Preference among four Bactrocera species (Diptera: Tephritidae) by Diachasmimorpha kraussii (Fullaway) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Diachasmimorpha kraussii is an endoparasitoid of larval dacine fruit flies. To date the only host preference study done on D. kraussii has used fruit flies from outside its native range (Australia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands). In contrast, this paper investigates host preference for four fly species (Bactrocera cacuminata, B. cucumis, B. jarvisi and B. tryoni) which occur sympatrically with the wasp in the Australian component of the native range. Diachasmimorpha kraussii oviposition preference, host suitability (parasitism rate, number of progeny, sex ratio), and offspring performance measures (body length, hind tibial length, developmental time) were investigated with respect to the four fly species in the laboratory in both no-choice and choice situations. The parasitoid accepted all four fruit fly species for oviposition in both no-choice and choice tests; however, adult wasps only emerged from B. jarvisi and B. tryoni. Through dissection, it was demonstrated that parasitoid eggs were encapsulated in both B. cacuminata and B. cucumis. Between the two suitable hosts, measurements of oviposition preference, host suitability and offspring performance measurements either did not vary significantly, or varied in an inconsistent manner. Based on our results, and a related study by other authors, we conclude that D. krausii, at the point of oviposition, cannot discriminate between physiologically suitable and unsuitable hosts.

Corporate profit and impression management in developing markets

In this study, we examine how organisations in Fiji communicate or legitimise their profit. We base the need for understanding this phenomenon on the following premise. Organisations are part of a wider society, and in competition for scarce resources. Organisations obtain the rights to consume resources upon conception, but must continually legitimise their rights of existence and the need to access the resources. Legitimacy is the ability to continue to justify one’s authority to exist in a society. Organisations rights to resources are contractual, and have a moral obligation to act in a responsible manner and justify their outcomes, actions, and activities to external stakeholders. Such justifications would be an attempt at legitimizing their existence by some form of impression management. Impression management refers to the process by which individuals attempt to influence the impression of others (Melo et al. 2009). In corporate reporting, impression management occurs when management selects, display, and presents that information in a manner that distorts readers’ perceptions of corporate achievements (Neu 1991; Patten 2002), and is managed best through disclosures (O’Donovan 2002). In developing economies, there is significant Government protection that creates near-monopoly sectors and industries. The rendered protection permits organisations to provide essential services to the community at reasonable costs. Organisations in these sectors and industries have an ominous need to legitimise their position and actions. The bond between the organisations and the society is much stronger, making organisations devote more effort in communicating their activities. Protection permits organisations to make reasonable profits to sustain their operations. Society may not accept abnormal profits from operational efficiencies. Profit is fundamental to the society’s perception of an organisation, amplifying the need for the firm to justify a level of profit. Abnormal profit for organisations construes bad news, and organisations would make relevant disclosures to manage stakeholder impressions on profit (Patten 2002). Organisations can manage impressions by disclosing information in a particular way. That is, organisations would want to put the impression that the abnormal profit is justified and the society will obtain its benefits in future. Such form of impression management requires unambiguous disclosure of information. The readability of corporate disclosures is an important indicator of organisational abnormal profit-related legitimacy efforts in developing economies.

Host location by the fruit fly parasitoid Diachasmimorpha krausii : role of fruit fly species, life stage and host plant

1 Diachasmimorpha krausii is a braconid parasitoid of larval tephritid fruit flies, which feed cryptically within host fruit. At the ovipositor probing stage, the wasp cannot discriminate between hosts that are physiologically suitable or unsuitable for offspring development and must use other cues to locate suitable hosts. 2 To identify the cues used by the parasitoid to find suitable hosts, we offered, to free flying wasps, different combinations of three fruit fly species (Bactrocera tryoni, Bactrocera cacuminata, Bactrocera cucumis), different life stages of those flies (adults and larvae) and different host plants (Solanum lycopersicon, Solanum mauritianum, Cucurbita pepo). In the laboratory, the wasp will readily oviposit into larvae of all three flies but successfully develops only in B. tryoni. Bactrocera tryoni commonly infests S. lycopersicon (tomato), rarely S. mauritianum (wild tobacco) but never C. pepo (zucchini). The latter two plant species are common hosts for B. cacuminata and B. cucumis, respectively. 3 The parasitoid showed little or no response to uninfested plants of any of the test species. The presence of adult B. tryoni, however, increased parasitoid residency time on uninfested tomato. 4 When the three fruit types were all infested with larvae, parasitoid response was strongest to tomato, regardless of whether the larvae were physiologically suitable or unsuitable for offspring development. By contrast, zucchini was rarely visited by the wasp, even when infested with B. tryoni larvae. 5 Wild tobacco was infrequently visited when infested with B. cacuminata larvae but was more frequently visited, with greater parasitoid residency time and probing, when adult flies (either B. cacuminata or B. tryoni) were also present. 6 We conclude that herbivore-induced, nonspecific host fruit wound volatiles were the major cue used by foraging D. krausii. Although positive orientation to infested host plants is well known from previous studies on opiine braconids, the failure of the wasp to orientate to some plants even when infested with physiologically suitable larvae, and the secondary role played by adult fruit flies in wasp host searching, are newly-identified mechanisms that may aid parasitoid host location in environments where both physiologically suitable and unsuitable hosts occur.

