穴蚁蛉的研究

通过多年的观察研究,详细报导粤北穴蚁蛉的生态类型、生物学特性、个体发育与饲食频率的关系;介绍穴蚁蛉幼虫——蚁狮在治疗泌尿系统结石疾病中的重大药用价值和开发、保护蚁狮的方法和途径．     

穴蚁蛉的自然种群动态

本文主要报道了穴蚁蛉 Myrmeleon(Morter) sagax(Walker)幼虫的野外自然种群数量动态。穴蚁蛉 1年发生 1代 ,在自然界其幼虫 3～ 5月份数量平稳略有下降 ,5、6月间数量迅速下降 ,6月初数量最少 ;7～ 9月份数量迅速上升 ,而后下降 ;新一代穴蚁蛉幼虫 (蚁狮 )在 6月份出现。其种群 ,秋季以 1龄幼虫数量为多 ,冬季主要以 2龄幼虫为主越冬 ,春季以 3龄蚁狮占优势。春季野外采集来的蚁狮 ,在每日光照 14小时、每周两饲 (每次饲 1头米蛾 Corcyra cephalonica成虫 )的条件下饲养 ,结果发现 ,采集回时处于 3龄期的蚁狮比自然界大约提前 1个月结茧化蛹和羽化 ;而采集回时处于 2龄期的蚁狮则和自然界中的情况基本一致。     

四种昆虫饵料对穴蚁蛉幼虫生长发育及消化利用的影响

选择4种可规模化饲养的昆虫——米蛾Corcyra cephalonica、家蝇Musca domestica、斜纹夜蛾Spodoptera litura、甜菜夜蛾Spodoptera exigu幼虫来饲养穴蚁蛉Myrmeleon sagax(Walker)幼虫(俗称蚁狮),研究这4种饵料对蚁狮生长发育及消化利用的影响。结果显示,用家蝇幼虫饲养的蚁狮,其体重增长、相对生长率、化蛹率、蛹重均显著高于用斜纹夜蛾和甜菜夜蛾幼虫饲养的蚁狮,而幼虫历期则比斜纹夜蛾和甜菜夜蛾幼虫饲养的短;用米蛾幼虫饲养,虽然蚁狮体重增长、化蛹率和蛹重与用家蝇幼虫饲养的差异不显著,但其相对生长率却显著低于用家蝇幼虫饲养的蚁狮,幼虫历期也比用家蝇幼虫饲养的明显延长。同时食物消化利用的结果显示,用4种饵料饲养蚁狮,它们的近似消化率差异不显著,但食物利用率和食物转化率均以家蝇幼虫饲养的蚁狮最高。经分析比较,在4种饵料昆虫中,以用家蝇幼虫每4d喂蚁狮1次的饲养效果最佳。     

蚁狮的行动

蚁狮是脉翅目(Neruopera)蚁蛉科(Myrmel-eontidae)的幼虫。蚁狮有会做陷阱及不会做陷阱的两种。笔者所叙述的是属于前一种。     

丹霞山风景区巴寨景点蚁狮的空间分布

2009年2月对广东韶关丹霞山风景区巴寨景点蚁狮Myrmeleon(Morter)sagax(Walker)种群进行了调查,采用了5种聚集度指标以及Taylor的幂法则与Iwao的m*-m直线回归方程进行计算和分析。结果表明:该地区蚁狮种群空间格局在局域斑块尺度属于均匀分布,种群密度越高分布越均匀。蚁狮种群的生境特点、捕食行为、种内竞争等可能对其种群密度及空间分布格局有重要影响。     

真牛假牛分分清

正提到"牛",相信大家的脑海里很快会蹦出许多关键词。动物中有不少叫牛不是牛的动物。它们究竟哪里"牛"呢?咱们看过就知道——沙牛沙牛也叫地牯牛,它们还有个更国际化的名字——蚁狮。蚁狮长得像一种灰扑扑的甲虫。事实上,它们是蚁蛉的幼虫,最喜欢吃蚂蚁、萤火虫等昆虫。蚁狮的头部有两个镰刀状大腭,大多呈张开状,看起来和牛的犄角有几分相似,所以它们被称为沙牛。     

