How does flowering magnitude affect seed survival in Shorea pilosa (Dipterocarpaceae) at the predispersal stage in Malaysia?

General flowering (GF), a supra-annual, irregular fluctuation in flowering and seeding at the community level, is a phenomenon unique to the tropical rainforests of South-East Asia. To test the animal pollination and predator satiation hypotheses, which are the main hypotheses that attempt to explain the ultimate cause of GF, we conducted a bagging experiment after the flowering of Shorea pilosa (Dipterocarpaceae). Seed survival at the predispersal stage was divided into two stages (1–30 days and > 30 days after flowering) and we compared the results between treatments and between GF and non-GF periods using a survival analysis. Survival during the GF period at both stages was significantly higher than during non-GF periods, suggesting that both hypotheses were supported and that synchronous flowering with GF benefits the reproductive success of S. pilosa .     

Temperature gradient chambers for research on global environment change. III. A system designed for rice in Kyoto, Japan

Synthesis and validation of crop models for assessment of of the impact of elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentration and anticipated global warming on crop production require crop response data obtained under field-like conditions. The temperature gradient chamber (TGC) with the facility for CO₂ enrichment allows the creation of various CO₂ and temperature regimes for crops over the entire growth period with relatively inexpensive construction and running costs. The TGC develops a temperature gradient along its longitudinal axis using solar energy during the day and heating at night while maintaining the natural diurnal cycle. The temperature gradient and the CO₂ concentration in the TGC are regulated by computer control of the air ventilation rate through the TGC and of the CO₂ release rate. Longitudinal gradients of CO₂ concentration and water vapour pressure deficit of air in the TGC were generally less than 5% and ±0.2 kPa, respectively. A CO₂ enrichment experiment on rice in the TGC showed that a doubling of the CO₂ concentration markedly enhanced crop dry matter production. Temperature had less effect on dry matter production, although panicle dry weight was greatly decreased at higher temperature as a result of high-temperature-induccd sterility of rice spikelets. Since rice spikclets are most sensitive to high temperature at the moment of flowering, and their flowering habit is highly synchronized with the diurnal courses of environmental conditions, the TGC is a useful tool in understanding rice responses to changes in atmosphere and temperature.     

Inter-and intraspecific differences in fatty acid composition of freshwater crustacean zooplankton

1. The composition of fatty acids (FA) from C14 to C18 was measured for edible seston and for individual Daphnia galeata , Diaphanosoma brachyurum and Eodiaptomus japonicus from Lake Biwa using a pyrolysis–gas chromatography (Py–GC) method. Based on the relative abundance of the FA, inter-and intraspecific differences in composition were examined.
2. Among the FA, C16 : 0 was the most abundant, both in the three zooplankton species and in edible seston smaller than 20 μm, suggesting that the composition of the zooplankton was roughly reflected by their diet. However, the abundance of C18 : 1 relative to C16 : 1 and C18 : 0 was much higher in each zooplankton species than in the diet.
3. Comparison of the relative abundance of FA among the three zooplankton species revealed that intraspecific differences in FA composition are greater than interspecific differences. These results indicate that variability in FA composition is not necessarily species-specific, and can be obscured by variation in composition between individuals.     

The influence of sex and body size on nestling survival and recruitment in the house sparrow

Differences in the survival rates of males and females over the period from hatching to recruitment can have important impacts on individual fitness and population demographics. However, whilst the influence of an individual's sex on nestling growth and survival has been well studied, less is known about sex‐specific survival over the period between fledging and recruitment. Here, we analyse nestling survival and recruitment in an isolated, island population of house sparrows (Passer domesticus), using data collected over a 4‐year period. Nestlings that had a greater mass at 1 day old were more likely to fledge. Recruitment was also positively associated with day 11 mass. The positive influence of nestling mass on survival to fledging also increased as brood size increased. There was no difference in the survival of male and female individuals prior to fledging. In contrast, over the period from fledging to recruitment, females had significantly less mortality than males. Recruitment was also positively associated with 11‐day‐old mass. Neither the nestling sex ratio nor the fledging sex ratio deviated from 0.5, but the sex ratio amongst recruits was female biased. Our study shows that sex can influence juvenile survival, but also shows that its effect varies between different life‐history stages; therefore, these stages should be considered separately if we want to understand at what point sex‐specific differences in juvenile survival occur. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 101 , 680–688.     