Convergence and divergence during the adaptation to similar environments by an Australian Groundsel

Adaptation to replicate environments is often achieved through similar phenotypic solutions. Whether selection also produces convergent genomic changes in these situations remains largely unknown. The variable groundsel, Senecio lautus, is an excellent system to investigate the genetic underpinnings of convergent evolution, because morphologically similar forms of these plants have adapted to the same environments along the coast of Australia. We compared range-wide patterns of genomic divergence in natural populations of this plant and searched for regions putatively affected by natural selection. Our results indicate that environmental adaptation followed complex genetic trajectories, affecting multiple loci, implying both the parallel recruitment of the same alleles and the divergence of completely different genomic regions across geography. An analysis of the biological functions of candidate genes suggests that adaptation to coastal environments may have occurred through the recruitment of different genes participating in similar processes. The relatively low genetic convergence that characterizes the parallel evolution of S. lautus forms suggests that evolution is more constrained at higher levels of biological organization.

On the role of RNA silencing in the pathogenicity and evolution of viroids and viral satellites

Viroids and most viral satellites have small, noncoding, and highly structured RNA genomes. How they cause disease symptoms without encoding proteins and why they have characteristic secondary structures are two longstanding questions. Recent studies have shown that both viroids and satellites are capable of inducing RNA silencing, suggesting a possible role of this mechanism in the pathology and evolution of these subviral RNAs. Here we show that preventing RNA silencing in tobacco, using a silencing suppressor, greatly reduces the symptoms caused by the Y satellite of cucumber mosaic virus. Furthermore, tomato plants expressing hairpin RNA, derived from potato spindle tuber viroid, developed symptoms similar to those of potato spindle tuber viroid infection. These results provide evidence suggesting that viroids and satellites cause disease symptoms by directing RNA silencing against physiologically important host genes. We also show that viroid and satellite RNAs are significantly resistant to RNA silencing-mediated degradation, suggesting that RNA silencing is an important selection pressure shaping the evolution of the secondary structures of these pathogens.

Developing and communicating strategies for controlling virus diseases in vegetable cucurbit crops

Virus diseases cause serious yield and quality losses in field grown cucurbit crops worldwide. In Australia, the main viruses of cucurbits are Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV), Squash mosaic virus (SqMV), Watermelon mosaic virus (WMV) and Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV). Plants infected early have severely distorted fruit. High infection incidences, of ZYMV and PRSV in crops cause losses of marketable fruit of up to 100% and infected crops are often abandoned. Two new alternative hosts of ZYMV were identified, the native cucurbit Cucumis maderaspatanus and wild legume Rhyncosia minima. No new alternative hosts of PRSV, SqMV or WMV were found in Western Australia or Queensland. Seed transmission of ZYMV (0.7%) was found in seedlings grown from ZYMV-infected fruit of zucchini but not of pumpkin. None was detected with PRSV or SqMV in zucchini or pumpkin seedlings, respectively. ZYMV spread to pumpkins by aphids was greater downwind than upwind of a virus source. Delaying sowing by 2 weeks decreased ZYMV spread. Millet non-host barriers between pumpkin plantings slowed ZYMV infection. Host resistance gene (zym) in cucumber cultivars was effective against ZYMV. Pumpkin cultivars with resistance gene (Zym) became infected under high virus pressure but leaf symptoms were milder and infected plants higher yielding with more market-acceptable fruit than those without Zym. Most zucchini cultivars with Zym developed severe leaf and fruit symptoms. ZYMV, PRSV, WMV and SqMV spread readily from infected to healthy cucurbit plants by direct leaf contact. ZYMV survives and remains infective on diverse surfaces for up to 6 hours but can be inactivated by some disinfectants. Phylogenetic analysis indicates at least three separate introductions of ZYMV into Australia, with new introductions rarely occurring. ZYMV isolates clustered into three groups according to collection location i) Kununurra, ii) Northern Territory and iii) Carnarvon, Qld and Vic. A multiplex Real-Time PCR was developed which distinguished between the three groups of Australian isolates. Integrated disease management (IDM) strategies for virus diseases of vegetable cucurbit crops grown in the field were improved incorporating the new information gathered. These strategies are aimed at causing using minimal extra expense, labour demands and disruption to normal practices.

