Fitness costs associated with Cry1F resistance in the European corn borer

Crops producing insecticidal toxins derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are widely planted to manage insect pests. Bt crops can provide an effective tool for pest management; however, the evolution of Bt resistance can diminish this benefit. The European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis Hübner, is a significant pest of maize and is widely managed with Bt maize in the Midwest of the United States. When Bt crops are grown in conjunction with non‐Bt refuges, fitness costs of Bt resistance can delay the evolution of resistance. Importantly, fitness costs often vary with ecological factors, including host‐plant genotype and diapause. In this study, we examined fitness costs associated with Cry1F resistance in O. nubilalis when insects were reared on three maize lines. Fitness costs were tested in two experiments. One experiment assessed the fitness costs when Cry1F‐resistant and Cry1F‐susceptible insects were reared on plants as larvae and experienced diapause. The second experiment tested resistant, susceptible and F1 heterozygotes that were reared on plants but did not experience diapause. Despite some evidence of greater adult longevity for Cry1F‐resistant insects, these insects produced fewer fertile eggs than Cry1F‐susceptible insects, and this occurred independent of diapause. Reduced fecundity was not detected among heterozygous individuals, which indicated that this fitness cost was recessive. Additionally, maize lines did not affect the magnitude of this fitness cost. The lower fitness of Cry1F‐resistant O. nubilalis may contribute to the maintenance of Cry1F susceptibility in field populations more than a decade after Cry1F maize was commercialized.     

丙酮酸发酵过程中光滑球拟酵母过程功能的强化

对不同葡萄糖浓度下光滑球拟酵母分批发酵生产丙酮酸的动力学模型分析发现, 葡萄糖浓度是影响光滑球拟酵母发酵生产丙酮酸过程功能的关键因素。在发酵初始阶段, 低浓度葡萄糖可维持较高的菌体比生长速率; 对数生长中前期, 葡萄糖快速进料使菌体浓度接近最大值, 并实现碳流从菌体生长转向丙酮酸积累; 对数生长后期葡萄糖浓度控制在33.4 g/L以维持高丙酮酸对葡萄糖产率系数 (0.71 g/g)。采用奇异控制的葡萄糖流加方式, 在7 L发酵罐上控制不同发酵阶段葡萄糖浓度处于最佳水平以强化光滑球拟酵母过程功能, 丙酮酸产量 (83.1 g/L)、产率 (0.621 g/g)、生产强度[1.00 g/(L·h)]与分批发酵对比, 分别提高了21.3%、21.6%和29.9%。     

Short-term variability of plant populations within a regularly disturbed habitat

The changing populations of weeds during 13 years of the Broadbalk continuous wheat experiment were analysed to investigate the extent of differences in shortterm variability of cover between species. The data were from two sections of the experiment where winter wheat was grown continuously under herbicide treatment for 13 and 6 years respectively. Logistic regressions were fitted to the data. Equisetum arvense showed significant long-term increases on both sections; long-term trends were also detected in the longer data run for Agrostis stolonifera, Cirsium arvensa, Poa trivialis, Ranunculus arvensis and Vicia sativa, and for Medicago lupulina on the shorter data run. Variation around long-term trends was low in the case of Equisetum, and, in the longer data run, for Cirsium and Tussilago farfara, and high for Poa spp. and Vicia. Cover values on the two sections were positively correlated for Alopecurus myosuroides, Equisetum, Poa annua and Tripleurospermum inodorum. There was a weak correlation between C-S-R strategy and short-term variability; the more competitive species displayed less variability than the ruderal species. Furthermore, species regenerating from persistent seed banks were more variable in the short term than those regenerating from short-lived seed or bud banks. This can be explained by differences in response to year-to-year variation in environmental conditions, those species with persistent seed banks being typically more sensitive to annual fluctuations in the environment than those without.     

高寒生态脆弱区农户的气候变化适应策略评价——以甘南高原为例

气候变化加剧了高寒生态脆弱区农户的生计脆弱性,为应对气候变化,农户已采取了各种响应措施,当前急需评估农户所采取适应策略的效果,以便选择更有效的适应策略。以甘南高原为研究区,基于入户调查数据分析了农户所采取适应策略的特征,采用模糊综合评价法分析现行适应策略的效果,并利用多准则决策模型确定了最优的气候变化适应策略。结果显示:(1)甘南高原农户多采取组合型策略应对气候变化,尤以调整+扩张型策略为主;(2)甘南高原农户所采取气候变化适应策略的效果较好,效益指数为3.43。其中,农区农户的适应策略效果最好、半农半牧区次之、纯牧区最差;(3)甘南高原不同区域农户筛选的最优策略存在差异。其中,纯牧区和半农半牧区农户筛选的最优策略为调整农牧业结构,而农区农户为完善农牧业基础设施。最后,提出了提高农户适应策略效果的对策建议及未来研究中需进一步关注的问题。     

Evolution of sprouting versus seeding inAspalathus linearis

We have tested the hypothesis that reseeding is a plesiomorphic character state and that sprouting is a derived state inAspalathus linearis, and that the latter is an adaptation to ensure fire-survival in a fireprone environment. Samples of five seeder and four sprouter populations of A.linearis were examined by horizontal starch gel electrophoresis to assess the amount of genetic differentiation within and between sprouting and seeding populations, and to determine the extent of gene flow between the populations. Leaf extracts were surveyed for ten enzymes and gene products revealed genetic variation at 13 (76%) of 17 protein coding loci. Allele frequency differences were found between sprouting and seeding populations and genetic distance values show that the sprouters are grouped separate from the seeders, thus providing support for the morphological data on which the above mentioned hypothesis is based. It is evident that evolution operates at the population level inA. linearis.     

