Female mate choice determines reproductive isolation between sympatric butterflies

Animal courtship rituals are important for species recognition, and a variety of cues might be utilized to recognize conspecific mates. In this paper, we investigate different species-recognition mechanisms between two sympatric butterfly sister species: the wood white (Leptidea sinapis) and Real’s wood white (Leptidea reali). We show that males of both species frequently court heterospecific females both under laboratory and field conditions. The long-lasting elaborate courtships impose energetic costs, since the second courtship of males that were introduced to two subsequent conspecific females lasted on average only one fourth as long as the first courtship. In this paper, we demonstrate that premating reproductive isolation is dependent on female unwillingness to accept heterospecific mates. We studied female and male courtship behavior, chemical signaling, and the morphology of the sexually dimorphic antennae, one of the few male traits visible for females during courtship. We found no differences in ultraviolet (UV) reflectance and only small differences in longer wavelengths and brightness, significant between-species differences, but strongly overlapping distributions of male L. sinapis and L. reali antennal morphology and chemical signals and minor differences in courtship behavior. The lack of clear-cut between-species differences further explains the lack of male species recognition, and the overall similarity might have caused the long-lasting elaborate courtships, if females need prolonged male courtships to distinguish between con- and heterospecific suitors.     

Do yellow-bellied marmots respond to predator vocalizations?

We conducted four experiments to determine whether yellow-bellied marmots, Marmota flaviventris, discriminate among predator vocalizations, and if so, whether the recognition mechanism is learned or experience-independent. First, we broadcast to marmots the social sounds of coyotes, Canis latrans, wolves, Canis lupus, and golden eagles, Aquila chrysaetos, as well as conspecific alarm calls. Coyotes and eagles are extant predators at our study site, while wolves have been absent since the mid-1930s. In three follow-up experiments, we reversed the eagle call and presented marmots with forward and reverse calls to control for response to general properties of call structure rather than those specifically associated with eagles, we tested for novelty by comparing responses to familiar and unfamiliar birds, and we tested for the duration of predator sounds by comparing a wolf howl (that was much longer than the coyote in the first experiment) with a long coyote howl of equal duration to the original wolf. Marmots suppressed foraging and increased looking most after presentation of the conspecific alarm call and least after that of the coyote in the first experiment, with moderate responses to wolf and eagle calls. Marmots responded more to the forward eagle call than the reverse call, a finding consistent with a recognition template. Marmots did not differentiate vocalizations from the novel and familiar birds, suggesting that novelty itself did not explain our results. Furthermore, marmots did not differentiate between a wolf howl and a coyote howl of equal duration, suggesting that the duration of the vocalizations played a role in the marmots’ response. Our results show that marmots may respond to predators based solely on acoustic stimuli. The response to currently novel wolf calls suggests that they have an experience-independent ability to identify certain predators acoustically. Marmots’ response to predator vocalizations is not unexpected because 25 of 30 species in which acoustic predator discrimination has been studied have a demonstrated ability to respond selectively to cues from their predators.     

Inspection of mob-calls as sources of predator information: response of migrant and resident birds in the Neotropics

Migrating animals face numerous mortality risks, such as novel predators with which they may not be accustomed. Most animals can recognize predators innately; however, additional predator information can be collected to enhance familiarity. Because migrating birds rarely participate in mobs, they may seek alternative information sources such as cues provided by other birds that can provide information on predator location, identity, and degree of threat. We predicted that Nearctic–Neotropical migrants (hereafter, “migrants”) would react to vocal antipredator cues (e.g., mob-calls) of species residing in areas through which they migrate. To test this, we conducted experiments in Belize during spring migration, using playbacks of mob-calls of black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) and blue-gray tanagers (Thraupis episcopus); tanagers are familiar to all birds in Belize; chickadees are novel to residents but familiar to migrants. This also allowed us to assess response to novel and out-of-context antipredator signals. Resident birds did not respond to novel chickadee mob-calls, but did respond to familiar tanager calls. Birds overwintering south of our study area, which were migrating during our study, responded most strongly to chickadee playbacks. Conversely, individuals of species that include our study area in their winter range did not respond to either playback. This is the first evidence that birds react to vocal antipredator cues during migration, which may be a strategy used by migrants to learn about predators. Although residents failed to recognize a foreign cue, migrating birds responded most strongly to the out-of-context chickadee cue, associated with breeding grounds >2,000 km northward. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Odour transfer in stingless bee marmelada (Frieseomelitta varia) demonstrates that entrance guards use an “undesirable–absent” recognition system

In group-level recognition, discriminators use sensory information to distinguish group members and non-members. For example, entrance guards in eusocial insect colonies discriminate nestmates from intruders by comparing their odour with a template of the colony odour. Despite being a species-rich group of eusocial bees closely related to the honey bees, stingless bee nestmate recognition is a relatively little-studied area. We studied Frieseomelitta varia, a common Brazilian species of stingless bee known as marmelada. By measuring the rejection rates of nestmate and non-nestmate worker bees by guards, we were able to show that guards became significantly less accepting (from 91 to 46%) of nestmates that had acquired odour cues from non-nestmate workers; however, guards did not become significantly more accepting (from 31 to 42%) of non-nestmates that had acquired equivalent amounts of odour cues from the guard’s nestmates. These data strongly suggest that guards use an “undesirable–absent” system in recognition, whereby incoming conspecific workers are only accepted if undesirable cues are absent, despite the presence of desirable cues. We suggest that an undesirable–absent system is adaptive because robbing by conspecifics may be an important selective factor in F. varia, which would lead to selection for a non-permissive acceptance strategy by guards.     

