Effect of simultaneous variation in temperature and ammonia concentration on percent fertilization and hatching in Crassostrea ariakensis

The combined effects of temperature and ammonia concentration on the percent fertilization and percent hatching in Crassostrea ariakensis were examined under laboratory conditions using the central composite design and response surface methodology. The results indicated: (1) The linear effects of temperature and ammonia concentration on the percent fertilization were significant (P<0.05), and the quadratic effects were highly significant (P<0.01). The interactive effect between temperature and ammonia concentration on the percent fertilization was not significant (P>0.05). (2) The linear effect of temperature on the percent hatching was highly significant (P<0.01), and that of ammonia concentration was nonsignificant (P>0.05). The quadratic effects of temperature and ammonia concentration on the percent hatching were highly significant (P<0.01). The interaction on the percent hatching was not significant (P>0.05). Temperature was more important than ammonia in influencing the fertilization and hatching in C. ariakensis. (3) The model equations of the percent fertilization and hatching towards temperature and ammonia concentration were established, with the coefficients of determination R²=99.4% and 99.76%, respectively. Through the lack-of-fit test, these models were of great adequacy. The predictive coefficients of determination for the two model equations were as high as 94.6% and 98.03%, respectively, showing that they could be used for practical projection. (4) Via the statistical simultaneous optimization technique, the optimal factor level combination, i.e., 25 °C/0.038 mg mL⁻¹, was derived, at which the greatest percent fertilization 95.25% and hatching 83.26% was achieved, with the desirability being 97.81%. Our results may provide advantageous guidelines for the successful reproduction of C. ariakensis.     

What are the benefits of parental care? The importance of parental effects on developmental rate

The evolution of parental care is beneficial if it facilitates offspring performance traits that are ultimately tied to offspring fitness. While this may seem self‐evident, the benefits of parental care have received relatively little theoretical exploration. Here, we develop a theoretical model that elucidates how parental care can affect offspring performance and which aspects of offspring performance (e.g., survival, development) are likely to be influenced by care. We begin by summarizing four general types of parental care benefits. Care can be beneficial if parents (1) increase offspring survival during the stage in which parents and offspring are associated, (2) improve offspring quality in a way that leads to increased offspring survival and/or reproduction in the future when parents are no longer associated with offspring, and/or (3) directly increase offspring reproductive success when parents and offspring remain associated into adulthood. We additionally suggest that parental control over offspring developmental rate might represent a substantial, yet underappreciated, benefit of care. We hypothesize that parents adjust the amount of time offspring spend in life‐history stages in response to expected offspring mortality, which in turn might increase overall offspring survival, and ultimately, fitness of parents and offspring. Using a theoretical evolutionary framework, we show that parental control over offspring developmental rate can represent a significant, or even the sole, benefit of care. Considering this benefit influences our general understanding of the evolution of care, as parental control over offspring developmental rate can increase the range of life‐history conditions (e.g., egg and juvenile mortalities) under which care can evolve.     

Aggregation protects flexible-shelled reptile eggs from severe hydric stress

Many reptiles lay eggs with flexible shells that can progressively lose water until lethal dehydration under dry soil conditions. The number of eggs that develop together may influence the water exchange in the nest. We hypothesise that egg aggregation could reduce water lost under dry conditions. We exposed aggregated and isolated eggs to severe hydric stress followed by a period of rehydration. Hydric stress caused a general loss of water in common chameleon eggs. Initial egg mass did not affect survival but eggs that had lost more water had higher mortality and produced smaller hatchlings. Mass loss was higher and even lethal for isolated Chamaeleo chameleon eggs. However, aggregated eggs lost less water and most survived this period. After hydric stress, all surviving eggs gained mass via water absorption, and aggregation negatively affected water uptake. Isolated eggs hatched at smaller sizes than aggregated eggs. Aggregation also favoured hatching synchrony. Large clutches may favour hatching success of terrestrial flexible-shelled eggs incubated under severe drought conditions.     

北京幽灵蛛的繁殖行为

室内用数码摄像机记录北京幽灵蛛(Pholcus beijingensis)的求偶、交配、产卵和孵卵行为,并分析了行为动作系列。拨丝和慢跳在求偶中起着重要的作用。北京幽灵蛛有多次交配的习性,雌蛛第一次交配的持续时间显著长于第二次交配,PPMs动作(pedipalp movements)在交配阶段贯穿始终,铲状的引导器在PPMs动作里会移出雌蛛生殖腔内的竞争者的精液和雌蛛分泌物,反映的是最后一个交配雄蛛的精子优先模式。雌蛛有护卵行为,产卵后用螯肢咬住卵袋直至其孵化。     

Different diatoms induce contrasting effects on the reproductive success of the copepod Temora stylifera

