The estimation of natality in a fruit-infesting insect (Diptera: Tephritidae)

1978 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon Pritchard
Keyword(s):  
Aggressive Behaviour ◽  
Development Time ◽  
New South ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Oviposition Site ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Fruit Tissue ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Gravid Females ◽  
Oviposition Sites

Extraction of eggs of Dacus tryoni from fruit was aided by first identifying oviposition sites with a water-soluble dye and then digesting the fruit tissue around the oviposition site with a mixture of enzymes consisting of equal parts of 1% pectinase and 1% cellulase. The numbers of eggs laid per week were estimated by a formula that incorporated the numbers of hatched and unhatched eggs present on one occasion each week, the proportion of fertile eggs in each variety of fruit, and the development time of eggs.Many more eggs were laid in an orchard in New South Wales, Australia, in a wet year (1966–1967) than in a dry year (1965–1966). This was due in part to a larger population of adults that migrated into the orchard in the wet year and to the fact that fruit remained on the trees longer. There was evidence that the rate of oviposition in the wet season fell off as fruit became scarcer towards the end of the season. Aggressive behaviour of females on fruit and movement of gravid females away from the orchard are possible explanations.

Effect of parent material, natural available soil boron, and applied boron and lime on the growth and chemical composition of lucerne on some acidic soils of the Central Tablelands of New South Wales

1982 ◽  
Vol 22 (117) ◽  
pp. 317 ◽  
Author(s):  
KS Haddad ◽  
CJ Kaldor
Keyword(s):  
Boron Content ◽  
Boron Concentration ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Boron Deficiency ◽  
Alluvial Soils ◽  
Acidic Soils ◽  
South Wales

Fifteen acidic soils (0-1 5 cm), three from each of the five main parent materials in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, were collected for a glasshouse experiment. The hot water soluble boron content of these soils and some other related soil properties were measured. Boron at nil and 1.5 �g/g air-dried soil and lime at nil and 670 �g/g air-dried soil in a factorial combination were applied to the soils. The effects of the treatments on the performance of lucerne (Medicago sativa cv. Hunter River) grown on these soils were studied. Boron application tended to increase the production of lucerne dry matter on sandstone, shale and slate, and granitic soils, but not on basaltic or alluvial soils. Also, it increased the boron concentration in the leaves of lucerne grown in all soils and consequently, reduced the calcium to boron ratio. The boron levels that produced 90% of the maximum yield and below which boron deficiency symptoms were manifested by the plants, were 0.34 �g/g in air-dried soil and 25 �g/g in oven-dried leaves. There was a linear correlation (r = 0.98) between the hot water soluble boron content of the untreated soils and the boron concentration in the leaves. The hot water soluble boron content of the soils derived from sandstone, shale and slate, and granite was much lower than the basaltic or alluvial soils and were nearly equal to or below the determined critical level. Although liming had the tendency to induce the symptoms of boron deficiency, the effect of lime was greater than boron in increasing the yield. The role of lime in eliminating the problems of these acidic soils and hence promoting the yield of lucerne is discussed.

Observations supporting parental care by a viviparous reptile: aggressive behaviour against predators demonstrated by Cunningham’s skinks

2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 180
Author(s):  
Gregory S. Watson ◽  
David W. Green ◽  
Jolanta A. Watson
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Thermal Imaging ◽  
Aggressive Behaviour ◽  
New South ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Alpine Region ◽  
Squamate Reptiles ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Australian Magpie

Most reptiles exhibit no parental care and aggressive behaviour towards heterospecific predators has rarely been recorded in the natural environment. Several species of the subfamily Egerniinae are amongst the most highly social of all squamate reptiles, exhibiting stable social aggregations and high levels of long-term social and genetic monogamy. We have examined Cunningham’s skinks, Egernia cunninghami, over a three-year period during late January and early February (total 32 days) in the alpine region of New South Wales using video and thermal imaging. Four birthing sessions were witnessed during our field studies of social aggregations of skinks. Our observations monitored skink encounters, in the presence of offspring, with an eastern brown snake, Pseudonaja textilis (two separate encounters, one recorded by video/imaging) and 12 encounters with the Australian magpie, Gymnorhina tibicen. All events were associated with aggressive chasing and/or attack by adult skinks. The first snake encounter involved the active targeting of a recently born juvenile with the mother of the juvenile attacking the snake (running towards the snake, biting and remaining attached for several seconds). The second encounter (the following year) comprised two adult skinks attacking and biting a snake, Pseudonaja textilis. All magpie encounters resulted in chases by adult skinks.

