Ignoring the irrelevant: auditory tolerance of audible but innocuous sounds in the bat-detecting ears of moths

Noctuid moths listen for the echolocation calls of hunting bats and respond to these predator cues with evasive flight. The African bollworm moth, Helicoverpa armigera, feeds at flowers near intensely singing cicadas, Platypleura capensis, yet does not avoid them. We determined that the moth can hear the cicada by observing that both of its auditory receptors (A1 and A2 cells) respond to the cicada's song. The firing response of the A1 cell rapidly adapts to the song and develops spike periods in less than a second that are in excess of those reported to elicit avoidance flight to bats in earlier studies. The possibility also exists that for at least part of the day, sensory input in the form of olfaction or vision overrides the moth's auditory responses. While auditory tolerance appears to allow H. armigera to exploit a food resource in close proximity to acoustic interference, it may render their hearing defence ineffective and make them vulnerable to predation by bats during the evening when cicadas continue to sing. Our study describes the first field observation of an eared insect ignoring audible but innocuous sounds.     

Field-breeding birds on organic and conventional arable farms in the Netherlands

In this study territory densities of field-breeding farmland birds were compared on pairwise-selected organic and conventional arable farms for two years. Differences in territory densities between the two farm types were explained examining the effects of three factors on territory densities: (1) non-crop habitats, (2) crop types and (3) within-crop factors. In both years, densities of most species did not differ between organic and conventional farms. Only skylark and lapwing were more abundant on organic farms, but only skylarks showed a consistent pattern over both years. Differences in crop types grown between the two systems were the only explaining factor for differences in densities of skylark. For lapwing, the difference was only partly due to differences in crop type, but differences in within-crop factors (probably as a result of crop management) were likely to have had an effect as well. There were no significant differences in abundance of non-crop habitats between the two farming systems, so this could not explain differences in territory densities.     

Why do <Emphasis Type="Italic">Manduca sexta</Emphasis> feed from white flowers? Innate and learnt colour preferences in a hawkmoth

Flower colour is an important signal used by flowering plants to attract pollinators. Many anthophilous insects have an innate colour preference that is displayed during their first foraging bouts and which could help them locate their first nectar reward. Nevertheless, learning capabilities allow insects to switch their colour preferences with experience and thus, to track variation in floral nectar availability. Manduca sexta, a crepuscular hawkmoth widely studied as a model system for sensory physiology and behaviour, visits mostly white, night-blooming flowers lacking UV reflectance throughout its range in the Americas. Nevertheless, the spectral sensitivity of the feeding behaviour of naïve moths shows a narrow peak around 450 nm wavelengths, suggesting an innate preference for the colour blue. Under more natural conditions (i.e. broader wavelength reflectance) than in previous studies, we used dual choice experiments with blue- and white-coloured feeders to investigate the innate preference of naïve moths and trained different groups to each colour to evaluate their learning capabilities. We confirmed the innate preference of M. sexta for blue and found that these moths were able to switch colour preferences after training experience. These results unequivocally demonstrate that M. sexta moths innately prefer blue when presented against white flower models and offer novel experimental evidence supporting the hypothesis that learning capabilities could be involved in their foraging preferences, including their widely observed attraction to white flowers in nature.     

Corporate environmental responsibility in the supply chain

A continuing trend in outsourcing increases the complexity of supply chains. Global supply chains extend over numerous echelons of countless companies. In parallel, the company-internal view on corporate environmental responsibility is being challenged as customers and legislation alike broaden a company's environmental responsibility to include organisations' upstream as well as downstream in the supply chain. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine corporate environmental responsibility beyond corporate boundaries, i.e. in the supply chain. A cross-industrial study based on 16 case studies in Finnish trans-national corporations sheds light on various dimensions of corporate environmental responsibility upstream and downstream of product and process supply chains. Conclusions were drawn for corporate environmental responsibility as well as for the role of supply chain management in extending environmental demand over several echelons and diverse industries.     

东洞庭湖湿地景观空间结构的完整性分析

选取2005年东洞庭湖湿地的遥感影像,利用GIS技术、MapInfo Professional7.0 SCP软件和景观结构分析软件FRAGSTATS,应用景观生态学的理论和方法,对东洞庭湖湿地景观空间结构的完整性进行了分析。结果表明：（1）区域内斑块分维数相差不大,但沼泽和库塘湿地受人为干扰明显且形状规则,其分维数趋近于1。（2）区域内湿地景观类型体系中各类湿地所占比例差异不大,分配较均匀;多样性较低,优势度不明显;整个区域的破碎化程度较低,但各类景观类型破碎化程度差异明显,相对破坏性较大。（3）由于人类垦殖影响,斑块间隙指数较高。上述分析,为东洞庭湖湿地资源的开发和保护提供参阅资料和依据。     

浅论林业生产与生态环境建设

森林是陆地生态系统的主体。林业是一项重要的公益事业和基础产业,承担着生态建设和林产品供给的重要任务,做好林业工作意义十分重大。目前在林业生产中,环境没有得到应有的保护,造成生态环境恶化,反之又影响了林业生产,因此林业生产应当是在保护环境的前提下,采取多种办法解决问题,例如采取生态采伐、建立自然保护区、退耕还林、分类经营、林业体制改革等手段,既保护了生态环境又能使林业生产可持续发展。     

