Effects of male dominance and courtship display on female choice in the ring-necked pheasant

Male traits and behaviours acting in mate choice and intrasexual competition are expected to be congruent. When studying their evolution, this often makes it difficult to differentiate between these two components of sexual selection. Studies are therefore needed on mate choice in conjunction with the role of displays and dominance. We present the results from two experiments conducted to investigate the effects of male dominance and courtship displays on female choice in the ring-necked pheasant, Phasianus colchicus, controlling for differences in morphological male traits. We found: (1) different courtship behaviours had different effects on female choice: females were mainly attracted by the feeding courtship behaviour, while another courtship display (the lateral display) was effective in producing the copulation-acceptance response by the females; (2) subordinate males performed the courtship behaviour before females less frequently than dominant males, and females reinforced intrasexual selection by choosing dominant males, and (3) subordinate males in visual contact with a dominant became less attractive to females. The results support the idea (armament-ornament model) that female pheasants may benefit from using traits selected in male-male competition as clues for mate choice. Received: 23 October 1997 / Accepted after revision: 7 October 1998     

Interspecific interactions of amphipods <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gammarus lacustris</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gmelinoides fasciatus</Emphasis>

Experimental studies of interactions between two amphipod species (Gmelinoides fasciatus and Gammarus lacustris) showed that predation is the basic mechanism accounting for their mutual exclusion in nature. Mortality from predation among similar-sized specimens of both species at an equal abundance ratio was similar (24–25% in G. lacustris and 27–30% in G. fasciatus). The displacement of G. lacustris by G. fasciatus was observed when the latter was dominant. Adult G. fasciatus and G. lacustris successfully preyed on juveniles of their competitors and did not differ significantly in daily food consumption as a percentage of body weight: 6–24% at a fresh body weight of 18–24 mg in both species. The potential for rapid population growth under new conditions contributed to the success of the invasive Baikal species G. fasciatus in displacing G. lacustris from many water bodies of Russia.     

地方政府竞争与环境规制:基于区域开放的异质性研究

随着全球化推进,各国开始不断消减贸易壁垒,环境规制程度跟着提升,各级地方政府作为环境规制相关政策执行者,国家的环境治理直接受到其环境规制策略影响。论文围绕地方政府恶性竞争导致的环境规制失灵问题,采用变截距GLS方法和Hansen提出的"门槛回归"模型,并利用我国29个省级单位2000-2013年面板数据,将地方政府竞争作为门槛变量,分析在不同门槛值下地方政府竞争、区域开放对工业环境规制的影响,并进一步研究财政收支分权和贸易政策对这种影响是否存在积极或恶化作用,力求从根本上解决地方政府恶性竞争,实现环境有效规制。研究表明:在样本期间内,财政收入分权度较低、财政支出分权度较高、贸易开放度高、金融开放度高和制度环境不完善的地区,地方政府竞争对工业环境规制的促进作用更加凸显。全国和东部地区地方政府竞争对工业环境规制呈边际递减的促进作用,中部地区表现出地方政府竞争对工业环境规制非单调性,西部地区存在对工业环境规制呈边际递减的抑制作用。总之,样本期间内地方政府竞争程度有助于全国和东部地区环境进行有效规制,中部地区跨越门槛值后环境规制失灵,西部地区则存在较严重环境规制失灵问题。为了规避环境规制失灵,我们应提高外商投资的进入环境门槛,地方政府在治理环境时,应削减对自己地区的行政垄断,推动各级地方政府跨区域环境保护合作,并由较高层级的政府来承担环境规制的财政支出责任,不断降低地方政府恶性竞争导致的环境规制失灵。     

种龄、种内竞争及环境因子对紫茎泽兰种子萌发影响的研究

紫茎泽兰（Eupatorium adenophorum Spreng）,菊科多年生草本或半灌木植物,是世界性入侵杂草,也是目前危害我国最为严重的外来入侵杂草之一,对我国西南地区农业、畜牧业的良好发展以及生态环境造成了严重的危害。种子繁殖是紫茎泽兰初始建群,尤其是远距离传播的主要途径。环境对种子萌发具有决定性作用,对于物种的生存具有重要意义。因此,本试验通过室内生测法分析了紫茎泽兰种子保存时间、种内竞争及环境温度、盐分胁迫及水分胁迫等因素对紫茎泽兰种子萌发的影响。结果表明：紫茎泽兰种子寿命较长,存放2.5年的种子萌发率仍可达45.67%;紫茎泽兰种子萌发时种内竞争作用较强,能够显著降低其种子的萌发势和萌发率;紫茎泽兰种子萌发所需的温度范围较宽,在12~30℃温度范围内均可萌发,且随环境温度的升高,种子萌发越快,萌发率越高,高温（30℃/22℃）处理下种子萌发率可达到90.33%;同时发现,紫茎泽兰种子萌发对环境中的盐分浓度十分敏感,0.25%的盐质量分数即可达到种子的致死水平,1%的盐质量分数处理即可使种子完全丧失萌发能力。紫茎泽兰种子较耐水淹环境,浸水处理6 d的种子的萌发率仍高达65.68%。由此表明,紫茎泽兰种子不适应盐碱环境,而适宜于温暖潮湿的自然环境。这为探析紫茎泽兰种子萌发活动生理提供了一定的基础资料,同时,也为有效、安全的防除紫茎泽兰提供了科学依据。     

