烟蓟马成虫对不同植物挥发物的行为选择

【目的】评价不同植物挥发物对烟蓟马Thrips tabaci雌性成虫的行为调控作用,解析烟蓟马成虫嗅觉识别行为,为研发成虫引诱剂或驱避剂提供科学依据。【方法】利用嗅觉行为测定装置测试烟蓟马雌性成虫对不同种类、不同浓度植物挥发物的室内选择行为,筛选出具有高引诱或驱避活性的挥发物。【结果】与溶剂正己烷相比,烟蓟马雌性成虫对浓度为1μg/μL的γ-癸酸内酯、(+)α-蒎烯、芳樟醇、2-乙酸苯乙酯、(-)α-蒎烯没有显著的行为选择（P>0.05）,而壬醛、马鞭草烯酮、香茅醛、橙花醇和桉树脑对烟蓟马表现出显著的吸引作用（P<0.05）,4-乙酰吡啶、邻茴香醛、δ-癸酸内酯、顺-3-己烯醇、香叶醇和1-辛烯-3-醇的吸引作用极显著（P<0.001）;但水杨醛、香芹酚、顺茉莉醛、丁香酚和对烯丙基苯甲醚对烟蓟马表现出显著的驱避作用（P<0.05）,水杨酸甲酯、茉莉酸甲酯、百里酚和异戊醛4种挥发物具有极显著的驱避作用（P<0.001）。同时,随着测试浓度的增加,大部分挥发物对烟蓟马雌性成虫的吸引或驱避作用明显增强。【结论】δ-癸酸内酯、香叶醇、1-辛烯-3-醇、邻茴香醛和4-乙酰吡啶对烟蓟马雌性成虫具有强烈吸引作用,水杨酸甲酯、茉莉酸甲酯和百里酚则具有明显驱避效应,为开发烟蓟马行为调控剂奠定了重要基础。     

Behavioral responses of unrelated adult male rhesus monkeys familiarized and paired for the purpose of environmental enrichment

An attempt was made to pair ten unrelated, adult male rhesus monkeys that had been kept in single cages for several years. Potential companions were first given the opportunity to establish clear-cut rank relationships (unidirectional fear-grinning and/or withdrawing) during a 5-day period of noncontact familiarization. Only then were they paired in a different double cage. Rank relationships were confirmed within the first 6 minutes after pairing without the occurrence of any biting and fighting. A total of four physical aggressions (slapping) were observed in all five dyads during 5 hours of observations on the first 5 days after pairing. It was concluded that the establishment of clear-cut rank relationships prior to pairing was instrumental in this extremely low incidence of aggression.     

Behavioral responses of female adult Trichoplusia ni to volatiles from soybeans versus a preferred host, lima bean

Volatiles from different plants may have quite distinct effects on insect behaviors, i.e., attraction, repulsion or neutrality. Our study used Tenax^® to trap volatiles from plants at room temperature, and assayed female adult Trichoplusia ni's (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) responses to such volatiles. The results showed that volatiles from PI 227687 soybean leaves were repellent to T. ni, while those from Davis soybean were attractive to the moth, and those from an unnumbered PI soybean had no significant behavioral effect. Odors from Henderson lima bean, one of the more preferred hosts of T. ni, also did not influence the insect's behavior. The HPLC, GLC and GLC-MS analyses indicated that qualitative and quantitative differences among volatiles from plant species, varieties or plant introductions account for these effects. The attractive volatiles from Davis soybean contain much more 4-hexen-1-ol acetate, 2,2-dimethyl hexanal and 2-hexenal than those of PI 227678, but do not have the repellent tetradecene and dodecene which are major components in PI 227687 soybean odors. The composition of the neutral volatiles from Henderson lima bean is more complex than that of the volatiles from soybeans.     

Plasma cortisol responses to stress in lactating and nonlactating female rhesus macaques

Lactating female rats without their pups exhibit lower HPA responsiveness to stress than nonlactating females. However, responsiveness to stress is similar when lactating females are tested with their pups and the stressor involves a potential threat to the offspring. This study constitutes the first comparison of stress responsiveness in lactating and nonlactating female nonhuman primates. Subjects were 53 multiparous female free-ranging rhesus macaques. Approximately half of the females were lactating and half were nonpregnant/nonlactating. Blood samples were obtained after capture and after overnight housing in an individual cage. Lactating females were tested with their infants. Lactating females had significantly higher plasma cortisol levels than nonlactating females on both days. Having or not having an infant was also a better predictor of plasma cortisol levels among all females than their age, dominance rank, group of origin, time of day at which the sample was obtained, and time elapsed since beginning of the sampling procedure or since anesthesia. Plasma cortisol levels of lactating females were not significantly correlated with post-partum stage or with the cortisol levels of their infants. Capture, handling, and individual housing in a cage are powerful psychological stressors for free-ranging primates. We suggest that the higher plasma cortisol levels exhibited by lactating females reflect greater responsiveness to stress associated with perception of risks to infants. Hyporesponsiveness to stress may not be a general characteristic of lactation in all mammalian species, but a short-term effect of infant suckling that is most apparent with stressors unrelated to the offspring.     

