地下水中铵态氮的迁移转化过程

铵态氮进入地下水的主要途径是土壤淋失,通过室内土柱淋滤实验研究铵态氮在土壤中的迁移转化过程,测定不同时间和不同深度土壤中铵态氮及其转化物硝态氮和亚硝态氮的浓度变化,分析了影响铵态氮迁移转化的因素。实验表明：在土壤饱和、持续淋滤条件下,土柱中随采样深度的增加,铵态氮穿透时间延长,依次滞后;通过硝化能力分析,土柱上层发生了轻微的硝化反应,土柱底部发生了反硝化反应,导致硝态氮的浓度衰减。研究认为在铵态氮的迁移转化过程中,当入渗铵态氮浓度较低时,影响铵态氮迁移转化的显著因素是土壤对铵态氮的吸附;当入渗铵态氮浓度较大时,影响铵态氮迁移转化的显著因素是生物作用导致的铵态氮的硝化,以及土壤的渗透系数、弥散度等因素。     

模拟酸雨对土柱中稀土元素迁移的影响

模拟研究酸雨对土柱中稀土元素迁移的影响.结果表明,在雨水、酸雨淋溶下,对照组红壤土柱中所含稀土元素有向下迁移的趋势,并且随淋溶液pH值的降低,稀土元素向下迁移的能力增加.外源稀土迁移量的大小顺序为;Ce>La>Nd>Pr,其顺序与各稀土元素在稀土微肥中含量大小的顺序相同.表明外源稀土的迁移性与外源稀土的总量密切相关.外源稀土在土柱中的含量随着红壤深度的增加而减少,稀土元素主要在土柱中第一、二层持留;随着淋溶液酸度的下降,稀土元素向下迁移的能力增加.     

表面活性剂对柴油在土壤中吸附的影响

通过静态吸附实验,研究土壤对十二烷基苯磺酸钠(LAS)和十六烷基三甲基溴化铵(CTAB)的吸附行为,探讨表面活性剂对柴油吸附的影响.结果表明,土壤对LAS和CTAB的吸附等温线均为非线性,其吸附能力的大小顺序为:轻壤土>轻粘土>中壤土>砂壤土>重壤土>紧砂土.同一土壤中,CTAB的吸附量大于LAS的吸附量.LAS和CTAB均利于柴油在土壤表面的解吸,且LAS的解吸效果更好.柴油的吸附量随LAS浓度的升高而降低.当CTAB的浓度小于临界胶束浓度CMC时,吸附量随CTAB浓度的升高而升高,当CTAB的浓度等于或大于临界胶束浓度(CMC)时,吸附量随CTAB浓度的升高而降低.     

噻虫嗪在土壤中的吸附和淋溶特性

采用振荡平衡法、土壤薄层层析法和土柱淋溶法研究了噻虫嗪在砂土、粉砂壤土和砂姜黑土等3种不同理化性质土壤中的吸附和淋溶特性,探讨了农药的吸附与淋溶特性与土壤理化性质的关系以及剂型对农药淋溶特性的影响.结果表明,噻虫嗪在3种土壤中的吸附较好地符合Freundlich方程,Kd值分别为砂土1.25、粉砂壤土2.95、砂姜黑土5.10,其大小顺序与Koc值一致.黏粒含量是影响噻虫嗪在土壤中吸附性的最主要因素,有机质含量为次要因素.土壤薄层层析实验和土柱淋溶实验均表明噻虫嗪在3种土壤中的淋溶速率顺序为砂土粉砂壤土砂姜黑土,且油悬浮剂、水悬浮剂淋溶量较高,水分散粒剂次之,颗粒剂最低.噻虫嗪存在对地下水污染的潜在风险,特别是在黏粒和有机质含量低的环境下使用时,其风险应该引起足够的重视.     

