Biological Habits Research Articles

First Report on the Trophic Transfer and Priority List of Liquid Crystal Monomers in the Pearl River Estuary.

Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) are emerging organic pollutants due to their potential persistence, toxicity, and bioaccumulation. This study first characterized the levels and compositions of 19 LCMs in organisms in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE), estimated their bioaccumulation and trophic transfer potential, and identified priority contaminants. LCMs were generally accumulated in organisms from sediment, and the LCM concentrations in all organisms ranged from 32.35 to 1367 ng/g lipid weight. The main LCMs in organisms were biphenyls and analogues (BAs) (76.6%), followed by cyanobiphenyls and analogues (CBAs) (15.1%), and the least were fluorinated biphenyls and analogues (FBAs) (11.2%). The most abundant LCM monomers of BAs, FBAs, and CBAs in LCMs in organisms were 1-(4-propylcyclohexyl)-4-vinylcyclohexane (15.1%), 1-ethoxy-2,3-difluoro-4-(4-(4-propylcyclohexyl) cyclohexyl) benzene (EDPBB, 10.1%), and 4'-propoxy-4-biphenylcarbonitrile (5.1%), respectively. The niche studies indicated that the PRE food web was composed of terrestrial-based diet and marine food chains. Most LCMs exhibited biodilution in the terrestrial-based diet and marine food chains, except for EDPBB and 4,4'-bis(4-propylcyclohexyl) biphenyl (BPCHB). The hydrophobicity, position of fluorine substitution of LCMs, and biological habits may be important factors affecting the bioaccumulation and trophic transfer of LCMs. BPCHB, 1-(prop-1-enyl)-4-(4-propylcyclohexyl) cyclohexane, and EDPBB were characterized as priority contaminants. This study first reports the trophic transfer processes and mechanisms of LCMs and the biomonitoring in PRE.

The effect of bioturbation on the release behavior of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from sediments: A sediment–seawater microcosm experiment combined with a fugacity model

The effects of two benthonic species, Perinereis aibuhitensis and Matuta planipes Fabricius, on the release of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from sediments were investigated using a sediment–seawater microcosm. A Level IV fugacity model was used to simulate the behavior and fate of PAHs in the environment. This study revealed that both benthos significantly influenced the release of PAHs, and Matuta planipes Fabricius had a stronger disturbance effect than another. The final concentrations of Matuta planipes Fabricius group, Perinereis aibuhitensis group and the control group in the seawater phase reached 10.8, 9.94 and 7.90 μg/L, respectively. There were certain differences in the behaviour of the two benthonic species. Matuta planipes Fabricius caused more sediment resuspension, while Perinereis aibuhitensis increased the total organic carbon (TOC) content in the environment. The vertical concentration distribution of sediment indicated that vertical mixing was slightly stronger in the Matuta planipes Fabricius group than that in the Perinereis aibuhitensis group. The fugacity model effectively simulated the release behavior of PAHs, providing insight into PAH transport and distribution. The results demonstrated that bioturbation could promote the release of PAHs from seawater. The amount of PAHs released was significantly correlated with the biological habits of the benthos.

Sustainable Rice Fish Farming: A Case Study in the Kuttanad Region

Integrated rice farming is a sustainable agricultural practice that aims to optimise resource use, increase productivity, and reduce environmental impacts. This study focuses on the need for a sustainable farming method in Kuttanad region in Alappuzha , a low-lying, waterlogged region in Kerala. This region is situated below sea level and is highly prone to many natural calamities like floods and will result in huge crop failure. Hence, to increase the income and the biological habit of the area, the study investigates the sustainability of integrated rice fish farming in the study area. Thus, a sustainable farming methodology as Integrated rice-fishing culture is considered. A case study analysis of two farmland is used to reach the research objective. As well, in one farmland, paddy is cultivated twice a year and the other farmland practices rice cultivation in one half and fish farming in the other half of the year. Although, the profit of fish cultivation along with paddy and also through variables like crop yielding, labour inputs, output value, input cost, environmental impacts and social impacts are also analysed. As a result, the integrated rice farming system helps to maintain the water quality of the region, which is essential for the survival of the aquatic ecosystem. The system not only provides economic benefits to the farmers but also enhances the biodiversity and ecosystem services of the region.The findings suggest that the integrated rice farming system in Kuttanad is a successful example of sustainable agriculture, which can be adopted in other regions with similar ecological conditions.

