Seasonal Prevalence of Mosquitoes Collected from Light Traps in the Republic of Korea, 2001

ABSTRACT Adult mosquito surveillance was conducted during 2001 at 28 US military installations and training sites located in five provinces in the Republic of Korea (ROK). Adult mosquitoes were collected in New Jersey and dry ice-baited CDC-type light traps from 1 May through 15 October. Mosquito surveillance was conducted to determine threshold levels to initiate pesticide applications and identify malaria infection rates at selected Army installations and training sites. A total of 61,584 adults [45,814 (74.4%) females and 15,770 (25.6%) males] comprising 17 species and 7 genera were collected during 2001. The most common species collected were Anopheles sinensis Wiedemann (36.3%), Aedes vexans nipponii (Theobald) (23.1%), Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles (22.3%) and Culex pipiens Coquillett (17.6%). Trap indices (TIs) varied widely for species over their range, due in part, to geographical distribution and degree of association with urban communities. During 2001, the TI for An. sinensis was 19.6 females/trap night compared to years 1999 and 2000, when the TI for the Munsan area was 1.4 and 2.9 times (27.7 and 57.4 TI) greater, respectively. The weekly population densities for some species were variable for each of the years, apparently as a result of variable annual weather conditions. None of the 16,302 Anopheles sinensis assayed for plasmodium vivax (Pv) malaria infections by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) were positive.     

Long adult life spain and polyphagy of a carabid beetle,Leptocarabus kumagaii in relation to reproduction and survival

The reproductive patterns of two different age classes of Leptocarabus kumagaii adults, i.e. young beetles which were in the first year of adult stage and old ones which survived for more than two years, were studied in the field. The numbers of eggs laid were compared between young and old females and the effects of food quality and quantity were studied on egg production and maintenance in the laboratory.

1. Both of the young and old beetles reproduced in the field population. The number of eggs laid did not significantly differ between the two.
2. The number of eggs laid by female increased with an increase in the amount of miced beef eaten. Plant materials were ineffective for egg production but sufficient for the survival of both male and female beetles.
3. The two life historical aspects, i.e. repeated reproduction and polyphagy were discussed in relation to environmental fluctuation and limitation of food resources.

     

群居性啮齿动物重捕取样布笼方式的比较

采用两种布笼方法即传统的方格布笼法和同心圆布笼法对典型草原区布氏田鼠野外种群进行了重捕效果的比较。结果表明,方格布笼法的重捕效果要大大低于同心,圆布笼法。对此类群居性啮齿动物进行重捕取样的实验设计时,建议采用同心圆布笼法取代传统的方格布笼法。     

Functional characteristics of traps of aquatic carnivorous Utricularia species

Firing and resetting of traps in aquatic Utricularia species are associated with water flow and trap volume changes. In this study, trap thickness was used as a measure of water flow and was monitored automatically using an electronic position sensor. The basic characteristics of mechanically stimulated firing and resetting were measured in isolated traps from 13 aquatic Utricularia species and in two trap size categories in Utricularia reflexa. This allowed to study the relationship between these trap functions and trap thickness and length (criteria of trap size). Additionally, the characteristics of spontaneous firings (without any mechanical stimulation) were compared for U. reflexa traps fed or denied prey during a 1-day period. On the absolute scale, the 13 Utricularia species differed considerably in their firing and resetting rates. Significant interspecific differences were also found in the magnitude of firing (in total 3.7–4.2 times) and resetting rates (10–24 times) per unit trap thickness or length. Overall, traps of Utricularia australis, Utricularia stellaris and Utricularia inflata showed the greatest firing and resetting rates. The relative magnitude of firing per unit trap thickness or length showed a highly significant negative correlation with both trap thickness and length and the same also held for the relative resetting rates. Smaller and narrower traps are thus relatively more effective at trap firing and resetting than larger traps. Neither firing nor resetting characteristics were significantly different between unfed and prey-fed traps of U. reflexa and this was also true for the occurrence of spontaneous firings. A strict linear resetting rate, without any lag-period, was found during the first 3 min after trap firing in U. reflexa. This suggests that water is pumped out of the trap continuously and probably recirculates. Given the concepts of spontaneous firing and water recirculation, an ecological model based on the literature data has been devised to quantify the daily N and P gain from the ambient water by Utricularia traps devoid of animal prey. The model shows that the total N and P content estimated in the trap fluid is too high to be accumulated from only the ambient water. This implies that the prey-free traps do not take up N or P from the trap fluid but rather exude a quantity of these nutrients to the fluid to support the microbial community. Therefore, the trap microorganisms behave more as parasites than commensals and represent an additional ecological cost for trap maintenance.     

Arbuscular mycorrhizal structure and fungi associated with mosses

We investigated the colonization and diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi associated with 24 moss species belonging to 16 families in China. AM fungal structures, i.e. spores, vesicles, hyphal coils (including intracellular hyphae), or intercellular nonseptate hyphae, were found in 21 moss species. AM fungal structures (vesicles, hyphal coils, and intercellular nonseptate hyphae) were present in tissues of 14 moss species, and spores and nonseptate hyphae on the surface of gametophytes occurred in 15 species. AM fungal structures were present in 11 of the 12 saxicolous moss species and in six of the ten terricolous moss species, but absent in two epixylous moss species. AM fungal structures were only observed in moss stem and leaf tissues, but not in rhizoids. A total of 15 AM fungal taxa were isolated based on trap culture with clover, using 13 moss species as inocula. Of these AM fungi, 11 belonged to Glomus, two to Acaulospora, one to Gigaspora, and one to Paraglomus. Our results suggest that AM fungal structures commonly occur in most mosses and that diverse AM fungi, particularly Glomus species, are associated with mosses.     

