Physiological mechanism governing slow and fast development in predatory ladybirds

Aphidophagous and coccidophagous ladybirds, similar to their prey, show marked differences in their pace of life (Dixon, 2000), in particular in their rate of development, with all stages of aphidophagous species developing much faster than those of coccidophagous species. Two hypotheses are proposed to account for the large difference in the pace of life of these two groups. These are that differences in the rate of development are a result of differences in lower temperature thresholds for development or the quality of their respective prey as food (Dixon et al., 2011). Analysis of published results on the rates of development of the eggs of ladybirds indicates that the inverse relationships between the number of day‐degrees required for development (K) and the lower temperature threshold for development (td_min) of these two groups are significantly different. In particular, the respective td_min overlap and K of the aphidophagous and coccidophagous species with a similar td_min are, on average, 38 and 117 day‐degrees (D^o). The relationship between the rate of development (R) and temperature (T) for aphids reared on poor‐ or high‐quality foods indicates that, although the value of td_min of a species depends on food quality, K does not, showing that it is unlikely that K is governed by food quality. Thus, there is little support for differences in either the td_min or food quality governing the difference in the pace of life of these two groups of ladybirds. The results indicate that the physiological mechanism that may govern the difference in the pace of life between these two groups is the number of day‐degrees (K) needed to complete their development. The possible evolutionary reason for this is discussed.     

Adaptative significance of a temperature induced diapause in a cosmopolitan parasitoid of Drosophila

Abstract. 1. We have previously demonstrated pre-pupal diapause in a tropical population of Leptopilima boulardi Barbotin, Carton and Kelner-Pillault (Cynipidae, Hymenoptera), a larval parasitoid of Drosophila melanogaster Meigen. Prepupal diapause was induced by low temperature (17.5°C) but absent at 25°C; it was independent of photoperiod.
2. Four populations which originated from different latitudes (4°S to 44°N) exhibit the same response to temperature without any major genetic geographical variation.
3. In temperate areas, this diapause may permit a phenological and temporal coincidence between the parasitoid and its host whose larval growth is only possible for temperatures above 13°C.
4. The significance of the persistence of this diapause in tropical areas is discussed.     

Scaling up from epidemiology to biogeography: local infection patterns predict geographical distribution in fish parasites

Aim We investigated how the spatial distribution of parasites, measured as either their geographical range size or their frequency of occurrence among localities, relates to either their average local abundance or the variance in their abundance among localities where they occur. Location We used data on the abundance of 46 metazoan parasite species in 66 populations of threespine sticklebacks, Gasterosteus aculeatus, from Europe and North America. Methods For each parasite species, frequency of occurrence was calculated as the proportion of stickleback populations in which it occurred, and geographical range size as the area within the smallest possible polygon delimited using the coordinates of the localities where it occurred. Generalized linear models were used to assess how these two measures of spatial distribution were influenced by several predictor variables: geographical region (North America or Europe), life cycle (simple or complex), average local abundance, the coefficient of variation in abundance across localities, and median prevalence (proportion of infected hosts within a locality). Results Our analyses uncovered four patterns. First, parasites in North America tend to have higher frequencies of occurrence among surveyed localities, but not broader geographical ranges, than those in Europe. Second, parasite species with simple life cycles have wider geographical ranges than those with complex cycles. Third, there was a positive relationship between average abundance of the different parasite species and their frequency of occurrence, but not between average abundance and geographical range size. Fourth, the coefficient of variation in abundance covaried positively with both the frequency of occurrence and geographical range size across the different parasite species. Thus, all else being equal, parasites showing greater site‐to‐site variability in abundance occur in a greater proportion of localities and over a broader geographical area than those with a more stable abundance among sites. Main conclusions Local infection patterns are linked with large‐scale distributional patterns in fish parasites, independently of host effects, such that local commonness translates into regional commonness. The mechanisms linking parasite success at both scales remain unclear, but may include those that maintain the continuum between specialist and generalist parasites. Regardless, the observed patterns have implications for the predicted changes in the geographical distributions of many parasites in response to climate change.     

Dispersal ability rather than ecological tolerance drives differences in range size between lentic and lotic water beetles (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae)

Aim In aquatic ecosystems, standing (lentic) and running (lotic) waters differ fundamentally in their stability and persistence, shaping the comparative population genetic structure, geographical range size and speciation rates of lentic versus lotic lineages. While the drivers of this pattern remain incompletely understood, the suite of traits making up the ability of a species to establish new populations is instrumental in determining such differences. Here we explore the degree to which the association between habitat type and geographical range size results from differences in dispersal ability or fundamental niche breadth in the members of the Enochrus bicolor complex, an aquatic beetle clade with species across the lentic–lotic divide. Location Western Mediterranean, with a special focus on North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula and Sicily. Methods DNA sequences for four loci were obtained from species of the E. bicolor complex and analysed using phylogenetic inference. Dispersal and establishment abilities were assessed in lentic–lotic species pairs of the complex, using flight wing morphometrics and thermal tolerance ranges as surrogates, respectively. Results There were clear differences in range size between the lotic and lentic taxa of the complex, which appears to have had a lotic origin with two transitions to standing waters. Only small differences were observed in temperature tolerance and acclimation ability between the two lotic–lentic sister species studied. By contrast, wing morphometrics revealed clear, consistent differences between lotic and lentic Enochrus species pairs, the latter having a higher dispersal capacity. Main conclusions We hypothesize that there have been two habitat shifts from lotic to lentic waters, which have allowed marked expansions in geographical range size in western Mediterranean species of the E. bicolor complex. Differences in dispersal rather than in establishment ability appear to underlie differences in geographical range extent, as transitions to lentic waters were associated with changes in wing morphology, but not in thermal tolerance range. In this lineage of water beetles, selection for dispersal in geologically short‐lived lentic systems has driven the evolution of larger range sizes in lentic taxa compared with those of their lotic relatives.     

