Nutrient transfer functions: the site of integration between feeding behaviour and nutritional physiology

Summary. We describe and extend a graphical approach to quantitative nutrition that focuses on the interplay between behavioural and physiological components of nutritional regulation. The site of integration is the nutrient transfer function, which is the function describing the time course of nutrient transfer between serially connected nutritional compartments (e.g., from the gut to the blood). The relationship between the shape of the nutrient transfer function and the temporal patterns of feeding determines the values of two key quantitative parameters of nutrition: the rate ('power') and the efficiency of nutrient acquisition. The approach can be extended to consider, in addition to the short-term behavioural and physiological decisions made by animals, some ecological determinants and longer-term, life history consequences of such decisions. Most importantly, this category of models can provide insights into the interplay among the various nutrients in an animal's diet. We illustrate this using hypothetical examples, and also present preliminary data for the power-efficiency relationships of protein and digestible carbohydrates in locusts. Finally, we consider existing evidence for the various means available to these and other insects for regulating such relationships. Received 24 September 1997; accepted 9 December 1997.     

大熊猫人工育幼研究

１９９４年，成都大熊猫繁育研究基地的雌性大熊猫“成成”产下１胎２仔，因母兽病及奶头特大，１仔人工喂养，另１仔由母兽喂养，母兽喂养的１仔仅存活了５７ｈ０３ｍｉｎ人工喂养的１仔存活至今已达２ａ有余，１９９５年，雌性大熊猫“冰冰”又产１胎２仔，其中１仔照１９９４年的方法人工喂养，幼仔生长发育正常，活泼健壮，母兽喂养的仔仅存活了２５ｈ，本文对人工喂养大熊猫初生幼幼存活的饲喂方法，以及幼仔的生长发育规律等进     

Attraction,deterrence or intoxication of bees (Apis mellifera) by plant allelochemicals

The influence of 63 dietary allelochemicals (alkaloids, terpenes, glycosides,etc.) on the feeding behaviour of bees (Apis mellifera) was tested in terms of deterrency and attraction. For 39 compounds a deterrent (mostly alkaloids, coumarins and saponins) and for 3 compounds an attractive response (mostly terpenes) was obtained in choice tests, which allowed the calculation of respective ED₅₀-values. Under no-choice conditions, 17 out of 29 allelochemicals caused mortality at concentrations between 0.003 and 0.6%. Especially toxic were alkaloids, saponins, cardiac glycosides and cyanogenic glycosides. These data show that bees which are confronted with plant allelochemicals in nectar and pollen, are not especially adapted (i.e. insensitive) to the plants' defence chemistry. GLC and GLS-MS data are given on the alkaloid composition of nectar and pollen ofBrugmansia aurea, Atropa belladonna andLupinus polyphyllus.     

邻苯二甲酸二丁酯对大型蚤(Daphnia magna)的毒性作用研究

本研究选用大型蚤(Daphnia magna)作为实验生物,研究了邻苯二甲酸二丁酯(DBP)对其急性毒性作用和慢性毒性作用,同时还研究了环境因素(温度、硬度、腐殖酸)对DBP24h-EC(50)的影响.结果表明DBP对大型蚤的24h-EC_(50)为10.35mg·1~(-1),温度、硬度和腐殖酸对DBP24h-EC_(50)均有一定影响.DBP对大型蚤的捕食行为产生抑制,EC_(50)在 6—7mg·1~(-1)之间.慢性毒性实验结果表明DBP对大型蚤的生长繁殖产生一定影响,低浓度DBP对大型蚤生长繁殖有一定的刺激作用,高浓度DBP对大型蚤生长繁殖存在抑制作用,BDP的最大允许安全浓度为1—2mg·1~(-1).     

To breed or not to breed—food competition and other factors involved in female breeding decisions in the pair-living nocturnal fork-marked lemur (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Phaner furcifer</Emphasis>)

Differential access to food resources is thought to be the main determinant of differences in female reproductive success but is poorly studied in both pair-living and nocturnal primates. The modes of food competition within and between families were investigated following the principles proposed by the ecological model using 3 years of field data from seven fork-marked lemur (Phaner furcifer) families. The major food resources were identified from year-round feeding observations and the strength and mode of competition were inferred from differences in physical condition. The most important food resource of fork-marked lemurs were tree exudates which occurred in small, defendable food patches, characterized by fast depletion and rapid renewal. These characteristics led to strong within-group contest and scramble competition, which were found to yield a positive dominance effect and a negative group-size effect on female net energy gain. Differential physical condition, however, did not translate directly into differential reproductive success. Low female fertility was best predicted by large family size associated with delayed dispersal by previous offspring. Although there is no obvious benefit from full-grown offspring in their territory, adults tolerate delayed natal dispersal, probably because dispersal poses extraordinary costs for the offspring. These costs are likely to accrue from decreased foraging efficiency in unfamiliar habitats because exudate feeding requires very rigid feeding itineraries. In conclusion, the presented evidence for group-size effects on reproductive success in pair-living females opens a new area for research on the costs and benefits of delayed dispersal and female reproductive decisions.This revised version was published in September 2003 with corrections to the Authors Present address.An erratum to this article can be found at Communicated by E.H.M. Sterck     

Induced alkaloid defence inAtropa acuminata in response to mechanical and herbivore leaf damage

Summary Measurement of tropane alkaloid content in leaves ofAtropa acuminata after mechanical damage showed a maximum increase to 153% of the control 8 days later. There were no changes in the root or stem after similar damage. The plant responded to repeated mechanical damage by doubling its alkaloid content at 11 days after the initial wounding. But on further treatments, there was a slight decrease in alkaloid content with time. Mollusc feeding produced an increase of 164% in alkaloid content after 4 days. These results indicate that induced defence systems in angiosperms can vary considerably from plant species to plant species and that the effects of mechanical damage may differ in different parts of the same plant.     

