Taste thresholds and suprathreshold responses to tannin-rich plant extracts and quinine in a primate species (Microcebus murinus)

Theories of plant chemical defenses discriminate between quantitative digestibility reducers (e.g., tannins) and qualitative toxins (e.g., alkaloids). Since the differential effect on taste of these compounds is poorly known, we recorded ingestive responses of a primate species, Microcebus murinus, to four tannin-rich plant extracts and to quinine, by using the behavioral method of the two-bottle test. The efficiency of tannic extracts at precipitating protein was measured with the blue BSA method. Inhibition taste thresholds for tannins added to a moderately sweet solution varied between 0.25 and 2 g/l. The threshold for quinine hydrochloride was 0.32 g/l. The profiles of the response/concentration curves established for these astringent and bitter substances were similar, with maximal inhibition of consumption occurring for near-threshold concentrations. The large amounts of quinine required to deter this small-bodied species from feeding were unexpected, given its unspecialized frugivorous/insectivorous diet. We propose that the taste responses of Microcebus to tannins have been shaped in relation to the widespread occurrence of efficient polyphenols in food plants, while low responsiveness to quinine reflects a low risk of ingesting toxic alkaloids when feeding on ripe fruits and insects.     

Chemical and experiential basis for rejection ofTropaeolum majus byPieris rapae larvae

Rejection of nasturtium,Tropaeolum majus, by cabbage-reared larvae ofPieris rapae has been explained by the presence of feeding deterrents in the nastrutium foliage. Sensitivity to the deterrents develops as neonate larvae feed on cabbage. The most prominent deterrent compound, which is present in nasturtium at a concentration of 40 mg/100 g fresh leaves, was identified as chlorogenic acid. When neonate larvae were fed on a cabbage leaf treated with high concentrations of deterrent-containing extracts of nasturtium foliage, they remained insensitive to the deterrents, so they accepted nasturtium when transferred as second instars. When neonate larvae were reared on a cabbage leaf treated with 0.1 mg chlorogenic acid, ca. 35% of the second instars accepted nasturtium. Similar dietary exposure of neonates to the subunits of chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid and quinic, acid resulted in much less or no effect on the rejection behavior of second instars. The results suggest that the combined effects of specific chemical constituents of nasturtium can explain the rejection of this plant by larvae ofP. rapae, but if larvae are continuously exposed to these compounds immediately after hatching, they apparently become habituated to the feeding deterrents. The lack of activity of the subunits of chlorogenic acid suggests that specific structural features are necessary for a dietary constituent to cause such habituation or suppression of sensitivity development.     

Systemic Induction of Allelochemicals in Glanded and Glandless Isogenic Cotton by Spodoptera exigua Feeding

Induction of systemic resistance to feeding of beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, was investigated in two isogenic lines of Stoneville 213 cotton, Gossypium hirsutum, that differed in the presence of pigment glands. In laboratory bioassays, larvae strongly preferred to feed on glandless cotton plants when presented a choice between undamaged terminal leaves of undamaged glanded and glandless plants. Feeding damage inflicted by S. exigua larvae on the two oldest leaves of glanded plants seven days prior to feeding bioassays caused larvae to prefer by 33-fold the undamaged terminal foliage from undamaged plants compared to that from damaged plants. Feeding damage on glandless plants caused only a 2.6-fold greater preference for terminal foliage from undamaged plants over foliage from previously damaged plants. Extracts of terminal foliage from glanded cotton damaged seven days earlier had significantly greater quantities of terpenoid aldehydes (hemigossypolone, gossypol, and heliocides) than did foliage from undamaged glanded plants. Terpenoid aldehydes were undetectable in extracts of both undamaged and previously damaged glandless plants. The profile of volatile compounds collected from the headspace of mechanically damaged terminal leaves of undamaged glanded and glandless plants differed. Both cotton isolines released large quantities of lipoxygenase products (hexenyl alcohols, acetates, and butyrates), but glandless plants released only small amounts of mono- and sesquiterpenes compared to glanded plants. Glandless plants damaged seven days prior to volatile collection released significantly greater quantities of lipoxygenase products, -ocimene, and - and -farnesene than did undamaged glandless plants. Previously damaged glanded plants released significantly greater quantities of all mono- and sesquiterpenes and hexenyl acetates and butyrates, but not alcohols. The relative importance of volatile compounds versus terpenoid aldehydes in induced feeding deterrence in cotton to S. exigua larvae is still unclear.     

