Oviposition response of scarabaeids: does ‘mother knows best’ about rainfall variability and soil moisture?

Abstract.  The effect of soil moisture on ovipositional preference is studied for four melolonthine scarabaeids, Holotrichia reynaudi , Holotrichia serrata and Dermolepida albohirtum , which are endemic to the semiarid tropics of India ( Holotrichia spp.) and Australia, and Heteronyx piceus , which is endemic to the temperate and subtropical regions of Australia. As predicted by the preference-performance hypothesis, the three tropically adapted species show little or no ovipositional preference for soil moistures between permanent wilting point (−1500 kPa) and field capacity (−10 kPa) under either choice or no-choice conditions in their endemic soils, whereas H.   piceus shows a clear preference to oviposit in drier soils (−1500 to −200 kPa). The ovipositional soil-moisture preferences of D.   albohirtum and H.   serrata are much narrower in geographically adjacent non-endemic soils (between −1500 to −200 kPa) than in their endemic soils. An analysis of daily rainfall determined the rainfall variability within the endemic areas of each species. The semiarid tropics are highly variable, with rainfall at the time of oviposition being a poor predictor of the future rain required for successful larval development, whereas the rainfall in the subtropics is much more reliable. The absence of a clearly preferred soil moisture for oviposition in the tropically adapted species appears to be a life-history strategy that allows these species to live in environments where rainfall is highly variable, and soil moisture at time of oviposition is a poor predictor of future environmental suitability for plant growth, and thus larval survival.     

基于线粒体COⅠ基因的9个青鱼群体遗传变异分析

为掌握中国青鱼(Mylopharyngodon piceus)种质资源分布特征, 揭示青鱼种质资源的遗传变异情况, 研究通过对9个青鱼群体271个样本线粒体COⅠ区设计引物并进行PCR扩增, 运用软件分析了群体内部遗传多样性和各群体之间的进化关系。分析结果表明: 长度为1003 bp的9个群体COⅠ基因区域序列GC含量低于AT含量, 共检测到6个突变位点, 7种单倍型, 其中Hap4单倍型在9个群体中都有分布。AMOVA分子方差分析显示271个青鱼样本的变异90.33%来自群体内部, 9.67%来自群体间。青鱼总体核苷酸多样性(π)偏低, 在0.00109—0.00244。单倍型多样(H_d)性较高, 在0.403—0.847。遗传分化系数(F_st)在–0.0033—0.23445, 保持在低度至高度分化, 主要集中在低度和中度分化。分析得到广东佛山群体可能经历过瓶颈效应, 其余8个群体可能经历过快速的种群扩张事件。研究结果揭示了中国目前青鱼种质资源的遗传背景, 可以为中国青鱼种质资源的保护和创新利用提供重要的参考依据。     

Population structure and its implications for conservation of the great silver beetle Hydrophilus piceus in Britain

1. The great silver water beetle Hydrophilus piceus is one of the largest aquatic insects in Europe. In Britain it is rare and endangered, and confined to a small number of low-lying marshes. Very little is known about the beetle populations in any of these areas, or the connectivity between them.
2. To investigate the population structure of H. piceus in Britain, four polymorphic microsatellite loci were identified and characterized. The genome of this beetle seems to have few microsatellites but contains a high proportion of a larger repeated sequence.
3. All six of the main British populations (Somerset, Lewes, Pevensey, Romney, North Kent and Norfolk) showed substantial genetic diversity at the microsatellite loci. However, estimates of effective population size at one site (Pevensey) were remarkably low, at <10 adults for the period 2004–05.
4. Most of the genetic diversity was partitioned within rather than among the populations, although there was, nevertheless, significant genetic sub-structuring. Almost all population pairwise F _st estimates were significantly different from zero, and there was a clear isolation-by-distance effect. Assignment tests and cluster analyses demonstrated interpopulation relationships largely consistent with their geographical separations.
5. Hydrophilus disperses by flight, and records from moth traps indicated that there was no month in which the beetles never flew, but that flight activity was highest in the spring.
6. The genetic data highlight the need to maintain or regenerate habitat connectivity within flying distance for H. piceus , and to sustain large areas of suitable breeding marshes.     