Contributions of growth, stasis, and reproduction to fitness in brooding and broadcast spawning marine bivalves

Reproductive modes in marine invertebrates can be generally grouped into two types: those brooding larvae and those broadcast-spawning gametes into the water. We asked if these different life-history strategies differ based on how contribution to fitness is partitioned between growth, stasis, and reproduction. To investigate this question, we used published demographic data on ten diverse species of marine bivalves. We parameterized simple matrix-population models and calculated the sums of elasticities to growth, stasis, and reproduction parameters and plotted the results on triangular axes. We also assessed whether contribution patterns were correlated with reproductive mode and tropical, temperate, or polar environments. We found that some of the broadcast spawners fell in the region of the plot with high elasticities for stasis and that some of the brooders fell in the region of the plot with higher growth and reproduction elasticities than stasis ones. However, instead of a sharp dichotomy, we found a continuum in contributions of stasis parameters with long-lived brooders and short-lived broadcast spawners in the same region of the plot. There was no clear pattern of reproductive mode associated with any particular environment, but we think these preliminary results are intriguing and that further work on comparative demography of marine invertebrates is warranted. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Effect of the rate of increase in concentrate allowance with concentrates high or low in starch on the performance of dairy cows in early lactation

The effect of the rate of increase in concentrate allowance after calving with two concentrate mixes (A and B) differing in composition was evaluated using 64 Finnish Ayrshire cows during the first 100 days of lactation. After calving, the concentrate allowance of multiparous cows was increased stepwise from 4 to 17 kg/day, and of primiparous cows from 3 to 13.5 kg/day over 12 days (F rate of increase; multiparous 1.08 kg/day, primiparous 0.88 kg/day) or 24 days (S rate of increase; mutiparous 0.54 kg/day, primiparous 0.44 kg/day). The concentrates were formulated to have similar crude protein and metabolizable energy concentrations but differing starch and NDF concentrations. For concentrate A the starch and NDF concentrations were 421 and 167 g/kg dry matter (DM) and for concentrate B 258 and 251 g/kg DM. All cows received grass silage ad libitum. The higher concentrate intake during weeks 1 to 4 of lactation with F compared with the S rate of increase caused higher DM, energy and protein intake. The higher concentrate intake for F than for S treatment in early lactation did not cause a large decrease in silage intake (8.8 v. 8.3 kg DM/day). The intake of concentrate A and B after calving did not differ for S treatment. However, for F treatment the intake of fibrous concentrate B increased faster than starch-rich concentrate A during weeks 1 to 4 of lactation. The concentrate composition had no effect on energy-corrected milk (ECM) yield during weeks 1 to 4 of lactation for S treatments, but with F treatments the cows fed B concentrate produced more milk. The F rate of increase in concentrate allowance compared with the S rate increased the calculated energy balance after calving. The rate of increase in concentrate feeding post partum or concentrate composition had no effect on DM, energy or protein intake during the whole 100-day experiment. The average ECM yield over days 1 to 100 of lactation was higher for S than for F treatments and tended to be higher with concentrate B than A. Results of this study showed that by the fast rate of increase in concentrate allowance after calving on a grass silage diet, it was possible to improve the energy status of the cows in early lactation. This had, however, no effect on production later in lactation.     

Meligethes aeneus oviposition preferences,larval parasitism rate and species composition of parasitoids on Brassica nigra,Raphanus sativus and Eruca sativa compared with on Brassica napus

The trap crop strategy is based on host plant discrimination by pests and their parasitoids, which may respond differently to various host plant cues, thus affecting their respective population distributions. We conducted a three-year study to compare the responses of the most damaging pest of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.), the pollen beetle (Meligethes aeneus Fab.), and its hymenopteran parasitoids to various potential trap crops: Brassica nigra L., Raphanus sativus var. olifera Pers. and Eruca sativa Mill. with that to B. napus. We recorded their abundance, oviposition preferences and the species composition of the parasitoids.Our results show that oviposition rates of the pollen beetle and its parasitoids as well the species composition of the parasitoids varies with plant species. We discuss the potential of these plant species, especially B. nigra, to enhance the natural control of the beetle by fostering several parasitoid species. The species composition of the parasitoids on different host plants compared with on B. napus is presented for the first time. In addition to trapping pests, the trap crops could also act as parasitoid banks, enhancing natural control of the pest through providing suitable hosts for natural enemies, without increasing the population growth of the next generation of pests.