An updated list and some comments on the occurrence of intraspecific nest parasitism in birds

This paper presents a list, compiled from the literature, of bird species in which intraspecific nest parasitism (INP) occurs. INP was reported in 234 species: one Struthioniformes, two Tinamiformes, two Procellariiformes, six Podicipediiformes, five Ciconiiformes, one Phoenicopteriformes, 74 Anseriformes, one Falconiformes, 32 Galliformes, eight Gruiformes, 19 Charadriiformes, nine Columbiformes, five Cuculiformes, two Apodiformes, one Coraciiformes and 66 Passeriformes. Hence, INP is very common among precocial species, and less so among altricials. Irrespective of this, most INP birds are colonial.     

GRAPPLING WITH AFFLICTION: AUTISM IN THE JEWISH ULTRAORTHODOX COMMUNITY IN ISRAEL

In this essay we seek to examine the cultural tool kit employed in the Jewish ultraorthodox community to cope with autism, a predicament deemed resistant to massive cultural molding. Through 30 open-ended interviews with ultraorthodox mothers of children with autism we portray the mothers’ emerging recognition of the disorder, their care seeking activities, and their construction of explanatory models. The health care system on which the ultraorthodox mothers rely is extremely diverse, including mainstream medical and educational services, various alternative therapies, therapies specific to autism, and spiritual and mystical interventions. The outcome of these endeavors is a dual system of illness perception in which bio-medical and spiritual-religious frames of references coexist. This duality cuts across all the facets of the explanatory system: etiology, pathophysiology, treatment, and prognosis. Metaphysical accounts, and especially the notion of the transmigration of souls, serve as meta-accounts, bridging the epistemological gap between God’s mysterious intention and the specific bodily mechanisms underlying the disorder. The religious and moral theme of suffering is highlighted in the narratives as a salient constituent of the ultraorthodox mothers’ attempts to understand and come to terms with their plight.     

Biosynthesis of ethylene in higher plants: the metabolic site of inhibition by phosphate*

Abstract. Phosphate inhibited endogenous as well as 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC)-stimulated ethylene synthesis in slices of tomato fruit, segments of carrot root and pea hypocotyls. ACC concentrations of up to 10 mol m^?3 did not overcome this inhibition. Phosphate inhibited the conversion of ¹⁴C ACC to ethylene in tomato fruit and vegetative tissue. Enzymatic conversion of ACC to ethylene by pea seedling homogenate was also inhibited by phosphate with a linear concentration dependency. The formation of ACC from S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) by extracts of pink tomatd fruit was slightly, but not significantly, affected by phosphate. However, the SAM to ACC conversion was greater when extracts from tomato fruit were made in phosphate rather than in HEPES-KOH buffer. Non-enzymatic ethylene synthesis from ACC in a model system was stimulated by phosphate. We suggest that phosphate is an inhibitor of ethylene biosynthesis in higher plants and that one site of its control is the conversion of ACC to ethylene.     

Time-lags in insect response to plant productivity: significance for plant-insect interactions in deserts

Abstract.

• 1 The interactions between the univoltine mirid bug Cupsodes infuscatus and its food plant, the geophyte Asphodelus ramosus, were studied in the Negev desert for a 5 year period. The bug feeds mainly on Asphodelus inflorescence meristems, flowers and fruits, and in some years may destroy more than 95% of the plant population expected fruit production.
• 2 Asphodelus expected fruit production fluctuated widely during the study period, but was not related to precipitation. Cupsodes density was related to the plant expected fruit production, but with a 1 year time lag. In years of high inflorescence production, a high per-capita reproduction of the bug resulted in a dense bug population in the following year. This dense population then decimated the plant fruit production, became food limited and had a low per-capita reproduction.
• 3 This kind of time lag is expected to be common among desert insect herbivores that specialize in using ephemeral resources. The rare years of high plant production are in general preceded and followed by years of low plant production. Hence, in years which contribute most to plant reserves (seed, underground storage organs), insect herbivores are relatively rare as a result of food limitation in preceding low production years. But the insect populations which build up during years of high plant production decimate their food resources and become food limited in subsequent years with low plant production.
• 4 Thus, herbivorous insects seem to have a limited ability to affect plant population dynamics in desert ecosystems. In contrast, the potential appears to be much greater for herbivorous insects to be regulated by their food plants.

     

The magnitude and timing of migration by soaring raptors, pelicans and storks over Israel

The magnitude and timing of the autumn and spring migrations of 35 species of medium-and large-sized raptors, White Pelicans Pelicanus onocrotalus and White Storks Ciconia ciconia were studied in Israel. Observations were carried out from the ground by a line of observers covering most of the width of Israel across the line of migration and by radar. There was a high correlation between the counts obtained by ground observers and by radar. On average, about half a million raptors (mainly Lesser Spotted Eagles Aquila po-marina, Honey Buzzards Pernis apivorus and Levant Sparrowhawks Accipiter brevipes), 250,000 White Storks and 70,000 White Pelicans passed during autumn, and about a million raptors (mainly Honey Buzzards, Steppe Buzzards Buteo vulpinus, Steppe Eagles Aquila nipalensis and Black Kites Milvus migrans) and 450,000 White Storks passed during spring. Peak numbers were higher–over a million raptors and half a million White Storks. There was high interyear variation in the number of migrants recorded during the study, probably caused by weather and counting efforts. For some species, the whole world (Lesser Spotted Eagle and Levant Sparrowhawk) or Palaearctic (White Pelican) population passes over Israel during migration, allowing an estimate of the world populations of these species. Mean dates of arrival of most raptors are highly predictable, with confidence limits ranging between 1.5 and 5.5 days. The migration periods of White Storks and White Pelicans are longer and their mean day of appearance is less predictable (confidence limits range from 4.2 to 13.8 days). During autumn, 90% of the migrating populations of nocking species, such as Levant Sparrowhawk, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Honey Buzzard and Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus, pass within 13, 15, 16 and 18 days, respectively, while nonflocking species, such as Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus, Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus and Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus, generally take twice as long to pass. Similar passage periods were recorded in spring. For most species, the autumn migration period was longer than the spring migration period, probably because in autumn adults move before the young birds. Three factors affected the timing and spread of the migration wave: age at first breeding, diet and size of the breeding area.     