Behavioral and adrenocortical responses of rhesus macaque mothers to infant separation in an unfamiliar environment

The behavioral and adrenocortical responses of rhesus macaque mothers to a series of four consecutive 4-day separations from their 5-month old infants in an unfamiliar environment were examined. A biphasic behavioral response to separation was observed, with passive behavior, locomotion, and vocalization highest on Day 1 of separation, and self-directed behaviors and environmental exploration peaking during Days 2–4. Stereotyped locomotion increased, and passive behavior decreased, across successive weeks of separation. The rhesus mothers exhibited substantial cortisol elevations one and two hours postseparation, with cortisol decreasing on the fourth day of separation. The cortisol response was strongest during the first week of separation, but robust elevations occurred in response to repeated separations. No signs of behavioral depression were observed. The results indicate that infant separation combined with removal to a novel environment can be a potent stressor for rhesus macaque mothers.     

Expression of adult female patterns of sexual behavior by male, female, and pseudohermaphroditic female rhesus monkeys

Gonadally intact pseudohermaphroditic female and normal female and neonatally castrated male rhesus monkeys were given estrogen treatment as adults and evaluated for attractivity, proceptivity, and receptivity during tests with a tethered stud male. Pseudohermaphrodites were produced by injecting their mothers during pregnancy with either testosterone propionate (TP) or dihydrotestosterone propionate (DHTP). Castrated males had reliably lower attractivity than normal females on all indicator responses shown by the tethered males. Additionally, castrated males showed reliably fewer proceptive responses on 4 of 5 measures than normal females. Receptivity could not be assessed in this situation for castrated males, because tethered males never contacted them unless the castrated males were displaying presentation. No reliable differences were observed between pseudohermaphrodites produced by prenatal treatments with TP or DHTP. Pseudohermaphrodites generally showed reliably less attractivity and proceptivity than normal females and reliably more of these traits than castrated males. Attractivity scores for pseudohermaphrodites were not different from those for normal females until proximity to the tethered male was established. Receptivity was not different in pseudohermaphrodites compared with normal females. Results indicate prenatal androgenization and its developmental sequelae lead to a defeminization in adulthood which, in this testing situation, was principally manifested by a deficiency in the performance of proceptive behaviors. Additionally, defeminization in rhesus monkeys, unlike that demonstrated in rodents, does not depend upon actions of an aromatizable androgen.     

Behavioral responses to physical vs. social novelty in male and female laboratory rats

Most behavioral tests used with laboratory rodents involve measuring behavioral responses to physical novelty. However, laboratory rodents are often derived from highly social species for which novel social stimuli may induce different levels of fear or curiosity compared to novel physical objects. We hypothesized that behavioral responses will differ in response to novel physical vs. social cues, and that females may show more exploration of social novelty, based on prior studies indicating that females more actively seek social support during duress compared to males. We compared young (55-day-old) Sprague-Dawley rats’ responses to an arena filled with novel objects (“physical”) or a novel same-sex caged conspecific (“social”). Rats were more active and spent twice as much time in contact with the novel social stimulus compared to novel physical stimuli. Although females were more active than males, females were not particularly more exploratory in the social arena compared to males. The results indicate that a novel social partner (even a caged one with limited ability to interact) elicits more exploration than novel objects for both male and female rats.     

Behavioral and physiological female responses to male sex ratio bias in a pond-breeding amphibian

Introduction

The phenomenon of sexual conflict has been well documented, and in populations with biased operational sex ratios the consequences for the rarer sex can be severe. Females are typically a limited resource and males often evolve aggressive mating behaviors, which can improve individual fitness for the male while negatively impacting female condition and fitness. In response, females can adjust their behavior to minimize exposure to aggressive mating tactics or minimize the costs of mating harassment. While male-male competition is common in amphibian mating systems, little is known about the consequences or responses of females. The red-spotted newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) is a common pond-breeding amphibian with a complex, well-studied mating system where males aggressively court females. Breeding populations across much of its range have male-biased sex ratios and we predicted that female newts would have behavioral mechanisms to mitigate mating pressure from males. We conducted four experiments examining the costs and behavioral responses of female N. viridescens exposed to a male-biased environment.

