Evolution and losses of spines in slug caterpillars (Lepidoptera: Limacodidae)

Larvae of the cosmopolitan family Limacodidae, commonly known as “slug” caterpillars, are well known because of the widespread occurrence of spines with urticating properties, a morpho‐chemical adaptive trait that has been demonstrated to protect the larvae from natural enemies. However, while most species are armed with rows of spines (“nettle” caterpillars), slug caterpillars are morphologically diverse with some species lacking spines and thus are nonstinging. It has been demonstrated that the evolution of spines in slug caterpillars may have a single origin and that this trait is possibly derived from nonstinging slug caterpillars, but these conclusions were based on limited sampling of mainly New World taxa; thus, the evolution of spines and other traits within the family remains unresolved. Here, we analyze morphological variation in slug caterpillars within an evolutionary framework to determine character evolution of spines with samples from Asia, Australia, North America, and South America. The phylogeny of the Limacodidae was reconstructed based on a multigene dataset comprising five molecular markers (5.6 Kbp: COI, 28S, 18S, EF‐1α, and wingless) representing 45 species from 40 genera and eight outgroups. Based on this phylogeny, we infer that limacodids evolved from a common ancestor in which the larval type possessed spines, and then slug caterpillars without spines evolved independently multiple times in different continents. While larvae with spines are well adapted to avoiding generalist predators, our results imply that larvae without spines may be suited to different ecological niches. Systematic relationships of our dataset indicate six major lineages, several of which have not previously been identified.     

酸性成纤维细胞生长因子对庆大霉素和顺铂所致肾小管上皮细胞损伤的保护作用

目的:研究酸性成纤维细胞生长因子(aFGF)对庆大霉素(GM)和顺铂(DDP)引起的体外培养肾小管上皮细胞损害的保护作用。方法:大鼠肾皮质经研磨、过网、胰蛋白酶消化,进行肾小管上皮细胞的体外培养。经Cytokeratin 18抗体进行鉴定后,用GM、DDP建立损伤模型,观察aFGF对损伤的肾小管上皮细胞的保护作用。结果:①经形态学观察、GM或DDP组与对照组比较,CAT、SOD、GSH-Px、Na~ -K~ -ATP酶活性下降,而NAG活性和NO、MDA升高(P<0.01或P<0.05),提示肾小管上皮细胞的培养和GM、DDP损伤的建模成功。②aFGF GM或DDP组与GM组或DDP组比较,大多数生化和酶学指标有显著或非常显著性差异(P<0.05或P<0.01);而aFGF GM或DDP组与对照组比较,CAT、NAG、GSH-Px、Na~ -K~ -ATP酶活性无显著性差异,但SOD活性下降、NO、MDA升高尚有显著性差异(P<0.05)。结论:aFGF对GM、DDP损伤的肾小管上皮细胞有明显的保护作用。     

Congruence and responsiveness in the taxonomic compositions of Amazonian aquatic macroinvertebrate and fish assemblages

Hydrobiologia - Stream degradation in Amazonia is outpacing our ability to effectively monitor it for three key reasons: (1) Many changes are cumulative and occur gradually; (2) Scientists have...     

Are the adult odonate species found in a protected area different from those present in the surrounding zone? A case study from eastern Amazonia

We studied 30 streams in eastern Amazonia, 17 of which were located within a protected area (PA) and the other 13 in the surrounding zone, with the objective of evaluating the diversity of adult Odonata and if there was a difference between the physical habitat variables of the two environments. We hypothesized that a greater diversity of odonate species would be found in the PA due to a greater complexity of habitats. This hypothesis was rejected, however, due to the greater odonate diversity found in the surrounding zone in comparison with the PA. Differences were also found in the species composition of the two environments. Our results indicate that there are differences between the environmental variables in the areas, and the few alterations observed in the surrounding zone may have contributed to the formation of new conditions and habitats appropriate for species that may have been rare. The PA, despite having reduced species richness and abundance in comparison with the surrounding zone, was nevertheless characterized by a more heterogeneous species composition. A quarter of the species were common to both environments, while 34 % were exclusive to the surrounding zone. In this case, it appears that the combination of the protected area and the surrounding zone, which has a low level of disturbance, conserves a wider range of specialist species than either area on its own. The great challenge in the future is finding a way to identify the disturbance levels that would be acceptable, and to prevent over-exploitation of resources in such areas.     

