Vocal interactions in common nightingales (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Luscinia megarhynchos</Emphasis>): males take it easy after pairing

Seasonal patterns of bird song have been studied intensively with a focus on individual males. However, little is known about seasonal patterns of singing during vocal interactions between males. Vocal interactions have been shown to be important in sexual selection as males may signal aspects of motivation or quality. Here, we investigated in nightingales (Luscinia megarhynchos) whether a male’s behaviour in vocal interactions at different stages of the breeding season is influenced by its mating status. We examined how males that differ in their subsequent mating success respond to a non-interactive, nocturnal playback presented during the period of mate attraction and subsequently during the egg-laying period. We found that mated males overlapped fewer songs and had a lower song rate during the egg-laying period compared to their responses during the mate-attraction period, whereas unpaired males did not vary in their responses between the two periods. Our results suggest that mating status is a key factor affecting singing behaviour in vocal interactions and that a time-specific singing pattern like song overlapping is used flexibly during vocal interactions. Because song overlapping is thought to be a signal of aggression in male–male vocal interactions, it seems that males vary the level of aggression in vocal interactions according to their mating status and to the stage in the breeding season.     

钙硼复合对土壤锌吸附-解吸热力学和动力学的影响

酸性紫色土对锌的等温吸附 -解吸和动力学试验表明 :锌的等温吸附符合 L angmuir方程 ,最大吸附量为15 3.8mg/kg土。钙、硼与锌复合 ,均降低土壤锌的最大吸附量及结合常数 K。所吸持的锌的解吸量和解吸率小 ,钙和硼均降低了锌的解吸率。土壤吸附锌的动力学以 Elovich方程 (Ct=a+blnt)描述最佳 ,反映土壤对锌吸附速率大小的方程参数 b值以 Zn>Zn+Ca+B>Zn+B>Zn+Ca。     

Assessing the toxicity and teratogenicity of pond water in north-central minnesota to amphibians

BACKGROUND: Incidence of amphibian deformities have increased in recent years, especially in the northern region of the United States. While many factors have been proposed as being responsible for generating deformities (e.g., contaminants, ultraviolet radiation [UV], parasites), no single cause has been definitively established. METHODS: To determine whether waterborne chemicals are responsible for amphibian deformities in ponds in north-central Minnesota, we deployed semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) in an impacted and a reference site to accumulate lipophilic contaminants. We then exposed native tadpoles (northern leopard frogs; Rana pipiens) to the SPMD extracts combined with two agricultural pesticides (atrazine, carbaryl) at two levels of UV radiation. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: UV radiation alone caused a slight increase in hatching success and tadpole growth rate. Deformity rate among hatchlings was high following exposure to SPMD extracts from the reference site in the absence of UV, suggesting that chemicals present at this site are broken down by UV to less harmful forms, or become less bioavailable. Conversely, impacted site SPMD extracts caused hatchling deformities only in the presence of UV, suggesting that UV potentiates the teratogenicity of the compounds present there. Impacted site SPMD extracts significantly increased the number of bony triangles among metamorphs, a common deformity observed at this site. The incidence of skin webbings increased significantly with SPMD extracts from both sites as well as with our pesticide control containing atrazine and carbaryl alone. CONCLUSIONS: Higher deformity rates among tadpoles reared in the presence of UV radiation and SPMD extracts from sites where deformities are common indicates a chemical compound (or compounds) in the water at this site may be causing the deformities. RECOMMENDATIONS AND OUTLOOK: It is important to examine the effects of chemical stressors in the presence of other natural stressors (e.g., UV radiation) to gain a better understanding of how multiple stressors work to impact amphibians and amphibian populations.     

Constitutive or induced defences - how does <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eucalyptus globulus</Emphasis> defend itself from larval feeding?

