The effect of pup vocalisations on food allocation in a cooperative mammal, the meerkat (Suricata suricatta)

In the meerkat (Suricata suricatta), a cooperative mongoose, pups follow potential feeders while the group is foraging and emit incessant calls when soliciting food from them. In contrast to a ’stationary’ brood of chicks, in which nestlings are fed at a fixed location, meerkat pups are ’mobile’ and become spread out. The question arises whether meerkat pups that experience different constraints to those facing chicks have evolved similar begging strategies. This paper describes the vocalisations that meerkat pups emit in the context of begging and investigates the influence of these calls on food allocation by older group members and on the behaviour of littermates. Meerkat pups use two types of calls when soliciting food from a potential feeder. The most common is a ’repeat’ call, which pups emit continuously when following an older forager over several hours a day. In addition, when a potential feeder finds a prey item, the pups next to it emit a bout of calls with increased calling rate, amplitude and fundamental frequency, termed ’high-pitched’ calls. Observations, together with playback experiments, showed that more prey was allocated to pups that called longer and more intensely. The pup closest to a feeder was almost always fed. The probability of emitting high-pitched calls did not depend on the time since a pup had received food, and the change from repeat to high-pitched calls occurred suddenly. The main function of the high-pitched call, therefore, does not appear to be to signal a pup’s hunger state. More likely, the two calls, in the context of begging, may be an adaptation to energetic constraints in a mobile feeding system. Pups, which are dispersed during foraging, may emit repeat calls over long periods to prevent potential feeders from eating all the prey themselves. At the moment a potential feeder finds prey, pups may give the more intense high-pitched calls to direct feeders to bring the food item to them and not to a littermate. Therefore, unlike the stationary feeding system where chicks emit one type of begging call when the feeder approaches the nest, meerkats, with a mobile feeding system, have evolved two discrete types of vocalisations in the context of begging. Received: 22 November 1999 / Revised: 1 July 2000 / Accepted: 17 July 2000     

Reproductive success of monogamous and polygynous pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca)

One of the most interesting aspects of the mating system of pied flycatchers is the regular occurrence of polygyny. Here we present data on the reproductive success of polygynously paired pied flycatcher males compared to monogamous males based on paternity analyses through DNA fingerprinting. Males paired with two females suffered a higher loss in reproductive output per female compared to monogamous males due to (1) a greater proportion of unhatched eggs in their broods, (2) greater nestling mortality and (3) a greater probability of being cuckolded. Nevertheless, the number of fledglings was significantly greater for polygynous males. Based on the number of nestlings that returned for subsequent breeding seasons, however, the reproductive success of monogamous and polygynous males did not differ significantly. These data raise the question as to why males attempt polygyny. Received: 16 August 1999 / Received in revised form: 15 March 2000 / Accepted: 18 March 2000     

耕作改制对土壤肥力的影响

在长期定位监测的基础上,研究了耕作改制对土壤肥力的影响,结果表明,耕作改制后,肥料投入明显增加,养分平衡朝着有利于提高肥力的方向发展;因土、因作物进行配方施肥,并实行秸秆还田,则改制后土壤肥力能得到提高;合理耕作轮作,有利于解决地力矛盾和季节矛盾,实现高产、稳产、低成本。     

美国海军舰艇命名体系研究

美国海军舰艇命名体系由任命前缀、舰艇名称、分类代号、舷号4类要素构成,首先分析了每类要素对于命名体系的贡献,然后基于美国海军舰艇命名体系,以美国海军舰艇名册为数据源,通过要素提取、规则建立等步骤分析美国海军现役舰艇组成。经过分析,美国现役715艘舰艇分为战斗舰、辅助舰、战斗艇、支援艇、未在分类代号中定义等5大类67类型177级别,通过对比基于类型与级别规则、基于任命前缀规则的结果挖掘出美国海军现役舰艇组成规律。     

某铀矿山辐射环境历史演化

调查了某铀矿山居民区环境空气中氡及其子体浓度、空气吸收剂量率和水中放射性核素含量。在已有资料的基础上,对历史时期的辐射环境进行分析。结合实地监测数据,对辐射剂量估算,评价该矿山辐射环境的现状。结果表明,该矿山排放的放射性物质确实对当地的居民产生了一定影响,在所调查的时间段内,该矿山评价区域由放射性物质排放所致关键子区居民的最大年有效剂量为0.52mSv;无论是历史时期还是现状,其关键核素都是^222Rn。指出,为了进一步降低放射性物质对环境的影响,首先应考虑减少^222Rn的排放。     

Comprehensive temperature monitoring in an in-vessel forced-aeration static-bed composting process

Comprehensive temperature monitoring was done in an in-vessel forced-aeration static-bed composting process using sewage sludge. The three layers that divided the compost pile horizontally showed different temperature distributions. The temperature of the top layer appeared not to be influenced by the ambient temperature. The temperature of the center area of the top layer was taken to be the representative temperature for evaluating composting start-up performance. The temperature of the bottom layer was strongly influenced by the ambient temperature, and the temperature of the center area of the bottom layer was taken to be the representative temperature for pathogen control as it was the minimum temperature in the reactor. Composting start-up performance was influenced by several factors when the ambient temperature was either below or above 20°C. When the ambient temperature was below 20°C, the time taken to reach 65°C (T ₆₅) was influenced by the temperature of inflowing air, but when the temperature was higher than 20°C, it was influenced by the ratio of sewage sludge to seed compost (F/S). T ₆₅ was least when F/S was 1–2. Received: January 9, 2001 / Accepted: October 10, 2001     

人工湿地污水处理系统脱氮研究进展

系统地介绍了人工湿地去除污水中氮污染物的机理及国内外研究进展，详细阐述了影响人工湿地污水处理系统脱氮的内、外界因素，对于人工湿地污水处理工艺的推广应用提供科学依据。     

集体林地使用权市场制度的建立与完善

集体林地使用权市场将是我国南方集体林区土地市场发展的主要内容,它的健康发展需要一套制度来保障.在介绍集体林地使用权市场类型的基础上,分析了我国集体林地使用权市场制度的建设状况,并提出了今后急待建立和完善的林地使用权市场制度的主要内容.     

湿地植物在城镇污水处理系统中的作用特性研究

将不同类型湿地植物如凤眼莲、荇菜、稗草、黑藻、皇竹草、美人蕉等,引入城镇污水处理系统,考察其对污染物的去除效果和在湿地组合系统中的作用特性。盆栽实验发现,虽然植物对污水N、P营养元素的直接去除率分别只有14.0%～59.4%和8.6%～55.2%,但植物通过过滤、截留及加强有机物降解转化的作用,对水体中污染物的去除具有协同效应,使水体N、P的总去除率分别达65.4%～83.8%和43.5%～69.5%。将植物引入组合处理系统,中试实验结果表明,水体TN、TP和COD月平均去除率分别高达80.4%、74.3%和81.3%。与常规生化处理系统相比,处理效果大为增强,生化反应的能耗相对减少,出水水质较稳定,使湿地组合系统成为一种去N除P,防止水体富营养化的有效处理方法。     

城市河流硬质护岸生态修复研究进展

针对硬质护岸给城市河流生态环境造成的影响,初步探讨了生态型河流护岸的概念与内涵;分类介绍了硬质护岸生态修复一些代表性的技术和方法,分析了这些技术的适用范围;并提出了目前关于硬质护岸生态修复技术研究的热点问题和发展方向。