Autumnal moth – why autumnal?

1. As for some other spring‐feeding moths, adult flight of Epirrita autumnata (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) occurs in late autumn. Late‐season flight is a result of a prolonged pupal period. Potential evolutionary explanations for this phenological pattern are evaluated. 2. In a laboratory rearing, there was a weak correlation between pupation date and the time of adult emergence. A substantial genetic difference in pupal period was found between two geographic populations. Adaptive evolution of eclosion time can thus be expected. 3. Metabolic costs of a prolonged pupal period were found to be moderate but still of some ecological significance. Pupal mortality is likely to form the main cost of the prolonged pupal period. 4. Mortality rates of adults, exposed in the field, showed a declining temporal trend from late summer to normal eclosion time in autumn. Lower predation pressure on adults may constitute the decisive selective advantage of late‐season flight. It is suggested that ants, not birds, were the main predators responsible for the temporal trend. 5. Egg mortality was estimated to be low; it is thus unlikely that the late adult period is selected for to reduce the time during which eggs are exposed to predators. 6. In a laboratory experiment, oviposition success was maximal at the time of actual flight peak of E. autumnata, however penalties resulting from sub‐optimal timing of oviposition remained limited.     

Conditional Maximum Likelihood Estimation Following a Group Sequential Test

We consider estimation after a group sequential test. An estimator that is unbiased or has small bias may have substantial conditional bias (Troendle and Yu, 1999, Coburger and Wassmer, 2001). In this paper we derive the conditional maximum likelihood estimators of both the primary parameter and a secondary parameter, and investigate their properties within a conditional inference framework. The method applies to both the usual and adaptive group sequential test designs. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Hybridization between redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus and black redstart P. ochruros, and the effect on habitat exploitation

Although redstarts Phoenicurus phoenicurus and black redstarts P. ochruros breed in different habitats they have been found to interbreed and to produce viable and fertile offspring, which backcross to the parental species. In a dual choice experiment, I investigated the preference of black redstarts and redstarts, and F₁-hybrids for different habitat structures in an aviary. Black redstarts strongly preferred a perch type on which they could stand to a perch they had to cling to. Redstarts were less selective and used both perch types equally as long as food was offered between both perches on the ground. If food was given at one of the perches redstarts changed their preference depending on food location. Black redstarts, however, showed only a slight response. They always preferred the same perch type. Hybrids behaved like redstarts. They did not show a preference as long as food was placed on the ground. When food was offered at one of the perch sites they more often chose the one with food. Due to high phenotypic variability among individuals perch type preference overlapped between the three experimental groups.     

Cloning, sequence analysis and expression of gene alyVI encoding alginate lyase from marine bacterium Vibrio sp. QY101.

The gene (alyVI) encoding an alginate lyase of marine bacterium Vibrio sp. QY101, which was isolated from a decaying thallus of Laminaria, was cloned using a strategy of combined degenerate PCR and long range-inverse PCR (LR-IPCR), then sequenced and expressed in Escherichia coli. Gene alyVI was composed of a 1014 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding 338 amino acid residues. The calculated molecular mass of alyVI product is 38.4 kDa, but a signal peptide is cleaved off, leaving a mature protein of 34 kDa. AlyVI was purified from culture supernatants to electrophoretic homogeneity using affinity chromatography. AlyVI was most active at pH 7.5 and 40 degrees C in the presence of 1 mM ZnCl2. A nine-amino-acid consensus region (YXRESLREM), which was only found in polyguluronate lyases, was also observed in the amino-terminal region of AlyVI. However, AlyVI could degrade both M block and G block. These results indicate that a novel alginate lyase-encoding gene has been cloned.     

Solid cultures of thrips-pathogenic fungi Isaria javanica strains for enhanced conidial productivity and thermotolerance

Entomopathogenic fungi have great potential to control agricultural and horticultural insect pests, however optimizing conidial production systems to demonstrate high productivity and stability still needs additional efforts for successful field application and industrialization. Although many virulent entomopathogenic fungal isolates have been viewed as potential candidates in a laboratory environment, very few of the isolates are being used in practice for application in agricultural fields as commercial products. I. javanicus is an entomopathogenic fungus that is parasitic to various diverse coleopteran and lepidopteran insects and thought good candidate as biopesticdes. In this work, the basic characteristics of two entomopathogenic fungi, I. javanica FG340 and Pf04, were investigated in morphological examinations, genetic identification, and virulence against Thrips palmi, and then the feasibility of various grains substrates for conidial production was assessed, particularly focusing on conidial productivity and thermotolerance. Isaria javanica FG340 and Pf04 conidia were solid-cultured on 12 grains for 14?days in a Petri dish. Of the tested Italian millet, perilla seed, millet and barley-based cultures showed high conidial production. The four-grain media yielded >1?×?10⁹ conidia/g of I. javanica FG340 and Pf04. Pf04 strain had enhanced thermotolerance up to 45?°C when cultured on Italian millet. In application, it was easy to make a conidial suspension using the cultured grains, and several surfactants were tested to release the conidia. This work suggests several possible inexpensive grain substrates by which to promote conidial production combined with enhanced stability against exposure to high temperature.     

Five New Guaiane Sesquiterpenes from the Endophytic Fungus Xylaria sp. YM 311647 of Azadirachta indica

Five new guaiane sesquiterpenes, 1 – 5 , were isolated from the culture broth of the endophytic fungus Xylaria sp. YM 311647, isolated from Azadirachta indica A. Juss . The structures of these compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analyses, and their inhibitory activities against five pathogenic fungi were evaluated. All guaiane sesquiterpenes showed moderate or weak antifungal activities in a broth microdilution assay.     

中国野生动物调查存在的问题与改进建议

一百余年前,人类就开始了相对系统的野生动物调查。目前已经建立了成熟的方法体系,并制定了相应的调查规范。最近几十年来,我国科研人员进行了大量的野生动物调查。但是,当前我国的野外调查规范还不够细致,调查者在调查时缺乏必要的约束,导致调查数据不规范、不可靠,很多重要信息缺失。突出问题有：样线信息不全,只有起点和终点的经纬度,没有自动记录的详细样线信息（如每秒记录一次的连续点位信息,含经纬度和时间）;动物位点信息缺乏可信度指标（如距观测者的距离）;调查时间不合理;调查地点的空间取样不均衡;记录的标准化不够（如每个观测点的观测时长不确定）等等。对此,我们参考国际通用的调查规范,提出了一些简单易行的调查要点,以便提高野外调查数据的质量。另外,我们提倡野外记录的无纸化,充分利用现有的手机应用软件（APP）和模型工具提高野外记录以及后期数据处理的效率。最后,我们提议建立固定的中国生物多样性监测样线体系,以便消除每年调查时空间取样的不确定性,更好地量化野生动物的时间动态,为野生动物的保护和管理提供依据。