The influence of temperature on the life table of Hyperaspis notata

The coccinellid Hyperaspis notata Mulsant was introduced into Africa for the biological control of the cassava mealybug, Phenacoccus manihoti Matile-Ferrero. Two cohorts of strains, one originating from Southern Brazil and Paraguay feeding on P. manihoti, and one from Colombia feeding on Phenacoccus herreni Cox & Williams were studied at different temperatures between 15 and 34 °C and age-specific life tables were constructed. Although in the areas of origin the climatical conditions and the food sources are different, the survivorship and developmental times at the same temperature differed little among the two strains, the Colombian strain being slightly more tolerant to high temperatures. Jacknife estimates of the intrinsic rates of increase (rm) peaked very close to 30 °C for the two strains.     

A general theory of life table construction and a precise abridged life table method

"In this paper we lay the foundation of life table construction by unifying the existing life table methods. We also present a new method of constructing current (period) abridged life tables.... The development includes (1) a careful formulation and computation of age-specific death rates, (2) derivation of a new set of formulas for computing the survivorship function from the observed age-specific death rates and populations, (3) estimation of the main life table functions by spline interpolation, integration and differentiation, and (4) use of a quadratic and a Gompertz function to close the life table.... The method is illustrated with construction of abridged life tables using Canadian data."     

The determination of key factors from life table data

Summary A new method is proposed for detecting key factors from life tables for animals whose life-cycle is divided into several stages. This method is based upon an equation that partitions the variance of the number alive at the end of the life-cycle into components associated with variation in the number entering the first stage of the cycle, variation in survival rates, and also density-dependent aspects of survival. It is illustrated by analysing Blank and Ash's (1962) census data for a population of partridges. The conclusions reached are somewhat different from those reached by Blank et al. (1967) when they applied Varley and Gradwell's (1960) type of key factor analysis to the same set of data.     

The effects of Nosema algerae on the horizontal life table attributes of Anopheles stephensi under laboratory conditions

Under controlled insectary conditions, infection with Nosema algerae (Cnidospora: Microsporidia) was found to significantly alter the life table characteristics of Anopheles stephensi (Diptera: Culicidae) as follows: immature to adult survivorship decreased and developmental time was slightly delayed, female and male life expectancy at emergence decreased, fecundity, and thus the net reproductive rate, decreased, and the instantaneous rate of increase and the instantaneous birth and death rates decreased. The time in life of female reproduction and generation time were not significantly altered. Results are discussed in the context of vectorial capacity for malaria.     

荔枝蝽的实验种群生命表

通过田间笼罩试验 ,排除天敌等生物因子的作用 ,建立了荔枝蝽实验种群生命表 ,分析结果表明 ,荔枝蝽产卵期可持续 1 8周 ,产卵概率呈明显的偏态分布 ,且出现 2个产卵高峰 ;各虫态自然存活率很高 ,均在 95 %以上 ,其实验种群趋势的指数约为 84 0。     

转基因棉对土耳其斯坦叶螨生命参数的影响

为了研究转基因棉花对北疆叶螨优势种土耳其斯坦叶螨Tetranychus turkestani(Ugarov et Nikolskii)种群生命参数的影响,本实验以常规棉中棉49作为对照,构建了叶螨在单价转基因棉新棉33B(Bt)、双价转基因棉中棉41(Bt+CpTI)上的室内种群生命表。结果表明,单双价转基因棉对叶螨的生长发育历期及生殖参数并没有明显影响;且取食常规棉的叶螨种群参数净生殖率、内禀增长率、平均世代周期、种群加倍时间、周限增长率、存活曲线也与单双价棉无显著差异,这说明转基因棉对棉叶螨的生长发育、繁殖及种群增长并无显著影响。     

In situ life table of a subtropical copepod

• 1 A life table of a subtropical population of Mesocyclops edax(Copepoda: Cyclopoida) was constructed from a cohort of individuals reared in enclosures in a small, eutrophic lake.
• 2 The lake population was sampled concurrently to determine age structure, per capita birth, death and growth rates, body size and clutch size.
• 3 Maturation times of enclosed males and females were 9.3 and 11.4 days, respectively. The population growth rate. r. was estimated to be 0.18 females day^-1 for the enclosed population, but approximated zero on most dates in the lake population. Mortality was low in the enclosures which excluded predators and high in the field population exposed to planktivorous fish and Chaoborus.
• 4 The means and variances of several fitness traits are related to the specific environment. The enclosure approach promises to be a useful tool in the study of zooplankton life history variation.

     

Sublethal effects of fenazaquin on life table parameters of the predatory mite Amblyseius swirskii (Acari: Phytoseiidae)

Knowledge of the impact of acaricides on predatory mites is crucial for integrated pest management programs. The present study evaluated the sublethal effect of fenazaquin (Pride^® 20 % SC, Behavar, Iran) on life table parameters of the subsequent generation of the predatory mite, Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae), fed on Tetranychus urticae Koch under laboratory conditions [26 ± 1 °C, 70 ± 3 % RH and 16:8 (L:D) h]. The sublethal concentrations including LC₁₀, LC₂₀ and LC₃₀ were determined using a dose–effect assay. The total development time of both sexes enhanced with an increase in concentration. The oviposition period and total fecundity decreased in dose-dependent manner. The intrinsic rate of increase (r) and finite rate of increase (λ) significantly descended with concentration enhancing from LC₁₀ to LC₃₀, compared with the control. The net reproductive rate (R ₀) ranged between 2.76 and 7.37 offspring. Overall, the results indicated that fenazaquin had negative effects on development and life table parameters of the subsequent generation of A. swirskii. In conclusion, fenazaquin is not a compatible acaricide with A. swirskii and should not be used with this predatory mite in integrated management of T. urticae.     