Spatial dynamics of two competing specialist parasitoids in a host metapopulation

1. We investigated spatial dynamics in two specialist larval parasitoids, Cotesia melitaearum and Hyposoter horticola , attacking the Glanville fritillary butterfly, Melitaea cinxia , in Finland.
2. Presence of C. melitaearum in a host larval group significantly reduced the rate of parasitism by H. horticola (18 vs. 33% in groups with and without C. melitaearum ), but there was no significant reverse effect. The parasitism rates at the level of local populations showed a similar trend.
3 Hyposoter horticola females moved frequently among larval groups, whereas C. melitaearum females often spent several days at a single larval group. In agreement with these behavioural observations about movements within populations, H. horticola was found to have a higher colonization rate of host populations than C. melitaearum .
4. At the within-population level, C. melitaearum tended to occupy large larval groups in the centre of the host population, whereas H. horticola parasitized also small and more isolated (peripheral) larval groups, especially in the presence of C. melitaearum . At the metapopulation level, host population size had a significant positive effect on the presence of local populations of both parasitoid species, but isolation had a significant negative effect on the presence of C. melitaearum only.
5. These results suggest that C. melitaearum is a superior competitor, but an inferior disperser to H. horticola , which facilitates the co-existence of the two species both at the level of local populations and at the level of a metapopulation.
6. Data from a 50-patch network showed a decline in the number of host populations from 34 to 13 in 4 years. This decline caused a near-extinction of the superior competitor, but inferior disperser, C. melitaearum , whereas the abundance of the inferior competitor, but superior disperser, H. horticola , remained relatively constant, in agreement with the prediction of a theoretical model.     

Relative impacts of adult movement, larval dispersal and harvester movement on the effectiveness of reserve networks

Movement of individuals is a critical factor determining the effectiveness of reserve networks. Marine reserves have historically been used for the management of species that are sedentary as adults, and, therefore, larval dispersal has been a major focus of marine-reserve research. The push to use marine reserves for managing pelagic and demersal species poses significant questions regarding their utility for highly-mobile species. Here, a simple conceptual metapopulation model is developed to provide a rigorous comparison of the functioning of reserve networks for populations with different admixtures of larval dispersal and adult movement in a home range. We find that adult movement produces significantly lower persistence than larval dispersal, all other factors being equal. Furthermore, redistribution of harvest effort previously in reserves to remaining fished areas ('fishery squeeze') and fishing along reserve borders ('fishing-the-line') considerably reduce persistence and harvests for populations mobile as adults, while they only marginally changes results for populations with dispersing larvae. Our results also indicate that adult home-range movement and larval dispersal are not simply additive processes, but rather that populations possessing both modes of movement have lower persistence than equivalent populations having the same amount of 'total movement' (sum of larval and adult movement spatial scales) in either larval dispersal or adult movement alone.     

Genetic structuring of Patagonian toothfish populations in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean: the effect of the Antarctic Polar Front and deep-water troughs as barriers to genetic exchange

The environmental and/or life history factors affecting genetic exchange in marine species with potential for high dispersal are of great interest, not only from an evolutionary standpoint but also with regard to effective management. Previous genetic studies have demonstrated substantial differentiation among populations of the Patagonian toothfish around the Southern Ocean, indicating breakdown of gene flow across large distances between inhabited shelf areas. The present study examined genetic structuring through analysis of microsatellite loci and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the mitochondrial ND2 gene and control region of the toothfish population in the SW Atlantic, allowing examination of the relative effects of the Antarctic Polar Front (APF), deep-water troughs and distance between sites. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) data indicated a sharp genetic division between the Patagonian Shelf/North Scotia Ridge and the Shag Rocks/South Georgia samples, whereas microsatellite data showed much less distinct structuring and an intermediate position of the North Scotia Ridge samples. We suggest these data indicate that the APF, as a barrier to larval dispersal, is the major inhibitor of genetic exchange between toothfish populations, with deep-water troughs and distance between sites contributing to genetic differentiation by inhibiting migration of relatively sedentary adults. We also suggest that differences between mtDNA and nuclear DNA population patterns may reflect either genome population size effects or (putative) male-biased dispersal.     

