Effect of feeding boxes on the behavior of stereotyping amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) in the Zurich Zoo,Zurich, Switzerland

The stereotyped pacing shown by the two Amur tigers in the Zurich Zoo was hypothesized as being caused by permanently frustrated appetitive foraging behavior. Several electrically controlled feeding boxes were installed and access to each box was possible only twice a day for 15 min at semi‐random times. The boxes had to be opened actively by the tigers. Two trials were carried out: one with solitary confinement, and one with paired confinement. During box feeding, the female's stereotyped pacing was significantly reduced from 16% (solitary confinement, conventional feeding) and 7% (paired confinement, conventional feeding) to 1% (solitary confinement) and less than 0.01% (paired confinement) of the daily observed time. The female's sleeping increased significantly in both solitary and paired confinement. The male only showed a significant reduction in stereotyped pacing behavior when kept with the female (conventional feeding: 10%; box feeding: <0.01% of the daily observed time). On days with a box‐feeding regime in paired confinement, the male spent 25% (83 min) of the observed time with active behavior at the feeding boxes. The results support the hypothesis that permanently frustrated appetitive foraging behavior causes stereotyped pacing in adult tigers. Zoo Biol 21:573–584, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Dynamic information and host acceptance by a tephritid fruit fly

Abstract. 1. Female apple maggot (Rhagoletis pomonella Walsh) flies held in field cages usually oviposited in an unparasitized (non-pheromone marked) fruit when it was encountered.
2. Oviposition in a previously parasitized (pheromone marked) fruit depended upon the time since the last oviposition (TSLO) and the percentage of infested fruit encountered during search for oviposition sites.
3. Previous theories of host acceptance suggest that the acceptance or rejection of a host should depend dichotomously on time since last oviposition and the fraction of marked hosts in the last five encounters. The experiments, however, show considerable variability and are thus not consistent with the theory.
4. A new theory for the experiments is introduced. This model involves physiological (egg complement) and informational state variables and leads to intuitive understanding of the experimental results. In particular, the model shows how the plasticity in oviposition site selection may arise from fitness maximizing behaviour. Alternative models are also discussed. All of the models stress the importance of physiological and informational states.     

Loss of second and sixth conserved cysteine residues from trypsin inhibitor-like cysteine-rich domain-type protease inhibitors in Bombyx mori may induce activity against microbial proteases

Previous studies have indicated that most trypsin inhibitor-like cysteine-rich domain (TIL)-type protease inhibitors, which contain a single TIL domain with ten conserved cysteines, inhibit cathepsin, trypsin, chymotrypsin, or elastase. Our recent findings suggest that Cys^2nd and Cys^6th were lost from the TIL domain of the fungal-resistance factors in Bombyx mori, BmSPI38 and BmSPI39, which inhibit microbial proteases and the germination of Beauveria bassiana conidia. To reveal the significance of these two missing cysteines in relation to the structure and function of TIL-type protease inhibitors in B. mori, cysteines were introduced at these two positions (D36 and L56 in BmSPI38, D38 and L58 in BmSPI39) by site-directed mutagenesis. The homology structure model of TIL domain of the wild-type and mutated form of BmSPI39 showed that two cysteine mutations may cause incorrect disulfide bond formation of B. mori TIL-type protease inhibitors. The results of Far-UV circular dichroism (CD) spectra indicated that both the wild-type and mutated form of BmSPI39 harbored predominantly random coil structures, and had slightly different secondary structure compositions. SDS-PAGE and Western blotting analysis showed that cysteine mutations affected the multimerization states and electrophoretic mobility of BmSPI38 and BmSPI39. Activity staining and protease inhibition assays showed that the introduction of cysteine mutations dramaticly reduced the activity of inhibitors against microbial proteases, such as subtilisin A from Bacillus licheniformis, protease K from Engyodontium album, protease from Aspergillus melleus. We also systematically analyzed the key residue sites, which may greatly influence the specificity and potency of TIL-type protease inhibitors. We found that the two missing cysteines in B. mori TIL-type protease inhibitors might be crucial for their inhibitory activities against microbial proteases. The genetic engineering of TIL-type protease inhibitors may be applied in both health care and agricultural industries, and could lead to new methods for breeding fungus-resistant transgenic crops and antifungal transgenic silkworm strains.     