岷江上游干旱河谷典型阳坡海拔梯度上土壤水分动态

结合气象观察和土壤质地的分析，监测和研究了岷江上游干旱河谷茂县段典型阳坡土壤水分动态．结果表明：1．土壤水分的季节变化可分为土壤水分亏缺期、土壤水分补偿期和土壤水分消退期．2．土壤含水量在旱季随土层深度的增加呈升高趋势，雨季中期出现相反的变化趋势，据变异系数可将土壤剖面分为剧变层、渐变层和相对稳定层．3．相同土层深度含水量随海拔高度的增加先升高后降低．4．降雨和土壤特性是影响岷江上游干旱河谷土壤水分的主要因素：降雨量与0～100cm土层平均含水量的相关系数达到极显著水平，降雨对土壤含水量的影响随土层深度增加而减弱；大于10mm的降雨对土壤水分的补充作用明显，气温及蒸发量较低时，连续的小于10mm的降雨对土壤水分也有一定补充作用，降水可到达50cm土层深度．以沙质粘壤土为主的土壤含水量远高于以砂壤土为主的土壤含水量．岷江上游干旱河谷造林时间在4月为宜，以沙壤土为主的地段穴深在45～60cm较好，以沙质粘壤土为主的地段穴深在60—70cm比较适宜．图3表3参15     

民勤绿洲天然胡杨林生长季土壤水盐动态

利用经典统计学与地统计学方法研究民勤绿洲天然胡杨林生长季的土壤水盐动态变化规律。结果表明,民勤县双茨科乡和苏武乡土壤含水量随土层深度增加而增大,夹河乡土壤含水量则随土层深度增加先增大后减小。研究区0～20 cm土壤含水量较低,为8.5～34.0 g.kg-1,平均值为18.2 g.kg-1。土壤含水量属中等变异性,且呈中等程度的空间相关性。各季节土壤含水量从高到低依次为春季、秋季和夏季。土壤全盐量属中等变异性,总体变化趋势为随土层深度增加而减小,夹河、苏武和双茨科乡0～20 cm土壤全盐量平均值分别为15.4、28.0和11.1 g.kg-1。各季节土壤全盐量由高到低依次为春季、夏季和秋季。胡杨胸径与土壤水盐含量间呈负相关。     

毒死蜱在土壤中的残留和淋溶动态

对土壤中毒死蜱的残留和淋溶动态进行了研究.结果显示,毒死蜱在土壤中的残留降解属于一级动力学反应,在土壤中的降解半衰期为63.0 d.通过土柱模拟淋溶试验,对毒死蜱在土壤中淋溶的影响因子进行了研究.结果表明,降水量对毒死蜱的淋溶影响较大,主要表现为降水水量增大, 毒死蜱在土层中的最大淋溶深度也随之增加, 出现浓度最高峰的土层深度也越大, 两者呈正相关关系.与降水量相比,降水强度对毒死蜱的淋溶的影响相对较小.     

生物质炭对华南典型红壤水分渗透及持水性的影响

红壤是华南地区典型的土壤类型之一,其质地粘重,易于板结,尤其保水性差,易干旱,改善红壤的持水能力对于提高红壤的农业产出具有重要意义。近年来生物质炭被广泛应用于红壤的酸性改良,而对红壤水分特征影响规律研究较少。为了探究生物质炭对红壤水分特征的影响机制,以南方典型红壤为研究对象,设置稻壳炭-红壤的比例分别为0(CK)、3%(RHC-3)、5%(RHC-5)、10%(RHC-10),采用土柱模拟试验研究了生物质炭对红壤水分渗透特性的影响,结果表明,在同一入渗条件下,添加生物质炭处理均降低了土壤水分的入渗率,且随着生物质炭添加量的增加,水分入渗率不断降低,入渗起始阶段水分入渗率表现为:RHC-10RHC-5RHC-3CK,最后入渗率趋于稳定。采用离心机法研究了不同炭土比(W0-0;W1-1%;W3-3%;W5-5%;W10-10%)红壤的水分特征曲线,并运用Gardner和Van Genuchten模型进行拟合,结果表明,这两个模型都可以很好地描述红壤的持水特征,拟合系数分别在0.928和0.998以上。当生物质炭添加比例为5%(W5)时,Gardner模型参数A值最大,表明持水能力最强。Van Genuchten模型表明,W5处理土壤饱和含水率最高,随着炭土比增加,α值不断降低,说明土壤保水性增强。从拟合曲线可以看出,在较低的土壤吸力(1 000 kPa)作用下,各处理含水率下降较快,当土壤吸力为1 000 kPa时,5个处理土壤含水率分别下降了25.86%、38.15%、38.27%、36.88%、31.64%;而在较高土壤吸力(1 000-6 000k Pa)时,土壤质量含水率下降速率减慢,当土壤吸力6 000kPa时,各处理土壤含水率逐渐趋于平缓,并且在此吸力范围内,W10处理土壤质量含水率最高。另外,红壤的毛管持水量表现为W10W5W3W1W0。总之,生物质炭添加到红壤后降低了水分的入渗率,添加适量生物质炭可提高红壤的饱和含水率,增强红壤的持水性能。     

