Flexible mating patterns in an obligate brood parasite

Polygamous mating is expected to occur in obligate avian brood parasites because the lack of parental care reduces the need for a stable reproductive bond. Unlike nesting species, an absence of the constraints resulting from raising offspring might also favour a flexible mating system that adjusts to changing ecological conditions. Information on brood parasites' mating systems and their spatio‐temporal variation is, however, still scant. Here we analysed the genetic mating patterns of Great Spotted Cuckoos Clamator glandarius in two populations in northern and southern Spain and compared the results with those of previous studies. Parentage analyses showed high levels of polygamy in both populations that contrast with a prevalence of monogamy previously reported in the southern population. We suggest that the differences arise from an increase in population density, which in turn increases the probability of intraspecific encounters and therefore opportunities for mating. We also found that a greater number of mates increased the number of offspring produced, both in males and in females. The increase in offspring production in females might be the result of enhanced fertilization success during the lengthy laying period. Our data, combined with previous reports, demonstrate plasticity in the genetic mating patterns of the Great Spotted Cuckoo that may be associated with large fluctuations in population density.     

辽东湾斑海豹MHC-DQB 基因的遗传多样性分析

本文从25 份斑海豹样本中获得141 bp 片段,发现21 个变异位点,定义了12 个MHC-DQB 等位基因,氨基酸变异率为25.5% 。等位基因之间的遗传距离范围是0. 0071 ～ 0.1064,平均值为0.0577,不同等位基因之间的碱基差异是1 ～ 15 bp,平均差异数为8 bp。与其他鳍足类动物对比后发现,斑海豹MHC-DQB 表现出较丰富的多态性。非同义替换率明显高于同义替换率,由此造成的氨基酸替换集中在肽结合位点PBR 附近,表明DQB 基因受到强烈的平衡选择作用。11 个样本出现多于两条等位基因的情况,推测存在基因重复现象。     

Breeding biology aspects of spotted flapshell Turtle,Lissemys punctata (Lacepede 1788), in Bangladesh

This study was conducted to determine the breeding season, gonadal development, egg laying period, clutch size and other biological aspects of spotted flapshell turtle, Lissemys punctata, of Bangladesh between January 1997 and December 2001. The egg laying period of L. punctata, was found between August and March. The nesting sites were elevated fallow lands in secluded areas. The female turtle laid all the mature eggs at a time for each clutch at night. A gravid female turtle laid three clutches of eggs in each year and the mean clutch size was 13.0 ± 1.9 eggs and mean weight of each egg was 10.3 ± 1.3 g. The eggs are spherical in shape and whitish in color. The mean incubation period was 173 ± 34 days (range 119–225 days). The incubation period of first clutch was the longest than the second and third clutches. Hatching success was found 41%. Maximum hatching was observed in June. The present investigation was made to explore the possibility to raise turtle farming in captive condition. The findings would, hopefully, help to rear the species and to assess the commercial potentiality of turtle farming in captive condition, that is, in the eco-climatic condition of Bangladesh.     

Amino acid uptake as a function of differentiation in Candida albicans: studies of a non-germinative variant

The transport of four amino acids (L-methionine, L-phenylalanine, L-lysine and L-alanine) was studied during pH-regulated dimorphism in Candida albicans and its stable, non-germinative variant. The permeases responsible for uptake responded differently to differentiation and the transport activities varied during the course of morphogenesis. An increase in uptake around the time of evagination was observed in all four amino acids in both the strains studied. The uptake rates of L-methionine and L-phenylalanine were greater in fully differentiated hyphae, while the rate of L-lysine was higher in fully differentiated buds. Uptake rates of L-alanine, however, did not show any morphotypic related variation. The possible implication of these transport activities in relation to differentiation is discussed.     

Host plant testing ofUrophora quadrifasciata [Diptera: Tephritidae] againstCarthamus tinctorius and two North American species ofCentaurea

Host specificity ofUrophora quadrifasciata (Meig.) [Dipt.: Tephritidae], an introduced biological control agent of diffuse and spotted knapweed, was investigated by exposing flies to safflower,Carthamus tinctorius L., and 2 native knapweeds,Centaurea americana Nutt. andC. rothrockii Greenman. Results of the tests, and literature records indicate thatU. quadrifasciata is host specific to a few closely related plants of introduced knapweed species, and thus poses no threat to economically and ecologically important plant species in the United States.      

Hematological characteristics of the spotted rose snapper Lutjanus guttatus (Steindachner, 1869) healthy and naturally infected by dactylogyrid monogeneans

The aim of the present study was to obtain a basic knowledge of the hematology in order to determine changes in blood parameters of the spotted rose snapper Lutjanus guttatus. The morphological features of blood cells were described according to the observations made by light microscopy of Wright-Giemsa-stained blood films. The reference intervals and the mean value were determined for each hematological parameter evaluated in healthy fish and data were compared to those of naturally infected, with dactylogyrid monogeneans fish.Infected fish showed a prevalence of 100% and a mean intensity of 246.6 parasites per fish. Mean values of HCT, WBC, thrombocytes percentage and eosinophils percentage were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the infected fish. In addition, lymphocytes percentage and total protein were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in the infected fish compared to healthy fish. Only total WBC count, lymphocytes percentage and eosinophils percentage in infected fish were outside reference interval. The hematology of the spotted rose snapper of this study might serve as a basis for future studies and diagnosis. Changes observed in blood parameters in infected fish suggest that the immune system of L. guttatus was affected by the presence of the parasites.     

