Oviposition deterring pheromone in Rhagoletis cerasi: Biological activity of a pure single compound verified in semi-field test

A pure single compound, a palmityl-glucopyranoside identified as component of the oviposition deterring pheromone (ODP) of the European cherry fruit fly was evaluated with respect to its biological activity by means of a semi-field bioassay in a large field-cage with host plants. The comparison of the observed behaviors of flies exposed to clean cherries, to cherries treated with a standard ODP solution and with the pure compound revealed that palmityl-glucopyranoside elicited the same response as did the crude ODP solution. Irritation indices are described that seem to be of use for the characterization of cherry fruit fly behavior in the presence and absence of ODP. The advantages of the field-cage test over the standard laboratory tests are discussed.

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Zusammenfassung Mit zunehmenden Reinigungsschritten am Rohextrakt des Markierungspheromones (ODP) der Kirschenfliege, Rhagoletis cerasi L., und zunehmenden Reinheitsgrad des aktiven Prinzipes nimmt die Menge an Substanz ab, welche sowohl für die chemische Analyse wie auch die Prüfung der biologischen Aktivität zur Verfügung steht. Beim Vorliegen einer nicht mehr wägbaren Menge eines reinen Stoffes im Sommer 1985, welcher als ein Palmityl-glucopyranosid identifiziert werden konnte (Hurter et al., 1987), musste deshalb auf den üblichen Verhaltenstest im Labor verzichtet und ein neuer Lösungsansatz gefunden werden. Nachdem ein erster elektrophysiologischer Test positive Resultate gezeight hatte, wurde die Fraktion Nr. 2634 in einem grossen Freilandkäfig mit Kirschenpflanzen und natürlichen Früchten in einem Verhaltenstest auf ihre biologische Wirksamkeit geprüft.Die in dieser Arbeit präsentierten Resultate zeigen nicht nur, dass mit dem Palmityl-glucopyranosid eine ähnliche Wirkung erzielt wurde wie mit natürlichen ODP, sondern zum erstenmal konnte demonstriert werden, dass in R. cerasi und möglicherweise in andern Fruchtfliegenarten eine einzelne chemische Substanz eine eiablagehemmende Wirkung ausüben kann.

     

Characterization of Viticultural Terroirs using a Simple Field Model Based on Soil Depth – II. Validation of the Grape Yield and Berry Quality in the Anjou Vineyard (France)

Soil and climate are major constituents of the French notion of Terroir. This concept implies that there is a strong relationship between the composition of the grape, the characteristics of the wine and the territory of production. To study this link, a new method of characterization of the Terroir, including geological and pedological factors, was investigated. It uses a field model based on depth and clay content of soil, together with the degree of weathering of the parent rock. Consequently, for every type of parent rock belonging to a given geologic stage, there are a series of soils that show different stages of pedological evolution. According to the model, three kinds of soils are distinguished with regards to the weathering intensity of the parent rock, that are named weakly weathered rock (WWR), moderately weathered rock (MWR) and strongly weathered rock (SWR). By hypothesis, each soil type is considered as a homogeneous unit for vine production from the viewpoint of ecophysiological factors. Each terroir unit defined by this method is called a Basic Terroir Unit (BTU). To validate this hypothesis, experimental plots planted with Chenin and Cabernet Franc vines were studied over three consecutive seasons (2000–2002), in the Anjou vineyard (Loire Valley – France). The major BTUs developed on the two most important geological systems of Anjou (Brioverian and Ordovician–Devonian), were studied. Results showed that the berries of vines cultivated in WWR were significantly smaller, richer in sugars and anthocyanins and had a Total Phenolic Index higher than those of the vines cultivated in SWR. They also had a lower titratable acidity. Cabernet Franc vines cultivated in MWR had berries with sugar and anthocyanin contents but also total phenolics very close to those of WWR. With Chenin vines there was a good relationship between the global pool of free aromas of berries and the BTU type. The study showed significant relationships between the quality of grapes and the measured values of several ecophysiological variables such as the water supply regime or the timing of budburst.     

