Colony specificity of Dufour gland secretions in a functionally monogynous ant

Summary. Queens in colonies of the small myrmicine ant, Leptothorax gredleri Mayr 1855 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) engage in dominance interactions and form social hierarchies, in which typically only the top-ranking queen lays eggs. Occasionally, queen antagonism escalates to violent mandible fighting, during which the sting is used to apply Dufour gland secretions onto the cuticle of the opponent. Contaminated queens often are attacked by nestmate workers. Here we show that the chemical composition of the Dufour gland is colony-specific and that workers can discriminate between secretions from their own and other colonies. Our findings suggest that Dufour gland secretions are involved in the establishment of hierarchies within a colony. When invading an alien colony the queen presumably employs the secretions during the expulsion of the resident queen. Apparently, Dufour gland secretions play a role in intraspecific queen competition similar to that in slave-making and inquiline formicoxenine ants, where they function as "propaganda substances" in an interspecific context. Received 7 July 1998; accepted 15 September 1998.     

OPTICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF NEW ZEALAND RIVERS IN RELATION TO FLOW1

ABSTRACT: Six years (1989–1994) of data from New Zealand's National Rivers Water Quality Network were used to characterize the optical water quality regime of river waters as regards: visual clarity (black disc visibility), turbidity, and light-absorbing aquatic humic material (referred to as ‘yellow substance,’ measured as light absorption at 440 nm). Quantitative relationships between optical water quality variables and flow in rivers are well-described by power law expressions. Visual clarity usually decreases strongly with increasing flow in individual rivers. There is a strong, inverse relationship between turbidity and visibility, but, because of differences between sites, turbidity is not a good general predictor of visual clarity (the attribute of real interest) in rivers. Yellow substance tends to increase with increasing flow, probably because during rainstorms, soil water high in yellow-colored humic material, rather than rain water or ground water, dominates discharge. Therefore, rivers are typically clear and low in humic matter at low flow, and turbid and yellow-colored at high flow.     

实施清洁生产控制新诺明产品对氨基苯磺酰氯岗位氨基物的排放量

对新诺明对乙酰氨基苯磺酰氯岗位排放的有机废水用结析沉降法回收对氨基苯磺酸和硫酸 ,实行了在生产过程中控制减少污染物的排放。降低未端处理污染负荷使污水达标排放。     

苏州河底泥的耗氧量

对苏州河底泥耗氧量(SOD)的实验测定结果表明,苏州河底泥(北新泾下游)的夏季耗氧强度是冬季的6倍,最大强度发生在武宁路河段,达7500mg/m2     

Century Perspective of Heavy Metal Use in Urban Areas. A Case Study in Stockholm

The inflow and stock (amount in use) of heavy metals (cadmium(Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn)) in goods in 1995 have been quantifiedin the anthroposphere of Stockholm, Sweden. Statistics on national, regional and local level were used. Contacts were established with representatives from production and constructionin the industrial sector and with authorities. The results show that the stock of Cd is 0,2 kg per capita. For the other heavymetals the corresponding result per capita is: Cr 8, Cu 170, Hg 0,01, Ni 4, Pb 73 and Zn 40 kg. The inflow varies between2–8%of the stock indicating the importance of the stock. The lowestlevels are for Cu and Pb. Heavy metal levels in solid waste are high, between 15–45% of the amount in the inflow (Hg excluded), the lowest values were for Cu and Pb. Thus, recyclingis incomplete. Long life expectancy goods form the majority of the stock but there is a tendency that short life expectancy goods increase their importance in the inflow. Concealedgoods are also more frequent in inflow than in the stock.     

铅元素人为循环环境释放物形态分析

环境中铅污染物来自于物质人为循环的环境释放,铅释放物的形态差异意味着其在环境介质中迁移和转化的起始状态不同.确定铅元素人为循环环境释放物的形态,可以为环境风险评估和源头管理提供科学依据.本研究通过追踪铅元素人为循环流动过程,应用物理化学分析方法,辨识生命周期各阶段环境释放物中铅元素的形态,并以2010年为例,定量分析中国铅元素人为循环中环境释放物的形态分布特征.结果表明,2010年中国铅人为循环中环境释放物主要形态表现为PbSO4,约占总量的23.4%;其次是PbO、Pb和PbCO3,共占总释放量的46.2%.国内每消费1 kt精铅,将向环境释放547.9 t的铅,这些环境释放物中73.3%来源于产品使用阶段和废物处置与回收阶段;从形态看,PbSO4占释放物的量为128.2 t,主要来源于生产阶段和废物处置与回收阶段,PbO、Pb和PbCO3则分别主要来源于废物处置与回收、产品使用和生产几个阶段.     