The First Two Complete Mitochondrial Genomes for the Subfamily Meligethinae (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) and Implications for the Higher Phylogeny of Nitidulidae.

The phylogenetic status of the family Nitidulidae and its sister group relationship remain controversial. Also, the status of the subfamily Meligethinae is not fully understood, and previous studies have been mainly based on morphology, molecular fragments, and biological habits, rather than the analysis of the complete mitochondrial genome. Up to now, there has been no complete mitochondrial genome report of Meligethinae. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genomes of Meligethinus tschungseni and Brassicogethes affinis (both from China) were provided, and they were compared with the existing complete mitochondrial genomes of Nitidulidae. The phylogenetic analysis among 20 species of Coleoptera was reconstructed via PhyloBayes analysis and Maximum likelihood (ML) analysis, respectively. The results showed that the full lengths of Meligethinus tschungseni and Brassicogethes affinis were 15,783 bp and 16,622 bp, and the AT contents were 77% and 76.7%, respectively. Each complete mitochondrial genome contains 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), 2 ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs), and a control region (A + T-rich region). All the PCGs begin with the standard start codon ATN (ATA, ATT, ATG, ATC). All the PCGs terminate with a complete terminal codon, TAA or TAG, except cox1, cox2, nad4, and nad5, which terminate with a single T. Furthermore, all the tRNAs have a typical clover-leaf secondary structure except trnS1, whose DHU arm is missing in both species. The two newly sequenced species have different numbers and lengths of tandem repeat regions in their control regions. Based on the genetic distance and Ka/Ks analysis, nad6 showed a higher variability and faster evolutionary rate. Based on the available complete mitochondrial genomes, the results showed that the four subfamilies (Nitidulinae, Meligethinae, Carpophilinae, Epuraeinae) of Nitidulidae formed a monophyletic group and further supported the sister group relationship of Nitidulidae + Kateretidae. In addition, the taxonomic status of Meligethinae and the sister group relationship between Meligethinae and Nitidulinae (the latter as currently circumscribed) were also preliminarily explored.

Research on Insect Pest Identification in Rice Canopy Based on GA-Mask R-CNN

Aiming at difficult image acquisition and low recognition accuracy of two rice canopy pests, rice stem borer and rice leaf roller, we constructed a GA-Mask R-CNN (Generative Adversarial Based Mask Region Convolutional Neural Network) intelligent recognition model for rice stem borer and rice leaf roller, and we combined it with field monitoring equipment for them. Firstly, based on the biological habits of rice canopy pests, a variety of rice pest collection methods were used to obtain the images of rice stem borer and rice leaf roller pests. Based on different segmentation algorithms, the rice pest images were segmented to extract single pest samples. Secondly, the bug generator based on a generative adversarial network strategy improves the sensitivity of the classification network to the bug information, generates the pest information images in the real environment, and obtains the sample dataset for deep learning through multi-way augmentation. Then, through adding channel attention ECA module in Mask R-CNN and improving the connection of residual blocks in the backbone network ResNet101, the recognition accuracy of the model is improved. Finally, the GA-Mask R-CNN model was tested on a multi-source dataset with an average precision (AP) of 92.71%, recall (R) of 89.28% and a balanced score F1 of 90.96%. The average precision, recall, and balanced score F1 are improved by 7.07, 7.65, and 8.83%, respectively, compared to the original Mask R-CNN. The results show that the GA-Mask R-CNN model performance indexes are all better than the Mask R-CNN, the Faster R-CNN, the SSD, the YOLOv5, and other network models, which can provide technical support for remote intelligent monitoring of rice pests.

