Roles of male residence and relative size in the social behavior of Iberian rock lizards, Lacerta monticola

Many studies on contest competition used residency asymmetry as a discrete variable. However, the probability of winning an interaction may change as a continuous function of the value of the location where the encounter occurs. We performed a field study to examine the importance of location within a home range and relative body size to the outcomes of agonistic interactions between male lizards, Lacerta monticola. The distances to activity centers (the most used locations based on a density function of sightings) and relative size play important roles in agonistic interactions and had interacting effects in natural conditions. On the other hand, previous studies with lizards suggested that inferior competitors are able to avoid agonistic interactions in the field. Thus, we staged encounters in the laboratory to examine the behavioral responses of smaller individuals. The responses of each focal smaller male were measured in its own home cage (resident), in the cage of a larger male (intruder) and in a cage in which no male was previously present (control). The predominant behavioral tactics of smaller males were avoidance when they are the intruders and displaying when they are the residents. Submissive displays by smaller males may help reduce the costs of agonistic encounters.     

Antipredator responses of California ground squirrels to rattlesnakes and rattling sounds: the roles of sex,reproductive parity,and offspring age in assessment and decision-making rules

California ground squirrels (Spermophilus beecheyi) and northern Pacific rattlesnakes (Crotalus viridus oreganus) have an adversarial relationship. Adults are partially protected by venom resistance and harass rattlesnakes in part to defend their more vulnerable offspring. Larger, warmer snakes are more dangerous than smaller colder snakes, and in escalated conflict squirrels could benefit from risk assessment strategies. Rattlesnakes often rattle at harassing squirrels and rattling sounds produce cues related to body size and temperature. In study 1 we played back rattling sounds from snakes that varied in dangerousness and evaluated the roles of sex and parity in squirrel risk assessment strategies. In general, squirrels tail flagged and stood bipedally more, and were slower to reapproach the playback speaker following playbacks of rattling sounds from more dangerous snakes. In comparison with males and nonmothers, mothers were most responsive to rattling sounds and more sensitive to variation in snake dangerousness. Mothers tail flagged more than males and nonmothers, and this behavior tracked variation in snake dangerousness most closely, perhaps reflecting the effects of snake size and temperature on pup vulnerability. These findings suggest that many aspects of squirrel antisnake behavior are governed by their effects on descendant kin. In study 2 we tested the effects of offspring age on mothers responses to live rattlesnakes and rattling sounds. According to the offspring value hypothesis, mothers should take more risks in defense of older offspring because they are more likely to survive to reproductive age. By contrast, under the offspring vulnerability hypothesis, older offspring are less vulnerable to predators and thus mothers should take fewer risks. Risk-taking, as measured by behaviors that bring the squirrel close to the snakes strike range, was either unaffected by or negatively correlated with offspring age. Thus, our findings suggest that whereas offspring value is unimportant in squirrel antisnake behavior, offspring vulnerability may affect maternal defense. We suggest that offspring vulnerability in mammals, in comparison with birds, may play a larger role in parental defense against predators.Communicated by P.A. BednekoffAn erratum to this article can be found at     

阊江河1～6级支流大型底栖无脊椎动物取食功能团演变特征

河流连续性概念(rivercontinuumconcept,RCC)将自然河流生态系统视为物理和生物的连续体,河流物理环境的梯度变化决定了生物的演变格局.为探索自然河流系统受人类干扰后大型底栖无脊椎动物的演变规律,作者于2002年5月、8月、11月对安徽省祁门县阊江河1~6级支流的大型底栖无脊椎动物进行了调查,共获7纲57科101属119种,计8813头,并详细记载了各级支流样点的栖境特点.运用“河流连续性概念”理论分析结果表明该河1~6级支流大型底栖无脊椎动物各取食功能团演变趋势符合该理论,但上游至下游的生物区系演替程度明显小于未受干扰的自然河流,1~6级支流各功能团的分布(P/%)梯度变化趋于平缓,仅捕食者数量分布与理论预测模式比较接近.各级支流相同取食功能团的优势类群各异,其种类的耐污能力随河流级别的增加总体呈上升趋势.同级支流各取食功能团的分布(P/%)比例存在季节性差异.图2表3参15     