Results

In field enclosures, we found that female newts exposed to a male-biased environment during the five-month breeding season ended with lower body condition compared to those in a female-biased environment. Shorter-term exposure to a male-biased environment for five weeks caused a decrease in circulating total leukocyte and lymphocyte abundance in blood, which suggests females experienced physiological stress. In behavioral experiments, we found that females were more agitated in the presence of male chemical cues and females in a male-biased environment spent more time in refuge than those in a female-biased environment.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that male-biased conditions can incur costs to females of decreased condition and potentially increased risk of infection. However, we found that females can also alter their behavior and microhabitat use under a male-biased sex ratio. Consistent with surveys showing reduced detection probabilities for females, our research suggests that females avoid male encounters using edge and substrate habitat. Our work illustrates the integrated suite of impacts that sexual conflict can have on the structure and ecology of a population.     

Effects of parity and age on female attraction to faces of infants and neonates in rhesus macaques

This study investigated the effects of parity and age on female rhesus macaque attention toward infants, and assessed whether the faces of neonates are more attractive than those of older infants. Six nulliparous and six multiparous females were shown digitized images of neonates’ and 5- to 6-month-old infants’ faces. Attention and preferences for images were measured by gaze duration and other picture-directed behaviors, including lip smacking, approaches, and presentations. As predicted, nulliparous females displayed significantly longer gaze durations for images than did multiparous females. There were no significant differences in gaze duration for faces of neonates and those of infants, but images of infants were approached more frequently than images of neonates. This difference is tentatively explained on the basis of differences in female familiarity with neonates’ and infants’ faces and differences in opportunities for allomothering with neonates and infants.     

Behavioral masculinization is independent of genital masculinization in prenatally androgenized female rhesus macaques

Genetic female fetuses were exposed transplacentally to testosterone propionate injected into their mothers either early (Days 40 through 64) or late (Days 115 through 139) in gestation. Early and late androgenized females (EAFs and LAFs, respectively) were raised with normal males and females that served as criteria for evaluating degree of behavioral masculinization induced by the prenatal androgen. EAFs were genitally virilized and LAFs were not. Males and untreated females differed reliably on five behavioral measures: males showed more mother-mounting, more peer-mounting, more rough play with peers, a preference for initiating play with male partners, and less grooming of mothers. Neither type of prenatally androgenized female showed masculinization of all five types of behavior. Compared with females, EAFs showed more mother-mounting, more peer-mounting, less mother-grooming, did not differ from females in rough play, and did not manifest a preference for male partners. LAFs, like females, groomed but did not mount their mothers, and did not show a preference for male partners; but unlike females they showed elevated rough play and mounting with peers. EAFs showed a statistically significant delay in puberty onset (menarche), but LAFs did not. Mothers inspected genitalia of their offspring more often if they were males than if they were females. Mothers of EAFs inspected their offspring's genitalia as often as mothers of males, but mothers of LAFs did not. No aspect of maternal behavior was associated with either the amount or kind of masculine behavior shown toward peers. We interpret the results to mean that genital virilization is independent of, and largely irrelevant to, the expression of those behavioral traits that characterize the juvenile male social role. Moreover, the individual behavior traits that are components of the juvenile male role are independently regulated by the organizing actions of androgen and have separable critical periods. Of the two major traits, mounting peers and rough play with peers, the latter has a greater requirement for androgenic stimulation late in prenatal life.     

Behavioral responses of peripubertal female mice towards puberty-accelerating and puberty-delaying chemical signals

We examined the behavioral responses of peripubertal femalemice to puberty-accelerating urine from male mice and to puberty-delayingurine from females living in groups. Marked attraction was showntowards both chemical signals when they were tested individually.These attraction levels were of comparable size for both urinesources and were little influenced by the age of the subjectsand their hormonal or nutritional status. When both chemicalsignals were presented, grouped-female urine was preferred tomale urine by prepubertal, food-deprived postpubertal and ovanectorruzedfemales. Free-feeding, postpubertal and ovariectomizcd femalesreceiving estrogen replacement failed to show significant preferencesbut did spend more time investigating male chemical signalson average. The effect of prior housing condition (with motherand littermates or isolated) on the subjects' attraction toand preference for these accelerating and delaying chemicalsignals was not pronounced. The magnitude of attraction to maleurine was significantly larger in isolated females comparedto females remaining with their litters. However, the attractionto groupedfemale urine and the preference for it over male urinewere not significantly influenced by housing condition. Whendirect contact with male and grouped-female chemical signalswas prevented, significant attraction and preference were nolonger evident, suggesting that urinary components with lowvolatility may mediate ‘attraction’. These resultsare discussed in terms of the ecology and physiology of thepheromone cueing system of the mouse.     

