追踪天使——雷达昆虫学30年

雷达昆虫学是一门新的学科分支。从它诞生起的30年来,英、美、澳、中四国的观测研究已初步阐明了昆虫在迁飞过程中的成层、定向、集聚等行为现象及其时空分布,揭示了大气结构和运动对昆虫迁飞的影响,为深化人们对昆虫迁飞行为机制的认识提供了许多令人耳目一新的画面;昆虫雷达技术也逐渐从研究走向实用,已经实现了对迁飞性害虫的长期、自动和实时监测。在全国建立VLR网并与GIS相结合,可望实现对我国重大虫灾的及时预警。     

垂直监测昆虫雷达研究进展

昆虫雷达可以远距离、 大范围、 快速地探测迁飞昆虫, 这极大促进了人类对昆虫迁飞行为的认识。垂直监测昆虫雷达技术是从20世纪70年代发展起来的一种监测高空迁飞昆虫种群的新工具。与传统的扫描雷达相比, 垂直监测昆虫雷达可以获得目标的位移速度、 位移方向、 定向、 体型大小和形状等参数, 因此, 对目标的识别能力更为精确。此外, 垂直监测昆虫雷达实现了在微机控制下的自动运行, 这使得应用昆虫雷达开展迁飞昆虫的日常监测成为可能。本文综述了垂直监测昆虫雷达的发展和应用, 介绍了设计原理和回波参数的解算方法, 讨论了其存在的不足及改进方案, 最后并对其在未来昆虫雷达网络建设中的应用进行了展望。     

10. PROCEEDINGS OF THE SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE S.A. ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY HELD IN THE COMMITTEE ROOM OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY. JOHANNESBURG,AT 3 P.M., SATURDAY, 8TH MARCH. 1947

Bruderer, B. 1994. Nocturnal bud migration in the Negev (Israel) a tracking radar study. Ostrich 65: 204–212.

The present publication summarizes the methodological possibilities of tracking radar and describes some features of nocturnal migration at two sites in the Negev, which include anwers to basic questions of bird migration. The directions of spring and autumn migration were practically opposite; only the headings in spring indicated some more compensation for stronger westerly winds. The volume of nocturnal spring migration was only about 65% of autumn migration, which may be an indication of mortality outside tie breeding area. Highest densities of migration at the two radar sites in the Negev Highlands (450 m above sea level) and in the Arava Valley (150 m below sea level) indicated flightlevels adjusted to atmospheric conditions aloft, and not to round level. Due to the trade-wind system, the birds heading southward in autumn flew mainly below flew mainly above 1500 m above sea level, while in spring they tended to make use of the anti-trades at higher altitudes. The decisive factor for altitude choice was the speed of tailwind in spring and autumn; other factors, such as temperature, humidity and pressure had no significant influence on the altitude distributions. With respect to the question of non-stop or intermittent flight across large desert areas, the data show that between the eastern deserts of Egypt and the Sinai/Negev complex the nocturnal migrants maintained their schedule of nocturnal flight and diurnal rest. A few exceptions of nocturnal migrants continuing migration at high altitudes into the day were identified mainly as heron- and gull-type birds. The proportion of waders and waterfowl identified by wing-beat pattern in nocturnal migration is nearly the same at both sites, indicating broad-front migration across the desert. The numbers of birds with continuous wingbeats is, however, so large compared to available estimates of waders and waterfowl wintering in Africa that careful reconsideration of the underlying assumptions in the radar and field estimates is necessary.     

高原粳稻光合生理生态的梯度变化

采用大田和盆栽试验研究了西昌高原稻作区不同海拔高度粳稻品种的光合特性及对遮荫和温度的反应。结果表明,不同海拔高度粳稻品种的光合特性诸方面表现明显的梯度变化。在低光强下,光合速率随海拔升高而降低,在高光强下,随海拔升高而增加．光合速率和光强关系符合P=a+blgI的曲线方程。品种原产地越高,光饱和点有越大的趋势。遮荫使高海拔品种光合产量下降更大。开花期耐冷抗冷性因海拔升高而增强。     

东北地区粘虫的季节性迁飞行为(英文)