阊江河1～6级支流大型底栖无脊椎动物取食功能团演变特征

河流连续性概念(rivercontinuumconcept,RCC)将自然河流生态系统视为物理和生物的连续体,河流物理环境的梯度变化决定了生物的演变格局.为探索自然河流系统受人类干扰后大型底栖无脊椎动物的演变规律,作者于2002年5月、8月、11月对安徽省祁门县阊江河1~6级支流的大型底栖无脊椎动物进行了调查,共获7纲57科101属119种,计8813头,并详细记载了各级支流样点的栖境特点.运用“河流连续性概念”理论分析结果表明该河1~6级支流大型底栖无脊椎动物各取食功能团演变趋势符合该理论,但上游至下游的生物区系演替程度明显小于未受干扰的自然河流,1~6级支流各功能团的分布(P/%)梯度变化趋于平缓,仅捕食者数量分布与理论预测模式比较接近.各级支流相同取食功能团的优势类群各异,其种类的耐污能力随河流级别的增加总体呈上升趋势.同级支流各取食功能团的分布(P/%)比例存在季节性差异.图2表3参15     

Strike-induced chemosensory searching by a teiid lizard,the golden tegu (Tupinambis nigropunctatus)

Summary Strike-induced chemosensory searching (SICS) is experimentally demonstrated in a teiid lizard,Tupinambis nigropunctatus. SICS consists of a concurrent post-strike elevation in tongue-flick rate (PETF) and searching movements after voluntary release or escape of bitten prey or removal of prey from the predator's mouth. The results are consistent with previous data showing that PETF and/or SICS occur in all families of scleroglossan lizards and snakes and all families of actively foraging lizards yet studied. The relatively short duration of SICS (2 min) in a lizard having lingual and vomeronasal structure highly specialized for chemosensory sampling and analysis suggests that phylogenetic and ecological factors may be more important than morphology in determining the duration. The greatest known durations occur only in the presumably monophyletic clade containing varanoid lizards and snakes, all of which have highly developed chemical sampling and chemoreceptor apparatus, but in addition feed on prey that has a high probability of being relocated by prolonged scent-trailing. Because only active foragers move through the habitat while tongue-flicking and exhibit lingually mediated prey chemical discrimination, only active foragers may be expected to use SICS. SICS would appear to be useless to an ambush forager and might disrupt its defensive crypticity, rendering it more detectable to predators and prey. Therefore, it may be predicted that SICS is adaptively adjusted to foraging mode.     

转基因食品安全性评价的研究进展

转基因食品的安全性问题在世界范围内倍受关注,国内外尤其国外已经开展和正在开展许多的研究工作。实质等同性原则在转基因安全性评价中得到广泛应用,但存在一定的局限性。目前已经进行了转基因马铃薯、大豆、番茄、棉花、西葫芦、水稻、烟草以及芦笋的食用安全性评价,积累了一些研究经验和方法,得到一些有意义的研究结果,但也存在着一定的争论。文中将从评价的方法、原则和结果等几个方面报道和讨论转基因食品安全性评价的研究进展,并且指出评价中存在的问题,对转基因食品的安全性问题作了一个相对全面而客观的报道,并且总结了转基因食品安全性评价中应该注意的几个问题,对开展安全性评价工作有一定的参考价值。     

Innovative combined technique for high concentration of azo dye AR18 wastewater treatment using modified SBR and enhanced Fenton process as post treatment

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the performance of combined biological/advanced oxidation process (AOP) system for treatment of wastewater containing high concentration (500 mg/L) of azo dye Acid Red 18 (AR18). Two alternating anaerobic–aerobic sequencing batch reactors (SBR1 and SBR2 without and with external feeding at the beginning of aeration cycle, respectively) were operated. The effluent of the SBRs was then post treated through enhanced Fenton process (using zero-valent iron combined with ultrasonic irradiation). More than 90% and 97% of COD was removed in the combined SBR/AOP system without external carbon source (CTS1) and with external feeding (CTS2), respectively. The analysis of dye and its metabolites using UV–vis and HPLC analysis also proved that 99% of the original dye was decolorized and more than 89% of its metabolites were degraded through CST2 which is significantly higher than the reported values in the literature. Besides, more than 87% of phosphorus removal efficiency was obtained in CST2 compared to only 54.5% removal efficiency in CST1. Regarding the findings of this study, the proposed combined treatment system (CTS2) can be suggested as an effective technique for treatment of high azo dye AR18 concentration wastewater.