Climate change and seasonal reproduction in mammals

Seasonal reproduction is common among mammals at all latitudes, even in the deep tropics. This paper (i) discusses the neuroendocrine pathways via which foraging conditions and predictive cues such as photoperiod enforce seasonality, (ii) considers the kinds of seasonal challenges mammals actually face in natural habitats, and (iii) uses the information thus generated to suggest how seasonal reproduction might be influenced by global climate change. Food availability and ambient temperature determine energy balance, and variation in energy balance is the ultimate cause of seasonal breeding in all mammals and the proximate cause in many. Photoperiodic cueing is common among long-lived mammals from the highest latitudes down to the mid-tropics. It is much less common in shorter lived mammals at all latitudes. An unknown predictive cue triggers reproduction in some desert and dry grassland species when it rains. The available information suggests that as our climate changes the small rodents of the world may adapt rather easily but the longer lived mammals whose reproduction is regulated by photoperiod may not do so well. A major gap in our knowledge concerns the tropics; that is where most species live and where we have the least understanding of how reproduction is regulated by environmental factors.     

Heavy Metals and Trace Element Concentrations in Intertidal Soils of Four Estuaries of SW Iberian Peninsula

Soils from four estuaries of SW Iberian Peninsula, affected by anthropogenic influence (urban, industrial and agricultural activities), were analyzed for the occurrence of a variety of metals and trace elements including Al, As, B, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, S and Zn. The soils presented very high levels of salinity (high concentrations of Na, K and Mg), organic matter and, consequently, of C and N concentrations. In contrast, very low values of CaCO₃, Ca and P were found. In addition, it should be highlighted that in certain localities (Piedras 1 and 2 and Guadiana in Huelva, Spain, and Ria Formosa, Faro, Portugal) the concentrations of Pb, S and Zn were extremely high, reaching levels of pollution.     

人类周期性活动对物种多样性的影响及其预测

人类活动通过作用于栖息地而影响着物种的种群动态,从而影响着物种多样性的变化。首次提出了不同时间尺度人类周期性活动干扰下的多物种竞争动力模式,模拟了千年时间尺度,物种多样性对人类周期性活动的响应过程,开展了人类周期性活动所导致的物种多样性的量的变化的预测研究。有关模拟和预测结果表明:在人类周期性活动的作用下,物种多度变化对栖息地变化的响应也做准周期振荡;同时人类活动强度越大,物种多度振荡的幅度也越大;并且在栖息地减少过程中,人类周期性活动对物种多样性的影响幅度要小于栖息地扩充过程中的。在一个完整的周期内,并没有物种的灭绝,只是物种的多度和强弱关系变化很大。当人类周期性活动仅持续1/4个周期时,最强的几个物种将灭绝,而其它物种做准周期振荡,但振幅相对较小。     

三峡库区景观格局变化及其影响因素——以重庆市云阳县为例

从20世纪90年代中期至今是三峡库区生态-经济系统与景观格局发生重大变化的一段时期。论文通过对库区重庆市云阳县1994年与2002年遥感影像的解译,分析景观格局的变化,探讨生态建设、城镇化、基础设施建设、生态移民、农业产业结构调整等短时期内高强度的人类活动对该区域景观格局的影响。地形破碎、高差悬殊的山地特点以及在亚热带湿润气候主导下的山地立体气候分异等自然因素造成了景观格局的基本分异;有限的土地资源及其利用与分布状况是控制景观格局变化的主导因子;为保证三峡工程的顺利建设和安全运行而采取一系列生态经济建设活动成为促使景观格局变化的最重要的驱动因素;政治、经济和社会决策对景观格局变化具有重要影响。     

生物类黄酮化合物的结构与生物活性的关系

概述了生物类黄酮化合物结构,并阐述了相应的生物活性。不同位置的不同基团的取代,有不同的生物活性,如抗氧化、抗肿瘤、抗HIV及与苯并二氮受体(BDZR)的亲合力,且相应活性强弱也不同;另外还介绍了7-羟基黄酮化合物的衍生物、黄酮金属络合物的生物活性等。