Description of the glochidia of Alathyria pertexta pertexta Iredale, 1934 (Bivalvia : Hyriidae) from south-eastern Queensland

2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Michael W. Klunzinger
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
Adductor Muscle ◽  
Austral Spring ◽  
Widespread Species ◽  
North West ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Putative Species ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Wet Tropics ◽  
Gravid Females

Most freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionida) have larvae (glochidia in Margaritiferidae, Hyriidae and Unionidae) that are parasitic on fishes. Mechanisms of glochidia release and morphological features (size, shape, larval teeth, etc.) vary across taxa and geography. Among the Australasian Hyriidae, glochidia have been described from 12 of the 28 putative species. Alathyria pertexta Iredale, 1934 is a widespread species from subtropical/semitemperate south-eastern Queensland and northern New South Wales to the northern wet tropics of Queensland and southern New Guinea. Little information is available on its biology and its glochidia have not been described in detail. The aim of this study was to describe the glochidia of A. pertexta pertexta and the method of their release. Gravid females collected from Mary River, near Kenilworth, and Isaac River, north-west of Rockhampton, Queensland, released glochidia in ‘amorphous mucus conglutinates’, in which glochidia are released from exhalent siphons of females in a loose mucus matrix that dissociates in water, during the austral spring (August–October); they then hatched from vitelline membranes but remained tethered by a larval thread and began characteristically ‘winking’. Shells (n = 80) are subtriangular and scalene in shape, 268.1 µm long (±1.21, s.e.), 242.9 µm high (±1.22, s.e.) and have a hinge length of 191 µm (±0.63, s.e.). Larval teeth are spineless, S-shaped hooks with singular interlocking cusps on opposing valves. The surface of the apex and valve margins are crenulated, and valves are smooth and porous, held together by a hinge and a singular internal adductor muscle.

Potassium adsorption characteristics and potassium forms in some New South Wales soils in relation to early senescence in cotton

Soil Research ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 42 (7) ◽  
pp. 747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sevag Bedrossian ◽  
Balwant Singh
Keyword(s):  
Soil Depth ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Clay Fraction ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Premature Senescence ◽  
Exchangeable K ◽  
Adsorption Characteristics ◽  
Surface Samples ◽  
South Wales

The occurrence of premature senescence (PS) in cotton in Australia has been related to decreased potassium (K) concentration in the affected plants. Soil samples (0–120 cm) were taken from paired cotton fields, i.e. PS fields and similar soils not affected by PS (Non-PS fields), in northern New South Wales. The samples were analysed for different forms of K in soil, mineralogy of various size fractions, and K adsorption characteristics to evaluate differences in their K availability. Smectite was the dominant clay mineral in the studied soils. The K-bearing mineral illite was present in the clay fraction of all samples and its content was generally higher in soils from the Non-PS sites than the PS sites from Moree, Pilliga, and Warren. Water-soluble K (H2O-K) ranged from 0.03 to 2.64 mg/kg (median 0.35 mg/kg), exchangeable K (Exch-K) from 43 to 687 mg/kg (median 107 mg/kg), non-exchangeable K (Nonexch-K) from 164 to 1981 mg/kg (median 819 mg/kg), and total K (Total-K) from 16 811 to 23 207 mg/kg (median 14 740 mg/kg). The values of various K forms were generally higher in samples from the Non-PS fields than the PS fields from Pilliga and Warren sites and the reverse trend occurred for the samples from Trangie. Similar H2O-K and Exch-K values were found for the PS and Non-PS samples from Moree, whereas Nonexch-K and Total-K contents were higher in the top 60 cm soil depth from the Non-PS field than the PS field. The equilibrium activity ratio (ARKe) values were significantly higher for surface samples from the Non-PS sites than the PS sites from Pilliga and Warren and the reverse was true for the Trangie site. There was a sharp decrease in ARKe with depth for the studied samples. The potential buffering capacity (PBCK) for both surface and subsurface samples from the Non-PS site (mean 31.5 (mmol/kg)/(mol/L)1/2) from Trangie was substantially higher than the corresponding samples from the PS sites (mean 14.7 (mmol/kg)/(mol/L)1/2). There was a significant increase in K adsorption for the subsurface samples than the surface samples for all sites, as indicated by the higher values of Freundlich adsorption coefficient, k. At the Pilliga and Warren sites, the occurrence of premature senescence in cotton plants can be explained on the basis of differences in the levels of different forms of K, mineralogy, and K adsorption characteristics of soils from the PS and Non-PS fields. At the Moree site, higher illite content in the Non-PS than the PS soil may explain the difference in their K availability. For the paired Trangie samples, greater PBCK of the Non-PS soil than the PS soil may be responsible for increased K availability in the Non-PS soil. The occurrence of PS symptoms in cotton at Narrabri site cannot be directly contributed to K supplying parameters analysed in the study. The results also show that Exch-K alone may not be adequate to measure K availability to cotton in these soils.

