DUGONG (DUGONG DUGON) ABUNDANCE ALONG THE ANDAMAN COAST OF THAILAND

In 2000 and 2001, dugong abundance was estimated using aerial surveys in three provinces along the Andaman coast of Thailand. A microlite aircraft was used to fly aerial transects over seagrass areas. All surveys were done during rising tides as the dugongs came to the seagrass beds to feed. The largest population was found in Trang province. In Trang, the total number of sightings during 22 surveys was 264, out of which 31.5% were single dugongs. The largest group seen in 2000 was 30, and in 2001, 53. The maximum number of calves seen in one day was 13. The best minimum estimate of population abundance is 123 animals (CV = 60.8%) in Trang province. Higher numbers of dugong sightings and group sizes corresponded with higher tides until water turbidity impeded sightings after the highest spring tide. In other areas the number of animals seen was too small for population estimates.     

THE STATUS OF THE DUGONG (DUGONG DUGON MOLLER); KENYA, 1961

The scarcity of dugong (Dugong dugon Miiller) throughout their former range and lack of knowledge of the species' ecology justifies this record of the opinions of the fishermen in the Lamu district of Kenya, where the species is still plentiful. The area and the programme of questioning are described. The social life, reproduction, movements and predators of the dugong are recorded as reported by the fishermen. The present distribution is contrasted with the past. My observations on the food plants and their distribution are given, as well as the fishermen's estimation of the part each plays in the dugong's diet. The need for calm water over feeding grounds, afforded by depth of water or shelter from winds, seems to be a controlling factor in the distribution of dugong. Man appears to be the main predator.     

ALTERED MATING BEHAVIOR IN A CARSONIAN POPULATION OF DROSOPHILA SECHELLIA

Mating behavior was studied in two laboratory populations of Drosophila sechellia and their reciprocal hybrids. The ancestral population was reared on a special medium, optimal for this species, while the derived population was reared on a standard Drosophila food, and underwent a bottleneck while adapting to this new medium, in a manner similar to the “founder-flush” process of Carson (1971). A significant tendency towards mating asymmetry was found, with ancestral females mating significantly less frequently with derived males than derived females with ancestral males. Analysis of hybrids suggested an important role for the male's X chromosome or for a maternal effect. No significant differences were found among parental types for their main female cuticular hydrocarbons, the proportion of courtship spent in various behavioral elements, body weight, or wing length. Significant differences were found in the structure of courtship, male locomotor activity, male cuticular hydrocarbon levels, and male courtship song inter-pulse interval (i.p.i.). None of these differences showed an X-linked effect in the reciprocal hybrids. Hypotheses put forward to explain interspecific mating asymmetries are discussed in the light of these results.     

大劣按蚊在实验条件下交配习性的观察

我们在实验室建立了大劣按蚊自然交配种群之后,对其交配习性进行了观察。饲养初期,养蚊笼大小对其交配有一定的影响,在大蚊笼饲养交配受精率高,反之则低,饲养23代以后,两者已无明显差异。在同笼内,雌雄蚊的比例,以1:1.5者交配受精率高;1:1者低;1:2者则处于不稳定状态。大劣按蚊羽化至少在48小时后才能进行交配,随着蚊龄增长,交配受精率逐步增加,初步认为21天的蚊龄仍有交配行为存在。     

