Temporal variation in size-assortative mating and male mate choice in a spider with amphisexual care

Males should be more selective when they have a high investment in reproduction, especially in species with biparental or paternal care. In this context, male mate choice can promote size-assortative mating (SAM) when (1) large males win intrasexual disputes, (2) large females are more fecund, and (3) males prefer larger females to smaller ones. In the spider Manogea porracea, males exhibit high reproductive investment by building their webs above those of females and exhibiting extended care of offspring in the absence of females. Under these circumstances, we expect the occurrence of SAM and male preference for large females. Herein, we performed observations and experiments in the field to evaluate the hypotheses that (1) M. porracea mates assortatively by size and (2) SAM is influenced by male mate choice. Furthermore, we measured variables that could affect mating patterns, the sex ratios, and densities of both sexes. Pairing in M. porracea was positively size-assortative in 2012, but not in 2013. Large males won most disputes for mates and preferred larger females, which produced more eggs. The inconsistency in detection of SAM was due to population dynamics, namely variations in sex ratio and population density across the breeding season. Furthermore, we found that the significance of male mate choice on sexual selection of body size in M. porracea strongly depends on the competition intensity for mating opportunities. The traditional sexual selection hypothesis of SAM needs to be reviewed and must include measures of competition intensity.     

Testing the influence of gravity on flower symmetry in five <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saxifraga</Emphasis> species

Flower symmetry is considered a species-specific trait and is categorized in asymmetry, actinomorphic symmetry, bisymmetry and zygomorphic symmetry. Here we report on the intra-individual variation of flower symmetry in the genus Saxifraga and the influence of light, gravity and intrinsic factors on the development of flower symmetry. We tested five species—Saxifraga cuneifolia, Saxifraga imparilis, Saxifraga rotundifolia, Saxifraga stolonifera and Saxifraga umbrosa—concerning six flower parameters—angles between petals, petal length, petal pigmentation, angular position of carpels, movement of stamens and (only for S. imparilis and S. stolonifera) the length of the two lower elongated petals in regard to their position towards the stem. Specimens of all species were tested on a vertical clinostat as a gravity compensator, on a horizontal clinostat as a light incidence compensator and on a stationary control. The results show that the angle of incident light has no apparent impact on flower symmetry, whereas gravity affects the angular position of petals in S. cuneifolia and S. umbrosa and the petal colouration in S. rotundifolia. In S. cuneifolia and S. umbrosa, the absence of directional gravity resulted in the development of actinomorphic flowers, whereas the corresponding control flowers were zygomorphic. The development of flowers in S. rotundifolia was not altered by this treatment. The length of the two elongated petals in S. stolonifera and S. imparilis was not affected by gravity, but rather was determined by position of the flower within the inflorescence and resulted in asymmetrical flowers.     

Differential timing and latitudinal variation in sex ratio of Aquatic Warblers during the autumn migration

Differential migration has been extensively reported in spring, but less so in autumn, particularly in relation to sex in monomorphic bird species. Here, we analysed the autumn passage of a monomorphic, globally threatened passerine, the Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola throughout Western Europe, with regard to age and sex. We showed that, overall, adults migrated earlier than first-year birds, and males migrated earlier than females during the autumn migration. This may be caused by an overall social dominance of adults over immatures, and differentiated migration strategy of males and females. In addition, we found male-skewed sex proportions, with a tendency to an equalised ratio in more southern stopover sites. This may indicate a male bias in the global population or different migration strategies of the sexes. Differential migration may cause the age and sex classes to be exposed differently to various threats affecting demographic structure of the species.     

Unusually high-pitched neonate distress calls of the open-habitat Mongolian gazelle (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Procapra gutturosa</Emphasis>) and their anatomical and hormonal predictors

