425 research outputs found
Sex allocation theory reveals a hidden cost of neonicotinoid exposure in a parasitoid wasp
P.R.W. was funded by the University of Stirling, C.V.B. and S.M.G. were funded by Nuffield Research Placements and N.C., J.G. and D.M.S. were funded by NERC (NE/J024481/1).Sex allocation theory has proved to be one the most successful theories in evolutionary ecology. However, its role in more applied aspects of ecology has been limited. Here we show how sex allocation theory helps uncover an otherwise hidden cost of neonicotinoid exposure in the parasitoid wasp Nasonia vitripennis. Female N. vitripennis allocate the sex of their offspring in line with Local Mate Competition (LMC) theory. Neonicotinoids are an economically important class of insecticides, but their deployment remains controversial, with evidence linking them to the decline of beneficial species. We demonstrate for the first time to our knowledge, that neonicotinoids disrupt the crucial reproductive behaviour of facultative sex allocation at sub-lethal, field-relevant doses in N. vitripennis. The quantitative predictions we can make from LMC theory show that females exposed to neonicotinoids are less able to allocate sex optimally and that this failure imposes a significant fitness cost. Our work highlights that understanding the ecological consequences of neonicotinoid deployment requires not just measures of mortality or even fecundity reduction among non-target species, but also measures that capture broader fitness costs, in this case offspring sex allocation. Our work also highlights new avenues for exploring how females obtain information when allocating sex under LMC.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
Context-dependent use of visual cues in the shell selection behaviour of the hermit crab Pagurus bernhardus
Animals avoid predator attack in different ways; some carry defensive structures to reduce predation, with the classic example being hermit crabs and their use of a mollusc shell as a portable refugium. During shell selection, various shell characteristics are investigated by the crab to determine their suitability. Here we consider the role of visual cues. Previous research suggests that some hermit crabs are more likely to initially choose a conspicuous shell but also to move to backgrounds against which they are less conspicuous, suggesting a short-term/long-term trade-off. Across experiments in which we manipulated shell and background colour, we show initially that Pagurus bernhardus prefer black shells over white but this preference was lost in the absence of visual cues. We then show that the strength of preference was dependent on background colour. We repeated this last experiment with red and yellow shells against red or yellow backgrounds to investigate whether this preference extended to chromatic hues. A preference for darker (red) shells was expressed, but preference alteration with background was not observed. P. bernhardus therefore discriminate between shells in terms of shell and background colour, and discrimination may be rooted in a preference for darker shaded shells.PostprintPeer reviewe
Topological stability of stored optical vortices
We report an experiment in which an optical vortex is stored in a vapor of Rb
atoms. Due to its 2\pi phase twist, this mode, also known as the Laguerre-Gauss
mode, is topologically stable and cannot unwind even under conditions of strong
diffusion. To supplement our finding, we stored a flat phase Gaussian beam with
a dark center. Contrary to the optical vortex, which stays stable for over 100
microseconds, the dark center in the retrieved flat-phased image was filled
with light at storage times as small as 10 microseconds. This experiment proves
that higher electromagnetic modes can be converted into atomic coherences, and
that modes with phase singularities are robust to decoherence effects such as
diffusion. This opens the possibility to more elaborate schemes for two
dimensional information storage in atomic vapors.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures v2: minor grammatical corrections v3: problem with
references fixed v4: minor clarifications added to the tex
Theory of Dicke narrowing in coherent population trapping
The Doppler effect is one of the dominant broadening mechanisms in thermal
vapor spectroscopy. For two-photon transitions one would naively expect the
Doppler effect to cause a residual broadening, proportional to the wave-vector
difference. In coherent population trapping (CPT), which is a narrow-band
phenomenon, such broadening was not observed experimentally. This has been
commonly attributed to frequent velocity-changing collisions, known to narrow
Doppler-broadened one-photon absorption lines (Dicke narrowing). Here we show
theoretically that such a narrowing mechanism indeed exists for CPT resonances.
The narrowing factor is the ratio between the atom's mean free path and the
wavelength associated with the wave-vector difference of the two radiation
fields. A possible experiment to verify the theory is suggested.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures; Introduction revise
Exposure to the neonicotinoid imidacloprid disrupts sex allocation cue use during superparasitism in the parasitoid wasp – Neonicotinoids and superparasitism
Threshold and non-linear behavior of lasers of and V - configurations
Dynamic properties of closed three level laser systems are investigated. Two
schemes of pumping - and V - are considered. It is shown that the
non-linear behavior of the photon number as a function of pump both near and
far above threshold is crucially different for these two configurations. In
particular, it is found that in the high pump regime laser can turn off in a
phase-transition-like manner in both and V schemes.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure
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