Discrimination of different social companions in spectacled parrotlets (Forpus conspicillatus): evidence for individual vocal recognition

Individual recognition is generally assumed to be a prerequisite for establishing and maintaining a complex social system. Indeed, there is good evidence that highly social species have complex systems of vocal communication with individual recognition by acoustic cues. In this study, we provide experimental evidence that vocal class and individual recognition is present in a non-passerine bird, the spectacled parrotlet (Forpus conspicillatus). Spectacled parrotlets live in a complex system of social relationships. Soon after fledging, the young establish close sibling relationships which are important for successful socialization, pairing and reproduction. In a series of playback experiments we tested if spectacled parrotlets use contact calls for vocal recognition. The results showed that spectacled parrotlets discriminate between the contact calls of different social categories. Adult birds preferred to respond to the contact calls of their mates. Subadult individuals recognized the contact calls of their siblings. During the period of pair bond formation, the affiliative contacts to the siblings decrease, but the parrotlets continue to respond to the calls of their siblings. This is the first evidence that vocal sibling recognition might outlast the period of strong sibling interaction and extends into the period of pair bond formation. In cases of mate loss or divorce, the acoustic contact to their siblings might facilitate the re-establishment of close sibling relationships. Received: 29 October 1997 / Accepted after revision: 5 April 1998     

基于视频识别的直接作业环节安全管控

概述了石化行业现场直接作业环节的安全管控现状,分析了现场管控过程中存在的问题。考虑现场安全管理和监督监控的实际需要,设计了石化行业直接作业现场智能化管控系统,并深入研究作业现场违章行为图像识别的关键技术。现场应用表明,系统充分体现了日常管理、实时监控、智能报警、统计分析等方面的便利性和有效性,各类违章行为图像识别准确率达到80%以上,具有一定的推广价值。     

同位素示踪技术在沉积物重金属污染溯源中的应用

沉积物重金属污染及其防治愈来愈受重视,查明污染源是有效治理污染的前提。文章概述了近年来国内外铅、锶等同位素、放射性核素示踪技术在沉积物重金属污染溯源研究中的应用,针对以往研究工作的不足和存在的问题,指出了今后沉积物中重金属污染源解析研究中的重点:采用Pb、Sr、Zn等同位素示踪法,结合多元统计及其它元素地球化学信息追踪重金属污染源和评价污染程度。     

应用隶属函数的条件概率法综合判别雹云

本文提出应用隶属函数的条件概率法综合判别雹云。该方法把雹云和非雹云视作参数的模糊集合,因而在综合判别式中,每个参数对雹云和非雹云都有一个隶属度。利用成都市1982～1987年天气雷达回波历史资料,分别建立了全年、4～6月和7～8月的雹云等强对流天气的综合判别式,并用建立的模式对成都市1990年4～6月的7个强对流天气个例作试报检验。结果表明用该方法建立不同地区和不同季节的雹云等强对流天气综合判别式是可行的。     

YOLOv4目标检测算法在煤矿工人口罩佩戴监测工作中的应用研究*

为防止煤矿工人吸入过量粉尘而导致职业性尘肺病,基于Keras框架利用YOLOv4 (you only look once)目标检测算法对井下人员佩戴防尘口罩情况进行高精度且快速的检测与识别,并与MTCNN(Multi-task convolutional neural network)和FaceNet构成的人脸识别算法相结合,进行煤矿工人口罩佩戴监测的研究。结果表明:模型对井下人员口罩佩戴有较高的检测精度,识别已佩戴口罩的矿井下作业人员的平均精度达到92.78%,识别未佩戴防尘口罩检测的平均精度为91.63%,与其他主流算法相比算法具有更好的鲁棒性和检测效果。研究结果为预防煤矿工人职业性尘肺病提供1种有效的技术手段。     

锡矿山锑矿田硅化岩的稀土元素特征及其地质意义

湘中锡矿山锑矿田是世界闻名的超大型锑矿田。本文系统地叙述了该矿田该中各矿床蚀变硅化岩及其原岩的稀土元素地球化学特征 ,并在此基础上探讨了稀土元素所反映的地质意义。研究表明 ,尽管硅化岩的稀土元素地球化学特征与原岩相比有所改变 ,但仍可根据硅化岩的稀土元素地球化学特征来恢复原岩 ;根据硅化灰岩的稀土元素地球化学特征可以推测硅质岩的物质来源于地壳上部 ,结合本区硅化岩的硅同位素组成特点 ,可以推测硅质交代中的硅来源于周围地层 ;硅化岩的稀土元素变化特征证明了岩性为石灰岩的层位易于发生硅化 ,从而有利于矿化层的形成。