BOOK REVIEW

Flower power in the Australian bush and garden. The fascinating interrelationships between insects and plants . Jan Taylor. 80pp. Kangaroo Press. A$24.95.     

Fiber Ultrastructure and Contraction Kinetics in Insect Fast Muscles

SYNOPSIS. Isometric contraction kinetics were measured and fiberstructure was quantified in tymbal muscles from different cicadaspecies. Twitch duration is directly correlated with the sizeof the myofibrils and with the ratio of the fraction of fibervolume which is myofibril to that which is sarcoplasmic reticulum(SR) and T-tubules (fast muscles have small myofibrils and arelatively large volume of SR and T-tubules). Twitch durationis not significantly correlated with fiber size, with sarcomerelength, nor with the fractional volume of the fibers which ismitochondria, indicating that these structural features arenot strongly involved in the determination of isometric contractionkinetics. In the tettigoniid Neoconocephalus robustus, twitchesfrom forewing muscles of male animals become progressively shorterover the first five days following the adult molt. This changein contraction kinetics is associated with an increase in therelative volume of SR and T-tubules. Denervation blocks theacquisition of rapid kinetics, indicating that neural inputis necessary for this transformation.     

Aggregation facilitates larval growth in the neotropical nymphalid butterfly Chlosyne janais

1. Larvae of Chlosyne janais (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) feed gregariously as early instars on the shrub Odontonema callistachyum (Acanthaceae). During the fourth instar, aggregations break up and larvae feed as solitary individuals.
2. The hypothesis that aggregation increases growth rate was tested by raising larvae on intact plants in the field in different group sizes and measuring their daily growth.
3. There was a striking effect of group size on larval growth whereby larvae more than doubled their weight gain by feeding in large rather than small aggregations on intact plants in the field.
4. This group-feeding advantage was lost altogether if larvae were raised on excised leaves in the laboratory, suggesting that large aggregations may facilitate growth either by inducing a nutrient sink or by overwhelming an induced allelochemical response in the plant.
5. Although larval survival was higher in cages that excluded enemies than in exposed aggregations, there was no influence of group size (experimentally manipulated) on short-term survival in the field. However, there was a weak positive relationship between short-term survival and the size of naturally occurring larval aggregations in the field. These data provide mixed support for the notion that gregarious feeding promotes defence against natural enemies.
6. Although the group defence hypothesis warrants further investigation, feeding facilitation is clearly an important factor contributing to the aggregation behaviour of C. janais larvae.     

How much water does a river need?

1. This paper introduces a new approach for setting streamflow-based river ecosystem management targets and this method is called the 'Range of Variability Approach' (RVA). The proposed approach derives from aquatic ecology theory concerning the critical role of hydrological variability, and associated characteristics of timing, frequency, duration, and rates of change, in sustaining aquatic ecosystems. The method is intended for application on rivers wherein the conservation of native aquatic biodiversity and protection of natural ecosystem functions are primary river management objectives.
2. The RVA uses as its starting point either measured or synthesized daily streamflow values from a period during which human perturbations to the hydrological regime were negligible. This streamflow record is then characterized using thirty-two different hydrological parameters, using methods defined in Richter et al . (1996). Using the RVA, a range of variation in each of the thirty-two parameters, e.g. the values at ± 1 standard deviation from the mean or the twenty-fifth to seventy-fifth percentile range, are selected as initial flow management targets.
3. The RVA targets are intended to guide the design of river management strategies (e.g. reservoir operations rules, catchment restoration) that will lead to attainment of these targets on an annual basis. The RVA will enable river managers to define and adopt readily interim management targets before conclusive, long-term ecosystem research results are available. The RVA targets and management strategies should be adaptively refined as suggested by research results and as needed to sustain native aquatic ecosystem biodiversity and integrity.     

Bacteria, Dissolved Organics and Oxygen Consumption in Salinity Stratified Chesapeake Bay, an Anoxia Paradigm

Chesapeake Bay is a bacterially dominated ecosystem driven,at least under summer conditions, by high levels of labile dissolvedorganics. Bacterioplankton are exceptionally abundant (20 x10⁹ cells liter^–1) and productive (7 x 10⁹ cells liter^–1d^–1), and their biomass can equal or exceed 60% of phytoplanktonbiomass. In the salinity stratified Chesapeake Bay bacterioplanktonaccount for 60–100% of planktonic oxygen consumption,potentially driving the Bay to anoxia in days to weeks. Sulfide,released from sediments by sulfate reducing bacteria, chemicallyconsumes oxygen at rates up to 9 mg O₂ liter^–1 d^–1maintaining the oxygen deficit. The organic matter driving thisoxygen demand in the summer season is functionally dissolved.Dissolved organics, measured as biochemical oxygen demand, accountfor about 60% of microbially labile organics throughout thewater column and 80% (sometimes 100%) in the subpycnoclinalwater. Field studies suggest that reduced oyster stocks in ChesapeakeBay may be a major factor in the shift to this bacterially dominatedtrophic structure     