Sedimentary Genesis and Model Analysis of Shale Lithofacies in Jiyang Depression

Based on core observation, rock thin sections, logging data, and testing data, taking the shale of the upper submember of the 4th Member to the lower submember of the 3rd Member of Paleogene Shahejie Formation in Jiyang Depression of Bohai Bay Basin as an example, we determine the lithofacies division scheme, divide the main lithofacies types, analyze the sedimentary origin and development location of different shale lithofacies, establish the continental lake basin sedimentary model, determine the types and enrichment areas of favorable lithofacies, and provide guidance for the exploration and development of Shale oil. The results show that: (1) According to the mineral composition, sedimentary structure, and organic matter abundance, the division scheme of shale lithofacies in the study area is proposed, and the shale lithofacies of the study area was mainly divided into 17 types. (2) Based on the lithologic changes, the lacustrine sedimentary shale area was divided into muddy water area, transition area, and clear water area. (3) Under the background of locally uplifted slope paleogeomorphology, considering the combined effects of climate, topography, hydrodynamic, mechanical, and chemical differentiation of sediments and biological habits, the sedimentary model of shale was established. (4) Organic-rich shale was mainly deposited between the clear water area and the end of the muddy water area, with the characteristics of water, brackish water, strong reduction, and water stratification, and was mainly enriched in the low-lying parts of paleotopography.

Recognition of Whistle-like Signals Based on FM Harmonic Characteristics

While human hearing can easily identify whistle-like sounds made by dolphins and whales, manually identifying them from the increasingly variety and quantity of underwater acoustic signals (such as other marine life sounds and underwater acoustic communication signals) is undoubtedly laborious. To solve this question, a recognition method based on the frequency modulated feature and harmonic characteristic is analyzed in this paper. A harmonic energy analysis algorithm is proposed and is compared to a harmonic detection method. The experimental results prove that the proposed method could identify the whistle-like sounds with an accuracy over 90% and the traditional one could only reach 50%. The recognition method may be applied to the investigation of marine biological habits and the monitoring of marine ecological environment, and can also potentially be further applied to the detection of bionic communication signal.

Path Planning and Energy Efficiency of Heterogeneous Mobile Robots Using Cuckoo–Beetle Swarm Search Algorithms with Applications in UGV Obstacle Avoidance

In this paper, a new meta-heuristic path planning algorithm, the cuckoo–beetle swarm search (CBSS) algorithm, is introduced to solve the path planning problems of heterogeneous mobile robots. Traditional meta-heuristic algorithms, e.g., genetic algorithms (GA), particle swarm search (PSO), beetle swarm optimization (BSO), and cuckoo search (CS), have problems such as the tenancy to become trapped in local minima because of premature convergence and a weakness in global search capability in path planning. Note that the CBSS algorithm imitates the biological habits of cuckoo and beetle herds and thus has good robustness and global optimization ability. In addition, computer simulations verify the accuracy, search speed, energy efficiency and stability of the CBSS algorithm. The results of the real-world experiment prove that the proposed CBSS algorithm is much better than its counterparts. Finally, the CBSS algorithm is applied to 2D path planning and 3D path planning in heterogeneous mobile robots. In contrast to its counterparts, the CBSS algorithm is guaranteed to find the shortest global optimal path in different sizes and types of maps.

Potential of microplastics participate in selective bioaccumulation of low-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons depending on the biological habits of fishes

