Orientation ofRhizophagus grandis (Coleoptera: Rhizophagidae) to oxygenated monoterpenes in a species-specific predator-prey relationship

Summary The predator,Rhizophagus grandis, is linked to its specific prey,Dendroctonus micans, by semiochemical signals regulating oviposition and long range orientation. A mixture of simple oxygenated monoterpenes [(–)—fenchone, (–)—pinocamphone, rac. camphor, terpinene-4-ol, borneol, fenchol and verbenone], identified from the frass ofD. micans has been found to be extremely active in a flight windtunnel as a long—range attractant for the predator. The mixture elicited 84 % of the response to larval frass of the prey. Excluding pinocamphone from the mixture did not influence its activity. Also, changing the absolute configurations of some of the components (fenchol, terpinene-4-ol and borneol) did not influence the predators' response. However, the addition of (–)—-terpineol increased the attractivity of the synthetic blend to almost that of larval frass of the prey. Ecological implications of the identified semiochemicals and their use in pest management are discussed.     

A review of myrmecophily in ant nest beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Paussinae): linking early observations with recent findings

Myrmecophily provides various examples of how social structures can be overcome to exploit vast and well-protected resources. Ant nest beetles (Paussinae) are particularly well suited for ecological and evolutionary considerations in the context of association with ants because life habits within the subfamily range from free-living and predatory in basal taxa to obligatory myrmecophily in derived Paussini. Adult Paussini are accepted in the ant society, although parasitising the colony by preying on ant brood. Host species mainly belong to the ant families Myrmicinae and Formicinae, but at least several paussine genera are not host-specific. Morphological adaptations, such as special glands and associated tufts of hair (trichomes), characterise Paussini as typical myrmecophiles and lead to two different strategical types of body shape: while certain Paussini rely on the protective type with less exposed extremities, other genera access ant colonies using glandular secretions and trichomes (symphile type). We compare these adaptations with other taxonomic groups of insects by joining contemporary research and early sources and discuss the possibility of an attracting or appeasing effect of the secretion. Species that are ignored by their host ants might use chemical mimicry instead. Furthermore, vibrational signals may contribute to ant–beetle communication, and chemical signals have proven to play a role in host finding. The powerful defense chemistry of paussines as “bombardier beetles” is not used in contact with host ants. We attempt to trace the evolution of myrmecophily in paussines by reviewing important aspects of the association between paussine beetles and ants, i.e. morphological and potential chemical adaptations, life cycle, host specificity, alimentation, parasitism and sound production.

Think global,act local: The effect of goal and mindset specificity on willingness to donate to an environmental organization

This paper investigated the effect of goal and mindset specificity on goal-related behavior in the environmental domain. Two studies demonstrated that goal-related behavior was maximized when participants focused on an abstract goal in combination with a specific mindset, or when they focused on a specific goal in combination with an abstract mindset. When goals and mindsets instead matched in terms of abstractness, goal-related behavior was reduced. Study 2 demonstrated that the effect of goal specificity on behavior was mediated by different processes in each of the mindset conditions. When mindsets were abstract, self-efficacy mediated the positive effect of specific goals on behavior; when mindsets were specific, the value of collective environmental action mediated the positive effect of abstract goals on behavior. The results are discussed in the framework of a complementarity approach. It is argued that complementarity of levels of specificity of goals and mindsets may affect behavior particularly strongly in domains where the discrepancy between the abstract and the specific is large (e.g. the environmental domain).     

Jasmonic acid treatment and mammalian herbivory differentially affect chemical defenses and growth of wild mustard (Brassica kaber)

Summary. Jasmonic acid (JA) is a wound-related hormone found in most plants that, when applied exogenously, can induce increases in levels of chemical defenses in patterns similar to those induced by mechanical damage or insect feeding. Relative to responses to insect and pathogen attack, chemical responses of herbaceous plants to mammalian herbivore attack have been little studied. In a field experiment, we compared the effects of JA treatment and naturally occurring mammalian herbivory on the expression of trypsin inhibitors, glucosinolates, peroxidase activity and growth of wild mustard (Brassica kaber). Exogenous JA significantly increased trypsin inhibitor activity and glucosinolate concentration, and moderately increased peroxidase activity in the eighth true leaves of five-week-old plants, relative to untreated controls. In contrast, levels of these chemical defenses in the eighth true leaves or in regrowth foliage of plants that had ∼80% of their leaf area removed by groundhogs (Marmota monax) did not differ from that in undamaged and untreated controls. Although exogenous JA significantly elevated levels of chemical defenses, it did not affect height of plants through the season and only slightly reduced time to first flower. Groundhog herbivory significantly reduced height and delayed or abolished flowering, but these effects were not substantial unless coupled with apical meristem removal. We hypothesize that the lack of effect of groundhog herbivory on chemical defenses may be due in part to the speed and pattern of leaf area removal by groundhogs, or physiological constraints caused by leaf area loss. Despite having no effect on chemical defense production, leaf area loss by groundhogs was more costly to growth and fitness than the effects of JA application in this study, but only substantially so if coupled with apical meristem removal. We suggest that in general, costs of defense production in plants are likely to be minimal when compared to the risk of losing large amounts of leaf area or primary meristematic tissue. Thus, if they are effective at deterring herbivory, the benefits of inducible defense production likely outweigh the costs in most cases. Received 20 December 2000; accepted 3 May 2001     

