Oviposition of carrot fly (Psila rosae) in response to foliage and leaf surface extracts of host plants

Summary. Foliage of twelve host and two non-host species and surrogate leaves treated with the respective leaf extracts were presented to laboratory populations of the carrot fly (Psila rosae) in oviposition choice assays. The stimulatory activity of dichloromethane surface extracts and the diethyl ether fraction of hot water extracts did not reflect accurately the differences in acceptability observed among intact leaves. A better correlation was found using hexane extracts prepared in a microwave oven. Two out of five fractions of this crude hexane extract obtained by silica gel column chromatography stimulated oviposition. The diethyl ether fraction, which contained the previously identified oviposition stimulants (propenylbenzenes, furanocoumarins, polyacetylenes), could account for only a minor part of the variation in the acceptability of host leaves. The preference hierarchy for intact leaves corresponded better to the ranking of species according to activity of the methanolic fraction, which apparently contains unknown stimulatory compounds.? The water fractions of the hot water extracts were shown to reduce egg-laying underneath surrogate leaves treated with a stimulatory extract. This oviposition-deterring effect was particularly strong with the non-preferred species Pimpinella major, which is also highly resistant in the field. Hence, unidentified inhibitory compounds may also contribute to differential accept ability of host plants. It is concluded that antixenotic (non-preference) resistance of host plants to carrot fly attack depends on complex mixtures of semiochemicals. Received 11 June 1997; accepted 26 November 1997.     

Seaweed sex pheromones and their degradation products frequently suppress amphipod feeding but rarely suppress sea urchin feeding

Summary. A diverse group of brown seaweeds produce bouquets of C₁₁ metabolites, some of which act as pheromones that cue gamete release or attract sperm to eggs following release. We demonstrate that these C₁₁ metabolites and their degradation products also frequently and strongly deter feeding by the herbivorous amphipod Ampithoe longimana, but rarely by the herbivorous sea urchin Arbacia punctulata. Across the range of concentrations tested, seven of twelve C₁₁ metabolites or mixtures that we tested deterred feeding by the amphipod, but only two of eleven deterred the sea urchin. For those compounds where we could rigorously contrast the magnitude of deterrence against the amphipod with the magnitude of deterrence against the urchin, the amphipod was deterred significantly more than the urchin by five of six metabolites. Thus, C₁₁ compounds were more frequently and more strongly deterrent to the amphipod than to the sea urchin. These findings for C₁₁ metabolites conflict with previous investigations, where other classes of seaweed chemical defenses have been shown to deter feeding by large mobile herbivores like urchins and fishes but to be relatively ineffective against mesograzers, especially the species of amphipod that we used here. Our results suggest that C₁₁ metabolites are unusual among the known seaweed chemical defenses in that they are especially effective against mesograzers, which often consume seaweed spores, zygotes, and juveniles. The high concentrations of C₁₁ metabolites in brown algal eggs could allow these defenses to be especially important in defending gametes, zygotes, or young sporelings from herbivorous mesograzers. Received 26 February 1998; accepted 9 April 1998.     

Spawning behaviour and sex hormone levels in adult and precocious brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) males and the effect of anosmia

Summary. In the present experiment the behaviour and endocrine status of males of the brown trout, Salmo trutta L., (Salmoniformes: Salmonidae) were studied when males were kept in a stream tank with a nest digging female. Groups of mature adult males and precocious intact or anosmic male parr were placed with the nesting female so that the group resembled a natural spawning situation with big anadromous fish acting as dominant males and precocious parr acting as “sneakers”. A control experiment was also run with only males without a female present. In intact parr there were significant positive correlations between the per cent of the total observation time spent with a female, milt volume, and plasma concentration of 17α, 20β-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one. Anosmic parr had significantly lower volumes of strippable milt and gonadal steroid hormone levels compared with intact parr. However, no differences were found in the control experiment. Significantly fewer anosmic parr attended and courted the nesting female and those anosmic fish that attended the female had significantly lower plasma levels of gonadal hormones. Intact parr also displayed a greater number of agonistic acts against other parr without any difference in fighting ability. No differences in aggression occured in the control experiment. In adult males together with a female, post-experimental gonadal steroid hormone levels were higher than pre-experimental levels. Positive correlations between aggression and androgen hormone levels were observed in adult males. No differences in plasma hormone levels were observed between adult males and intact precocious males. The results show that olfactory occlusion results in low steroid hormone levels and milt volumes in precocious males placed in a spawning situation. The courting behaviour was also affected by anosmia. Odours from the nesting female may have caused the enhanced plasma hormone levels and stimulated the males to attend the female. Received 15 May 1997; accepted 29 June 1997.     