Phyllody Malformation in Flowers of Rosaxhybrida cv. Motrea: Effects of Rootstocks, Flower Position, Growth Regulators and Season

Phyllody, a common malformation of Rosaxhybrida cv. Motrea,is characterized by the formation of vegetative structures inplace of stamens and carpels. The incidence of phyllody in thiscultivar is dependent on the type of the root system. The highestproportion of malformed flowers was found in ungrafted plants,this decreased in plants grafted on R. indica major and waslowest on R. canina inermis. Flowers formed on shoots, whichwere located closer to the roots, were more prone to phyllodythan those grown on the upper part of the plants. The incidenceof phyllody was lower in winter than in summer, while shadingof the plants reduced the proportion of malformed flowers regardlessof their root system and the season. Application of gibberellicacid (GA₃) or benzylaminopurine (BAP) greatly promoted the incidenceof phyllody, while paclobutrazol (PBZ) reduced it. The activityof endogenous cytokinins in the xylem exudates from ungraftedplants was higher than in exudates from those grafted on R.indica major, and the lowest activity was found in exudatesfrom plants grafted on R. canina inermis. The involvement ofplant hormones in the development of floral organs in rose flowersis discussed. Key words: Cytokinins, flower malformation, gibberellic acid, homeosis, phyllody, roses     

Role of Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic Acid (ACC) in Control of Ethylene Production in Fresh and Cold-stored Rose Flowers

The relationships between ethylene production, aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylicacid (ACC) content and ethylene-forming-enzyme (EFE) activityduring ageing and cold storage of rose flower petals (Rose hybridaL. cv. Gabriella) were investigated. During flower ageing at20 °C there was a climacteric rise in petal ethylene production,a parallel increase in ACC content, but a continuous decreasein EFE activity. Applied ACC increased petal ethylene productionc. 200-fold. During cold storage of flowers at 1 °C therewere parallel increases in petal ethylene production and ACCcontent, to levels greater than those reached in fresh flowersheld at 20 °C. EFE activity decreased during storage. Immediatelyafter cold-stored flowers were transferred to 20 °C ethyleneproduction and ACC levels were c. four times greater than infreshly cut flowers. These levels increased to maximum valuesof two to four times the maximum values reached during ageingof fresh, unstored, flowers. It was concluded that in rose petalsethylene synthesis is probably regulated by ACC levels and thatcold storage stimulates ethylene synthesis because it increasesthe levels of ACC in the petals. Key words: Rose flower, senescence, ethylene     

Routes of migrating soaring birds

Soaring migrants travelling through Israel use three principal routes which are used in the opposite directions during the spring and autumn: (1) the Western Route lies mainly along the western edge of the central mountain range, (2) the Eastern Route lies mainly along the Jordan Valley, crossing the mountain range during part of the day, continuing southward along the Dead Sea towards the Sinai, and joining the Western Route in autumn and (3) the Southern-Elat Mountains Route. The geomorphological structure of Israel, with a central mountain range dividing the country roughly into three landscape units, plays a central role in route selection. In the autumn, the Western Route migration axis is deflected at the beginning of the day from east to west for 10–25 km, depending on weather conditions and the flock's roosting locations. Between 10.00 h and 11.00 h, the daily breeze blowing from the Mediterranean Sea influences the migration axis, which is slowly deflected back to the east. A parallel deflection of the migration axis occurs in the Eastern Route in the autumn. The route moves southwest over the eastern slopes of the central mountain range during the morning hours and over the slope, which absorbs direct radiation from the sun, creating good soaring conditions. Towards late afternoon, when the breeze from the sea starts, the axis is deflected to the east, to the Jordan Valley. In the Elat Mountains, the wind flow plays a similar role, but because the topography of the southern Arava Valley causes a change in wind direction, the axis moves during the day in a north-south direction. In addition to the axis movement on a daily scale, a seasonal deflection of the migration axis from east to west also exists. During autumn migration, early migrants (e.g. White Storks Ciconia ciconia) tend to travel on an eastern route, while late migrants (e.g. White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus) travel along the Mediterranean coast. This fluctuation was probably because of sub-optimal soaring conditions along the coastal plain during August. In September, temperature differences between the sea and land decrease and the influence of the marine inversion gradually declines, until its influence disappears completely in October. A comparison of the numbers of soaring birds seen over Israel in the autumn and spring shows significant seasonal differences in the use of the various routes. For example, only one species, the Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis, flies over the Elat Mountains in the autumn, compared to more than 30 species in the spring. In the autumn, White Storks pass over only along the Jordan Valley axis, whereas in the spring, about half the migrating storks also pass over the western edge of the central mountain range. Honey Buzzards Pernis apivorus fly along the Western Route in large numbers in the autumn, while concentrating almost totally over the Elat Mountains in the spring. These differences are related to the global migration routes between the breeding and the wintering grounds in relation to the Red Sea, which birds avoid crossing, thus causing them to follow different routes in autumn, and spring.