Colour Selection and Olfactory Responses of Papilio demoleus during Foraging and Courtship.

Colours and odours are the most important cues for butterflies to localise food and mating partners. We studied the visual and olfactory responses of the widely distributed butterfly Papilio demoleus Linnaeus during foraging and courtship. P. demoleus visited odourless flowers with six colours except green and black, with red as the favourite colour (650-780 nm). Males and females differed in behaviour while visiting flowers. Males were more active than females during foraging. The application of honey water resulted in a significant increase in flower visits by both females and males, and they scarcely visited the apetalous branches with odours. Under natural conditions, four patterns were observed: males chasing males (42.28%), males chasing females (30.56%), females chasing females (13.73%), and females chasing males (13.43%). Males chasing males was the most frequent, probably because males drive away competing con-specific males. When butterflies visited odourless mimics, males chasing females (70.73%) and males chasing males (29.27%) also occurred, indicating that males could accurately distinguish mates using colours only without any chemical cues, and females need chemical cues. The behavioural responses of P. demoleus to floral visits and courtship suggest that colour is the dominant factor during foraging and courtship. We verified the presence of P. demoleus rhodopsin genes, including Rh2, Rh3, Rh4, and Rh5, for long wavelength, blue, and ultraviolet (UV) spectrum recognition, which is consistent with the colour recognition of flowers and wings during visiting flowers and courtship.

Comparative analysis on visual and olfactory signals of Papilio xuthus (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) during foraging and courtship.

This study examined the roles of visual and olfactory responses during foraging and courtship in butterfly Papilio xuthus. P. xuthus showed obvious orientation to color in the range of 350-500 nm. Visits of P. xuthus females and males to blue, purple, and red artificial cloth flowers were ♀ 54.90% and ♂ 39.22%, ♀ 19.61% and ♂ 35.29%, and ♀ 9.80% and ♂ 19.61%, respectively. Application of 10% honey on these artificial flowers resulted in an increase of 3.41 and 3.26 fold in flower visits by the butterfly compared to controls. When 10% honey water was sprayed on flower branches without colorful flowers, branch visiting was very low, only seven times for females and two times for males, indicating that colors might be more critical than odor for foraging even though visual and olfactory perceptions both play important roles during foraging. During courtship, four types of chasing were observed in a natural population of P. Xuthus; the four types are males chasing females (49%), males chasing males (25%), females chasing males (13%), and females chasing females (10%). However, when odorless artificial models of butterflies were used, no significant differences were observed among these types of chasing, indicating that olfactory perception was crucial for the butterfly during courtship. Profiling volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) and individual bioassays revealed that VOCs contents of butterflies were not related to recognizing sex partners; by contrast, some level of α-farnesene, increased the frequency of male chasing female. This could be due to that α-farnesene is easy to be detected by butterflies because of its volatility and higher content in female.

Effects of honeybee (Apis cerana) visiting behaviour on toxic plant (Tripterygium hypoglaucum) reproduction.

Honeybees play a significant role in the plant-pollinator interactions of many flowering plants. The ecological and evolutionary consequences of plant-pollinator interactions vary by geographic region, and the effects of honeybees on the reproduction of toxic plants have not been well studied. We measured the florescence of toxic plants, the flower-visiting behaviour of honeybees and the effects of pollination on the fertility, weight and moisture content of seeds. The effects of climatic factors on the number of flowers, and the spatial and temporal variation in pollinator visits were evaluated, and the effects of pollinator visits on seed quality were evaluated. Flower visitors were diverse, climatic factors had a great impact on spatio-temporal flowering variation and the number of bee visits was strongly correlated with the spatio-temporal variation in the number of flowers. Honeybees strongly increase the fullness and weight of seeds. Our study demonstrated a good ecological fit between the spatio-temporal variation in the flowering of toxic plants and the general validity of honeybee pollination syndrome in the south of Hengduan Mountains in East Asia. A linear relationship between honeybee visitation and plant reproduction can benefit the stabilization of plant reproduction.