scholarly journals Suboptimal larval habitats modulate oviposition of the malaria vector mosquitoAnopheles gambiae

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eunho Suh ◽  
Dong-Hwan Choe ◽  
Ahmed M Saveer ◽  
Laurence J Zwiebel
Keyword(s):  
Malaria Vector ◽  
Site Selection ◽  
Oviposition Preference ◽  
Oviposition Site ◽  
Oviposition Site Selection ◽  
Larval Habitats ◽  
Dimethyl Disulphide ◽  
Gravid Females ◽  
Oviposition Sites ◽  
Selection Of

Selection of oviposition sites by gravid females is a critical behavioural preference in the reproductive cycle ofAnopheles gambiae, the principal Afrotropical malaria vector mosquito. Several studies suggest this decision is mediated by semiochemicals associated with potential oviposition sites. To better understand the chemosensory basis of this behaviour and identify compounds that can modulate oviposition, we examined the generally held hypothesis that suboptimal larval habitats give rise to semiochemicals that negatively influence the oviposition preference of gravid females. Dual-choice bioassays indicated that oviposition sites conditioned in this manner do indeed foster significant and concentration dependent aversive effects on the oviposition site selection of gravid females. Headspace analyses derived from aversive habitats consistently noted the presence of dimethyl disulphide (DMDS), dimethyl trisulphide (DMTS) and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one (sulcatone) each of which unitarily affectedAn. gambiaeoviposition preference. Electrophysiological assays across the antennae, maxillary palp, and labellum of gravidAn. gambiaerevealed differential responses to these semiochemicals. Taken together, these findings validate the hypothesis in question and suggest that suboptimal environments forAn. gambiaelarval development results in the release of DMDS, DMTS and sulcatone that impact the response valence of gravid females to directly modulate the chemical ecology of oviposition site selection.

Wheat yields and indices of available soil nitrogen in Southern NSW - A preliminary evaluation

1971 ◽  
Vol 11 (50) ◽  
pp. 295 ◽  
Author(s):  
RR Storrier ◽  
AT Hanly ◽  
TB Spence ◽  
AN Smith
Keyword(s):  
Soil Nitrogen ◽  
Nitrogen Fertilizer ◽  
Nitrate Nitrogen ◽  
New South ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Soluble Nitrogen ◽  
Preliminary Evaluation ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Fertilizer Requirement

Linear regression analyses were used to evaluate the usefulness of a number of measures of the available soil nitrogen in accounting for the variability in wheat yields under field conditions in southern New South Wales. Single soil tests, such as total mineral nitrogen in the surface sample (0-10 cm depth), could account for only 38 and 18.5 per cent of the variation in yield at flowering and harvest respectively. However, the Use of bilinear regression involving boiling water soluble nitrogen in the surface horizon and nitrate-nitrogen in the sub-soil (10-30 cm depth) accounted for 64 and 36 per cent of the variation in yield at flowering and harvest respectively. The use of these tests to predict the nitrogen fertilizer requirement of wheat will necessitate the measure ment of climatic, cultural and edaphic factors as well as response to nitrogen fertilizer.

Soil properties in relation to the sulphur and phosphorus status of some basaltic soils

Soil Research ◽  
1966 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 115 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Spencer
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
Phosphorus Deficiency ◽  
Soil Phosphorus ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Alluvial Soils ◽  
Weak Correlation ◽  
Sulphur Deficiency ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Phosphorus Status ◽  
Basaltic Soils

