Social Reinforcement Delays in Free-Flying Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.)

Free-flying honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) reactions were observed when presented with varying schedules of post-reinforcement delays of 0 s, 300 s, or 600 s. We measured inter-visit-interval, response length, inter-response-time, and response rate. Honey bees exposed to these post-reinforcement delay intervals exhibit one of several patterns compared to groups not encountering delays, and had longer inter-visit-intervals. We observed no group differences in inter-response time. Honey bees with higher response rates tended to not finish the experiment. The removal of the delay intervals increased response rates for those subjects that completed the trials.     

The use of large volume,transparent, enclosed sea-surface water columns in the study of stress on plankton ecosystems

A brief account is given of the Controlled Ecosystem Pollution Experiment (CEPEX) program, with results from a recent experiment disigned to ascertain effects of mercury on planktonic ecosystems. The experimental modules are 1300 m³ transparent, flexible, polyethylene cylinders 9.5 m in diameter and 23.5 m deep, floating for periods up to three months at the sea surface of Saanich Inlet, British Columbia. Groups of three cylinders are filled simultaneously by being raised to the surface from 35 m, a procedure shown to produce biological replicability. An experiment is described in which mercury at 1 and 5 g l^–1 was added to two modules, with a third serving as a control. In both polluted modules temporary reductions in heterotrophic activity of micro-organisms and carbon assimilation of phytoplankton were observed, followed by a return to control levels. Only at the higher mercury concentration were any effects observed in the zooplankton, which included reduced feeding inCalanus, mortality and molting failure ofPseudocalanus and decreased growth in young fish.     

Ranking buffel: Comparative risk and mitigation costs of key environmental and socio‐cultural threats in central Australia

Changed fire regimes and the introduction of rabbits, cats, foxes, and large exotic herbivores have driven widespread ecological catastrophe in Australian arid and semi‐arid zones, which encompass over two‐thirds of the continent. These threats have caused the highest global mammal extinction rates in the last 200 years, as well as significantly undermining social, economic, and cultural practices of Aboriginal peoples of this region. However, a new and potentially more serious threat is emerging. Buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris L.) is a globally significant invader now widespread across central Australia, but the threat this ecological transformer species poses to biodiversity, ecosystem function, and culture has received relatively little attention. Our analyses suggest threats from buffel grass in arid and semi‐arid areas of Australia are at least equivalent in magnitude to those posed by invasive animals and possibly higher, because unlike these more recognized threats, buffel has yet to occupy its potential distribution. Buffel infestation also increases the intensity and frequency of wildfires that affect biodiversity, cultural pursuits, and productivity. We compare the logistical and financial challenges of creating and maintaining areas free of buffel for the protection of biodiversity and cultural values, with the creation and maintenance of refuges from introduced mammals or from large‐scale fire in natural habitats. The scale and expense of projected buffel management costs highlight the urgent policy, research, and financing initiatives essential to safeguard threatened species, ecosystems, and cultural values of Aboriginal people in central Australia.