The distribution of purse-web Atypus spiders (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) in central Europe is constrained by microclimatic continentality and soil compactness

Aim  Three species of primitive spiders of the genus Atypus occur in European xerothermic habitats, where they live in burrows. The aim of this study is to explain their distribution by investigating environmental variables at sites where they occur in central Europe.
Location  Over 50 sites in central Europe, Czech Republic.
Methods  Data on climatic, edaphic and vegetational parameters were collected from more than 50 sites. Phytocenological data were processed using Ellenberg's indicator values.
Results  Atypus muralis was found to occur almost exclusively in dry grassland (Festucion valesiacae), exposed to a continental microclimate. Atypus affinis usually occurred in dry sparse forests (Genisto germanicae–Quercion) that provide an Atlantic microclimate. Atypus piceus occurred in dry grassland (Bromion erecti) or forest fringes (Geranion sanguinei) characterized by an intermediate microclimate. Atypus piceus and A. muralis were restricted to agglutinate calcareous soils.
Main conclusions  Our results show that Atypus species colonized sites with different continentality in central Europe. These differences correspond to differences among their probable glacial refugia. Atypus muralis and A. piceus occur in habitats with a markedly continental climate, and are restricted to calcareous agglutinate soils that more efficiently buffer temperature and humidity extremes. Habitats of A. muralis and A. piceus are threatened by overgrowth of vegetation after a recent decline in grazing and by the decalcification of the landscape. However, habitats of A. affinis are stable in the present central European climate.     

SYNOPSIS OF THE GENERA OF AUSTRALIAN HETERONYCINI (COLEOPTERA: SCARABAEIDAE: MELOLONTHINAE)

Abstract
The tribe Heteronycini and 10 included genera (4 of them new) are defined. A key to genera and keys to species of Acheilo gen. n. and Webbella gen. n. are provided. The new genera are: Acheilo, Paraheteronyx, Proborhinus and Webbella. A. clypeatus gen. n., sp. n. is described.
The following species are transferred to other genera: Heteronyx bravicollis Blackburn, H. brevicoxis Lea, H. clypealis Lea, H. cribrifrons Lea, H. inconstans Lea, H. noctivagus Lea, H. phanophilus Lea, H. transversopolitus Lea and H. unidentatus Lea to Neoheteronyx Blackburn; H. unguiculatus Burmeister to Paraheteronyx gen. n.; H. cornutus Blackburn to Proborhinus gen. n.; H. capitalis Blackburn and H. pedarius Blackburn to Acheilo gen. n.; H. firmus Blackburn and H. labralis Blackburn to Webbella gen. n. Anacheirotus Blackburn is synonymised with Heteronyx Guérin-Méneville; A. inornatus Blackburn becomes H. inornatus (Blackburn). Pseudoheteronyx seticollis Lea is synonymised with P. creber Blackburn. Heteronyx clypealis Lea is synonymised with Neoheteronyx brevicollis (Blackburn). Lectotypes are designated for Heteronyx unguiculatus and Eurychelus marmoratus Blanchard.     

Variation in migration propensity among individuals maintained by landscape structure

Metapopulation dynamics lead to predictable patterns of habitat occupancy, population density and trophic structure in relation to landscape features such as habitat patch size and isolation. Comparable patterns may occur in behavioural, physiological and life‐history traits but remain little studied. In the Glanville fritillary butterfly, females in newly established populations were more mobile than females in old populations. Among females from new populations, mobility decreased with increasing connectivity (decreasing isolation), but in females from old populations mobility increased with connectivity. The [ATP]/[ADP] ratio of flight muscles following controlled activity showed the same pattern as mobility in relation to population age and connectivity, suggesting that physiological differences in flight metabolic performance contribute to the observed variation in mobility. We demonstrate with an evolutionary metapopulation model parameterised for the Glanville fritillary that increasing spatial variation in landscape structure increases variance in mobility among individuals in a metapopulation, supporting the general notion that complex landscape structure maintains life‐history variation.     