Currently, although the cumulative effects of microplastics (MPs) and organic pollutants (OPs) in the environment and within organisms are being investigated, whether and how MPs participate in bioaccumulation of OPs based on a carrier effect is still unclear. In the present study, water and aquatic organisms were collected from the Pearl River. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and MPs were separated by solid phase extraction and were measured by gas chromatography mass spectrometry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, respectively. Higher PAH concentrations at the river outlet and higher MPs abundance in the inner river were observed, indicating a mismatched distribution between PAHs and MPs. No correlation between MP abundance and PAH concentration in fishes was detected, implying that MPs exerted limited influence on PAH concentrations. Interestingly, bioconcentration factors of one major low-ring PAH (phenanthrene) in fishes showed a significant correlation with MPs abundance, implying that although MPs did not affect the variation in PAH concentrations, they potentially participated in selective bioaccumulation of PAHs. Moreover, significant correlations between MPs abundance and PAHs in fishes with different feeding and living habits were found, indicating that MPs' participation in PAH bioaccumulation was dependent on fish biology and life history. Furthermore, the health risk posed by PAHs in fishes at the river outlet surpassed the line of potential high risk, while the ecological risk posed by MPs at the inner river was in the danger category, indicating the ecological risks posed by PAHs and MPs are uneven along the Pearl River. These findings deepen our understanding of the underlying mechanism of MPs participating in selective bioaccumulation of low-ring PAHs in fishes based on fish biology and point out the present risks posed by these two pollutants in the Pearl River and its estuary, which contribute to aquatic environmental protection and fishery production in this region.

Investigation of the Hydrodynamic Characteristics of Two Manta Rays Tandem Gliding

Collective motion is a unique biological habit of manta rays. As the most basic unit, the hydrodynamic mechanism of tandem gliding deserves further study. In this paper, a numerical simulation method was used to explore the influence of the front-to-back distance and the angle of attack on the overall and individual hydrodynamic performance of a pair of manta rays gliding. Specifically, a numerical simulation of the hydrodynamic parameters and the distribution of pressure and velocity fields was carried out when the pair of manta rays were arranged at a distance of 0.25–1 times the body length and the angle of attack was −8° to 8°. The simulation results show that, when a pair of manta rays glide at close range, compared to a single manta ray gliding, the resistance of the leader is greatly reduced, and the lift changes little, while the resistance of the follower is greatly increased, and the lift is significantly reduced. For the average resistance of the system, in the specific scenario of a close range and a small negative degree angle of attack, the two manta rays’ tandem gliding system can significantly reduce the resistance and play a role in reducing resistance and saving energy. The research content of this paper provides a theoretical basis for understanding the biological habits of manta rays and designing an underwater bionic robot group system.

Discrete Army Ant Search Optimizer-Based Target Coverage Enhancement in Directional Sensor Networks

Coverage of interest points is one of the most critical issues in directional sensor networks. However, considering the remote or inhospitable environment and the limitation of the perspective of directional sensors, it is easy to form perception blind after random deployment. The intension of our research is to deal with the bound-constrained optimization problem of maximizing the coverage of target points. A coverage enhancement strategy based on a discrete army ant search optimizer (DAASO) is proposed to solve the above problem, which is inspired by the biological habits of army ants. A set of experiments are conducted using different sensor parameters. Experimental results verify the effectiveness of the DAASO in coverage effect when compared to the existing methods.

Bacteria and Parasites Pathogens Associated with the Houseflies (Musca domestica) in Lafia Metropolis of Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Houseflies (Musa domestica) are common insects of the families muscidae, order Dipthera. They are synanthropic insects that are widely distributed worldwide. They enter several places, including contaminated premises due to their own biological habit of feeding. This study identifies the pathogenic parasites and bacteria associated with the houseflies in Lafia, Nigeria. A total of 215 flies were collected from 5 locations (New market, Neigbourhood market, Kasuwan Turmatur, Kasuwan Karo and Yanlemu market) within the Lafia metropolis, from September, 2019 to March 2020. The fly specimens were analyzed for the presence of pathogenic parasites and bacteria using standard laboratory procedures. The results showed that the parasites: Entamoeba hietolytic was most prevalence with (22.11%) Ascaris lumbricoides being (15.05%), Taenia species (14.70%) schistosoma mansoni (14.70%), Hookworm and Trichnris trichura recorded least prevalence accounting for (1.12%) respectively, pathogenic bacteria isolated and identify from the houseflies are; Staplyloccus sp (36.36%), Bacillus species (19.48%), Klebsiella sp (19.75%), Escherichia sp (6.49%), Protens sp (7.41%), Salmonella sp (6.49%) and Moraxella sp (2.47%). The result showed significant variation (P<0.05) for both the parasites sp abundance and housefly abundance across the sampled location; however, there was no significant difference (P>0.05) associated with the frequency of occurrence of bacteria species. It can be concluded that Musca domestica in Lafia harbor parasites and bacteria on their external and internal parts. The housefly have mechanical potential to transmit pathogens to man. Measures most be taken to control the fly population to avoid both present and future outbreaks of diseases condition emanating from the flies activities.

