Variance in female quality, operational sex ratio and male mate choice in a bushcricket

Male bushcrickets, Kawanaphila nartee, exercise mate choice when nutrients are limited. Male mate choice is associated with a female-biased operational sex ratio (OSR) that arises from an increased relative paternal investment under nutrient limitation. However, increased male choosiness could be attributable to the fact that females vary more in fecundity, and consequently in mate quality, when nutrient limited. Our objective was to experimentally partition the influences of OSR (male or female bias) and variance in mate quality (high or low) and to assess their relative influence on the intensity of mate choice by male bushcrickets. Female quality was manipulated by controlled feeding regimes that directly affected female fecundity. We found that males and females engaged in sexual interactions sooner under a male-biased than a female-biased OSR. Males were more likely to reject females on their first encounter when variance in female quality was high. However, the effect of quality variance on the total number of rejections during a 4-h observation period was dependent on the perceived OSR. A male's prior experience of variance in female quality did not influence male choosiness. Our observed rates of mate rejection conformed well with those predicted from recent theoretical models of sexual differences in choosiness. In conclusion, our results show that the opportunity for selection via male mate choice is influenced by an interaction between OSR and the variance in mate quality that arises within nutrient-limited populations of females. Received: 5 January 1998 / Accepted after revision: 25 October 1998     

Testis size variation in the greenfinch Carduelis chloris : relevance for some recent models of sexual selection

Interspecific evidence that testis size responds to selection caused by sperm competition has been obtained from many taxa. However, little is known about the sources of intraspecific variation in testis size, although such variation may have functional significance. Variation in testis size and asymmetry was studied within and between eight geographically separated (and genetically differentiated) populations of greenfinches Carduelis chloris. The relationships between testis size and plumage brightness (degree of yellowness) and the prevalence of haematozoan infections were also investigated in three of these populations, as they related to the predictions of the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis, and Møller's hypothesis relating directional testis asymmetry to phenotypic quality. There were large differences between populations in testis size, with males from northern populations having larger testes than those from southern populations. Within populations, large testes were associated with larger body size and greater age. When the influence of these factors was removed statistically, males with large testes were more likely to be infected with haematozoan parasites, and had brighter yellow plumage. No evidence was found that directional asymmetry in testis size was related to either of these measures of phenotypic quality. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that males with large testes, while signalling higher phenotypic quality as revealed by increased plumage brightness, also pay a cost in terms of reduced immunocompetence, revealed by the increased probability of infection in these males. That these patterns were similar in three different populations adds further strength to these conclusions. Our results suggest that studying the sources of variation in testis size among individuals can reveal interesting processes in sexual selection.     

Effects of Amazonian flying rivers on frog biodiversity and populations in the Atlantic rainforest

Given the speed at which humans are changing the climate, species with high degrees of endemism may not have time to avoid extinction through adaptation. We investigated through teleconnection analysis the origin of rainfall that determines the phylogenetic diversity of rainforest frogs and the effects of microclimate differences in shaping the morphological traits of isolated populations (which contribute to greater phylogenetic diversity and speciation). We also investigated through teleconnection analysis how deforestation in Amazonia can affect ecosystem services that are fundamental to maintaining the climate of the Atlantic rainforest biodiversity hotspot. Seasonal winds known as flying rivers carry water vapor from Amazonia to the Atlantic Forest, and the breaking of this ecosystem service could lead Atlantic Forest species to population decline and extinction in the short term. Our results suggest that the selection of morphological traits that shape Atlantic Forest frog diversity and their population dynamics are influenced by the Amazonian flying rivers. Our results also suggest that the increases of temperature anomalies in the Atlantic Ocean due to global warming and in the Amazon forest due to deforestation are already breaking this cycle and threaten the biodiversity of the Atlantic Forest hotspot.     

X射线防护服所需铅当量的研究与应用

铅当量是X射线防护服最重要的性能指标,铅当量的大小决定着X射线防护服屏蔽X射线的能力。X射线防护服的铅当量有不同的等级,需根据不同的X射线照射条件和工作情况选择使用。本文通过计算给出了几种常用管电压下防护服屏蔽散漏X射线所需的铅当量值,可为X射线防护服的使用单位或个人在购买和使用时提供参考。选择适合铅当量的X射线防护服,可以避免因选用的防护服或用具铅当量不足而达不到有效屏蔽X射线的效果,造成健康的危害;也可以避免因选用过大铅当量的X射线防护服或用具,致使作业人员过多负重,导致疲劳,发生人为失误,也可以避免造成不必要的经济浪费。另外,为了保证X射线防护服的使用效果,本文给出了X射线防护服的检验、贮存和使用等管理方法。     

车用环向缠绕气瓶原型选型分析与建议

针对业内对车用环向缠绕气瓶设计文件鉴定和型式试验工作中存在选型分歧这一实际问题,通过综合分析气瓶设计规则、型式试验规则和产品标准的要求,对该产品的原型选择进行讨论,提出一个能够符合国家标准、合理体现制造厂家诉求、且能与设计鉴定、型式试验工作相适应的选型建议。     

Temporary site selection and decision‐making methods: a case study of Tehran,Iran

Decisions on selecting an appropriate site for temporary shelter used to be taken in a limited amount of time after a disaster. The need for a systematic method in this area inspired the MADM (multi‐attribute decision making) for complex disaster management decisions. This research proposes a model for appropriate and systematic site selection for temporary shelters, before an earthquake, using a geographical information system and MADM based on an earthquake damage assessment. After the effective criteria for site selection of temporary shelters are determined, the geographical layers of these criteria are prepared for Municipal District No.1 of Greater Tehran, the capital of Iran. Given these attributes and the required shelter area (415–610 hectares), 14 zones are proposed initially. Various MADM methods are used for the final selection. The mean of the aggregated ranking results are determined, and 10 of the 14 initial zones are ranked.     