Genetic diversity of Annona crassiflora (Annonaceae) in northern Minas Gerais State

Genetic diversity analyses of tropical tree species are relevant to landscape management, plant genetic resource inventory, and biological conservation of threatened species. Annona crassiflora is an endangered fruit tree native to the Cerrado biome that is threatened by reduction of natural populations and fruit extraction. We examined the intra- and interpopulational genetic diversity of this species in the northern region of Minas Gerais State. Seventy-two individuals from four natural populations were genotyped using RAPD markers. We found moderate genetic diversity among populations, with Shannon's I index varying between 0.31 and 0.44, and Nei's genetic diversity (H(E)) for the population set equal to 0.31. AMOVA indicated a greater genetic variation within (77.38%) rather than among populations (22.62%), tending towards isolation by distance (Mantel's r = 0.914; P = 0.089). Nei's genetic identity estimates among populations revealed a hierarchical pattern of genetic similarity of form [(CA1, CA2), MC], [(GM)], corroborating the high genetic differentiation between spatially isolated populations.     

Spatial ecology of female bighorn sheep in a prairie landscape in Nebraska

Understanding the spatial ecology of small populations at the periphery of their range is important for identifying factors limiting population growth and developing sound management strategies. Bighorn sheep were reintroduced to Nebraska in 1981 and persist in a small population at the easternmost extent of the distribution of the species, where 1 of the 2 subpopulations is declining. Bighorn sheep space use and movement has been studied extensively in mountain and desert populations, but information is sparse from prairie populations in the Northern Great Plains. We investigated the spatial ecology of female bighorn sheep in Nebraska, USA, with global positioning system (GPS) telemetry. We tested the hypothesis that space use and movements would vary across seasons, years, and individuals but predicted that migration would involve relatively short distances in this translocated population (relative to native populations) occupying a fragmented landscape. Overall, females used smaller seasonal home ranges (3.3–7.8 km²) than most of those reported previously for the species and exhibited a high degree of variability in space use and movements across seasons, subpopulations, and individuals. Most females (92–100%) exhibited fidelity to their home ranges across seasons and years. Six females migrated between spatially distinct core lambing and winter ranges, although the distances (range = 7.9–8.7 km) and mean elevations (range = 31–41 m) between these core seasonal ranges were less than those reported for most native, migratory bighorn sheep populations. After accounting for variation in season, subpopulation, and years, home range size was positively associated with road density in both subpopulations (P < 0.001), suggesting that females incur greater energetic costs associated with greater space use in areas of higher fragmentation. Our results establish the basic spatial ecology of female bighorn sheep in Nebraska where their behavior appears to reflect the isolated nature of suitable habitat in this fragmented prairie landscape.     

The contribution of ancestry,chance, and past and ongoing selection to adaptive evolution

The relative contributions of ancestry, chance, and past and ongoing election to variation in one adaptive (larval feeding rate) and one seemingly nonadaptive (pupation height) trait were determined in populations ofDrosophila melanogaster adapting to either low or high larval densities in the laboratory. Larval feeding rates increased rapidly in response to high density, and the effects of ancestry, past selection and chance were ameliorated by ongoing selection within 15–20 generations. Similarly, in populations previously kept at high larval density, and then switched to low larval density, the decline of larval feeding rate to ancestral levels was rapid (15-20 generations) and complete, providing support for a previously stated hypothesis regarding the costs of faster feeding inDrosophila larvae. Variation among individuals was the major contributor to variation in pupation height, a trait that would superficially appear to be nonadaptive in the environmental context of the populations used in this study because it did not diverge between sets of populations kept at low versus high larval density for many generations. However, the degree of divergence among populations (FST) for pupation height was significantly less than expected for a selectively neutral trait, and we integrate results from previous studies to suggest that the variation for pupation height among populations is constrained by stabilizing selection, with a flat, plateau-like fitness function that, consequently, allows for substantial phenotypic variation within populations. Our results support the view that the genetic imprints of history (ancestry and past selection) in outbreeding sexual populations are typically likely to be transient in the face of ongoing selection and recombination. The results also illustrate the heuristic point that different forms of selection-for example directional versus stabilizing selection—acting on a trait in different populations may often not be due to differently shaped fitness functions, but rather due to differences in how the fitness function maps onto the actual distribution of phenotypes in a given population. We discuss these results in the light of previous work on reverse evolution, and the role of ancestry, chance, and past and ongoing selection in adaptive evolution.     