In neonate ruminants, the acoustic structure of vocalizations may depend on sex, vocal anatomy, hormonal profiles and body mass and on environmental factors. In neonate wild-living Mongolian gazelles Procapra gutturosa, hand-captured during biomedical monitoring in the Daurian steppes at the Russian-Mongolian border, we spectrographically analysed distress calls and measured body mass of 22 individuals (6 males, 16 females). For 20 (5 male, 15 female) of these individuals, serum testosterone levels were also analysed. In addition, we measured relevant dimensions of the vocal apparatus (larynx, vocal folds, vocal tract) in one stillborn male Mongolian gazelle specimen. Neonate distress calls of either sex were high in maximum fundamental frequency (800–900 Hz), but the beginning and minimum fundamental frequencies were significantly lower in males than in females. Body mass was larger in males than in females. The levels of serum testosterone were marginally higher in males. No correlations were found between either body mass or serum testosterone values and any acoustic variable for males and females analysed together or separately. We discuss that the high-frequency calls of neonate Mongolian gazelles are more typical for closed-habitat neonate ruminants, whereas other open-habitat neonate ruminants (goitred gazelle Gazella subgutturosa, saiga antelope Saiga tatarica and reindeer Rangifer tarandus) produce low-frequency (<200 Hz) distress calls. Proximate cause for the high fundamental frequency of distress calls of neonate Mongolian gazelles is their very short, atypical vocal folds (4 mm) compared to the 7-mm vocal folds of neonate goitred gazelles, producing distress calls as low as 120 Hz.     

Three-year lifecycle,large body,and very high threshold temperature in the cricket <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gryllus argenteus</Emphasis> for special adaptation to desiccation cycle in Malawi

In temperate climates, the initiation and termination of diapause synchronize the stress-tolerant stage with the stressful season and reproduction with the non-stressful season in many insects. Synchronization is often regulated by photoperiodism.Voltinism and the ultimate size of adults are also important determinants for their lifecycle, and different diapause stages and voltinism patterns are known in crickets.Here, we investigated the life history of the African cricket Gryllus argenteus from Malawi, which is a typical arid tropical highland. The climate is characterized by alternating arid and wet seasons, each of which lasts for half a year, and where the available heat mass is much less than lowlands at the same latitude. We first measured the nymphal duration at each rearing temperature and calculated the lower developmental threshold (t ₀) to be 20.19 °C based on Ikemoto and Takai (2000) and 19.38 °C based on a conventional line-fitting method. These values are very high relative to many other insects. The local temperature in winter does not fall below 15 °C, but this is much higher than the lethal limit. This suggested that critical stress in this locality was not coldness but low precipitation in winter. We estimated, based both on local temperature change and the Ikemoto and Takai’s t ₀, that G. argenteus required 3 years to complete its lifecycle unlike wet lowland species, where univoltinism or multi-voltinism are commonplace. Photoperiodism was observed in this species, but due to a lag between annual cycles in photoperiod, temperature, and humidity, photoperiodism alone cannot atune their lifecycle with local conditions.Synchronization in this species was achieved by three different adaptations: photoperiodism, high t ₀, and large body size, which give it a long lifecycle. Although the species cannot achieve a univoltine lifecycle because of its high t₀ value, it can escape from dry season by entering diapause at moderate temperatures, probably thereby achieving adaptive synchrony of lifecycle with both favorable and unfavorable seasons. A comparison between a conventional photothermogram and a newly formulated photohydrogram or photohygrogram demonstrates that even though sufficient heat is available, scarcity of water and thus scarcity of foliage should force the cricket to maintain diapause at intermediate temperature. The results suggested that high t ₀, large body size, and multi-ennial lifecycle mutually affect each other and formulate a unique adaptation under such an extreme environment.     

SCAR处理城市生活污水的效能及其微生物群落动态分析

利用强化循环厌氧反应器(SCAR)处理模拟城市生活污水,研究不同负荷条件下的反应器运行特征、污泥特性及微生物种群结构.结果表明,水力停留时间(HRT)为6 h可以作为反应器高效运行的关键控制参数,该条件下污水化学需氧量(COD)去除率达到75%以上.随着反应器容积负荷的逐渐提高,颗粒污泥中辅酶F420和产甲烷活性(SMA)逐渐增加,胞外聚合物(EPS)含量也不断提高,其中紧密黏附EPS(TB-EPS)含量的增加尤其明显.厌氧颗粒污泥性状和反应器对污染物的去除效率同时受到污泥负荷和HRT的影响,微生物的群落结构及其在反应器中的空间分布也受到污泥负荷的影响,不同代谢特征微生物在反应器不同空间位置的相对丰度随着污泥负荷的调整而改变.     

