Territorial male bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) do not assess fighting ability based on size-related variation in acoustic signals

Some animals use communication signals to assess their opponent'ssize and fighting ability during aggressive conflicts. Malefrogs assess their opponent's size based on the fundamentalfrequency (pitch) of advertisement calls, which is negativelycorrelated with body size, an important determinant of fightingability in frogs. I conducted a field playback experiment to investigate whether territorial male bullfrogs assess the sizeof opponents based solely on size-related variation in fundamentalfrequency. I repeatedly broadcast synthetic bullfrog advertisementcalls to three groups of males. Playback stimuli simulateda large male (n = 24), a small male (n = 24), or an acousticallysize-matched male (n = 34). Neither the simulated size of theopponent, the subject's own size, nor the degree of size asymmetrybetween the subject and simulated intruder had significanteffects on the magnitude of responses during the playback testor on the rate of habituation that occurred with repeated stimulation.Post-hoc analyses of effect sizes and statistical power indicatedthat the effects in this study were quite small compared toprevious studies in other frogs. More important, power analysesindicated that this study had high power (1 - ß >0.90) to detect the magnitude of effect sizes observed in previous studies. Thus, territorial male bullfrogs do not appear to assessan opponent's fighting ability based solely on the fundamentalfrequency of acoustic signals. These results contrast starklywith theoretical predictions and previous empirical work withfrogs.     

The effects of perceived predation risk on pre- and post-metamorphic phenotypes in the common frog

Where organisms undergo radical changes in habitat during ontogeny, dramatic phenotypic reshaping may be required. However, physiological and functional interrelationships may constrain the extent to which an individual's phenotype can be equally well adapted to their habitat throughout the life cycle. The phenotypic response of tadpoles to the presence of a predator has been reported for several species of anuran but the potential post-metamorphic consequences have rarely been considered. We reared common frog Rana temporaria tadpoles in the presence or absence of a larval odonate predator, Aeshna juncea , and examined the consequences of the resulting phenotypic adjustment in the aquatic larval stage of the life cycle for the terrestrial juvenile phenotype. In early development tadpoles developed deeper tail fins and muscles in response to the predator and, in experimental trials, swam further than those reared in the absence of a predator. While the difference in swimming ability remained significant throughout the larval period, by the onset of metamorphosis we could no longer detect any differences in the morphological parameters measured. The corresponding post-metamorphic phenotypes also did not initially differ in terms of morphology. At 12 weeks post-metamorphosis, however, froglets that developed from predator-exposed tadpoles swam more slowly and less far than those that developed from tadpoles reared in the absence of predators, the opposite trend to that observed in the larval stage of the life cycle, and had narrower femurs. These results suggest that there may be long-term costs for subsequent life-history stages of tailoring the larval phenotype to prevailing environmental conditions.     

Predatory senescence in ageing wolves

It is well established that ageing handicaps the ability of prey to escape predators, yet surprisingly little is known about how ageing affects the ability of predators to catch prey. Research into long-lived predators has assumed that adults have uniform impacts on prey regardless of age. Here we use longitudinal data from repeated observations of individually-known wolves ( Canis lupus ) hunting elk ( Cervus elaphus ) in Yellowstone National Park to demonstrate that adult predatory performance declines with age and that an increasing ratio of senescent individuals in the wolf population depresses the rate of prey offtake. Because this ratio fluctuates independently of population size, predatory senescence may cause wolf populations of equal size but different age structure to have different impacts on prey populations. These findings suggest that predatory senescence is an important, though overlooked, factor affecting predator-prey dynamics.     

Roosting ecology and variation in adaptive and innate immune system function in the Brazilian free-tailed bat (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Tadarida brasiliensis</Emphasis>)

Bats have recently been implicated as reservoirs of important emerging diseases. However, few studies have examined immune responses in bats, and even fewer have evaluated these responses in an ecological context. We examined aspects of both innate and adaptive immune response in adult female Brazilian free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) at four maternity roosts (two natural caves and two human-made bridges) in south-central Texas. Immune measurements included in vitro bactericidal ability of whole blood and in vivo T cell mediated response to mitogenic challenge. Bactericidal activity in T. brasiliensis varied with roosting ecology, but appears to be sensitive to colony-level effects. Blood from females living at one cave had significantly lower bactericidal ability than blood from females at three other sites. T cell mediated response in this species was associated with variation in roost ecology, with females from two caves having greater responses than females from two bridges. T cell mediated response and bactericidal activity were negatively correlated with one another within individuals that were tested for both. Variation in immunological response of T. brasiliensis is important for understanding the influence of the environment on the frequency and distribution of immunologically competent individuals and for understanding disease-host dynamics in this and other colonial species.     

