Attitudes towards sex selection in the Western world

It appears that in most Western countries, son preference is somewhat stronger than daughter preference. However, when one considers the preference of women it looks as though the opposite pattern is emerging. There is a considerable social acceptance of ‘light’ methods of sex selection (such as diets), even though these methods are not proven to be effective. The inclination to use sperm separation methods appears to be greater in the United States than in some European countries. There are indications that a preference for boys or for girls is associated with attitudes towards technology, child-rearing style and the stereotyping of boys or girls. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Secondary sexual characters and female quality in primates

Honest advertisement models of sexual selection propose that exaggerated secondary sexual ornaments are condition-dependent, and that only individuals with superior disease resistance will be able to express costly ornamentation. Studies of secondary sexual ornamentation and their maintenance by sexual selection tend to focus on males. However, females may also possess showy ornaments. We investigated whether female ornaments, in the form of sexual swellings, reliably signal female fitness in a semifree-ranging colony of mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) at the Centre International de Recherches Médicales, Franceville (CIRMF), Gabon. We measured swelling height and width using photographs of periovulatory females over three mating seasons and compared swelling size with parasitism (using fecal analysis over one annual cycle), immune status (ratio of lymphocytes to neutrophils in blood smears made during captures), and genetic diversity (microsatellite heterozygosity). Swelling size varied by up to 10% between cycles in individual females, giving some support to the hypothesis that size differences may indicate the quality of individual swelling cycles. However, there was no significant difference in swelling size between conceptive and nonconceptive cycles. Measures of swelling size varied more between females than within females across swelling cycles, implying that swelling size was a relatively consistent characteristic of individual females. Swelling size was not significantly related to either general measures of parasitism and immune status, or to the closest available measures to each swelling cycle. Nor was swelling size significantly related to genetic diversity. The healthy, provisioned nature of the colony and problems associated with observational, correlational studies restrict interpretation of our data. However, in combination with previous findings that females of higher reproductive success do not show larger swellings, and that males do not allocate mating effort as a function of swelling size, these results imply that sexual swelling size does not indicate female quality in these semifree-ranging mandrills.     

Planning for robust reserve networks using uncertainty analysis

Planning land-use for biodiversity conservation frequently involves computer-assisted reserve selection algorithms. Typically such algorithms operate on matrices of species presence–absence in sites, or on species-specific distributions of model predicted probabilities of occurrence in grid cells. There are practically always errors in input data—erroneous species presence–absence data, structural and parametric uncertainty in predictive habitat models, and lack of correspondence between temporal presence and long-run persistence. Despite these uncertainties, typical reserve selection methods proceed as if there is no uncertainty in the data or models. Having two conservation options of apparently equal biological value, one would prefer the option whose value is relatively insensitive to errors in planning inputs. In this work we show how uncertainty analysis for reserve planning can be implemented within a framework of information-gap decision theory, generating reserve designs that are robust to uncertainty. Consideration of uncertainty involves modifications to the typical objective functions used in reserve selection. Search for robust-optimal reserve structures can still be implemented via typical reserve selection optimization techniques, including stepwise heuristics, integer-programming and stochastic global search.     

Parasite-mediated sexual selection: just how choosy are parasitized females?

Models of parasite-mediated sexual selection have thus far overlooked the potential effects of parasites of females on their hosts’ ability to choose mates. A set of models addressing this issue is developed, each building on the previous one to add complexity and realism to the framework. The selection coefficient for parasite immunity and brightness is estimated using the ratio of the fitness of susceptible males to the fitness of immune males. Parasite-induced reduction in female choosiness can substantially relax the selection for bright, immune males, especially when: (1) immunity to parasites is rare in the population, (2) parasites are not highly aggregated within the host population, (3) parasites are abundant, and (4) the effects of parasites on male brightness or female choosiness are severe. Parasite-induced variability in male brightness is most likely to occur in populations in which parasites are abundant and not aggregated; if females in those populations show a reduced preference for bright males, sexual selection for brightness (and parasite immunity) will still operate but exert a weaker selective pressure. Received: 4 November 1994/Accepted after revision: 9 September 1995     

模糊层次综合评判法在火电厂选址决策中的应用

根据影响火电厂选址的因素较多、相互之间具有不确定性和模糊性这一特点,结合火电厂选址的实际情况,建立了火电厂选址综合效益评价指标体系;运用模糊层次综合评判法确定了各指标的权重分配;从可持续发展的角度对火电厂选址综合效益进行了评价;经过专家投票,将各因素层次化,得出模糊评价结果,即找到综合效益最好的厂址;并通过实例验证了该方法的可行性。可为火电厂决策者投资建设项目提供依据。     