Kleptoparasitic prey competition in shoaling fish: effects of familiarity and prey distribution

Familiarity is thought to stabilize dominance hierarchies andreduce aggressive interactions within groups of socially livinganimals. Though familiarity has been widely studied in shoalingfish, few studies have investigated changes in prey competitionas a function of time spent together within groups of initiallyunfamiliar individuals. In this study, we created shoals ofthree-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) and monitoredchanges in foraging rates and related competitive behaviorswithin shoals over a 4-week period in experimental series whereprey was spatially and temporally concentrated or dispersed.Prey share was unequal under both prey distribution modes, anddisparity in prey share was not seen to change as trials progressed.Interestingly, the contest rate for prey items fell over timewhen individuals were competing for dispersed prey but not whenprey were concentrated. We found no evidence that fish showedassociation preferences for either group members that had consumeda greater or lesser proportion of prey during trials. Thoughthe intensity of competition may be reduced by increased groupstability in nature, this is likely to be strongly dependenton the way prey resources are distributed through space andtime.     

Nests, vocalizations, and conservation status of endangered Cochabamba Mountain-Finches (Compsospiza garleppi)

ABSTRACT.   Cochabamba Mountain-Finches ( Compsospiza garleppi ) are endangered residents of semihumid shrublands in the high Andes, with a range restricted to a few high valleys surrounding the city of Cochabamba, Bolivia. We examined the breeding behavior, feeding ecology, habitat requirements, vocalizations, and conservation status of Cochabamba Mountain-Finches from November 2006 to April 2007. We observed 10 nests of eight pairs, with nests found in a variety of small woody shrubs as well as bunchgrass and a ground bromeliad. Clutches ( N = 2) consisted of one or two eggs, and all broods ( N = 4) included one or two young. Our observations suggest that Cochabamba Mountain-Finches are not Polylepis specialists as previously thought, and use a diversity of native shrubs often associated with Polylepis woodlands for foraging and nesting. Pairs inhabited modified habitats where native vegetation and woodland edge persisted, but were not observed in closed canopy woodlands. Cochabamba Mountain-Finches frequently foraged on the edges of potato fields in a rural community and, at least occasionally, consumed parts of unearthed tubers. We recorded two previously unknown song types and three types of calls, and one song type was found to be useful for playback surveys. We recommend that future research and conservation actions include thorough surveys using playback to determine population sizes, and that habitat restoration projects focus on maintaining a diversity of native shrubs rather than only Polylepis trees.     

Sexual advertisement and immune function in an arachnid species (Lycosidae)

A simple version of the immunocompetence handicap hypothesizesthat through condition-dependence, the size of the sexual traitmay be positively related to immune function at the populationlevel. In the present study, we investigated the relationshipbetween sexual advertisement and immune function in a naturalpopulation of male wolf spiders, Hygrolycosa rubrofasciata (Araneae:Lycosidae). Males of H. rubrofasciata have a costly and condition-dependentacoustic signal, courtship drumming. In the mating season, malesdrum against dry leaves while wandering around the habitat searchingfor receptive females. Males increase their mating success byincreasing their drumming rate and mobility. We used drummingrate and mobility measured without female proximity as estimatesof sexual advertisement. As estimates of male immune function,we used encapsulation rate and lytic activity. Encapsulationrate is a common challenging technique, which measures immuneresponse against multicellular parasites. Lytic activity isa monitoring technique, which measures immune response againstpathogens. Our results show that males with higher drummingrate had higher encapsulation rate. This suggests that femalesmight use drumming rate as a signal for choosing males withgood immunocompetence. Moreover, our results show that maleswith higher mobility had higher lytic activity. As females aremore likely to encounter those males that have higher mobility,this might also select males with better immune function. Ourresults suggest that the immunocompetence handicap might workalso among spiders, although we could not assess the causalityof the relationship between sexual selection and immune functionin this correlational study.     

