1-Tridecene—male-produced sex pheromone of the tenebrionid beetle <Emphasis Type="Italic">Parastizopus transgariepinus</Emphasis>

Males of the genus Parastizopus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) exhibit a special pheromone-emitting behaviour. They do a headstand, expose the aedeagus and remain in this posture for a few seconds. The pheromone emitted by P. transgariepinus was collected by solid-phase micro-extraction (100 microm polydimethylsiloxane fibre) and identified as 1-tridecene by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Presumably, this compound originates from the aedeagal gland, a special feature in Parastizopus, as 1-tridecene is the main compound in the gland reservoirs (23.6+/-3.8%), accompanied by various less volatile fatty acid esters (25.2+/-2.0%) and hydrocarbons (51.2+/-5.7%). 1-Tridecene is also part of the pygidial defensive secretion of both sexes, together with other 1-alkenes, monoterpene hydrocarbons and 1,4-benzoquinones, but as none of these other compounds was detected during calling, the pygidial gland could be ruled out as pheromone source. Extracts of the aedeagal gland reservoirs and the pygidial defensive secretion contained comparable amounts of 1-tridecene, 1.24+/-0.41 and 1.88+/-0.54 microg/male, respectively. Chemo-orientation experiments using a servosphere showed that 1 microg of 1-tridecene was attractive to females but not to males.     

Comparison of the flower scent of the sexually deceptive orchid <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ophrys iricolor</Emphasis> and the female sex pheromone of its pollinator <Emphasis Type="Italic">Andrena morio</Emphasis>

Summary. Ophrys flowers mimic the female produced sex pheromone of their pollinator species to attract males for pollination. The males try to copulate with the putative female and thereby pollinate the flower. Using electrophysiological and chemical analyses, floral volatiles released by O. iricolor as well as the female sex pheromone of its pollinator species, Andrena morio are investigated. Overall, 38 peaks comprising 41 chemical compounds, were found to release reactions in the antennae of male A. morio bees. Analyses using coupled gas chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed the presence of alkanes and alkenes with 20 to 29 carbon atoms, aldehydes (C9 to C24) and two esters. Almost all of those compounds were found in similar proportions in both, the floral extracts of O. iricolor and cuticle surface extracts of A. morio females. The pattern of biologically active volatiles described here is very similar to that used by other Ophrys species pollinated by Andrena males.     

Filament-Based Atmospheric Dispersion Model to Achieve Short Time-Scale Structure of Odor Plumes

This article presents the theoretical motivation, implementation approach, and example validation results for a computationally efficient plume simulation model, designed to replicate both the short-term time signature and long-term exposure statistics of a chemical plume evolving in a turbulent flow. Within the resulting plume, the odor concentration is intermittent with rapidly changing spatial gradient. The model includes a wind field defined over the region of interest that is continuous, but which varies with location and time in both magnitude and direction. The plume shape takes a time varying sinuous form that is determined by the integrated effect of the wind field. Simulated and field data are compared. The motivation for the development of such a simulation model was the desire to evaluate various strategies for tracing odor plumes to their source, under identical conditions. The performance of such strategies depends in part on the instantaneous response of target receptors; therefore, the sequence of events is of considerable consequence and individual exemplar plume realizations are required. Due to the high number of required simulations, computational efficiency was critically important.     

Attraction of field-flying aphid males to synthetic sex pheromone

Summary Transparent plastic water traps, baited with the synthetic aphid sex pheromone components (4aS,7S,7aR)-nepetalactone and (1R,4aS,7S,7aR)-nepetalactol or control lures, were placed in four semi-sheltered field sites at a height of 1.1 m. Although males of twenty-one aphid species were collected from the water traps, onlySitobion fragariae (Walker) was abundant. In total, 8 pheromone traps produced 102 males compared with only 10 males in 8 control traps. The sex pheromone released by sexual femaleS. fragariae was identified as the nepetalactone used in the lures. Aphid sex pheromones may be more species-specific than previously thought and the presence of a host plant is not essential for males to locate sexual females.     

