Double-brooded great tits (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Parus major</Emphasis>) in Mediterranean oak habitats: Do first broods always perform better than second broods?

Although mistimed reproduction (i.e., time-lag between peak food supply and offspring food demand) has been attributed to habitat modifications or climate change in recent avian investigations, earlier breeding parents have higher reproductive success in many habitats. Here we compare first and second broods in great tits (Parus major L.) from two Mediterranean oak habitats differing significantly in the timing (about 5 weeks), but not the amount of caterpillar supply required to rear chicks. The study indicates that both the extent of mistimed reproduction and the breeding date per se influence breeding performance in this study system. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

A novel L1CAM mutation with L1 spectrum disorders

X-linked hydrocephalus, HSAS (hydrocephalus due to stenosis of aqueduct of Sylvius), MASA (mental retardation, aphasia, shuffling gait, and adducted thumbs), and CRASH (corpus callosum hypoplasia, retardation, adducted thumbs, spastic paraplegia, and hydrocephalus) syndromes are allelic disorders. X-linked hydrocephalus and associated phenotypes are due to mutations in the L1CAM gene, which has been identified as a coding neural cell adhesion molecule. We report two cases of L1 spectrum disorders within the same family. The first case was diagnosed by ultrasonographic examination prenatally and the second case was diagnosed postnatally. Both patients and their mothers carry a novel mutation of the L1CAM gene. In this family, nine X-linked hydrocephalus and five female carriers were found in three generations, and molecular genetic analysis was performed to detect the asymptomatic carriers. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

蜈蚣草中芘与砷的赋存特征及其相互作用

超富集植物蜈蚣草能够累积土壤环境中的砷,为探明蜈蚣草植株中芘的赋存特征及其与砷的相互作用,采用双光子激光共聚焦扫描显微技术检测观察芘在该植物中赋存和分布规律.结果表明,添加芘导致蜈蚣草各部位砷含量显著降低,其中叶部和茎部砷含量下降幅度达35%左右,根部砷含量减少20.5%.芘的添加使得植物各部位三价砷比例下降,五价砷比例升高,蜈蚣草叶部三价砷和五价砷赋存浓度下降幅度最大,下降幅度分别为42.2%和32.49%.添加砷可促进蜈蚣草根部和茎部中芘的积累,每株分别增加了9.8μg和139 ng,但对叶部中芘的积累无显著影响.芘主要分布于蜈蚣草细胞膜与细胞内部的细胞器膜结构及细胞核核膜附近,但细胞质中芘的含量较少,茎部韧皮部与皮层以及叶部栅栏组织和海绵组织中几乎没有检测到芘.     

镉-八氯代二苯并呋喃复合污染土壤中紫茉莉对镉的修复能力

针对土壤重金属-持久性有机物复合污染日益严重的现象,本研究以镉(Cd)和1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9-八氯代二苯并呋喃(OCDF)为典型的重金属和持久性有机污染物,选取紫茉莉为修复植物,通过温室盆栽实验研究Cd-OCDF复合污染土壤中植物的耐性以及有机物对植物提取土壤中Cd能力的影响.结果表明种植3个月期间,紫茉莉在Cd浓度≤200 mg·kg-1的复合污染土壤中具有较强的耐性,株高和生物量降低有限;与Cd单一污染相比,OCDF对紫茉莉株高、根部生物量无显著影响,Cd浓度200 mg·kg-1,OCDF浓度500μg·kg-1时,OCDF存在使紫茉莉地上生物量降低22.19%,其它处理组,OCDF对紫茉莉地上生物量无显著抑制作用,反而某些处理组增加紫茉莉地上生物量.Cd-OCDF复合污染效应与Cd单一污染相比,Cd浓度为200 mg·kg-1,OCDF浓度为100μg·kg-1时,紫茉莉根部Cd积累量降低了34.44%,Cd浓度为400 mg·kg-1,OCDF浓度为100μg·kg-1时,根部和叶部Cd积累量分别降低了7.93%和18.09%;其它处理组,OCDF不同程度地提高了紫茉莉根、茎、叶提取和积累土壤中Cd的能力.可见,用紫茉莉修复高浓度Cd-OCDF复合污染土壤中的Cd具有实践上的可行性.     

Food-exchange by foragers in the hive – a means of communication among honey bees?