生物破乳菌Alcaligenessp.S-XJ-1表面活性物质提取与其破乳特性分析

对胞壁结合型生物破乳菌Alcaligenes sp.S-XJ-1的表面破乳活性物质进行提取和初步鉴定,并探讨了菌体和表面活性物质的破乳过程,以揭示生物破乳菌的破乳特性.采用碱液提取破乳菌表面活性物质,并通过单因素试验和正交试验得到最优提取条件:温度35℃、碱液浓度0.08 mol.L-1、料液比12 g.L-1、提取时间4 h,在此条件下提取率为36.1%,500 mg.L-1破乳菌表面活性物质48 h破乳率为77%;采用凝胶过滤色谱和红外光谱对破乳菌表面活性物质的分子量和表面基团进行分析,发现其相对分子质量分布于55～61 256,表面存在糖脂类、脂类和蛋白类物质的特征基团;成分分析表明破乳菌表面活性物质含糖类、脂类和蛋白类分别为22.2%、7.5%和13.4%.胰蛋白酶处理破乳菌表面活性物质几乎使其完全丧失破乳活性,表明蛋白类物质是其破乳活性的关键因素.使用稳定性分析仪对破乳菌菌体和表面活性物质的破乳过程进行分析,发现二者破乳过程有较大差异,菌体表面活性物质是菌体破乳活性的主要来源,菌体表面结构在破乳过程中起辅助作用,菌体的破乳性能是破乳活性物质和菌体形态共同作用的结果.     

添加VT菌剂和有机物料腐熟齐对堆肥的影响

通过在高温好氧堆肥中分别添加VT菌剂和有机物料腐熟剂,研究接种3％o的VT菌剂和有机物料腐熟剂促进堆肥的作用效果。结果表明,接种VT菌剂的处理与空白和接种有机物料腐熟剂的处理相比,堆肥初期升温更快;高温期更长;堆肥结束时,C／N降低的多,NO3-N增加的多,NH4-N挥发的少,接种VT菌剂和VT有机物料腐熟剂都可促进有机质的充分降解,缩短堆肥时间,加快堆肥腐熟,提高堆肥肥力。     

处理焦化废水中难生物降解的有机毒物的研究

研究了Fenton试剂(H₂O₂+Fe2+)在紫外光(UV)幅照下,氧化处理焦化废水中难被生物降解的有机毒物的可行性,并对反应条件进行了优化,结果表明此法对焦化废水中包括多环芳烃(PAH)的所有有机毒物都有较强的去除能力。但如何降低处理费用,有待进一步工作。      

进水氨氮浓度对生物除磷颗粒系统的影响

在SBR反应器中接种成熟的生物除磷颗粒,通过分阶段提高进水中氨氮浓度,研究了进水氨氮浓度对生物除磷颗粒系统的影响,确定系统对进水氨氮负荷的承受能力.结果表明,进水氨氮浓度低于45 mg·L~(-1)时,生物除磷颗粒系统具有良好的性能,TP去除率在96%以上,COD去除率在89%以上,出水TP浓度和COD浓度分别在0. 4 mg·L~(-1)和25 mg·L~(-1)以下,颗粒粒径在950μm以上,SVI在45 m L·g~(-1)以下;进水氨氮浓度为60 mg·L~(-1)时,TP去除率在95%以上,出水TP浓度在0. 5mg·L~(-1)以下,颗粒粒径为760μm,SVI为56 m L·g~(-1),系统中生物除磷颗粒出现部分解体,PAOs代谢和生长开始受到抑制.进水氨氮浓度达到70 mg·L~(-1)时,TP去除率为70%,出水TP浓度在3 mg·L~(-1)左右,颗粒粒径为570μm,SVI为75 m L·g~(-1),PN/PS值达到7. 50左右,系统中生物除磷颗粒严重解体,PAOs代谢和生长被严重抑制.随着进水氨氮浓度上升,导致生物除磷颗粒中微生物分泌蛋白质增加和多糖减少,PN/PS值增大,出现生物除磷颗粒解体,颗粒粒径减小和SVI上升,生物除磷颗粒的结构和功能被破坏.