Search results for " Zoo"

Comparative Cytogenetic Analysis of Three Stylommatophoran Slugs (Mollusca, Pulmonata)

2009

system is still controversial because phylogeny and systematic relationships at the family level are poorly understood. Besides morphological studies, ribosomal RNA genes and the H3/H4 histone gene cluster (Ambruster et al., 2005; Wade et al., 2006) have also been used to resolve the relationships within this order. Recently, by comparison of primary sequence of mitochondrial and nuclear genes, Grande et al. (2004) resolved the Stylommatophora as the early split monophyletic sister group of all the other gastropod taxa. Available data on the cytogenetics of Stylommatophora are extremely poor (reviewed by Patterson, 1969, and Thiriot-Quievreux, 2003) and mostly concern the haploid (n) and/ o…

Chemosensory enrichment as a simple and effective way to improve the welfare of captive lizards

2018

Sulawesifulvius thailandicus – a new species of the genus Sulawesifulvius Gorczyca, Chérot & Štys from Thailand (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Miridae, Cyl…

2017

Abstract A new species of the genus Sulawesifulvius, Sulawesifulvius thailandicus Wolski, Yasunaga & Gorczyca, sp. n., is described from Thailand. The present finding also represents the first distribution record in Indochina for the genus. Color adult habitus images for Sulawesifulvius thailandicus and Sulawesifulvius schuhi (type species of the genus), male genital drawings of Sulawesifulvius thailandicus, and scanning electron micrographs of selected structures of Sulawesifulvius schuhi and Sulawesifulvius thailandicus are provided.

Maternal effects in quail and zebra finches: behavior and hormones.

2013

8 pages; International audience; Maternal effects are influences of parents on offspring phenotype occurring through pathways other than inherited DNA. In birds, two important routes for such transmission are parental behavior and non-DNA egg constituents such as yolk hormones. Offspring traits subject to parental effects include behavior and endocrine function. Research from the Adkins-Regan lab has used three avian species to investigate maternal effects related to hormones and behavior. Experiments with chickens and Japanese quail have shown that maternal sex steroids can influence sex determination to produce biased offspring sex ratios. Because all birds have a ZZ/ZW chromosomal sex de…

Preface: New challenges in anostracan research, a tribute to Graziella Mura

2017

This special volume of Hydrobiologia is dedicated to the memory of Graziella Mura, who unexpectedly passed away on 23 March 2016 when she was still carrying out her highly influential and worldrenowned research on Anostraca. She provided outstanding contributions to the current knowledge of the taxonomy and ecology of this distinctive crustacean group over the last 45 years. This volume is a tribute to her and her role in anostracan research by the community of anostracan specialists.

Exceptional sea turtle nest records in 2011 suggest an underestimated nesting potential in Sicily (Italy)

2012

We report seven nesting events by loggerhead sea turtles in Sicily (Italy) in 2011. In comparison to past records, this number is relatively high and may be at least in part due to an awareness campaign carried out in 2011 to solicit such reports. This suggests that Sicily may host a much higher nesting activity than previously thought and higher monitoring effort is recommended, especially in certain coastal tracts. Sand temperatures and incubation periods indicate that the beaches monitored so far in the southern coast are not optimal for development, resulting in low hatching success, and produce a majority of males. Five 2011 nests and two past nests from the same area had mtDNA haploty…

COVID-19 and the Dairy and Meat Supply Chain

2022

The Coronavirus health emergency and the lockdown adopted in Italy and many countries are head-hitting in the agricultural and agri-food sectors

Testis differentiation in the glowworm,Lampyris noctiluca, with special reference to the apical tissue

2001

The gonads of Lampyris noctiluca are sexually undifferentiated during the first larval instars. They consist of many gonadal follicles that include the germ stem cells enclosed by the somatic cells of the follicle wall. Follicle wall cells are more numerous at the follicle apices than at the distal parts, but different cell types cannot be distinguished. In male larvae, the appearance of apical follicle tissue, derived from follicle wall cells, marks the onset of testis differentiation. When maximally expressed, the apical tissue occupies about the upper half of the testis follicles and can be observed in larvae of the fifth and sixth instar. The apical tissue is characterized by its “light…

Susceptibility of eye fluke-infected fish to predation by bird hosts.

2005

Host manipulation by trophically transmitted parasites may predispose infected hosts to predation and in this way enhance parasite transmission. In most study systems, however, the evidence comes from laboratory studies, and therefore knowledge of the effect of manipulation on parasite transmission efficiency in the wild is still limited. Here we examined the effect ofDiplostomum spathaceum(Trematoda) eye flukes on the susceptibility of fish intermediate hosts to predation by bird definitive hosts. Our earlier studies have shown that the parasite alters fish phenotype and increases their susceptibility to artificial predation under laboratory conditions. In the present field study, we allow…

Communication versus waterproofing: the physics of insect cuticular hydrocarbons

2019

Understanding the evolution of complex traits is among the major challenges in biology. One such trait is the cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) layer in insects. It protects against desiccation and provides communication signals, especially in social insects. CHC composition is highly diverse within and across species. To understand the adaptive value of this chemical diversity, we must understand how it affects biological functionality. So far, CHCs received ample research attention, but their physical properties were little studied. We argue that these properties determine their biological functionality, and are vital to understand how CHC composition affects their adaptive value. We investigat…