Interference Competition and High Temperatures Reduce the Virulence of Fig Wasps and Stabilize a Fig-Wasp Mutualism

Fig trees are pollinated by fig wasps, which also oviposit in female flowers. The wasp larvae gall and eat developing seeds. Although fig trees benefit from allowing wasps to oviposit, because the wasp offspring disperse pollen, figs must prevent wasps fr

The mastoparanogen from wasp

Mastoparans are a family of small peptides identified from the venom of hymenopteroid insects. Although they have been characterized as early as 1979, and so far are recognized as a leading biomolecule in potential drug therapy, their precursors, mastopar

Two families of antimicrobial peptides from wasp (Vespa magnifica) venom

The hornet possesses highly toxic venom, which is rich in toxin, enzymes and biologically active peptides. Many bioactive substances were identified from wasp venom. Two families of antimicrobial peptides were purified and characterized from the venom of

Vespid chemotactic peptide precursor from the wasp, Vespa magnifica (Smith)

Despite the evolutional distance between wasp and amphibian, vespid chemotactic peptide (VCP), an important component of wasp venom, are found sharing remarkable similarities with the temporin antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from Ranid frog, Amolops loloens

An anticoagulant serine protease from the wasp venom of Vespa magnifica

Wasp is an important venomous animal that can induce human fatalities. Coagulopathy is a clinical symptom after massive wasp stings, but the reason leading to the envenomation manifestation is still not known. In this paper, a toxin protein is purified and characterized by Sephadex G-75 gel filtration, CM-Sephadex C-25 cationic exchange and fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) from the venom of the wasp, Vespa magnifica (Smith). This protein, named magnvesin. contains serine protease-like activity and inhibits blood coagulation. The cDNA encoding magnvesin is cloned from the venom sac cDNA library of the wasp. The deduced protein from the cDNA is composed of 305 amino acid residues. Magnvesin shares 52% identity with allergen serine protease from the wasp Polistes dominulus. Magnvesin exerted its anti-coagulant function by hydrolyzing coagulant factors TF, VII, VIII, IX and X. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A phospholipase A1 platelet activator from the wasp venom of Vespa magnifica (Smith)

Wasp is an impor tant venomous animal that can induce human fatalities. Aortic thrombosis and cerebral infarction are major clinical symptoms after massive wasp stings but the reason leading to the envenomation manifestation is still not known. In this paper, a toxin protein is purified and characterized by Sephadex G-75 gel filtration, CM-Sephadex C-25 cationic exchange and fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) from the venom of the wasp, Vespa magnifica (Smith). This protein, named magnifin, contains phospholipase-like activity and induces platelet aggregation. The cDNA encoding magnifin is cloned from the venom sac cDNA library of the wasp. The predicted protein was deduced from the cDNA with a sequence composed of 337 amino acid residues. Magnifin is very similar to other phospholipase A(1) (PLA(1)), especially to other wasp allergen PLA(1). Magnifin can activate platelet aggregation and induce thrombosis in vivo. The current results proved that PLA(1) in wasp venom could be contributable to aortic thrombosis after massive wasp stings. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Trade-off between reciprocal mutualists: local resource availability-oriented interaction in fig/fig wasp mutualism

The mechanisms that prevent competition (conflict) between the recipient and co-operative actor in co-operative systems remain one of the greatest problems for evolutionary biology. Previous hypotheses suggest that self-restraint, dispersal or spatial con

Structure of a fig wasp community: Temporal segregation of oviposition and larval diets

Observations were made on six fig wasp species on Ficus racemosa growing in the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanic Garden, Yunnan Province, China. The oviposition sequence was determined for Apocryptophagus testacea, Apocrypta sp2, Apocryptophagus mayri, Cera

A Plant Needs Ants like a Dog Needs Fleas: Myrmelachista schumanni Ants Gall Many Tree Species to Create Housing

Hundreds of tropical plant species house ant colonies in specialized chambers called domatia. When, in 1873, Richard Spruce likened plant-ants to fleas and asserted that domatia are ant-created galls, he incited a debate that lasted almost a century. Alth

Seasonal change in the structure of fig-wasp community and its implication for conservation

Figs (Moraceae) and their pollinating wasps (Agaonidae) constitute a famous reciprocal mutualism in which figs provide some female flowers for the development of fig wasp offspring while the fig wasps pollinate Fig flowers. However, figs also host many no

Diffusive coevolution and mutualism maintenance mechanisms in a fig-fig wasp system

