Determination of the optimal parasitoid‐to‐host ratio for efficient mass‐rearing of the parasitoid,Sclerodermus pupariae (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae)

Sclerodermus pupariae Yang et Yao (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) is used as a potential biocontrol agent for several buprestid and cerambycid larvae. This study aimed to enhance the efficiency of mass‐rearing of this parasitoid by investigating the fitness gain of this bethylid wasp, including the proportion of successful parasitism and development, brood size, sex ratio, proportion of winged female offspring, body size and longevity of female offspring, under eight different maternal parasitoid density treatments using Thyestilla gebleri Faldermann as host in the laboratory. The results indicated that the foundress densities did not affect the parasitism or emergence rate of this parasitoid. Brood size of the parasitoids increased significantly when the number of maternal wasps ranged from one to four. However, further increases in foundress number did not affect the parasitoid brood size. The sex ratios of S. pupariae were always female‐biased. The proportions of male in the progeny colonies were <10% throughout all experimental treatments. The percentage of winged female progeny was not significantly influenced by the density of adult maternal parasitoids. Body sizes of parasitoids significantly declined with increasing maternal parasitoid densities. Although the parasitoid body size reduced when maternal wasp number was higher, it could be compromised by the relatively higher number of female offspring produced. Further, more than 70% of the parasitoids remained alive when they were stored at 12°C for four months throughout the experiments. These findings suggest that exposure of four female wasps to a single host larva would result in the highest fitness of S. pupariae. Our findings might provide a new approach to enhance the efficiency of mass‐rearing of this bethylid wasp.     

云南草寇花序内不同部位的性分配

两性花植物花序内的性分配常存在差异,资源竞争、结构效应、交配环境(雌雄异熟、传粉者定向访花行为等)或授粉不均匀等几种假说可以解释这种现象。为验证上述假说,该研究以云南草寇两种表型(雄先熟型和雌先熟型)为材料,分析了其花序内不同部位(基部、中部和顶部)的每花花粉数、胚珠数、花粉/胚珠比、结实率和结籽率,花序内传粉者的定向访花行为,以及人工辅助授粉和去花处理对结实率和结籽率的影响。结果表明:两种表型花序内每花花粉数不随部位而变化,每花胚珠数、结实率和结籽率由基部到顶部依次降低,每花花粉/胚珠比由基部到顶部依次增加,表明顶部花存在偏雄的性分配。人工辅助授粉后,结实率、结籽率仍由基部到顶部依次降低,表明授粉不均匀假说不能解释云南草寇花序内不同部位结实率、结籽率的差异。去除基部和中部花后,顶部花人工辅助授粉条件下的结实率、结籽率与基部花人工辅助授粉条件下的结实率、结籽率无差异,表明云南草寇花序内不同部位结实率、结籽率的差异主要由资源竞争引起。雌先熟表型每花花粉数、花粉/胚珠比高于雄先熟表型,表明两种表型存在性分配差异。传粉者主要先访问云南草寇基部的花,然后向顶部移动。云南草寇花序内顶部偏雄的性分配可能是由资源竞争和传粉者定向访花造成的。     

艳山姜果实的生药学及气相色谱研究

艳山姜为姜科山姜属植物,艳山姜(Alpinia zerumbet)的干燥成熟果实,是贵州少数民族地区的传统习用药物,艳山姜在贵州省的种植面积已超过130 hm~2,是贵州"南药"的第一大宗产品,也是治理石漠化的重要经济植物,其自然资源非常丰富,亦是民间常用的香料植物资源。该研究采用性状、显微及理化鉴定方法,对艳山姜果实进行了系统的生药学研究,并对α-蒎烯、莰烯、β-蒎烯及1,8-桉叶油醇四个主要心血管药理活性成分进行含量分析。结果表明:艳山姜果实性状鉴别特征为果皮见12~20条纵棱隆起,顶端具花被残基突起,种子团由白色隔膜分为3瓣,每瓣具种子8~20粒不等,较易散落。显微鉴别特征为:种子横切面具1~2列油细胞,外胚乳细胞含淀粉粒,并可见细小草酸钙方晶;果实粉末可见螺纹导管、草酸钙方晶、淀粉粒、石细胞等。气相色谱法测得艳山姜果实挥发油中α-蒎烯、莰烯、β-蒎烯及1,8-桉叶油醇的平均含量分别为4.292%、3.966%、9.703%、27.171%。该研究的性状、显微鉴别方法准确、简单、易行,可作为艳山姜药材的鉴别依据;气相色谱含量测定方法重现性好,测定结果精确可靠,可用于艳山姜果实挥发油的含量测定。该研究结果为艳山姜药材的鉴定及进一步开发利用提供科学参考。     