MATING PROPENSITY AND COURTSHIP BEHAVIOR IN SERIALLY BOTTLENECKED LINES OF THE HOUSEFLY

The efficacy of bottlenecks to stimulate divergence in courtship behavior and consequent premating isolation was tested by serial founder-flush episodes of three sizes (one, four, or 16 pairs) on a population of houseflies established in the laboratory from a single field population. After the fifth founder-flush episode, intraline and interline crosses were performed to detect divergence in mating propensities and patterns of assortative mating. Videotapings of intraline courtships for the bottleneck lines and the control were evaluated for changes in courtship repertoire. All bottleneck lines showed significant divergence from the control in male and/or female mating propensity and in courtship behavior. Divergence from the control was bidirectional for both male and female mating propensities as well as for courtship element utilization. Out of 15 tests for assortative mating between bottleneck lines and between bottleneck lines and the control, only two cases of positive assortative mating and one case of negative assortative mating were detected. Because some bottleneck lines showed increased courtship element utilization and because decreased courtship utilization in some bottleneck lines was related to higher male mating success, the mechanisms behind the Kaneshiro model (which is based upon ancestral females discriminating against bottleneck males that had “lost” courtship elements) were not supported in general. A partitioning effect of the bottlenecks upon the intrinsic variation in the ancestral population for courtship pattern appeared to explain a large component of the directions of divergence from the control. Still, the pattern of divergence of some bottleneck lines apparently was not constrained by the intercorrelation structure of courtship behaviors detected in the control. Because previous studies showed that the bottleneck lines had rebounded from inbreeding depression to fitness levels of the control, this study documents nondebilitating differentiation in the courtship repertoire that can account for divergent mating propensities and premating isolation.     

ESTIMATING THE MATING BEHAVIOR OF A PAIR OF HYBRIDIZING HELICONIUS SPECIES IN THE WILD

Premating isolation between incipient species is rarely studied in nature, even though mating tests in captivity may give an inaccurate picture of natural hybridization. We studied premating barriers between the warningly colored butterflies Heliconius erato and H. himera (Lepidoptera) in a narrow contact zone in Ecuador, where hybrids are found at low frequency. Eggs obtained from wild-mated females, supplemented with eggs and young larvae collected from the wild, were reared to adulthood. Adult color patterns of these progeny were then used to infer how their parents must have mated. Likelihood was used to estimate both the frequencies of potential parental genotypes from adult phenotypes collected in the wild, and the degree of assortative mating from the inferred parents. The frequencies of parental genotypes varied across the hybrid zone, but our statistical method allowed estimates of hybrid deficit and assortative mating to be integrated across all sites sampled. The best estimate of the frequency of F₁ and backcross hybrid adults in the center of the hybrid zone was 10%, with support limits (7.1%, 13.0%; support limits are asymptotically equivalent to 95% confidence limits). Mating was highly assortative: in the center of the hybrid zone the cross-mating probability between H. erato and H. himera was only 5% (0.3%, 21.4%). Wild hybrids themselves mated with both pure forms, and the probabilities that they mated in any direction were not significantly lower than those among conspecifics. These results are consistent with earlier laboratory studies on mate choice, and suggest that selection against hybrids must be strong to prevent formation of a hybrid swarm. Unfortunately, the wide support limits on mating behavior precluded a measure of the strength of selection from these data alone. Our statistical approach provides a useful general method for estimating mate choice in the wild.     

中华按蚊在实验室内的自然交配习性

1973年我们在上海曾对宝山县中华按蚊(Anopheles sinensis)进行了室内饲养,通过自然交配繁殖了8代。1975年又对重庆郊区的中华按蚊同样地进行了室内累代饲育。近几年来文献上报道:未经驯化的中华按蚊,在实验室内常规饲养条件下,不易发生自然交配(Oguma和Kanda,1976;潘家复和韩罗珍,1979)。这一报道与我们的经验很不一致。为了弄清引起这种不一致的原因,以便改进饲养工作,我们特别对第一代中华按蚊在实验室内自然交配的某些规律,进行了观察。现将观察结果报告如下。     

OBSERVATIONS OF CHROMOSOMES IN CIRCAEA (ONAGRACEAE)

Observations of meiotic and/or mitotic chromosomes for 16 specific, infraspecific, and hybrid taxa from 56 populations are presented; chromosome numbers for 11 taxa are reported for the first time. All samples reported have 2n = 22, with the exception that 3 of 12 collections of C. × intermedia have at least some individuals that are triploid. North American diploid collections of this hybrid are heterozygous for one reciprocal translocation; only 1 of 5 European diploid collections also exhibited a translocation. Meiosis in four naturally occurring Asian hybrids is also analyzed: C. × ovata (C. cordata × C. mollis), C. × decipiens (C. erubescens × C. lutetiana) and C. x× dubia (C. cordata × C. eurbescens) possess a single translocation; C. × mentiens (C. alpina × C. eurbescens) is structurally homozygous. With the exception of the translocation, chromosome pairing in these hybrids is normal. Early diakinesis chromosomes possess densely staining centric regions and diffusely staining arms that are subequal in length.     

EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY OF THE MATING SYSTEM IN AMSINCKIA (BORAGINACEAE)

A survey of restriction site variation in the chloroplast genome of the annual plant genus Amsinckia, together with estimation of outcrossing rates, was conducted to analyze the evolutionary history of the mating system. Species, and in some cases populations within species, differ markedly in their mating system. Five taxa are distylous and predominantly outcrossing, or show mixed mating systems, while the remaining taxa are homostylous and predominantly self-fertilizing. Reconstruction of the molecular phylogeny of the group places different distylous and homostylous taxa at four separate branch tips. When distyly is treated as ancestral in the group, or when the loss of distyly is assumed to be more common than its gain, the results of the phylogenetic analysis support the hypothesis that the self-fertilizing taxa are of recent origin from outcrossing relatives. These findings are discussed with respect to theory for the evolution and breakdown of distyly and the probability of extinction of selfing lineages.     

褐飞虱的交配行为及与保幼激素滴度的关系

受5龄末期和羽化初期较高保幼激素滴度的影响,褐飞虱Nilaparvata lugens(Stal)短翅型成虫性成熟比长翅型成虫早40～50h。5日龄前短翅型雌成虫的交配成功率较高,雄成虫的交配竞争能力较强;1、2日龄的长翅型雌成虫不交配,5日龄后长翅型成虫的交配能力渐渐超过短翅型成虫。实验种群的交配持续时间为(70.38±41.77)s;交配成功率为51.63%;雌、雄虫均可重复交配。一日中0～4h和10～14h交配成功率较高。     

大仓鼠在繁殖期的行为关系及交配行为

在Ｙ型迷宫中进行气味选择测定时,被试大仓鼠偏好异性的气味,证明身体气味有性吸引和性识别作用。在Ｙ型迷宫进行性别选择测定时,在雌雄靶鼠个体之间,被试大仓鼠不表现出性别偏好,这是攻击行为和交配行为共同影响的结果;与空白相比较,被试鼠都选择靶鼠,说明独居大仓鼠之间存在频繁的探究行为。通过观察箱内对两鼠间的行为关系的观察发现,异性之间主要有攻击行为和交配行为;同性之间主要发生攻击行为,同时胜鼠或优势鼠的胁腺标记行为显著多于从属鼠,说明胁腺标记可以表明优势地位;雄鼠与非性接受状态的雌鼠相遇时,攻击行为很少,但无友好行为,只有简单的雄鼠爬跨雌鼠的行为;任何陌生的雄鼠与性接受状态的雌鼠相遇发生交配行为,交配结束又相互攻击;交配行为表现为多次爬跨多次射精;雄鼠有库利奇（Ｃｏｏｌｉｄｇｅ）效应,雌鼠可以连续接受几只雄鼠的交配,表明大仓鼠为多配制的婚配制度。从行为关系和交配行为看大仓鼠在繁殖期独居,无固定的配偶     

雌性动物多次交配行为的机制及进化

雌性动物的后代数量不可能超过她的卵子数。在理论上, 一个生殖季节内, 一次或几次交配就足够使雌性所有卵子受精, 最大化其生殖潜能。但与理论预测相反, 许多物种的雌性经常与同一个或多个雄性发生多次交配。交配通常要付出较高的代价, 所以很难理解为什么雌性动物要反复进行多次交配。本文综述了解释此行为的一些适应性和非适应性假说。从获得直接收益和间接收益二个角度介绍了适应性假说。直接收益主要包括求偶喂食和“彩礼”、受精保证、亲代抚育、生殖刺激和护卫交配权等5 个方面。还着重介绍了多次交配对雌性后代的间接遗传受益, 即获得优质基因、提高后代遗传多样性和遗传互补性3 个假说。非适应性假说包括了遗传相关假说和顺从雄性行为假说。