History of weta (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae) translocation in New Zealand: lessons learned, islands as sanctuaries and the future

Establishing new populations by transferring founder individuals from source populations has been effective for managing the recovery of many threatened species including some weta (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae) in New Zealand. These large-bodied flightless insects are ‘flagship species’ for insect conservation in New Zealand and many are rare or threatened. The declining abundance of most weta species, particularly giant weta, can be attributed to the introduction of mammalian predators, habitat destruction, and habitat modification by introduced mammalian browsers. New populations of some weta have been established in locations, particularly on islands, where these threats have been eliminated or severely reduced in order to reduce the risk of extinction. Some populations were established to provide food for endemic vertebrates, ecosystem restoration and ready access for the general public. We illustrate how methods for both transferring weta and monitoring them have become more sophisticated by using a series of case studies. Other transfers of weta not included in the case studies are also summarised. We conclude by re-iterating the importance of documenting the transfer and post-release monitoring for all insect transfers, both for biogeographical reasons and to provide information to improve future transfers.     

Phospholipid phase transitions as revealed by NMR

Aqueous dispersions of phospholipids can adopt a range of polymorphic phases which include bilayer and non-bilayer forms. Within the bilayer form, laterally separated phases may be induced as a result of surface electrostatic associations, thermotropic behaviour, lipid-protein interactions or because of molecular mismatch between chemically distinct phospholipids. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods, designed to exploit the properties of either indigenous nuclei or isotopic labels introduced specifically into a phospholipid, can be used in some cases to describe the molecular properties and behaviour of phospholipids in both macroscopically distinct phases and in molecularly distinct phases within the same polymorphic state. If the molecular motion of phospholipids in co-existing phases is sufficiently different, NMR methods can, in principle, give estimates of the life-time of the phases and the rate of molecular exchange between the phases.     

On rocks and hard places.

In susceptible persons emotional stress results in immediate sympathetic stimulation, with a vasomotor response that results in a high-output state and elevated blood pressure; the vasopressor response seems to be transient. There seems to be no longitudinal epidemiologic validation of the attractive hypothesis that transiently elevated blood pressures are the prelude to fixed hypertension, however. The acquisition of hypertension by populations abandoning their traditional mode of living has been attributed to the sociocultural stress inherent in westernization, but these studies usually have not taken into account concomitants of this type of acculturation, such as dietary changes and increased body weight. The inverse relationship of blood pressure levels to education could explain the development of hypertension when aspiration to upward mobility is thwarted. The severity of perceived occupational stress relates inversely to blood pressure, suggesting that familiarity with a job renders the demands made by the work environment more predictable and less threatening in terms of vasopressor response.