Summary. Following herbivory, induced responses involving plant secondary metabolites have been reported in a number of tree species. Although a wide range of plant secondary metabolites appear to operate as constitutive plant defences in trees belonging to the Eucalyptus genus, no induced responses have as yet been reported following foliar-chewing insect damage. We empirically tested whether branch defoliation (artificial and larval) of 2-year-old Eucalyptus globulus Labill. trees altered the abundance of specific plant secondary metabolites immediately (3 months after initial larval feeding) and 8 months after the cessation of larval feeding. Metabolites assayed, included essential oils, polyphenolic groups and foliar wax compounds and in all cases their abundance was not significantly altered by defoliation. However, the level of foliar tannins after 3 months of larval feeding did display a trend that suggested elevated levels as the result of defoliation, though this trend was not evident 8 months later, indicating that, if real, the response was a rapid and not a delayed induced response. The level of foliar tannins was also negatively correlated to both average larval survival and average percentage branch defoliation, suggesting that foliar tannins may operate as toxins and/or anti-feedants to M. privata larval feeding.     

Preventing behavioural interactions with a male facilitates sex change in female bluebanded gobies, Lythrypnus dalli

Sex change in marine teleost fishes is commonly regulated by social factors. In species that exhibit protogynous sex change, such as the bluebanded goby Lythrypnus dalli, the most dominant female typically initiates sex change when a male is removed from the social group. Females can use visual, chemical or tactile cues to assess the presence or absence of a male. The primary goal of our study was to determine whether the olfactory and visual presence of a male versus its behavioural interactions with females were important for mediating sex change. We exposed females to three different treatments: absence of a male, presence of a male that could physically interact with her and presence of a male behind a barrier that allowed visual and olfactory interactions but prohibited physical interactions. Sex change occurred in the absence of a male but not in the presence of a male that could physically interact with the female. The presence of a male behind the barrier did not prevent sex change but affected the timing of sex change. Season appeared to affect the latency to initiate male typical courtship, with a delay at the end of the reproductive season only when the male was present behind the barrier. We discuss the seasonal results in terms of L. dalli life history and the potential benefits and costs of changing sex late in the season in the presence or absence of aggressive reinforcement by the male. Our results identify direct behavioural interactions as an important proximate mechanism in the social regulation of sex change in L. dalli.     

Intra-specific interactions influence egg composition in the lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus)

Egg composition, which is under maternal control, can have a profound effect on offspring fitness. The presence of maternal testosterone and carotenoids in avian egg yolk, for example, is thought to enhance the development and competitive ability of the offspring and protect the hatching and growing chick against oxidative stress. Egg quality often differs between females and such variation can be due to differences in maternal social environment, e.g. breeding density. However, this is confounded by the possibility that the quality of individuals breeding in high- or low-density areas may vary. We tested if maternal social environment influences egg composition in a colonial seabird, the lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus). To control for confounding effects of female quality, we experimentally manipulated maternal social environment during egg formation. We increased the frequency of intra-specific interactions (i.e. aggressive encounters with conspecifics other than nest mates) in which the females were involved, by placing an elevated platform in their territory. Females that took part in more intra-specific interactions produced a heavier last egg, but the yolk testosterone concentration in eggs laid by control and experimental females did not differ. Differences in yolk testosterone concentration in relation to embryo sex were found neither in the control nor in the experimental group. In contrast, within the control group, eggs with a male embryo contained more carotenoids than eggs with a female embryo. Moreover, experimental females that had been involved in more intra-specific interactions produced female eggs with higher carotenoid levels compared to female eggs of control birds. An experimental increase in carotenoid levels was not observed in eggs containing a male embryo. Our results suggest that intra-specific interactions experienced by female birds during egg formation can influence conditions for embryonic development.Communicated by J. Graves     

Characterization of flow and transport processes within the unsaturated zone of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, under current and future climates

This paper presents a large-scale modeling study characterizing fluid flow and tracer transport in the unsaturated zone of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, a potential repository site for storing high-level radioactive waste. The study has been conducted using a three-dimensional numerical model, which incorporates a wide variety of field data and takes into account the coupled processes of flow and transport in the highly heterogeneous, unsaturated fractured porous rock. The modeling approach is based on a dual-continuum formulation of coupled multiphase fluid and tracer transport through fractured porous rock. Various scenarios of current and future climate conditions and their effects on the unsaturated zone are evaluated to aid in the assessment of the proposed repository's system performance using different conceptual models. These models are calibrated against field-measured data. Model-predicted flow and transport processes under current and future climates are discussed.     