Reduced effect of Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease at the disease front

Pathogen-driven declines in animal populations are increasingly regarded as a major conservation issue. The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is threatened with extinction by devil facial tumor disease, a unique transmissible cancer. The disease is transmitted through direct transfer of tumor cells, which is possible because the genetic diversity of Tasmanian devils is low, particularly in the major histocompatibility complex genes of the immune system. The far northwest of Tasmania now holds the last remaining disease-free wild devil populations. The recent discovery of unique major histocompatibility complex genotypes in the northwestern region of Tasmania has raised the possibility that some animals may be resilient to the disease. We examined the differences in the epidemiology and population effects of devil facial tumor disease at 3 well-studied affected sites in eastern Tasmania and 1 in western Tasmania (West Pencil Pine). In contrast to the 3 eastern sites, there has been no rapid increase in disease prevalence or evidence of population decline at West Pencil Pine. Moreover, this is the only onsite at which the population age structure has remained unaltered 4 years after the first detection of disease. The most plausible explanations for the substantial differences in population effects and epidemiology of the disease between eastern and western sites are geographic differences in genotypes or phenotypes of devils and functional differences between tumor strains in the 2 regions. We suggest that conservation efforts focus on identifying whether either or both these explanations are correct and then, if resistance alleles exist, to attempt to spread the resistant alleles into affected populations. Such assisted selection has rarely been attempted for the management of wildlife diseases, but it may be widely applicable.     

我国水生生物水质基准推导的物种选择

水生生物水质基准旨在保护水生生物不受水体中化学物质的有害影响,是水质基准体系的重要组成部分.不同区域水生态系统的生物区系不同,导致基准值也会存在差异.在综合研究美国、欧盟、加拿大、荷兰、澳大利亚和新西兰等国家和地区在推导水生生物水质基准的物种选择及其考虑因素的基础上,初步研究我国水生生物水质基准推导的物种选择原则.结果表明:推导我国水生生物水质基准需要选择来自8科的水生生物,分别为鲤科鱼类、硬骨鱼纲中的另一科、两栖动物纲的一科、浮游动物中节肢动物门和轮虫动物门各一科、底栖动物中节肢动物门和环节动物门各一科及一种最敏感的大型水生植物(或浮游植物),可全面代表我国水生态系统不同的营养级和生命形式.      

基于小波分解及遗传BPNN耦合模型的地表水As浓度预测研究

随着工业的快速发展,水体中污染物超标事件时有发生,造成了较严重的水环境污染问题.水环境监测与预报是环境科学研究的重要内容.为了实现地表水砷（As）污染的准确预报,本研究提出小波分解、遗传算法与BP人工神经网络的耦合建模方法,并结合某河流监测站1998—2016年共19年的地表水质监测数据,通过皮尔逊相关系数和信息指标评价法对模型输入变量进行筛选,最后对比分析了在不同水质参数输入情况下BP人工神经网络（BPNN）、遗传算法改进的BPNN（GABP）、小波-遗传BPNN耦合模型（W-GABP）对后6年（2011—2016年） As浓度预测结果的均方根误差（RMSE）、决定系数（R²）、平均绝对百分比误差（MAPE）,以确立最优模型.结果表明：①多水质参数BPNN、GABP与W-GABP耦合模型预测结果的MAPE分别为17.51%、15.98%、14.46%,单水质参数BPNN、GABP与W-GABP耦合模型预测结果的MAPE分别为18.78%、16.74%、7.83%;②小波分解数据前处理及遗传算法均能较大程度地提高预测模型的精度;③对于地表水水质预报,需对比不同模型在不同输入变量下的预测结果,以获得最佳的预测精度.单水质参数输入的W-GABP耦合模型能较准确地预报地表水As浓度的变化情况,对数据缺乏地区水质监控和地表水As污染防治具有重要意义.     

基于情景分析的生产安全事故应急物资的协调储备优化研究

为了研究应急物资的实物储备与协议企业生产能力储备相结合的储备模式协调性,降低企业自身应对突发生产安全事故的物资储备成本,建立多情景生产安全事故下的企业应急物资实物储备场所和协议储备企业选址的协调优化模型,利用Lingo软件进行求解,并以石油储罐火灾的应急物资储备为背景设计算例,验证相关模型及方法的有效性。结果表明:提出的企业应急物资储备体系,能够在降低应急物资储备成本的同时,保持日常应急救灾能力。