Ultrastructure and serotonin immunocytochemistry of the parietal-pineal complex in the Japanese grass lizard, Takydromus tachydromoides.

The fine structure and immunocytochemical localization of serotonin in the cells of the receptor line were studied in the parietal eye and pineal organ proper of the Japanese grass lizard, Takydromus tachydromoides. Typical photoreceptor cells (PC) were the predominant cell type in the receptor line of the parietal eye, the outer segments of which had regular stacks of numerous disks similar to those of cones. The pineal organ contained relatively few PCs, which showed less well-developed outer segments than those of the parietal eye. In contrast, secretory rudimentary photoreceptor cells (SRPC) accounted for the majority of receptor cells in the pineal organ. These cells were structurally characterized by whorl-like lamellar outer segments and numerous dense-cored vesicles (80-280 nm in diameter). A small number of SRPC were also found in the parietal retina, which were similar to those in the pineal organ. In the parietal-pineal complex, numerous mitochondria located in the PC were larger and rounder than those in the SRPC. In the PC, basal processes prossessed only synaptic ribbons, whereas in the SRPC some of these processes contained synaptic ribbons and others contained dense-cored vesicles, rarely having both. Serotonin-immunoreactive cells were found not only in the pineal organ but also in the parietal eye, which closely resembled the cells of the receptor line in their size and shape. Furthermore, on immunoelectron microscopy for serotonin using the protein A-gold technique, gold particles indicating serotonin-immunoreactive sites were restricted in the core of dense-cored vesicles in the SRPC of the pineal organ. Regional differences in the distributions of the PC, SRPC and serotonin-immunoreactivity were found in the parietal-pineal complex.     

Egg-depositing behavior as a predator avoidance tactic of Yezonychus sapporensis Ehara (Acari, Tetranychidae)

Spider mites are very small phytophagous organisms living on plant leaves. They possess a diverse array of life types. Such diversity in life type has been supposed to be a result of coevolution between predator and prey, although there is little concrete evidence to support this concept. In Yezonychus sapporensis inhabiting the leaves of a dwarf bamboo, Sasa senanensis, all quiescent stages including eggs appear on the tips of the host leaf hairs during the summer season, and this habit is thought to be a kind of predator avoidance trait. To confirm this, the survival rates of Y. sapporensis eggs deposited on natural sites and experimentally manipulated sites were observed for eight co-occurring predator species. The results clearly showed that the oviposition behavior of Y. sapporensis has a function in avoiding predator attack, at least under experimental conditions. Received: October 26, 2000 / Accepted: December 19, 2000     

Neural interaction of gonadotropin-regulating hormone immunoreactive neurons and the suprachiasmatic nucleus with the paraventricular organ in the Japanese grass lizard (Takydromus tachydromoides)

Our previous study demonstrated that the paraventricular organ (PVO) in the hypothalamus of the Japanese grass lizard (Takydromus tachydromoides) showed immunoreactivity against the light signal-transducing G-protein, transducin. This finding suggested that the PVO was a candidate for the deep-brain photoreceptor in this species. To understand functions of the PVO, we investigated distributions of transducin, serotonin, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), and gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH) in the lizard's brain. We immunohistochemically confirmed co-localization of transducin and serotonin in PVO neurons that showed structural characteristics of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-contacting neurons. GnRH-immunoreactive (ir) cells were localized in the posterior commissure and lateral hypothalamic area. Some of the serotonin-ir fibers extending from the PVO to the lateral hypothalamic area contacted the GnRH-ir cell bodies. GnIH-ir cells were localized in the nucleus accumbens, paraventricular nucleus, and upper medulla, and GnIH-ir fibers from the paraventricular nucleus contacted the lateral processes of serotonin-ir neurons in the PVO. In addition, we found that serotonin-ir fibers from the PVO extended to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), and the retrograde transport method confirmed the PVO projections to the SCN. These findings suggest that the PVO, by means of innervation mediated by serotonin, plays an important role in the regulation of pituitary function and the biological clock in the Japanese grass lizard.     

Spatial relationship among individuals of the Japanese lacertidTakydromus tachydromoides (Sauria,Lacertidae)

The home range ofTakydromus tachydromoides was studied in a grassland area from April 1977 to November 1978. The mean size of home range did not differ markedly between sexes; 136.5 m² for males and 130.8 m² for females. Home ranges of adults overlapped greatly in each sex, and the lizard was considered to be non-territorial. Individuals showed return movement to a definite area (sleeping site) within the home range, and the home range did not shift within a year or between years. Characteristics of the home range of this grassland-inhabiting lizard were discussed in relation to resource abundance and predation pressure.     

Plasmodium sasai n. sp. from the Japanese Lizard Takydromus tachydromoides

SYNOPSIS. This is the 1st reptilian Plasmodium to be described from eastern Asia. It is apparently of limited geographic distribution. Experimental infections may result in the production of more parasites than red cells in the circulating blood. A single erythrocyte may be infected by as many as 11 parasites. Despite the heavy parasitemia and destruction of erythrocytes, the hosts are apparently not affected by the infection. Mature schizonts are frequently fan-shaped; they produce 7–17 merozoites. The asexual cycle has a high degree of synchrony.     