粘虫Mythimna separata是我国农业生产上的重要害虫, 为了明确其季节性迁飞行为参数, 本研究采用垂直监测昆虫雷达（vertical-looking radar, VLR）及相关辅助设备的长期自动观测, 结合基于GIS的大区环流和轨迹模拟, 调查分析了2005年东北地区粘虫季节性迁飞行为。结果表明： 粘虫在不同季节和夜间不同时间空中飞行高度具有明显差异, 空中飞行行为受气象条件尤其是空中风场影响较大; 春季和秋季主要借助气流运载进行大规模长距离迁飞, 夜间持续飞行时间可达9 h, 多数个体能完成整夜飞行, 春季迁飞高度主要在300~600 m, 秋季飞行高度相对较低主要在300 m以下和400~500 m。夏季雷达回波有明显的成层现象, 最高可达1 000 m, 主要集中在500 m和700 m两个高度层。轨迹分析显示： 5月29日由山东潍坊、 临沂等虫源地起飞的黏虫, 顺西南气流越海迁飞, 6月1日在气旋天气影响下, 在吉林省白城等地降落; 7月中旬主要为当地黏虫受对流天气影响进行短距离迁飞扩散; 9月11日虫源来自内蒙古呼伦贝尔, 顺西北气流向吉林省东南方向迁飞。研究结果为东北地区粘虫的有效防控提供了技术支撑。     

Seasonal variation in the migration strategies of the green lacewing Chrysoperla carnea species complex

Abstract.  1. Insect migration strategies are generally poorly understood due to the propensity for high-altitude flight of many insect species, and the technical difficulties associated with observing these movements. While some progress has been made in the study of the migration of important insect pests, the migration strategies of insect natural enemies are often unknown.
2. Suction trapping, radar monitoring, and high-altitude aerial netting were used to characterise the seasonal migrations in the U.K. of an assemblage of aphid predators: three green lacewings in the Chrysoperla carnea species complex.
3. Chrysoperla carnea sens. str . was found to be very abundant at high altitudes during their summer migration, and some individuals were capable of migrating distances of ≈ 300 km during their pre-ovipositional period. In contrast, high-altitude flights were absent in the autumn migration period, probably due to a behavioural adaptation that increases the probability that migrants will encounter their over-wintering sites. The other two species in the complex, C. lucasina and C. pallida , were much rarer, making up ≈ 3% of the total airborne populations throughout the study period.
4. The summer migration of C. carnea sens. str . was not directly temporally associated with the summer migration of its cereal aphid prey, but lagged behind by about 4 weeks. There was also no evidence of spatial association between aphid and lacewing populations.
5. The results show that to understand the population ecology of highly mobile insect species, it is necessary to characterise fully all aspects of their migration behaviour, including the role of high-altitude flights.     

Sleeping sites of black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti) at Baima Snow Mountain, China

Data on sleeping sites of a group of black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys Rhinopithecus bieti (Colobinae, Primates) were collected between April–July and September–December 2001 to try to determine the factors affecting site selection at Nanren (99°04'E, 28°34'N, Baima Snow Mountain, China). Sleeping trees were tall emergents (27.5±3.2 m) with large diameter at breast height (57.9±16.9 cm) and broad crown diameters (6.3±1.4 m), and significantly larger than other trees. The use of large sleeping trees could provide effective shelters from attacks of terrestrial and aerial predators, heavy snow and rain. Sleeping sites were changed nightly and located at significantly lower altitudes in winter months than in other seasons, which might be a thermoregulatory adaptation or related to snow covering. Such sites tended to be at the middle of sun-oriented slopes, possibly trading off predator avoidance and foraging efficiency.     

