Breeding-site productivity of the swamp forest mosquitoes Mansonia bonneae and Ma.dives in Sarawak, East Malaysia

Studies on larval population densities and adult emergence rates of the Brugian filariasis vectors Mansonia bonneae Edwards and Ma. dives Schiner were conducted in freshwater swamp forest bordering the Sadong River, Serian District, Sarawak, East Malaysia, during 1984-85. Three species of aquatic host-plants in the Family Araceae were identified as supporting immature stages of the Ma. bonneae/dives complex. Proportions of positive plants were 4.7%, 6.5% and 3.4% with 6.4 +/- 2.6, 7.3 +/- 2.8 and 10.1 +/- 1.1 larvae per positive plant, respectively, for the plant species Homalomena cordata Schott, H. rostrata Griffiths and Hydrostemma motleyi (Hook. f.) Mabberley. These data indicate no significant preferences between the three types of host-plant. Detailed monitoring of the host-plant H. cordata revealed no significant monthly fluctuations in larval density per plant nor the proportion of positive plants. 11.6% of larvae were Ma. dives and 88.4% were Ma. bonneae. Mean daily yields of Ma. bonneae/dives adults per square metre of H. cordata vegetated water surface were 0.45 males plus 0.57 females during the wet season (December-February) compared with 0.2 males plus 0.31 females during the dry season (June-August). Thus output of adults per plant was approximately halved, and suitable breeding areas were further reduced, during the dry season. By extrapolation from these rates, a crude mean estimate for productivity of Ma. bonneae/dives females is 1.6 million per hectare per annum in swamp forest habitats vegetated with any of the host-plants studied.     

The flight and landing of tsetse (Glossina) in response to components of host odour in the field

ABSTRACT. Studies were conducted in Zimbabwe of the responses of Glossina morsitans morsitans Westwood and Glossina pallidipes Austen to various host odours using either arrangements of electrocuting nets or visual observations. Tsetse flying upwind in a plume of carbon dioxide, acetone and octenol turned downwind upon flying into a plume of acetone or octenol, but did not turn upon flying into a plume of carbon dioxide. They also turned in response to a transient decline in odour concentration. Tsetse landed on the ground in the vicinity of a source of natural odour or artificial odour containing carbon dioxide but not at sources of acetone or octenol only. The proportion of female G.pallidipes caught at a source of natural odour (37%) was significantly different from that caught at a source of synthetic odour (17%). Resting tsetse stimulated by natural odour took off sooner than non-stimulated flies and had a strong upwind bias in the direction of take off. Tsetse stimulated with artificial odour did not take off sooner than non-stimulated flies. It is suggested that there is an unidentified components) of ox odour that activates resting tsetse.     

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids of probable host-plant origin in the pronotal and elytral secretion of the leaf beetle Oreina cacaliae

Oreina cacaliae (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) produces in its elytral and pronotal defensive secretion seneciphylline N-oxide together with small amounts of another pyrrolizidine alkaloid tentatively identified as senecionine N-oxide. This is a strong departure from the chemical composition of the defensive secretions in related species, characterized by complex mixtures of cardenolides, synthesized by the beetles from cholesterol. It is suggested that O. cacaliae sequesters the alkaloids from its host-plant, Adenostyles leucophylla. Other specimens of O. cacaliae from far distant populations feeding on Senecio nemorensis, Petasites paradoxus or P. album also produced pyrrolizidine alkaloids, but not O. speciosissima feeding on the same food plants and producing cardenolides. In addition to pyrrolizidine alkaloids, O. cacaliae secretes ethanolamine, which is also found in all the cardenolide-producing species.     

Stereoisomeric flavour compounds XXXV: Chiral aroma compounds of sherry I. Optically pure stereoisomers of solerone and solerole

The enantioseparation of the sherry aroma components 5-oxo-4-hydroxyhexanoic acid γ-lactone (solerone) and 4,5-dihydroxyhexanoic acid γ-lactone (solerole) is achieved, using Chiraspher (Merck) as the chiral HPLC phase and the optical purity ascertained directly by HRGC with heptakis(3-O-acetyl-2,6-di-O-pentyl)-β-cyclodextrin (Lipodex D) as the chiral stationary phase. The absolute configurations of 4,5-dihydroxyhexanoic acid γ-lactones are assigned by ¹H-NMR spectral data of diastereomeric α-methoxy-α-trifluoromethylphenylacetic acid (MTPA) esters, according to Mosher's model. Sensory qualities of the isomers are given.     

Preference for plants damaged by conspecific larvae in ovipositing cabbage root flies: influence of stimuli from leaf surface and roots

In laboratory dual-choice assays females of the cabbage root fly, Delia radicum, prefer for oviposition plants with roots damaged by conspecific larvae to undamaged controls. Cauliflower and kale plants were inoculated with root fly eggs (25 per plant) and the hatching larvae were allowed to feed on the roots for various periods of time (1–17 days). After 4 (cauliflower) or 5 (kale) days of larval feeding the oviposition preference was most pronounced and flies laid between 64% and 68% of their eggs near plants with damaged roots. Later, with increasing damage but fewer surviving, and thus actively feeding, larvae, the magnitude of the preference declined. The preference for plants already damaged by conspecific larvae may contribute to the previously observed aggregated distribution of D. radicum eggs in Brassica crop fields.Further experiments revealed that the sensory cues inducing this oviposition preference originate from the complex consisting of the damaged roots, the surrounding substrate (soil) and associated microbes, rather than from the aerial plant parts. In choice assays using the root-substrate complex of damaged and control plants (aerial parts removed), the observed preference for damaged roots was similar to that found for the entire plant but was more pronounced. The damaged roots alone, compared to control roots, received up to 72% (cauliflower) and 75% (kale) of the eggs. By contrast, surrogate leaves sprayed with methanolic leaf surface extracts from the most preferred plants which had been damaged were not discriminated from surrogate leaved sprayed with extracts of the respective control plants. Analysis of glucosinolate levels in methanolic leaf surface extracts revealed that root damage resulted in enhanced concentrations of indole-glucosinolates on the leaf surface in kale but not in cauliflower. Although indole-glucosinolates are oviposition stimulants for the cabbage root fly, the induced changes were apparently too small to influence oviposition behaviour.     

