小麦秸秆生物质炭对水稻产量及晚稻氮素利用率的影响

选择湖南长沙红黄泥水稻土和江西进贤红壤性水稻土为供试土壤,研究小麦秸秆制生物质炭在20、40t.hm-2施入量水平下与氮肥配施对早、晚稻产量及晚稻氮素利用率的影响。结果表明,生物质炭与氮肥配施情况下,2个试验点不同生物质炭施用量处理间早稻产量均无显著差异,但进贤试验点生物质炭施用量为20和40t.hm-2处理晚稻产量分别比未施生物质炭对照提高5.18%和7.95%,而长沙试验点3个处理间晚稻产量无显著差异。在相同氮素水平下,当生物质炭施用量为40 t.hm-2时,2个试验点土壤有机碳含量与未施生物质炭对照相比最高增幅均在55%以上;施用生物质炭可提高酸性或弱酸性土壤pH值,降低土壤容重;施用生物质炭也可显著提高水稻氮肥利用率,在40 t.hm-2施用水平下,长沙和进贤试验点水稻氮肥吸收利用率分别提高20.33和17.58百分点,进贤试验点氮肥农学效率提高39.81%。在酸性土壤中施用生物质炭可提高氮肥利用率,保持水稻产量稳定或有一定的增产效果。     

生物炭基钼肥对土壤无机氮形态转化的影响

土壤铵态氮和硝态氮是影响作物生长的重要因素。为了探明生物炭与钼配合施用后,土壤中铵态氮和硝态氮的动态变化规律,选取8种广东省具有代表性的农业废弃物制备生物炭基钼肥,采用土培实验,研究在分别施用硝态氮、铵态氮情况下,生物炭基钼肥对土壤中硝态氮及铵态氮含量变化的影响。结果表明,与对照相比,8种生物炭基钼肥均可显著提高土壤pH值,其中,甘蔗渣炭基钼肥、花生壳炭基钼肥和谷壳炭基钼肥可使土壤pH提高0.5~1.0个单位,丝瓜藤炭基钼肥、水葫芦炭基钼肥、玉米秸秆炭基钼肥、水稻秸秆炭基钼肥、花生秸秆炭基钼肥则可使之提高2.8~3.8单位。8种生物炭基钼肥均可显著促进土壤对铵态氮的起始固持量(10%~38%),甘蔗渣炭基钼肥、花生壳炭基钼肥和谷壳炭基钼肥对土壤铵态氮的硝化作用影响不显著,而其他5种生物炭则可显著增强土壤的硝化作用,其中水稻秸秆炭基钼肥处理硝化率近50%,丝瓜藤炭基钼肥、水葫芦炭基钼肥、玉米秸秆炭基钼肥、花生秸秆炭基钼肥处理的硝化率近100%。生物炭基钼肥对土壤中的硝态氮主要表现为固持作用,可显著增加土壤对硝态氮的起始固持量(12%~30%)。该研究结果可为作物施用生物炭基钼肥和氮肥提供参考,也可为进一步研究生物炭基钼肥对土壤有效钼含量、作物钼吸收及对植物体内氮代谢的影响提供基础资料。     

华北高产农田施用生物质炭对耕层土壤总氮和碱解氮含量的影响

基于华北高产农田3年的定位试验,探讨冬小麦-夏玉米轮作制度下,生物质炭与化肥配施对土壤耕层全氮与碱解氮质量分数的影响。试验设CK（单施化肥）,C1（施用化肥＋秸秆炭2 250 kg.hm-2）,C2（施用化肥＋秸秆炭4 500 kg.hm-2）;CN（施用炭基缓释肥750 kg.hm-2）4个处理,随机区组排列,3次重复。结果表明：施用生物质炭明显增加了土壤耕层全氮的质量分数,其中在0～7.5 cm土层,C2处理土壤全氮的质量分数最大,为1.7 g.kg-1,与CK处理相比差异显著（P〈0.05）;在7.5～15 cm土层,生物质炭的各处理虽能增加土壤全氮的质量分数,但差异不显著（P〈0.05）。在这2个土层中,施用生物质炭对土壤碱解氮的质量分数没有显著影响。结果初步表明,在华北高产粮区施用生物质炭对增加耕层土壤全氮量有积极意义。     

不同有机无机复混肥对土壤供氮和玉米生长的影响

通过田间小区试验,研究等氮量施用条件下菜粕、猪粪、中药渣和鸡粪分别与化肥混合制成的4种不同有机无机复混肥对土壤供氮特性和玉米生长的影响.结果表明,玉米当季生长期间,4种有机无机复混肥处理的土壤矿质氮含量显著高于化肥处理,其中以施用鸡粪和菜粕复混肥的当季土壤供氮能力较高.施用复混肥后玉米籽粒产量为6725～8960kg*hm-2,均高于施化肥处理,且除猪粪复混肥外,其他3种复混肥处理的玉米籽粒产量均比化肥处理增加20%以上,差异达到显著水平.施用复混肥后,氮肥利用率达24.2%～39.8%,均高于单施化肥.有机无机复混肥料,尤其是鸡粪复混肥能有效调控氮素养分释放,使土壤供氮特征与玉米的需氮规律相一致,从而显著提高产量.     