Type I interferon genes in cattle: restriction fragment length polymorphisms,gene numbers and physical organization on bovine chromosome 8

Multiple, superimposed Type I interferon (IFN) restriction fragments were resolved following 72–92 h of horizontal electrophoresis. Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) for α IFN (IFNA), β IFN (IFNB), ωIFN (IFNW) and trophoblast IFN (IFNT) genes were identified in Hin dill, Eco RI and Taql digestions from 313 cattle. RFLPs with codominant segregation in cattle pedigrees were considered alleles, and 19 distinct polymorphic Type I IFN loci (5 IFNA, 4 IFNB, 8 IFNW and 2 IFNT) were identified. Allele frequencies and observed heterozygosity values were calculated for each locus and several loci were considered highly informative for linkage analysis. Bovine IFN gene numbers (10 IFNA, 6 IFNB, 20 IFNW and 6 IFNT) were estimated from the number of polymorphic loci plus additional monomorphic hybridizing bands present in Eco RI and Hindlll digestions. Physical linkage of the Type I IFN gene families on bovine chromosome 8 was demonstrated by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Hybridization of two or more IFN probes to similarly sized PFGE fragments suggested the tentative gene family order: IFNA/IFNW-IFNT-IFNB. These studies provide a basis for the development of more detailed genetic and physical maps of the bovine Type I IFNs.     

Sleep‐related behaviors in zoo‐housed giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata): Basic characteristics and effects of season and parturition

Despite increasing interest in the behavior of zoo animals, studies of nocturnal behavior of zoo animals are limited. In this study, we investigated the relationship between parturition, season, and the sleep‐related behaviors in captive reticulated giraffes to better understand the nocturnal life in giraffes. The subjects were two adult reticulated giraffes living in Kyoto City Zoo, Japan. Observations were made via an infrared camera that was mounted in the indoor enclosure between June 2007 and August 2009. We analyzed video clips that were recorded between 16:30 and 09:00 the next morning, over a total of 199 days. Sleep‐related behaviors were classified into two categories based on the posture of the giraffes; recumbent posture and paradoxical sleep. We also recorded the laterality of recumbent posture, which was coded based on the direction of the legs against the torso (right or left). Seasonal differences in sleep behaviors between summer and winter were observed in both individuals. They tended to start to lie down earlier in the winter than in the summer. Parturition also affected the behaviors as both individuals decreased the behaviors before and after the parturition of the female. Additionally, the female lay on her left side less frequently than her right when resuming a recumbent posture in the pre‐parturition period, while such laterality was not observed in the baseline and post‐parturition period. These results suggested that season and parturition are important factors for determining the sleep‐related behaviors in giraffes. Further studies are needed to understand how these changes in sleep affect other welfare parameters.     

Preliminary analysis of drinking from seawater sources by free-ranging rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)

Rhesus macaques on Key Lois Island were observed drinking seawater that flowed into four holes they had excavated in the sand. Data were gathered to determine the salinity (TDS) and pH levels of the water and which animals were using the holes. Average TDS level (4,506.8 ± 1,750.8), but not pH (8.1 ± .30) level, of water from the holes differed from the surrounding seawater (TDS = 29,000, pH = 8.0). There were significant variations in TDS and pH levels of water between holes. A total of 249 drinking and 11 digging bouts were observed. Adult females drank and dug most often (46.9% of total bouts). Of the 260 total drinking and digging bouts, 76.1% (N = 198) were concentrated at one hole. This hole had the lowest average TDS level (3,714.2 ± 1,504.4) and one of the highest average pH levels (8.1 ± .29). Age/sex class differences in drinking bout frequencies may have been due to differential social status. We suggest that the holes were excavated to overcome a temporary shortage of provisioned water. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.