Host discrimination, i.e. the ability to distinguish unparasitized hosts from parasitized ones, and to reject the latter for egg laying is present in many parasitic wasp species. This property is classically considered as an example of contest competition, and is supposed to have a number of functions. However, different species do not react to each other's marks and lay eggs in hosts parasitized by the other species. Apparently the marks used for recognition are specific.Multiparasitization is the best strategy when hosts are scarce and the egg supplies of the parasitoids are not limited. Interspecific host discrimination is not an ESS.Superparasitization within one species would have selective advantage if the number of unparasitized hosts is small and the wasp has a reasonable chance to lay her egg in a host that is not parasitized by herself, and if the chance for her offspring to survive the competitive battle with the first parasitoid larva is not too small. This is shown to be the case.However, marks are not individual and wasps cannot distinguish hosts parasitized by themselves from those parasitized by others. The hypothesis is tested that the egg laying strategy (i.e. the decision to superparasitize) of wasps is dependent on the number of conspecifics that is searching simultaneously for hosts, since this determines the chance that a parasitized host encountered by a wasp is parasitized by herself.It is shown that host discrimination cannot be regarded as a case of contest competition. Other aspects of superparasitization, related to interference and population regulation, sex allocation and encapsulation are briefly discussed.

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This study was conducted to develop a statistical understanding of exposures to bisphenol A (BPA) in aquatic environments in North America and Europe. Concentrations of BPA have been reported by 89 investigations published between 1997 and 2007. On the basis of an analysis of weighted observations (n = 1068 and 848 for North America and Europe, respectively), BPA was reported at concentrations above the detection limit in 20-51% of freshwater samples. Median BPA concentrations for fresh surface waters for North America and Europe were 0.081 and 0.01 microg/L, respectively, while 95th percentiles were 0.47 and 0.35 microg/L, respectively. In contrast to fresh surface waters, only limited data are available for sediments and less for marine ecosystems. For freshwater sediments in North America (n = 71), the median and 90th percentile concentration (the 95th percentile was not calculable) were 0.6 and 3.4 ng/ g-dw, respectively, while the median and 95th percentile concentration in Europe (n = 249) were 16 and 256 ng/g-dw, respectively. To assess the potential ecological significance, we compared exposure concentrations with available regulatory criteria. The results suggest the frequency of locations in which concentrations are likely to cause adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems is low, with the exception of sediments collected from some highly urbanized and industrial locations.

Abstract-Effects of the insecticide chlorpyrifos (cpf) on young (Ͻ1 d old) and adult (7-9 d old) Daphnia pulex and the ability of D. pulex to recover after exposure were tested in the laboratory. Populations of D. pulex exposed to cpf were studied in the laboratory and field. In the field, cpf was applied in a single dose. The effects of that dose on D. pulex populations were tested and compared with the effects of a simulated single dose and its ensuing decay on populations in the laboratory. The lowest no-observed-effect concentration was about 0.05 g/L (actual concentration). Chlorpyrifos immobilized D. pulex several days before death. Juveniles became immobilized faster than adults. Even when no longer exposed, D. pulex immobilized by cpf died. In the laboratory and field, observed population dynamics and effects of cpf on these dynamics were very similar. The median effective concentration for population size after 2 and 7 d of exposure did not differ between the laboratory and field (2 d, 0.38 and 0.31 g/L, respectively; 7 d, 0.25 and 0.34 g/L, respectively). Effects of cpf on single-species Daphnia populations in the laboratory and field can be predicted from effects observed in tests with individuals.