Differential response among chestnut traditional varieties to the attack of Cydia splendana

Fruit production of Castanea sativa Miller (Fagaceae) in southern Spain is carried out in traditional orchards using a large number of local varieties. The main areas of production are located in the Natural Park of Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche (Huelva) and the Genal river Valley (Malaga). These agroforestry systems have shown a high genetic diversity and represent an example of in situ conservation. In this region, chestnut mainly suffers from attacks by Cydia splendana (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), whose larvae feed on the fruits, thereby reducing their quality and economic value. The aim of this study was to evaluate the differential response between the chestnut local varieties to the attack of C. splendana. For that purpose, trees from the most representative varieties were evaluated on various farms. In cases where it was necessary, the trees were identified with a set of eight microsatellite markers. The infestation rate of C. splendana (percentage of infested fruits of the total fruits sampled per tree) differed among varieties, indicating a high genetic component in this effect. The results obtained in this study open the possibility of using this differential response in the control of C. splendana.     

藏经楼粉螨综合防治案例

应用电热器升温 ,CaCl2 吸湿 ,NaHCO3 和草酸晶粉释放CO2 ,磷化铝熏蒸 ,DDVP乙醇混合液综合防治某寺院藏经楼的粉螨 ,杀虫效果显著 ,且对藏经楼的文物没有危害。     

Phylogenetic Analysis of Evolutionary Relationships of the Planctomycete Division of the Domain Bacteria Based on Amino Acid Sequences of Elongation Factor Tu

Sequences from the tuf gene coding for the elongation factor EF-Tu were amplified and sequenced from the genomic DNA of Pirellula marina and Isosphaera pallida, two species of bacteria within the order Planctomycetales. A near-complete (1140-bp) sequence was obtained from Pi. marina and a partial (759-bp) sequence was obtained for I. pallida. Alignment of the deduced Pi. marina EF-Tu amino acid sequence against reference sequences demonstrated the presence of a unique 11-amino acid sequence motif not present in any other division of the domain Bacteria. Pi. marina shared the highest percentage amino acid sequence identity with I. pallida but showed only a low percentage identity with other members of the domain Bacteria. This is consistent with the concept of the planctomycetes as a unique division of the Bacteria. Neither primary sequence comparison of EF-Tu nor phylogenetic analysis supports any close relationship between planctomycetes and the chlamydiae, which has previously been postulated on the basis of 16S rRNA. Phylogenetic analysis of aligned EF-Tu amino acid sequences performed using distance, maximum-parsimony, and maximum-likelihood approaches yielded contradictory results with respect to the position of planctomycetes relative to other bacteria. It is hypothesized that long-branch attraction effects due to unequal evolutionary rates and mutational saturation effects may account for some of the contradictions. Received: 21 August 2000 / Accepted: 8 January 2001     

北京城市公园湿地的休憩吸引力评价

以北京地区20个城市公园湿地为研究对象,从公园湿地的景观质量、区位条件、可达性3方面构建了城市公园湿地休憩吸引力评价指标体系,并基于层次分析法赋权的综合指数评价方法,对公园湿地的休憩吸引力进行评价,最后通过实地问卷调查数据对休憩吸引力评价结果进行验证,结果表明:具有高休憩吸引力的公园湿地依次为颐和园、奥林匹克公园、青龙湖公园、北海公园、圆明园、玉渊潭公园、十渡、金海湖风景区、陶然亭公园、野鸭湖湿地,稻香湖湿地和珍珠湖风景区的休憩吸引力最低,其余8个公园湿地休憩吸引力一般.休憩吸引力评价结果与实际调查数据相符,说明所建立的评价指标体系与评价方法是可行的.20个公园湿地按照其休憩吸引力可聚为4类,据此可制定不同的管理对策.通过城市公园湿地休憩吸引力评价,分析城市公园湿地景观在休闲游憩方面所发挥的作用,可以为城市湿地公园的优化与配置、提高人居环境质量、改善城市景观布局提供依据.     

Response to Vogelstein: How the 2012 AAP Task Force on circumcision went wrong

Vogelstein cautions medical organizations against jumping into the fray of controversial issues, yet proffers the 2012 American Academy of Pediatrics' Task Force policy position on infant male circumcision as ‘an appropriate use of position‐statements.’ Only a scratch below the surface of this policy statement uncovers the Task Force's failure to consider Vogelstein's many caveats. The Task Force supported the cultural practice by putting undeserved emphasis on questionable scientific data, while ignoring or underplaying the importance of valid contrary scientific data. Without any effort to quantitatively assess the risk/benefit balance, the Task Force concluded the benefits of circumcision outweighed the risks, while acknowledging that the incidence of risks was unknown. This Task Force differed from other Academy policy‐forming panels by ignoring the Academy's standard quality measures and by not appointing members with extensive research experience, extensive publications, or recognized expertise directly related to this topic. Despite nearly 100 publications available at the time addressing the substantial ethical issues associated with infant male circumcision, the Task Force chose to ignore the ethical controversy. They merely stated, with minimal justification, the opinion of one of the Task Force members that the practice of infant male circumcision is morally permissible. The release of the report has fostered an explosion of academic discussion on the ethics of infant male circumcision with a number of national medical organizations now decrying the practice as a human rights violation.     