蚁蛉生物学研究进展

蚁蛉科Myrmeleontidae昆虫的幼虫俗称蚁狮,我国古人很早就将其入药,是一种具有良好开发利用前景的药用昆虫。文章对蚁蛉分类学、生物学、人工饲养、药用价值和杀虫活性物质分离等方面的研究进行综述,以期较全面了解蚁蛉的研究进展,为进一步研究、开发和利用蚁蛉提供参考。     

蚁狮多糖对小鼠炎症模型影响的实验研究

目的研究蚁狮多糖对小鼠不同炎症模型的抗炎抑制作用。方法将小鼠随机分为对照组、西药对照组和蚁狮多糖高、中、低剂量组(500 mg·kg~(-1)、250 mg·kg~(-1)、125 mg·kg~(-1)),建造不同类型的小鼠炎症模型,各种炎症模型均设5组试药组灌胃给药,实验结束后考察小鼠耳廓肿胀度、毛细血管通透性、肉芽肿湿重、足跖肿胀度等不同炎症模型的检验指标。结果与对照组相比,蚁狮多糖对小鼠耳廓肿胀、琼脂性肉芽组织增生、足跖肿胀有极显著的抑制作用,对实验性腹膜炎的抑制作用显著,显著降低小鼠的扭体反应。结论蚁狮多糖具有显著的抗肿胀性炎症、抗渗出性炎症、抗增生性炎症以及镇痛作用。     

穴蚁蛉幼虫全长均一化cDNA文库的构建

通过构建穴蚁蛉幼虫(俗称蚁狮)全长均一化cDNA文库,以期了解蚁狮的抗菌肽、毒素蛋白以及其它药用蛋白种类,为日后筛选、克隆表达和分离纯化这些药用蛋白奠定基础.用针刺诱导蚁狮产生抗茵物质后,分离纯化总RNA,结合SMART全长文库与DSN(duplex-specific nuclease)均一化技术,构建全长均一化cDNA文库,并通过平板计数和菌落PCR方法鉴定文库.随机挑选192个单克隆进行5′端测序,并与NCBI数据库进行比对分析.结果显示,构建出的文库平均插入片段长度为1 200bp,原始文库的滴度达到7.5×105 CFU/mL,而扩增文库则为1.95×1011CFU/mL.在所挑选的单克隆中,共获得190条有效序列,平均读长1 340 bp,文库重组率达到98.96%.与NCBI数据库比对后发现,这些序列可能是一些编码蚁狮免疫、消化及毒性蛋白的基因.     

中国大陆瘤颚蚁属分类研究(膜翅目,蚁科)

记述中国大陆瘤颚蚁属Strumigenys 8种,其中1新种,江西瘤颚蚁S．jiangxiensis sp．nov．,粗瘤颚蚁S．stry—gax Bolton为中国新纪录种。提出《广西蚂蚁》和《西双版纳自然保护区蚁科昆虫生物多样性研究》中记载的4个误订种,即刘氏瘤颚蚁S．lewisi Cameron误订为粗糙瘤颚蚁S．hispida Lin et Wu,薄帘瘤颚蚁S．rallarhina Bolton误订为异形瘤颚蚁S．leptorhina Bolton,粗瘤颚蚁S．strygax Bolton误定为琴状瘤颚蚁S．1yroessa(Roger),长瘤颚蚁S．exilirhi-na误定为费氏瘤颚蚁S．feae Emery。编制了中国大陆瘤颚蚁属已知种工蚁的分类检索表。     

Nutritional and behavioral effects of gorge and fast feeding in captive lions

Nonhuman animals in captivity manifest behaviors and physiological conditions that are not common in the wild. Lions in captivity face problems of obesity, inactivity, and stereotypy. To mediate common problems of captive lions, this study implemented a gorge and fast feeding schedule that better models naturalistic patterns: African lions (Panthera leo) gradually adapted from a conventional feeding program to a random gorge and fast feeding schedule. Digestibility increased significantly and food intake and metabolizable energy intake correspondingly decreased. Lions also showed an increase in appetitive active behaviors, no increase in agonistic behavior, and paced half as frequently on fast days as on feeding days. Thus, switching captive lions to a gorge and fast feeding schedule resulted in improved nutritional status and increased activity.     