Cooperation in defence against a predator

The origin and the evolutionary stability of cooperation between unrelated individuals is one of the key problems of evolutionary biology. In this paper, a cooperative defence game against a predator is introduced which is based on Hamilton's selfish herd theory and Eshel's survival game models. Cooperation is altruistic in the sense that the individual, which is not the target of the predator, helps the members of the group attacked by the predator and during defensive action the helper individual may also die in any attack. In order to decrease the long term predation risk, this individual has to carry out a high risk action. Here I show that this kind of cooperative behaviour can evolve in small groups. The reason for the emergence of cooperation is that if the predator does not kill a mate of a cooperative individual, then the survival probability of the cooperative individual will increase in two cases. If the mate is non-cooperative, then—according to the dilution effect, the predator confusion effect and the higher predator vigilance—the survival probability of the cooperative individual increases. The second case is when the mate is cooperative, because a cooperative individual has a further gain, the active help in defence during further predator attacks. Thus, if an individual can increase the survival rate of its mates (no matter whether the mate is cooperative or not), then its own predation risk will decrease.     

Structure and hibernation-associated expression of the transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 channel (TRPV4) mRNA in the Japanese grass lizard (Takydromus tachydromoides)

Animals possess systems for sensing environmental temperature using temperature-sensitive ion channels called transient receptor potential channels (TRPs). Various TRPs have been identified and characterized in mammals. However, those of ectotherms, such as reptiles, are less well studied. Here, we identify the V subfamily of TRP (TRPV) in two reptile species: Japanese grass lizard (Takydromus tachydromoides) and Japanese four-lined ratsnake (Elaphe quadrivirgata). Phylogenetic analysis of TRPVs indicated that ectothermic reptilian TRPVs are more similar to those of endothermic chicken and mammals, than to other ectotherms, such as frog and fish. Expression analysis of TRPV4 mRNA in the lizard showed that its expression in tissues and organs is specifically controlled in cold environments and hibernation. The mRNA was ubiquitously expressed in seven tissues/organs examined. Both cold-treatment and hibernation lowered TRPV4 expression, but in a tissue/organ-specific manner. Cold-treatment reduced TRPV4 expression in tongue and muscle, while in hibernation it was reduced more widely in brain, tongue, heart, lung, and muscle. Interestingly, however, levels of TRPV4 mRNA in the skin remained unaffected after entering hibernation and cold-treatment, implying that TRPV4 in the skin may act as an environmental temperature sensor throughout the reptilian life cycle, including hibernation. This is the first report, to our knowledge, to describe reptilian TRPV4 in relation to hibernation.     

Sociality as a life-history tactic of ground squirrels

Summary Multi-variate analysis of life-history traits of 18 species of burrowing sciurids indicates that reproductive effort is determined by body-size energetics. Other traits, such as age adult weight reached, age of dispersal, length of time of gestation, were significantly correlated with body size. A principal component analysis suggested that the complex of life-history traits could be reduced to four components: body size (=weight), seasonality, specific reproductive effort, and maturity. The variation in the sociality index was best explained by age of first reproduction and age adult weight reached. Generally, species are more social when large body size combined with a relatively short growing season is associated with delayed dispersal and occurs in those species typically breeding for the first time at age two or older. Sociality in these species may have evolved through retention of daughters within the maternal home range as a means of continuing reproductive investment beyond weaning.     

Coral snake mimicry: live snakes not avoided by a mammalian predator

The occurrence of coral snake coloration among unrelated venomous and non-venomous New World snake species has often been explained in terms of warning coloration and mimicry. The idea that snake predators would avoid coral snakes in nature seems widely established and is postulated in many discussions on coral snake mimicry. However, the few workers that have tested a potential aposematic function of the conspicuous colour pattern focused exclusively on behaviour of snake predators towards coloured abstract models. Here we report on behaviour of temporarily caged, wild coatis (Nasua narica) when confronted with co-occurring live snakes, among which were two species of venomous coral snakes. Five different types of responses have been observed, ranging from avoidance to predation, yet none of the coatis avoided either of the two coral snake species or other species resembling these. As in earlier studies coatis appeared to avoid coral snake models, our findings show that results from studies with abstract snake models cannot unconditionally serve as evidence for an aposematic function of coral snake coloration.     

Haematology of the grass snake Natrix natrix natrix L.

1. Haematological parameters and cytomorphological picture of circulating blood of the grass snake Natrix natrix natrix L. were studied. Mean annual values of the haemoglobin concentration, haematocrit level, red cell counts, erythrocytes indices, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, thrombocyte and leucocyte counts, per cent composition of white blood cells and size of morphotic elements were determined for a population sample (N = 154) of the species, considering the sex of snakes. 2. Parameters of red blood cell system (RCC, Hb, Hct) were statistically significantly higher in males, remaining indices showed no statistically significant differences. 3. A strict positive correlation was found between RCC, Hb and Hct in the studied sample. 4. Cytomorphology of blood is presented in microphotographs. 5. In the discussion haematological data for the grass snake and other snakes are compared.     

