Tests for a biased sex ratio when the data are clustered

In behavioral ecology the overall sex ratio in a population of birds is often tested to see if it differs from a 50/50 ratio. In recent publications the binomial test or the ² test are carried out although the sexes of chicks within the same nest may not be independent. The lack of independence occurs since female birds can adjust the sex ratio in an adaptive way as demonstrated in recent studies. In order to take dependence into consideration the Wilcoxon signed rank test based on the within-brood differences between the proportions of sons and daughters was performed in a study investigating great tit hatchling sex ratios. We compare this test with a test based on an optimally weighted estimator recently proposed for medical studies with clustered binary data. According to our simulation results, this novel test is more powerful than the Wilcoxon signed rank test and should be used for the analysis of avian sex ratios. The methods are illustrated with real data from the great reed warbler.     

Colony level sex allocation in a polygynous and polydomous ant

The colony-level sex allocation pattern of eusocial Hymenoptera has attracted much attention in recent studies of evolutionary biology. We conducted a theoretical and empirical study on this subject using the dolichoderine ant Technomyrmex albipes. This ant is unusual in having a dispersal polymorphism in both males and females. New colonies are founded by an alate female after mating with one or more alate males in the nuptial flight. In mature colonies, the reproductive role of the foundress queen is taken over by wingless offspring (supplementary reproductives). Mature colonies are extremely polygynous, with many wingless queens reproducing through intea-colonial mating with wingless males (inbreeding), and producing both alate and wingless sexuals. The population sex ratio of wingless sexuals was found to be extremely female-biased, while the population allocation ratio of alates was almost 1:1. This result suggests that there is local mate competition among wingless sexuals. A specific model for this extraordinary life cycle predicted that the asymmetry of regression relatedness (b _f/b _m) will disappear during the first few generations of wingless reproductives after the foundress dies. If colonies begin to produce alates after several wingless generations, this undermines the hypotheses for intercolonial sex ratio variation based on the relatedness asymmetry. We compared the magnitude of variation in sex ratios and other characteristics between two levels (within-colony-inter-nest and between-colony). Although there was considerable within-colony variation in all the examined characteristics, between-colony variances were always larger. This means that allocation is important at the whole-colony level, not that of the nest. There was no apparent correlation between the sex ratio of alates and colony size. Furthermore, partial correlation analysis indicated that neither the number of workers nor investment in alates explained the variation in the sex ratio of alates. The only factor which was significantly correlated with the sex ratio of alates was the sex ratio of wingless sexuals (a positive correlation). We conclude that both the alate and wingless sex ratios may be influenced by a common primary sex ratio at the egg stage, the variance of which may have genetic components. In the wingless sexuals, partial correlation analysis indicated that colony size and the number of workers explained the sex allocation ratio. The number of wingless females was strongly (positively) correlated with the total investment in wingless sexuals, while the number of males showed no such correlation. There is, however, no convincing explanation for the variation in sex allocation ratio of wingless sexuals, because the estimates of investment in wingless males may have a large sampling error. Correspondence to: K. Tsuji     

Relationship between body size, provisioning rate, longevity and reproductive success in females of the solitary bee Osmia cornuta

Body size has often been related to reproductive success in bees and wasps. The objective of this 3-year study was to analyze the relationship between nesting female body size, provisioning rate and longevity and their effect on several traits related to parental investment and reproductive success in the solitary bee Osmia cornuta. Body size was not correlated to longevity, and it was only correlated to provisioning rate in the third year (with poor weather conditions during nesting). Variation in fecundity, offspring size and offspring mortality was not well explained by nesting female body size in any of the 3 years. However, in the third year, small females biased their investment toward males, the sex requiring smaller pollen–nectar provisions. Large females were more successful usurpers of other females' nests, but fecundity of usurpers was no higher than fecundity of nonusurpers. Large females were more likely to establish at the release site, probably in relation to size-dependent vigor at emergence. A review of the literature on parental investment in solitary aculeate Hymenoptera showed a stronger relationship between body size and reproductive success in wasps than in bees. In O. cornuta, fecundity was strongly related to longevity and provisioning rate in all 3 years. Offspring size was associated with provisioning rate in 1 year, when females with higher provisioning rates tended to produce larger sons and daughters. Both longevity and provisioning rate appeared to be strongly conditioned by stochastic events.     

Human digit ratios depend on birth order and sex of older siblings and predict maternal fecundity

In men, the length ratio of the second to fourth finger (2D:4D) is smaller, while the length of the fourth finger relative to body height (4D:H) is larger than in women. Inter- and intrasexual variations in 2D:4D and 4D:H may depend on variation in fetal androgen and oestrogen environment. As maternal physiology varies with parity and is differentially affected by gestation of either sex, offspring 2D:4D and 4D:H may change according to sex and number of older siblings and may predict subsequent maternal performance. We analysed 2D:4D and 4D:H in Caucasian university students. 2D:4D was smaller and 4D:H was larger in males than in females, but no sexual dimorphism existed in 2D:H. In males, length ratios did not vary with birth order. 2D:4D became more masculine with increasing proportion of males among older siblings, and 2D:4D and 4D:H became more feminine as the number of older sisters increased. In females, length ratios did not vary with the number of older sisters or brothers. 2D:4D was also not related to birth order, but 4D:H became more masculine with birth order. In females, residual maternal fecundity (number of maternal offspring after the participant) decreased as 4D:H became more masculine. These findings are partly consistent with those from previous studies and suggest that maternal fecundity co-varies with length ratios and thus possibly fetal hormone environment of older offspring. 2D:4D and 4D:H may therefore represent powerful tools to investigate the relationships between fetal environment, offspring phenotype and maternal life history at mechanistic and evolutionary levels.     