High individual variation in pheromone production by tree-killing bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

Aggregation via pheromone signalling is essential for tree-killing bark beetles to overcome tree defenses and reproduce within hosts. Pheromone production is a trait that is linked to fitness, so high individual variation is paradoxical. One explanation is that the technique of measuring static pheromone pools overestimates true variation among individuals. An alternative hypothesis is that aggregation behaviour dilutes the contribution of individuals to the trait under selection and reduces the efficacy of natural selection on pheromone production by individuals. We compared pheromone measurements from traditional hindgut extractions of female southern pine beetles with those obtained by aerating individuals till they died. Aerations showed greater total pheromone production than hindgut extractions, but coefficients of variation (CV) remained high (60-182%) regardless of collection technique. This leaves the puzzle of high variation unresolved. A novel but simple explanation emerges from considering bark beetle aggregation behaviour. The phenotype visible to natural selection is the collective pheromone plume from hundreds of colonisers. The influence of a single beetle on this plume is enhanced by high variation among individuals but constrained by large group sizes. We estimated the average contribution of an individual to the pheromone plume across a range of aggregation sizes and showed that large aggregation sizes typical in mass attacks limit the potential of natural selection because each individual has so little effect on the overall plume. Genetic variation in pheromone production could accumulate via mutation and recombination, despite strong effects of the pheromone plume on the fitness of individuals within the aggregation. Thus, aggregation behaviour, by limiting the efficacy of natural selection, can allow the persistence of extreme phenotypes in nature.     

Males do not see only red: UV wavelengths and male territorial aggression in the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)

Animal colour signals serve important functions in intraspecific interactions, including species recognition, mate choice and agonistic behaviour. An increasing interest concerns ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths, for instance studies on the effect of UV in mating decisions. More recently, some studies also established that UV signals affect intrasexual interactions. We studied the role of UV during aggressive encounters between male three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus), a species in which UV has an effect on female and male mate choice and shoaling behaviour. To that aim, we compared the aggressive response of a territorial male to male intruders, either seen in UV-including (UV+) or UV-lacking (UV-) conditions. Our prediction was that, if UV wavelengths are used in male-male competition, a territorial male should show less competitive behaviour towards an intruder representing a lower threat, i.e. the one presented without UV light. Male sticklebacks showed significantly lower levels of aggression towards male opponents lacking an UV component to their coloration than male opponents possessing this colour component. Discrimination was not influenced by a difference in brightness between the UV+ and UV- stimuli. Finally, we present some reflectance-spectrophotometrical data of two skin regions (cheek and abdomen) of the experimental males and analysed relationships between colorimetric variables, body variables and behaviour. Our study emphasises that UV visual cues are of importance in different communicational tasks in the three-spined stickleback.     

新苏南模式中应对环境问题的路径选择

苏南模式固有的弊端所导致的＂村村点火、乡乡冒烟＂的经济格局导致了严重的环境问题。随着新苏南模式的诞生,环境问题有所改善,但仍然存在着固有的路径依赖。通过对原因的分析,可以发现,政府、企业与公众的共同参与是解决问题的关键,具体而言：一是转换政府角色,引入市场机制;二是公众主动参与,发展第三组织;三是企业积极参与,发展生态产业。     

复合型水雾抑尘剂作用机理与优选方法研究*

为有效提高水雾综合除尘性能,基于水雾捕尘过程及抑尘作用机理,从复合抑尘剂润湿、吸湿、黏结作用组分出发,讨论不同性质粉尘与抑尘剂各组分间匹配协同关系,进而研究复合型水雾抑尘剂优选方法。结果表明:湿润组分优选疏水端含有碳碳双键、醚基或链间存在氢键的表面活性剂;通过改变疏水基链长、不饱和度和支链数等方法,使湿润组分亲水、亲油性与粉尘相匹配。吸湿组分优选体心立方晶胞结构、溶解度相对较小的无机盐或混合配方无机盐,或者含极性强、能形成氢键的基团且空间结构复杂的有机吸湿剂。黏结组分优选溶液黏度高、交联网状、结构复杂的高分子聚合物。在上述组分优选的基础上,通过抑尘剂复配性能实验合理确定各组分的最优配比。     

城市生活垃圾除臭酵母的筛选与鉴定

以减少氨气释放量为主要指标,从初筛获得的具有除臭效果的菌种中复筛出一株J3菌株,其在实验室条件下可减少氨气释放量达80％以上,对生活垃圾具有明显的除臭效果。通过对其菌落和菌体形态特征观察及生理生化实验,初步确定为掷孢酵母。