Multi‐generational long‐distance migration of insects: studying the painted lady butterfly in the Western Palaearctic

Long‐range, seasonal migration is a widespread phenomenon among insects, allowing them to track and exploit abundant but ephemeral resources over vast geographical areas. However, the basic patterns of how species shift across multiple locations and seasons are unknown in most cases, even though migrant species comprise an important component of the temperate‐zone biota. The painted lady butterfly Vanessa cardui is such an example; a cosmopolitan continuously‐brooded species which migrates each year between Africa and Europe, sometimes in enormous numbers. The migration of 2009 was one of the most impressive recorded, and thousands of observations were collected through citizen science programmes and systematic entomological surveys, such as high altitude insect‐monitoring radar and ground‐based butterfly monitoring schemes. Here we use V. cardui as a model species to better understand insect migration in the Western Palaearctic, and we capitalise on the complementary data sources available for this iconic butterfly. The migratory cycle in this species involves six generations, encompassing a latitudinal shift of thousands of kilometres (up to 60 degrees of latitude). The cycle comprises an annual poleward advance of the populations in spring followed by an equatorward return movement in autumn, with returning individuals potentially flying thousands of kilometres. We show that many long‐distance migrants take advantage of favourable winds, moving downwind at high elevation (from some tens of metres from the ground to altitudes over 1000 m), pointing at strong similarities in the flight strategies used by V. cardui and other migrant Lepidoptera. Our results reveal the highly successful strategy that has evolved in these insects, and provide a useful framework for a better understanding of long‐distance seasonal migration in the temperate regions worldwide.     

Flight altitude of trans-Sahara migrants in autumn: a comparison of radar observations with predictions from meteorological conditions and water and energy balance models

Radar observations on the altitude of bird migration and altitudinal profiles of meteorological conditions over the Sahara desert are presented for the autumn migratory period. Migratory birds fly at an average altitude of 1016 m (a.s.l.) during the day and 571 m during the night. Weather data served to calculate flight range using two models: an energy model (EM) and an energy-and-water model (EWM). The EM assumes that fuel supply limits flight range whereas the EWM assumes that both fuel and water may limit flight range. Flight ranges estimated with the EM were generally longer than those with the EWM. This indicates that trans-Sahara migrants might have more problems balancing their water than their energy budget. However, if we assume fuel stores to consist of 70% instead of 100% fat (the remainder consisting of 9% protein and 21% water), predicted flight ranges of the EM and EWM largely overlap. Increased oxygen extraction, reduced flight costs, reduced exhaled air temperature, reduced cutaneous water loss and increased tolerance to water loss are potential physiological adaptations that would improve the water budget in migrants. Both the EM and EWM predict optimal flight altitudes in agreement with radar observations in autumn. Optimal flight altitudes are differently predicted by the EM and EWM for nocturnal spring migration. During spring, the EWM predicts moderately higher and the EM substantially higher flight altitudes than during autumn. EWM predictions are therefore in better agreement with radar observations on flight altitude of migrants over the Negev desert in spring than EM predictions.     

Radar observations of the spring migration into northeastern China of the oriental armyworm moth, Mythimna separata, and other insects

Abstract. 1. The spring migration of the oriental armyworm moth, Mythimna separata (Walker), and other insects into northeastern China was observed by radar at a site in central Jilin province. Samples of the migrants were obtained in a net flown from a kite, and M.separata populations in the surrounding region were monitored with a trap network. 2. The radar regularly detected echoes which were of the type characteristic of large insects, and three out of four large insects in the aerial samples were noctuid moths, including one M.separata. Catches of armyworm moths in the regional trap network peaked during the period of radar observations. 3. Migration occurred at night. It commenced with a take-off flight at dusk and generally continued until dawn, with numbers often being highest around midnight. Most migration took place at altitudes below 500 m, with strong layer concentrations forming at 200–400 m during the middle part of some nights. 4. Migration was approximately downwind. The net movement was overwhelmingly to the northeast because southwesterly winds occurred most frequently and were relatively strong, and because migration was more intense and prolonged on these winds. Orientation tended to be to the left of the downwind direction, and was most often to the north or northeast. 5. Migration into northeastern China was accomplished in a series of night-time movements of 100–300 km rather than by a single non-stop flight. 6. The net movement of insects towards the northeast was sufficient to produce the observed regional infestation of M.separata moths. Oviposition by immigrant armyworm moths in vulnerable crops would have been at a level where economically significant damage would be expected from the resulting larval population. 7. Analogous springtime migrations of noctuids leading to temporary colonizations of habitats at higher latitudes occur in other continents. Such colonizations may be unproductive if, as appears possibly the case for northeastern China, prevailing winds later in the season are generally unfavourable for a return migration towards overwintering areas at lower latitudes.     