高良姜等五味山姜属中药乙酸乙酯部位的HPLC指纹图谱

以95%乙醇作为提取的溶媒,将加热回流提取得到的提取液水浴挥干得到浸膏,并用甲醇配制成1 mg·m L~(-1)供试液。采用phenomenex-C18(250 mm×4.6 mm,5μm)色谱柱,流动相为乙腈-0.1%磷酸水溶液,梯度洗脱,流速为1.0 m L·min~(-1),柱温为30℃,检测波长为260 nm HPLC色谱法测定,采用国家药典委员会相似度评价软件进行分析。结果表明:建立了精密度、稳定性和重现性均较好的5味山姜属中药乙酸乙酯部位HPLC指纹图谱,确定了9个共有峰,6个强峰;其中高良姜、大高良姜含有5个共有峰,高良姜和草豆蔻含有3个共有峰,大高良姜和红豆蔻含有2个共有峰,高良姜和益智含有3个共有峰。对5味山姜属中药乙酸乙酯部位化学成分进行相似度分析,得出其相似度分别为0.955、0.805、0.371、0.794、0.345。所建立的5味山姜属中药乙酸乙酯部位的指纹图谱方法稳定、简便、可靠,其特征峰所代表的化学成分的相似性不尽相同,高良姜、大高良姜、草豆蔻的相似性较大,红豆蔻、益智的相似性较小,说明同基原中药之间的化学成分有一定的相关性。该研究结果为探讨山姜属中药亲缘关系与化学成分相关性提供了思路与基础。     

Experimental test of the mechanism underlying sexual segregation at communal roosts of harvestmen (Prionostemma spp.)

Closely related, ecologically similar species often roost in distinctly different habitats, and roosting patterns also vary within species in relation to sex, age and season. The causes of such variation are not well understood at either a proximate or ultimate level. We studied communal roosting in two congeneric species of Prionostemma harvestmen at a rainforest site in Nicaragua. Previous research showed that Prionostemma sp. 1 forms male‐biased communal roosts in tree‐root cavities, while Prionostemma sp. 2 forms communal roosts of variable but temporally stable sex ratios on spiny palms. Here, we investigate potential mechanisms underlying variation in roosting site choice between and within these syntopic species. First, we present the results of a field experiment designed to probe the mechanism underlying skewed roost sex ratios in Prionostemma sp. 2. Previous studies have suggested that these harvestmen use conspecific scent to locate communal roosts and that new roosts can be established via group translocation. Therefore, to test the hypothesis that skewed roost sex ratios in this species arise from sex differences in scent marks, we translocated single‐sex groups of ca. 30 individuals to each of 20 previously unoccupied spiny palms. Female release sites attracted new recruits of both sexes, while male release sites attracted almost exclusively males. We infer that Prionostemma sp. 2 females preferentially roost in sites scent‐marked by females and that this mechanism is sufficient to explain the skewed roost ratios. Further adding to knowledge of Prionostemma roosting behavior, we show that Prionostemma sp. 1 forms female‐biased communal roosts on spiny palms, that some roosts contain both species, and that the species composition is stable on a time scale of at least 2 weeks. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first experimental test of mechanisms underlying sexual segregation at communal roosts in any taxon.     