秸秆还田下晚播稻茬麦适宜施氮量研究

研究了前荏水稻秸秆全量还田条件下,不同施氮水平(0、90、180、270和360 kg·hm-2)对晚播小麦土壤矿质氮积累、秸秆氮释放、氮素平衡特征和产量的影响.结果表明,基肥施用提高了越冬期0～ 30 cm土壤矿质氮量,追施氮肥提高了开花期0～15 cm土壤矿质氮量.施氮量高于180 kg· hm-2时会造成小麦成熟后土壤矿质氮量的显著增加.氮平衡分析结果表明,小麦全生育期氮素净矿化量为48 kg· hm-2;随施氮水平的增加,秸秆氮释放量、植株氮积累量、土壤矿质氮残留量和氮表观损失量均随之增加;N90、N180、N270和N360处理氮表观损失率分别为27.9％、37.6％、43.2％和47.6％;N90处理损失量以播种至越冬期最高,其余处理均以开花至成熟期最高.适量增施氮肥有利于提高籽粒产量,但施氮量若超过180 kg·hm-2,增产效果则不显著.综合考虑,水稻秸秆全量还田条件下氮肥施用量为180 kg·hm-2有利于兼顾晚播小麦生产和生态效益.     

生物质炭-沼液联合施用对调控氮循环功能基因促进氮素增效的影响

为探讨生物质炭-沼液配施条件下氮循环功能基因调控农田土壤氮素转化并影响农作物氮素吸收利用机制.本试验以浙江省杭州市红黄壤作为研究对象,设置生物质炭和沼液两个因素,探究生物质炭-沼液配施条件下土壤基本理化性质和氮循环功能基因丰度变化情况,刻画功能基因与农田氮素利用率间的耦合关系.结果表明,生物质炭-沼液配施可以显著降低土壤容重,提升土壤pH和土壤氮素含量,其中,高剂量生物质炭-沼液配施(C3B2)处理较单施化肥(COBO)处理铵态氮、硝态氮、全氮含量增幅均达到显著水平(P<0.05).与空白处理(CK)相比,生物质炭-沼液配施(C3B2)处理则显著提高了反硝化功能基因丰度,较单施化肥(C0B0)处理增幅30.98%和44.99%.冗余分析结果显示,铵态氮、硝态氮和有机碳含量对土壤氮循环功能基因影响较为显著,结构方程模型则表明硝化作用功能基因丰度的提升对包菜氮素农学利用率呈现负相关趋势.研究结果表明,在相同养分施用量的条件下,生物质炭-沼液配施可显著提高土壤肥力.氮素和有机碳含量是影响功能基因丰度的关键因素,硝化作用功能基因丰度的降低可以提高农田氮素利用率.本研究结果可以为促进农业废...     

水热及裂解生物炭对水稻产量及氮素利用率的影响

将生物质(锯末)分别在高温裂解(500℃)和水热炭化(260℃)条件下制备得到裂解生物炭(PSBC)和水热生物炭(HSBC),采用土柱试验方法对比PSBC和HSBC在不同施加量(w=0.5%,w=3%)条件下对水稻生长、产量及氮素利用效率的影响。结果表明,PSBC-0.5%和HSBC-0.5%处理对水稻产量无显著影响(P0.05),PSBC-3%处理对水稻产量和生长的影响较小;而HSBC-3%处理则导致水稻产量下降64.73%,且主要对产量因子中的每穗总粒数和结实率产生负面影响。水稻氮素利用效率分析表明,与施氮对照(CKU)相比,PSBC-0.5%处理水稻籽粒吸氮量、氮肥吸收利用率和农学效率分别提高23.68%、57.46%和1.86%;而HSBC-3%处理显著抑制水稻生长,籽粒吸氮量比CKU降低67.46%,氮肥吸收利用率和农学效率则呈负值。研究表明,高施加量HSBC对水稻生长有显著负面影响,而低施加量HSBC对水稻生长影响不显著。因此,在将水热炭应用于农田时,需严格控制其施用量或对水热炭进行改良,提高其生物兼容性,防止对农业生产造成不利影响。     

