Asymmetric larval competition in the parasitoid wasp <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nasonia vitripennis</Emphasis>: a role in sex allocation?

Sex allocation theory offers excellent opportunities for testing how animals adjust their behaviour in response to environmental conditions. A major focus has been on instances of local mate competition (LMC), where female-biased broods are produced to maximise mating opportunities for sons. However, the predictions of LMC theory can be altered if there is both local competition for resources during development and an asymmetry between the competitive abilities of the sexes, as has been seen in animals ranging from wasps to birds. In this paper, we test the extent to which asymmetric larval competition alters the predictions of LMC theory in the parasitoid wasp Nasonia vitripennis. We found that the body size of both sexes was negatively correlated with the number of offspring developing within the host. Further, we found that when faced with high levels of competition, the body size of females, but not males, was influenced by the sex ratio of the competing offspring; females were smaller when a higher proportion of the brood was female. This asymmetric competition should favour less biased sex ratios than are predicted by standard LMC theory. We then develop a theoretical model that can be parameterised with our data, allowing us to determine the quantitative consequences of the observed level of asymmetric larval competition for sex allocation. We found that although asymmetric competition selects for less biased sex ratios, this effect is negligible compared to LMC. Furthermore, a similar conclusion is reached when we re-analyse existing data from another parasitoid species where asymmetric larval competition has been observed; Bracon hebetor. Consequently, we suspect that asymmetric larval competition will have its greatest influence on sex ratio evolution in species that have smaller clutches and where local mate competition is not an issue, such as birds and mammals.     

Male influence on sex allocation in the parasitoid wasp Nasonia vitripennis

Sex allocation is an important reproductive decision for parents. However, it is often assumed that females have substantial control over sex allocation decisions, and this is particularly true in haplodiploid insects, in which females apparently determine sex by deciding whether to fertilise an egg (and produce a diploid daughter) or not (and produce a haploid son). Mechanisms by which males may influence sex allocation are not so straightforward, and their potential influence on sex ratios has been somewhat neglected. Here, we test whether males influence offspring sex ratios in the parasitoid wasp Nasonia vitripennis. We show that some of the variation in observed sex ratios can be attributed to males when comparing the affect of male strain on sex ratio. We did not find among-male variation in sex ratio with a less powerful experiment using males from only one strain or an effect of male mating environment. Our data suggest that males can influence female sex ratios and contribute to the variation around the sex ratios optimal for females. However, the influence is not large, suggesting that females have more influence on sex allocation than do males. We conclude by considering whether male influences on sex ratio represent differences in male reproductive competence or deliberate attempts by males to increase their fitness by influencing daughter production.     

Local adaptation and sexual selection: a reciprocal transfer experiment with the grasshopper Chorthippus biguttulus

Immigration into locally adapted populations has been suggested, among other potential causes, to maintain genetic variance in fitness necessary for good-genes models. Using a reciprocal transplant experiment we examined whether females prefer native to transferred males in the grasshopper Chorthippus biguttulus. On average, native and transferred males did not differ in their attractiveness, measured as female response rate to playbacks of male acoustic courtship signals. In line with this result, we found no significant effect of transfer on body size, condition, fluctuating asymmetry or song traits. However, the reciprocal transplant experiment showed that environmental conditions did influence body condition and maximum loudness of the calling song, but that the genetic origin of male grasshoppers had no significant effect on any of the analysed traits.Communicated by L. Simmons     

Individual sex ratios and offspring emergence patterns in a parasitoid wasp, Melittobia australica (Eulophidae), with superparasitism and lethal combat among sons