Hatching order and sex ratio in Southern Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis in relation to clutch size

Despite major advances in sex ratio theory, how offspring sex should vary with hatching order remains unclear. We examine nestling sex ratio in the Southern Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis according to hatching order and clutch size. Southern Grey Shrike nestlings present a different sex ratio with body‐mass rank order depending on clutch size. When the clutch size was five eggs (with a very low risk of brood reduction; 13%) the less costly sex (male) was found at the end of the body mass hierarchy. However, when clutch size was six eggs (with a high risk of brood reduction; 42%) the larger sex (female) was found at intermediate positions in the hatching order, possibly to decrease competitive asymmetries.     

Sex allocation and sex‐specific parental investment in an endangered seabird

Biased offspring sex ratio is relatively rare in birds and sex allocation can vary with environmental conditions, with the larger and more costly sex, which can be either the male or female depending on species, favoured during high food availability. Sex‐specific parental investment may lead to biased mortality and, coupled with unequal production of one sex, may result in biased adult sex ratio, with potential grave consequences on population stability. The African Penguin Spheniscus demersus, endemic to southern Africa, is an endangered monogamous seabird with bi‐parental care. Female adult African Penguins are smaller, have a higher foraging effort when breeding and higher mortality compared with adult males. In 2015, a year in which environmental conditions were favourable for breeding, African Penguin chick production on Bird Island, Algoa Bay, South Africa, was skewed towards males (1.5 males to 1 female). Males also had higher growth rates and fledging mass than females, with potentially higher post‐fledging survival. Female, but not male, parents had higher foraging effort and lower body condition with increasing number of male chicks in their brood, thereby revealing flexibility in their parental strategy, but also the costs of their investment in their current brood. The combination of male‐biased chick production and higher female mortality, possibly at the juvenile stage as a result of lower parental investment in female chicks, and/or at the adult stage as a result of higher parental investment, may contribute to a biased adult sex ratio (ASR) in this species. While further research during years of contrasting food availability is needed to confirm this trend, populations with male‐skewed ASRs have higher extinction risks and conservation strategies aiming to benefit female African Penguin might need to be developed.     

Histological profiling of gonads depicting protandrous hermaphroditism in Eleutheronema tetradactylum

The fourfinger threadfin Eleutheronema tetradactylum is reported as a protandrous hermaphrodite from Australian waters, while being a gonochorist in reports from Singapore and India, with a single report of protandrous hermaphroditism from the latter. Histological analysis of gonads of fish from Indian waters confirms protandrous hermaphroditism in E. tetradactylum. The study was based on 480 fish examined from eight locations along the Indian coast. Mean total length (L_T) of male fish was 240 mm with the transition to female starting from 280 mm L_T. Specimens confirmed as mature females were >380 mm L_T.     

Sex determination of the Early Cretaceous clam shrimp Eosestheria middendorfii (Yixian Formation,China)

Clam shrimps have been recognized as a key group for the study of reproductive system evolution, owing to the diversity of sexual systems in extant members. However, there are comparatively little data on fossil taxa. In this study, we reveal the sexual system of the Early Cretaceous clam shrimp Eosestheria middendorfii (Yixian Formation, China). This is the first study that restricts the analysis to a single cohort, minimizing the otherwise considerable impact of ecophenotypic variation within this species. In addition, the presence of egg clutches, which identifies some individuals as either female or hermaphroditic, serves as an independent indicator for sex prior to the statistical treatment of the data. Obligate sexuality (‘dioecy’) is the inferred reproductive system for E. middendorfii and sexual dimorphism accounts for about 10% of the adult shape variation. Carapace shape variation resulting from malformation and deformation is more pronounced than the underlying sexual dimorphism. Subtle sexual dimorphism, smaller and slightly more elongate females, lateral egg clutches, and egg diameters of about 140 μm indicate that E. middendorfii is closely allied with the extant family Cyzicidae.