Sociability and responses to video playbacks in adult male rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

Studies of several primate species have suggested the existence of a personality dimension typically labeled ‘Sociability,’ which reflects an animal’s tendency to interact with others. The hypothesis that Sociability is related to social skill was tested in the present study by exposing six high- and six low-Sociable adult male rhesus macaques to videotaped presentations of unfamiliar males displaying aggressive or affiliative behaviors. Low-Sociable animals displayed higher frequencies of yawn, lower activity and tended to have higher durations of watching during the presentations that displayed social signals, and significantly fewer lipsmacks to presentations that depicted no social behavior. In response to viewing threats, tooth-grinds, yawns, and lipsmacks, both low- and high-Sociable animals’ most frequent response was to gaze avert; low-Sociable animals, however, had nearly twice the latency to gaze avert than did high-Sociable animals. The low-Sociable animals’ greater tendency to ‘sit and stare’ during the videotaped playbacks suggests that low-Sociable animals have poorer social skills. The possible developmental origins of variation in Sociability, and the functional consequences of such variation for survival and reproduction are discussed.     

Psychological well-being in paired adult female rhesus (Macaca mulatta)

We assessed the effects of social living (pairing) on improving the psychological well-being of adult female rhesus macaques (Mucuca mulutta) housed under laboratory conditions. We measured well-being in 12 pairs and 12 singly housed females through multiple indices of health (hematology, clinical morbidity, and body weight), stress (immune responses), behavior (preferences for social proximity, exhibition of species typical affliative behavior, and rates of abnormal behavior), and reproduction (frequency of ovulation, rates of conception, and infant survival). We selected adult females that had been living in single-unit cages and paired them in larger cages. Care was taken to allow females to become familiar with one another before pairing took place, and pairs that fought were separated before serious injuries occurred. Singly-housed control females were also paired for 1 week and then separated to balance the stressful effects expected to occur during the initial pairing and to assure that they were equivalent to the experimental animals in their ability to live socially. We concluded that pairing adult female rhesus monkeys was a positive experience for both the dominant and subordinate members of the pairs. They chose to spend the majority of their time involved in amicable social interactions, were more active, and they indulged in less nail biting than singly-housed controls. There were no differences in reproduction, rates of clinical morbidity, or immune stress responses among the groups. However, pairing alone may not be sufficient to assure the well-being of laboratory-housed rhesus macaques, because rates of abnormal behaviors such as stereotyped movements remained high. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Behavioral and reproductive responses of female opossums to volatile and nonvolatile components of male suprasternal gland secretion

Female gray short-tailed opossums (Monodelphis domestica) lack an estrous cycle and are induced into estrus by exposure to a pheromone in male scent marks. Behavioral and physiological responses of females to the volatile and nonvolatile components of scent marks were examined in two experiments. Young females (n = 9) were tested prior to and during their first estrus for behavioral responses to scent marks, collected on a 7-ml glass vial rubbed over the suprasternal gland of a mature male. The response to volatile components of the scent mark, recorded when marked and unmarked vials were covered with a perforated shield, was compared to the response to these vials when unshielded. Estrous females nuzzled the shields over marked vials (55.8 ± 8.5 nuzzles/10 min) more than the shielded clean vial (10.9 ± 2.4) (P < 0.05); a similar response was observed in anestrous females. Nuzzling of unshielded, scent-marked vials was higher (P < 0.05) during anestrus than in the same females when in estrus. The role of nonvolatile pheromones in reproductive activation was tested in adult females (n = 11) exposed for up to 14 days to a shielded, marked vial or to an unshielded, marked vial in a crossover design. All females exposed to unshielded vials expressed estrus, and 10 copulated. Only 2 females expressed estrus (significantly fewer, P < 0.05), when exposed to shielded marked vials, and neither copulated. These results demonstrate that females detect and respond behaviorally to both volatile and nonvolatile components of male suprasternal gland secretion, but the estrus-inducing pheromone in these secretions is nonvolatile.     