In reciprocal mutualism systems, the exploitation events by exploiters might disrupt the reciprocal mutualism, wherein one exploiter species might even exclude other coexisting exploiter species over an evolutionary time frame. What remains unclear is how such a community is maintained. Niche partitioning, or spatial heterogeneity among the mutualists and exploiters, is generally believed to enable stability within a mutualistic system. However, our examination of a reciprocal mutualism between a fig species (Ficus racemosa) and its pollinator wasp (Ceratosolen fusciceps) shows that spatial niche partitioning does not sufficiently prevent exploiters from overexploiting the common resource (i.e., the female flowers), because of the considerable niche overlap between the mutualists and exploiters. In response to an exploiter, our experiment shows that the fig can (1) abort syconia-containing flowers that have been galled by the exploiter, Apocryptophagus testacea, which oviposits before the pollinators do; and (2) retain syconia-containing flowers galled by Apocryptophagus mayri, which oviposit later than pollinators. However, as a result of (2), there is decreased development of adult non-pollinators or pollinator species in syconia that have not been sufficiently pollinated, but not aborted. Such discriminative abortion of figs or reduction in offspring development of exploiters while rewarding cooperative individuals with higher offspring development by the fig will increase the fitness of cooperative pollinating wasps, but decrease the fitness of exploiters. The fig fig wasp interactions are diffusively coevolved, a case in which fig wasps diversify their genotype, phenotype, or behavior as a result of competition between wasps, while figs diverge their strategies to facilitate the evolution of cooperative fig waps or lessen the detrimental behavior by associated fig wasps. In habitats or syconia that suffer overexploitation, discriminative abortion of figs or reduction in the offspring development of exploiters in syconia that are not or not sufficiently pollinated will decrease exploiter fitness and perhaps even drive the population of exploiters to local extinction, enabling the evolution and maintenance of cooperative pollinators through the movement between habitats or syconia (i.e., the metapopulations).

Fragmentation effects on diversity of wasp community and its impact on fig/fig wasp interaction in Ficus racemosa L.

Habitat fragmentation usually results in alteration of species composition or biological communities. However, little is known about the effect of habitat fragmentation on the fig/fig wasp system. In this study, we compared the structure of a fig wasp community and the interaction between figs and fig wasps of Ficus racemosa L. in a primary forest, a locally fragmented forest and a highly fragmented forest. Our results show that, in the highly fragmented forest, the proportion of pollinator wasps is lower and the proportion of non-pollinator wasps is higher compared with the primary forest and locally fragmented forest. The proportion of fruits without pollinator wasps in mature fruits is also greatly increased in the highly fragmented forest. The proportion of galls in all female flowers increases in the highly fragmented forest, whereas the proportion of viable seeds does not change considerably. The disruption of groups of fig trees results in a decrease in pollinator wasps and even might result in the extinction of pollinator wasps in some extreme cases, which may transform the reciprocal interaction between figs and fig wasps into a parasite/host system. Such an effect may lead to the local extinction of this keystone plant resource of rain forests in the process of evolution, and thereby, may change the structure and function of the tropical rain forest.