沙打旺与柳枝稷单、混播种苗期水分利用和根冠生长的比较

在室内生长箱内盆栽沙打旺和柳枝稷的苗期生长阶段进行高土壤水分 (黄绵土土壤田间持水量FC的 80 % )和低土壤水分 (5 0 ?)处理 ,比较二者单、混播种植下水分利用与根冠生长差异 ,以探讨黄土高原半干旱丘陵区牧草植物的合理种植方式 .结果表明 :在水分利用方面 ,低水处理下混播使沙打旺和柳枝稷叶片瞬时水分利用效率均较单播提高 ,低水处理后混播群体水分利用效率也显著比单播柳枝稷增大 .在根冠生长方面 ,混播促进了柳枝稷地上部分植株高度生长 ,并使地下部分分配比重增大 ,根系绝对长度缩短 ;混播后沙打旺的植株高度降低 ,根系绝对长度增加 ,但干物质分配比重减小 .低水处理后 ,沙打旺和柳枝稷混播下的根冠生长趋向于资源的充分合理利用 ,表现在混播群体的根系生长有利于充分利用土壤深层水和表层来水 ,混播后地上部分高度的生长特征变化利于对光的利用 .因此 ,在水分和养分条件相对较差坡地占较大比例的半干旱黄土丘陵地区 ,采用沙打旺和柳枝稷混播种植相比各自单播利于促进苗期生长与提高土壤水分利用率 .图 2表 2参 10     

测定氨氮的经验点滴

用纳氏比色法测定NH3-N时,在保证斜率不变(b=0.0037)的条件下,减少显色剂中HgCI2-KI三分之二的含量,聚乙烯醇做胶体稳定剂,显著提高了显色剂和显色的稳定度,并大大降低了空白吸光度.以KOH和酒石酸钾纳做缓冲溶液,并增加KOH一倍的含量,保持恒定的显色碱度,同时也掩蔽了金属离子的干扰.测定废水,先做一条件试验,确定氨氮废水的稀释比,是测定氨氮的重要步骤.     

几种螯合剂对污染土壤的重金属提取效率的研究

在Cd,Pb污染的土壤上,采用批提取实验(batchexperiment),研究了几种螯合剂和不同的水土比对重金属提取效率的影响。结果表明:螯合剂对Cd的提取效率随着各淋洗剂浓度的提高而逐渐提高,相同浓度下各淋洗剂的提取效率大小顺序依次为EDTA>DTPA>NTA>PA>CA>CD>HCl。随水土比提高,相应的提取效率也提高。几种淋洗剂中只有EDTA对Pb和Cd都能达到理想的淋洗效果。     

加速度信号积分求解位移方法研究

目的 研究动力学环境试验分析中时域积分算法和频域积分算法两种加速度信号积分求解位移方法.方法 动力学环境试验中,利用不同算法对被试品测点处所采集到的加速度信号进行二次积分处理,计算求解位移.采集过程中,再利用激光传感器测量位移,以激光所测位移为基准,对比分析不同算法求解结果的准确性,并分析其结果的误差来源、其优缺点及适用范围.结果 在动力学环境试验的不同工况下,两种不同积分法得到的位移数据与激光测定数据基本重合,积分得到的位移最大误差均小于5％,符合实际应用需求.时域积分算法在两次积分中受到噪声以及直流分量误差的影响较大;频域积分算法的计算结果相对更加准确,但是受到低频误差影响较大,具有低频敏感性.结论 在动力学环境试验中,时域积分算法适用于噪声和直流分量可忽略的情况,频域积分算法适应于低频误差较小的情况.对加速度信号数据进行必要且有效的预处理后,时域积分算法和频域积分算法的位移积分结果都具有较高的准确性,能够满足一般工程实际中的测试需求.     

新型氧化-混凝剂处理染料废水研究

根据染料废水的特点 ,研究了自制产品新型氧化 混凝剂处理染料废水的情况 ,探索了药剂用量、pH值等因素对COD、色度去除率的影响。试验表明 ,当pH >10、“染清”氧化 混凝剂的加入量万分之三左右、絮凝时间 6min、静置沉淀3 5min时 ,该药剂对染料废水具有良好的效果 ,COD和色度的去除率最高分别可达 97%和 86% ,从而证明该方法对于染料废水的处理是可行的。该处理工艺设备简单 ,系统运行稳定 ,操作方便 ,成本低     

宁波-舟山海域入海污染物环境容量研究

在宁波-舟山海域数值模拟潮流场的基础上,建立了该海域各污染源的响应系数场,计算了主要污染源COD、无机氮和活性磷酸盐的分担率场,及各污染源和控制单元的环境容量.研究结果将为该海域入海污染物总量控制提供科学依据.