Since the mating of the parasitoid wasp Melittobia australica occurs on their eclosed hosts, the sex ratio is predicted to follow the local mate competition (LMC) theory. However, while LMC models predict that the sex ratio will increase from female-biased toward a 1:1 ratio with an increase in the number of foundresses, the observed female-biased sex ratios (1–5% males) show little increase in response to an increased foundress number. Lethal combat among adult males may serve as an explanation for this observed phenomenon. Using a microsatellite DNA marker, we first examined the individual sex ratio of two foundresses who had sequentially parasitized the same host. Both foundresses produced an extremely female-biased clutch and the sex ratios of the second foundress were only slightly less biased than that of the first. A small number of sons from both foundresses emerged at a constantly low rate over a prolonged period, resulting in a temporal mixture of emerging males derived from both the foundresses. Second, we conducted a one-on-one arena experiment to examine the combat level in relation to the relatedness of the opponents. Almost all the later-emerging males were killed by previously eclosed males irrespective of whether they were sibs or non-sibs. These results suggest that each foundress should not produce males in a single burst, but continue to produce male eggs at a constantly low rate in order to avoid the high mortality of her own sons by lethal male-male combat. This combat may be one of factors in explaining the extremely female-biased sex ratio even with an increasing foundress number.Communicated by R.F.A. Moritz     

Variability of turbulence dispersion characteristics during heavy haze process: A case study in Beijing

The turbulent standard deviations and the turbulent third-order and fourth-order moments are the key turbulence dispersion parameters in Lagrangian dispersion models. However, the characteristics of these parameters under heavy haze conditions in urban areas have not been fully investigated, and the commonly used similarity relations of these parameters in models were based on observations in highly flat and sparsely populated areas. In this paper, the vertical profiles of these parameters and their local similarity relations under heavy haze conditions in the wintertime of Beijing have been analyzed by using data collected at a 325-m meteorological tower. The heavy haze process has been divided into three stages: transport stage (TS), cumulative stage (CS), and dispersion stage (DS). Results show that the turbulent dispersion parameters behave differently during three stages. In the TS and DS, the maxima appear in the profiles of the turbulent standard deviations above the urban canopy; in the CS, the turbulent standard deviation are almost constant with height. The analysis of the third and fourth order moments shows that the wind velocities above the urban canopy in the TS deviate from the Gaussian distribution more significantly than those in the CS and DS. The local similarity relations of the turbulent dispersion parameters in the TS, especially for the longitudinal wind components, are normally different from those in the CS and DS. Thus, different from the common assumptions in Lagrangian models, the turbulence dispersion in horizontal directions is anisotropic and should be parameterized by multiple similarity relations under heavy haze conditions.     

The town that food saved? Investigating the promise of a local food economy in Vermont

Proponents of the local food movement point to its environmental, economic, and social benefits, yet there is little research on the extent to which particular local food projects live up to these promises. Vermont leads the country in farm stands, direct-to-consumer sales, and farmers’ markets per capita and the town of Hardwick, Vermont has received substantial media attention for its growing economy based on new food and agriculture businesses, including being the subject of a book entitled The Town that Food Saved. Using interviews with local food participants and analysis of US Census data, the paper assesses the impact of the local food economy in Hardwick using environmental, economic, and social outcomes. The paper also examines how the agricultural renaissance there has been accepted, resisted, and shaped by local actors. Using Census data, the paper finds that between 2000 and 2016, the unemployment rate in Hardwick remained steady, mean incomes increased, and 296 new jobs have been retained. In addition, the percentage of families in Hardwick with income below the poverty level decreased between 2000 and 2016, and the percentage of families accessing supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) benefits increased. The paper also finds that many participants in the Hardwick food economy have concerns about the accessibility, affordability, and inclusivity of the newer food-based projects there. The paper concludes with a discussion of the ways in which Hardwick fulfils some of the hopes and concerns of the local food movement, and the potential for place-based agricultural development.     