庐山春季降水与云雾水化学组成的比较

庐山春季高山降水和云雾水均已严重酸化，所采样品的ｐＨ值全部小于５．６，主要酸性物质是硫酸，硝酸占次要地位；云雾水中离子浓度高于降水，且酸度强于降水；对不同相态降水的比较表明，固相降水组成比雨不高２－６倍，但ｐＨ值比雨水高０．６。而氧化性物质Ｈ２Ｏ２在降水中浓度高于云雾水中浓度，液相降水中浓度于固相降水。     

Determinants of parental effort: a behavioural study in the Eurasian kestrel,Falco tinnunculus

We recorded behaviour of kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) in western Finland during the courtship (1988–1992), incubation (1989–1991), early nestling (age of young 1–2 weeks, 1989–1992) and late nestling stages (3–4 weeks, 1989–1991) to examine determinants of their parental effort (PE). In males, PE was estimated as the hunting effort (the proportion of budget time spent in flight-hunting) and in females as the food provisioning rate (number of prey items delivered to the nest per hour). The following predictions derived from the parental investment theory were examined. (1) Parents rearing large clutches and broods should invest more in breeding than do parents rearing small clutches and broods. The hunting effort of parents did not increase with clutch or brood size, but males tending large broods had a higher prey delivery rate than males tending small broods (Figs 1–2). (2) PE of parents should increase in the course of the breeding season. In males, this was true only between the incubation and early nestling phases (Fig. 3). (3) The early pairs should invest more in breeding than late ones. This tended to be true during the early (for males) and late nestling phases (for females) (Fig. 4). (4) There should be a negative correlation between PE of mates within pairs, but no evidence for such adjustment was found (Fig. 5). (5) Females mated with bright-coloured attractive males should show higher PE than females mated with dull-coloured males but our results were inconsistent with this prediction. We conclude that PE decisions of kestrels are mainly based on cost-benefit estimates of residual reproductive value, rather than on current investment indicators, like clutch or brood size. This might be beneficial in environments with highly variable survival prospects of offspring caused by pronounced among-year variation in abundance of the main food (microtine rodents). The results also show that hypotheses explaining variation in PE in the short term are not necessarily valid for long-term PE, e.g. tending clutches or broods, which also reflects the demands of female and young.     

国家标准GB／T3840—91中城市大气污染物总量控制A—P值法的应用

本文叙述了在大气总悬浮微粒物实行总量控制时使用GB/T384-91中A-P值方法的经验,给出了一些计算公式及参数,同时还介绍了使用上述国家标准时对求算允许排放总量的主要参数土地面积进行人口订正的经验公式和确定经验系数的方法.     

论城市空气环境质量评估模式的改进

我国经济发展目前处于工业化阶段，城市空气质量日趋下降，空气质量问题已经危急到人们的身心健康，城市空气质量评估越来越受到全球共同嘱目。寻找一种客观科学的评估模式和方法，真实地反映一个地区的空气质量现状具有重要的意义。文中对我国城市空气环境质量评估方法进行了宏观分析，对现行的《年度环境质量报告书》污染物年均值代表整体空气环境质量提出改进建议，即用污染物季节标准替代年均值标准。通过对本溪市季节监测统计的案例研究，从微观实测和统计角度，证明年均值与季节标准的频率显著差异。     

短程反硝化影响因素的研究

实验采用间歇式反应器研究了短程反硝化的影响因素。试验发现：当亚硝酸盐氮（NO2^--N）负荷在0．99kg．（kgMISS．d）^-1时，将C／N控制在2．4左右，pH值在7．0～8．5这个范围内，温度在26～32℃的范围内时，取得了很好的反硝化效果。     

湿地经济价值分析

黑龙江省三江平原未开发前分布着广阔、成片的平原沼泽湿地,由于近几十年开发建设,原始湿地面积大量减少,本文通过湿地经济价值分析,说明保护湿地的重要性.     

高浓度有机废液热值的探讨

探讨了采用ＣＯＤ理论值计算废液热值存在的误差，通过理论值与实测值的比较，提出了基于实测值的废液燃烧热值的计算公式；对于已知元素成份的废液，建议采用门德列夫公式计算废液的燃烧热值。