Chemical Defenses Against Fish Predation in Three Brazilian Octocorals: 11β,12β-Epoxypukalide as a Feeding Deterrent in Phyllogorgia dilatata

The feeding-deterrence properties of crude extracts of three Brazilian octocoral species, Neospongodes atlantica Kükenthal (Alcyonacea, Nephtheidae), Plexaurella regia Castro (Gorgonacea, Plexauridae), and Phyllogorgia dilatata Esper (Gorgonacea, Gorgoniidae), were investigated. All the extracts were incorporated into food strips at the concentrations occurring in the living organisms. Crude extract and its ethyl acetate fraction obtained from P. dilatata collected in Armação dos Búzios (Rio de Janeiro State), when incorporated into artificial diets and tested in the habitat of origin, reduced consumption of food strips by fishes, relative to controls. Crude extracts from two octocoral species collected at the National Marine Park of Abrolhos (Bahia State), N. atlantica and P. regia, had no apparent feeding-deterrence properties; in fact, they seemed to stimulate feeding. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the bioactive P. dilatata crude extract revealed that the deterrent property was restricted to a medium polarity fraction. Field palatability experiments with two pure compounds isolated from this fraction revealed that the furanocembranolide 11,12-epoxypukalide is a potent feeding deterrent produced by P. dilatata against fish. Apparently, furanocembranolides are a particular class of compounds with feeding deterrent properties, protecting some octocorals from potential fish predator species in both tropical and temperate environments.     

一种新型聚酯钝感剂在发射药中的应用

采用水相钝感法工艺制备了含新型聚酯钝感剂的单基药和高能硝胺发射药,通过常规理化性能测试、密闭爆发器和加速长贮等实验研究了聚酯钝感剂对两种发射药性能的影响。结果表明,聚酯钝感剂与单基药和高能硝胺药相容性良好,具有挥发性小、抗迁移性能强等优点,能够显著提高单基药的燃烧渐增性;含聚酯钝感剂的发射药加速老化长贮实验前后,初速跳差小于10m/s,其内弹道性能几乎无变化。     

Behavioral responses of the parsnip webworm to host plant volatiles

Sixth instars of the parsnip webworm, Depressaria pastinacella, orient by olfaction to bud, male flowers, and female flowers of their primary host plant, Pastinaca sativa. Because octyl acetate and octyl butyrate are characteristic of tissues consumed by the sixth instar, we investigated the influence of these esters on webworm feeding behavior and chemo-orientation. Although octyl acetate and octyl butyrate are feeding deterrents, and octyl butyrate is an olfactory repellent, octyl acetate serves as an olfactory attractant. In olfactometers, webworms do not show a preference when given a choice between octyl acetate and host plant tissues. These findings suggest that octyl acetate is a sufficient cue for olfactory orientation. Such behavior may explain differences in the relative abundance of these esters observed among populations of wild parsnip under differential selection pressure from these insects.     

Benzoic Acid Derivatives in a Hypogastrurid Collembolan: Temperature-Dependent Formation and Biological Significance as Deterrents

Two phenolic acids were identified in the collembolan Ceratophysella denticulata: 3-hydroxy-4,5 dimethoxy benzoic acid and 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzoic acid (syringic acid). These are localized on or in the integument of the springtail, in field-collected animals, in a ratio of 47:100 (v/v). Springtails kept under different temperature regimes showed differences in production and ratio of the benzoic acid derivatives. At 20 degrees C, C. denticulata produced only syringic acid, whereas at 10 degrees C both isomers in a ratio of 100:61 (v/v) were detected. Bioassays with C. denticulata as well as with the specialized collembolan predator Stenus comma (Staphylinidae) were carried out. Staphylinid beetles topically treated with the acids try to clean their mouthparts by rubbing them on the ground significantly more often than do control beetles. Both compounds individually and as a natural mixture have deterrent effects towards the predator S. comma.     

