Patterns of growth and smolting in autumn migrants from a Scottish population of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L.

In late November 1990 salmon parr, Salmo salar L., from the Girnock Burn in northern Scotland were either caught on their feeding territories (n=25) or trapped during downstream migration (n= 18). They were then housed in a laboratory rearing tank and their food intake and growth rates were tracked, until their smolting status was ascertained in the following May. Female fish were predominant in both groups; although the range of ages was the same, the total age of migrants was 2+ while that of residents was 1+. In November, compared to resident fish of the same year class, migrants were larger, heavier and in better condition. Although growth rates dropped during the winter in both groups before increasing in spring, migrants ate more and consistently grew faster than residents. In seawater tolerance tests conducted in May, more residents than migrants failed to adapt. These results confirm the suggestion that autumn migrants smolt in the following spring and suggest that they represent the faster-growing component of their cohort.     

The role of wind in passerine autumn migration between Europe and Africa

Large ecological barriers such as oceans and deserts have considerablyshaped the migratory strategies of birds. The ecological barriersposed by the Alps, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Sahara seemto prevent most long-distance migrants from flying on a directsouthward course from Europe to Africa. Migratory routes towardsouthwest and southeast prevail. These two flyways differ withrespect to topography, refueling possibilities, and wind conditions.Aiming at a better understanding of the evolution of both flywaysin spite of differing conditions, we studied potential survivalof passerine birds on their first autumn migration from northernEurope to tropical Africa by means of a computer simulation.Considering real wind conditions at 850 mb (approximately 1500m above sea level), the survival rates of birds with southeasterly(SE) migratory directions were much higher than those of birdswith southwesterly (SW) directions. With the possibility tochoose the altitude (from four levels) with the most favorablewind, both SE and SW migrants had similar high survival, butonly with refueling opportunities in northwest (NW) Africa forSW migrants. Our results suggest that the southwestern flywaydepends on the selection of days, but especially altitudes,with favorable wind conditions and on refueling opportunitiesin NW Africa. The SE flyway is privileged by the frequent favorablewind conditions for crossing the eastern Mediterranean Sea andthe Egyptian desert, where refueling sites are almost absent.Both autumn migration routes would be unlikely without windassistance.     

土壤-作物系统中铅的研究进展

重金属铅不是作物生长的必需元素 ,而是一种对作物有积累性危害的污染物质。铅一旦污染土壤 ,很难降解、去除。铅对土壤污染后 ,可导致农产品产生残毒 ,并可通过土壤 作物系统进入食物链 ,危害人体健康。本文就农田土壤 作物系统中铅的来源、积累与迁移等研究进行综述 ,旨在提醒人们关注铅的危害 ,采取积极措施提早预防     

Odour stimuli affecting autumn migration of Rhopalosiphum padi (L.) (Hemipter: ornoptera)

R. padi gynoparae settling in the canopy of the winter host, Prunus padus, tended to form aggregations. Differences in the degree of exposure to wind, sun, etc., did not satisfactorily explain the aggregated pattern observed. In laboratory experiments, aphids did not distinguish between leaves taken from nearby aggregations and leaves taken far away from aggregations. The results of laboratory olfactometer tests and field trapping studies indicate that R. padi gynoparae produce an aggregation pheromone. Thus the aggregated settling pattern of gynoparae of R. padi can best be explained as a response to an aggregation pheromone.     

Integrating genetic information into plant breeding programmes: how will we produce varieties from molecular variation,using bioinformatics?

The development of new varieties of crop plants is ongoing for plant breeders and progress since the Green Revolution has been steady, if not dramatic. With the recent sequencing of Arabidopsis thaliana and of rice the development of both physical and informational resources has entered a new phase. This paper examines the state of plant bioinformatics as it is now and as it is likely to develop in the future. It also looks rather further forward to what crop scientists might want from bioinformatics, before examining the likely physiological targets for sustainability traits and the prospects for their improvement in wheat. Wheat is taken as the focus crop because it is potentially one of the most dif. Cult to work with in molecular terms, both because of its large hexaploid genome size and because of its considerable genetic distance from the most information rich plant species, Arabidopsis. Finally, we examine how these tools might be used to track down the underlying genes controlling sustainability traits and how these may then be exploited in plant breeding programmes using marker‐ assisted selection.     