中国城乡居民生活消费碳排放变化的比较研究

基于碳排放系数法估算了1997~2015年中国城镇、农村和整体（包含城镇和农村）居民生活消费引起的直接碳排放量,进一步采用Dagum基尼系数和Kernel密度函数估计方法对中国城镇和农村居民生活消费碳排放的地区差距及分布动态进行实证研究.同时,采用乘积式对数平均迪式指数模型（M-LMDI）分析了直接能源消费强度、居民人均消费水平和单位能源碳排放强度3大因素对居民消费碳排放变化的影响,并重点考察了各省份相关变量对生活消费碳排放影响的城乡差异.结果表明：（1）中国城镇和农村居民人均生活消费碳排放量在研究期内呈现逐年递增的趋势,在空间上均存在显著非均衡特征.（2）中国居民人均生活消费碳排放的地区总差异呈现波动下降的趋势,从1997年的0.379下降到2015年的0.244.1997~1999年城镇和农村居民生活消费碳排放的组间差距是城乡差距的主要来源,其贡献率超过50%.2000年后组内差距成为城乡差距的主要来源,其贡献率均大于40%并超过了组间差距.（3）城镇和农村居民人均生活消费碳排放均在增加,地区差异均在扩大.（4）对全国居民生活消费碳排放变动贡献最大的省区是内蒙古,累计贡献值达0.1005.贡献最小的省区是云南,累计贡献值为0.0125.（5）农村的能源消费强度和人均消费水平的贡献程度在研究期内均大于城镇,单位能源碳排放强度在两个地区的贡献水平表现出了波动性.     

No Longer “Bullying the Rhine:” Giving Narrative a Place in Flood Management

In this paper we explore whether today multiple sources of reasoning are being considered in the discourse of flood management. We examine whether stakeholders are considered and served as an audience of partners in managing rivers. To this end, we reviewed sources of reasoning that people living in river basins use for handling floods and mitigating flood risk. We focus on texts dealing with lowland flooding, taking as an example the Rhine River in historical times and in the present. Our review of river management documentation revealed that the scheme that guides engineers', policy makers', and administrators' actions toward rivers is shifting from correcting rivers toward accommodating their needs for flood plains—while still controlling the rivers. In current European river management reports we found elements of narrative side by side with formal scientific fact reporting.     

Forest Conflict in Thailand: Northern Minorities in Focus

This paper aims at exploring the local background of and solutions to the forest conflict in upland areas inhabited by ethnic minorities, who are called hill tribes, in northern Thailand. A so-called hill tribe problem has been officially identified as a result of the slash-and-burn cultivation and other perceived problems, such as opium poppy cultivation, illegal immigration, and the suspicion of disloyalty to the state. This has created distrust and tension between the groups and authorities. The local conflict has recently been related to the dilemma of conserving the forest from all human interference, while many people live and make their livelihood within and adjacent to the protected areas. Furthermore, as the results imply, strictly protected areas and reforestation have also increased the competition over land and natural resources and, thereby, the likelihood of local conflicts. The scarcity and pollution of water, illegal logging, and poor fire control have contributed to the conflicts between local communities. The conflicts between the local communities and officials have been nourished by political and public discussions. Using definitions and terms with negative connotations and ignoring the heterogeneity between the groups or labeling some groups as malevolent have increased distrust and strengthened existing stereotypical images. Conflict resolution starts with efforts toward better mutual understanding, and changes in structures and attitudes are necessary. Local cooperation, utilization of traditional methods, and local institutions are central to conflict solving.     

安全社区居民满意度评估模型的构建与应用

为弥补安全社区现场评定指标体系中过多依靠人为主观因素的不足,客观反映并优化安全社区建设成效的评价结果,构建安全社区居民满意度(SCRSI)评估模型。运用AMOS17.0和SPSS17.0l软件分析从不同类型安全社区回收的280份调查问卷,验证该模型的合理性,得出SCRSI回归方程,并以此作为安全社区评估标准进行实例验证。结果表明,在安全社区建设过程中,应重视对居民期望的管理,确保宣传信息是准确和客观的,抓住影响居民满意度的关键因素,重点根据居民意见、建议和抱怨情况制定相应的预防和纠正措施。