Effects of herbivory on growth and survival of seedlings of a rainforest tree,Alphitonia whitei (Rhamnaceae)

This study examined the effects of insect herbivory on growth and mortality of seedlings of a mid- successional rainforest tree, Alphitonia whitei Braid. Two experiments were conducted in which seedlings were exposed to 0% and 50% natural defoliation by insect herbivores and placed in light gaps in simple notophyll vine forest at Paluma, near Townsville, North Queensland. In the first experiment, insect herbivory significantly increased mortality of 2-month-old seedlings. Smaller seedlings had significantly greater mortality rates than larger seedlings, irrespective of herbivory. A significantly greater proportion of smaller seedlings died from being smothered by fallen leaves and soil as a result of digging by vertebrates than for larger seedlings. In the second experiment, the effects of seedling age were examined by comparing 2-month and 4-month-old seedlings. Mortality rates were significantly influenced by seedling age, with eight times greater survival of older seedlings than of younger seedlings. Although insect herbivory was correlated with a significant decrease in shoot mass and a significant increase in root:shoot ratio, there was no effect of insect herbivory on seedling survival in the second experiment. Thus, mortality rates were greater for seedlings if they were young or small (which indirectly results from insect herbivory), because small, young seedlings were more susceptibile to other mortality factors, such as burial by fallen debris and digging by vertebrates.     

Factors affecting numbers of Culicoides in truck traps in coastal Queensland

Abstract .Truck trap collections of Ceratopogonidae were made over a period of 27 months (November 1973–February 1976) at Tingalpa Creek, in southeast Queensland, Australia. Six collections were made on each of 95 days, giving 570 observations and a total of 29 378 Culicoides . Two collections were made before, one at, and three after sunset. Separate analyses were made of the catches of thirteen entities: male and female C. austropalpalis , C. brevitarsis , C. marksi , C. marmoratus and C. victoriae , female C. henryi and C. longior , and total C. bundyensis .
Catches were dominated by C. brevitarsis (35.2%) and C. marmoratus (32.3%) and, with C. victoriae , were taken on almost every collecting day over all seasons. Sex ratios (M:F) varied from 0:100 for C. longior to 130:100 for C. marksi . Collections of all entities, except female C. henryi , were greatest (50–70% of the daily catch) at sunset. In winter there was substantial activity in the hour before sunset. Time of day was the most important variable, accounting for 15–45% of the observed variation. Between-day differences were significant for all except C. austropalpalis, C. victoriae and male C. marksi . Culicoides brevitarsis, C. bundyensis and C. longior had highly significant annual cycles, C. victoriae and female C. austropalpalis had significant lunar cycles, and C. longior had a significant tidal cycle. Logarithms of catches of female C. austropalpalis, C. brevitarsis, C. henryi, C. marmoratus, and female and male C. victoriae were inversely related to linear wind speed. Log catches of female C. austropalpalis, C. brevitarsis, C. marmoratus and C. victoriae , and male C. marksi and C. victoriae were positively related to temperature (quadratic).     

Frequency of cyanogenesis in tropical rainforests of far north Queensland, Australia

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Plant cyanogenesis is the release of toxic cyanide from endogenous cyanide-containing compounds, typically cyanogenic glycosides. Despite a large body of phytochemical, taxonomic and ecological work on cyanogenic species, little is known of their frequency in natural plant communities. This study aimed to investigate the frequency of cyanogenesis in Australian tropical rainforests. Secondary aims were to quantify the cyanogenic glycoside content of tissues, to investigate intra-plant and intra-population variation in cyanogenic glycoside concentration and to appraise the potential chemotaxonomic significance of any findings in relation to the distribution of cyanogenesis in related taxa. METHODS: All species in six 200 m(2) plots at each of five sites across lowland, upland and highland tropical rainforest were screened for cyanogenesis using Feigl-Anger indicator papers. The concentrations of cyanogenic glycosides were accurately determined for all cyanogenic individuals. KEY RESULTS: Over 400 species from 87 plant families were screened. Overall, 18 species (4.5 %) were cyanogenic, accounting for 7.3 % of total stem basal area. Cyanogenesis has not previously been reported for 17 of the 18 species, 13 of which are endemic to Australia. Several species belong to plant families or orders in which cyanogenesis has been little reported, if at all (e.g. Elaeocarpaceae, Myrsinaceae, Araliaceae and Lamiaceae). A number of species contained concentrations of cyanogenic glycosides among the highest ever reported for mature leaves-up to 5.2 mg CN g(-1) d. wt, for example, in leaves of Elaeocarpus sericopetalus. There was significant variation in cyanogenic glycoside concentration within individuals; young leaves and reproductive tissues typically had higher cyanogen content. In addition, there was substantial variation in cyanogenic glycoside content within populations of single species. CONCLUSIONS: This study expands the limited knowledge of the frequency of cyanogenesis in natural plant communities, includes novel reports of cyanogenesis among a range of taxa and characterizes patterns in intra-plant and intra-population variation of cyanogensis.     