THE TROPHIC ECOLOGY OF FRESHWATER GAMMARUS SPP. (CRUSTACEA:AMPHIPODA): PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES CONCERNING THE FUNCTIONAL FEEDING GROUP CONCEPT

Gammarus spp. are widespread throughout a diverse range of freshwater habitats and can be the dominant part of many benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages, in terms of both numbers and/or biomass. Although the vast majority of studies have emphasized the herbivorous nature of Gammarus spp. and their ‘shredder’ functional feeding group (FFG) classification, we show that a far wider food base is exploited than has been previously acknowledged. This ‘plasticity’ as herbivore/predator is linked to the success of Gammarus spp. in persisting in and colonizing/invading disturbance-prone ecosystems. Intraguild predation and cannibalism are more common than previously realized. This behaviour appears to be a causal mechanism in many amphipod species replacements. Additionally, Gammarus spp. are major predators of other members of the macroinvertebrate community. Furthermore, while many studies have emphasized fish predation on Gammarus spp., we illustrate how this fish: amphipod, predator: prey interaction may be a two-way process, with Gammarus spp. themselves preying upon juvenile and wounded/trapped fish. We urge that a new realism be adopted towards the trophic ecology of Gammarus spp. and their role as predators and prey and that previously established FFG assumptions of both the food and the feeder be questioned critically.     

Spatial distribution of genetic relatedness in a moorland population of red grouse (Lagopus lagopus scoticus)

Several aspects of the ecology and biology of red grouse (Lagopus lagopus scoticus) could prevent the complete admixture of genes within and between populations. Male red grouse display a high degree of natal philopatry, are territorial, and show less aggression to kin man to non-kin. Such factors acting in combination predict limited male-mediated gene flow, which will promote social structure within a population by the formation of stable kin clusters, and facilitate a rapid rise in allelic coancestry and/or inbreeding. In this study we utilize hypervariable microsatellite polymorphisms to examine the extent of social affiliation between relatives in a moorland population of grouse from NE Scodand. Levels of genetic relatedness between individual male red grouse occupying territories at Glas Choille in die spring and autumn of 1995 were examined, and kin clusters delimited. Nine kin groups (mean size = 2.4 individuals) were identified prior to breeding in the spring, which increased to 11 kin groups (mean size =4.0 individuals) when territories were reformed in the autumn. The majority of tiiose individuals that were recruited into the adult population during the autumn already had a first-order male relative established, supporting the hypothesis that recruitment is facilitated by behavioural interactions among relatives. The demographic and population genetic consequences of philopatric recruitment and kin clustering are examined and discussed.     

Habitat requirements of the Socorro Mockingbird Mimodes graysoni

The population size of the Socorro Mockingbird Mimodes graysoni, which represents a monotypic genus endemic to Socorro Island, México, has declined dramatically within the last 40 years. Postulated causal factors include competitive exclusion by Northern Mockingbirds Mimus polyglottos, predation by feral cats and overgrazing by feral sheep. Habitat degradation looms as the primary candidate because surviving Socorro Mockingbirds live mainly in areas of the island with little apparent habitat damage, and because Northern Mockingbirds and cats both arrived on Socorro after much of the decline had occurred. Isolating key factors is difficult, however, because the present distributions of cats and Northern Mockingbirds coincide broadly with patterns of habitat degradation. To investigate habitat requirements of the endemic mockingbird in detail, we measured vegetation characteristics at localities with and without Socorro Mockingbirds, and observed their foraging behaviour. Socorro Mockingbirds occupied sites in montane regions covered with Ilex socorroensis, Guettarda insularis, Triumfetta socorrensis and Eupatorium pacificum; they were also abundant in pristine lowland forests. Socorro Mockingbirds were scarce in disturbed forests where Dodonaea viscosa has replaced the original understorey, and they were absent from low-elevation Croton masonii scrub, even in areas with no signs of degradation. Restoration of degraded habitat could help the population of Socorro Mockingbirds grow and reoccupy more of its former range.