Search results for " Reproduction"

Natural recruitment contributes to high densities of grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella (Valenciennes, 1844) in Western Europe

2015

Introductions of grass carp, well known for their potentially negative ecosystem effects, have been performed in several countries around the world. As the species was considered unable to reproduce naturally under non-native environmental conditions, little attention was initially given to its invasive potential. We studied an area in northern-Italy where, contrary to expectations, introductions that were performed in the early 80s still exert a considerable pressure on aquatic macrophytes. In order to reveal whether the observed population dynamics are the result of natural events or stocking we analysed the density, age- and size-structure of the grass carp population and the migration p…

The Epigenetics of the Endocannabinoid System

2020

The endocannabinoid system (ES) is a cell-signalling system widely distributed in biological tissues that includes endogenous ligands, receptors, and biosynthetic and hydrolysing machineries. The impairment of the ES has been associated to several pathological conditions like behavioural, neurological, or metabolic disorders and infertility, suggesting that the modulation of this system may be critical for the maintenance of health status and disease treatment. Lifestyle and environmental factors can exert long-term effects on gene expression without any change in the nucleotide sequence of DNA, affecting health maintenance and influencing both disease load and resistance. This potentially …

Individual- and group-level sex ratios under local mate competition : consequences of infanticide and reproductive dominance

2023

Extremely female-biased sex ratios of parasitoid wasps in multiple-foundress groups challenges evolutionary theory which predicts diminishing bias as foundress numbers increase. Recent theory based on foundress cooperation has achieved qualitative rather than quantitative success in explaining bias among parasitoids in the genus Sclerodermus. Here, we develop an explanation, expanding the theory of local mate competition, based on the observation that male production seems dominated by some foundresses within groups. Two sex ratio effects arise from such reproductive dominance: an immediate effect via suppression of male production, and a long-term evolutionary response to reproductive skew…

Reproduction of Baltic cod, Gadus morhua (Actinopterygii: Gadiformes: Gadidae), in the Gotland Basin: Causes of annual variability

2015

Background. The Gotland Basin spawning ground is one of three main spawning areas of Baltic cod, Gadus morhua Linnaeus, 1758. The threshold water parameters for cod development are the salinity exceeding 11‰ and the oxygen level above 2 mL· L–1. Such conditions are only present when the 11‰ isohaline is above the 2 mL· L–1 isooxygen. In such situation the water volume between the isolines is called the “suitable reproduction volume”. When the position of the isolines is reversed, the salinity and the oxygen level of the water layer demarcated by them are below the required thresholds and as such the water is unsuitable for the cod development. We refer to it as the “unsuitable reproduction …

Validation and application of a PCR primer set to quantify fungal communities in the soil environment by real-time quantitative PCR

2011

Fungi constitute an important group in soil biological diversity and functioning. However, characterization and knowledge of fungal communities is hampered because few primer sets are available to quantify fungal abundance by real-time quantitative PCR (real-time Q-PCR). The aim in this study was to quantify fungal abundance in soils by incorporating, into a real-time Q-PCR using the SYBRGreen (R) method, a primer set already used to study the genetic structure of soil fungal communities. To satisfy the real-time Q-PCR requirements to enhance the accuracy and reproducibility of the detection technique, this study focused on the 18S rRNA gene conserved regions. These regions are little affec…

Overwintering strategies of a boreal small mammal in a changing climate

2015

La reproducció en la vida de les dones. Aportacions de l'antropologia

2012

L’antropologia social i cultural ha estudiat la reproducció des del punt de vista de diverses especialitats –parentiu, simbolisme, feminisme, salut– i ha assenyalat tant les dimensions que comprèn com el caràcter social, construït i central per al manteniment d’una societat. Aquesta mirada permet a les autores suggerir certes hipòtesis a partir de les quals entendre la reproducció com un assumpte vertebrador de la vida de les dones en l’actualidad, que hauria de ser objecte d’estudi rellevant per a la ciència.

Adopción en casos especiales y unidad del status filiationis en el derecho italiano: ¿cómo repercute en el plano sucesorio?

2022

In the Italian legal system, there has recently been recognition by the Constitutional Court in adoptions in particular cases of the existence of civil relations between the adoptee and the relatives of the adopter, thus equalizing the margins of protection of minors, regardless of the situations of fact or law from which the new status of the child originated. This jurisprudential work is full of considerable systematic reflections and is intended to be applied not only to the hypothesis of adoption by same-sex couples, but also to all those cases in which a state of semi-permanent abandonment or cyclical abandonment occurs. Notwithstanding the negative value directed at the forms of surro…

Social capital formation across space: proximity and trust in European regions

2013

An extensive economics and regional science literature has discussed the importance of social capital for economic growth and development. Yet, what social capital is and how it is formed are elusive issues, which require further investigation. Here, we refer to social capital in terms of “civic” capital and “good culture,” as rephrased by Guiso, Sapienza, and Zingales and Tabellini. The accumulation of this kind of capital allows the emerging of regional informal institutions, which may help explaining differences in regional development. In this article, we take a regional perspective and use exploratory space and space–time methods to assess whether geography, via proximity, contributes…

Intellectual Capital as a Key Factor of Socio-economic Development of Regions and Countries

2013

Abstract The main goal of the paper is to present the concept of intellectual capital (IC) from regional perspective and define intangible assets as knowledge that can be converted into value or profit. Most of the measurement methods designed by now apply for measuring the intellectual capital at corporate level. Some efforts are being made to present the IC concept in the regional perspective. Development of research on a new regional approach to the intellectual capital theory has been noticed. A sample model of IC for countries and its main sub-components have been presented as well. Some selected knowledge indicators for measuring intellectual capital at national level have been illust…