Why Gratzel’s cell works so well

In Gratzel’s cell, the electrons injected by the photo-excitation of dye molecules, anchored to a mesoporous TiO₂ film, efficiently diffuse to the back contact achieving solar energy conversion at efficiencies exceeding 10%. The mesoporous TiO₂ surface constituted of randomly arranged nanocrystallites with a roughness factor of the order 1000 is heavily populated with traps, defects and adsorbed species which act as recombination centers. Nevertheless, the cell functions, mitigating recombination expected to occur via the interaction electrons at the surface. Evidence based mainly on 1/f noise measurements is presented to show that dye bonded to the TiO₂ surface passivates recombination centers. Furthermore the suppression of trapping-detrapping events at the surface increases the diffusion coefficient of the electrons through the nanocrystalline matrix facilitating electron transport to the back contact. The Gratzel cell is also unique, none of the high bandgap oxide materials other than TiO₂ yield energy conversion and quantum efficiencies as high as that of the cells based on TiO₂. 1/f noise measurements also reveal a distinct difference between TiO₂ and ZnO mesoporous films suggesting that the films made from the latter material are more intensely populated with surface states that mediate recombination.     

不同诱捕技术对松褐天牛的诱捕效果

通过不同引诱剂、不同诱芯、不同诱捕器和不同缓释量对松褐天牛的诱捕试验,结果表明,4种引诱剂对松褐天牛都有一定的引诱效果.其中,引诱剂MA2K 05的效果最好,引诱活性平均为26.3头/诱捕器,对其它鞘翅目和半翅目昆虫也有引诱作用;引诱剂MA2K 13活性次之,平均21.3头/诱捕器;MA2K 11最弱,平均13.8头/诱捕器.3种诱芯A、B和C的引诱效果分别为14.73、4.25和20.3头/诱捕器,其中诱芯C内引诱剂总量为诱芯A或诱芯B的2.5倍,且诱芯C内的引诱剂3～5 d需添加一次,而诱芯A和诱芯B的引诱活性能持续1个月以上,因此,诱芯B较为理想.宣州诱捕器引诱效果显著高于日式诱捕器,分别为36.4和9.7头/诱捕器.不同剂量诱捕结果表明,随着诱芯缓释量的增加,诱捕效果也相应提高,当剂量从20 ml上升至80 ml时,诱捕效果增加不显著;当诱剂达120 ml时,引诱效果显著增加.     

An economical device for carbon supplement in large-scale micro-algae production

One simple but efficient carbon-supplying device was designed and developed, and the correlative carbon-supplying technology was described. The absorbing characterization of this device was studied. The carbon-supplying system proved to be economical for large-scale cultivation of Spirulina sp. in an outdoor raceway pond, and the gaseous carbon dioxide absorptivity was enhanced above 78%, which could reduce the production cost greatly.     

Assessment of a trap for measuring larval supply of intertidal barnacles on wave-swept, semi-exposed shores

Larval supply and settlement of Semibalanus balanoides (L.) on a semi-exposed wave-swept shore in E Scotland were assessed by means of a new larval trap design. Two midshore sites were utilised throughout the peak of the 2001 settlement season (May 11–June 3). Larval supply was quantified by 176 ml baffled cylinder traps filled with a 4-M killing solution of urea in seawater. Larval trap washout of urea typically ranged from 25% per day under minimal wave action to a maximum of 39% under heavy wave action during an onshore gale. The maximum capture for a single trap was 334 cyprids over one tide. Significant and consistent positional effects, both on urea retention and larval capture, were found for replicate traps separated by 9 cm. These indicated fine-scale variations in hydrodynamic flow and larval supply over the substratum which will have implications for the quantification of spatial heterogeneity of larval input to the benthos. The retention of urea and larval capture efficiency generally were not compromised by traps being serviced daily, as opposed to tidally, except perhaps for captures at very low larval densities. Larval supply measured on a tidal basis was strongly correlated between sites (r=0.975), but supply at Site C was 5× that at Site T: the reduction at Site T could not be explained by its slightly shorter immersion time and hence ‘availability’ of cyprids alone. At Site C settlement was quantified for 5×5 cm quadrats of natural substratum cleared daily. Settlement on these clearances (subject to possible grazing by limpets) was quantified only from May 20–June 3, after the peak of larval supply on May 17, and the variation in larval supply explained 65% of the variance in settlement. The larval supply/settlement relationship at Site T was quantified using grooved acrylic panels. A high correlation coefficient (0.961) was obtained for the daily supply/settlement relationship for these panels over the period May 15–June 3, which included the peak of supply. Larval supply varied up to 15-fold within a site on consecutive tides and up to 100-fold between sites on the same tide. Although further improvements to both the larval trap and the settlement panels can be made, this larval trap does appear capable of providing high-resolution data on tidal or daily larval supply over a wide range of wave conditions and larval concentrations.