Bird movements at rotor heights measured continuously with vertical radar at a Dutch offshore wind farm

Assessing the impacts of avian collisions with wind turbines requires reliable estimates of avian flight intensities and altitudes, to enable accurate estimation of collision rates, avoidance rates and related effects on populations. At sea, obtaining such estimates visually is limited not only by weather conditions but, more importantly, because a high proportion of birds fly at night and at heights above the range of visual observation. We used vertical radar with automated bird‐tracking software to overcome these limitations and obtain data on the magnitude, timing and altitude of local bird movements and seasonal migration measured continuously at a Dutch offshore wind farm. An estimated 1.6 million radar echoes representing individual birds or flocks were recorded crossing the wind farm annually at altitudes between 25 and 115 m (the rotor‐swept zone). The majority of these fluxes consisted of gull species during the day and migrating passerines at night. We demonstrate daily, monthly and seasonal patterns in fluxes at rotor heights and the influence of wind direction on flight intensity. These data are among the first to show the magnitude and variation of low‐altitude flight activity across the North Sea, and are valuable for assessing the consequences of developments such as offshore wind farms for birds.     

水稻挥发物在黑肩绿盲蝽捕食行为中的作用(英文)

在室内研究了水稻品种和氮肥水平对黑肩绿盲蝽对褐飞虱卵嗜好性的影响 ,及其与水稻挥发物的关系。双向选择试验表明 ,黑肩绿盲蝽对不同水稻品种上的褐飞虱卵有着不同的嗜好性 ,但对不同氮肥水平稻株上褐飞虱卵的嗜好性无明显差异。嗅觉试验表明 ,黑肩绿盲蝽对水稻健康苗挥发物的趋性明显地强于空白对照 ,对褐飞虱若虫为害苗挥发物的趋性强于健康苗 ,对褐飞虱雌成虫为害苗的趋性又强于若虫为害苗。不同品种的水稻挥发物对黑肩绿盲蝽的引诱作用存在明显差异 ,但不同氮肥水平的水稻挥发物间差异不显著。上述结果表明 ,水稻挥发物在黑肩绿盲蝽的捕食行为中起着重要作用。文中就如何改进水稻特性和栽培措施以增强天敌作用进行了讨论。     

ROLE OF RICE VOLATILES IN THE FORAGING BEHAVIOUR OF CYRTORHINUS LIVIDIPENNIS REUTER

Abstract Experiments were conducted in laboratory to study the impacts of rice genotypes and nitrogen levels on the preference of the egg predator, Cyrtorhinus lividipennis , for eggs of brown planthopper(BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Stal), and their relation to the rice volatiles. In two-choice tests, the female predators showed different preference for BPH eggs on different rice genotypes, but not for BPH eggs on rice plants treated with different levels of nitrogen. The olfactory response test revealed that more predator oriented to the odour from healthy rice plants compared with the plain air (control); the predator preferred BPH nymph-damaged plants to healthy plants, and BPH female adult-damaged plants to BPH nymph-damaged plants. The comparative studies between rice genotypes and nitrogen levels indicated that there were obvious differences in attractiveness to the predator between rice genotypes, while there was no significant difference between rice plants treated with different levels of nitrogen. The results showed that rice volatiles played an important role in mediating the foraging behaviour of C. lividipennis . Implications for augmenting the effectiveness of natural enemies by adjusting rice attributes and cultural practices are discussed.     

褐飞虱迁飞参数的数值模拟

迁飞性害虫褐飞虱对中国和亚洲其它国家和地区的水稻有着十分严重的危害,其迁飞参数的时空变化是种群迁飞这一生态行为的重要体现。应用目前国际上先进的中尺度数值预报模式MM5 (V3.2 )对我国褐飞虱北迁、南返的过程进行了数值模拟,根据模拟结果对害虫的迁出虫源地、迁飞路径、降落区、空中迁飞速率、迁飞高度、迁飞历时和迁飞距离等迁飞参数进行了一系列的数值计算和客观分析,得到了与实际虫情普查和雷达观测资料相当吻合的结果,从而比较精确地阐明了褐飞虱迁出起飞、空中定向飞行、降落迁入等迁飞行为的动力学机制。     