Group effect on individual locomotor activity of common toad (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Bufo bufo</Emphasis> L.) and brown frog (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Rana temporaria</Emphasis> L.) tadpoles

Different components of group effect on the locomotor activity of single common toad and brown frog tadpoles have been studied by estimating the length of their trajectories, the speed of movement, the number of crossings of experimental field zones, and the number and duration of stops. The results show that toad tadpoles are more active than frog tadpoles. Conspecific metabolites added to the water do not change the pattern of their locomotor activity. Under conditions of visual contact with other tadpoles, locomotor activity of a toad tadpole decreases, whereas that of a frog tadpole increases. Thus, tadpoles of the two amphibian species show species-specific behavioral responses to changes in experimental conditions.     

Identifying and Managing Threatened Invertebrates through Assessment of Coextinction Risk

Abstract: Invertebrates with specific host species may have a high probability of extinction when their hosts have a high probability of extinction. Some of these invertebrates are more likely to go extinct than their hosts, and under some circumstances, specific actions to conserve the host may be detrimental to the invertebrate. A critical constraint to identifying such invertebrates is uncertainty about their level of host specificity. We used two host‐breadth models that explicitly incorporated uncertainty in the host specificity of an invertebrate species. We devised a decision protocol to identify actions that may increase the probability of persistence of a given dependent species. The protocol included estimates from the host‐breadth models and decision nodes to identify cothreatened species. We applied the models and protocol to data on 1055 insects (186 species) associated with 2 threatened (as designated by the Australian Government) plant species and 19 plant species that are not threatened to determine whether any insect herbivores have the potential to become extinct if the plant becomes extinct. According to the host‐breadth models, 18 species of insect had high host specificity to the threatened plant species. From these 18 insects, the decision protocol highlighted 6 species that had a high probability of extinction if their hosts were to become extinct (3% of all insects examined). The models and decision protocol have added objectivity and rigor to the process of deciding which dependent invertebrates require conservation action, particularly when dealing with largely unknown and speciose faunas.     

Effects of Climate Change,Invasive Species,and Disease on the Distribution of Native European Crayfishes

Climate change will require species to adapt to new conditions or follow preferred climates to higher latitudes or elevations, but many dispersal‐limited freshwater species may be unable to move due to barriers imposed by watershed boundaries. In addition, invasive nonnative species may expand into new regions under future climate conditions and contribute to the decline of native species. We evaluated future distributions for the threatened European crayfish fauna in response to climate change, watershed boundaries, and the spread of invasive crayfishes, which transmit the crayfish plague, a lethal disease for native European crayfishes. We used climate projections from general circulation models and statistical models based on Mahalanobis distance to predict climate‐suitable regions for native and invasive crayfishes in the middle and at the end of the 21st century. We identified these suitable regions as accessible or inaccessible on the basis of major watershed boundaries and present occurrences and evaluated potential future overlap with 3 invasive North American crayfishes. Climate‐suitable areas decreased for native crayfishes by 19% to 72%, and the majority of future suitable areas for most of these species were inaccessible relative to native and current distributions. Overlap with invasive crayfish plague‐transmitting species was predicted to increase. Some native crayfish species (e.g., noble crayfish [Astacus astacus]) had no future refugia that were unsuitable for the modeled nonnative species. Our results emphasize the importance of preventing additional introductions and spread of invasive crayfishes in Europe to minimize interactions between the multiple stressors of climate change and invasive species, while suggesting candidate regions for the debatable management option of assisted colonization. Efectos del Cambio Climático, Especies Invasoras y Enfermedades sobre la Distribución de Cangrejos de Río Europeos Nativos