Longitudinal Distribution of the Functional Feeding Groups of Aquatic Insects in Streams of the Brazilian Cerrado Savanna

We demonstrate that the distribution of the functional feeding groups of aquatic insects is related to hierarchical patch dynamics. Patches are sites with unique environmental and functional characteristics that are discontinuously distributed in time and space within a lotic system. This distribution predicts that the occurrence of species will be based predominantly on their environmental requirements. We sampled three streams within the same drainage basin in the Brazilian Cerrado savanna, focusing on waterfalls and associated habitats (upstream, downstream), representing different functional zones. We collected 2,636 specimens representing six functional feeding groups (FFGs): brushers, collector–gatherers, collector–filterers, shredders, predators, and scrapers. The frequency of occurrence of these groups varied significantly among environments. This variation appeared to be related to the distinct characteristics of the different habitat patches, which led us to infer that the hierarchical patch dynamics model can best explain the distribution of functional feeding groups in minor lotic environments, such as waterfalls.     

Taxonomic and Numerical Resolutions of Nepomorpha (Insecta: Heteroptera) in Cerrado Streams

Transformations of natural landscapes and their biodiversity have become increasingly dramatic and intense, creating a demand for rapid and inexpensive methods to assess and monitor ecosystems, especially the most vulnerable ones, such as aquatic systems. The speed with which surveys can collect, identify, and describe ecological patterns is much slower than that of the loss of biodiversity. Thus, there is a tendency for higher-level taxonomic identification to be used, a practice that is justified by factors such as the cost-benefit ratio, and the lack of taxonomists and reliable information on species distributions and diversity. However, most of these studies do not evaluate the degree of representativeness obtained by different taxonomic resolutions. Given this demand, the present study aims to investigate the congruence between species-level and genus-level data for the infraorder Nepomorpha, based on taxonomic and numerical resolutions. We collected specimens of aquatic Nepomorpha from five streams of first to fourth order of magnitude in the Pindaíba River Basin in the Cerrado of the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, totaling 20 sites. A principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) applied to the data indicated that species-level and genus-level abundances were relatively similar (>80% similarity), although this similarity was reduced when compared with the presence/absence of genera (R = 0.77). The presence/absence ordinations of species and genera were similar to those recorded for their abundances (R = 0.95 and R = 0.74, respectively). The results indicate that analyses at the genus level may be used instead of species, given a loss of information of 11 to 19%, although congruence is higher when using abundance data instead of presence/absence. This analysis confirms that the use of the genus level data is a safe shortcut for environmental monitoring studies, although this approach must be treated with caution when the objectives include conservation actions, and faunal complementarity and/or inventories.     

Hypothalamic Circuits for Predation and Evasion

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The Progressive Increase of Food Waste in America and Its Environmental Impact

Food waste contributes to excess consumption of freshwater and fossil fuels which, along with methane and CO₂ emissions from decomposing food, impacts global climate change. Here, we calculate the energy content of nationwide food waste from the difference between the US food supply and the food consumed by the population. The latter was estimated using a validated mathematical model of metabolism relating body weight to the amount of food eaten. We found that US per capita food waste has progressively increased by ∼50% since 1974 reaching more than 1400 kcal per person per day or 150 trillion kcal per year. Food waste now accounts for more than one quarter of the total freshwater consumption and ∼300 million barrels of oil per year.     

Aquatic macrophytes are important substrates for Libellulidae (Odonata) larvae and adults

Limnology - Understanding the role of abiotic and biotic factors on biological communities is a challenge for ecologists. Individuals of the order Odonata have a close connection with these...