Quantitative Determination of Rarity of Freshwater Fishes and Implications for Imperiled‐Species Designations

Abstract: Conserving rare species and protecting biodiversity and ecosystem functioning depends on sound information on the nature of rarity. Rarity is multidimensional and has a variety of definitions, which presents the need for a quantitative classification scheme with which to categorize species as rare or common. We constructed such a classification for North American freshwater fishes to better describe rarity in fishes and provide researchers and managers with a tool to streamline conservation efforts. We used data on range extents, habitat specificities, and local population sizes of North American freshwater fishes and a variety of quantitative methods and statistical decision criteria, including quantile regression and a cost‐function algorithm to determine thresholds for categorizing a species as rare or common. Species fell into eight groups that conform to an established framework for rarity. Fishes listed by the American Fisheries Society (AFS) as endangered, threatened, or vulnerable were most often rare because their local population sizes were low, ranges were small, and they had specific habitat needs, in that order, whereas unlisted species were most often considered common on the basis of these three factors. Species with large ranges generally had few specific habitat needs, whereas those with small ranges tended to have narrow habitat specificities. We identified 30 species not designated as imperiled by AFS that were rare along all dimensions of rarity and may warrant further study or protection, and we found three designated species that were common along all dimensions and may require a review of their imperilment status. Our approach could be applied to other taxa to aid conservation decisions and serve as a useful tool for future revisions of listings of fish species.     

特异性拟杆菌引物在珠江三角洲的适应性研究

在珠江三角洲地区采集人、猪、牛、狗以及家禽等33个粪便样品,高效提取基因组DNA,选取14种特异性拟杆菌引物进行检验分析,并进一步采用已知污染源类型的水样对其进行验证.结果表明:采用粪便样品DNA专属提取试剂盒和水体样品DNA专属提取试剂盒提取的基因组模版纯度和提取率均符合后续实验要求.拟杆菌通用引物2#(Bac32F/Bac708R)检出率为85%(28/33),特别是对哺乳类动物和鸡的粪便具有更高的检出率.人的拟杆菌特异性引物3#(HF134F/ Bac708R)和4#(HF183F/Bac708R)、反刍动物的拟杆菌特异性引物8#(CF128F/Bac708R)以及猪的拟杆菌特异性引物10#(PF163F/Bac708R)在珠江三角洲地区同时具有较高的灵敏度和较强的特异性.水体样品验证实验与实际污染类型相符,说明拟杆菌通用引物2#、人的特异性引物3# 和4# 以及猪的特异性引物10# 在珠江三角洲地区具有很好的适用性.     

基于藻类荧光的毒性测试研究进展

毒性测试以微藻细胞为生物敏感元件,以叶绿素荧光变化为响应指标,在监测水体重金属和农药污染方面,具有检出限低、重复性好等优点。然而,实际水环境中藻类生长受众多因素的影响,此法仅能反应各种污染因子的综合毒性。近几年,众多学者致力于提高微藻生物监测的特异性以确定污染物种类,改善微藻固定技术以适应原位监测。文章介绍了基于微藻荧光的毒性测试研究进展,展望了未来的发展趋势。。     

天然沸石中离子交换平衡的离子特异性研究

沸石在改良土壤和保护环境等方面有着广泛的应用,研究沸石离子交换中的特异性效应对更好地利用沸石有着重要意义.碱金属离子在天然斜发沸石中的交换平衡时的最大吸附量存在着明显的特异性效应;对于同价的碱金属离子,其交换吸附能力差异随着离子浓度的降低而增大.这种实验现象不能用库仑力、离子体积、水合作用、色散力、经典诱导力以及表面络合等相关理论进行完整解释.分析发现,根本原因来自离子因量子涨落而产生的极化与沸石颗粒表面电荷产生的强电场之间的相互作用,这种相互作用导致了离子间偶极矩差异随着表面电位的升高而增大,进而使离子-表面吸附能差异增大,并出现不同的交换吸附能力.由于沸石表面电荷密度较高,离子体积效应对其在双电层中的分布也起着比较重要的作用,导致碱金属离子在沸石表面的交换平衡结果在高表面电位(绝对值大于0.2 V)下才表现出较大选择性,与低电荷密度表面上的交换平衡结果存在一定差异.     

Transaction Costs Economics of Irreplaceability: <Emphasis Type="Italic">ex ante</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">ex post</Emphasis> Evaluation of Conservation Networks’ Vulnerability to Environmental Shocks

The theoretical concept, “asset specificity,” is applied to real data in the context of Danish nature conservation network planning in order to produce illustrative examples of an economic measure of the network’s vulnerability to exogenous shocks to the species composition. Three different measures of asset specificity are quantified from the shadow value of eliminating a key species from the individual grid cells. This represents a novel approach and a different interpretation of the term, as it is conventionally used as a qualitative indicator in the transaction cost economics literature. Apart from supplementing existing cost measures with an indicator of risk associated with investments in protected areas, this study demonstrates how the estimation and interpretation of various asset specificity measures for geographical areas may qualify policy makers’ choice of policy instrument in conservation planning. This differs from the more intuitive approach of basing policy instrument choice solely on the rarity of the species in a given area.