生物炭对土壤水肥热效应的影响试验研究

本文通过野外大田小区试验以番茄（Lycopersicon esculentum Mill）为供试作物,通过在土壤中施加不同含量生物炭（Biochar）研究生物炭对土壤含水率、有机碳、速效养分含量和土壤温度的影响,从而寻求一个较为合适的施用量,为生物炭在内蒙古地区的大面积推广提供科学的理论依据。试验共设5个处理,3个重复：不施加生物炭（CK）,生物炭使用量分别为10 t·hm^-2（A）,20 t·hm^-2（B）,40 t·hm^-2（C）,60 t·hm^-2（D）,在各生育期取土样测定土壤含水率、有机碳、速效养分含量,并在各生育期连续3天测定土壤地表温度。试验结果表明：不同处理下土壤含水率随生物炭施用量增加呈先增加后减小的趋势,且均高于对照组,其中施炭量为40 t·hm^-2处理的土壤含水率增幅最明显,0～10 cm土层各生育期土壤含水率较对照组最大增幅分别为20.8%、13.7%、21.8%,10～20 cm土层各生育期土壤含水率较对照组最大增幅分别为33.9%、17.1%、21.3%;不同处理下土壤温度随着生物炭施用量的增加而升高,两者具有显著的正相关关系,各生育期各处理土壤地表温度较对照组最大增幅分别为58.1%、31.3%、55.8%;不同处理土壤有机碳含量随着生物炭施用量的增加而增大,番茄各生育期各处理土壤有机碳含量较对照组最大增幅分别为80.9%、62.7%、63.9%;不同处理土壤中碱解氮、速效钾、速效磷含量均随生物炭施用量的增加而呈现先增大后减小的趋势,且均大于对照组,各生育期各处理土壤碱解氮较对照组最大增幅分别为92.7%、45.7%、106.5%,速效磷最大增幅分别为120.1%、39.3%、250.4%,速效钾最大增幅分别为86.2%、118.5%、203.4%。综上所述,生物炭对于砂壤土具有保水、保肥、保温的特性,对于提高土壤水肥利用效率,增加土壤有机碳具有重要的作用,而且通过试验验证40 t·hm^-2的施?     

稻田土壤磷淋失潜力与磷积累的关系

了解稻田土壤磷积累对排水和渗漏液中磷浓度的影响,可为稻田磷素淋失预测提供依据.采用室内模拟方法,研究稻田土壤Olsen-P水平与土壤溶液中磷质量浓度之间的关系.结果表明,土壤溶液中磷质量浓度随土壤Olsen-P水平增加而增加,其中,黏土、壤黏土和壤土的Olsen-P超过临界值(分别为84、65和53 mg·kg-1)后,土壤溶液中磷质量浓度显著增加.土壤Olsen-P水平较低时,黏土、壤黏土和壤土的土壤磷素积累与排水和渗漏液中磷质量浓度之间的关系较为相近,这3类土壤溶液中磷质量浓度与土壤Olsen-P水平存在线性相关关系.而砂土溶液中无明显临界值,砂土溶液中磷质量浓度与土壤Olsen-P水平间也存在线性相关关系.相同Olsen-P水平时,砂质土壤磷淋失潜力明显高于其他土壤.     

Achieving Open Access to Conservation Science

Conservation science is a crisis discipline in which the results of scientific enquiry must be made available quickly to those implementing management. We assessed the extent to which scientific research published since the year 2000 in 20 conservation science journals is publicly available. Of the 19,207 papers published, 1,667 (8.68%) are freely downloadable from an official repository. Moreover, only 938 papers (4.88%) meet the standard definition of open access in which material can be freely reused providing attribution to the authors is given. This compares poorly with a comparable set of 20 evolutionary biology journals, where 31.93% of papers are freely downloadable and 7.49% are open access. Seventeen of the 20 conservation journals offer an open access option, but fewer than 5% of the papers are available through open access. The cost of accessing the full body of conservation science runs into tens of thousands of dollars per year for institutional subscribers, and many conservation practitioners cannot access pay‐per‐view science through their workplace. However, important initiatives such as Research4Life are making science available to organizations in developing countries. We urge authors of conservation science to pay for open access on a per‐article basis or to choose publication in open access journals, taking care to ensure the license allows reuse for any purpose providing attribution is given. Currently, it would cost $51 million to make all conservation science published since 2000 freely available by paying the open access fees currently levied to authors. Publishers of conservation journals might consider more cost effective models for open access and conservation‐oriented organizations running journals could consider a broader range of options for open access to nonmembers such as sponsorship of open access via membership fees. Obtención de Acceso Abierto a la Ciencia de la Conservación     