Disturbance regimes in North Queensland rainforests: A re-evaluation of their relationship to species richness and diversity

Changes in tree species richness and diversity after logging and natural disturbance on small rainforest plots in north Queensland were studied by Nicholson et al. (1988). They found logging had enhanced richness and diversity, which declined in its absence. A re-evaluation of their data, especially those on the predisturbance condition of these plots, indicates that their conclusions are untenable.     

Factors affecting Citrus tree isozyme-gene expression

Ten enzymatic systems of Citrus species and cultivars have been evaluated for identification purposes and for genetic variability studies. The following factors that could affect their expression were studied: season of sampling, location, rootstock, position of the branch, infection, and age of the tree. Differences involving the presence-absence of the Cu/Zn SOD within the same tree were found. This difference is mainly related to the position of the leaf relative to the sunlight. No change was observed at any of the ten enzymatic systems assayed regarding the location, the rootstock, the growing condition, the season, or the infection with most virus and virus-like pathogens. Viroids induced noticeable changes on 6PG and PRXa zymograms in C. medica. A new peroxidase (not present in healthy plants) was detected that could be related to appearance of symptoms. This may induce errors when trees without sanitary control are characterized by this enzymatic system. On the other hand, it provides a new possibility for studying the plant response to the presence of viroids. An effect of age, from 3 months up to 12 years, was observed on citrange Troyer and mandarin Cleopatra PRX, MDH and 6PG patterns. An important change occurs around the first year, most likely related to the end of the seedling stage. This is followed by a long transition phase, the end of which (around 9 years later) coincides with a change in the PRX pattern. These age-related changes seem to involve post-translational modifications of pre-existing isozymes.     

Development and survival of immature Culex annulirostris mosquitoes in southeast Queensland

Abstract. The rates of development and survival of the immature stages of Culex annulirostris were studied in three different breeding sites in the Brisbane area of southeast Queensland: a temporary rain-filled pool (TP), a semi-permanent pool (SPP), and an area of flooded grassland (FG) arising from the overflow of a permanent pond. Parallel observations were made on larvae and pupae either exposed to predation or in predator-free cages for 12 and 15 consecutive days respectively. Development was fastest and survival highest in the warmer TP. Average daily mortality of larvae (L) and pupae (P) was TP: L 8.3%, P 9.5%; SPP: L 25.2%, P 34.6%; FG: L 18.8%, P 35.4%. From life-tables and survivorship curves, survival from first instar to adult was TP 34.8%, SPP 2.0% and FG 4.2%. Mortality from predation was TP 43.2%, SPP 68.7% and FG 69.1 %. Predator density was TP 0.32, SPP 1.48 and FG 1.76 per 300ml sample.     

Factors influencing silhouette trap captures of the blackfly Austrosimulium bancrofti in Queensland, Australia

Three silhouette traps of novel design were used to investigate the trap finding ability of female Austrosimulium bancrofti (Taylor) (Diptera: Simuliidae) in southeast Queensland. The traps were 'upright', 'elongate' or 'square' in shape. Five highly significant factors: hour after sunrise, temperature, relative humidity, trap shape and distance between traps, were included in a model which generated fitted estimates of flies captured under defined conditions. The rate of increase and the level of maximum capture rate indicated that the elongate trap captured the highest numbers of blackflies. An interaction between hour after sunrise and temperature suggests a strong endogenous modification of trap finding activity. Numbers captured increased with increasing distance between traps and decreasing relative humidity. The importance of these results in understanding behaviour of A. bancrofti is discussed.     