Thermal and energetic consequences of nest location and breeding times in Water Pipits (Anthus spinoletta)

Summary The thermal environment has pronounced effects on the energy costs of thermoregulation and affects an animal's allocation of energy to self-maintenance and parental care. Consequently, the selection of reproductive periods, breeding habitats and nest-sites with a favourable microclimate can be advantageous, especially for birds breeding in harsh environments. In this study on Alpine Water Pipits (Anthus spinoletta), we evaluate the importance of spatial and temporal factors on thermoregulatory costs by combining laboratory measurements of metabolic rates under various temperatures with standard operative temperatures (T_es) recorded in the field in different microhabitats. Using these measurements we estimate the thermal and energetic consequences of nest locality and timing of reproduction. Our results show: (1) In the morning, T_es values were much higher on the east-north-east (ENE) slope of a valley than on the west-south-west (WSW) slope; in the afternoon this pattern was reversed. As a consequence, energy costs (E_hour) for thermoregulation on the ENE slope were up to 0.6 RMR (resting metabolic rate at night) lower than on the WSW slope during morning hours and about 0.8 RMR higher during afternoon hours. (2) During the incubation and nestling phases of first and second broods, total energy expenditure for thermoregulation in the daytime (E_daytime) was 0.2–0.3 RMR higher on the ENE slope than on the WSW slope. (3) Within slopes, E_daytime was lower during second broods than during first broods, with differences of 0.06–0.07 RMR during incubation and of 0.32 RMR during nestling care. These differences correspond to the flying costs of females incubating eggs (0.09 RMR) and rearing nestlings (0.25 RMR). We conclude that nest placement in relation to microclimate can improve the female's energy budget, both in terms of the total daily expenditure and its diurnal pattern. From thermal considerations alone, delaying breeding into mid-summer would be advantageous, but this advantage is probably outweighed by the reduced chances for second and replacement clutches and by the necessity to complete moult before migration.

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Thermische und energetische Konsequenzen von Brutplätzen und Brutzeiten bei Wasserpiepern (Anthus spinoletta)

Zusammenfassung Die Umgebungstemperatur beeinflusst den Energieaufwand für die Thermoregulation und bestimmt somit, wie viel Energie ein Tier für die Selbsterhaltung benötigt und wie viel es für Brutpflege aufwenden kann. Daher ist es vorteilhaft, für die Fortpflanzung Zeiten und Orte mit besonders günstigen mikroklimatischen Bedingungen zu wählen. Das gilt insbesondere für Vögel, die in unwirtlichen Biotopen wie z. B. alpinen Regionen brüten. Wir untersuchten den Einfluss von Brutzeit und -ort auf die energetischen Kosten der Thermoregulation am Beispiel einer Population des Wasserpiepers (Anthus spinoletta) im Dischmatal bei Davos (Schweiz). Dazu verknüpften wir drei verschiedene Datensätze: a) Ruhestoffwechsel (RMR), gemessen an gefangenen Vögeln unter verschiedenen Temperaturen, b) Umgebungs- und Nesttemperaturen im Freiland während der Brutzeit und c) standardisierte operative Temperaturen (T_es), ermittelt mit Kupfervögeln in verschiedenen Mikrohabitaten.Die Ergebnisse zeigen: (1) In den Morgenstunden sind T_es-Werte am Ost-Nord-Ost-Hang (ONO) deutlich höher als am West-Süd-West-Hang (WSW); am Nachmittag sind die Verhältnisse umgekehrt. Als Folge davon sind die Energiekosten (E_hour) der Thermoregulation am ONO-Hang in den Morgenstunden bis zu 0.6 RMR niedriger und nachmittags ca. 0.8 RMR höher als am WSW-Hang. (2) In der Bebrütungs- und Nestlingsphase von Erst-und Zweitbruten war der gesamte Energieaufwand für Thermoregulation während der Tagesstunden (E_daytime) am ONO-Hang 0.2–0.3 RMR höher als am WSW-Hang. (3) Innerhalb jedes Hanges war E_daytime bei Zweitbruten niedriger als bei Erstbruten: 0.06–0.07 RMR während der Bebrütung der Eier und 0.32 RMR während der Nestlingsphase. Diese Größenordnungen entsprechen den Flugkosten von Weibchen während der Bebrütungszeit (0.09 RMR) bzw. der Jungenaufzucht (0.25 RMR).Unsere Ergebnisse belegen, dass die Wahl von klimatisch günstigen Habitaten die Energiebilanz von Brutvögeln verbessern kann, sowohl in Hinblick auf den täglichen Gesamtaufwand als auch bezüglich der Verteilung des Energieverbrauchs über den Tag. Aus thermoregulatorischen Gründen wäre auch eine zeitliche Verlagerung des Brutgeschäfts in die Sommermonate (Juli, August) vorteilhaft. Das würde jedoch die Möglichkeiten für Ersatz-und Zweitbruten verringern und die Zeit für die Mauser vor dem Herbstzug verkürzen. Da in unserem Untersuchungsgebiet diese Faktoren für eine erfolgreiche Fortpflanzung eine größere Bedeutung haben als der Energieaufwand für die Thermoregulation, ist der frühe — energetisch 6–32 % teurere — Brutbeginn der Vögel sinnvoll.

