Butterfly Communities at Residential Suburbs in Kita-kawachi Area in 1996 and 1997 and Evaluation of Environment

To evaluate the urban environment, butterfly communities were monitored by a transect-count method at 3 residential suburbs (Owada in Neyagawa city, Makino in Hirakata city and Nagaodai in Hirakata city) in Kita-kawachi area in 1996 and 1997. Eight and 8 species in Owada, 14 and 19 species in Makino, and 23 and 27 species in Nagaodai were observed in 1996 and 1997, respectively. Mean annual counts of individuals per 1 km transect observed in 1996 and 1997 were 5. 31 and 6. 33 in Owada, 18. 42 and 22. 98 in Makino, and 11. 41 and 23. 21 in Nagaodai, respectively. Pianka\u27s α index to express the degree of overlap among the butterfly communities in 1996 and 1997 were higher in Owada than in others. In Owada and Makino, higher values of several diversity indices were observed in 1997 than in 1996. However, in Nagaodai, a remarkable increase of Pieris rapae made decrease the diverse index values in 1997. In both years, Sunose\u27s EI index distinguish the 3 areas separately and estimated Owada, Makino and Nagaodai as a suburban to urban stage, a typical residential suburb and a rural-suburb stage, respectively.報文文部省科学研究費(基盤研究(C),No.08680560

Butterfly Community at Land of Katsura River in Kyoto City. Comparison of River Land with Residential Suburb on Butterfly Community

To evaluate the environment of river land, butterfly community was monitored by a transect-count method at a land of Katsura river located in Kyoto city in 1997. Eight families, 30 species and 580 individuals were observed. Species most observed was Pieris rapae, which occupied 45.8% of the butterfly community. Although Morishita\u27s diversity index (β index) of the community in the river land was lower than those of several residential suburbs in Kansai area, Sunose\u27s EI index of the community in the river land was higher than those of the residential suburbs. Pianka\u27s α indices showed that the degree of overlap among the butterfly communities in the river land and the residential suburbs was high. These results indicate that butterfly community of a river land does not quantitatively but qualitatively differ from that of a residential suburb near the river land.報文日本学術振興会科学研究費(基盤研究 (C),·No.12680534

セミの分布による都市環境の評価

技術報告文部省科学研究費(基盤研究(C)、No.08680560

The effects of magnesium deficiency on molybdenum metabolism in rats.

Our previous report indicated that magnesium (Mg) deficiency increased molybdenum (Mo) concentration in the rat liver, suggesting the possibility that Mg deficiency affects Mo metabolism. Growing male rats were given a control diet or a Mg-deficient diet for 4 weeks. Urine and feces were collected during the second and fourth weeks of the feeding trial. The liver, kidney, spleen, skeletal muscle, and blood were collected at the end of the feeding trial. Mg deficiency did not affect the apparent absorption of Mo, but it reduced urinary excretion of Mo. The retention of Mo tended to be higher in the Mg-deficient group than in the control group. Hepatic Mo concentration was higher in the Mg-deficient group than in the control group, but Mg deficiency did not affect Mo concentration in other tissues and plasma. Mg deficiency downregulated the mRNA expression of Mo transporter 2 (MOT2) in the liver, but not in the kidney. These results suggest that Mg deficiency decreases urinary Mo excretion, which is too slight to affect plasma Mo concentration, and that Mg deficiency selectively disturbs the homeostatic mechanism of Mo in the liver, which is not related to the mRNA expression of MOT2 in the liver