Representation of the world's biophysical conditions by the global protected area network

Protected areas (PAs) are often implemented without consideration of already existing PAs, which is likely to cause an overrepresentation of certain biophysical conditions. We assessed the representativeness of the current PA network with regard to the world's biophysical conditions to highlight which conditions are underprotected and where these conditions are located. We overlaid terrestrial and marine PAs with information on biophysical conditions (e.g., temperature, precipitation, and elevation) and then quantified the percentage of area covered by the PA network. For 1 variable at a time in the terrestrial realm, high temperature, low precipitation, and medium and very high elevation were underrepresented. For the marine realm, low and medium sea surface temperature (SST), medium and high sea surface salinity (SSS), and the deep sea were underrepresented. Overall, protection was evenly distributed for elevation across the terrestrial realm and SST across the marine realm. For 2 variables at a time, cold and very dry terrestrial environments had mostly low protection, which was also the case for low SST and low and medium SSS across most depths for marine environments. Low protection occurred mostly in the Sahara and the Arabian Peninsula for the terrestrial realm and along the Tropic of Capricorn and toward the poles for the marine realm. Although biodiversity measures are of prime importance for the design of PA networks, highlighting biophysical gaps in current PAs adds a frequently overlooked perspective. These gaps may weaken the potential of PAs to conserve biodiversity. Thus, our results may provide useful insights for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to establish a more comprehensive global PA network.     

Quantitative composition of the defensive secretion ofBledius species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Oxytelinae) is adapted to naturally occurring predators

Summary The adaptation of defensive secretions to their target organisms was examined for the abdominal gland secretions ofBledius furcatus, B. spectabilis andB. arenarius. Therefore the target organisms of the secretion of theseBledius species (i.e. their predators) had to be identified. At the collection sites examined these were the earwigLabidura riparia, the antCataglyphis bicolor, the flyLispe candicans, different carabids of the generaPogonus, Dichirotrichus, Dyschirius, Bembidion andCalathus and the wading birdsHaematopus ostralegus andCalidris alba. The secretion of the abdominal glands contains the toxin ptoluquinone dissolved in either-dodecalactone and 1-undecene (B. furcatus andB. spectabilis) or in octanoic acid and octyloctanoate (B. arenarius). The ratio of these solvents is species-specific. Application experiments using some of the natural insect predators (L. riparia, C. bicolor, Pogonus, Di. gustavii, Dyschirius) revealed that these solvent ratios provided a more effective deterrent than other possible ratios. Thus by combining the solvents in certain ratios, the capability of cuticular penetration and therefore the effectiveness of the defensive secretions are adapted to their natural targets.     

Democracy versus development: New urban debates

The politics of development includes subtexts of choice, as underpinned by community consensus (or lack of it), against the larger backdrop of a liberal democracy, with its intricate power structures that influence the choice of concepts and often lead to complicity rather than consent. A dilemma exists between the understanding of field-level practitioners and that of academics, whose understandings of progress differ. Progress can (and often does) imply long-term change across generations whereas development is often more a matter of crisis management and delivering tangible results to end-users. This makes it a bone of contention across political systems, irrespective of local or global dynamics. Development can emerge as a tool to be wielded for power and further political mileage at the expense of progress. Progress cannot be studied as a counterpoint to development as the sense of history is often missing in development interventions. Development tends to be piecemeal as its very logic often stems from the rationale of power. This is not to suggest, however, that development is only about politics; it is definitely more than the politics of everyday life and involves all of civil society that requires its critical and immediate attention. In this sense, it has become a priority for politicians with an underlying agenda designed to out-manouevre dissent and all statements of protest.     