Role of glucosinolates in plant invasiveness

Many plants have been intentionally or accidentally introduced to new habitats where some of them now cause major ecological and economic threats to natural and agricultural ecosystems. The potential to become invasive might depend on plant characteristics, as well as on specific interactions with other organisms acting as symbionts or antagonists, including other plants, microbes, herbivores, or pollinators. The invasion potential furthermore depends on abiotic conditions in the habitat. Several species of the Brassicaceae, well known for their glucosinolate–myrosinase defence system, are invasive species. Various factors are reviewed here that might explain why these species were so successful in colonising new areas. Specific emphasis is laid on the role of glucosinolates and their hydrolysis products in the invasion potential. This particular defence system is involved specifically in plant–plant, plant–microbe and plant–insect interactions. Most research has been done on the mechanisms underlying invasion success of Alliaria petiolata and Brassica spp., followed by Bunias orientalis and Lepidium draba. Some examples are also given for plants that are not necessarily considered as invasives, but which were well investigated with respect to their interference potential with their biotic environment. For each species, most likely a combination of different plant characteristics enhanced the competitive abilities and led to diverse invasive phenotypes.     

Variation in the dysbindin gene and normal cognitive function in three independent population samples

The association between DTNBP1 genotype and cognitive abilities was investigated in three population samples (1054 Scottish, 1806 Australian and 745 English) of varying age. There was evidence in each of the cohorts for association ( P  <  0.05) to single nucleotide polymorphisms ( SNPs) and haplotypes previously shown to relate to cognition. By comparison with previous findings, these associations included measures of memory, and there was at best equivocal evidence of association with general cognitive ability. Of the SNPs typed in all three cohorts, rs2619528 and rs1011313 showed significant association with measures of executive function in two cohorts, rs1018381 showed significant association with verbal ability in one cohort and rs2619522 showed significance/marginal significance with tests of memory, speed and executive function in two cohorts. For all these SNPs, the direction and magnitude of the allelic effects were consistent between cohorts and with previous findings. In the English cohort, a previously untested SNP (rs742105) located in a distinct haplotype block upstream of the other SNPs showed the strongest significance ( P  <  0.01) for measures of memory but weaker significance for general cognitive ability. Our results therefore support involvement of the dysbindin gene in cognitive function, but further work is needed to clarify the specific functional variants involved and the cognitive abilities with which they are associated.     

不同株龄日本落叶松插穗的内源激素含量与生根的关系

研究了日本落叶松母株年龄、插穗内源激素含量与生根之间的关系,以及外源IBA对插穗内源激素含量的影响及其对插穗生根的促进作用。结果表明：不同株龄插穗生根性状及插穗茎和叶中激素含量差异均达极显著水平,叶中激素含量对插穗生根力没有直接影响;插穗茎中生根抑制激素（ABA）含量随株龄增长而增加,生根促进激素与抑制激素的比值（IAA＋GA＋ZR）/ABA却随株龄的增长而递减,与生根力随株龄的变化趋势一致,且该比值与生根性状紧密相关,因此可作为评价母株（无性系）生根力的指标;插后13～32d是插穗愈伤组织形成和不定根诱导的关键期,此期生根促进激素消耗量大,茎中含量大幅度降低,进入根伸长生长阶段,含量上升;外源IBA促进插穗生根的机制在于通过外源激素的刺激,在不定根诱导期,插穗茎中ABA含量大幅度降低,从而有利于不定根的发生和发育。     

一个三物种生态系统模型

本文利用属性集合来定义物种,对于同一物种中的不同个体,各种属性所表现出的强度不同,导致了个体之间的差异性．对一个物种而言,它具有的某方面功能是由物种的不同属性体现于这方面的能力所共同决定的．本文对具有环状捕食结构的三物种构成的生态系统,以各物种的每个属性对和捕食逃逸能力的贡献方式为基础,将属性分为四类．讨论了四类属性随时间的演化规律．从所得的结果发现,随着时间的延伸,三物种可以稳定的共存;另外,对物种捕食和逃逸有利的属性在平均意义下是进化的,而对捕食和逃逸无作用的属性却无法被淘汰．     

不同温度条件下几种枝角类浮游动物的抑藻净水效应研究

研究了22℃、16℃两个温境、实验室系统中长刺潘、短腹平直潘、多刺裸腹潘、透明潘4种枝角类对于小球藻及铜绿微囊藻混合藻液的牧食能力及其在恒定光照条件下的净水能力。结果显示：4种枝角类在藻液初始吸光度大于0．160的情况下均可使藻液浓度下降,其摄食速度随藻类生物量增加而增加,当藻类生物量超过饱和值时,摄食速度随之下降。徐州长刺潘牧食及净水能力最强,在底泥背景下滇池短腹平直澄摄食及净水能力有所增强,透明潘摄食净水能力差,多刺裸腹潘在处理后期自身的排泄物会污染水体。     

食用菌栽培学实践教学改革与学生创业能力的培养

自我创业已经成为大学毕业生的重要就业方式。但是,缺少专业特长、缺乏实践经验和社会阅历,致使大学生在创业过程中遭遇了很多坎坷。食用菌栽培学是一门实用性很强的课程,从培养学生自我创业能力出发,我们大胆改革实践教学,在训练学生的实际操作能力,掌握一门技术专长的基础上,还对大学生的创新能力、创业意识进行培养,为大学生日后成功创业奠定基础。