Does the African Citrus psyllid, Trioza erytreae (Del Guercio) (Hemiptera: Triozidae), Represent a Phytosanitary Threat to the Citrus Industry in Mexico?

Simple SummaryThe African citrus psyllid, Trioza erytreae (Del Guercio) (Hemiptera: Triozidae) is an invasive species for citrus crops. In its native range is the main vector of Candidatus Liberibacter africanus (CLaf), a pathogen that causes huanglongbing (HLB). For Mexico, T. erytreae could threat the citrus industry in a potential invasion but until now, the best chances to prevent its damage is analyzing if the country has the ecological conditions suitable for this psyllid. In this study we used the ecological niche modeling approach to explore which areas in Mexico has the environmental suitability for the T. erytreae establishment. Additionally, the potential role of an alternate host, Casimiroa edulis La Llave (Rutaceae), and five points of entry into the country, in the potential T. erytreae dispersion were analyzed. Mexico citrus areas has a wide environmental suitability for T. erytreae, including the main federal entity (Veracruz). The natural distribution of C. edulis matches with the T. erytreae environmental suitability and citrus areas, and could expand its distribution across the country. For preventive monitoring strategies, the port of Veracruz is a vital point for phytosanitary agencies, because of its proximity to citrus areas.The African citrus psyllid, Trioza erytreae (Del Guercio) (Hemiptera: Triozidae), is a vector of Candidatus Liberibacter africanus (CLaf), a pathogen that causes huanglongbing (HLB) in Africa. Trioza erytreae has invaded areas of Asia and Europe and has threatened citrus production due to its biological habits and the transmission of CLaf. Mexico is a country where citrus production has a vital role from the economic and social point of view. Therefore, ecological niche modeling (ENM) was used to determine if Mexico has the environmental availability that will allow T. erytreae invasion. We analyzed whether or not the distribution of Casimiroa edulis La Llave (Rutaceae) in the country could be a factor that enables the dispersal of T. eytreae. The environmental connectivity between five points of entry into the country (two ports and three airports) was explored to determine possible routes of dispersal of T. erytrae. The results showed that Mexico has wide availability for the invasion of the African citrus psyllid, which coincides with essential citrus areas of the country and with the distribution of C. edulis. Of the entry points studied, the Port of Veracruz showed nearby areas with environmental connectivity. Preventive monitoring measures for T. erytreae in Mexico should focus on Veracruz state because it has an entry point, ideal environmental availability, citrus areas, and specimens of C. edulis.

Effect of spectrum on biological habit of Scopula subpunctaria Herrich-Schaeffer

This study aims to screen out the best spectrum possible by study the effect of spectral treatment on biological habit of Scopula subpunctaria Herrich-Schaeffer, and provided a reference for the integrated management of S. subpunctaria. Total 6 groups (90) of adult S. subpunctaria, 9 groups (450) of eggs, 3 groups (300) of pupae, treated with continuous light treatment under room condition from 7:00 pm to 7:00 am every day at 370-375 nm or 420-425 nm, respectively, the control group (45 adult S. subpunctaria) without light treatment. The spawning amount and longevity of adults, the hatching rate of eggs and the eclosion rate of pupae in each group were recorded. The results showed that the total egg quantity and oviposition rate had been effected significantly under illumination treatments. The egg number in every female adult reduced 28.9 and 53.5% under 370~375 nm and 420~425 nm illumination, respectively, compared with the control group, and showed a significant difference level; while the average oviposition rate reduced 11.10 and 15.90% respectively. Meanwhile, the pre-oviposition period and oviposition period were affected by the two illumination treatments. There was no significant effect on the adult longevity of S. subpunctaria nor adult longevity in group feeding nor paired feeding conditions. The egg quantity in groups feeding was higher than that in pairs, and 420~425 nm was reached a significant level contrast to the control deal. The spectral treatments of 370~375 nm and 420~425 nm have effects on the biological parameters of S. subpunctaria, and the latter has significant effects. In conclusion, the light sources can be provided in the tea garden at night (from 7:00 pm to 7:00 am) before the emergence of the adult S. subpunctaria to interfere its population development.