A framework to measure the wildness of managed large vertebrate populations

As landscapes continue to fall under human influence through habitat loss and fragmentation, fencing is increasingly being used to mitigate anthropogenic threats and enhance the commercial value of wildlife. Subsequent intensification of management potentially erodes wildness by disembodying populations from landscape-level processes, thereby disconnecting species from natural selection. Tools are needed to measure the degree to which populations of large vertebrate species in formally protected and privately owned wildlife areas are self-sustaining and free to adapt. We devised a framework to measure such wildness based on 6 attributes relating to the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of vertebrates (space, disease and parasite resistance, exposure to predation, exposure to limitations and fluctuations of food and water supply, and reproduction). For each attribute, we set empirical, species-specific thresholds between 5 wildness states based on quantifiable management interventions. We analysed data from 205 private wildlife properties with management objectives spanning ecotourism to consumptive utilization to test the framework on 6 herbivore species representing a range of conservation statuses and commercial values. Wildness scores among species differed significantly, and the proportion of populations identified as wild ranged from 12% to 84%, which indicates the tool detected site-scale differences both among populations of different species and populations of the same species under different management regimes. By quantifying wildness, this framework provides practitioners with standardized measurement units that link biodiversity with the sustainable use of wildlife. Applications include informing species management plans at local scales; standardizing the inclusion of managed populations in red-list assessments; and providing a platform for certification and regulation of wildlife-based economies. Applying this framework may help embed wildness as a normative value in policy and mitigate the shifting baseline of what it means to truly conserve a species.     

Some polyphagous Homoptera gain protection from their natural enemies by feeding on the toxic plantsSpartium junceum andErythrina corallodendrum (Leguminosae)

Summary Interactions were studied among alkaloid-containing legumes (Erythrina corallodendrum andSpartium junceum) and non-toxic plants (Citrus sinensis, Cucurbita moschata andEuphorbia tirucalli), several polyphagous homopterans,Aphis craccivora (Aphididae),Icerya purchasi, I. aegyptiaca (Margarodidae),Lepidosaphes ulmi (Diaspididae) andPlanococcus citri (Pseudococcidae), and some major natural enemies of these homopterans. Significant reductions in survival due to negative effects of alkaloid containing as compared with non-alkaloidal plants were recorded for the predatorsRodolia cardinalis andChilocorus bipustulatus, but not forCryptolaemus montrouzieri (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae),Chrysoperla carnea (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) andSympherobius sanctus (Neuroptera: Sympherobiidae). The development time of the larvae or pupae ofR. cardinalis, C. carnea andS. sanctus was longer on the toxic plants than on the non-toxic ones. The percentage of parasitism ofA. craccivora collected from the non-alkaloidal plantsVicia palaestina andMelilotus albus was much higher than that onS. junceum. The parasitoid complexes ofA. craccivora differed between both plant groups. The nutritive value of honeydew ofI. purchasi andA. craccivora, as expressed by the life span ofEncyrtus infelix (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) adults, was also investigated. Life spans were significantly longer when the wasps fed on honeydew produced on non-alkaloidal plants (C. sinensis andPittosporum tobira) than on alkaloid containing plants whenI. purchasi — but notA. craccivora — was the producer. It is suggested that the chemical defense ofE. corallodendrum andS. junceum is exploited by polyphagous phytophages to reduce predation. In nature, population growth and density of four of the investigated homopterans are conspicuously high when they developed on the alkaloid containing plant species, and very low on non-alkaloid plants. The efficiency of their natural enemies may be reduced by sequestration of alkaloids (or other toxic plant compounds) or their transfer into excreted honeydew. Therefore it is assumed that a generalist phytophagous homopteran may be protected from its natural enemies, although at different rates of efficiency, if it can safely sequester the host allelochemical when it develops on toxic species within its host range.     