Twenty-three basaltic soils from elevated areas in northern New South Wales were examined for sulphur and phosphorus status by growing Phalaris tuberosa L. in pots in a glasshouse. Sulphur deficiency was more common and more severe than was phosphorus deficiency. To determine whether there may be some topographic control of sulphur or phosphorus status, soil colour was examined, as in general the reddest soils were found in the highest positions in the landscape. The soils were first considered as one group and then as subgroups of sedentary, colluvial, and alluvial soils. Using redness to rank the soils, there was no overall relationship to sulphur or phosphorus status. However, colour of the sedentary soils was significantly correlated with sulphur status (r = 0.92***), the reddest soils being the most deficient. The sulphur status of the brown colluvial and greyish brown alluvial soils showed no relationship to colour; they were uniformly severely deficient. Phosphorus deficiency was not associated with soil colour. Neither soil pH nor redox potential was related to the sulphur and phosphorus status of the soils. There was only a weak correlation (r = 0.60**) between the water-soluble sulphur content of all soils, but a stronger correlation (r = 0.81**) when only the sedentary soils were considered. Several soil phosphorus fractions could be satisfactorily used to distinguish between phosphorus-deficient and phosphorus-sufficient soils.

Comparisons of diets of sheep and cattle grazing together on sown pastures on the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales by principal components analysis

1973 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 899 ◽  
Author(s):  
ML Dudzinski ◽  
GW Arnold
Keyword(s):  
Principal Components ◽  
New South ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Soluble Carbohydrates ◽  
In Vitro Digestibility ◽  
Botanical Composition ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Mechanical Ability ◽  
Components Analysis

The botanical and chemical composition of the diets of oesophageal fistulated wether Merino sheep and cattle (mainly yearlings and dry cows) were compared when they grazed together on sown pastures varying widely in yield and botanical composition. Sheep diets were consistently different from cattle diets, independent of pasture conditions, in having lower normal-acid fibre contents (3.8 units lower), and higher water-soluble carbohydrates (1 unit) and in vitro digestibility (4.4 units). Differences in nitrogen content and in botanical composition of the diet were related, in part, to the botanical composition of the pasture being grazed. It is suggested that differences in composition of the diet arise from differences between sheep and cattle in their mechanical ability to be selective. Use of the principal components technique allowed reasonable biological conclusions to be drawn from multivariate intercorrelated data.

Boron supplying power, boron adsorption capacity and productivity of some acidic soils from the Central Tablelands of New South Wales

1983 ◽  
Vol 23 (121) ◽  
pp. 120
Author(s):  
KS Haddad ◽  
CJ Kaldor
Keyword(s):  
Adsorption Capacity ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Subterranean Clover ◽  
Parent Material ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Boron Uptake ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Boron Adsorption

The reliability of the hot-water soluble boron (HWSB) content of a soil as a measure of total boron available to plants during intensive cropping, and its relationship with the boron-supplying power (BSP) of the soil, as affected by the soil's parent material, was studied in a glasshouse trial. Fifteen surface soils (0- 15 cm) from six parent materials from the Central Tablelands of New South Wales were used. In each pot of soil, three crops were planted in succession: sunflower (Helianthus annuus cv. Hysun 3 I), subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum cv. Woogenellup), and maize (Zea mays cv. XL45). Lime and borax were applied in a 2x2 factorial combination. Crop responses to these applications, their relationship with soil BSP and HWSB content, and soil boron adsorption capacity (BAC) when borax was added were also investigated. In soils not treated with borax or lime, the following were significantly correlated (r > 0.51): crop yield, crop uptake of boron, HWSB content before cropping, and BSP. However, BSP was not correlated with the amount of HWSB lost from the soil during cropping. In sandstone, granitic and quartz-rich fine sedimentary soils, the amount of boron taken up by the crops was not significantly different from the amount of HWSB removed from the soil. Therefore, their BSP (0, 74 and 145 g B/ha respectively) was not significantly greater than zero and thus their HWSB content simply and reliably measures their boron status. From crop responses in granitic and quartz-rich fine sedimentary soils (HWSB content 0.26 and 0.30 �g B/g of air dried soil, respectively) it was shown that these soils require boron supplementation whenever their HWSB content is less than about 0.34 �g B/g air dried soil, particularly if they are cropped intensively or heavily limed. The BSP of tuff, basaltic and alluvial soils (388, 407 and 620 g B/ha) was significantly greater than zero. Therefore, these soils have boron reserves not measured by the HWSB method and their HWSB content does not reliably measure boron available for crops. All soils adsorbed boron when borax was applied. The BAC did not differ significantly between the six soil types. The overall effect of lime was to significantly increase dry matter yield. Boron uptake by the crops, and soil BSP and BAC were not significantly affected by liming.

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