Phenotypic variability in the Old World bollworm,Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) populations in India

Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) is one of the most prominent polyphagous species of the Heliothinae pest complex that inflicts severe damage to a wide range of crops in India. Knowledge regarding the population structure of the pest species, whether morphological or genetic, is considered as an essential tool in making effective management decisions. Thus here, we performed the phenotypic characterization of H. armigera populations collected from varied geographic locations across India. Studied populations differed significantly for several external morphometric traits studied at larval, pupal and adult stages. Significant differences were also observed with respect to the intensity of black pigmentation on larval body as well as adult eye and forewing colour patterns. Besides external phenotypic traits, the length of genital organs like aedeagus and valva in males, and bursa copulatrix and bursa seminalis in females also differed significantly amongst populations. The dendrogram based on selected traits showed clear cut differentiation of studied populations into two major groups, one including all the South Zone populations and the other having populations from North and Central Zones. Differences based on phenotyping in the present study indicate the possibility of the existence of different subspecies within the Indian populations of H. armigera.     

Rainfall and topography predict gene flow among populations of the declining northern quoll (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Dasyurus hallucatus</Emphasis>)

Landscape attributes often shape the spatial genetic structure of species. As the maintenance of genetic connectivity is increasingly a conservation priority, the identification of landscape features that influence connectivity can inform targeted management strategies. The northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) is a carnivorous marsupial that has experienced dramatic population declines in recent decades. To inform management of surviving D. hallucatus populations across north-western Australia we examined the genetic structure of populations, and identified landscape features that influence gene flow within the Kimberley region. We sampled 249 individuals from 28 populations in three regions of north-western Australia, including the Kimberley, Pilbara and Kakadu. Genetic structuring was evident between the three regions and to a lesser extent between the north and central Kimberley. Landscape genetic analysis of Kimberley populations suggest this structuring may be due in part to the indirect effects of differences in rainfall between these two areas. Also, D. hallucatus populations with large areas of open habitat between them tended to be more genetically similar. Managing threats such as the occurrence of intense and frequent fires, and the density of introduced herbivores, could support the persistence of D. hallucatus populations, particularly in areas with high rainfall and flat terrain, where greater genetic connectivity confers a better chance of long-term population survival.     

Does prescribed burning mean a threat to the rare satyrine butterfly Hipparchia fagi? Larval-habitat preferences give the answer

The ecological effects of fire management, especially regarding arthropods are poorly investigated. Burning in winter was assumed to pose a threat to butterfly species hibernating as larvae. To assess the impact of prescribed burning on population viability, we analysed larval-habitat preferences of the highly endangered, xero-thermophilous butterfly Hipparchia fagi in vineyards of the Kaiserstuhl region (southern Germany). Microhabitat preference analyses for mature larvae and egg-laying females revealed a preference of H. fagi for Bromus erectus-dominated communities with sparse vegetation coverage and a distinct tuft growth of the host plant B. erectus on microclimatically benefited slopes. We explain the preference of B. erectus by a preference of vegetation structure. The grass tufts offer a suitable climatically buffered living space for larvae. Egg deposition took place on dry substrate at positions of high solar radiation, thus adapted to hot and dry microclimate. As the larval habitat was sparsely vegetated as well as generally legally protected, fire management was not applicable and therefore not affecting the populations. We think it is conceivable that H. fagi, occurring here at its northern range limit, might expand its larval habitat into denser, combustible B. erectus stands in the course of global warming. A change in habitat preferences would necessitate a re-evaluation of management options.     

Comparisons of calling behaviour of different geographical populations of Helicoverpa armigera

Abstract:  The cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera, with worldwide distribution, evolves into different geotypes for adapting to the changes of geographical climates. Comparisons of calling behaviour of the insect collected from the temperate region in northern China (Beijing), the temperate region in north-western China (Kashi) and the tropical region in southern China (Haikou) were investigated in the laboratory as a first step to understanding the influence of reproductive behaviour on its population differentiation. There were more than 80% of virgin females of each population that showed calling behaviour. The age at which the moths of all three populations initiated calling varied significantly. The durations of calling in scotophase and the percentages of females calling also differed between populations. Only a few females of the Beijing and Haikou populations called in the first 2 h after the onset of scotophase, whereas many Kashi females called at this time. However, the main calling peak occurred during the second half of scotophase for all three populations. Females of the Beijing and Haikou populations exhibited similar calling onset times at the same age, whereas the Kashi females initiated calling significantly earlier than those of Beijing and Haikou from nights 3 to 7. The durations of each calling bout and the time spent by both Beijing and Haikou populations were similar to each other at the same age, but were significantly shorter than that of the Kashi population from nights 3 to 7. These results suggest that there are genetic variations not only in pre-period calling but also in the calling behaviour of H. armigera .     