三种蚜虫对植物挥发性次生物质触角电位反应的比较研究(英语)

用触角电位法研究了大豆蚜、棉蚜和桃蚜对39种挥发性次生化合物的反应,结果如下:1)绿叶气味化合物及其异构体的去极化电压远强于萜烯类;具有6个碳原子的醇类和醛类是最有活性的化合物.2)大豆蚜和棉蚜对醛类和脂类的反应要比对相应的醇类强,这与桃蚜的实验结果刚好相反.3)蚜虫嗅觉系统所显示的活性与刺激化合物的结构有关,醇类和醛类刺激所引起的EAG饱和的要比不饱和的强.4)大豆春迁蚜对萜烯衍生物(醇、醛、脂)的触角电位反应高于棉蚜,而对萜烃化合物的反应刚好相反.5)各种化合物引起的EAG峰形不同;牛儿醇、癸醇和香茅醇刺激所引起的波形回复最慢,而在直链饱和醇中随着碳原子数的增加而回复速度减慢.     

Interaction of fertilizer regime with host-plant resistance in tomato

The effect of fertilizer regime on trichome- and lamellar-based resistance in the wild tomato species, Lycopersicon hirsutum f. glabratum C.H. Mull accession PI 134417, to three insect pests of tomato, the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta (L.), the colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), and the tomato fruitworm, Heliocoverpa zea (Boddie), was examined. Increasing the rate at which NPK fertilizer was applied, from 1.8 to 19.6 g/plant/week, reduced the trichome-based resistance of PI 134417 to M. sexta and L. decemlineata by lowering both the density of type VI (sensu Luckwill, 1943) glandular trichomes and the amount of 2-tridecanone contained in the tips of these trichomes. 2-Tridecanone is a toxic methyl-ketone responsible for glandular trichome-mediated resistance in PI 134417 to M. sexta and L. decemlineata. A similar increase in the application rate of NPK fertilizer reduced the lamellarbased resistance of PI 134417 to L. decemlineata and H. zea. The meachanisms for this reduction of resistance are unknown, but may be related to improved nutritional quality of hosts at higher fertilizer regimes.     

Factors influencing odour production by actinomycetes

Odour production by actinomycete (Streptomyces spp.) strains isolated from hypereutrophic natural waters in which muddy odours in fish have occurred, were studied by the ISP (International Streptomyces Project) carbon utilization method. The streptomycete strains were isolated from water, bottom mud and aquatic plants. Nine different carbon sources were used. Odour character was determined by sniffing the cultures. Odour production varied depending on the strain and the carbon source used. Some of the strains produced similar odours in all media regardless of the carbon source. In other strains, the odour varied depending on the carbohydrate used. The total colony counts of actinomycetes may not necessarily indicate the role of actinomycetes in odour problems in the aquatic environment because the odour production by actinomycetes depends on environmental factors.     

雌性根田鼠断奶后对亲本尿气味的记忆

为研究亲子分开后雌性根田鼠对亲本气味的记忆持续时间,分别在未分开(20日龄)、分开10d(30日龄)、20d(40日龄)、30d(50日龄)、40d(60日龄)时,以新鲜尿作气味源,在行为观察箱中记录雌性根田鼠对不同气味源的行为响应模式,结果表明(1)未分开时,雌鼠遭遇父本气味时自我修饰的频次极显著高于陌生雄鼠气味,在分开10d时,雌鼠接近父本气味的频次显著多于接近陌生雄鼠气味的频次,其对前者反标记显著少于后者;(2)分开20d后,雌鼠对父本和陌生雄鼠气味的行为响应无明显差异;(3)未分窝时,雌性根田鼠幼仔对母本和陌生雌鼠气味的行为响应无差异;(4)分开10—40d时,雌性根田鼠对母本和陌生雌鼠气味表现出不同的行为响应模式。以上结果表明,在亲子分开10d时,雌鼠仍能识别父本和陌生雄鼠的气味;分开20d后,雌鼠不再能够识别父本和陌生雄鼠的气味;在亲子分开40d时,雌鼠仍能识别母本和陌生雌鼠的气味。因此,雌鼠对父本气味的嗅觉记忆时间可以持续到亲子分开10—20d之间;而对母本气味的嗅觉记忆时间则可以持续到亲子分开40d以上。     

Divergent responses of two cereal aphids to previous infestation of their host plant

The role of pollen odour in resource location by the pollen beetle, Meligethes aeneus (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), a pollen-feeding insect regarded as a pest of oilseed rape, Brassica napus L., (Brassicaceae) crops, was investigated in a linear track olfactometer. Both male and female beetles were attracted to the odour of whole oilseed rape flowers, indicating that these insects can locate their host plants using floral odours as cues. The attractive odour of flowers was found to emanate from all floral parts tested: the petals/sepals, the anthers, and from pollen itself. Therefore, at least part of the attractive odour of oilseed rape flowers emanates from pollen. Beetles were more attracted to floral samples containing anthers than those without anthers when these odours were directly compared in a choice-test, and this indicates that there were detectable differences between them. Anthers and pollen may therefore release distinctive odours that are quantitatively and/or qualitatively different from the odour of the rest of the flower. These experiments support the hypothesis that pollen-seeking insects use pollen odour cues to locate this food source.