摘要: [目的]明确低浓度吡虫啉对多异瓢虫Hippodamia variegata成虫嗅觉行为的影响。[方法]采用Y型嗅觉仪测定多异瓢虫成虫在摄入低浓度吡虫啉后对健康棉株和棉蚜Aphis gossypii成蚜为害棉株挥发物的行为反应;并通过固相微萃取收集健康棉株和棉蚜为害棉株的挥发物,以气质联用仪分析鉴定挥发物成分;进而测试不同处理多异瓢虫成虫对棉株挥发物单一组分的选择行为。[结果]未摄入吡虫啉的多异瓢虫成虫对棉蚜为害的棉株具有显著的正趋性,但对健康棉株和清洁空气均无显著的趋向性;摄入低浓度吡虫啉的多异瓢虫对棉蚜为害的棉株、健康棉株以及清洁空气均无显著的趋向性。对比健康棉株,从棉蚜为害棉株的挥发物中鉴定出8种挥发量显著增加的物质,分别为月桂烯、柠檬烯、1-癸炔、3-蒈烯、(3E)-4,8-二甲基-1,3,7-壬三烯[(3E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene,DMNT]、β-石竹烯、α-葎草烯、(3E,7E)-4,8,12三甲基十三碳-1,3,7,11-四烯[(3E,7E)-4,8,12-trimethyltrideca-1,3,7,11-tetraene,TMTT]。利用Y型嗅觉仪测定多异瓢虫对以上8种物质的嗅觉选择行为发现,未摄入吡虫啉的多异瓢虫对TMTT具有显著的正趋性,对其他7种挥发性化合物无显著趋性,而摄入低浓度吡虫啉的多异瓢虫对8种挥发性化合物均无显著正趋性。在行为选择测试中,低浓度吡虫啉处理后的多异瓢虫成虫对棉株挥发物及单一组分的未选择个体数量均显著多于对照组。[结论]研究结果证实低浓度吡虫啉削弱了多异瓢虫成虫对棉花植株挥发物的嗅觉识别功能,为新疆棉田多异瓢虫的保护利用及棉田农药的合理使用提供科学依据。

摘要: [目的]探明茶小绿叶蝉Empoasca flavescens粘样蛋白EfMLP基因的分子特征、表达模式和生物学功能。[方法]基于茶小绿叶蝉转录组数据,PCR克隆获得4条EfMLP基因的全长cDNA序列并进行生物信息学分析;qRT-PCR检测EfMLP基因在茶小绿叶蝉不同发育阶段(卵、1-5龄若虫和初羽化雌雄成虫)和初羽化成虫不同组织(体壁、脂肪体、唾液腺、肠道、卵巢和精巢)中的表达量;通过饲喂法利用RNAi沉默茶小绿叶蝉5龄若虫EfMLP2和EfMLP4,生物测定分析EfMLP基因沉默后茶小绿叶蝉的存活率。[结果]获得4条茶小绿叶蝉EfMLP基因序列,分别命名为EfMLP1(GenBank登录号:OR504428),EfMLP2(GenBank登录号:OR504429),EfMLP3(GenBank登录号:OR504430)和EfMLP4(GenBank登录号:OR504431),这4条EfMLP基因编码蛋白均具有O-联糖基化位点形成MD结构域(mucin domain)且该结构域包含高度重复的串联重复序列,其中EfMLP3和EfMLP4的氨基酸序列含有保守的2型几丁质结合域(chitin binding domain,CBD)。系统发育分析结果表明,EfMLP被分到两个不同的分支上,属于两种不同的MLP类型,该结果与昆虫的分类地位无相关性,猜测可能与其功能分化相关。EfMLP1和EfMLP2在茶小绿叶蝉初羽化雌雄成虫和初羽化成虫唾液腺中均特异性高表达,而EfMLP3和EfMLP4的表达在卵、若虫和成虫等不同发育阶段和初羽化成虫脂肪体等多个组织中均可被检测到。与饲喂dsGFP对照组比较,饲喂dsEfMLP2和dsEfMLP4可分别有效抑制茶小绿叶蝉体内EfMLP2和EfMLP4的表达量,并可显著降低茶小绿叶蝉的存活率。[结论] EfMLP在茶小绿叶蝉取食中扮演重要的角色,可作为开发基于RNAi的叶蝉防治技术的潜在靶标。