Metabolic effects of low-energy diet on steller sea lions, Eumetopias jubatus

Diets of six Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) were switched between a high (herring) and a low (squid) energy density food for 14 d to determine the effects on ingested prey mass, body mass, resting metabolic rate, and the heat increment of feeding. Body mass was measured daily, and resting metabolism was measured weekly by gas respirometry. Ingested food mass did not differ significantly between the squid diet and the control or the recovery herring diet periods. As a result of differences in energy density, gross energy intake was significantly lower during the squid diet phase than during either the control or recovery periods. As a result, sea lions lost an average of 1.1 kg/d, totaling 12.2% of their initial body mass by the end of the experimental period. The heat increment of feeding for a 4-kg squid meal was significantly lower than for a similarly sized meal of herring. Decreases in both absolute (24.0 to 18.0 MJ/d, -24%) and mass-corrected (903 to 697 kJ/d/kg0.67, -20%) metabolism were observed by the end of the squid feedings. This study suggests that sea lions can depress their resting metabolism in response to decreases in energy intake or body mass, regardless of satiation level.     

Optimal hunting group size: the need for lions to defend their kills against loss to spotted hyaenas

This paper presents preliminary evidence that kleptoparasitism by spotted hyaenas may influence optimal hunting group size of lions. In the absence of adult male lions, hyaenas can drive female and subadult lions off their kills provided they outnumber the lions by a factor of four. Hence the larger the group of lions on the kill, the greater their chance of defending their food against invading hyaenas. At Savuti, where there was a shortage of adult male lions, the groups of female and subadult lions lost almost 20% of their food to hyaenas. Losses were most frequent for those living in small groups. These lions were often satiated by the time the hyaenas acquired the kill, so the hyaenas did not cause immediate need, yet constituted a constant energy drain on lions by forcing them to hunt more frequently. The implications of these observations for modelling optimal hunting group size of lions are discussed.     

The feeding ecology of the pit-making ant lion larva,Myrmeleon bore: Feeding rate and species composition of prey in a habitat

The prey species composition and feeding rate of the pit-making ant lion larva,Myrmeleon bore Tjeder, which inhabits open sandy areas, were examined. Not less than 30 prey species, most of which were ants, were collected during a research period of 1.5 years. First instar larvae most often (81.1%) captured ants. Although 3rd instar larvae captured larger-sized prey than individuals of any other instar, they also captured small prey. The feeding rate of 3rd instar larvae was estimated by using the frequency of observed predation (FOP; (no. of ant lions handling a prey)/(total no. of pits observed)), the prey-handling time and the rhythm of daily foraging activity. FOP ofM. bore larvae was constant on the whole from spring to autumn. It was estimated that each captured 1.25 prey per day on average during this period. This estimate, however, was the feeding rate for days on which there was no rain. Assuming that the larvae cannot capture prey due to pit destruction when there is more than 10 mm of rainfall per day, the figure was reduced to 1.03 prey/day. The estimated feeding rate was evaluated with reference to larval foraging behavior.     