In-situ Grown SnS2 Nanosheets on rGO as an Advanced Anode Material for Lithium and Sodium Ion Batteries.

SnS2 nanosheets/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composite was prepared by reflux condensation and hydrothermal methods. In this composite, SnS2 nanosheets in-situ grew on the surface of rGO nanosheets. The SnS2/rGO composite as anode material was investigated both in lithium ion battery (LIB) and sodium ion battery (SIB) systems. The capacity of SnS2/rGO electrode in LIB achieved 514 mAh g-1 at 1.2 A g-1 after 300 cycles. Moreover, the SnS2/rGO electrode in SIB delivered a discharge capacity of 645 mAh g-1 at 0.05 A g-1; after 100 cycles at 0.25 A g-1, the capacity retention still keep 81.2% relative to the capacity of the 6th cycle. Due to the introduction of rGO in the composite, the charge-transfer resistance became much smaller. Compared with SnS2/C electrode, SnS2/rGO electrode had higher discharge capacity and much better cycling performance.

FATAL HONEY POISONING IN SOUTHWEST CHINA: A CASE SERIES OF 31 CASES.

Honey poisoning cases occur in southwestern China. In this case series, we attempted to determine the symptoms and causes of honey poisoning from 2007 to 2012 in southwestern China. We also conducted a quantitative melissopalynological analysis of honey samples. During the study period, 31 honey poisoning cases occurred in the study location, all during July to August. All the cases occurred after consuming at least 100 grams of honey. The most frequent symptoms were nausea and vomiting (100%), abdominal pain (90.3%), diarrhea (74.2%), palpitations (61.3%), dizziness (54.8%), chest congestion (48.4%) and dyspnea (48.4%). Severe cases developed oliguria/anuria, twitch, hematuria, ecchymosis or hematochezia. The median time from ingestion to onset of symptoms was 29 hours. Eight patients died (mortality rate: 25.8%). The pollen of Tripterygium hypoglaucum (a plant with poisonous nectar and pollen) was detected in 22 of 29 honey samples examined (75.9%). The results of pollen analysis were consistent with the clinical findings of previous cases. T. hypoglaucum appears to be the cause of honey poisoning in southwestern China. Honey poisoning should be included in the differential diagnosis of patients who consume honey in this region and develop symptoms of food poisoning.

Fatal Honey Poisoning Caused by Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F in Southwest China: A Case Series.

Mad honey poisoning has been reported in many countries, and it seldom results in death. We describe a rare case series of fatal honey poisoning caused by Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TwHF) in Southwest China. Three male construction workers were delivered to the emergency department with symptoms of food poisoning after ingestion of wild raw honey. Laboratory results showed that the 3 patients were at different degrees of renal damage, and 1 patient with severe symptoms died of acute renal failure 1 day after admission. Pollen analysis indicated that the suspected honey was heavily contaminated with TwHF pollen. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are crucial for such poisoning. Pollen analysis is a practical approach to help diagnosis in remote areas where such honey poisoning occurs.

The physico-chemical properties and structural characteristics of artificial soil for cut slope restoration in Southwestern China.

Cut slopes are frequently generated by construction work in hilly areas, and artificial soil is often sprayed onto them to promote ecological rehabilitation. The artificial soil properties are very important for effective management of the slopes. This paper uses fractal and moment methods to characterize soil particle size distribution (PSD) and aggregates composition. The fractal dimension (D) showed linear relationships between clay, silt, and sand contents, with coefficients of determination from 0.843 to 0.875, suggesting that using of D to evaluate the PSD of artificial soils is reasonable. The bias (CS) and peak convex (CE) coefficients showed significant correlations with structure failure rate, moisture content, and total porosity, which validated the moment method to quantitatively describe soil structure. Railway slope (RS) soil has lower organic carbon and soil moisture, and higher pH than natural slope soil. Overall, RS exhibited poor soil structure and physicochemical properties, increasing the risk of soil erosion. Hence, more effective management measures should be adopted to promote the restoration of cut slopes.