摘要: 【目的】原核表达茶尺蠖Ectropis obliqua羧酸酯酶(carboxlesterase, CarE)基因EoCarE592,并探讨重组蛋白对农药的降解能力。【方法】构建原核表达载体pET-32a-EoCarE592,转化大肠杆菌Escherichia coli BL21异源表达，SDS-PAGE和Western blot鉴定重组蛋白，并对包涵体蛋白变复性；通过固蓝B盐比色法的含量标准曲线测定重组EoCarE592酶活性以及温度、pH和金属离子对酶活性的影响；利用气相色谱检测EoCarE592在30℃pH 7.0和0, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20及24 h时对200 mg/L的高效氯氟氰菊酯(lambda-cyhalothrin)、甲基对硫磷(methyl-parathion)和异丙威(isoprocarb)降解能力。【结果】通过大肠杆菌异源表达得到重组EoCarE592包涵体蛋白，经尿素变复性后得到酶活性29.8 U的重组EoCarE592,其最适温度30℃左右、最适pH 7.0～8.0左右、Mg~(2+)和K~+对酶活有促进作用；重组EoCarE592能在30℃, pH 7.0, 24 h内对初始浓度为200 mg/L的高效氯氟氰菊酯、甲基对硫磷和异丙威降解率分别为81.30%, 83.94%和79.83%。【结论】羧酸酯酶EoCarE592能降解高效氯氟氰菊酯、甲基对硫磷和异丙威，可能参与茶尺蠖的解毒过程。本研究为环境和果蔬中农药残留的降解奠定了基础。

摘要: Group living animals form striking aggregation patterns and display synchronization, polarization, and collective intelligence. Though many collective behavioral studies have been conducted on small animals like insects and fish, research on large animals is still rare due to the limited availability of field collective data. We used drones to record videos and analyzed the decision-making and behavioral spatial patterns in orientation of Kiang (Tibetan wild ass, Equus kiang). Leadership is unevenly distributed among Kiang, with the minority initiating majority behavior-shift decisions. Decisions of individual to join are driven by imitation between group members, and are largely dependent on the number of members who have already joined. Kiang respond to the behavior and position of neighbors through different strategies. They strongly polarize when moving, therefore adopting a linear alignment. When vigilant, orientation deviation increases as they form a tighter group. They remain scattered while feeding and, in that context, adopt a side-by-side alignment. This study reveals partially-shared decision-making among Kiang, whereby copying neighbors provides the wisdom to thrive in harsh conditions. This study also suggests that animals' spatial patterns in orientation depend largely on their behavioral states in achieving synchronization.

摘要: The sex-biased dispersal and kinship dynamics are important factors shaping the spatial distribution of individuals and are key parameters affecting a variety of ecological and evolutionary processes. Here, we studied the spatial distribution of related individuals within a population of corn mice Calomys musculinus in a seasonal cycle to infer dispersal patterns. The sampling was carried out from spring 2005 to winter 2006 in field borders of intensively managed agroecosystems. Genotyping data from 346 individuals with 9 microsatellites showed spatial genetic structure was weak for males, but not for females. The results indicate a complex spatial kinship dynamic of related females across all seasons. Which, contrary to our expectations, dispersal distances decrease with the increase of the population abundance. Meanwhile, male dispersal distances were greater when population abundance increased and thus the availability of active females. Males disperse greater distances to mate and sire offspring with distant females as a possible inbreeding avoidance mechanism. This study shows that C. musculinus is capable of much greater scattering distances than previously reported and that dispersal occurs fluidly and without barriers across the agroecosystem. The indirect benefit of dispersal on individual fitness could be related to relaxing the competition in the natal area and increasing the mating rate. Our study highlights the value of combining genetic relatedness, fieldwork observations, and behavioral data to estimate dispersal at a fine geographical scale.

摘要: Juvenile survival is a key life-history influence on population dynamics and adaptive evolution. We analyzed the effects of individual chara-cteristics, early environment, and maternal investment on juvenile survival in a large solitary hibernating rodent-yellow ground squirrel Spermophilus fulvus using Cox mixed-effects models. Only 48% of weaned pups survived to dispersal and 17% survived to hibernation. Early life expectancy was primarily determined by individual characteristics and, to a lesser extent, by the early environment. The strongest and positive predictor of juvenile survival was body mass which crucially affected mortality immediately after weaning. Males suffered higher mortality than females after the onset of dispersal; however, the overall difference between sexes was partly masked by high rates of mortality in the first days after emergence in both sexes. Later emerged juveniles had lower life expectancy than the earliest pups. The overall effect of local juvenile density was positive. Prolonged lactation did not enhance juvenile survival: Pups nursed longer survived shorter than the young nursed for a shorter period. Our findings support the hypothesis that females of S. fulvus cannot effectively regulate maternal expenditures to mitigate the effects of unfavorable conditions on their offspring. The strategy to deal with seasonal time constraints on life history in female S. fulvus suggests an early termination of maternal care at the cost of juvenile quality and survival. This female reproductive strategy corresponds to a fast-solitary life of folivorous desert-dwelling S. fulvus and other solitary ground squirrels with prolonged hibernation.

