The superseded female's dilemma: ultimate and proximate factors that influence guarding behaviour of the carpenter bee Xylocopa pubescens

Both solitary and primitively social nests of the facultatively social carpenter bee Xylocopa pubescens can be found throughout most of the breeding season. In social nests there is reproductive division of labour between a dominant forager and a guarding female. Two types of guarding females can be discerned: the young pre-reproductive guards, and older, formerly reproductive guards. The latter type of guard is found when, after a take-over of reproductive dominance either by a nestmate (mostly a daughter) or an intruder, the defeated female stays in the nest instead of leaving to try and found or usurp another nest. She is then manipulated into the role of a guard. The dominant female profits from the presence of the guard since she protects the nest against pollen robbery by conspecifics (Hogendoorn and Velthuis 1993). We have studied why superseded females might prefer to remain as a guard, rather than try their luck somewhere else. The hypotheses investigated pertain to (1) the difficulty for the defeated female of finding a new nest and of restarting reproductive activities due to (a) ecological constraints (nest and pollen shortage) and (b) the effect of age and wear on the defeated female; (2) the effects of guarding in terms of inclusive fitness. We found that superseded females remained as guards significantly more often when a nestmate (not necessarily close kin) took over reproductive dominance than when an intruder did so. Other factors associated with the decision of the defeated female to stay or leave were her age and the number of her own young still present after the supersedure. The probability of finding or constructing a new nest was lower for old than for young females. After finding a nest, old females produced less brood than young foundresses. As a result of these two factors old superseded females gained, in terms of inclusive fitness, by staying as guards, whereas young females profited from leaving the nest. We interpret these results as an indication that guarding behaviour has evolved due to kin selection. However, kin discrimination apparently did not occur. Therefore we conclude that in this species kin selection is not, in the proximate frame of reference, based on kin recognition and preference for helping kin. Correspondence to: K. Hogendoorn     

炼铁厂高炉原料仓料位计的选择与应用

高炉料仓环境条件恶劣，而高炉生产又要掌握料位情况。比较了2种料位计，最终选择了SA—2型料位计。     

供应链信息风险的形成机理和防范对策

笔者首先论述了供应链的信息风险 ,即牛鞭效应 ,供应链中的逆向选择、败德行为 ;然后分别从管理学角度、经济学理论、系统论分析了供应链信息风险形成的机理 ;最后 ,根据信息风险的机理 ,通过利用现代信息技术 ,建立激励机制 ,签定合同中防范牛鞭效应 ,防范供应链中的逆向选择和败德行为的发生。     

稠油污水处理系统改造与絮凝剂筛选试验研究

河南油田井楼稠油联合站含油污水中的污油和悬浮物含量较高,超过150mg/L。为此,对该处理系统进行了改造,并对絮凝剂的筛选进行了试验。结果表明:无机絮凝剂与有机絮凝剂联合作用,可对污水中所含有的污油和有机物杂质的悬浮物产生很好的絮凝沉降效果。加药浓度、加药顺序及沉降时间均对絮凝沉降效果有一定的影响。改造后的污水处理系统实现了污水达标回注,降低了无效回注费用。同时还回收了污油,降低了药剂成本,产生了十分明显的经济效益,每年节约成本约500万元。     

信息不对称下的金融风险机理研究

利用信息不对称理论对市场交易中的道德风险和逆向选择进行了解释。对国家同商业银行及中介机构的信息不对称,商业银行同工商企业的信息不对称,国家金融机构信息获取方面存在的困难的原因进行了分析。研究了由于信息不对称利率、汇率、管理及决策在金融行业的风险,以及操作过程中,贷款对象选择,对中小企业贷款的风险。只要充分重视金融风险,采取得当的防范对策,风险是可以防范的。     

炼化废水絮凝剂筛选实验

中国石油大连石化公司的生产废水不仅具有炼化废水的复杂性,而且其中含有大量的氯离子,给絮凝药剂的筛选带来一定的困难。通过对715、728两种絮凝药剂的现场应用实验,找出了不同水质情况下的最佳投药量。实验结果表明,当污水中含油量大于100mg/L时,715药剂加入量控制在150～180mg/L,728的加入量为4mg/L,此时油、SS、COD、浊度的去除率分别为92%、41%、41%和82%。当污水含油量在30mg/L以下时,715药剂加入量为90～120mg/L,728加入量为2.7～3.3mg/L,此时油、SS、COD、浊度的去除率分别为74%、71%、38%和89%。经实验筛选出的这两种药剂可以利用现有的加药系统设备加入污水,加药处理后能提高出水的水质。     

Fine‐resolution conservation planning with limited climate‐change information

Climate‐change induced uncertainties in future spatial patterns of conservation‐related outcomes make it difficult to implement standard conservation‐planning paradigms. A recent study translates Markowitz's risk‐diversification strategy from finance to conservation settings, enabling conservation agents to use this diversification strategy for allocating conservation and restoration investments across space to minimize the risk associated with such uncertainty. However, this method is information intensive and requires a large number of forecasts of ecological outcomes associated with possible climate‐change scenarios for carrying out fine‐resolution conservation planning. We developed a technique for iterative, spatial portfolio analysis that can be used to allocate scarce conservation resources across a desired level of subregions in a planning landscape in the absence of a sufficient number of ecological forecasts. We applied our technique to the Prairie Pothole Region in central North America. A lack of sufficient future climate information prevented attainment of the most efficient risk‐return conservation outcomes in the Prairie Pothole Region. The difference in expected conservation returns between conservation planning with limited climate‐change information and full climate‐change information was as large as 30% for the Prairie Pothole Region even when the most efficient iterative approach was used. However, our iterative approach allowed finer resolution portfolio allocation with limited climate‐change forecasts such that the best possible risk‐return combinations were obtained. With our most efficient iterative approach, the expected loss in conservation outcomes owing to limited climate‐change information could be reduced by 17% relative to other iterative approaches.     

Soil and preen waxes influence the expression of carotenoid-based plumage coloration

The signaling function of carotenoid-based plumage is mainly determined by the concentration of pigments in feathers. For this reason, most studies of the proximate control of coloration focus on processes during and preceding moult. In great tits Parus major, past research demonstrates that carotenoid-based plumage coloration honestly indicates male quality and, thus, may be a sexually selected signal. In this study, we investigate how dirt and preen oil influence the coloration of carotenoid-based feathers in the great tit. We collected six feathers from each individual bird; three feathers served as controls while the remaining three feathers were washed with a chloroform/methanol mixture to remove soil and preen waxes. We assessed plumage coloration using digital photography. This cleaning procedure slightly enhanced ornamentation; the experimentally cleaned feathers expressed hues shifted towards shorter wavelengths and expressed brighter overall coloration than control feathers. This is the first experimental study conducted on wild birds demonstrating that, in addition to pigment concentration, the presence of preen waxes and soils on feathers may contribute to variation in coloration.     

连续流膜生物反应器中好氧颗粒污泥的形成及机制探讨

为了探讨好氧颗粒污泥在连续流膜生物反应器(MBR)中的形成过程和机制,采用连续流试验的方法,研究了好氧颗粒污泥形成过程中膜反应器内污染物的去除效果和好氧颗粒污泥特性的变化,并对连续流MBR中好氧颗粒污泥的形成机制进行了探讨.结果显示,连续流MBR中好氧颗粒污泥的形成增强了MBR的运行稳定性和抗冲击能力.废水中微生物抑制...