Incubation feeding as a male tactic for early hatching

Male marsh tits, Parus palustris, regularly feed their mates from the beginning of nest building until hatching. Over three periods (the 15 days preceding egg formation, egg formation/laying and incubation) the number of food passes by the male to the female increased significantly. There was a significant negative relationship between the frequency with which the male fed the female in the nest during incubation and the length of the incubation period. Female blue tits, Parus caeruleus, experimentally supplied with food in the nestbox during incubation had a significantly shorter incubation period than control females. Clutches of experimentally fed females also tended to hatch more successfully. It is concluded that feeding of the female by the male is a nutritional contribution and that the shorter incubation period and increased hatching success enhance the fitness of both parents. However, the male should balance the benefits against the costs in time and energy and therefore not necessarily work at a maximal level. In accordance with this is the finding that the male's provisioning rate increased when ambient temperatures decreased. Adverse weather may jeopardize the whole or large proportions of the clutch, thereby significantly reducing the benefit from the current breeding attempt.     

Prey kills predator: Counter-attack success of a spider mite against its specific phytoseiid predator

Success of counter-attack by the spider mite,Schizotetranychus celarius (Banks), against its specific phytoseiid predator,Typhlodromus bambusae Ehara, was examined under experimental conditions. The success of counter-attack by prey females (mothers) against a predaceous larva depended upon the former's density per nest. About 30% of the predaceous larvae were killed when they intruded into a nest containing eight females and their offspring. On the other hand, the prey males (fathers) effectively killed the predators, i.e. one male in the nest killed ca. 40% of the predators while two or three males destroyed up to 80%.The presence of prey parents in a nest considerably enhanced the success of the counter-attack. One male and two young females could kill 70% of the predator's larvae, while two males and two females killed 90% of such larvae. This suggests a kind of cooperative brood defence amongstS. celarius parents.Although more robust, protonymphs of the predator also suffered damage by the prey's counter-attack. However, prey male and female could not destroy the predator's eggs and adult females, whilst the latter often killed spider mite adults.From these as well as previous experiments, it is concluded thatS. celarius has evolved some kind of biparental care for its offspring. It is further proposed that the predator—prey interactions observed in this study provide a unique contribution towards understanding predator—prey coevolution.     

Reducing fertilization: a management tactic against western flower thrips on roses

Fertilization reduction could be a useful pest management tactic for floriculture crops if it reduced pest populations with minimal impact on crop yield and quality. We evaluated the response of the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), to different fertilization levels for cut roses, Rosa hybrida L. cv. ‘Tropicana’, and quantified fertilization effects on (i) abundance of F. occidentalis on cut roses, (ii) biological control of F. occidentalis on cut roses and (iii) nutritional quality of the cut flower crop. We tested a commercially available fertilizer (Peters Excel 15‐5‐15 Cal‐Mag; The Scotts Company, Marysville, OH) at 100% and 33% of the recommended nitrogen level (150 ppm N) for rose production using liquid‐feeding and two control measures: no thrips control measure; release of a predatory mite, Amblyseius swirskii (Athias‐Henriot). To maintain equivalent ratios of macro‐ and micronutrients for all our fertilizer treatments, we varied only the concentration of the fertilizer to the levels specified in our experiments. Lowering fertilization rate from 100% to 33% of the recommended level reduced mean F. occidentalis abundance on cut roses by 30%. Combinations of both bottom‐up (fertilization) and top‐down (biological control) tactics provided better F. occidentalis control than either tactic alone. Flower production was not compromised on plants fertilized with 33% of the recommended level. Nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium content of the leaf tissue decreased at 33% of the recommended fertilization level, but all values were within optimal ranges for cut roses. We propose that fertility management may be an effective means of reducing thrips numbers on cut roses.     

Manipulating fertilization: a management tactic against Frankliniella occidentalis on potted chrysanthemum

Fertilization during production of greenhouse chrysanthemum, Dendranthema grandiflora (Tzvelev), will influence Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) populations as well as plant productivity and postproduction longevity. It is essential to include fertilization effects in the development of crop management practices that reduce thrips populations and maintain plant marketability. In this study, we lowered fertilization to reduce thrips population abundance while maintaining plant productivity. We tested fertilization levels below and above the recommended level (375 p.p.m. N) for commercial production. We reduced mean rate of change in F. occidentalis abundance from 0.05 to 0.03 (day⁻¹) and mean number of thrips per plant by 44% by fertilizing with either 188 p.p.m. N (50% of the recommended level) or 568 p.p.m. N (150%) and higher. Fertilization influenced not only the rate of change in thrips abundance but also the production time (from transplanting to flower opening). Lowering fertilization to 50% of the recommended level lengthened mean production time from 84 to 88 days. Plant height, flower size, and flower number were not adversely affected when fertilization was reduced to 50% of the recommended level. Mean postproduction longevity was shortened from 26 to 24 days when plants were fertilized with 50% of the recommended level. Two important advantages of lowering fertilization to 50% of the recommended level were (1) a 44% reduction in mean F. occidentalis abundance and (2) a significant reduction in fertilizer input for the production system. Manipulation of fertilization can be a useful management tactic against F. occidentalis .