摘要: Many animals use color to signal their quality and/or behavioral motivations. Colorful signals have been well studied in the contexts of competition and mate choice; however, the role of these signals in nonsexual, affiliative relationships is not as well understood. Here, we used wild social groups of the cichlid fish Neolamprologus pulcher to investigate whether the size of a brightly colored facial patch was related to 1) individual quality, 2) social dominance, and/or 3) affiliative relationships. Individuals with larger patches spent more time foraging and tended to perform more aggressive acts against conspecific territory intruders. We did not find any evidence that the size of these yellow patches was related to social rank or body size, but dominant males tended to have larger patches than dominant females. Additionally, patch size had a rank-specific relationship with the number of affiliative interactions that individuals engaged in. Dominant males with large patches received fewer affiliative acts from their groupmates compared to dominant males with small patches. However, subordinates with large patches tended to receive more affiliative acts from their groupmates while performing fewer affiliative acts themselves. Taken together, our results suggest that patch size reflects interindividual variation in foraging effort in this cichlid fish and offer some of the first evidence that colorful signals may shape affiliative relationships within wild social groups.

摘要: Male competition conforms to a cost-benefit model, because while aggression may increase reproductive prospects, it can also increase the risk of injury. We hypothesize that an additional cost in aggressive males would be an increase in parasite load associated with a high energy investment into sexual competition. Some of these infections, in turn, may downmodulate the level of host aggression via energetic trade-offs. We staged dyadic male contests in the lab to investigate the relationships of multiple parasites with the agonistic behavior of lizard hosts, Sceloporus occidentalis. We also included both color and behavioral traits from opponents in the analyses because (1) color patches of lizards may serve as intraspecific signals used by conspecifics to assess the quality of opponents, and (2) contests between male lizards fit classical models of escalated aggression, where lizards increase aggression displays in response to an opponent's behavior. The results conform to our hypothesis because male lizards displayed more pushups when they had more ticks. Moreover, some parasites may modulate the levels of aggression because lizards infected by hematic coccidians performed fewer pushups. Interestingly, lizards also displayed fewer pushups when both the chroma and size of the opponent's blue patch were greater. The results thus also supported the role of the blue patch of S. occidentalis as a sexual armament, because it contributed to the deterrence of aggression from opponent lizards. We revealed that natural parasitic infections in lizard hosts can contribute to their agonistic behavior. We encourage future studies to account for parasites in behavioral tests with lizards.

摘要: Argentine ants Linepithema humile are one of the most damaging invasive alien species worldwide. Enhancing or disrupting cognitive abilities, such as learning, has the potential to improve management efforts, for example by increasing preference for a bait, or improving ants' ability to learn its characteristics or location. Nectar-feeding insects are often the victims of psychoactive manipulation, with plants lacing their nectar with secondary metabolites such as alkaloids and non-protein amino acids which often alter learning, foraging, or recruitment. However, the effect of neuroactive chemicals has seldomly been explored in ants. Here, we test the effects of seven potential neuroactive chemicals-two alkaloids: caffeine and nicotine; two biogenic amines: dopamine and octopamine, and three nonprotein amino acids: beta-alanine, GABA and taurine-on the cognitive abilities of invasive L. humile using bifurcation mazes. Our results confirm that these ants are strong associative learners, requiring as little as one experience to develop an association. However, we show no short-term effect of any of the chemicals tested on spatial learning, and in addition no effect of caffeine on short-term olfactory learning. This lack of effect is surprising, given the extensive reports of the tested chemicals affecting learning and foraging in bees. This mismatch could be due to the heavy bias towards bees in the literature, a positive result publication bias, or differences in methodology.

摘要: Endotherms recently expanding to cold environments generally exhibit strong physiological acclimation to sustain high body temperature. During this process, gut microbes likely play a considerable role in host physiological functions, including digestion and thermogenesis. The light-vented bulbul Pycnonotus sinensis represents one such species. It used to be restricted to the Oriental realm but expanded its distribution range north to the Palearctic areas during the past few decades. Here, we explored the seasonal dynamics of the resting metabolic rate (RMR) and microbiota for local and newly colonized populations of the species. Our results showed that the mass-adjusted RMR and body mass were positively correlated with latitude variations in both seasons. Consistently, the gut microbiota showed a corresponding variation to the northern cold environments. In the two northern populations, the alpha diversity decreased compared with those of the two southern populations. Significant differences were detected in dominant phyla, such as Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Desulfobacterota in both seasons. The core microbiota showed geographic differences in the winter, including the elevated relative abundance of 5 species in northern populations. Finally, to explore the link between microbial communities and host metabolic thermogenesis, we conducted a correlation analysis between microbiota and mass-adjusted RMR. We found that more genera were significantly correlated with mass-adjusted RMR in the wintering season compared to the breeding season (71 vs. 23). These results suggest that microbiota of the lighted-vented bulbul linked with thermogenesis in diversity and abundance under northward expansion.