3. Population StudiesJournal of Animal Ecology, Vol. 40, No. 3 (Oct., 1971), pp. 793-795Published by: British Ecological SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3459 .

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Abstracts 793

Pitelka, F. A. (1969). Ecological studies on the Alaskan Arctic slope. Arctic, 22, 333-40. A review of the state of ecology of the Alaskan arctic slope indicates the need for research into decom-

posers, insect (particularly Dipteran) life histories to be related to avian feeding patterns, autecology, and synecology. Some diagrams of models for the flows of energy and nutrients are given and the relationships between food, habitat, potential and observed faunal diversity discussed as approaches to broader understanding of the tundra ecosystem there.

Pollard, E. (1968). Hedges. II. The effect of removal of the bottom flora of a hawthorn hedgerow on the fauna of the hawthorn. J. appl. Ecol. 5, 109-23.

Both total number and biomass of animals were reduced after removal of the bottom flora by use of herbicides. Predators were reduced most.

Pollard, E. (1968). Hedges. III. The effect of removal of the bottom flora of a hawthorn hedge- row on the Carabidae of the hedge bottom. J. appl. Ecol. 5, 125-39.

Pitfall trapping showed that removal of the bottom flora reduced captures of most species of carabids present in the hedgerow.

Pollard, E. (1968). Hedges. IV. A comparison between the Carabidae of a hedge and field site and those of a woodland glade. J. appl. Ecol. 5, 649-57.

Pitfall trapping showed that several species of carabid found in arable fields also occurred in the open part of a woodland glade. The hedge supported species restricted to dense cover, or species whose maxi- mum activity coincided with incompleteness or absence of crop cover, but it also provided overwintering sites for some species.

Slessers, M. (1968). Soviet studies in the northward movement of birds. Arctic, 21, 201-4. A review of studies conducted in the U.S.S.R. Some species found in Great Britain are mentioned.

Usher, M. B. (1970). Seasonal and vertical distribution of a population of soil arthropods: Collembola. Pedobiologia, 10, 224-36.

A detailed account of seasonal variations in the numbers of soil Collembola in a relict forest of Scots pine. There are marked differences between species. The interactions of climate, breeding seasons, and vertical distribution are discussed.

3. POPULATION STUDIES

Barkalow, F. S., Hamilton, R. B. & Soots, R. F. (1970). The vital statistics of an unexploited gray squirrel population. J. Wildl. Mgmt, 34, 489-500.

Data from over a thousand marked squirrels of known age are analysed to give information on dis- persal, mortality and survival.

Buckner, C. H. (1969). Some aspects of the population ecology of the common shrew, Sorex araneus, near Oxford, England. J. Mammal. 50, 326-32.

Recorded population densities ranged from 07 individuals/ac in April to 2-8 individuals in November. Home ranges were established in autumn and winter but these were abandoned in spring. Infection by a larval nematode apparently had a significant bearing upon shrew density.

Coombs, C. W. & Woodroffe, G. E. (1968). Changes in the arthropod fauna of an experimental bulk of stored wheat. J. appl. Ecol. 5, 563-74.

Changes in the populations of various storage pests, and in the state of the grain, were recorded over a 10-year period. The effects of food quality, predation, parasitism, immigration and emigration are discussed.

Emlen, J. M. (1970). Age specificity and ecological theory. Ecology, 51, 588-601. The author attempts to deal with the question of ageing as a byproduct of natural selection, and applies

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794 Abstracts

the conclusions, mathematically supported, to considerations of populations and behavioural ecology. He discusses age-specific mortality and fecundity, sudden increases in mortality and fecundity, the nature of altruistic behaviour and intergroup hostilities.

Hessler, E., Tester, J. R., Siniff, D. B. & Nelson, M. M. (1970). A biotelemetry study of survival of pen-reared pheasants released in selected habitats. J. Wildl. Mgmt, 34, 267-74. Radio transmitters worked well, and seventy-four birds were followed for 28 days. Sixty birds died

during this period, all but five being taken by predators.

Jones, R. D. (1970). Reproductive success and age distribution of black brant. J. Wildl. Mgmt, 34, 328-33.

A 7-year study in Alaska indicates that brent geese do not breed every year, the proportion that do varying, in 4 years, from 31 to 69%.

Maelzer, D. A. (1970). The regression of log Nn,+1 on log Nn as a test of density dependence: an exercise with computer-constructed density-independent populations. Ecology, 51, 810-22.

Amant, J. L. S. St (1970). The detection of regulation in animal populations. Ecology, 51, 823-8.

These two papers were submitted to the Editor within 1 month. After consulting the authors, he decided to publish them as a tandem. This abstract covers both, since the conclusions were similar.

The authors conclude that the discovery of a significant negative correlation between numbers of animals in successive generations, which has been taken to indicate a density dependent process, is spurious, because such a correlation has resulted from analyses of series of numbers that were certainly not density dependent. Both authors conclude that evidence for density dependence should not be sought by analyses of population surveys, but from field experiments.