Effect of LED Illumination on the Biological Habits of the Adults of Ectropis grisescens

Effect of LED Illumination on the Biological Habits of the Adults of Ectropis grisescens

First description and comparison of the morphological and ultramicro characteristics of the antennal sensilla of two fir longhorn beetles

Allotraeus asiaticus Schwarzer and Callidiellum villosulum Fairmaire are repeatedly intercepted in wood and wood products all over the world. As two common stem borers of Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lambert) Hooker, to further understanding of the differences in their living habits, behaviors and the mechanism of insect-host chemical communication, we observed the external morphology, number and distribution of antennal sensilla of A. asiaticus and C. villosulum with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The results showed that 1st-5th subsegments of the flagellum are spined endoapically in A. asiaticus which is different from the previous report (1st-3rd of the flagellomere). Meanwhile, there were five subsegments on the flagellum of C. villosulum that were clearly specialized as serrated shapes on the 4th-8th flagellomeres. Four types (ten subtypes) of sensilla were both found on the antennae of these two fir longhorn beetles, named Böhm bristle (Bb), sensilla trichodea (ST I and II), sensilla basiconica (SB I, II and III), sensilla chaetica (SCh I, II, III and IV). There is one additional kind of morphological type of sensilla found on the antennae of C. villosulum compared to A. asiaticus which was related to their habit of laying eggs only on dry and injured fir branches, named sensilla campaniformia (SCa). These differences may vary according to their own biological habits. For research purposes, the observed difference in the sensillum distribution and function between the two fir longhorn beetles will greatly facilitate the design of better semiochemical control methods of these insect pests.

Likelihood of elephant death risk applying kernel density estimation model along the railway track within biodiversity hotspot of Bhutan–Bengal Himalayan Foothill

The seasonal and occasional movement of wild animals including elephants from one terrestrial habitat to another habitat are very common natural as well as biological habits for the survival of their lives. Around 163 km railway track runs from Siliguri Junction (SGUJ) to Alipurduar Junction (APDJ) within biodiversity hotspot region. According to the report of Forest Department, around 14 prominent and 59 minor elephant corridors have been crisscrossed over the railway track and in between the years 1974 and 2019, nearly 71 elephants are brutally killed due to collision with running trains. The kernel density estimation model is applied to evaluate the spatio-temporal death risk of elephants. To predict the spatial vulnerability or risk of accidental death of elephants, Kernel density estimation analytical algorithms like Bandwidth selection, Intensity, Grid Resolution, Kernel function have been considered. This model considers past accidental deaths data along with secondary data like train speed, fragmentation of elephant habitats, distance of croplands from railway track, human encroachment with electric fencing etc. The anthropogenic activities as well as land use and land cover change have been analysed using Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager—OLI (2019) satellite images and digitally processed by EDRAS IMAGINE 16.5(v16.5.0.852) software. Similarly digital thematic maps have also been prepared on ArcGIS 10.3 platform. Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) intensity (risk) is computed considering the Elephant Death Risk Score (EDRS) as it takes into account of the first and second order properties. Fixed bandwidth is selected for the whole distribution and it is computed by the nearest neighbour distance mean method. On the basis of calculated $$\tau$$ value, (the mean distance between centroids and nearest neighbour index) Kernel Density map is prepared to show the elephant death risk in term of first order properties and second order properties. The result shows very high and high KD (risk) values (0.9799–10.0709) are confined in the eastern and western segments of the SGUJ to APDJ railway line. Therefore, this model helps to take sustainable holistic environmental management of wild animals as well as wild natural habitats in different corners of the globe.