Four diatoms, Thalassiosira rotula (THA), Thalassiosira weissflogii (TWEI), Skeletonema costatum (SKE) and Phaeodactylum tricornutum (PHA), and one dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum (PRO, control diet), were tested during the course of 14-day laboratory experiments examining the effects of these algae on the fecundity and egg viability in the copepod Temora stylifera. All algae were provided at the same mean carbon concentrations of 0.98 μg C ml⁻¹ to normalize the effects due to differences in diatom size and nutrient concentrations, at least with regards to carbon, so that variations in egg production and hatching viability were presumably due to other chemical constituents of the cells. Our results show that only PRO supported high reproductive success, with stable egg production rates and egg viability close to 100%. By contrast, all four diatoms negatively impacted egg production and hatching success, with varying degrees of suppression. The two diets SKE and PHA induced dramatic effects on reproductive success; SKE was the worst diet with naupliar production ceasing altogether within only 3 days. With PHA, fecundity never reached zero, but at the end of the experiments, initial egg production rates had dropped to 6.6% of initial rates, and viability had declined to zero within 7 days. The two Thalassiosira species mainly affected egg viability, so that after 14 days of feeding, a decrease of 90% had occurred. However, egg production rates were high and were reduced only by 15-24% towards the end of the experiments. In terms of potential recruitment rates, even though PRO induced high mean naupliar production, a slight decrease was observed during the first 5 days, likely due to the time required for T. stylifera to acclimate to PRO. After day 5, potential recruitment rate was higher, comparable to in situ values. THA and TWEI inhibited potential recruitment up to 90-100%, but these effects were not evident over a short-term period, denoting the importance of introducing the time factor when evaluating diatom effects on copepod production. With the other two diatom diets, SKE and PHA, recruitment was zero after 2 and 6 days, respectively. Experiments testing the effects of unsaturated aldehydes in THA (2-trans-4-trans-decadienal) and SKE (2-trans-4-trans-octadienal and 2-trans-4-trans-heptadienal) on the hatching viability of T. stylifera indicate that diatom-derived aldehydes may differ in terms of biological activity. Of the three molecules tested, decadienal had somewhat stronger effects on hatching success, with total blockage occurring at concentrations of 2.0 μg ml⁻¹; the concentrations to induce total blockage by octadienal and heptadienal were somewhat higher and ≥2.5 μg ml⁻¹. We suggest that the greater biological activity of SKE in terms of cell blockage may thus be due to the presence of antimitotic compounds other than these unsaturated aldehydes.     

朱鹮的营巢、产卵、孵化和育雏

系统地总结了 1981～ 2 0 0 0年朱筑巢、产卵、孵化和育雏的情况 ,对朱的繁殖情况进行了全面的评价。在此期间 ,朱野生群体共计营巢 12 3窝 ,产卵 3 63枚 ,出壳 2 76只 ,离巢出飞幼鸟 2 16只。朱的平均窝卵数为 3 0 4枚 ,窝卵数在年际间无显著差异 ,孵化期为 2 8天 ,育雏期为 4 0～ 4 5天。在孵化过程中朱的每日晾卵次数和时间逐渐增加 ,在育幼过程中亲鸟的喂食量在育雏中期最多 ,雌雄亲鸟对后代的贡献没有显著差异。近年来朱营巢地的海拔高度逐渐降低。     

Inbreeding and outbreeding depression in Daphnia

Egg-to-adult viability of sexual offspring in Daphnia magna is lower for selfed (average: 43.0%) than for outcrossed families (average: 74.7%). This suggests that intraclonal mating is not the rule in Daphnia populations. For a given family, hatching rate of eggs resulting from interpopulation crosses is lower than for intrapopulation crosses. This breakdown in hatching responses may result in the effective gene flow between Daphnia populations being severely reduced, offering an explanation for the apparent paradox of genetic differentiation of Daphnia populations in spite of efficient dispersal.     

The effect of parental condition on egg-size and reproductive success in short-tailed shearwaters Puffinus tenuirostris

Eggs were exchanged between 50 pairs of shorttailed shearwaters Puffinus tenuirostris on Great Dog Island, Bass Strait, Australia, in an attempt to distinguish the intrinsic effects of egg-size from any effects stemming from differential quality of parental care. At 64 experimental nests, large and small eggs were exchanged whereas at 36 control nests, eggs of equivalent, medium, size were exchanged. Egg-size appeared independent of maternal effects. In both groups, hatching and fledging success were independent both of eggsize and of the body condition of the attending parents. This suggests that breeding success in these birds may be more closely related to the behavioural traits of parents than to physiological factors.     

攀雀繁殖生态的研究

攀雀的一般繁殖生物学及营巢过程,欧洲曾有过记述(Merkel,1935;Kortner,1981),但较少涉及生态学。我们根据所获的65巢攀雀,对其营巢程序及巢中112枚卵和118只雏进行了观察与研究。本文报道攀雀的繁殖习性、种群关系、分布密度以及雏鸟的生长、孵化率、繁殖率、食性等。     

Artificial spawning and rearing of lake sturgeon,Acipenser fulvescens,in Wild Rose State Fish Hatchery,Wisconsin, 1982–1983

Synopsis Attempts to culture lake sturgeon, Acipenser fulvescens, in the past have generally met with limited success. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has been experimenting with artificial propagation of this species since 1979. The intent has been to develop egg collection and handling techniques, hatching regimes, larva and juvenile diet formulations, and to evaluate juvenile survival after stocking. Eggs were collected by caesarian section and fertilized with milt from ripe males taken during annual sturgeon spawning runs on the Fox and Wolf rivers in central Wisconsin. After insemination, the eggs were treated in a saturated solution of Bentonite clay and transported to the hatchery. Eggs were incubated at temperatures ranging from 13–16° C and embryos began hatching within 4 to 8 days. Hatching success ranged from 42 to 96%. Yolksac absorption was complete within 10 days of hatching. Larvae then became positively phototactic and swam actively as if searching for food. Successful larval diets consisted of live brine shrimp nauplii followed by larger zooplankton, primarily Daphnia sp. Juveniles grew best on diets of live Tubifex sp. and chopped earthworms. Liver, fish mash (ground up trout) and pelleted dry food were poorly accepted. Hatchery reared sturgeon grew more slowly than did wild fish.