Lignoid chemical defenses in the freshwater macrophyte Saururus cernuus

Summary. Chemical defense against herbivores has rarely been investigated for freshwater plants, possibly due to the common misconception that herbivory on aquatic macrophytes is low and would not select for chemical defenses. In previous work, the freshwater angiosperm Saururus cernuus was shown to be a low preference food for omnivorous crayfish despite its high nutrient value and relatively soft texture. We used feeding by the crayfish Procambarus clarkii to guide fractionation of the deterrent lipid-soluble extract of this plant, leading to the identification of seven deterrent lignoid metabolites, (–)-licarin A, (+)-saucernetin, (–)-dihydroguaiaretic acid, (–)-sauriols A and B, (–)-saucerneol, and (–)-saucerneol methyl ether. Lignans have been implicated in terrestrial plant chemical defenses as insect growth inhibitors, insect toxins, nematocides, antibacterial, and antifungal agents. However, these activities have rarely been demonstrated using ecologically relevant methodologies in terrestrial systems, and never before in freshwater systems. The widespread nature of lignans amongst very distantly related plants, along with their rich diversity of molecular structure, suggests that they could play a large role in mediating plant-herbivore interactions. In addition to the lignoid compounds we identified, there were other compounds present in low concentration or unstable compounds that were deterrent, that did not appear to be lignans, but that we were unable to identify. This plant thus appears to be defended by a complex mixture of natural products. Received 6 June 2000; revised 23 August 2000; accepted 2 September 2000     

广州大学城珠江水域多环芳烃的污染特征

利用GC-MS对广州大学城珠江水域的地表水及表层沉积物中多环芳烃(PAHs)的含量进行了分析。结果表明,广州大学城珠江水域及表层沉积物中均可检出PAHs,水体优控PAHs总量在1061.7~6577.8ng/L之间,沉积物中优控PAHs总量分布在896.1~7248ng/g之间。广州大学城珠江水域的PAHs属混合来源,主要有石油类产品的输入(漏油泄油)和化石燃料的燃烧(大气沉降)。     

石墨炉原子吸收法快速测定水中的四乙基铅

用三氯甲烷萃取水中的四乙基铅,直接上石墨炉原子吸收仪进行测定。结果表明,方法相对标准偏差为5.9%,平均回收率在90.4%~108%之间,检出限为1.3×10-5mg/L。准确度高,精密度好。     

浊点萃取分离富集荧光光度法测定水中α - 萘酚

基于非离子表面活性剂Triton X-114,采用浊点萃取分离富集荧光光度法测定水中α-萘酚,优化了影响浊点萃取的各种因素,包括样品酸度、表面活性剂体积分数、氢氧化钠溶液浓度、平衡温度和时间等,讨论了常见无机离子和可能共存的有机物的干扰。方法在0.010 mg/L～0.400 mg/L范围内线性良好,检出限为3.0μg/L,标准溶液测定的RSD为4.8%,水样加标回收率为94.3%～103%。     

水质生物毒性在线监测技术研究进展

从生物分子、细胞、个体、种群和群落水平,系统介绍了国内外研发的水质毒性在线监测技术,归纳分析了各种技术的特点及应用,并提出了其发展前景与趋势。     

A Global Model Tracking Water, Nitrogen, and Land Inputs and Virtual Transfers from Industrialized Meat Production and Trade

Rising populations and incomes throughout the world have boosted meat demand by over 75% in the last 20years, intensifying pressures on production systems and the natural resources to which they are linked. As a growing proportion of global meat production is traded, the environmental impacts of production become increasingly separated from where the meat is consumed. In this paper, we quantify the use of three important resources associated with industrial livestock production and trade—water, land, and nitrogen—using a country-specific model that combines trade, agronomic, biogeochemical, and hydrological data. Our model focuses on pigs and chickens, as these animals are raised predominantly in intensive systems using concentrated, compound feeds. The results describe the geographical patterns of environmental resource use due to meat production, trade, and consumption. We show that US feed, animal, and meat destined for export require almost as much nitrogen and land, and 20% more water, than products destined for domestic consumption. Model results also demonstrate that among various production factors, improvements in crop yields and animal feed conversion efficiencies result in the most significant reductions in environmental harm. By explicitly tracking the externalities of meat production, we hope to bolster suppliers’ accountability and provide better information to meat consumers.

微波-亚临界水萃取底泥中两种多氯联苯的研究

微波亚临界水萃取模拟土样中的2,3-二氯联苯和3,3′-二氯联苯,用气相色谱进行分析。与亚临界水萃取方法相比,该法缩短了萃取时间,分析物的萃取回收率有所提高。对微波亚临界水的萃取条件进行优化,确定了最佳萃取条件为时间20min、温度区段为210℃～225℃。方法对长江镇江段内江的底泥中的多氯联苯进行分析,测定结果与索氏提取-GC分析结果吻合,且不受底泥中腐殖质等有机物影响。