Behavioral and reproductive responses of female opossums to volatile and nonvolatile components of male suprasternal gland secretion

Female gray short-tailed opossums (Monodelphis domestica) lack an estrous cycle and are induced into estrus by exposure to a pheromone in male scent marks. Behavioral and physiological responses of females to the volatile and nonvolatile components of scent marks were examined in two experiments. Young females (n = 9) were tested prior to and during their first estrus for behavioral responses to scent marks, collected on a 7-ml glass vial rubbed over the suprasternal gland of a mature male. The response to volatile components of the scent mark, recorded when marked and unmarked vials were covered with a perforated shield, was compared to the response to these vials when unshielded. Estrous females nuzzled the shields over marked vials (55.8 ± 8.5 nuzzles/10 min) more than the shielded clean vial (10.9 ± 2.4) (P < 0.05); a similar response was observed in anestrous females. Nuzzling of unshielded, scent-marked vials was higher (P < 0.05) during anestrus than in the same females when in estrus. The role of nonvolatile pheromones in reproductive activation was tested in adult females (n = 11) exposed for up to 14 days to a shielded, marked vial or to an unshielded, marked vial in a crossover design. All females exposed to unshielded vials expressed estrus, and 10 copulated. Only 2 females expressed estrus (significantly fewer, P < 0.05), when exposed to shielded marked vials, and neither copulated. These results demonstrate that females detect and respond behaviorally to both volatile and nonvolatile components of male suprasternal gland secretion, but the estrus-inducing pheromone in these secretions is nonvolatile.     

Behavioral responses of unrelated rhesus monkey females paired for the purpose of environmental enrichment

An attempt was made to socialize unrelated and unfamiliar adult rhesus monkey females that had lived in single cages for more than one year. Partners first were given the opportunity for noncontact familiarization in partitioned double cages. They were then transferred into an ordinary double cage. Clear-cut rank relationships were evident within the first 90 minutes of pair formation in 94% (17/18) of dyads tested. Only 28% (5/18) of pairs resorted to fighting (in no case with infliction of serious injury), while 50% (9/18) engaged in social grooming or hugging during this initial phase of pair formation. Eighty-three percent (15/18) of pairs were compatible, with none of the partners showing signs of depression and none inflicting serious injury on the other. Seventeen percent (3/18) of pairs were incompatible (two cases of depression, one serious tail injury) and were separated. It was concluded that the barren environment of singly caged rhesus monkey females can be enriched with little risk by carefully making them compatible companions.     

Behaviour of one-year-old rhesus monkeys in a strange situation

When one-year old rhesus monkeys and their mothers were removed from the colony to a strange situation, infants' activity was initially low compared with behaviour six days later. Although absolute values did not differ between males and females, correlations did. That is, three days after return to the colony, correlations with baseline colony behaviour were significantly positive for females, while males had one significantly negative correlation. On the other hand, males had more significant correlations than females when behaviour in the strange situation was correlated with colony scores. Of the six individuals that had adverse early experience, five showed extreme behaviour. The exception was CT, son of a female with a very low ‘excitable’ score. In fact for all males, mothers' colony scores were significantly correlated with sons' behaviour in the strange situation.     

Reproductive endocrine effects of intranasal administration of norethisterone to adult female rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

Intranasal administration of norethisterone at a daily dose of 9 micrograms between Days 5 and 14 of the menstrual cycles blocked ovulation in 10 out of 17 adult female monkeys. Serum concentrations of hormones indicated that ovulation was blocked due to a suppression of the mid-cycle, oestradiol-induced LH surge. Ovarian follicular activity in the treated menstrual cycles was not affected by norethisterone but there was a marked delay in the onset of the mid-cycle oestradiol surge in most of the treated animals. The duration of the menstrual cycle length after the oestradiol peak was significantly reduced in all the treated monkeys, indicative of a shortened luteal phase.     

Bioassay approaches to observing behavioural responses of adult female Cydia molesta to host plant odour

Abstract:  Three different olfactometers were evaluated in order to develop a bioassay procedure testing for the olfactory responses of Cydia molesta . Females were tested individually using a linear and a Y-tube olfactometer, and in groups using a dual-choice arena. Room temperature, relative humidity, light intensity, airflow, age of the moths and odour source were kept constant during experiments. The odour source tested was a green shoot of peach excised 10 min before experiments started. Cydia molesta females showed a significant response to this plant odour in all olfactometers. A number of qualitative aspects were found to be in favour of the dual choice arena as a tool for screening potentially attractive odour sources. It allowed for a differentiation of the response of mated and virgin females. Experimental conditions allowed the circadian rhythm of insects to be mimicked. Manipulation of individuals is reduced and flight is not precluded.