Factors affecting the survival of Neisseria sicca

Cultures of Neisseria sicca incubated at 37 degrees C died rapidly (within 36 h) after growth ceased. Re-suspending cells in a brain heart infusion broth and storing at 4 degrees C greatly reduced the rate of decline in viability (decimal reduction time 6 days). An important factor in maintaining viability was apparently the presence of external energy source(s). Survival comparable to that in broth was obtained by incubation in Ringer's solution with pyruvate plus glucose (but not with pyruvate or glucose alone). Medium pH had little effect on survival in the range pH 7.0 to 8.5. Energy sources also promoted survival of cells in Ringer's solution or a buffered salts solution at 37 degrees C. Highest levels of survival (up to 30% at 24 h) were obtained with pyruvate, lactate, proline and glutamate. A number of other amino acids and the tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates, isocitrate, oxoglutarate, succinate, fumarate, malate and oxaloacetate, enhanced survival to a lesser extent.     

Factors affecting floral herbivory in a limestone grassland

The amount of herbivore damage to the petals of 41 species of herbaceous plant was surveyed from April to September in a limestone grassland in central England. Damage was recorded as the percentage of the petal area removed. Most damage was caused by invertebrates, particularly slugs. The amount of invertebrate damage differed significantly between plant species and with time of year. The mean damage across all species was only 2 %, ranging from an average of 0 % in Galium sterneri to 8 % in Primula vulgaris. In most species, less than a quarter of flowers received any damage, so those that were damaged were often severely affected. Species flowering early or late in the season received more damage, possibly because of greater slug activity. Hypotheses to explain the inter-specific variation in the amount of herbivory were examined by testing for correlations with a range of plant variables. No correlations with flower-stem length, flower-stem thickness or the longevity of flowers were apparent. The amount of petal damage correlated strongly with flower size and petal thickness. This appeared to result from the prevalence of large-flowered species early and late in the season rather than from a preference for flower size and petal thickness per se. The evolutionary significance of floral herbivory is discussed.     

Factors affecting the survival of frozen-thawed mouse spermatozoa

Mouse epididymal spermatozoa were frozen in solutions containing various compounds with different molecular weights, and the factors affecting the postthawing survival were examined. Monosaccharides (glucose, galactose) had almost no protective effect regardless of the concentration and the temperature of exposure. On the other hand, disaccharides (sucrose, trehalose) and trisaccharides (raffinose, melezitose) resulted in higher survival rates, especially at a concentration of around 0.35 mol/kg H(2)O (0.381-0.412 Osm/kg). Macromolecules, such as PVP10, Ficoll 70, bovine serum albumin, and skim milk had almost no effect, but compounds with a molecular weight of about 800, such as metrizamide and Nycodenz, had some protective effect. When a raffinose solution was supplemented with 10% metrizamide, resulting in an osmolality of approximately 0.400 Osm/kg, a high survival rate was obtained. Solutions at about 0.400 Osm/kg containing trehalose alone, trehalose + metrizamide, raffinose alone, and raffinose + metrizamide, were all effective for sperm freezing; frozen-thawed sperm could fertilize oocytes, and the resultant embryos could develop to live young after transfer. For freezing mouse spermatozoa, aqueous solutions at approximately 0.400 Osm/kg containing a disaccharide or a trisaccharide seem to be effective.     

Factors affecting the survival ofRhizoctonia bataticola in black soil

Summary Survival ofRhizoctonia bataticola was adversely affected at high soil moisturei.e. 60 and 80% MHC (moisture holding capacity); activity was good below 40% MHC. Half-life period was considerably reduced at 80% MHC. Variations in soil pH and addition of saltsviz Na₂SO₄, MgSO₄, CaCl₂ and NaCl did not affect the saprophytic activity of the fungus.     

Mark-recapture estimates of overwintering survival of the Queensland fruit fly,Dacus tryoni,in field cages