Consistent individual differences in cooperative behaviour in meerkats (Suricata suricatta)

Although recent models for the evolution of personality, using game theory and life‐history theory, predict that individuals should differ consistently in their cooperative behaviour, consistent individual differences in cooperative behaviour have rarely been documented. In this study, we used a long‐term data set on wild meerkats to quantify the repeatability of two types of cooperative care (babysitting and provisioning) within individuals and examined how repeatability varied across age, sex and status categories. Contributions to babysitting and provisioning were significantly repeatable and positively correlated within individuals, with provisioning more repeatable than babysitting. While repeatability of provisioning was relatively invariant across categories of individuals, repeatability of babysitting increased with age and was higher for subordinates than dominants. These results provide support for theoretical predictions that life‐history trade‐offs favour the evolution of consistent individual differences in cooperative behaviour and raise questions about why some individuals consistently help more than others across a suite of cooperative behaviours.     

Habitat‐related patterns in phenotypic variation in a New Zealand freshwater generalist fish,and comparisons with a closely related specialist

1. Within‐species phenotypic variation is hugely variable and may play a role in determining the range of habitats a species can exploit. Our study addressed two main questions: 1. does phenotypic variation allow some species (i.e. habitat‐generalists) to use heterogeneous habitats and 2. are habitat‐generalists more variable than species occupying relatively homogeneous environments (i.e. habitat‐specialists)? 2. We examined the morphology of the common bully (Gobiomorphus cotidianus), a habitat‐generalist eleotrid fish found in lakes and rivers throughout New Zealand. We also compared the level of morphological variability in common bullies with that in the closely related redfin bully (Gobiomorphus huttoni), a habitat‐specialist of moderate‐ and fast‐flowing rivers. 3. Common and redfin bullies were collected from the South Island of New Zealand. A series of body and fin measurements were made, and cephalic dorsal head pores of the mechanosensory lateral‐line system were counted. The pores and associated canal neuromasts are important for prey detection and predator avoidance in other species, particularly, in turbulent conditions where the effectiveness of superficial neuromasts may be compromised. 4. The common bully had more dorsal head pores in fish from rivers than in those from lakes. This pattern was apparent only in adults, suggesting that selective pressures associated with adult habitat, be it rivers or lakes, are responsible. 5. As expected, there was greater phenotypic variability in the generalist common bully than in the specialist redfin bully, particularly with regard to the sensory pores, suggesting their importance for survival in turbulence. 6. We identified habitat‐related patterns in phenotypic variability in a generalist species and demonstrated a link between phenotypic variability and habitat breadth. Variation in the common bully may explain its ability to occupy a range of habitats.     

Blue light-regulation of cell division in Adiantum protonemata: an approach with pulse stimulation

Abstract Cell division of the single-celled Adiantum protonemata produced by red-light (RL) incubation of germinated spores is induced by transfer to darkness and is stimulated by blue light (BL). It is known that the cellular process leading to this cell division includes one cell cycle and the BL response results from shortening of the Gl phase. The authors studied this BL regulation of cell cycle by giving a pulse of BL after RL termination and measuring changes in the proportion of divided cells. To minimize phytochrome responses arising from BL irradiation, the plants were kept in continuous far-red light instead of total darkness after the RL incubation. The response to a pulse (10–100 s) approached saturation with increasing rluences in a manner that reciprocity is valid. The sensitivity to BL, investigated by measuring the response to a saturating pulse, showed an increase in the first several hours after RL termination, followed by a sustained sensitivity for 20 h. Time courses of the pulse-induced responses showed a lag of about 12 h, which was considerably shorter than in the non-stimulated control; the lag was approximately independent of the strength of BL stimulation or the timing of BL application after RL termination, and the major difference occurred in the slope. It is concluded that the sensitivity to BL is retained during the time span in which the dark-dependent Gl phase progresses, and that the BL response is initiated independently of the reactions involved in the dark-dependent Gl phase. A minimal reaction model of Gl phase is suggested to unify the results.     

Blue light-regulation of cell division in Adiantum protonemata: kinetic properties of the photosystem

Abstract Blue-light-induced cell division in single-celled Adiantum protonemata was studied by using two or three pulses (pulse duration: 30 s) separated by various periods and by using relatively long irradiation (e.g. 30 min). The results showed: (1) that the response is saturated by a single pulse, (2) that after the application of a saturating pulse, the protonemata gradually become responsive to another pulse, showing time-dependent saturation to the second pulse, and (3) that although reciprocity holds in the pulse-induced response, it becomes invalid as the exposure duration extends in the range of minutes. These results were analysed in view of a reaction model in which a molecular component is considered to exist in two forms A and B. The response to a single pulse is considered to result from a light-dependent conversion of the component (A→B), and the restoration response measured by two pulses, from its dark reversion (B→A). The analyses yielded (1) the value of the constant which relates the fluence rate to the rate constant of the light-induced reaction, and (2) the rate constant of the dark reaction. The model was extended to formulate the responses to long irradiations as a function of the integrated concentration of B over time. The responses predicted by the formula by using the parameter values estimated from the pulse responses were able to explain the responses measured for long irradiation.