Evidence of equal maternal investment in the sexes in the polygynous and sexually dimorphic grey seal (Halichoerus grypus)

In polygynous and sexually dimorphic mammals, parents may be expected to bias their investment towards sons because variation in reproductive success is usually higher among males than among females. Moreover, male reproductive success often depends on adult body size, which, in turn, may depend on the level of parental investment. We therefore predicted that in the grey seal (Halichoerus grypus), a polygynous and sexually dimorphic phocid seal, females should invest more in individual sons than in individual daughters. We found that male pups were born heavier than female pups, but that the growth rates and suckling behaviour were similar for the two sexes. The growth rates and the birth weights were not correlated for the pups of either sex. Mothers did not behave differentially towards offspring of the two sexes, except that mothers of male pups spent more time in visual contact with their pups. Male and female pups had similar activity levels and begged at similar rates. We argue that reports of equal expenditure on the two sexes can be accepted as evidence of equal investment, provided that three assumptions are fulfilled. First, parental care must be costly to the parent. Second, energy expenditure must be the most important component of parental investment. Third, there must be no negative correlation between maternal body condition and the ratio of sons to daughters produced. We argue that these assumptions are met in our study, and that our results provide evidence of equal maternal investment in the sexes in grey seals.     

大气颗粒物和降水化学特征的相互关系

分别于2007年在泰安市郊区和深圳市郊区采集了大气颗粒物并同时对降水进行了分级采样,通过降水过程中降水化学特征的变化和降水前后颗粒物浓度和化学组成的改变,讨论了云下冲刷过程中大气颗粒物对降水化学组分的贡献和降水对颗粒物的去除作用.泰安降水雨量加权pH为5.97,总可溶解离子浓度为1 187.96μeq.L-1,PM10的质量浓度为131.76μg/m3,PM2.5为103.84μg/m3.深圳降水雨量加权pH为4.72,总可溶解成分离子浓度为175.89μeq.L-1,PM10的质量浓度为56.66μg/m3,PM2.5为41.52μg/m3.泰安和深圳降水过程中pH和离子浓度都逐渐降低,冲刷过程主要是中和作用.泰安和深圳降水中Na+和Ca2+的去除效率较高,NH4+和NO3-去除效率较低.两地降水化学性质的差别取决于云水酸度、大气颗粒物性质和大气中酸碱性气体差别的共同作用.降水对大气颗粒物质量浓度、离子组分和元素组分都有显著清除作用.     

The key to winter survival: daily torpor in a small arid-zone marsupial

Mammalian hibernation, which lasts on average for about 6 months, can reduce energy expenditure by >90% in comparison to active individuals. In contrast, the widely held view is that daily torpor reduces energy expenditure usually by about 30%, is employed for a few hours every few days, and often occurs only under acute energetic stress. This interpretation is largely based on laboratory studies, whereas knowledge on daily torpor in the field is scant. We used temperature telemetry to quantify thermal biology and activity patterns of a small arid-zone marsupial, the stripe-faced dunnart Sminthopsis macroura (16.9 g), in the wild and to test the hypothesis that daily torpor is a crucial survival strategy of this species in winter. All individuals entered torpor daily with the exception of a single male that remained normothermic for a single day (torpor on 212 of 213 observation days, 99.5%). Torpor was employed at air temperatures (T _a) ranging from approximately −1°C to 36°C. Dunnarts usually entered torpor during the night and aroused at midday with the daily increase of T _a. Torpor was on average about twice as long (mean 11.0 ± 4.7 h, n = 8) than in captivity. Animals employed sun basking during rewarming, reduced foraging time significantly, and occasionally omitted activity for several days in sequence. Consequently, we estimate that daily torpor in this species can reduce daily energy expenditure by up to 90%. Our study shows that for wild stripe-faced dunnarts daily torpor is an essential mechanism for overcoming energetic challenges during winter and that torpor data obtained in the laboratory can substantially underestimate the ecological significance of daily torpor in the wild.     

No evidence for sperm priming responses under varying sperm competition risk or intensity in guppies

Sperm competition theory predicts that males should tailor their investment in ejaculates according to the number of rival males competing to fertilize a female’s eggs. Research spanning several taxa supports this prediction by showing that males are often sensitive to the level of sperm competition and adjust their investment in sperm numbers accordingly. More recent work has revealed that males may also tailor the quality of sperm according to the number of males competing for fertilization. Here I test for both effects in guppies (Poecilia reticulata) in an experiment that simultaneously evaluates the risk and intensity models of sperm competition. The experiment determined whether male guppies adjust the number (stripped ejaculate size) and quality (sperm velocity and viability) of sperm that are primed over a 3-day period according to experimental changes in the perceived level of sperm competition. A total of 136 focal males were initially stripped of all retrievable sperm and assayed for these sperm traits before being allocated at random to one of four treatments simulating different levels of sperm competition risk and intensity. During the 3-day treatment phase, focal males had visual and olfactory access to a sexually receptive (initially virgin) female maintained with different numbers of stimulus males to simulate variation in the risk and intensity of sperm competition. Following this, males were assayed again for the sperm traits. Contrary to predictions, there was no significant change in any of the measured variables among treatments, although qualitatively the patterns for sperm velocity and viability did conform to expectation. The lack of any trend for the number of sperm primed was unequivocal and future work examining the effects of sperm competition on sperm production should focus on whether males differentially allocate sperm numbers among matings that differ in the level of sperm competition.     

2012—2016年中央财政生态环境保护支出分析

本文基于财政"节能环保"支出科目,整合散落在其他科目里的生态环境保护支出,分析中央财政（含本级投入与专项转移支付）近五年（2012—2016年）的生态环境保护支出现状,发现：中央用于生态建设和保护方面的支出最多,五年支出均值为933.1亿元;其次是环境污染治理支出,五年支出平均值为773.4亿元。同时,基于现状分析及工作实践发现中央财政生态环境保护支出存在规模偏小、比重偏低、增长的稳定性不足等问题,中央财政需进一步优化支出方向和结构,加强绩效评价和结果应用。