Molecular characterization of expressed DQA and DQB genes in the California sea lion ( Zalophus californianus)

To date, there are no published MHC sequences from the California sea lion (Zalophus californianus), a thriving species that, by feeding high on the marine food web, could be a sentinel for disturbances in marine and coastal ecosystems. In this study, degenerate primers and RACE technology were used to amplify near-full-length (MhcZaca- DQB) and full-length (MhcZaca- DQA) expressed class II MHC gene products from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of two California sea lions in rehabilitation. Five unique Zaca- DQA sequences and eight unique Zaca- DQB sequences, all encoding functional proteins, were identified in the two animals, indicating the presence of multiple DQ- loci in this species. An additional three Zaca- DQB sequences containing features compatible with pseudogenes or null alleles were also identified. Despite the identification of multiple DQA and DQB sequences, the degree of heterogeneity between them was extremely low. To confirm the limited degree of Zaca-DQ nucleotide variation between individuals, we used denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis to examine putative peptide binding region sequences from the peripheral blood leukocyte-derived RNAs of 19 wild-caught California sea lions from physically distinct populations. The pattern of Zaca-DQ sequence migration was identical between individuals and independent of geographical region. This apparent Zaca-DQ sequence identity between sea lions was confirmed by direct sequencing of individual bands. In combination, these findings raise important questions regarding immunogenetic diversity within this thriving species, and should prompt further research into the existence of a highly polymorphic sea lion class II MHC molecule with sequence features that support traditional peptide binding functions.     

Detection of Mitochondrial COII DNA Sequences in Ant Guts as a Method for Assessing Termite Predation by Ants

Termites and ants contribute more to animal biomass in tropical rain forests than any other single group and perform vital ecosystem functions. Although ants prey on termites, at the community level the linkage between these groups is poorly understood. Thus, assessing the distribution and specificity of ant termitophagy is of considerable interest. We describe an approach for quantifying ant-termite food webs by sequencing termite DNA (cytochrome c oxidase subunit II, COII) from ant guts and apply this to a soil-dwelling ant community from tropical rain forest in Gabon. We extracted DNA from 215 ants from 15 species. Of these, 17.2 % of individuals had termite DNA in their guts, with BLAST analysis confirming the identity of 34.1 % of these termites to family level or better. Although ant species varied in detection of termite DNA, ranging from 63 % (5/7; Camponotus sp. 1) to 0 % (0/7; Ponera sp. 1), there was no evidence (with small sample sizes) for heterogeneity in termite consumption across ant taxa, and no evidence for species-specific ant-termite predation. In all three ant species with identifiable termite DNA in multiple individuals, multiple termite species were represented. Furthermore, the two termite species that were detected on multiple occasions in ant guts were in both cases found in multiple ant species, suggesting that ant-termite food webs are not strongly compartmentalised. However, two ant species were found to consume only Anoplotermes-group termites, indicating possible predatory specialisation at a higher taxonomic level. Using a laboratory feeding test, we were able to detect termite COII sequences in ant guts up to 2 h after feeding, indicating that our method only detects recent feeding events. Our data provide tentative support for the hypothesis that unspecialised termite predation by ants is widespread and highlight the use of molecular approaches for future studies of ant-termite food webs.     

Consumption of introduced prey by native predators: Argentine ants and pit-building ant lions

When populations of native predators are subsidized by numerically dominant introduced species, the structure of food webs can be greatly altered. Surprisingly little is known, however, about the general factors that influence whether or not native predators consume introduced species. To learn more about this issue, we examined how native pit-building ant lions (Myrmeleon) are affected by Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) invasions in coastal southern California. Compared to areas without L. humile, invaded areas contained few native ant species and were deficient in medium-sized and large bodied native ants. Based on these differences, we predicted that Argentine ants would negatively affect ant lion larvae. Contrary to this expectation, observational surveys and laboratory growth rate experiments revealed that Myrmeleon were heavier, had longer mandibles, and grew more quickly when their main ant prey were Argentine ants rather than native ants. Moreover, a field transplant experiment indicated that growth rates and pupal weights were not statistically different for larval ant lions reared in invaded areas compared to those reared in uninvaded areas. Argentine ants were also highly susceptible to capture by larval Myrmeleon. The species-level traits that presumably make Argentine ant workers susceptible to capture by larval ant lions—small size and high activity levels—appear to be the same characteristics that make them unsuitable prey for vertebrate predators, such as horned lizards. These results underscore the difficulties in predicting whether or not numerically dominant introduced species serve as prey for native predators.     

