linked to gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. We here present 15 receptor neurone types specialised for naturally produced compounds present in the host and nonhost plants and two types for two aggregation pheromone components. The active compounds were terpenoids, aromatic and aliphatic esters, alcohols and aldehydes, some of which are induced by feeding activity of the weevils. The neurones were characterised by a strong response to one or two primary odorants and weaker responses to a few others having similar chemical structure. With one exception, the molecular receptive range of each neurone type was within one chemical group. Enantiomers of linalool separated on a chiral column activated two neurone types with different enantioselectivity. Inhibition by linalool of another neurone type, excited by α-pinene, indicated an additional mechanism for coding the information about this compound. Altogether, detection of 54 compounds by olfactory receptor neurones is shown, of which 40 have been chemically identified in this study. Thus A. rubi has the ability to detect a large number of odorants that may be used in host selection behaviour.     

Benefits of protected areas for nonbreeding waterbirds adjusting their distributions under climate warming

Climate warming is driving changes in species distributions and community composition. Many species have a so-called climatic debt, that is, shifts in range lag behind shifts in temperature isoclines. Inside protected areas (PAs), community changes in response to climate warming can be facilitated by greater colonization rates by warm-dwelling species, but also mitigated by lowering extirpation rates of cold-dwelling species. An evaluation of the relative importance of colonization-extirpation processes is important to inform conservation strategies that aim for both climate debt reduction and species conservation. We assessed the colonization-extirpation dynamics involved in community changes in response to climate inside and outside PAs. To do so, we used 25 years of occurrence data of nonbreeding waterbirds in the western Palearctic (97 species, 7071 sites, 39 countries, 1993–2017). We used a community temperature index (CTI) framework based on species thermal affinities to investigate species turnover induced by temperature increase. We determined whether thermal community adjustment was associated with colonization by warm-dwelling species or extirpation of cold-dwelling species by modeling change in standard deviation of the CTI (CTI_SD). Using linear mixed-effects models, we investigated whether communities in PAs had lower climatic debt and different patterns of community change than communities outside PAs. For CTI and CTI_SD combined, communities inside PAs had more species, higher colonization, lower extirpation, and lower climatic debt (16%) than communities outside PAs. Thus, our results suggest that PAs facilitate 2 independent processes that shape community dynamics and maintain biodiversity. The community adjustment was, however, not sufficiently fast to keep pace with the large temperature increases in the central and northeastern western Palearctic. Our results underline the potential of combining CTI and CTI_SD metrics to improve understanding of the colonization-extirpation patterns driven by climate warming.     

Persistence of atrazine impact on aneuploidy in Pacific oysters,<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Crassostrea gigas</Emphasis>

Widespread use of the herbicide atrazine has incited much research on its toxicity in aquatic systems, where it is routinely detected due to runoff from cultivated fields. Moreover, the determination of the genotoxic effect of such pollutants in the marine environment has become a major requirement for ecosystem protection. In the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, hypodiploid aneuploid cells have regularly been reported. There is a negative correlation between this phenomenon and growth, as well as evidence for a genetic basis. A positive relationship between atrazine and aneuploidy has previously been demonstrated in C. gigas adults and juveniles. To evaluate the persistence of this impact, our study examined the offspring of the same adult population previously treated with different atrazine doses (10 µg l^–1, representing a peak value found in a polluted environment and 100 µg l^–1), and a seawater control. We observed that these offspring exhibited significantly higher aneuploidy levels when their parents had been exposed to atrazine (14.9–16.9% in comparison with the control where the levels ranged from 11.4% to 12.8%). In addition, the present study examined the aneuploidy level of a sample of juveniles, previously exposed for 3.5 months to the same doses of atrazine, then transferred to non-polluted conditions for an additional period of 2.5 months; this aneuploidy level remained significantly different between the treatments applied. These results demonstrate the persistence of an atrazine impact on Pacific oyster aneuploidy in time, within and between generations, indicating that this widely used compound may represent an important factor causing at least medium-term damage to genetic material.Communicated by S.A. Poulet, Roscoff     

Cryptic species and population structuring of the Atlantic and Pacific seabob shrimp species, Xiphopenaeus kroyeri and Xiphopenaeus riveti

Seabob shrimps of the genus Xiphopenaeus are important fishery resources along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Central and South America. The genus was considered to comprise two species: the Atlantic Xiphopenaeus kroyeri (Heller, Sitzungsber Math Naturwiss cl kaiserliche Akad Wiss Wien 45:389–426, 1862), and the Pacific Xiphopenaeus riveti (Bouvier, Bull Mus Hist Nat Paris 13:113–116, 1907). In a recent review, Xiphopenaeus was regarded as a monotypic genus, on the basis that no clear morphological differences could be found between Pacific and Atlantic specimens (Pérez Farfante and Kensley, Mem Mus Nat Hist Nat Paris 175:1–79, 1997). In the present work, nuclear (allozymes), and mitochondrial (Cytochrome Oxidase I) genes were used to demonstrate the validity of X. riveti and reveal the presence of two cryptic species of Xiphopenaeus within X. kroyeri in the Atlantic Ocean. The high levels of molecular divergence among these species contrast with their high morphological resemblance. Interspecific sequence divergences (Kimura 2-parameter distance) varied from 0.106 to 0.151, whereas intraspecific distances ranged from 0 to 0.008 in Xiphopenaeus sp. 1, from 0 to 0.003 in Xiphopenaeus sp. 2, and from 0.002 to 0.005 in X. riveti. In addition, five diagnostic allozyme loci were found between sympatric samples of Xiphopenaeus sp. 1 and 2 along the Brazilian coast. The results suggest that Xiphopenaeus sp. 2 from the Atlantic is more closely related to the Pacific X. riveti than to the Atlantic Xiphopenaeus sp. 1. Furthermore, a high level of genetic structuring (Xiphopenaeus sp. 1: F _ST =0.026; P<0.05; Xiphopenaeus sp. 2: F _ST =0.055; P<0.01) was found in the Brazilian Xiphopenaeus populations, indicating the presence of different genetic stocks in both Atlantic species. These findings have important commercial implications as they show that the fisheries of the two Atlantic species must be managed separately, and that each one is comprised of different populations.Communicated by O. Kinne, Oldendorf/Luhe