Allelopathic inhibition on red tide microalgae Skeletonema costatum by five macroalgal extracts

This study aims to identify effective antialgal allelochemicals from marine macroalgae that inhibit the growth of red tide microalgae. Practically, new algicidal agents were developed to control red tide. The growth inhibitory effects of 5 marine macroalgae Porphyra tenera, Laminaria japonica, Ulva pertusa, Enteromorpha clathrata, and Undaria pinnatifida on Skeletonema costatum were evaluated by adding crude seawater extracts of macroalgal dry tissue into the culture medium containing S. costatum. The half-effective concentrations at 120 h (EC_{50, 120 h}) of the seawater extracts were 0.6, 0.9, 1.0, 1.0, and 4.7 g/L for the five macroalgae above, respectively. E. clathrata, L. japonica and U. pertusa showed strong allelopathic effect on the growth of S. costatum. There have been no previous reports with regard to the allelopathic effects of the former two macroalgae so far. The possible allelochemicals of 21 compounds of the E. clathrata were detected using Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Unsaturated fatty acids, acrylic acid (C₃H₄O₂), and linolenic acid (C₁₈H₃₀O₂) were the most likely allelochemicals in E. clathrata.     

经济-生态导向的城市人口空间分布优化——以无锡市区为例

城市人口分布格局不仅受经济就业、生活质量、通勤距离等自组织分布要素的引导,还受到政府管制和调控的制约,不可能完全通过自组织而实现人口分布的优化。因此,除了阐释人口分布的自组织变动机制和影响因素外,还迫切需要研究人口分布对经济社会与资源环境方面的综合影响,进而提出优化的人口空间格局。在大量查阅人口分布相关理论的基础上,研究了城市人口空间分布模式,提出了生态约束、生产挤占、生活集聚、效益综合、顾及现状等人口优化分布原则,并运用随机与目标函数方法,建立人口空间分布优化模型。以无锡市区为例,基于丰富的人口、经济、资源、环境资料,进行城市空间生态保护、生产开发、生活居住价值评价,通过模型运算,提出优化的人口空间分布格局,为无锡市区人口分布调控提供依据。     

上海多自然型河流整治实践与探索

简要介绍上海河流整治的3个发展历程及各阶段的特征,总结了多自然型河流整治过程中基于河流整治的河流形态多样性保护与创建、生态护岸建设、生物多样性培育等技术研究成果,以及基于水质改善的水量水质数值模拟、水环境承载力评价、截污治污、水质修复等技术方法。以工程实例说明,河流形态多样化是创造河流生物生境的基础,生态护岸建设可以营造并促进生物生存环境改善,生物多样性培育可以恢复滨水生态系统,底泥疏浚与截污治污则是水质修复的基础与根本手段,水资源调度有效提高水环境承载能力,生物化学方法加快了水质修复的进程。最后,以多条河流的水质与生物监测结果说明不同技术在上海多自然型河流整治实践中的应用情况。     

Will progress in science and technology avert or accelerate global collapse? A critical analysis and policy recommendations

Industrial society will move towards collapse if its total environmental impact (I), expressed either in terms of energy and materials use or in terms of pollution, increases with time, i.e., dI/dt > 0. The traditional interpretation of the I = PAT equation reflects the optimistic belief that technological innovation, particularly improvements in eco-efficiency, will significantly reduce the technology (T) factor, and thereby result in a corresponding decline in impact (I). Unfortunately, this interpretation of the I = PAT equation ignores the effects of technological change on the other two factors: population (P) and per capita affluence (A). A more heuristic formulation of this equation is I = P(T)·A(T)·T in which the dependence of P and A on T is apparent. From historical evidence, it is clear that technological revolutions (tool-making, agricultural, and industrial) have been the primary driving forces behind successive population explosions, and that modern communication and transportation technologies have been employed to transform a large proportion of the world’s inhabitants into consumers of material- and energy-intensive products and services. In addition, factor analysis from neoclassical growth theory and the rebound effect provide evidence that science and technology have played a key role in contributing to rising living standards. While technological change has thus contributed to significant increases in both P and A, it has at the same time brought about considerable eco-efficiency improvements. Unfortunately, reductions in the T-factor have generally not been sufficiently rapid to compensate for the simultaneous increases in both P and A. As a result, total impact, in terms of energy production, mineral extraction, land-use and CO₂ emissions, has in most cases increased with time, indicating that industrial society is nevertheless moving towards collapse. The belief that continued and even accelerated scientific research and technological innovation will automatically result in sustainability and avert collapse is at best mistaken. Innovations in science and technology will be necessary but alone will be insufficient for sustainability. Consequently, what is most needed are specific policies designed to decrease total impact, such as (a) halting population growth via effective population stabilization plans and better access to birth control methods, (b) reducing total matter-energy throughput and pollution by removing perverse subsidies, imposing regulations that limit waste discharges and the depletion of non-renewable resources, and implementing ecological tax reform, and (c) moving towards a steady-state economy in which per-capita affluence is stabilized at lower levels by replacing wasteful conspicuous material consumption with social alternatives known to enhance subjective well-being. While science and technology must play an important role in the implementation of these policies, none will be enacted without a fundamental change in society’s dominant values of growth and exploitation. Thus, value change is the most important prerequisite for avoiding global collapse.