VOCAL REPERTOIRE OF WILD BREEDING ORANGE-WINGED PARROTS AMAZONA AMAZONICA IN AMAZONIA

ABSTRACT

The vocal repertoire of Amazona amazonica during its breeding season has been recorded from wild individuals in Santa Bárbara do Pará, Pará State, Brazil. At individual nests, we continuously recorded vocalizations and behaviour for four hours in the early morning and three hours in the late afternoon, three times a week throughout the breeding season. We identified nine vocalizations that we classified in three behavioural categories: (1) Flight call—emitted when parrots arrive in the nest area; (2) Perched contact calls—two different vocalizations, one of them related to feeding, were emitted when the pair was perched in the nest area and interacted socially between themselves or with other individuals; (3) Aggressive calls—emitted when birds were in a dangerous situation, i.e. alarm (three types of calls), agonistic contact and distress calls (two types of call). The Orange-winged Parrot is a highly social species and the complexity of its social interactions is reflected in the diversity of its vocal repertoire.     

CO2浓度升高与氮沉降对南亚热带森林生态系统植物生物量积累及分配格局的影响

 CO₂浓度升高与氮沉降增加对陆地生态系统的耦合作用已成为全球变化的研究热点。应用大型开顶箱(OTC)人工控制手段研究了人工生态系统在1)高CO₂(700±20 μmol·mol^–1)+高氮沉降(100 kg N·hm^–2·a^–1)(CN); 2)高CO₂(700±20 μmol·mol^–1)+背景氮沉降(C＋); 3)高氮沉降(100 kg N· hm^–2·a^–1)＋背景CO₂(N＋); 4)背景CO₂＋背景氮沉降处理(CK) 4种处理条件下荷木 (Schima superba)、红锥(Castanopsis hystrix)、海南红豆(Ormosia pinnata)、肖蒲桃(Acmena acuminatissima)、红鳞蒲桃(Syzygium hancei)等主要南亚热带森林植物的生物量积累模式及其分配格局。连续近3年的实验结果表明: 不同处理条件下, 各参试植物生物量积累具有不同的响应特征, N＋处理显著促进荷木、肖蒲桃及红鳞蒲桃生物量的积累; C＋处理显著促进肖蒲桃、海南红豆生物量的积累; CN处理显著促进除红锥外其他物种生物量的积累, 并且具有两者单独处理的叠加效应。不同处理改变物种生物量的分配模式, N＋处理降低植物的根冠比, 促进地上部分生物量的积累; C＋处理增加红锥和红鳞蒲桃地下部分生物量的分配, 却促进荷木和海南红豆地上部分的积累; CN处理仅促进红磷蒲桃地下部分的积累。群落生物量的积累与分配格局取决于优势物种的生物量及其分配格局在群落中所占的权重。     

Tritrichomonas foetus: Fine Structure of Freeze-Fractured Membranes1

ABSTRACT. Freeze-fracture techniques reveal differences in fine structure between the anterior three flagella of Tritrichomonas foetus and its recurrent flagellum. The anterior flagella have rosettes of 9–12 intramembranous particles on both the P and E faces. The recurrent flagellum lacks rosettes but has ribbon-like arrays of particles along the length of the flagellum, which may be involved in the flagellum's attachment to the cell body. This flagellum is attached to the membrane of the cell body along a distinct groove that contains few discernible particles. Some large intramembranous particles are visible on the P face of the cell body membrane at the point where the flagellum emerges from the cell body. The randomly distributed particles on the P and E faces of the plasma membrane have a particle density of 919/μm² and 468/μm² respectively, and there are areas on both faces that are devoid of particles. Freeze-fracture techniques also reveal numerous fenestrations in the membrane of the Golgi complex and about 24 pores per μm² in the nuclear. membrane.     