A global view on fungal infections in humans and animals: opportunistic infections and microsporidioses

After cardiovascular diseases, infectious diseases are the second most common cause of death worldwide. Although these infections are caused mainly by viruses or bacteria, a systematically growing prevalence of human and animal opportunistic fungal infections is noticeable worldwide. More attention is being paid to this problem, especially due to the growing frequency of recalcitrant and recurrent mycoses. The latter are classically divided into superficial, which are the most common type, subcutaneous, and systemic. This work discusses opportunistic fungal pathogens without proven horizontal transmission between different animal species including humans and microsporidia as spore-forming unicellular parasites related to fungi; however, with a yet undetermined taxonomic position. The review also mentions aetiological agents, risk factors, epidemiology, geographical distribution, and finally symptoms characteristic for individual disease entities. This paper provides insight into fungal infections from a global perspective and simultaneously draws attention to emerging pathogens, whose prevalence is continuously increasing. Finally, this work also takes into consideration the correct nomenclature of fungal disease entities and the importance of secondary metabolites in the pathogenesis of fungal infections.     

Effects of drought and phenology on GPP in Pinus sylvestris: a simulation study along a geographical gradient

1. A simple canopy model was developed for Scots Pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.) and applied to a transect of six meteorological stations in Europe. The model accounts for possible genetic adaptation of phenology of photosynthesis to the local climate and to decreases of gas exchange owing to drought.
2. Simulations accounting for adaptation of phenology to the local climate differed up to 20% from simulations using the same phenology parameter values for all locations.
3. A temperature increase of 3°C and a doubling of the CO₂ concentration, while adjusting the photosynthesis parameters to give approximately the observed changed photosynthesis of +30%, also increased the length of the growing season by 23–42%. Combination of increases in the rate of photosynthesis and the length of the growing season resulted in increases of yearly Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) from 72 to 101%. Increases in transpiration were smaller.
4. A decrease of the precipitation by 25% reduced this increase to 54–64%.
5. The relative magnitude of the simulated increases in GPP was similar for locations representing boreal, temperate and mediterranean climates.     

西部地区动物资源现状及持续发展对策

中国西部地区包括陕西、 宁夏、 青海、 新疆、 西藏和内蒙古西部, 其总面积占国土总面积的46.52％,人口占全国总人口的8.33％。共有陆生脊椎动物1273种,占国内2414种的52.73％。其中：两栖类81种,占国内两栖类的28.52％;爬行类119种,占34.69%;鸟类781种,占62.83％;兽类292种,占53.66%。有259种仅分布在西部地区,占西部地区陆栖脊椎动物种数的20.35％,我国大型有蹄类几乎全部集中在西部地区。这里有国家保护的陆栖脊椎动物174种,占全国333种的52.25％; 我国特有鸟、兽54种,占国内特有鸟、兽的60.67%。西部地区丰富的动物资源蕴藏着巨大的经济价值、科学研究价值和生态效益。因环境破坏,乱捕滥猎,近一个世纪以来确知已有普氏野马(Equus przewalskii)、高鼻羚羊(Saiga tatarica)、虎(Panthera tigris)和灰冠鸦雀(Paradoxornis przewalskii)4个物种在西部地区消失。朱(Napponia nippon)已成为极危种类,大熊猫(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)、普氏原羚(Procapra przewalskii)也已接近极危种的界限。一些主要经济动物种群数量逐年下降,马麝(Moschus sifanicus)和林麝(M. berezovskii)分别以年均8.97％和8.44％的速率下降(n=12)。马鹿(Cervus elaphus),白唇鹿(C. albirostris),野牦牛(Bos gruniens)、野驴(Asinus spp.)、藏原羚(Procapra picticaudata)、藏羚（Pantholops hodgsoni)、岩羊(Psendois nayaur)、鹅喉羚(Gazella subgutturosa)等大中型有蹄类遭大肆捕杀。1963年以后得以休养生息正在恢复的动物资源再次遭到破坏。有的种类,如盘羊(Ovis ammon)、野骆驼(Camelus ferus)种群数量分别以年10.06%和10.89％的速率增加(n=16)。为达到持续利用的目的,本文提出六项持续发展对策：加强自然保护区建设、管理;建立各省、自治区自然保护基金;保护栖息环境;迁地保护珍稀濒危物种;人工复壮孤隔种群;提倡人工驯养野生经济动物;人为扩大某些珍稀和经济动物分布区。     

Identifying potential keystone species from field data – an example from temporary ponds

Identifying keystone species is essential for understanding community dynamics and preserving species richness. However, few studies have used quantitative, a priori methods to identify potential keystone species. Species known to act as keystones in North Carolina (NC) temporary ponds ( Notophthalmus viridescens , eastern newt, and Siren intermedia , lesser siren) were tested to see whether they played the same role in similar habitats in South Carolina (SC). Newts and sirens had no effect on anuran species richness in SC. Instead, another salamander ( Ambystoma talpoideum , mole salamander) absent from the NC ponds was identified as a strong keystone in SC. It functioned independently of environmental factors and the densities of other predators. Larval dragonflies ( Tramea carolina , Carolina saddlebag) were identified as weak, context-dependent keystones in SC, supporting anuran richness in isolated ponds with very low pH. The results suggest that the identity of keystone species varies, even in similar habitats within a physiographic region.