低Reynolds数雨滴表面流体滑移及重力效应对粒子清除的影响

采用拉格朗日法求解了低Reynolds数雨滴以终端下落速度时对大气气溶胶粒子的捕集效率,为考察雨滴表面流体滑移效应,采用Hadamard-Rybczynski流场描述低Reynolds数下雨滴的绕流特征,数值计算中考虑了粒子的惯性碰撞与拦截捕集机理,分析和讨论了雨滴表面流体滑移及粒子重力效应作用对粒子捕集效率的影响.结果表明,若忽略雨滴表面流体滑移及粒子的重力效应,则数值计算结果与已有分析结果一致.当考虑雨滴表面流体滑移效应,则粒子捕集效率有一定程度增加,增加幅度与雨滴尺寸、粒子尺度及粒子密度等参量均有关.粒子所受的重力对雨滴捕集粒子的能力起削弱作用,其削弱程度依赖于粒子拦截参数(R)和Stokes数(St)的大小,在0.2St0.3区间,重力作用对粒子捕集的削弱作用最为显著.     

太湖上游城市宜兴城区主干道路径流污染特征解析

通过监测2015年8月—2016年9月7场典型降雨事件,系统分析太湖上游城市宜兴城区3个不同功能区(环科园、新城区和老城区)主干道路径流污染特征.研究表明:宜兴市城区主干道路径流浊度、COD、TN、NH_3-N、TP浓度分别为(77.2±66.9)NTU、(97.2±79.7)、(3.0±1.9)、(0.93±0.59)和(0.35±0.36)mg·L~(-1).COD和TN超出地表水环境Ⅴ类标准,是该地区径流特征污染物.降雨过程中污染物浓度整体呈下降趋势,伴随有不同程度的波动,主要受地表残留污染物及降雨强度的影响.3个区域TN浓度差异不大,且主要以溶解态存在(60%);环科园、新城区TP浓度差异不大,且主要以颗粒态存在(70%);然而,受居民生活活动的影响,老城区TP主要以溶解态存在(60%).此外,受交通及道路坡度影响,新城区道路径流浊度和COD污染最为严重.不同降雨事件径流污染物浓度变化较大,主要受干期长度和降雨强度的影响.干期长度越长、降雨强度越小,污染物累积量及可冲刷量越大.因此,加强控制宜兴市道路初期径流、路面颗粒物、径流颗粒物和TN以及老城区TP,对保护径流主要受纳水体南溪水系及太湖水体具有重要意义.     

基于多年遥感数据分析长江河口海岸带湿地变化及其驱动因子

研究河口海岸带湿地长时间演变对湿地保护管理和海岸带资源评估具有重要意义.本文获取长江口1979—2015年10景Landsat-MSS/TM/OLI影像和2015年13景GF1-PMS高空间分辨率数据,对比两个典型实验区分类算法,选用最优的决策树算法应用到长江口Landsat影像中,得到沿岸湿地要素近40年的面积变化情况.研究表明,2015年长江河口海岸带湿地总面积为4725 km2,自然湿地占63.5%,人工湿地占21.2%,湿地总面积相比1979年增加了662 km2,自然湿地面积减少了163 km2,而人工湿地面积增加了766 km2.长江口自然湿地面积在1979—2000年减少幅度较大,2000年后由于保护管理加强而减少幅度变小;人工湿地和建筑面积增加较为明显,主要是由于大型水库的修建和人工鱼塘开发及港口建设.湿地总的变化趋势为河口区不断淤积,自然湿地转变为人工湿地,人工湿地转变为建筑用地等非湿地;其中,滩涂面积减少283 km2,水库、养殖鱼塘和水稻田面积分别增加了92、355和319 km2,主要发生在崇明东滩和启东沿岸;非湿地中建筑用地面积增加154 km2,灌木草场面积减少147 km2,主要发生在上海和启东沿岸.同时比较分析长江口3个区域湿地驱动因子发现,北岸启东沿岸和南岸南汇东滩湿地因经济快速发展和港口水利工程修建,以及过度开垦滩涂等自然湿地使人工湿地增加明显;而长江上游径流量、区域降水和海平面上涨等自然因素控制着中支河道区(如崇明东滩)自然湿地的变化.     

淮南深部山西组煤中汞的含量分布及赋存特征研究

以淮南煤田深部山西组煤为研究对象,分别采集研究区张集煤矿和新集二矿二叠系山西组1煤层的煤样品,测试了样品中总汞的含量,分析汞的空间分布特征,采用浮沉实验、逐级化学提取实验以及相关性分析研究了煤中汞的赋存状态,并结合沉积环境探讨了深部山西组煤中汞的富集成因.结果 表明:(1)研究区煤样中汞含量介于0.03～0.93 μg...