Combining larval habitat quality and metapopulation structure – the key for successful management of pre-alpine Euphydryas aurinia colonies

This study aims to analyse larval habitat preferences and landscape level population structure of the threatened Marsh Fritillary butterfly, Euphydryas aurinia, and discusses implications for the conservation and management of this strongly declining species in central Europe. Whereas current management strategies are mainly based on studies of habitat requirements of adult individuals, we intend to emphasise larval habitat quality and population processes at the landscape level as additional key factors. Microhabitat preference analysis of egg-laying females showed that eggs were predominantly laid on prominent large-sized host plant individuals. Additionally, when Succisa pratensis was used as a host plant (as opposed to Gentiana asclepiadea), host individuals in open vegetation structure were preferred. Optimal oviposition conditions were present in recently abandoned calcareous fen meadows and at the edges of such meadows currently in use. A two-year patch-occupancy study in the northern pre-alpine region of south-west Germany indicated that E. aurinia lives in a metapopulation. In a logistic-regression model, patch size, isolation, and habitat quality explained 82% of the observed patch-occupancy pattern in 2001. Our data suggest that a suitable conservation strategy must incorporate both the conservation of a network of suitable habitat patches, and efforts to maximise local habitat quality by ensuring that host plants can grow to a large size and are surrounded by sparse and low vegetation cover.     

Geographic patterns in the flight ability of a monophagous beetle

Summary The migratory ability of a monophagous insect, Tetraopes tetraophthalmus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), was measured in ten populations in each of two regional types. In the first region, a river valley, populations were abundant and close together; in the second regional type, mountainous and peripheral areas, populations were uncommon and far apart. The data revealed that regional variation in migratory behavior occurred along two dimensions. Regions differed not only in the mean migratory ability of individuals (1st dimension) but in the amount of variation between populations (2nd dimension). Whereas river valley populations were found to be uniformly sedentary, mountainous and peripheral populations were found to be heterogeneous, some being very vagile, others being very sedentary. In the mountainous and peripheral areas, small and sparse populations were more vagile than large dense populations. The site to site variation in the mountainous and peripheral areas was due exclusively to females. In these areas, the mean migratory ability of females in a population was positively correlated with mean body size of the females, and inversely correlated with populations density. The data are consistent with the FLY hypothesis for this species (long distance migraters=Females, Large, and Young). Taken together, the geographical patterns support the founding hypothesis of migration. According to this theory, the inevitable selection against migration within populations is balanced by periodic extinctions of the populations and the founding of new populations by migrating individuals.     

Food-plant niche selection rather than the presence of ant nests explains oviposition patterns in the myrmecophilous butterfly genus Maculinea

It has been suggested that the socially parasitic butterfly Maculinea alcon detects ant odours before ovipositing on initial larval food plants near colonies of its obligate ant host Myrmica ruginodis. It has also been suggested that overcrowding on food plants near M. ruginodis is avoided by an ability to detect high egg loads, resulting in a switch to selecting plants near less suitable ant species. If confirmed, this hypothesis (H1) would have serious implications for the application of current population models aimed at the conservation of endangered Maculinea species, which are based on the null hypothesis (H0) that females randomly select food plants whose flower buds are at a precise phenological stage, making oviposition independent of ants. If H1 were wrong, practical management based upon its assumptions could lead to the extinction of protected populations. We present data for the five European species of Maculinea which show that (i) each oviposits on a phenologically restricted flower-bud stage, which accounts for the apparent host-ant-mediated niche separation in sympatric populations of Maculinea nausithous and Maculinea teleius, (ii) there is no temporal shift in oviposition by Maculinea arion in relation to host ant distribution or egg density, and (iii) oviposition patterns in 13 populations of M. alcon's closest relative, Macaulinea rebeli, conform to H0 not H1 predictions. It is concluded that conservation measures should continue to be based on H0.