紫茎泽兰生态学特征及入侵策略

紫茎泽兰（Eupatorium adenophorum）是臭名昭著的世界恶性杂草之一，目前全世界已有30多个国家和地区遭受到它的入侵危害，因此引起了全社会各方面广泛的关注。我国西南部是紫茎泽兰入侵并造成严重危害的地区之一，本文以四川省攀西地区紫茎泽兰入侵危害严重的生态系统为研究对象，分别对不同生境条件下各年龄紫茎泽兰的生长状况、幼苗生长动态、不同类型群落中紫茎泽兰的种群变化规律以及泽兰实蝇防治紫茎泽兰现状进行研究，分析紫茎泽兰生态学特征及入侵策略，以揭示紫茎泽兰的入侵机制。 　　不同生境条件下相同年龄紫茎泽兰其生长状况有很大的不同：当年生紫茎泽兰幼苗在偏阴和灌丛遮荫环境下生长状况优于偏阳生境下，一年生以上的成熟植株生长情况则相反;紫茎泽兰在其单优群落中的生长状况明显优于灌丛中伴生的紫茎泽兰，说明一定程度的遮荫、植被覆盖及竞争对紫茎泽兰生长有一定的抑制作用。不同种类的灌木对紫茎泽兰生长的影响亦有所不同，其中，马桑（Coriaria sinica）等冠幅较大、性喜阴湿的落叶类灌木对紫茎泽兰幼苗萌发、种群更新有庇护和促进作用，而其他类冠幅小、常绿或落叶、且生于干旱生境下的灌木，则不利于紫茎泽兰幼苗萌发及种群更新，有些甚至会产生化感物种抑制紫茎泽兰的生长。 　　紫茎泽兰种子萌发属投机式萌发，一年内只要有适合的温湿条件都可以萌发。种子萌发的高峰期主要集中在雨季，冬春干旱季节萌发率很低。紫茎泽兰为常绿半灌木，终年可持续生长，生长速率受光照、湿度和温度影响显著。秋季萌发的紫茎泽兰幼苗在越冬及干旱季节中，各项生长指标（包括主茎长度、总叶面积、基径等）增长缓慢，一年之内平均月增长量由高到低的顺序分别为：偏阳生境＞全荫湿润生境＞灌丛遮荫生境，生长旺期为雨季约6 ~10月份;秋季萌发越年生实生苗生长节律与当年生实生苗相似，但生长周期不同于雨季萌发苗，需经过两个冬季才能开花结实完成其生活史;紫茎泽兰生活史循环过程，通过有性生殖与无性生殖相互补的繁殖策略进行种群的更新与扩散，进而达到入侵的目的。 　　泽兰实蝇（Procecidochares utilis）作为天敌控制紫茎泽兰已经在国内外得到广泛的应用，但关于它对紫茎泽兰控制的有效性和防治现状的研究尚不深入。本文通过对攀西地区紫茎泽兰入侵危害严重的路域生态系统中泽兰实蝇寄生状况的抽样调查，初步研究了泽兰实蝇对紫茎泽兰生长，特别是生殖能力的影响。研究结果表明：1）植株寄生率与枝条寄生率有显著差异（p﹤0.05），分别为71.67% 和17.30%，前者显著高于后者;样方调查结果显示，成熟群落中枝条寄生率为17.48枝•m-2;1虫瘿•枝条-1的枝条占所有寄生枝条的92.30%;2）湿润生境下紫茎泽兰的枝条寄生率为20.27%，显著高于干旱生境下的枝条寄生率（9.33%）（p﹤0.05）;3）不同年龄植株枝条寄生率有差异，0 ~1年生植株枝条寄生率分别为36.36%和21.56%，显著高于2 ~4年生的植株枝条寄生率，后者分别为13.50%，8.82%及12.16%（p﹤0.05）;4）在目前的寄生强度下，泽兰实蝇对紫茎泽兰枝条的直径、花枝量、头状花序数及结实量均无显著影响（p﹥0.05）。因此可以推断，目前单一的引进泽兰实蝇进行天敌控制不能达到预期的防治目标，天敌的引入也应慎重考虑。 　　紫茎泽兰能够利用与当地大多数植物种类生长节律的时间差异，通过首先占领时间生态位而达到占据空间生态位，最终导致严重的入侵危害。在不同类型的群落中，紫茎泽兰种群利用不同的适应策略进行入侵。自然和人工播种样地中，紫茎泽兰种群与群落状况的变化规律均呈相反趋势。对于一个成熟的紫茎泽兰种群，一旦其定居后即能很好的利用时间和空间生态位的空缺的来促进其优势地位的增强和巩固，从而逐渐增加其入侵程度，造成越来越大的灾害;而对于一个郁蔽度较好且较完整的群落，紫茎泽兰通过幼苗进行扩张以达到入侵的途径通常比较困难，只有在发生人为活动干扰时，才有可能通过投机式繁殖方式进入群落内部定居，继而通过克隆生殖的方式进行入侵。

The first report of kininogen from invertebrates

The hornet possesses highly toxic venom, which is rich in toxin, enzymes, and biologically active peptides. Several bradykinin-like peptides, vespakinins, have been found in wasp venoms since 1970s, but the mode of biosynthesis of these peptides is unknow

榕小蜂食性分化与榕树-榕小蜂系统稳定性

在榕树与其传粉小蜂组成的互利阿共生系统中,理解传粉小蜂与各种非传粉小蜂如何共存是解决这一系统稳定性维持机制问题的关键之一.生态位分化被普遍认为是传粉小蜂与各种非传粉小蜂共存的最主要动力.而作为生态位分化中最基础的食性分化在这一系统中如何具体实现尚小清楚.2006年12月至2007年6月.我们以聚果榕(Ficus racemosa)为材料,通过对果内6种榕小蜂进行独立放蜂及两两组合定最放蜂,并对传粉小蜂分别进行不携带花粉和不能产卵的技术处理,研究了寄生在聚果榕果内的5种非传粉小蜂的食性及相互关系,分析了在不同季节下寄生蜂与寄主间的相关系数.研究结果表明:在5种非传粉小蜂中,Platyneura testacea和P mayri是造瘿者,能独立刺激子房发育成瘿花,并使果实发育成熟;而 Apocrypta sp、A.westwoodi和P.agraensis只能寄生于某些已发育的虫瘿,为拟寄生者,它们各自分别与P.testacea,P.mayri和传粉小蜂Ceratosolen fusciceps存在着一对一的寄生关系.拟寄生者与寄主间的相关性在不同季节下会显示出不同的结果,这表明过去文献中用物种间的相关系数推理而确定的食性关系可能是不可靠的.对自然采集榕果内的小蜂群落分析表明,传粉小蜂处于优势地位,这说明在自然情况下非传粉小蜂的种群维持在一个较低水平,对榕树-传粉小蜂系统稳定性影响较小,故能与之长期共存.