Sexual Predators,Energy Development,and Conservation in Greater Yellowstone

Abstract: In the United States, as elsewhere, a growing debate pits national energy policy and homeland security against biological conservation. In rural communities the extraction of fossil fuels is often encouraged because of the employment opportunities it offers, although the concomitant itinerant workforce is often associated with increased wildlife poaching. We explored possible positive and negative factors associated with energy extraction in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), an area known for its national parks, intact biological diversity, and some of the New World's longest terrestrial migrations. Specifically, we asked whether counties with different economies—recreation (ski), agrarian (ranching or farming), and energy extractive (petroleum)—differed in healthcare (gauged by the abundance of hospital beds) and in the frequency of sexual predators. The absolute and relative frequency of registered sex offenders grew approximately two to three times faster in areas reliant on energy extraction. Healthcare among counties did not differ. The strong conflation of community dishevel, as reflected by in‐migrant sexual predators, and ecological decay in Greater Yellowstone is consistent with patterns seen in similar systems from Ecuador to northern Canada, where social and environmental disarray exist around energy boomtowns. In our case, that groups (albeit with different aims) mobilized campaigns to help maintain the quality of rural livelihoods by protecting open space is a positive sign that conservation can matter, especially in the face of rampant and poorly executed energy extraction projects. Our findings further suggest that the public and industry need stronger regulatory action to instill greater vigilance when and where social factors and land conversion impact biological systems.     

Comparison of the insecticidal effects of water extracted and intact aromatic plants onAcanthoscelides obtectus,a bruchid beetle pest of kidney beans

Summary Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say) is one of the most damaging pests of kidney beans,Phaseolus vulgaris L. worldwide. However, aromatic plants from the families Lamiaceae, Lauraceae, Myrtaceae and Poaceae can protect kidney beans by direct or delayed insecticidal effect, through increased adult mortality and inhibition of beetle reproduction (both oviposition and adult emergence). The efficiency of hydrodistillated and intact plants fromThymus vulgaris andT. serpyllum, Mentha piperata, Rosmarinus officinalis, Satureia hortensis, Eucalyptus globulus, Laurus nobilis, Origanum vulgare, andCymbopogon nardus was compared. For both extracts,Origanum vulgare had the best effect. The insecticidal effect was induced by more than the essential oils because no significant difference was noticed between distilled and intact plants extract. Inhibition of reproduction was particularly important. These results suggest that lipidic as well as non lipidic, allelochemicals, such as phenolics, or non-protein amino-acids, or flavonoids may be involved in the toxicity of aromatic plants to this beetle.     

Rapid,recurring, structured survey versus bioblitz for generating biodiversity data and analysis with a multispecies abundance model

A bioblitz inexpensively and quickly generates biodiversity data, but bioblitzes are often conducted with haphazard, unreplicated sampling. Results tend to be taxonomically, geographically, or temporally biased, lack metadata, and consist of lists of observed taxa that do not enable further analyses or correction for imperfect detection. A rapid, recurring, structured survey (RRSS) uses a structured sampling design and temporal and spatial replication to survey randomly selected sites on a conservation property. We participated in a loosely structured bioblitz and a subsequent RRSS at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve in Springville (St. Clair County), Alabama (USA) to compare observed richness derived from the 2 survey approaches. The RRSS data structure enabled us to fit models that accounted for imperfect detection to estimate abundances, occupancy probabilities, and habitat associations. The loosely structured bioblitz data could not be used in such models. We present a new integrated multispecies abundance model that we applied to avian RRSS data. Our model extension enables estimation for the community, employs data augmentation to estimate the number of undetected species, and incorporates covariates. The RRSS generated a more comprehensive and less biased list of observed taxonomic richness than the loosely structured bioblitz (e.g., 73 vs. 45 bird species and 104 vs. 63 insect families from the RRSS vs. loosely structured bioblitz, respectively). Models fit to the RRSS data identified seasonal patterns in avian community composition and allowed for estimation of habitat–occupancy relationships for insect taxa. The RRSS protocol has potential for broad transferability as a standardized, quick, and inexpensive way to inventory biodiversity and estimate ecological parameters while providing an outreach opportunity.     

Sequestration of cucurbitacin analogs by New and Old World chrysomelid leaf beetles in the tribe Luperini

Summary Two South American polyphagous leaf beetles,Diabrotica speciosa andCerotoma arcuata, selectively accumulated the bitter tasting compound 23,24-dihydrocucurbitacin D in their body after ingesting root tissues of cucurbit plants. Similarly, three Asian Cucurbitaceae-feeding specialists in the genusAulacophora were found to sequester the same compound. Cucurbitacin analogs were shown to deter feeding by a bird predator, indicating an allomonal role for these compounds in cucurbitacin-associated chrysomelid leaf beetles both of New and Old Worlds. The strong affinity to cucurbitacins, selective sequestration of the analogs and consequent protection from predators suggested an ecological adaptation mechanism developed in common among these two geographically isolated subtribes in the Luperini.