Getting to the core: Internal body temperatures help reveal the ecological function and thermal implications of the lions’ mane

It has been proposed that there is a thermal cost of the mane to male lions, potentially leading to increased body surface temperatures (T_s), increased sperm abnormalities, and to lower food intake during hot summer months. To test whether a mane imposes thermal costs on males, we measured core body temperature (T_b) continuously for approximately 1 year in 18 free‐living lions. There was no difference in the 24‐hr maximum T_b of males (n = 12) and females (n = 6), and males had a 24‐hr mean T_b that was 0.2 ± 0.1°C lower than females after correcting for seasonal effects. Although feeding on a particular day increased 24‐hr mean and 24‐hr maximum T_b, this phenomenon was true of both male and female lions, and females had higher 24‐hr mean and 24‐hr maximum T_b than males, on both days when lions did not feed, and on days when lions did feed. Twenty‐four‐hour T_b was not influenced by mane length or color, and 24‐hr mean T_b was negatively correlated with mane length. These data contradict the suggestion that there exists a thermal cost to male lions in possessing a long dark mane, but do not preclude the possibility that males compensate for a mane with increased heat loss. The increased insulation caused by a mane does not necessarily have to impair heat loss by males, which in hot environments is primarily through respiratory evaporative cooling, nor does in necessarily lead to increased heat gain, as lions are nocturnal and seek shade during the day. The mane may even act as a heat shield by increasing insulation. However, dominant male lions frequent water points more than twice as often as females, raising the possibility that male lions are increasing water uptake to facilitate increased evaporative cooling. The question of whether male lions with manes compensate for a thermal cost to the mane remains unresolved, but male lions with access to water do not have higher T_b than females or males with smaller manes.     

Chew,shake, and tear: Prey processing in Australian sea lions (Neophoca cinerea)

Pinnipeds generally target relatively small prey that can be swallowed whole, yet often include larger prey in their diet. To eat large prey, they must first process it into pieces small enough to swallow. In this study we explored the range of prey‐processing behaviors used by Australian sea lions (Neophoca cinerea) when presented with large prey during captive feeding trials. The most common methods were chewing using the teeth, shaking prey at the surface, and tearing prey held between the teeth and forelimbs. Although pinnipeds do not masticate their food, we found that sea lions used chewing to create weak points in large prey to aid further processing and to prepare secured pieces of prey for swallowing. Shake feeding matches the processing behaviors observed in fur seals, but use of forelimbs for “hold and tear” feeding has not been previously reported for other otariids. When performing this processing method, prey was torn by being stretched between the teeth and forelimbs, where it was secured by being squeezed between the palms of their flippers. These results show that Australian sea lions use a broad repertoire of behaviors for prey processing, which matches the wide range of prey species in their diet.     

Competitive interactions between spotted hyenas and lions in the Etosha National Park, Namibia

Spotted hyenas are successful hunters, but they also scavenge. Their main food competitors are lions. In the Etosha National Park, Namibia hyenas are unable to prevent kleptoparasitism by lions and fail to acquire kills from lions. The reasons are the small ratio of hyenas to female and subadult lions at kills and the presence of adult male lions. Because of the hyenas’ small clan sizes and large territories they seem to be unable to recruit sufficient clan members to take over lion kills or deter lions from their own kills. In Etosha, 71% of hyena mortality was due to lions; four cubs and one adult female hyena were killed by male lions during a 1‐year study. Hyenas have evolved adaptations against lions and initiate aggressive interactions with lions without the immediate availability of food, which is termed mobbing behaviour. Etosha hyenas initiated mobbing attempts when lions were near the hyena's communal den. Possibly, Etosha hyenas mobbed lions to distract lions from the hyenas’ den and their cubs and to warn their dependent offspring to hide from lions.