Sex‐Biased Inbreeding Effects on Reproductive Success and Home Range Size of the Critically Endangered Black Rhinoceros

A central premise of conservation biology is that small populations suffer reduced viability through loss of genetic diversity and inbreeding. However, there is little evidence that variation in inbreeding impacts individual reproductive success within remnant populations of threatened taxa, largely due to problems associated with obtaining comprehensive pedigree information to estimate inbreeding. In the critically endangered black rhinoceros, a species that experienced severe demographic reductions, we used model selection to identify factors associated with variation in reproductive success (number of offspring). Factors examined as predictors of reproductive success were age, home range size, number of nearby mates, reserve location, and multilocus heterozygosity (a proxy for inbreeding). Multilocus heterozygosity predicted male reproductive success (p< 0.001, explained deviance >58%) and correlated with male home range size (p < 0.01, r² > 44%). Such effects were not apparent in females, where reproductive success was determined by age (p < 0.01, explained deviance 34%) as females raise calves alone and choose between, rather than compete for, mates. This first report of a 3‐way association between an individual male's heterozygosity, reproductive output, and territory size in a large vertebrate is consistent with an asymmetry in the level of intrasexual competition and highlights the relevance of sex‐biased inbreeding for the management of many conservation‐priority species. Our results contrast with the idea that wild populations of threatened taxa may possess some inherent difference from most nonthreatened populations that necessitates the use of detailed pedigrees to study inbreeding effects. Despite substantial variance in male reproductive success, the increased fitness of more heterozygous males limits the loss of heterozygosity. Understanding how individual differences in genetic diversity mediate the outcome of intrasexual competition will be essential for effective management, particularly in enclosed populations, where individuals have restricted choice about home range location and where the reproductive impact of translocated animals will depend upon the background distribution in individual heterozygosity. Efectos de la Endogamia Sesgada por el Sexo sobre el Éxito Reproductivo y el Rango del Tamaño de Hábitat del Rinoceronte Negro, Especie en Peligro Crítico     

高速铁路对国内民航旅客运输的替代效应测度

中国高速铁路的快速建设,对国内民航客运的发展产生了较大的影响。基于事后分析视角,从直达联系视角建立了国内高铁—民航运输的空间叠合网络,定量分析了高铁建设前后民航旅客运输的变化特征,并基于航空客流增速变化识别出高铁影响下的四种航段类型及其空间分布。在此基础上,基于2007-2014年全国277对高铁—民航运输重叠城市对的8年面板数据,以航空客流为因变量,建立随机效应模型,研究了高速铁路介入后对国内民航客运系统、北上广枢纽机场以及其他机场航线的替代效应。结论表明：（1）高速铁路对重叠网络的民航旅客运输产生了较强的替代效应,且高铁列车速度越快、城市间距离越短,替代效应越明显。（2）由于航班网络联系的多元化、旅客出行偏好选择以及对时间敏感性不同,枢纽机场航线较非枢纽机场航线受高铁建设的影响相对较小。未来随着高铁网络的进一步完善,其对航空客运的影响仍值得持续关注。     

A model for intraguild predation dynamics between immature stages

Dynamical models usually assume that predation occurs between mature stages and/or between mature and immature stages. In this work a stage-structured discrete time model is developed for a system where intraguild predation takes place only in the course of immature stages of predator and its prey. Therefore, the proposed mathematical setup demands functional relations linking predation in immature life stages with survival and fecundity in mature stages. The behavior of the model is examined in order to investigate the interplay among predator attack rate, its satiation of prey consumption and the success of intraguild predator invasion.     

Predicting local population distributions around a central shelter based on a predation risk-growth trade-off

Animals face trade-offs between predation risk and foraging success depending on their location in the landscape; for example, individuals that remain near a common shelter may be safe from predation but incur stronger competition for resources. Despite a long tradition of theoretical exploration of the relationships among foraging success, conspecific competition, predation risk, and population distribution in a heterogeneous environment, the scenario we describe here has not been explored theoretically. We construct a model of habitat use rules to predict the distribution of a local population (prey sharing a common shelter and foraging across surrounding habitats). Our model describes realized habitat quality as a ratio of density- and location-dependent mortality to density-dependent growth. We explore how the prey distribution around a shelter is expected to change as the parameters governing the strength of density dependence, landscape characteristics, and local abundance vary. Within the range of parameters where prey spend some time away from shelter but remain site-attached, the prey density decreases away from shelter. As the distance at which prey react to predators increases, the population range generally increases. At intermediate reaction distances, however, increases in the reaction distance lead to decreases in the maximum foraging distance because of increased evenness in the population distribution. As total abundance increases, the population range increases, average population density increases, and realized quality decreases. The magnitude of these changes differs in, for example, ‘high-’ and ‘low-visibility’ landscapes where prey can detect predators at different distances.     