Mertz, D. B. (1969). Age-distribution and abundance in populations of flour beetles. I. Experi- mental studies. Ecol. Monogr. 39, 1-31.

This study is of the roles of population density and age-distribution in relation to outbreaks in labora- tory populations. The likelihood and severity of overshoots depend upon the initial density and age- distribution (most important) in the populations. Spontaneous outbreaks form during ebbs in cannibalis- tic pressure.

Murdoch, W. W. (1970). Population regulation and population inertia. Ecology, 51, 497-502. A mathematical treatment. The author distinguishes, among stable populations, between those with

tight regulation, so that disturbances tend to be counteracted by regulating factors, and those with inertia, that tend to resist disturbances. He concludes that there has not been any satisfactory way of distinguish- ing between regulated and non-regulated populations in nature, and suggests that stability of populations can be due to either cause.

Mason, C. F. (1970). Snail populations, beech litter production, and the role of snails in litter decomposition. Oecologia, 5, 215-39.

Densities of snail populations, and litter production, were measured over a 1-year period. The snails ingested 035-043% of the annual litter production. The key species concept is examined in the light of the findings.

Racovitza, A. (1969). The influence of various moulds on the multiplication of some mycopha- gous mites. J. gen. Microbiol. 57, 379-81.

The aflatoxins produced by Aspergillusflavus are shown to be very toxic to certain mycophagous mites, but the latter show differences in resistance. Some Penicillium species producing mycotoxins were not favourable for the multiplication of Glyciphagus, but other moulds were.

Turner, F. B. (1970). The ecological efficiency of consumer populations. Ecology, 51, 741-2. The author argues, contrary to other authors, that the ecological efficiency of populations of homoio-

thermic animals cannot exceed 2-3%o.

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Abstracts 795

Valiela, I. (1969). An experimental study of the mortality factors of larval Musca autumnalis DeGeer. Ecol. Monogr. 39, 199-225.

The relative r6les of temperature, moisture content and pH of dung, competition for food, parasitism and predation in the mortality of M. autumnalis are examined. Experimental evaluations of potential mortality factors yielded a good overall mortality prediction.

4. TAXONOMY, SYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTIONARY STUDIES

Conrad, M. & Pattee, H. H. (1970). Evolution experiments with an artificial ecosystem. J. theoret. Biol. 28, 393-409. A hierarchical computer program was set up to represent an ecosystem whose members could interact

in various ways. The system can be used to compare the strategies and efficiences of organisms under varying conditions.

Kasule, F. K. (1970). The larvae of Paederinae and Staphylininae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) with keys to the known British genera. Trans. R. ent. Soc. Lond. 122, 49-80.

Kolisko, A. Ruttner- (1970). Synchaeta calva nov. spec., a new rotifer from the English Lake District. Int. Revue ges. Hydrobiol. Hydrogr. 55, 387-90.

This rotifer is distinguished from others in the genus by its protruding egg-shaped mastax. It appeared in the lakes in small numbers in early spring, disappeared for about 4 weeks, and then reappeared in greater numbers. As summer stratification proceeded it was replaced by populations of Synchaeta stylata.

Sokal, R. R. & Sonleitner, F. J. (1968). The ecology of selection in hybrid populations of Tribolium castaneum. Ecol. Monogr. 38, 345-79.

The fate of a recessive autosomal mutation in Tribolium castaneum, introduced into populations at varying frequencies, was studied.

The adult life span was artificially restricted to intensify the effects of natural selection. These effects, and the ecological processes which bring about the observed changes, are described.

Spradbery, J. (1970). The immature stages of European ichneumonid parasites of siricine wood- wasps. Proc. R. ent. Soc. Lond. A, 45, 14-28.

A key is provided for the identification of fully grown larvae of five species of parasites. Eggs, larvae, and pupae of each species are described.

Steel, W. 0. (1970). The larvae of the genera of the Omaliinae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) with particular reference to the British fauna. Trans. R. ent. Soc. Lond. 122, 1-47.

Keys, descriptions, and figures for the identification of the 67 British species are given. Biological notes are also included.

Timm, T. (1970). On the fauna of the Estonian Oligochaeta. Pedobiologia, 10, 52-78. Consists of a review of the systematics of eighty-eight species of oligochaetes occurring in Estonia

together with information on their habitats.

5. CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT; BIOLOGICAL CONTROL; POLLUTION;

PESTICIDES

Dempster, J. P. (1968). The control of Pieris rapae with DDT. II. Survival of the young stages of Pieris after spraying. J. appl. Ecol. 5, 451-62.

DDT tends to increase larval survival by elimination of predators and parasites. Persistence in the soil also led to reduced mortality by ground predators in the years following application.

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