Wind‐modulated landscape effects on colonization of Brussels sprouts by insect pests and their syrphid antagonists

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Losses of soil organic carbon under wind erosion in China

Soil organic carbon (SOC) storage generally represents the long‐term net balance of photosynthesis and total respiration in terrestrial ecosystems. However, soil erosion can affect SOC content by direct removal of soil and reduction of the surface soil depth; it also affects plant growth and soil biological activity, soil air CO₂ concentration, water regimes, soil temperature, soil respiration, carbon flux to the atmosphere, and carbon deposition in soil. In arid and semi‐arid region of northern China, wind erosion caused soil degradation and desert expansion. This paper estimated the SOC loss of the surface horizon at eroded regions based on soil property and wind erosion intensity data. The SOC loss in China because of wind erosion was about 75 Tg C yr^?1 in 1990s. The spatial pattern of SOC loss indicates that SOC loss of the surface horizon increases significantly with the increase of soil wind erosion intensity. The comparison of SOC loss and annual net primary productivity (NPP) of terrestrial ecosystem was discussed in wind erosion regions of China. We found that NPP is also low in the eroded regions and heavy SOC loss often occurs in regions where NPP is very small. However, there is potential to improve our study to resolve uncertainty on the soil organic matter oxidation and soil deposition processes in eroded and deposited sites.     

Female sex pheromone of Sesamia cretica: chemical and behavioural evidence for a three-component blend

The female‐produced sex pheromone of the Durra stem borer, Sesamia cretica (Lederer) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), had been previously characterized as a 75:25 blend of (Z)‐9‐tetradecenol (Z9‐14:OH) and (Z)‐9‐tetradecenyl acetate (Z9‐14:OAc) based on field trapping experiments. The low attraction of this blend in the field led us to further investigate the sex pheromone of this pest. Coupled gas chromatography with electroantennographic detection (GC‐EAD) analysis of female pheromone gland extracts consistently revealed three EAD‐active compounds. According to their GC retention times, mass spectra, and comparative EAG analyses with authentic standards, two of these compounds were found to be the previously reported components Z9‐14:OH and Z9‐14:OAc, whereas a third compound was identified as (Z)‐11‐hexadecenol (Z11‐16:OH). In wind tunnel experiments, the highest male responses were elicited by ratios of Z9‐14:OH, Z9‐14:OAc, and Z11‐16:OH, ranging from 90:1:9 to 90:5:5. In field tests, the 90:1:9 ratio of the blend loaded onto rubber septum dispensers was significantly more effective than single‐component, two‐component, and any other ratio of the three‐component blend. The greater effectiveness of this blend resulted in a more accurate detection of S. cretica flight activity compared with the previously reported two‐component blend.     

聚丙烯酰胺(PAM)防治土壤风蚀的研究进展

在我国西北地区,风蚀是造成土地退化的主要影响因素之一.聚丙烯酰胺(PAM)是一种高效的土壤结构改良剂.因其具有特殊的物理化学性质,可以与土壤作用而改善土壤表层结构,近年来一直受到人们的广泛关注.本文介绍了PAM的物理化学性质,详细论述了PAM对土壤风蚀量、起动风速的影响,及PAM在风蚀防治中的不同使用量、使用方法和效果,及其与其他材料的对比,并通过PAM对土壤物理性质的改善进一步分析PAM防治风蚀的机理.综合分析得出,虽然PAM在风蚀防治中存在一些问题,但作为一种固沙剂,它不仅能提高土壤抗风蚀的能力,而且也能改善土壤的物理性状,可为植物生长创造良好的水土条件;提出若在风蚀治理和改良城市环境中将PAM与植物种植相结合,将能大大提高植物的成活率、改善风蚀区的风蚀状况和生态环境工程建设的质量.因此,PAM在防治风蚀方面具有重要的现实意义和广阔的应用前景.     

Soaring energetics and glide performance in a moving atmosphere

Here, we analyse the energetics, performance and optimization of flight in a moving atmosphere. We begin by deriving a succinct expression describing all of the mechanical energy flows associated with gliding, dynamic soaring and thermal soaring, which we use to explore the optimization of gliding in an arbitrary wind. We use this optimization to revisit the classical theory of the glide polar, which we expand upon in two significant ways. First, we compare the predictions of the glide polar for different species under the various published models. Second, we derive a glide optimization chart that maps every combination of headwind and updraft speed to the unique combination of airspeed and inertial sink rate at which the aerodynamic cost of transport is expected to be minimized. With these theoretical tools in hand, we test their predictions using empirical data collected from a captive steppe eagle (Aquila nipalensis) carrying an inertial measurement unit, global positioning system, barometer and pitot tube. We show that the bird adjusts airspeed in relation to headwind speed as expected if it were seeking to minimize its aerodynamic cost of transport, but find only weak evidence to suggest that it adjusts airspeed similarly in response to updrafts during straight and interthermal glides.This article is part of the themed issue ‘Moving in a moving medium: new perspectives on flight’.     

Floral volatiles with colour cues from two cucurbitaceous plants causing attraction of Aulacophora foveicollis

Aulacophora foveicollis Lucas (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is an important phytophagous pest of two cucurbitaceous plants, Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng and Solena amplexicaulis (Lam.) Gandhi. The volatile organic compound profiles from flowers of M. cochinchinensis and S. amplexicaulis were identified and quantified by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) and GC‐flame ionization detector (FID) analyses. Twenty nine and 28 compounds were identified in volatiles of M. cochinchinensis and S. amplexicaulis flowers, respectively. Methyl jasmonate and 3‐octanol were the predominant volatiles of M. cochinchinensis flowers, whereas 1‐octadecanol and 1‐hexanol were most found in the headspace of S. amplexicaulis flowers. Aulacophora foveicollis were more attracted by the flower volatiles of M. cochinchinensis than by those of S. amplexicaulis in a glass Y‐tube olfactometer. A mixture of 1‐heptanol, linalool oxide, 1‐octanol, and nonanal in the proportions present in the headspace of both flower types elicited attraction in the insect. From 25 cm distance, A. foveicollis displayed a preference for artificial flowers of 6.5 cm diameter of S. amplexicaulis flower colour (white) over M. cochinchinensis flower colour (white‐yellow). Finally, a synthetic blend (0.43 μg 1‐heptanol + 1.44 μg linalool oxide + 0.14 μg 1‐octanol + 1.77 μg nonanal dissolved in 25 μl methylene chloride) attracted more beetles when applied in a white artificial flower than when applied in a white‐yellow artificial flower from 40 cm distance. This finding may be helpful in the development of traps for pest management strategies.     

Multiple mortality events in bats: a global review

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