Dancing and trophallactic behaviour of forager honey bees, Apis mellifera ligustica >Spinola, that returned from an automatic feeder with a regulated flow rate of 50% weight-to-weight sucrose solution (range: 0.76–7.65 μl/min) were studied in an observation hive. Behavioural parameters of dancing, such as probability, duration and dance tempo, increased with the nectar flow rate, though with very different response curves among bees. For trophallaxis (i.e. mouth-to-mouth exchange of food), the frequency of giving-contacts and the transfer rate of the nectar increased with the nectar flow rate. After unloading, foragers often approached other nest mates and begged for food before returning to the food source. This behaviour was less frequent at higher nectar flow rates. These results show that the profitability of a food source in terms of nectar flow rate had a quantitative representation in the hive through quantitative changes in trophallactic and dancing behaviour. The role of trophallaxis as a communication channel during recruitment is discussed. Received: 14 January 1995/Accepted after revision: 14 August 1995     

The behavioral component in the meaning of places

How do people think about the physical setting in the world around them? Part of the answer to this question may be in terms of the behaviors that occur there. To explore people's knowledge of behavior—place associations, twenty places (shown via color photographs) were assessed in five ways: (a) ratings of the place's suitability for each of eleven behaviors, (b) ratings of the expected frequency of occurrence of the eleven behaviors, (c) free listings of reasons for going to each place, (d) free listings of activities-while-there and (e) free listings of activities associated with the place. Results showed that people can distinguish places on the basis of behaviors, that the behavioral component of place meaning is composed of distinct aspects, and that knowledge of behavior is related to a global, overall representation of a place.     

Recent Levels of Radionuclide Contamination in the Eastern Ural Radioactive Trace and Biological Effects in Local Populations of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Plantago major</Emphasis> L.

The results of the study have shown that the stocks of ⁹⁰Sr and ¹³⁷Cs in the frontal part of the EURT are 6700–15000 and 200–400 kBq/m², respectively. The coefficients of their accumulation in different herbaceous plant species in this impact zone are lower than in other areas. The accumulative capability of plants has probably decreased in the course of selection as an adaptation to the effect of radiation. The viability and growth parameters of Plantago major L. seeds from the EURT zone are similar to those of seeds from the background sample. Cenopopulations chronically exposed to radiation are characterized by a higher mutation rate in the progeny and an unstable response to additional acute irradiation in most characters studied. A high level of inbreeding is observed in all P. major cenopopulations of plantain. The cenopopulation of the impact zone is characterized by a lower variation of allozyme loci, which may be a result of stringent selection for individuals better adapted to the complex of conditions existing in its habitat.     

乙虫腈悬浮剂对新出房意大利蜜蜂的毒性研究

乙虫腈是在我国登记并广泛使用的氟虫腈替代药剂,其商品化制剂为拜尔公司研发的100 g·L~(-1)悬浮剂,目前关于乙虫腈制剂对非靶标生物的毒性研究少有报道。为探究乙虫腈制剂对蜜蜂的毒性作用,采用人工饲喂法分别测定了100 g·L~(-1)乙虫腈悬浮剂对新出房意大利蜜蜂的48 h急性和14 d慢性毒性作用。结果显示:乙虫腈悬浮剂对新出房意大利蜜蜂的48 hLC_(50)值为0.21 mg·L~(-1)(95%置信限0.16～0.26 mg·L~(-1)),相应的48 h-LD50为5.0×10~(-3)μg a.i.·蜂~(-1)(95%置信限1.0×10~(-3)～1.0×10~(-2)μg a.i.·蜂~(-1));在亚致死剂量下,蜜蜂死亡数量随暴露时间的延长而增多,且100 g·L~(-1)乙虫腈悬浮剂会引起蜜蜂显著的氧化应激反应,诱导抗氧化酶SOD和CAT活力、脂质过氧化产物MDA含量、解毒酶GST活力和底物GSH含量的显著变化。研究表明,乙虫腈悬浮剂对意大利蜜蜂毒性较高,即使在亚致死剂量下亦存在显著的影响。田间施用应防止药剂的漂移污染,并避免在作物花期施用;新出房意大利蜜蜂对药剂敏感,未来可探索其作为风险指示生物应用的可能。     

Emission reduction and profit-neutral permit allocations

The present paper addresses two policy objectives: to implement a market for pollution permits and to make regulation acceptable for businesses. Profit-neutral permit allocations are defined as the number of permits that the regulator should give for free so that post-regulation profits (i.e. a firm's profits in the products market plus the value of the allowances granted for free) are equal to pre-regulation profits. The proposed model is developed by assuming that firms use polluting technologies and compete “à la Cournot”. The paper demonstrates that a low number of free allowances is sufficient to meet these two goals. Moreover, the regulator can fully offset losses, even when the reduction in emissions is high, provided that the sectors concerned are not monopolies, both for isoelastic and linear demand functions.     

Tell the truth or not? The montero mechanism for emissions control at work

We experimentally test the truth-telling mechanism proposed by Montero (2008) for eliciting firms' abatement costs. We compare this mechanism with two well-known alternative allocation mechanisms, free and costly allocation of permits at the Pigouvian price. Controlling for the number of firms and the firms' maximal emissions, we find that, in line with the theoretical predictions, firms over-report their maximal emissions under free allocation of permits and under-report these under costly allocation of permits. Under Montero's mechanism, by contrast, firms almost always report their maximal emissions truthfully. However, in terms of efficiency, the difference between Montero's mechanism and costly allocation disappears with industries including more than one firm.