Preference among four Bactrocera species (Diptera: Tephritidae) by Diachasmimorpha kraussii (Fullaway) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Diachasmimorpha kraussii is an endoparasitoid of larval dacine fruit flies. To date, the only host preference study done on D. kraussii has used fruit flies from outside its native range (Australia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands). In contrast, this paper investigates host preference for four fly species (Bactrocera cacuminata, Bactrocera cucumis, Bactrocera jarvisi and Bactrocera tryoni), which occur sympatrically with the wasp in the Australian component of the native range. D. kraussii oviposition preference, host suitability (parasitism rate, number of progeny, sex ratio) and offspring performance measures (body length, hind tibial length, developmental time) were investigated with respect to the four fly species in the laboratory in both no-choice and choice situations. The parasitoid accepted all four fruit fly species for oviposition in both no-choice and choice tests; however, adult wasps only emerged from B. jarvisi and B. tryoni. Through dissection, it was demonstrated that parasitoid eggs were encapsulated in both B. cacuminata and B. cucumis. Between the two suitable hosts, measurements of oviposition preference, host suitability and offspring performance measurements either did not vary significantly or varied in an inconsistent manner. Based on our results, and a related study by other authors, we conclude that D. krausii, at the point of oviposition, cannot discriminate between physiologically suitable and unsuitable hosts.

Absence of parallelism between polyamine and nucleic acid contents during induced growth of cucumber cotyledons

The cytokinins (benzyladenine or benzyladenosine) decreased spermidine and spermine contents despite increasing putrescine content, when administered to isolated cotyledons of Cucumis sativus L. var. Guntur in organ culture. KCl decreased putrescine contents, although marginally increasing polyamine contents. The cytokinins and/or KCl augmented nucleic acid biosynthesis and accumulation, resulting in enhanced growth and differentiation of the isolated cotyledons. These observations show that polyamine accumulation and growth are not always coupled.

Enantiospecific first total synthesis and assignment of absolute configuration of the sesquiterpene (-)-cucumin H

The first total synthesis of the sesquiterpene (-)-cucumin H, a linear triquinane isolated from Macrocystidia cucumis, has been accomplished starting from (R)-limonene employing two different cyclopentannulation methodologies, which in addition to confirming the structure also established the absolute configuration of the natural product.

An estimate of the number of tropical tree species

The high species richness of tropical forests has long been recognized, yet there remains substantial uncertainty regarding the actual number of tropical tree species. Using a pantropical tree inventory database from closed canopy forests, consisting of 657,630 trees belonging to 11,371 species, we use a fitted value of Fisher's alpha and an approximate pantropical stem total to estimate the minimum number of tropical forest tree species to fall between similar to 40,000 and similar to 53,000, i.e., at the high end of previous estimates. Contrary to common assumption, the Indo-Pacific region was found to be as species-rich as the Neotropics, with both regions having a minimum of similar to 19,000-25,000 tree species. Continental Africa is relatively depauperate with a minimum of similar to 4,500-6,000 tree species. Very few species are shared among the African, American, and the Indo-Pacific regions. We provide a methodological framework for estimating species richness in trees that may help refine species richness estimates of tree-dependent taxa.