Nocturnal windborne migration of ground beetles,particularly Pseudoophonus griseus (Coleoptera: Carabidae), in China

1 A network of light‐traps, an aerial net carried by kytoon (balloon) and two entomological radars were used to investigate whether ground beetles migrate nocturnally through China. The network‐wide, simultaneous sudden increase in light trap catches, and after subsequent decrease, indicated a seasonal long‐distance night migration of ground beetles, with Pseudoophonus griseus (Panzer) predominant, in August. 2 Aerial net trapping indicated that carabids were able to ascend to altitudes of at least 200 m and become windborne. Radar observations indicated that the migratory beetles formed high‐density layer concentrations at approximately 200–300 m. 3 These concentrations were coincident with the top of the temperature inversion and a wind speed maximum, which suggested that the carabids tended to select warm, fast moving air for their long‐distance migration. 4 The ground beetles orientated and displaced towards the downwind direction in southerly winds. Their air speed decreased as the tailwind increased and, thus, migrating beetles appeared to be conserving energy. 5 The mean ± SD displacement speed (ground speed) and air speed were 6.85 ± 1.73 m/s (n= 172) and 4.45 ± 1.54 m/s (n= 172), respectively. The duration of flight, estimated from the variation in area density derived from radar data, was approximately 9–10 h, indicating that the beetles might migrate hundreds of kilometres in a single flight.     

Cell culture of the rice brown planthopper,Nilaparvata lugens Stål (Hemiptera: Delphacidae)

The rice brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), is one of the most destructive insect pests of rice in Asia. Although resistant rice varieties can be effective in managing planthopper populations, BPH has repeatedly been able to overcome resistant rice varieties. It is possible that BPH adaptation to resistant rice varieties may be related to its endosymbionts. We investigated methods for culturing BPH cells in order to study in-depth interactions between rice, BPH, and its endosymbionts. In this study, we tested EX-CELL? 405, EX-CELL? 420, Mitsuhashi and Maramorosch’s medium, and Kimura’s medium, for in vitro culture of BPH cells. Only Kimura’s medium was found to be suitable for BPH cell culture, and BPH embryos around blastokinetic stage were the best source for BPH cell culture. Cells from BPH embryonic tissues adhered to the plate substrate, and the migration of cells was observed within 24 h in primary culture. After 3 mo of subculture, various types of BPH cells were successfully maintained in the Kimura’s medium.     

刈割频度对普通野生稻实验种群的影响

本文通过考察普通野生稻(Oryza rufipogon)实验种群对不同频度刈割的反应,揭示刈割对该种群的密度、株高、生物量、单枝生物量和有性生殖份额等有明显的抑制作用,对累积株高增长和光合系统份额则有一定的促进作用。刈割频度越大,作用越大。但对后两者的促进是以消耗地下部分的物质和能量为前提的,超过一定频度的刈割不仅可使其有性生殖份额降至零,还可导致种群消亡。提示过频破坏普遍野生稻地上部分是该种部分种群发生地方性绝灭的重要原因之一。     

bioRad: biological analysis and visualization of weather radar data

Weather surveillance radars are increasingly used for monitoring the movements and abundances of animals in the airspace. However, analysis of weather radar data remains a specialised task that can be technically challenging. Major hurdles are the difficulty of accessing and visualising radar data on a software platform familiar to ecologists and biologists, processing the low‐level data into products that are biologically meaningful, and summarizing these results in standardized measures. To overcome these hurdles, we developed the open source R package bioRad, which provides a toolbox for accessing, visualizing and analyzing weather radar data for biological studies. It provides functionality to access low‐level radar data, process these data into meaningful biological information on animal speeds and directions at different altitudes in the atmosphere, visualize these biological extractions, and calculate further summary statistics. The package aims to standardize methods for extracting and reporting biological signals from weather radars. Here we describe a roadmap for analyzing weather radar data using bioRad. We also define weather radar equivalents for familiar measures used in the field of migration ecology, such as migration traffic rates, and recommend several good practices for reporting these measures. The bioRad package integrates with low‐level data from both the European radar network (OPERA) and the radar network of the United States (NEXRAD). bioRad aims to make weather radar studies in ecology easier and more reproducible, allowing for better inter‐comparability of studies.