Host adaptation of the fruit piercing moth, Eudocima fullonia

Abstract.  The fruit piercing moth, Eudocima fullonia (Clerck) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), whose larval host plants are vines of the family Menispermaceae in Asia, Africa and Australia, is thought to have adapted to Erythrina spp. in the Pacific and Papua New Guinea and has been designated as a separate biotype from the Australasian and African biotype. To test the hypothesis that the Pacific population of E. fullonia is a biotype, feeding trials with the host plants Tinospora homosepala Diels (Menispermaceae) and Erythrina variegata Linn. (Fabaceae) were conducted in Guam. The results indicate that the Guam population of E. fullonia is a biotype that has expanded its host range from its normal Menispermaceae plants to Erythrina species, possibly due to genetic changes and/or the presence of closely related alkaloids in both the species and paucity of menisperms.     

The Reproductive Biology of Two Species of Diplusodon Pohl (Lythraceae) from Serra do Cipó, Southeastern Brazil

Abstract: The reproductive biology of two shrub species of Diplusodon (Lythraceae), D. hirsutus and D. orbicularis, was studied. Their distribution is restricted, mainly associated with "campos rupestres", a montane biome in SE Brazil. Both species proved to be self-compatible but because of herkogamy they are greatly dependent on visitors to effect pollination. The main pollinators are medium-sized bees. In experiments where pollinators were excluded or discouraged the percentage of abscised fruits was total or extremely high; most of these fruits dropped within the first two weeks after pollination in D. orbicularis and three weeks in D. hirsutus. The percentage of surviving fruits from control or manual pollination was higher in D. orbicularis ( ca. 70 %) than in D. hirsutus ( ca. 50 %). Seed set was very variable, with slightly lower means in D. hirsutus. Within each species the mean seed set was similar in self-, cross-pollinated fruits, and controls. In both species, the similarity between control and manual pollination fruit survival curves suggests that factors other than pollen limitation are the cause of abortion in the study area. The high rate of abscission, which was also observed in unmanipulated fruits, was attributed to resource limitation. In D. hirsutus this was caused by drought during seed development. In D. orbicularis it was enhanced by nutrient drain by shoot-galling flies. The lack of selective abortion of either selfed fruits or fruits with a small number of seeds may be a useful mechanism to overcome this detrimental effect which is felt later during fruit development.     

Paternity discrimination in a Japanese macaque group by DNA fingerprinting

Recently developed DNA fingerprinting techniques employing “minisatellite” hypervariable regions of DNA proved useful for investigating male reproductive success in Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata), for which other conventional behavioral or biochemical methods were impracticable. The identified paternity in a captive group indicated that inbreeding was avoided within the same maternal lineage and that females did not tend to give birth to offspring fathered by the same males during their life. It also revealed the possibility of a correlation between male dominance rank and number of offspring.     

Fruit growth and abscission in Macadamia imtegrifolia

Growth in diameter of fruits (follicles) of five cultivate of Macadamia integrifolia Maiden and Betche followed a single sigmoidal pattern. A rapid increase in fruit diameter began 2 to 3 weeks after anithesis and continued until weeks 14 to 16. No further increase in size was observed after 16 weeks. Growth in fresh weight of the two cnltivars observed also followed a single sigmoidal pattern. A rapid increase in fresh weight began 5 to 6 weeks after anthesis and continued until weeks 15 to 18. No further increase in fresh weight was evident after 18 weeks. Abscission of flowers and fruits occurred continuously from anthesis through fruit maturity and could be separated into three periods. The first period of abscission occurred in the first 2 weeks after anthesis and commonly involved over 90% of the flowers. The second period of abscission occurred from 3 to 8 weeks after anthesis and commonly involved over 80% of the initial set of small fruit. This period of abscission occurred prior to and concurrent with the rapid increase in growth. The third period of abscission was gradual and occurred from 9 weeks after anthesis until maturity at 28 to 30 weeks. Measurement of ethylene evolution by fruits showed a peak during weeks 3 and 4. This was prior to the peak in relative abscission rate at week 5. The fruit removal force increased from anthesis through week 12 and decreased from week 24 through maturity.     

An experimental analysis of a mother-daughter rank reversal in Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata)

This paper describes in detail how a 2.5-year-old female belonging to the second-ranking family in a captive group of three families managed to outrank her healthy, three-times heavier mother with the aid of the two immature daughters of the alpha female who was not herself directly involved. After the outranking was completed, the two active allies were removed. This had no effect on the rank relation between the female and her daughter. It is only after the mother of the two allies was removed (in addition to her daughters) that the mother recovered her rank above her daughter. This case study and the few other reported cases of changes in rank among females are discussed in relation to the issue of the stability of rank relations in hierarchical systems where rank is socially inherited rather than based solely on dyadic power contests. On the basis of this combined evidence, it appears that when attempting to rise in rank, females do not challenge dominants by allying with subordinates, but that they rather ally with an individual ranking above the target. This phenomenon, together with the fact that support is given to other females downwards the hierarchy, might explain the stability of female dominance relations and be the manifestation of an Evolutionarily Stable Strategy.     

“Girney” vocalizations among Japanese macaque females: Context and function

One vocalization in the Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) system of communication is the “girney.” Previous studies indicated that the “girney” is used for short range communication and that it tends to occur when subordinate animals approach and groom dominant ones and when females without infants approach females who have infants. Data were collected on the social behavior of adult female Japanese monkeys of the Arashiyama-A troop in Texas in order to test those results. The study indicates that “girneys” are the most frequently occurring vocalizations of females during and following the birth season and that they occur primarily in two contexts. Those are the proximity of a female to another female with a new infant and the proximity of a lower ranking animal to a higher ranking one. The contexts are ones in which the risk of aggression is high, and the “girneys” appear to function as appeasement gestures to reduce the risk.     

A rapid whole-mount staining procedure for nuclei of mammalian embryos

A rapid staining procedure for examining nuclei of mammalian embryos is described. Embryos are placed on a glass slide, counterstained with trypan blue, stained with Hoechst 33342, and embedded between the slide and coverslip in Permount. The nuclei of the embryos fluoresce brightly when examined by fluorescence microscopy immediately after staining or after extended storage. The technique has proved to be an effective tool for studying the development of cow, hamster, mouse, pig, rabbit, and sheep embryos.     

用细胞培养的流行性乙型脑炎病毒抗原做ELISA检测特异的IgG抗体

用C6/36细胞增殖流行性乙型脑炎(乙脑)病毒制备抗原,用ELISA法检测乙脑IgG抗体,可获得满意结果。用此法检测了河南,海南地区不同年龄人群的253份血清标本,阳性检出率为55.6％(141/253)。与血凝抑制法(HI)相比较,HI的阳性率仅37.1％(93/253)。两种方法的抗体滴度呈正相关r=0.88。用ELISA检测,乙脑抗体与登革病毒抗原有一定交叉,但滴度平均有16倍差异。本方法重复性良好,具有特异、敏感、简便的特点。可用于乙脑的诊断、流行病学调查和疫苗效果的考核。     

A Method for Staining Nematode Secretions and Structures

Secretions from amphids, phasmids, and excretory system were stained by incubating nematodes in 0.1% coomassie brilliant blue G-250 in 40% aqueous methanol containing 10% acetic acid on slides with coverslips sealed with nail polish or Zut. Nematodes incubated in this staining solution usually produced copious amounts of secretions from their amphids and excretory pore. Phasmids also stained dark blue, enabling them to be easily observed. Other biological dyes stained these secretions or were useful for differentiating specific morphological features of nematodes.