Suitability of three aphid species for Aphidius gifuensis (Hymenoptera: Braconidae): Parasitoid performance varies with hosts of origin

Oviposition behavior and offspring fitness of the parasitoid Aphidius gifuensis (Ashmead) were compared on three aphid species, Sitobion avenae F., Myzus persicae (Sulzer), and Aphis gossypii Glover using wasps collected from both S. avenae and M. persicae. A. gifuensis produced more mummies and adults on S. avenae and M. persicae than on A. gossypii regardless of the host of origin. Mummy production was influenced by attack rate and percentage of aphids superparasitized. The F₁ generations from S. avenae and M. persicae were more female-biased and wasps were larger than those from A. gossypii. Although there were significant differences in development time of A. gifuensis in the three aphid species, the difference was generally shorter than one day. Fewer mummies were produced when A. gifuensis was transferred between S. avenae and M. persicae, but no significant difference was observed in emergence rate, percentage of female offspring, or body size. The effects of host species on A. gifuensis female performance and offspring fitness are discussed, along with the potential for using A. gifuensis to control M. persicae and A. gossypii.     

两种鲤科经济鱼类水声目标强度的实验测定与应用评估

鱼类目标强度(Target Strength,TS)及其与鱼体长度的关系是渔业声学技术研究和应用的核心内容之一。本文以我国广泛分布的鲤科经济鱼类鲤(Cyprinus carpio)和鳙(Aristichthys nobilis)为研究对象,选择湖北省宜昌市隔河岩水库的一处僻静库湾作为实验地点,于2017年5月1—20日采用绳系实验法和Simrad EY60型(频率120 kHz)分裂波束回声探测仪,在环境干扰小的实验网箱里逐一测量单体实验鱼游动状态下的目标强度,由此构建2种鱼的目标强度与个体大小关系式。用于实验的鲤和鳙均为26尾,其全长分别为19.9—29.6 cm和49.2—74.2 cm,体重分别为175—461 g和1200—4700 g,实验所测TS值分别为–59.35—–45.20 dB和–34.22—–17.49 dB。回归得到实验鱼目标强度(TS,dB)与全长(TL,cm)关系式(1)鲤: TS = 29.84×lgTL – 95.23(R^2 = 0.74,P<0.01),(2)鳙: TS = 35.88×lgTL – 90.33 (R^2 = 0.83,P<0.01)。同时选择一个小型封闭水体(盐龙湖)“赶、拦、刺、张”联合渔法捕捞之前的鱼探仪调查数据作为分析实例,通过本文鳙TS-TL关系式估算全湖鱼类资源总量为89360 kg,折合40.1 g/m^2,捕捞产量(73610 kg)与之较为接近,在一定程度上反映了实验目标强度测定及其与体长关系式的合理性,有助于丰富我国内陆水域鱼类资源水声学评估技术的基础参数。     

Effects of water depth and substrate type on rhizome bud sprouting and growth in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zizania latifolia</Emphasis>

Zizania latifolia is a common emergent macrophyte that plays an important role in the ecological restoration of lakes in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River basin. To understand the mechanisms behind the relative changes in the distribution of Z. latifolia in the field, we analyzed the effects of water depth and substrate type on rhizome bud sprouting (RBS) and growth in Z. latifolia through simulation experiments. Four water depths (0, 30, 60, and 90 cm) and three substrate types (sandy loam, clay loam, and silt) were used. The results showed that: (1) water depth significantly affected the RBS, and the RBS percentage significantly decreased with increasing water depth. However, substrate type and its interaction with water depth had no effect on RBS. (2) Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that plant height, stem diameter, and root length were significantly affected by water depth, with the highest values observed at a water depth of 0 cm. Only root length was significantly affected by substrate type and its interaction with water depth, and it was highest in silt. (3) Both water depth and its interaction with substrate type had significant effects on total biomass and the root:shoot ratio in Z. latifolia, but no significant effect was found when it came to subtrate type. The results of this study will be useful for the ecological restoration of lakes in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River basin.     

Biological control reduces herbivore’s host range

The enemy release hypothesis predicts that alien populations are more vigorous and grow faster in introduced areas than within their natural range due to lack of natural enemies. An extension of this theory would be that the lack of natural enemies on an herbivore species will indirectly increase the number of host plant species that it can infest. The eucalyptus gall wasp Ophelimus maskelli is a recent introduction to the Mediterranean basin. Its arrival was followed after about two years by its parasitoid, Closterocerus chamaeleon. We evaluated the range of hosts used by the gall wasp by surveying 50 Eucalyptus species, 37 Eucalyptus hybrids and 18 E. globulus half-sibling families, before and after the establishment of the parasitoid. We found a consistent reduction in the observed host range of the gall wasp after the establishment of the parasitoid with a reduction of 83% on Eucalyptus species, 84% on hybrids, and 94% on E. globulus half-siblings. Host range narrowed down from 18 to three closely-related host species, all in the section Exsertaria, series Exsertae, E. camaldulensis, E. tereticornis and E. rudis, which are probably the standard hosts of O. maskelli. In the remaining affected species the intensity of attack decreased significantly in all studied regions. These findings show that, besides the direct gains from classical biological control, there may be indirect benefits through a natural-enemy-induced reduction in the range of host plants used by herbivorous insect pests.     

不同流态中长江江豚的栖息活动比较

长江江豚(Neophocaena asiaeorientalis)呈斑块状分布在长江干流,对栖息地有明确的选择性.流态是栖息地水文环境的核心内容.为研究长江江豚对不同流态的选择性,本文根据1993-2021年对长江下游15次样线考察记录到的412次,合计1 117头江豚个体的栖息活动进行了统计分析.结果表明:全年长江江...