Honey bees and wild pollinators differ in their preference for and use of introduced floral resources

Introduced plants may be important foraging resources for honey bees and wild pollinators, but how often and why pollinators visit introduced plants across an entire plant community is not well understood. Understanding the importance of introduced plants for pollinators could help guide management of these plants and conservation of pollinator habitat. We assessed how floral abundance and pollinator preference influence pollinator visitation rate and diversity on 30 introduced versus 24 native plants in central New York. Honey bees visited introduced and native plants at similar rates regardless of floral abundance. In contrast, as floral abundance increased, wild pollinator visitation rate decreased more strongly for introduced plants than native plants. Introduced plants as a group and native plants as a group did not differ in bee diversity or preference, but honey bees and wild pollinators preferred different plant species. As a case study, we then focused on knapweed (Centaurea spp.), an introduced plant that was the most preferred plant by honey bees, and that beekeepers value as a late‐summer foraging resource. We compared the extent to which honey bees versus wild pollinators visited knapweed relative to coflowering plants, and we quantified knapweed pollen and nectar collection by honey bees across 22 New York apiaries. Honey bees visited knapweed more frequently than coflowering plants and at a similar rate as all wild pollinators combined. All apiaries contained knapweed pollen in nectar, 86% of apiaries contained knapweed pollen in bee bread, and knapweed was sometimes a main pollen or nectar source for honey bees in late summer. Our results suggest that because of diverging responses to floral abundance and preferences for different plants, honey bees and wild pollinators differ in their use of introduced plants. Depending on the plant and its abundance, removing an introduced plant may impact honey bees more than wild pollinators.     

发酵豆粕对圆斑星鲽生长及消化能力的影响

为探讨圆斑星鲽(Verasper variegatus)饲料中发酵豆粕的适宜添加量, 以鱼粉和发酵豆粕为蛋白源, 鱼油和豆油为脂肪源, 分别添加0、10%、20%、30%和40%的发酵豆粕替代0、9.81%、19.63%、29.44%和39.26%的鱼粉蛋白, 设计5种等蛋白(50%)、等脂(8%)的实验饲料(分别表示为Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ、Ⅳ和Ⅴ), 每组设3个重复, 每重复15尾鱼, 初始体重为(49.01.0) g, 经过8周的饲养实验, 结果表明: (1)饲料效率随饲料中发酵豆粕水平的升高逐渐降低, 饲料中发酵豆粕水平为20%时, 鱼体的终末体重、特定生长率和摄食量均会显著降低(P0.05)。(2)全鱼水分和灰分含量随饲料中发酵豆粕水平的升高而升高, 粗蛋白和粗脂肪含量则随发酵豆粕水平的升高而降低。(3)胃蛋白酶和肝脂肪酶活力随饲料中发酵豆粕水平的增加先降低后升高, Ⅰ组最高, 显著高于Ⅲ组 (P0.05), 但与Ⅱ组无显著性差异(P0.05); Ⅱ、Ⅲ和Ⅴ组的胃脂肪酶活力显著高于其他两组(P0.05); 肠淀粉酶活力则随饲料中发酵豆粕水平的增加先升高后降低, Ⅲ组最高, 显著高于Ⅰ组(P0.05),但与Ⅱ组无显著性差异(P0.05); 其他消化酶活力(肠蛋白酶、胃淀粉酶、肠脂肪酶)均无显著性差异(P0.05)。(4)Ⅰ组的皱襞高度和肠壁厚度均显著高于其他组(P0.05), 各组的黏膜厚度无显著性差异(P0.05)。综上所述, 在饲料中添加10%的发酵豆粕对圆斑星鲽的生长、饲料利用和形体指标无显著性影响,过量添加则抑制鱼体的生长。     

Large differences in the composition of herbivore communities and seed damage in diploid and autotetraploid plant species

Herbivory is one of the key interactions affecting plant fitness. Despite the large amount of data available on the effects of herbivores on various plant groups, we still know very little information about the interactions of herbivores with individuals having different ploidy levels. We studied the relationship of diploid and tetraploid Centaurea phrygia in natural and experimental garden conditions to the community of pre‐dispersal seed predators developing in flower heads of the plants. In addition, we collected a set of data on flowering phenology, and flower head morphology and chemistry to investigate potential mechanisms underlying the differences between cytotypes. The two cytotypes are strongly differentiated in their flower head morphology and chemistry as well as in their flowering phenology, with flower heads of diploids being larger, containing more secondary metabolites and flowering later. Also, the two cytotypes strongly differed in the composition of insect communities in the flower heads and tetraploids suffered higher seed damage than the diploids. The differences between cytotypes in seed damage were generally consistent across datasets, indicating that the differences are not due to differences in the habitats in which the cytotypes occur but are due to differences in particular biological characteristics of the plants. The diversity and composition of insect communities, however, strongly varied between years and environments. Flowering phenology could explain part, but not all of the differences observed between cytotypes, indicating that other factors such as flower head morphology or chemistry could also play a role. The study indicated that the differences between the two cytotypes are important determinant of the plant–herbivore interactions in the system. Although we identified multiple factors that could explain the different associations, further research is needed to assess the relative importance of each of these factors. © 2015 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2015, 115 , 270–287.