榕果挥发物对传粉榕小蜂的吸引作用

榕树 /榕小蜂专一性共生系统的维持 ,与榕树开花期释放的特殊的挥发性化合物以及榕小蜂对其寄主榕树的化学识别和定位紧密相关。研究选取了西双版纳地区常见的 3种榕树 ,即对叶榕 Ficus hispida、木瓜榕 F.auriculata和鸡嗉子榕F.semicordata的榕果作为实验材料 ,利用野外诱捕实验、室内生物检测实验检测传粉榕小蜂 Hymenoptera:ChalcidoidaeAgaonidae对 12种信息化合物及榕果的二氯甲烷浸提物的趋向性反应 ,研究不同榕属植物的传粉榕小蜂对相同的信息化合物的反应差异 ,以及传粉榕小蜂受不同发育时期榕果浸提物吸引的显著性程度。诱捕实验中对叶榕小蜂 Ceratosolen solmsimarchali对香叶醇的趋向性反应显著 ,大果榕小蜂 C.emarginatus对接受期榕果浸提物和芳樟醇都有明显的趋向性反应 ,而对间花期榕果浸提物则无显著反应。嗅觉仪生物检测实验中 ,鸡嗉果榕小蜂 C.gravelyi对香叶醇和松油醇都表现出显著的趋向性反应。结果表明 ,对叶榕、鸡嗉子榕传粉榕小蜂对 12种信息化合物的反应存在一定的差异 ,木瓜榕传粉榕小蜂对香叶醇和木瓜榕接受期榕果浸提物的趋向性反应比间花期榕果强得多     

7种寄主和非寄主植物气味对茶尺蠖成虫行为的调控效应

为探讨茶园生态系中植物气味对茶尺蠖成虫行为的影响,遂以茶园群落中7种常见植物新鲜嫩梢为味源,设1.5、5.0、7.5、10.0、15.0、20.0g和30.0g剂量,洁净空气为CK1,用Y型嗅觉仪对茶尺蠖成虫进行的剂量反应结果为:①剂量为1.5g时寄主薄荷诱得的成虫数与CK1的差异显著;随着剂量增加,其诱得成虫数呈抛物线式递减;剂量为30.0g时其诱得成虫数显著小于CK1。②随着剂量的加大,寄主迷迭香、茶叶和吸毒草诱得成虫数呈抛物线式递增,剂量分别为7.5、10.0g和15.0g、以及10.0g时,3种寄主分别与CK1引诱成虫数的差异显著;当剂量再加大,3种寄主皆表现驱避效应,当剂量为30.0g时迷迭香诱得成虫数显著小于CK1。③当剂量为1.5g时,寄主万寿菊呈微弱引诱效应,当剂量再增加时则呈微弱驱避效应且驱避效应增强,当剂量为30.0g时其诱得成虫数显著小于CK1。④当剂量为5.0g时,寄主碰碰香无引诱或驱避效应;剂量为7.5g时,碰碰香呈微弱引诱效应;当剂量再增加时则呈微弱驱避效应。⑤当剂量为5.0、7.5、10.0g,非寄主薰衣草未呈现引诱或驱避;当剂量再增加时则呈驱避效应;当剂量为30.0g时其诱得成虫数显著小于CK1。再以正己烷为溶剂,取新鲜薄荷、万寿菊、茶叶嫩梢榨汁,汁液浸泡橡皮头24h以汲取气味,制成诱芯,气味以当量计算,即1.5g薄荷/诱芯、0.75g薄荷/诱芯、1.5g万寿菊/诱芯、1.5g茶叶/诱芯;以正己烷浸泡橡皮头24h作为CK2。诱芯附于土黄色粘板组成诱捕器,连续7d诱捕第5代成虫,每日更换色板,均有较强诱捕效应;从1.5g薄荷/诱芯、CK2、1.5g万寿菊/诱芯、0.75g薄荷/诱芯至1.5g茶叶/诱芯,诱效显著增加;1.5g薄荷/诱芯的诱效显著弱于CK2。在第5代茶尺蠖幼虫期,取1/6hm2茶园各3个作为诱捕小区,同样大小的3块茶园作为CK3,查虫口基数。第5代发蛾盛期,在每诱捕小区均匀放置5种诱捕器各7只,连续诱捕7日,每日更换色板,第6代幼虫虫口校正下降率30%。由试验结果认为:植物气味有效调节茶尺蠖成虫行为,薄荷诱效稍强于茶叶,熏衣草有驱避效应。     