Climatic characteristics of heat waves and their simulation in plant experiments

Extreme events such as heat waves are emerging as a key facet of climate change, but to date, experiments on the impacts on plants are scarce. Experimental simulation of heat waves requires knowledge of regional heat wave characteristics, as plant responses depend heavily on meteorological conditions. We analysed nine Western European meteorological datasets, and found that heat waves occurring during the growing season in this region encompass more sunshine (+ 69%), lower precipitation (?78%) and a larger vapour pressure deficit (VPD) (+ 111%) compared with normal conditions. Possible consequences for plant responses are discussed, with emphasis on the likely seasonal variation of heat wave impacts. We explain why infrared heating (which typically increases VPD) is an appropriate technique for heat wave simulation. Finally, we advocate experiments to take into account the smaller nighttime compared with daytime temperature increases observed during heat waves, and the precipitation deficits before and during heat waves.     

Exploring myrmecophily based on the phylogenetic interrelationships of Falagonia Sharp, 1883 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae) and allied genera

The taxonomy of Lomechusini Fleming has a complex history. Recent studies have shown that this group is polyphyletic; however, little is known about the evolutionary interrelationships among its constituent genera. The goals of the present study are to infer the phylogenetic relationships of Falagonia Sharp and closely related genera; to define the boundaries of those genera based on synapomorphic characters; and to explore the evolution of myrmecophily within the lineage. The phylogenetic analyses are based exclusively on morphological characters of adults. A total of 36 operational taxonomic units were used for the analysis. The best trees were selected based on maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference. During the parsimony reconstruction, different weighting strategies were used to recover the most robust phylogenetic hypothesis. Although minor differences were observed in the results of the different analyses, the topologies were consistent throughout. Several groups of genera proposed by Seevers (1965), such as the ‘Tetradonia’ and ‘Ecitopora’ groups, were not recovered. Thus, these may represent nonmonophyletic groups that were based on nonsynapomorphic diagnostic characters. Our analyses consistently recovered the genera Asheidium Santiago‐Jiménez, Delgadoidium Santiago‐Jiménez, Falagonia, Newtonidium Santiago‐Jiménez, Pseudofalagonia Santiago‐Jiménez, Sharpidium Santiago‐Jiménez, Tetradonia Wasmann and Thayeridium Santiago‐Jiménez, forming a monophyletic group that we have called the ‘Asheidium complex’. Falagonia mexicana Sharp shows seven autapomorphies, none of which were used to establish the genus. Based on the phylogenetic results, myrmecophily has evolved independently at least three times within the lineage. This study, based on morphological characters, is one of the first approaches towards gaining an understanding of the phylogenetic relationships within the polyphyletic tribe Lomechusini.     

The role of refuge areas in the phenology of Rhopalosiphum padi in low rainfall cropping areas of South Australia

Extensive surveys of possible aphid habitats in South Australia indicated that irrigated perennial grass pastures in the Mount Lofty Ranges and Lower Murray Valley were summer refuges for Rhopalosiphum padi (L.) (Hemiptera: Aphididae). Large numbers of aphids build up in these pastures each year during autumn (April and May) with numbers peaking in May. The size of the May peak was related to the number of aphids surviving the summer. The proportions of alates were highest in May and August/September. Both peaks coincided with a photoperiod of between 11.2 and 11.5 h, and partial correlations suggested that aphid density, photoperiod and temperature were all significant determinants of alate production.     

Further evidence for cortical control over replication of the macronucleus and basal bodies in Stentor

This paper presents further evidence that the cortex controls macronuclear replication and basal body production during the cell cycle of Stentor. At the onset of cell division, basal body production occurs on the ventral side of the cell to form an oral primordium; this structure develops slowly into the oral apparatus destined for the posterior daughter cell. Meanwhile, a series of morphological changes in the macronucleus (coalescence, elongation, nodulation) doubles the number of nodes in preparation for division. When a cell undergoing oral development is grafted to a morphostatic cell of equal size, oral development is usually induced in the morphostatic component and the two members of the graft complex eventually become synchronized with respect to macronuclear morphology. However, primordium induction and nuclear synchronization usually do not occur when the 2 members of the graft complex are separated by cortical discontinuities which heal gradually, even though the graft components demonstrably share a common endoplasm throughout the experiment. These results suggest that the cell surface may control the replication of organelles such as the macronucleus and basal bodies which are normally kept “in step” with the cell cycle in such a way that they are not lost or reproduced too frequently.