生态足迹与可持续发展初步分析——以北京市、沈阳市、哈尔滨市为例

生态足迹从具体的生物量角度研究自然资本消耗的空间，为核算地区资本利用状况提供框架，进而可判断区域可持续发展状态。文章在简要介绍生态足迹的概念与计算模型基础上，定量研究了北京市、沈阳市、哈尔滨市等三城市2003年－2006年4年间的生态足迹和生态承载力的变化规律和特征。根据计算进行分析，结果表明人类负荷超过其生态容量，生态承载均不能满足生态足迹的需求，社会经济处于一种不同程度不可持续的发展状态。为使城市生态建设可持续的发展提出生态恢复建议及措施。     

Phenylacetonitrile is a male specific repellent in gregarious desert locusts, Schistocerca gregaria

Summary. The behavioural response of desert locust individuals to adult male volatiles had been investigated in a dynamic Y-T-olfactometer. Synthetic blends of a postulated adult male-produced aggregation pheromone with or without phenylacetonitrile were not attractive to fifth-instar nymphs, young or mature adults of both sexes. Instead phenylacetonitrile had a repellent effect, which was strongest in sexually mature males. The repellent effect of phenylacetonitrile was not modified by the other components of the adult male pheromone bouquet. Even at low concentrations tested the source of the pheromone was avoided. These results are in agreement with recent studies showing that this male specific pheromone is employed by mature gregarious males in sexual behaviour and acts as a courtship inhibiting pheromone. Low concentrations of phenylacetonitrile or the postulated adult male aggregation pheromone blend without phenylacetonitrile may signal the presence of swarm fellows and eventually initiate visually guided congregation behaviour in gregarious locusts. Whether this effect does significantly contribute to swarm cohesion needs further studies.     

Sex pheromone components of pyralid moths Terastia subjectalis and Agathodes ostentalis feeding on the coral tree, Erithrina variegata: Two sympatric species share common components in different ratios

Summary. Two common components, identified as (E)-11-hexadecenal (E11-16:Ald) and (E,E)-10,12-hexadecadienal (E10E12-16:Ald), were found in the extract of virgin females of two sympatric pyralid moths, Terastia subjectalis Lederer, and Agathodes ostentalis (Geyer). The amount of E11-16:Ald and E10E12-16:Ald was 0.12 and 2.8 ng/female for T. subjectalis and 2.0 and 1.8 ng/female for A. ostentalis, respectively. Hexadecanal (16:Ald) was also found at 0.7 ng/female in the extract of A. ostentalis, but EAG activity was unclear. In the field, T. subjectalis and A. ostentalis males were captured with species specific blends in the proportions of 5:95 and 50:50 blends. Blends attractive to one species did not attract the opposite one. Rubber septa loaded with 1 mg each of 5:95 and 50:50 blends of E11-16:Ald and E10E12-16:Ald were as attractive as two virgin females of T. subjectalis and A. ostentalis , respectively. This demonstrated that different ratios of shared pheromone components could provide species specific cues for critical mate location in the two sympatric pyralid moths. It is suggested that directional selection probably occurs in the pheromone blends in opposite directions in both species.     

Individual variation in pheromone emission and termination patterns in female Anomala cuprea

Summary. Individual variations in pheromone emission patterns were examined in a scarab beetle, Anomala cuprea Hope (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), by headspace collection of airborne volatiles from individual females. The amount of pheromone obtained varied among virgin females, and about 16% of these females (“silent” females) did not emit detectable amount of pheromone throughout the experimental period. There was no clear temporal pattern of peak pheromone emission for 19 days after the onset. More than half of the laboratory mated females completely stopped releasing pheromone after the first mating, while the rest of them continued releasing pheromone, frequently followed by additional mating. Received 26 March 2001; accepted 28 January 2002.     

Effect of colour on male orientation to female pheromone in the black chafer Holotrichia loochooana loochooana

Summary. Under field conditions significantly more black chafer, Holotrichia loochooana loochooana (Sawada) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) males landed on black and gray sources than white ones containing 10 mg of female pheromone, anthranilic acid. When a broader spectrum of colours was tested the frequency of male landing was intensively proportional to as the lightness of the colour of the lures. These findings demonstrated that mate location by H. l. loochooana males is dependent on both olfactory and visual stimuli of the source. In contrast, female aggregation was not affected by colour.     

Optimization of process parameters using response surface methodology for bioconversion of activated sludge by Penicillium corylophilum

The optimization of process parameters for the bioconversion of activated sludge by Penicillium corylophilum was investigated using response surface methodology （RSM）. The three parameters namely temperature of 33℃, agitation of 150 r/min, and pH of 5 were chosen as center point from the previous study of fungal treatment. The experimental data on chemical oxygen demand （COD） removal （%） were fitted into a quadratic polynomial model using multiple regression analysis. The optimum process conditions were determined by analyzing response surface three-dimensional surface plot and contour plot and by solving the regression model equation with Design Expert software. Box-Behnken design technique under RSM was used to optimize their interactions, which showed that an incubation temperature of 32.5℃, agitation of 105 r/min, and pH of 5.5 were the best conditions. Under these conditions, the maximum predicted yield of COD removal was 98.43%. These optimum conditions were used to evaluate the trail experiment, and the maximum yield of COD removal was recorded as 98.5%.