苏北潮滩群落交错带互花米草斑块与土著种竞争关系研究

选取盐城滨海湿地典型滩地（互花米草与碱蓬交错区、碱蓬滩）互花米草斑块,研究互花米草和本地种的生长特征、斑块微生境变化和互花米草与本地种的相对竞争力。结果表明：①和本地土著种碱蓬Suaeda salsa、芦苇Phragmites australis相比,入侵种互花米草Spartina alterniflora能更有效地改善微生境,其发达根系能够提高土壤含水量,互花米草的耐盐特性和泌盐作用能够使得互花米草在高盐度环境中生存,并有效的降低土壤盐度;②在互花米草与碱蓬交错区,从互花米草斑块边缘到中心,碱蓬的长势显著变弱,互花米草的长势显著增强,互花米草与碱蓬的相对竞争力为1.94±0.94,互花米草的竞争能力明显强于碱蓬;③在碱蓬滩,从互花米草斑块边缘到中心,碱蓬、芦苇的长势显著变弱,互花米草的长势显著增强,互花米草与碱蓬的相对竞争力为0.87±0.30,互花米草与碱蓬之间的竞争相对平衡;④因此,互花米草可能通过种间竞争不断侵蚀碱蓬生境,从而取代当地土著植被碱蓬和芦苇。     

全氟辛烷磺酸对雄性鹌鹑生殖毒性影响

以雄鹌鹑为禽类指示动物,探讨全氟辛烷磺酸(PFOS)对禽类的雄性生殖毒性,染毒组饲料中PFOS浓度分别为10和30mg·kg-1.雄鹌鹑从出生后第9天开始连续染毒54 d.实验结束时,观察睾丸和附睾脏器系数、精子数、睾丸组织中LDH和SDH酶活性、血清中甲状腺激素T3、T4和促甲状腺分泌激素(TSH)及睾酮(T)浓度,...     

Estimation of the possibility of cladoceran invasion and survival under conditions of competition in mesotrophic Lake Glubokoe

A possibility of introducing alien cladoceran species into the pelagial zone of mesotrophic Lake Glubokoe has been estimated. For this purpose, observations have been performed on the cohorts of alien species (Daphnia magna and Simocephalus exspinosus) and aboriginal species (Daphnia hyalina and Diaphanosoma brachyurum). The results show that competition is a factor preventing the introduction of weak competitors, such as D. magna, but admitting stronger competitors, e.g., S. exspinosus. Competition in the lake may influence not only the species structure of the zooplanktonic community, but also its vertical distribution.     

Interactions in male baboons: the importance of both males’ testosterone

To date, research on testosterone and behavior has focused on individuals, even when studying social behaviors that necessarily involve multiple participants. Here, we explore male responses to other males of different dominance ranks and testosterone levels in a population of wild baboons. In chacma baboons (Papio hamadryas ursinus) of the Okavango Delta, a male’s testosterone is related to his rank trajectory and, therefore, the threat he poses to other males. To examine the effects of testosterone and rank on male–male interactions, we used playback experiments to measure how a target male responded to the simulated approach of another male, scoring responses by whether or not the subject moved away from the speaker in the first minute. High testosterone subjects did not move away from the speaker more often than low testosterone subjects, but high testosterone callers elicited a move more often than low testosterone callers. When the combined testosterone of the subject and caller was high, moves were most common. The rank relationship between subject and caller did not predict moves, but the effect of combined testosterone on moving was most pronounced in adjacently ranked males. Adjacently ranked, high testosterone males are the most likely to be competing for each others’ rank, and our experiments on these dyads elicited the most moves. Both behavioral and experimental observations indicate that testosterone may be more important than the rank relationship in predicting the outcome of male–male interactions. Furthermore, combined information on the testosterone of both males was the best predictor of results, highlighting the utility of dyadic analyses when relating testosterone to behavior.     

Effects of risks of sperm competition on the numbers of eupyrene and apyrene sperm ejaculated by the moth Plodia interpunctella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

This study examines the effects of different risks of sperm competition upon ejaculate characteristics in the moth Plodia interpunctella. In this short-lived species, females will remate and thus generate sperm competition, while males have a limited sperm supply. We therefore predict males to have evolved prudence in ejaculate allocation and investigate the effects of (1) rival male presence, (2) female mating history and (3) female age, upon the ejaculation of eupyrene (fertilizing) and apyrene (non-fertile) sperm numbers. We found no effect of the presence of rival males upon ejaculate characteristics, and conclude, due to the mating system of P. interpunctella, that rival males do not represent a proximate risk of sperm competition. We controlled female mating history by allowing females to receive different and predictable numbers of sperm which they then store for at least 7 days. In subsequent matings (7 days later) we found that new males ejaculated significantly more eupyrene sperm to females that had previously received larger numbers of sperm. We conclude that males increase numbers of eupyrene sperm to maintain success in sperm competition with rival sperm already in storage in the female. We found no effect of female mating history upon the ejaculation of apyrene sperm. Female age, however, had a significant negative effect upon both sperm types. We discuss these results in relation to sperm competition theory and apyrene sperm function.     

The relationship between conspecific superparasitism and the outcome of in vitro contests staged between different larval instars of the solitary endoparasitoid Venturia canescens

When endoparasitoid wasps oviposit into hosts which have already been parasitized (= superparasitism), this results in potentially lethal interlarval competition. For solitary species, the decision to lay additional eggs should therefore be based on the probability of superparasite survival in any superparasitized host. In this study, in vitro contests staged between three larval instars of Venturia canescens Grav. (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) reveal that the age difference between competitors affects the outcome of interlarval competition. Three parameters were used to assess parasitoid performance: the number of fights initiated, the number of bites inflicted, and the duration of each bite. When fighting takes place between two first instars, then both competitors were found to be evenly matched. However, at greater age differences, first-instar competitors appeared to win more fights than their larger second instar rivals. The advantage shown by younger competitors is most pronounced in contests staged between first and third instar larvae. These findings are consistent with the increasingly high levels of conspecific superparasitism shown by V. canescens in the first 5 days after initial host attack, suggesting that this parasitoid can deploy her use of deliberate superparasitism in an adaptive way. Received: 13 December 1995/Accepted after revision: 5 March 1996