La participación de la mujer en las Misiones de Paz de Naciones Unidas a través de la actuación de las FF.AA

Resumen: El presente estudio es de Alcance temporal Transversal ygrado de conocimientoDescriptivo. Su tipo de diseño es Cuantitativo, acorde a la lógica de investigación Analítico-Empírica. Recurre a la Investigación Documental e Investigación de Campo. El tipo de muestreo es No Probabilístico, la selección de la muestra es Intencional, y la Unidad de Análisis es El Grado de Integración de las FFAA en cuestiones de Género. El instrumento releva tres Dimensiones: 1. Nivel de integración de género. 2. Posibilidades de desarrollo de carrera y profesional dentro de las Fuerzas Armadas para la mujer. 3. Limitaciones para el desarrollo de la mujer en las Fuerzas Armadas. Se observa en el presente, el nivel de integración de género alcanzado en las misiones de paz de la ONU1, su incidencia en la labor de dichos grupos, y los cambios que ello ha implicado en las Fuerzas Armadas que participan de dichas operaciones internacionales. Asimismo, a fin de considerar el alcance de dicha integración de la mujer en una institución tradicionalmente masculina, se ha considerado pertinente conocer qué dificultades han encontrado para alcanzar la igualdad de trato y oportunidades, a fin de conocer qué aspectos resta mejorar a fin de lograr la participación femenina en las Fuerzas Armadas nacionales y en las misiones de paz, en igualdad de condiciones. Para ello, se ha encuestado la cantidad de 47 hombres y mujeres de las Fuerzas Armadas Argentinas que han participado o que aspiran a participar de las misiones de paz de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas en el mundo, a fin de conocer sus experiencias, apreciaciones y expectativas. El instrumento ha sido diseñado ad hoc para el presente trabajo, para conocer la experiencia de hombres y mujeres de las misiones de paz argentinas en el mundo, respecto del nivel y eficacia de la integración de género. Este tema cumple con los requisitos de estudiar la participación de población local en actividades de relaciones internacionales, dado que se forman en las instituciones locales, y se desempeñan en distintos puntos del globo, como Haití, Líbano o Medio Oriente, representando a la Argentina. Se han obtenido los siguientesResultados: Se ha obtenido una muestra equilibrada en materia de edades. Las mujeres, en un margen del 1 al 10, consideran que la integración de la mujer en las FFAA alcanza una puntuación media (6.96). Los hombres le asignan un puntaje más alto (8.48). En su evaluación de la importancia de la participación de la mujer en las Misiones de Paz, ambos han asignado un puntaje alto (entre 7 y 9) Un 58.3% de las mujeres consideran que la mujer sufre desventajas y limitaciones en la institución, mientras que un 73.9% sostiene, en cambio, que gozan de privilegios, y ningún hombre ha considerado que sufran desventajas y limitaciones. La percepción al respecto es opuesta en ambos géneros. En cuanto a los tratos diferenciados, el 100% de los hombres consideran que existe igualdad en las posibilidades de ascenso; mientras que un 50% aproximadamente sostiene que la exigencia en la Instrucción y Tareas en las Mujeres es equitativa y que éstas reciben un trato menos riguroso que el hombre. Un 73.9% sostiene que existe equidad en la expectativa en las mujeres. Las mujeres tienen, respecto a estos aspectos, percepciones divididas, lo que permite apreciar diversidad en las experiencias vividas por éstas y heterogeneidad en el trato recibido: mientras que porcentajes entre 50 y 80% consideran igualdad en los tratos recibidos; porcentajes cercanos al 25 y 30% consideran que tienen menores posibilidades de ascenso, menor exigencia en tareas y evaluación y menor trato riguroso. Porcentajes de entre 12 y 30%, en cambio, consideran que la exigencia y el trato son superiores para la mujer. Para ambos géneros, la incorporación de las mujeres a las FFAA ha sido positiva, aunque algunos hombres (26.1%) la consideran negativa. Asimismo, mientras que un 73.9% de hombres calificarían el desempeño de la mujer como igual al del hombre; el 75% de las mujeres lo consideran diferente y complementario. En cuanto a las ventajas en al conformación de equipos mixtos en las misiones de paz, las mujeres han mostrado una visión estereotipada de sí mismas, valorando tareas de asistencia y cuidado, mientras el los hombres han valorado su participación para el éxito de la misión, para mejorar relaciones con la población local y otras variadas. Los hombres han reconocido la existencia de limitaciones para el desarrollo de la mujer en su carrera militar, como el machismo, la discriminación y las restricciones para el ascenso, mientras que las mujeres se centran en la maternidad y el rechazo al liderazgo femenino como principales problemas.Se concluye en el presente que: La participación de la mujer en las Fuerzas Armadas y en las misiones de paz de Argentina son alarmantemente insuficientes. Sus niveles de participación son mínimos. La necesidad de la integración de género es creciente, dado que se su presencia en las misiones de paz resulta fundamental para establecer vínculos con las poblaciones locales, empoderar a sus mujeres y atender a las necesidades de personas vulneradas bajo todo tipo de violencia. Las Fuerzas Armadas se pueden beneficiar de la integración de género, ya que se trata de una institución eminentemente heterogénea. Las misiones de paz resultan un espacio ideal para incorporar la perspectiva de género y encontrar soluciones creativas a los conflictos que la institución debe enfrentar en todos los ámbitos