不同磷条件下接种配比对两种淡水藻生长的影响

研究了不同磷浓度条件下铜锈微囊藻和斜生栅藻在单独培养和按不同接种密度比混合培养时的生长状况,分别计算了各培养条件下两种藻的磷吸收半饱和常数。结果表明：在试验所设置的磷浓度范围内,两种藻增长速率均随着磷浓度的升高而增大,但是磷浓度变化对铜锈微囊藻的影响较栅藻小。在磷浓度低于100 μg/L时,1〖DK〗∶1共培养体系中微囊藻的增长速率大于栅藻,而磷浓度大于100 μg/L时,结论相反。接种密度比对两种藻的最大密度和增长率均有影响,微囊藻的增长率随着接种密度比减少而增大,栅藻则相反。铜锈微囊藻在10〖DK〗∶1共培养体系中增长最慢,栅藻则在10〖DK〗∶1共培养时增长最快。微囊藻半饱和常数随着在接种密度中所占份额的减少而减小,最小为1035 μg/L,栅藻则没有显示明显规律,在1〖DK〗∶10共培养体系中磷饱和常数最小,为1982 μg/L。无论在哪种培养体系中,铜锈微囊藻的磷吸收半饱和常数均小于斜生栅藻,表明微囊藻对磷营养盐更具亲和性,营养盐浓度较低的环境下微囊藻更易在竞争中获胜。     

Competitive regimes in forest-dwelling Hanuman langur females (Semnopithecus entellus)

Van Schaik’s socioecological model predicts interrelations among food distribution, competitive regimes, and female social relationships. To test the internal consistency of the model, feeding competition was examined in three differently sized groups of a forest-dwelling population of Hanuman langurs (Semnopithecus entellus). The nutritional condition of females was used as a direct indicator of feeding competition and related to the seasonal variation in resource distribution and abundance. Female dominance hierarchies were characterized by displacements. Dominance hierarchies were significantly linear and relatively stable, but less so with increasing group size. Physical condition correlated with dominance rank and high-ranking females were in the best condition, indicating within-group contest competition. The strength of this relationship became less pronounced with increasing group size. The females of the medium-sized group were in the best physical condition indicating between-group contest plus within-group scramble competition. Closer examination revealed variable costs and benefits of group foraging with a predominance of within-group scramble competition when food was more abundant. The results support some basic predictions of the model. Limiting food abundance was bound to ubiquitous within-group scramble competition. The use of clumped resources translated into differences in net energy gain based on dominance. In contrast to the predictions, group-size-related costs and benefits were related to food abundance instead of food distribution. As predicted, within-group contest competition was linked to a linear dominance hierarchy. The absence of nepotism and coalitions in Hanuman langurs may be attributed to dominance hierarchies that are unstable through time, probably minimizing fitness gain via kin support. Received: 25 May 1999 / Received in revised form: 18 February 2000 / Accepted: 25 February 2000     

Testes mass and reproductive mode of minnows

Most comparative analyses of relative testes mass find that testes are larger in species in which more sperm competition is predicted (multiple males mate with individual females). I tested for differences in adjusted testes mass (for body mass) by spawning mode and by sexual size dimorphism in a comparative analysis of 37 minnow species. No significant differences were found for testes mass by spawning mode or sexual size dimorphism. These results imply a lack of response to selection on testes size from sperm competition in minnow species. Possible explanations for the lack of the expected relationship between testes mass and mating systems in minnows are presented. Received: 8 November 1999 / Received in revised form: 27 January 2000 / Accepted: 13 February 2000     

Call matching in the quacking frog (Crinia georgiana)

Males of the quacking frog Crinia georgiana produce calls consisting of 1–11 notes. Playback experiments using synthetic calls showed that males tend to match the number of notes in 2-note and 4-note stimuli; however, males tended to produce more than 1 note in response to a 1-note stimulus and fewer than 8 notes in response to an 8-note stimulus. Successive playbacks of two, 4-note calls from separate speakers indicate that males are likely to match the combined number of notes in the calls of two neighbors, even if they are not equidistant from the focal male. The results are compared with the few other studies of matching in anurans, and interpreted in terms of hypotheses developed to explain matching in songbirds. One attractive and testable hypothesis for call matching in C. georgiana is that males are attempting to produce calls that are at least as attractive to females as those of rivals, without wasting energy. Received: 14 February 2000 / Received in revised form: 11 April 2000 / Accepted: 3 May 2000     

环境监测技术比武规范化的思考

开展环境监测技术大比武活动,是加强各级环境监测机构环境监测质量管理和提高监测人员技能的一项重要举措,应作为一项制度长期坚持并尽快规范化和科学化.阐述监测技术比武规范化的重点是涵义界定、规程确立、组织实施、监督和仲裁、安全保障等,提出存在的问题和解决方法.     

数字经济发展与区域环境质量改善——来自省级面板数据的证据

本文基于2011—2019年我国31个省级行政区的面板数据,探究了数字经济发展对区域环境质量的影响。研究发现,总体来说,数字经济对环境质量具有显著的改善作用;数字经济对环境质量的改善作用在2014—2019年显著,在中部和西部省份显著,在环境污染程度较高的省份显著。传导机制检验表明,经济规模扩张、产业结构优化及绿色技术创新在数字经济对环境质量的作用机制中发挥中介作用。进一步分析表明,政府竞争在数字经济对环境质量的改善作用中起着负向调节作用,制度环境在数字经济对环境质量的作用机制中发挥正向调节作用。因此,应高质量地推动数字经济发展、充分发挥数字经济的环境质量改善作用、匡正地方政府的竞争行为及努力营造良好的制度环境,以改善环境质量。