Search results for " Developmental"
showing 10 items of 15238 documents
Ant recognition cue diversity is higher in the presence of slavemaker ants
2015
Social insect colonies defend themselves from intruders through nestmate recognition, yet the evolution and maintenance of recognition cue diversity is still poorly understood. We compared the recognition cue diversity of 9 populations of Temnothorax longispinosus ant colonies, including populations that harbored the socially parasitic slavemaker ant, Protomognathus americanus. Although ants recognize friends from foe based on recognition cues encoded in their cuticular hydrocarbon profile, which specific compounds are involved in recognition is unknown for most species. We therefore started by statistically identifying 9 putative recognition compounds involved in worker and colony aggressi…
Identification and expression analysis of theSpodoptera exiguaneuropeptidome under different physiological conditions
2018
Neuropeptides are small signalling molecules acting as neurohormones, neurotransmitters and neuromodulators. Being part of the chemical communication system between cells within an organism, they are involved in the regulation of different aspects of animal physiology and behaviour such as feeding, reproduction, development and locomotion. Transcriptomic data from larval and adult tissues have been obtained and mined to generate a comprehensive neuropeptidome for the polyphagous insect pest Spodoptera exigua. Sixty-three neuropeptides have been identified and described based on their tissue specificity and their regulation in response to different abiotic perturbations. Expression analyses …
SPECIES RICHNESS WITHIN FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS
1994
Variation in species and genus richness among families of flowering plants was examined with respect to four classification variables: geographical distribution, growth form, pollination mode, and dispersal mode. Previous studies have estimated rates of species proliferation from age and contemporary diversity. Here we found that the earliest appearances in the fossil record are correlated with contemporary familial species richness, abundance in the fossil record, and the independent variables considered in this analysis. Thus, we believe that the fossil record does not provide reasonable estimates of the ages of families and that the rate of species proliferation cannot be calculated from…
Effects of water stress on emission of volatile organic compounds by Vicia faba, and consequences for attraction of the egg parasitoid Trissolcus bas…
2017
When plants are damaged by herbivorous insects, blends of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are induced and released and can also be used by parasitoids to locate hosts. The aim was to determine whether VOCs induced by water stress affect the plant-herbivore-para- sitoid system represented by broad bean (Vicia faba; Fabales: Fabaceae) stink bug (Nezara viridula; Hetero- ptera: Pentatomidae) egg parasitoid (Trissolcus basalis; Hymenoptera: Platygastridae). The effects of water stress (expressed as the percentage fraction of transpirable soil water [FTSW] supplied) alone and in combination with N. viridula damage (feeding plus oviposition) were deter- mined according to: (1) the behavioural r…
Cuticular hydrocarbon profiles differ between ant body parts: implications for communication and our understanding of CHC diffusion.
2020
Abstract Insect cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) serve as communication signals and protect against desiccation. They form complex blends of up to 150 different compounds. Due to differences in molecular packing, CHC classes differ in melting point. Communication is especially important in social insects like ants, which use CHCs to communicate within the colony and to recognize nestmates. Nestmate recognition models often assume a homogenous colony odor, where CHCs are collected, mixed, and redistributed in the postpharyngeal gland (PPG). Via diffusion, recognition cues should evenly spread over the body surface. Hence, CHC composition should be similar across body parts and in the PPG. To te…
Effects of acclimation time and epigenetic mechanisms on growth of Neurospora in fluctuating environments
2017
AbstractReaction norms or tolerance curves have often been used to predict how organisms deal with fluctuating environments. A potential drawback is that reaction norms measured in different constant environments may not capture all aspects of organismal responses to fluctuating environments. We examined growth of the filamentous fungusNeurospora crassain fluctuating temperatures and tested if growth in fluctuating temperatures can be explained simply by growth in different constant temperatures or if more complex models are needed. In addition, as previous studies on fluctuating environments have revealed that past temperatures that organisms have experienced can affect their response to c…
Ecological genomics of adaptation to unpredictability in experimental rotifer populations
2019
AbstractElucidating the genetic basis of phenotypic variation in response to different environments is key to understanding how populations evolve. Facultatively sexual rotifers can develop adaptive responses to fluctuating environments. In a previous evolution experiment, diapause-related traits changed rapidly in response to two selective regimes (predictable vs unpredictable) in laboratory populations of the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis. Here, we investigate the genomic basis of adaptation to environmental unpredictability in these experimental populations. We identified and genotyped genome-wide polymorphisms in 169 clones from both selective regimes after seven cycles of selection usi…
Use of DNA barcoding in the assignment of commercially valuable fish species from Romania
2017
DNA barcoding is a molecular technique frequently used either for biodiversity monitoring and fish conservation or in the identification of the species of origin for raw and processed food from restaurants or fish markets. The most important aspect of this technique is that it works for all stages of life and can be used to distinguish between closely related taxa. Also, the technique has been used to unmask attempts of frauds in fish markets where more desirable and expensive fish are sometimes substituted with lower valued species. Our study aims to test the utility of the COI barcoding gene in the correct identification of several economically and ecologically valuable fish species, and …
Behavioural, ecological, and evolutionary aspects of diversity in frog colour patterns
2016
The role of colours and colour patterns in behavioural ecology has been extensively studied in a variety of contexts and taxa, while almost overlooked in many others. For decades anurans have been the focus of research on acoustic signalling due to the prominence of vocalisations in their communication. Much less attention has been paid to the enormous diversity of colours, colour patterns, and other types of putative visual signals exhibited by frogs. With the exception of some anecdotal observations and studies, the link between colour patterns and the behavioural and evolutionary ecology of anurans had not been addressed until approximately two decades ago. Since then, there has been eve…
Hierarchy is Detrimental for Human Cooperation
2015
Studies of animal behavior consistently demonstrate that the social environment impacts cooperation, yet the effect of social dynamics has been largely excluded from studies of human cooperation. Here, we introduce a novel approach inspired by nonhuman primate research to address how social hierarchies impact human cooperation. Participants competed to earn hierarchy positions and then could cooperate with another individual in the hierarchy by investing in a common effort. Cooperation was achieved if the combined investments exceeded a threshold, and the higher ranked individual distributed the spoils unless control was contested by the partner. Compared to a condition lacking hierarchy, c…