Estudio del ciclo biológico de la mosca blanca (Bemisia tabaci Gennadius, Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) en siete especies de cucurbitaceas

Con el objetivo de estudiar el ciclo de vida de la mosca blanca (Bemisia tabaci Gennadius) en siete especies de plantas se realizó el presente estudio a nivel de invernadero en la Universidad Nacional Agraria, ubicada en el km 12 ½ carretera norte. Se utilizaron adultos de la mosca blanca los cuales fueron criados en plantas de frijol rojo variedad INTA Masatepe. El experimento se realizó en el período comprendido entre los meses de Marzo-Mayo 2009 a una temperatura y humedad relativa diurna promedio 28.83 °C y 53.81%, respectivamente. De cada planta en estudio se seleccionó una hoja, se le puso una jaula de hoja (tipo leaf cage) y se introdujeron 20 moscas blancas con la relación 1:1, las que se dejaron 24 horas para oviposición, pasado este tiempo se retiraron las moscas y se procedió al conteo de huevos, una vez contados los huevos se realizaron conteos periódicos del número de ninfas y finalmente del número de adultos que emergieron de cada hoja inoculada. El análisis de los datos reflejó que no existió diferencia significativa en el número de huevos depositados en los distintos hospederos, tampoco existió diferencia significativa entre el número de huevos eclosionados, existió diferencia significativa en la variable ninfas que alcanzaron en estadio ninfal 4, con el mayor número de ninfas para el caso de la planta hospedera calabacín (C. moschata), también existió diferencia significativa para la variable emergencia de adultos siendo las plantas de melón (C. melo), pipian ( C. argyrosperma), calabacín (C. moschata), y pepino (C. sativus), son los tratamientos en los cuales existe mayor emergencia de adultos; en la variable duración de ciclo biológico los tratamientos presentaron diferencias significativas con gradiente de tiempo comprendido entre los 17 días para Calabacín y 25 días de duración en Paste, indicando que Calabacín ( C. moschata), es el hospedero que más favorece el tiempo del ciclo de vida y el paste es el hospedero que limita la duración de la mosca.

Pedir ayuda a “Los otros” : algunas consideraciones en torno a la primera embajada bizantina en Córdoba (s. IX)

Resumen: El presente artículo estudia las motivaciones que tuvo Téofilo, Emperador bizantino, para entrar en contacto con el Emirato Independiente de Córdoba. Desde ese punto de vista, se presentan algunas cuestiones en torno a la imagen del musulmán construidas por la apologética bizantina, haciendo especial mención a la obra de Constantino VII Porfirogénito, De administrando Imperio. Es a partir de allí que se trata de analizar los motivos que mueven al Basileus a enviar la primera embajada bizantina en Córdoba, comprobando con esto que , cuando se trata de salvaguardar la seguridad del imperio, no habrán motivos para evitar contactos con aquel que , incluso, pueda ser un enemigo.

Algunas consideraciones en torno a la frontera, la tregua y libre determinación en la frontera castellano-granadina : s. XIII-XV

Resumen: El presente trabajo se refiere a algunos aspectos en relación a las características de la frontera castellano-granadina durante los siglos XIII al XV, profundizando en aquellos aspectos referidos a la coexistencia en ese espacio, especialmente, en lo que se refiere a la libre determinación religiosa. Luego de definir algunos aspectos en relación al valor de las treguas, ingresamos en la descripción de las características que comporta la libre determinación y como se manifiesta su dinámica a partir de su integración en los distintos tratados de treguas, verificando cuáles son los momentos en que éstas se hacen más evidentes e indagando en los posibles motivos de esta situación.

O processo legislativo, o orçamento público e a Casa Legislativa

Reúne artigos sobre o processo legislativo e seus impactos na democracia, sobre o orçamento e políticas públicas e sobre assuntos pertinentes à Casa Legislativa, abrangendo os aspectos da gestão estratégica, da informação legislativa e da participação da Câmara dos Deputados em ações de sustentabilidade, tendo como foco o programa de coleta seletiva.