Diet quality affects an attractive white plumage pattern in dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis)

Sexually selected traits that act as signals of quality often display some degree of condition dependence. In birds, condition dependence of ornamental plumage is often mediated by production costs related to acquisition or allocation of dietary resources. White plumage ornaments, however, have often been assumed to be inexpensive because their production requires neither pigment nor specialized feather structure. In male dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis), the size of a white patch on the tail contributes to attractiveness and mating success. Using captive males, we examined the effects of diet quality on the size and brightness of the tail-white patch. After removing four tail feathers to induce replacement, we maintained subjects on a subsistence (low-protein) or enriched (high-protein) diet while induced feathers grew. Birds that received an enriched diet grew their feathers more quickly and grew larger, brighter white patches. Feather growth rate was positively correlated with the increase in the size of the tail-white patch, a relationship that was stronger in the subsistence diet group. However, within diet treatments, faster-grown feathers were slightly duller. Taken together, these results suggest that variation in diet quality may lead to condition-dependent expression of tail white and that condition dependence may be stronger in more stressful environments. We suggest a mechanism by which increased feather growth rate may lead to an increase in the size of the tail-white patch and discuss potential trade-offs between signal size and brightness.     

Female guppies shorten brood retention in response to predator cues

Predation risk influences the duration of offspring development in many species where embryos develop from externally shed eggs. Surprisingly, such predator-mediated effects on offspring development have rarely been explored in live-bearers. In this paper, we use the guppy (Poecilia reticulata), a live-bearing freshwater fish, to test whether the duration of brood retention (the time from mating to parturition) is influenced by experimental changes in the perceived level of predation. Because the swimming performance of female guppies is impaired during late pregnancy, we predicted that females would withhold broods for shorter periods when they are exposed to cues that signal a heightened risk of predation on adults rather than on juveniles. We therefore simulated increased risk of predation on adults by using a combination of pike-shaped models (resembling natural predators that prey on adult guppies) and ‘alarm substances’ derived from the skin extracts of adult conspecific females. Our results revealed that, under simulated predation risk, female guppies produced broods significantly more quickly than their counterparts assigned to a control group where predator cues were absent. A subsequent evaluation of offspring swimming performance revealed a significant positive association between neonate swimming speeds and the duration of brood retention, suggesting that by accelerating parturition, females may produce offspring with impaired locomotor skills. These findings, in conjunction with similar results from other live-bearing species, suggest that the conditions experienced by gestating females can generate significant variation in the timing of offspring development with potentially important implications for offspring fitness.     

Assessment of Effectiveness of Protection Strategies in Tanzania Based on a Decade of Survey Data for Large Herbivores

Abstract:  Considerable controversy surrounds the effectiveness of strictly protected areas that prohibit consumptive resource use. For Tanzania we compared temporal changes in densities of large herbivores among heavily protected national parks and game reserves, partially protected game-controlled areas, and areas with little or no protection. Comparisons based on surveys conducted in the late 1980s and early 1990s versus the late 1990s and early 2000s showed three consistent patterns across the country. First, significant declines in the densities of large herbivores between these two snapshots in time overwhelmingly outnumbered significant increases in all protection categories. Second, more species fared well (increased significantly or showed no significant change) in strictly protected national parks than in areas with partial or no protection and in heavily protected game reserves relative to areas with no protection. Third, significantly more species fared poorly (densities declined or were too low to detect a decline) than fared well in areas with partial or no protection. Our results show that although heavy protection was generally more effective in maintaining large herbivore populations than partial or no protection, continued long-term monitoring is needed in Tanzania to inform managers whether large herbivores are experiencing declining population trends even within heavily protected areas .     

苏北里下河地区湿地资源可持续利用的思考

以里下河地区湿地资源利用为例 ,剖析湿地资源开发过程中带来的相关环境问题 ,包括 :湿地面积缩小 ,自然灾害濒发 ;区内环境状况日趋恶化 ,生产与生活性污染严重 ;湿地功能日益衰退 ;湿地农业生产效益下降 ,农民的生产投入明显不足。此外 ,还探讨湿地生态系统可持续利用对策 ,具体有 :建立湿地可持续利用新的评价指标与标准 ,建立预警分析系统 ,以现代湿地生态工程技术为指导 ,全面提高湿地利用的社会、经济、环境综合效益     

南岳衡山旅游业持续发展初探

通过分析南岳衡山旅游业发展的历史背景、现状、旅游优势、存在的问题,着重探讨南岳衡山旅游业持续发展及其对策.     

生态供应链与生态型设计

生态供应链是可持续发展思想在运作管理领域的具体应用。生态型设计兼顾了经济效益和生态效益，是生态供应链的核心内容。生态型设计的实质是通过整体优化和局部优化来降低各节点企业的环境影响，借助于生态型设计可以把传统供应链代表的单程经济转化成生态供应链代表的循环经济。生态型设计由生态供应链的整体设计和组成元素的设计两部分组成，具体内容包括产品设计、原材料采购、产品生产、产品营销、产品回收和反向物流。     

大连市环保产业发展趋势分析

介绍了大连市近年来环保产业的发展状况,分析了大连市环保产业市场的特点。对未来15年的发展趋势作了预测,指出了今后面临的挑战和机遇。     

积极发展绿色食品

叙述了绿色食品的概念、特点、标准，并对我国绿色食品的发展历程、发展现状和发展前景进行了分析。     

Reconnaissance soil geochemical survey of Gibraltar

The extreme density of population of Gibraltar, situated at the southern tip of Spain, exerts considerable pressure on land use and thus future planning is of utmost importance. An initial reconnaissance soil geochemical survey of Gibraltar was based on 120 surface samples (0–15 cm) taken from a wide range of exposed, either bare soil or vegetated sites, to provide the optimum geographical distribution. The total elemental concentrations of 26 elements (Li, Na, K, Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Al, La, Ti, V, Cr, Mo, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Ag, Zn, Cd, Pb, P, S, As) were determined by nitric/percholric acid digestion followed by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) analysis. The reconnaissance data shows that the spatial distribution of various elements depended on previous and present land use. Most elements (Ca, Cr, Mg and Mn excluded) exhibited relatively high concentrations in civilian and natural soils. Trends have been established for many elements, and concentrations exceeding guideline values have been found in certain areas of Gibraltar. This reconnaissance of Gibraltar is at present being followed by a more detailed baseline geochemical survey, which will establish the extent and magnitude of the variations in major and trace elements in soils and dusts, assess the impact of industrial, commercial and urban development on the geochemical landscape and to make recommendations concerning sustainable development.