Comparative study on the responses of maxillary sensilla styloconica of cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera and Oriental tobacco budworm H. assulta larvae to phytochemicals

Using the electro-physiological technique, the sensory mechanisms of maxillary sensilla styloconica to stimulants and deterrents were explored on two closely related species, the generalist Helicoverpa armigera and the specialist H. assulta. The results showed that: (i) in both species, cells sensitive to sucrose and azadirachtin were mainly in the lateral sensillum styloconicum, and those to inositol were in the medial sensillum styloconicum; (ii) sensitivity of medial sensillum styloconicum in H. assulta to inositol was higher than that in H. armigera; (iii) among 6 tested deterrents, only azadirachtin evoked high impulse discharge from the lateral sensillum styloconicum in both insects; (iv) the deterrents could disturb stimulants evoking impulse discharge from maxillary sensilla styloconica of both species in different degrees: To sucrose evoking impulses on lateral sensillum styloconicum, for H. armigera capsaicin had a strong inhibition and gossypol had a weak inhibition, while for H. assulta tannic acid, gossypol, and tomatine all had strong inhibition except nicotine and capsaicin; to inositol evoking impulses on medial sensilum styloconicum, for H. armigera inhibition of tomatine was strong but that of gossypol was weak; and for H. assulta inhibition of gossypol was strong but that of nicotine was weak.     

石墨烯在含能材料中的应用研究进展

从石墨烯及其复合物催化剂、石墨烯添加剂和石墨烯及其复合含能材料等3个方面,介绍了近年来石墨烯在含能材料应用方面的最新研究进展。认为石墨烯及其复合催化剂对推进剂含能组分具有明显的催化作用;添加石墨烯后,推进剂燃烧及力学性能得到改善;氧化石墨烯及石墨烯构成的钝感剂可降低含能材料的机械感度;石墨烯及其复合物含能材料具有优异的性能,更大的能量释放率。提出了石墨烯在含能材料领域的发展方向和应用前景。附参考文献42篇。     

DBP和NA在发射药中扩散性能的分子动力学模拟

针对钝感剂在发射药贮存期间的扩散迁移影响发射药服役寿命的问题,采用分子动力学模拟(MD模拟)比较了小分子邻苯二甲酸二丁酯(DBP)、聚新戊二醇己二酸酯(NA)在发射药体系中的扩散系数,探究了温度和硝化甘油(NG)含量对DBP、NA在双基发射药中扩散的影响,并分析了扩散机理.结果表明:5℃时DBP和NA在NC基体中的扩散能力相当,扩散系数均在10-12 m2·s-1数量级,25℃时DBP与NA的扩散系数分别为1.13×10-11 m2·s-1和5.13×10-12 m2·s-1,65℃时DBP与NA的扩散系数分别为1.88×10-11 m2·s-1和7.57×10-12 m2·s-1,85℃时DBP与NA的扩散系数分别为3.42×10-11 m2·s-1、1.11×10-11 m2·s-1,在相同温度下,钝感剂扩散系数的大小顺序为DBP>NA,这说明NA具有较好的抗迁移特性,该特性在高温时更为凸显;从微观角度分析温度对扩散机理的影响为:高温使原子间氢键作用峰值减小,即DBP、NA与NC的相互作用力减弱,并且体系的自由体积分数也变大,增大了分子运动的有效活动空间,更有利于DBP、NA扩散.DBP、NA的扩散能力随着增塑剂NG含量的增加而增强,添加NG使得DBP、NA与NC的相互作用减弱,因此DBP、NA运动更活跃,扩散能力增强.