1. Four groups of 75 pairs each of marked adult Dacus tryoni that had emerged from field-collected guavas were liberated into cage-covered guava trees at the end of May, 1960 and sampled at weekly intervals to estimate the overwintering survivorship.
2. Estimates of numbers were made using three different methods as described byLeslie (1952) and one byJolly (1965). The Method A, approximate Method B andJolly models gave quite similar results although the Method A model was shown to be more sensitive to stochastic changes in the R/r ratios. The complete Method B model produced much smaller variances, due to its full utilization of the information in the data but it was very sensitive to small biases—even those caused by the restriction that recaptures must be whole numbers—and thus could not quite approach the exact expectations.
3. Although in some instances, statistical tests (Leslie , 1958) showed some significant deviations from randomness in recapture, these were not appreciable and did not affect the estimates.
4. When sufficient food was available, the flies in the field cages exhibited survival rates during the winter months of 1960 quite comparable to those of laboratory flies kept at room temperature with several exceptions: (a) there was a high mortality among the newly emerged flies during the initial week after release, (b) a high mortality during the last week of June and (c) a high mortality during the third week in July and the end of August which can be correlated with lack of rain, low humidity and warm daytime temperatures. Low temperatures apparently had little effect on survival.
5. There was no difference in the survival of males and females.
6. One replicate cage, whose flies had been anesthetized with carbon dioxide prior to release, exhibited significantly higher mortality rates than the other replicates.
7. Data from a fifth cage indicated that females were not inseminated during the winter months and did not produce mature eggs until the beginning of September.

     

Factors affecting the survival of bisected sheep embryos in vivo

Two experiments were carried out to examine the effects of different factors on the survival of split sheep embryos. In Experiment 1, embryos collected on Day-6, Day-7 or Day-8 were bisected and transferred into recipient ewes in pairs. The proportions of Day-6, Day-7 and Day-8 demi-embryos developing to lambs were 26% (14 54 ), 30% (31 102 ) and 32% (24 74 ), respectively. Replacement of bisected late morula to expanded late blastocyst stage embryos into zonae did not affect their survival rate (P>0.5). The proportion of demi-embryos developing to lambs in recipients with two or more ovulations was higher (35%, 53 152 ) than in recipients with a single ovulation (21%, 16 78 ; P<0.05). In Experiment 2, Day-6 embryos were split with or without exposure to 0.25 M of sucrose and were transferred into recipients in pairs or singly. Exposure to 0.25 M of sucrose decreased the proportion of split embryos developing to lambs compared with that of the controls (31%, 22 70 vs 49%, 34 70 ; P<0.05). The effects of the number of demi-embryos transferred or the stage of development on the survival rate were not significant (P>0.05). The number of lambs born per original embryo was the highest when the embryos were split without exposure to sucrose and transferred into recipients singly (106%, 17 16 ).     

Acari and Collembola in the litter and soil of three north Queensland rainforests

The population changes, distribution and composition of litter and soil Acari and Collembola from three north Queensland rainforests are described based on samples collected on six occasions at approximately 3-monthly intervals. Numbers of Acari and Collembola collected from litter were lower in the north Queensland rainforests than those reported from rainforests outside Australia: however, numbers of Acari and Collembola in the soil were similar to numbers in rainforest soils elsewhere. Cryptostigmata were the most abundant group of Acari in the litter and 0–4 cm soil layer, comprising 41–55% and 42–55% of the total Acari in the litter and 0–4 cm soil layers respectively. Most of the Acari and Collembola are located in the 0–4 cm soil layer at each site (53–75%), with the litter layer containing the smallest proportion (3–20%). Most of the groups of Acari and Collembola examined show little evidence of seasonal vertical migration between the litter and soil to 8 cm. Minimum numbers of Acari and Collembola in the litter occurred in the dry season and maximum numbers occurred in the wet season. Seasonal fluctuations in numbers of Cryptostigmata appear to be influenced by the periodic saturation of the soil during the wet season.     

Factors affecting nest predation on forest songbirds in North America

Nest predation is an important factor in the ecology of passerines and can be a large source of mortality for birds. I provide an overview of factors affecting nest predation of passerines in North America with the goal that it may provide some insight into the ecology and management of woodland birds in the United Kingdom. Although several factors influence productivity, nest success is perhaps the most widely measured demographic characteristic of open-cup-nesting birds, and nest predation is usually the largest cause of nest failure. The identity of predator species, and how their importance varies with habitat and landscape factors, must be known for managers and scientists to design effective conservation plans and place research on nest predation in the appropriate context. Recent studies using video surveillance have made significant contributions to our understanding of the relative importance of different predator taxa in North America. Spatial and temporal variation in nest predation can be better understood when landscapes are placed in a biogeographical context and local habitat and nest-site effects are placed in a landscape context. Low productivity resulting from high nest predation is one of several potential causes of bird population declines in North America and the UK. Although the 'forest fragmentation paradigm' from the eastern US may not apply directly to the UK, thinking about avian demographics from a multiscale perspective, and consideration of factors affecting nest predation with knowledge of the dominant predator species, may provide insight into population declines.