     

Welcome aboard: are birds migrating across the Mediterranean Sea using ships as stopovers during adverse weather conditions?

Birds use stopovers during migration to interrupt endurance flight in order to minimize immediate and/or future fitness costs. Stopovers on ships is considered an exceptional and anecdotal event in the ornithological literature. This does not match the experience we had in the summer of 2021, during an oceanographic campaign in the Central Mediterranean, when we regularly observed on average 2.8 birds, of at least 13 species, stopping on board during the 25 days of the campaign. The median stopping time was 42 min, ranging from a few minutes to overnight stays on board. The probability of finding a bird stopping aboard increased with wind force and cloud cover. Birds also stopped more often in a headwind and did not stop when the wind came from different directions other than the headwind. The Central Mediterranean is one of the busiest sea routes in the world, combining the mean daily number of birds on board with the thousands of ships that pass through it during the 3 months of summer migration; we estimate that nearly 4 million birds could use ships as stopover sites. This behaviour may represent a modern-day strategy that uses ships as stopovers in the event of adverse weather conditions or could act as an ecological trap, increasing the mortality of migrants. This phenomenon deserves more research attention and further studies recording body condition and tagging of individuals on board would be informative.     

The paradox of extreme high-altitude migration in bar-headed geese Anser indicus

Bar-headed geese are renowned for migratory flights at extremely high altitudes over the world''s tallest mountains, the Himalayas, where partial pressure of oxygen is dramatically reduced while flight costs, in terms of rate of oxygen consumption, are greatly increased. Such a mismatch is paradoxical, and it is not clear why geese might fly higher than is absolutely necessary. In addition, direct empirical measurements of high-altitude flight are lacking. We test whether migrating bar-headed geese actually minimize flight altitude and make use of favourable winds to reduce flight costs. By tracking 91 geese, we show that these birds typically travel through the valleys of the Himalayas and not over the summits. We report maximum flight altitudes of 7290 m and 6540 m for southbound and northbound geese, respectively, but with 95 per cent of locations received from less than 5489 m. Geese travelled along a route that was 112 km longer than the great circle (shortest distance) route, with transit ground speeds suggesting that they rarely profited from tailwinds. Bar-headed geese from these eastern populations generally travel only as high as the terrain beneath them dictates and rarely in profitable winds. Nevertheless, their migration represents an enormous challenge in conditions where humans and other mammals are only able to operate at levels well below their sea-level maxima.     

莲藕研究进展

综述了莲藕在分类、生长发育、遗传育种、组织培养、生理学特性等方面的研究进展.