应用Jackknife技术统计昆虫生命表参数变异的VFP实现

研究昆虫种群的动态,掌握种群增长的潜力是非常重要的。应用生殖力生命表可进行种群增长动态的估计,常用5个主要参数来描述净增殖率、内禀增长率、世代平均周期、种群倍增时间和周限增长率,Jackknife技术可以用来估计内禀增长率等参数的变异程度,利用VFP编程实现了生命表参数变异程度的计算。     

A systematic review to calculate background miscarriage rates using life table analysis

The objectives of the current study were to calculate: (1) the expected rates of miscarriage by gestational week; (2) the cumulative risk of miscarriage; and (3) the remaining risk of miscarriage for gestational weeks five through 20, through a systematic review of the literature. We searched MEDLINE for articles published in English through the end of 2009. References of articles were also searched. Four studies were identified to have the three necessary pieces of information for the proposed calculations: (1) gestational age at study entry, (2) pregnancy outcome; and (3) the gestational age at which the pregnancy outcome occurred. Data were extracted from each study and Life Table Analysis Methods were conducted. Weekly miscarriage rates varied in the early gestational weeks with the highest rate documented at >20 miscarriages per 1000 women-weeks at each week of gestation prior to week 13. By week 14, the rate for all studies became relatively comparable and fell below 10 miscarriages per 1000 woman-weeks at risk and fell even lower through week 20. The cumulative risk of miscarriage for weeks 5 through 20 of gestation ranged from 11 miscarriages per 100 women to 22 miscarriages per 100 women (11-22%). Based on data from comparable study populations, a range of background miscarriage rates by week of gestation for weeks 5 through 20, the cumulative risk of miscarriage, and the remaining risk of miscarriage are presented. Wider variation of miscarriage rates and risks occurred early in gestation (<14 weeks).     

Selection and temperature effects on extra dorsocentral bristles inDrosophila melanogaster

Starting from base populations which showed a tendency to form supernumerary dorsocentral bristles, selection for high numbers of dorsocentrals was carried out. In all, 9 lines were selected 6 to 14 generations. Selection proved to be effective in all but two lines. Selection for reduced numbers in one of the lines also proved effective.Mean values of over 10 were reached in the females of certain high lines. Average counts in males were always lower than those of females. This sex difference is not a consequence of the difference in size between the sexes.The base populations were of mutant stock origin, and some of them segregated for mutant genes which proved to be correlated with extrabristle phenotype. Supernumerary bristles were not distributed in the same manner in all of the selection lines, nor was the reaction of phenotypic expression to temperature the same in various lines.     

The secret life of kinases: functions beyond catalysis

Protein phosphorylation participates in the regulation of all fundamental biological processes, and protein kinases have been intensively studied. However, while the focus was on catalytic activities, accumulating evidence suggests that non-catalytic properties of protein kinases are essential, and in some cases even sufficient for their functions. These non-catalytic functions include the scaffolding of protein complexes, the competition for protein interactions, allosteric effects on other enzymes, subcellular targeting, and DNA binding. This rich repertoire often is used to coordinate phosphorylation events and enhance the specificity of substrate phosphorylation, but also can adopt functions that do not rely on kinase activity. Here, we discuss such kinase independent functions of protein and lipid kinases focussing on kinases that play a role in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and motility.     

Sublethal effects of imidacloprid and pymetrozine on the life table parameters of Aphis gossypii Glover (Homoptera: Aphididae)

In this study we report the sublethal effects of recommended concentrations of imidacloprid and pymetrozine on cotton aphid's reproduction. Fecundity life table parameters for AG were studied on cucumber under conditions of 25+/-1 degrees C, 70+/-5% RH and photoperiod of 16:8 (L:D). Leaf discs of cucumber immersed in the recommended concentrations of the above mentioned insecticides and controls and the new born female was released on the lower surface of leaf discs. Values of parameters such as adult longevity and daily fecundity rate were recorded. Standard error of population growth parameter was calculated using the Jacknife method. The results show that these two insecticides significantly reduce life table parameters compared with control.     

Village composition implied by a paleodemographic life table: The Libben Site

Lovejoy and colleagues excavated some 1327 skeletons deposited around 800 to 1100 A.D. at a site near Lake Erie in Ohio, called Libben. Examination of the implications of the life table presented for the living group which produced the cemetery shows that it would have had to be an extremely young population, in which many of the children would be orphans, in which the adults would have had to work hard and effectively to support the group, and almost none of whom would have lived long enough to become grandparents. The unusual and implausible features of the population structure can be interpreted as direct evidence on prehistoric living conditions, or alternatively, as a caution that the life table may include sources of error or bias.     

Chemical interference by Daphnia on Keratella: a life table experiment

Daphnia can suppress rotifers through mechanical interference(interference competition) and exploitative competition. Totest chemical interference (interference competition) by Daphniaon the rotifer Keratella, life history characteristics wereanalysed for Keratella cochlearis in the presence and absenceof Daphnia-mediated chemicals. The presence of Daphnia-mediatedchemicals induced a lower fecundity and a decrease in the intrinsicrate of population growth. This type of interference competitionshould affect the composition of natural rotifer communitiesregardless of mechanical interference and exploitative competitiondue to Daphnia.