Reconstructing the Human Genetic History of Mainland Southeast Asia: Insights from Genome-Wide Data from Thailand and Laos

Thailand and Laos, located in the center of Mainland Southeast Asia (MSEA), harbor diverse ethnolinguistic groups encompassing all five language families of MSEA: Tai-Kadai (TK), Austroasiatic (AA), Sino-Tibetan (ST), Hmong-Mien (HM), and Austronesian (AN). Previous genetic studies of Thai/Lao populations have focused almost exclusively on uniparental markers and there is a paucity of genome-wide studies. We therefore generated genome-wide SNP data for 33 ethnolinguistic groups, belonging to the five MSEA language families from Thailand and Laos, and analyzed these together with data from modern Asian populations and SEA ancient samples. Overall, we find genetic structure according to language family, albeit with heterogeneity in the AA-, HM-, and ST-speaking groups, and in the hill tribes, that reflects both population interactions and genetic drift. For the TK speaking groups, we find localized genetic structure that is driven by different levels of interaction with other groups in the same geographic region. Several Thai groups exhibit admixture from South Asia, which we date to ∼600–1000 years ago, corresponding to a time of intensive international trade networks that had a major cultural impact on Thailand. An AN group from Southern Thailand shows both South Asian admixture as well as overall affinities with AA-speaking groups in the region, suggesting an impact of cultural diffusion. Overall, we provide the first detailed insights into the genetic profiles of Thai/Lao ethnolinguistic groups, which should be helpful for reconstructing human genetic history in MSEA and selecting populations for participation in ongoing whole genome sequence and biomedical studies.     

Life Cycle and Mating Behavior of Belonolaimus longicaudatus in Gnotobiotic Culture

The life cycle of Belonolaimus longicaudatus was observed in vitro on excised roots of Zea mays. Roots were cultured on Gamborg''s B5 medium in petri dishes with 1.5% agar adjusted to pH 5.8 and incubated at 28 °C in darkness. Second-stage juveniles (J2) fed on the roots and started the second molt (M2) to the third-stage juveniles 2 days after inoculation (DAI). The third molt (M3) to the fourth-stage juveniles occurred 7 DAI, followed by the fourth molt (M4) to males 13 DAI or to females 14 DAI. Nematode gender differences were observed by the end of the fourth molt. The first male appeared 15 DAI and the first female 17 DAI, after which mating occurred. Males were attracted to females, and mating was observed. Mating was required for reproduction. Fertilized females began to lay eggs 19 DAI and continued egg laying without the further presence of males during a 90-day observation. All of the eggs hatched. Unfertilized females rarely laid eggs, and none of the eggs were able to hatch. Feeding took place between each molt and before egg deposition occurred. The first-stage juveniles molted in the eggs 4 days after deposition, and J2 hatched from eggs 5 days after egg deposition. The life cycle from J2 to J2 was completed in 24 days.     

Pheromone release rate determines whether sexual communication of Oriental fruit moth is disrupted competitively vs. non‐competitively

Communicational disruption mechanisms for Oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta (Busck) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), were determined using a suite of mathematical tools and graphical operations that enable differentiation between competitive attraction and non‐competitive mechanisms of disruption. Research was conducted in 20 field cages, each covering 12 mature apple trees. Commercial monitoring lures releasing Oriental fruit moth pheromone at a rate of 0.04 μg h^?1 and distributed at densities of 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, and 17 per cage were used to evaluate the effect of low‐releasing dispensers on the disruption of sexual communication. Graphical analyses revealed that near‐female‐equivalent pheromone dispensers disrupted Oriental fruit moth competitively. Commercial mating disruption dispensers releasing Oriental fruit moth pheromone at 60 μg h^?1 and deployed at 0, 4, 6, 10, 15, 20, and 30 per cage were used to evaluate the effect of high‐releasing dispensers on the disruption of sexual communication. Oriental fruit moth disruption shifted to a non‐competitive mechanism for high‐releasing dispensers. This is the first time such a shift in disruption mechanism has been demonstrated against a background of otherwise identical experimental conditions. Near‐female‐equivalent pheromone dispensers were also used to quantify the additive effect of an attract‐and‐remove control strategy compared with competitive mating disruption. We report a five‐fold reduction in Oriental fruit moth captures under attract‐and‐remove compared to mating disruption using near‐female‐equivalent dispensers. Surprisingly, release of female Oriental fruit moths into these large‐cage disruption studies had no measurable impact on male trapping.