Search results for " Behavior"
showing 10 items of 11374 documents
Predator-Induced Plasticity on Warning Signal and Larval Life-History Traits of the Aposematic Wood Tiger Moth, Arctia plantaginis
2021
Correction Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution Volume 9 Article Number 737651 DOI 10.3389/fevo.2021.737651 Published JUL 29 2021 Predator-induced plasticity in life-history and antipredator traits during the larval period has been extensively studied in organisms with complex life-histories. However, it is unclear whether different levels of predation could induce warning signals in aposematic organisms. Here, we investigated whether predator-simulated handling affects warning coloration and life-history traits in the aposematic wood tiger moth larva, Arctia plantaginis. As juveniles, a larger orange patch on an otherwise black body signifies a more efficient warning signal against predators…
Sole coloration as an unusual aposematic signal in a Neotropical toad
2019
Many animals have evolved remarkable strategies to avoid predation. In diurnal, toxic harlequin toads (Atelopus) from the Amazon basin, we find a unique colour signal. Some Atelopus populations have striking red soles of the hands and feet, visible only when walking. When stationary, the toads are hard to detect despite their yellow-black dorsal coloration. Consequently, they switch between high and low conspicuousness. Interestingly, some populations lack the extra colour display of the soles. We found comprehensive support that the red coloration can act as an aposematic signal directed towards potential predators: red soles are significantly more conspicuous than soles lacking red colora…
The impact of life stage and pigment source on the evolution of novel warning signal traits
2021
Our understanding of how novel warning color traits evolve in natural populations is largely based on studies of reproductive stages and organisms with endogenously produced pigmentation. In these systems, genetic drift is often required for novel alleles to overcome strong purifying selection stemming from frequency-dependent predation and positive assortative mating. Here, we integrate data from field surveys, predation experiments, population genomics, and phenotypic correlations to explain the origin and maintenance of geographic variation in a diet-based larval pigmentation trait in the redheaded pine sawfly (Neodiprion lecontei), a pine-feeding hymenopteran. Although our experiments c…
Diversity in warning coloration: selective paradox or the norm?
2019
Aposematic theory has historically predicted that predators should select for warning signals to converge on a single form, as a result of frequency-dependent learning. However, widespread variation in warning signals is observed across closely related species, populations and, most problematically for evolutionary biologists, among individuals in the same population. Recent research has yielded an increased awareness of this diversity, challenging the paradigm of signal monomorphy in aposematic animals. Here we provide a comprehensive synthesis of these disparate lines of investigation, identifying within them three broad classes of explanation for variation in aposematic warning signals: …
Hieracium umbrosum subsp. abietinum (Asteraceae), a further example of amphi-Adriatic disjunction
2017
So far considered as endemic to Greece, Hieracium umbrosum subsp. abietinum is reported as new for the Italian flora. Its presence has been noted on the Pollino National Park (S Italy). Morphological, ecological and taxonomical notes are given. This discovery increases the list of taxa showing an amphi-Adriatic distribution.
First record of Sphaeralcea bonariensis (Cav.) Griseb. (Malvaceae) as a casual alien species in the Mediterranean area
2022
Sphaeralcea bonariensis (Cav.) Griseb. is here reported for the first time as alien species in Italy and in the Mediterranean area. It is a perennial shrub native to Southern America, where it is often considered a ruderal species frequent in cultivated areas. It was found in a population of a few individuals within Opuntia ficus-indica groves of Rocca Palumba territory (Western Sicily). Actually, due to short-term observational period and the low number of plants, Sphaeralcea bonariensis should be considered as a casual species in Italy. The ecological characteristics of the growing stand and the consistency of the population, as well as the possible causes of its introduction, are briefly…
Kasvisten, hedelmien ja marjojen syömisen lisääntyminen ryhmäohjauksessa
2017
Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli selvittää Keski-Suomen alueella toteutettuun ryhmäohjaukseen osallistuneiden ryhmäläisten kasvisten syömistä 12 kuukauden aikana. Tavoitteena oli tutkia tuoreiden kasvisten, kypsennettyjen kasvisten sekä hedelmien ja marjojen käyttöä ja niiden syönnissä tapahtunutta muutosta. Lisäksi selvitettiin, miten sukupuoli, paino, painoindeksi, vyötärönympärys ja elämäntilanne ovat yhteydessä kasvisten syömiseen sekä miten yksilön aikomus muuttaa ruokakäyttäytymistä vaikuttaa itse muutoksen tekemiseen. Tutkimus on osa Keski-Suomen alueella toteutettua ryhmäohjausta (2011-2016) ja tutkimusaineisto kerättiin kyselylomakkeella alku- (0 kk), väli- (6 kk) ja loppumittau…
Regional metacommunities in two coastal systems: spatial structure and drivers of plant assemblages
2014
Aim Biogeographical patterns in metacommunities are still poorly understood, and different processes are expected to occur in different habitats. We analysed the regional plant metacommunities of coastal habitats to test whether (1) the influence of space and climate differs between two habitats differentiated along the seashore–inland gradient, and (2) regional variation in species composition of these habitats can be ascribed to different metacommunity paradigms. Location The entire coast of the Iberian Peninsula, south-western Europe. Methods We collected data on the plant species composition of coastal sites on sand dunes across 3000 km of coastline. The sites were classified into two h…
Velosipēdistu riskantas braukšanas saistība ar naivajiem priekšstatiem par fizikas likumiem
2016
Maģistra darba mērķis ir noskaidrot, vai velosipēdistu riskanta braukšana ir saistīta ar naivajiem priekšstatiem par fizikas likumiem. Pētījumā piedalījās 123 respondenti vecumā no 17 līdz 57 gadiem. Pētījumā tika izmantotas metodikas: Velosipēdistu uzvedības aptauja, modificēta, par pamatu ņemot Finstras un kolēģu (Feenstra et al. ,2011) izveidoto “Jauniešu velosipēdistu uzvedības aptauju” (Adolescent Cycling Behavior Questionnaire (ACBQ). Modifikāciju veica Eniņa, 2012, un Naivās fizikas uzdevumi ar grafisko attēlojumu no pētījuma „Naivas teorijas par kustību” (Naive Theories of Motion, McCloskey, Department of Psihology, John Hopkins University, 1982) sagatavoja Mališeva,2012. Pētījuma r…
Usage of Facebook- and Anonymous Forum–Based Peer Support Groups Online and Their Influence on Perceived Social Support Types in Weight Loss
2016
This paper contributes to the discussion on health behavior change support systems by examining one of the persuasive software features, social support. The paper studies the influence of structural social support on functional social support types in the online environment. Specifically, the paper examines the frequency of using two different kinds of online social platforms (online forums and Facebook groups) that are used to facilitate peer social support in weight loss and their influence on perceived functional social support types (emotional, informational, and instrumental). The results show that frequent use of Facebook based support peer group facilitates perceived emotional, infor…