Orthogonally-designed adapted grasshopper optimization: A comprehensive analysis

Grasshopper optimization algorithm (GOA) is a newly proposed meta-heuristic algorithm that simulates the biological habits of grasshopper seeking for food sources. Nonetheless, some shortcomings exist in the basic version of GOA. It may quickly drop into local optima and show slow convergence rates when facing some complex basins. In this work, an improved GOA is proposed to alleviate the core shortcomings of GOA and handle continuous optimization problems more efficiently. For this purpose, two strategies, including orthogonal learning and chaotic exploitation, are introduced into the conventional GOA to find a more stable trade-off between the exploration and exploitation cores. Adding orthogonal learning to GOA can enhance the diversity of agents, whereas a chaotic exploitation strategy can update the position of grasshoppers within a limited local region. To confirm the efficacy of GOA, we compared it with a variety of famous classical meta-heuristic algorithms performed on 30 IEEE CEC2017 benchmark functions. Also, it is applied to feature selection cases, and three structural design problems are employed to validate its efficacy in terms of different metrics. The experimental results illustrate that the above tactics can mitigate the deficiencies of GOA, and the improved variant can reach high-quality solutions for different problems.

Saving the Vicuña: The Political, Biophysical, and Cultural History of Wild Animal Conservation in Peru, 1964–2000

Abstract This article examines national efforts to protect wildlife in the twentieth century. Its focus is the vicuña, a small llama-like species native to the Andes, which nearly went extinct due to the high economic value of its wool. Instead, the Peruvian national government—despite significant regime shifts—intervened to put in place and then perpetuate a series of conservation measures, including trade restrictions and a territorial reserve, that protected the population and allowed it to rebound. Using a combination of cultural, economic, political, and biological methods to understand the animals and people concerned about them, this article argues that conservation reoriented relationships among people and wild animals. Cultural affinities led to ethical claims about the animal’s value as well as utilitarian arguments about its potential economic worth for community and economic development. Moreover, the vicuña themselves shaped both the landscapes and the conservation programs with their biological habits. Saving the vicuña proved to be a complex social process that challenged facile assumptions about past environmental actions of politically volatile, economically marginalized, and socially divided nations.

The population dynamics of three polyphagous owlet moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and the influence of meteorological factors and ENSO on them

The owlet moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Anicla infecta (Ochsenheimer 1816), Elaphria agrotina (Guenée 1852) and Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith 1797) occur in the entire American continent. These polyphagous moths have a preference for grasses, and have different biological habits. In this study, the populations of these three species were evaluated monthly with light traps in the Brazilian Savannah, ranging a span of four crop seasons (from July, 2013 to June, 2017). The population data were analyzed and correlated with the meteorological variables: maximum temperature, minimum temperature, relative humidity and precipitation. A total of 4719 individuals were collected in the following percentages: A. infecta (n = 459; 9.73%), E. agrotina (n = 1809; 38.33%) and S. frugiperda (n = 2451; (51.94%). The abundance of all species went down from the first crop season (2013/2014) to the third (2015/2016). In the fourth crop season (2016/2017), the populations of A. infecta and E. agrotina stabilized, but the abundance of S. frugiperda experienced further decrease. The numbers of individuals of three species declined when precipitation was much above (crop season 2014/2015) and below (crop season 2015/2016) than expected by the climatological normal. There were significant, but different degrees of correlation, between the meteorological factors and the ONI index (Oceanic Niño Index - indicator for monitoring El Niño-Southern Oscillation or “ENSO”) with respect to monthly population variations. The results are discussed in accordance with principles of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in mind, given the continental distribution and agricultural importance of the three owlet moth species studied.