小麦秸秆全量还田对土壤速效氮及水稻产量的影响

通过田间对比试验,研究了小麦秸秆全量还田后不同氮肥运筹模式下水稻产量及土壤氮素供应特征变化的差异.结果表明,总施氮量一致时,与秸秆不还田处理相比,小麦秸秆全量还田降低了后茬水稻生育前期(孕穗期之前)土壤速效氮(硝态氮和铵态氮)含量,而提高了生育后期(孕穗期之后)土壤速效氮含量,且同一生育期,秸秆还田氮肥优化运筹方案B[m(基蘖肥):m(穗肥)=6.5:3.5,m(基肥):m(分蘖肥)=8:2]较氮肥传统运筹方案A[m(基蘖肥):m(穗肥)=5:5,m(基肥):m(分蘖肥)=6:4]土壤速效氮含量高.秸秆全量还田促进水稻生育后期氮素吸收与生物量增加,而抑制前期增长,且同一生育期秸秆还田配套氮肥运筹方案B水稻氮素与生物量累积高于方案A.等量施氮条件下,小麦秸秆全量还田显著提高水稻产量,且氮肥运筹方案B增产幅度更大.施氮量为270 kg·hm-2时,秸秆还田配套氮肥运筹方案B和方案A分别较秸秆不还田处理水稻产量高9.3%和5.3%.秸秆全量还田主要通过增加水稻有效穗数实现增产,有效穗数分别较秸秆不还田处理高6.1%～14.5%.因此,小麦秸秆全量还田配套氮肥运筹方案B是实现水稻高产的有效措施.     

不同作物原料热裂解生物质炭对溶液中Cd2＋和Pb2＋的吸附特性

选择由小麦秸秆、玉米秸秆和花生壳经350-500℃热裂解制成的生物质炭,研究生物黑炭对水溶液中Cd2＋和Pb2＋的吸附特性,分析了pH值、吸附时间、溶液初始质量浓度、生物质炭粒径和投加量对吸附效果的影响。结果表明：生物质炭对Cd2＋和Pb2＋的吸附约10 min即达平衡;3种生物质炭对Cd2＋和Pb2＋的等温吸附均可用Langmuir方程和Freundlich方程拟合,玉米秸秆炭对Cd2＋和Pb2＋的最大吸附量远大于小麦秸秆炭和花生壳炭;在生物黑炭投加量为150 mg（6 g.L-1）时,3种生物黑炭对溶液Cd2＋的去除率均在90%以上,玉米秸秆炭对溶液Pb2＋的去除率达90.30%,而小麦秸秆炭和花生壳炭的去除率仅为52%和47%,玉米秸秆炭有望成为处理重金属污染废水的新型吸附材料。     

不同作物原料热裂解生物质炭对溶液中Cd2+和Pb2+的吸附特性

选择由小麦秸秆、玉米秸秆和花生壳经350~500℃热裂解制成的生物质炭,研究生物黑炭对水溶液中Cd2+和Pb2+的吸附特性,分析了pH值、吸附时间、溶液初始质量浓度、生物质炭粒径和投加量对吸附效果的影响。结果表明:生物质炭对Cd2+和Pb2+的吸附约10 min即达平衡;3种生物质炭对Cd2+和Pb2+的等温吸附均可用Langmuir方程和Freundlich方程拟合,玉米秸秆炭对Cd2+和Pb2+的最大吸附量远大于小麦秸秆炭和花生壳炭;在生物黑炭投加量为150 mg(6 g.L-1)时,3种生物黑炭对溶液Cd2+的去除率均在90%以上,玉米秸秆炭对溶液Pb2+的去除率达90.30%,而小麦秸秆炭和花生壳炭的去除率仅为52%和47%,玉米秸秆炭有望成为处理重金属污染废水的新型吸附材料。     

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.     

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     

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.     

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.     

Compliance with and ecosystem function of biodiversity offsets in North American and European freshwaters

Land-use change via human development is a major driver of biodiversity loss. To reduce these impacts, billions of dollars are spent on biodiversity offsets. However, studies evaluating offset project effectiveness that examine components such as the overall compliance and function of projects remain rare. We reviewed 577 offsetting projects in freshwater ecosystems that included the metrics project size, type of aquatic system (e.g., wetland and creek), offsetting measure (e.g., enhancement, restoration, and creation), and an assessment of the projects’ compliance and functional success. Project information was obtained from scientific and government databases and gray literature. Despite considerable investment in offsetting projects, crucial problems persisted. Although compliance and function were related to each other, a high level of compliance did not guarantee a high degree of function. However, large projects relative to area had better function than small projects. Function improved when projects targeted productivity or specific ecosystem features and when multiple complementary management targets were in place. Restorative measures were more likely to achieve targets than creating entirely new ecosystems. Altogether the relationships we found highlight specific ecological processes that may help improve offsetting outcomes.     

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.