Search results for " behavior"

Public discussion on a proposed revision of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes

2021

The Editorial Board for the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP) has compiled proposed revisions of the ICNP. As outlined previously (Oren et al., Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2021;71:004598; https://doi.org/10.1099/ijsem.0.004598) and to comply with Articles 13(b)(4) and 4(d) of the statutes of the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes, a public discussion of the document will start on 1 July 2021, to last for 6 months. Here, we present the procedure for this discussion.

Digest: Chemical communication and sexual selection in lizards*

2017

Snake richness predicts breeding distribution of short-toed snake eagle in central Italy.

2017

Birds of prey, as top predators, play a key role in ecosystem functioning by regulating prey populations and, by means of cascade effects, promoting biodiversity. This makes them adequate sentinels of ecosystem health. Here we analyse the relationship between the occurrence of breeding short-toed snake eagle (Circaetus gallicus) and both the richness of potential prey species and landscape characteristics by taking into account two different spatial scales (i.e. nest-site scale and landscape scale). The short-toed snake eagle offers an interesting case study for investigating the relationships between top predators, prey diversity, and habitats, because it is an extremely specialised raptor…

On Effective Biodiversity Conservation, Sustainability of Bioeconomy, and Honesty of the Finnish Forest Policy

2017

Evaluation of the DNA barcoding approach to develop a reference data-set for the threatened flora of Sicily

2014

The Mediterranean Basin is one of the most significantly altered World Biodiversity Hotspots with extensive habitat loss and fast genetic population erosion, for which urgent biodiversity reconnaissance and preservation actions are required. In particular, Sicily has about 600 taxa classified as threatened or near-threatened. The correct recognition and identification of such biodiversity is required for supporting further activities. The objective of this work is to assess the ability of the DNA barcoding approach to identify different taxonomic groups from a collection of the most threatened plant taxa, throughout natural Sicilian populations. The evaluation of the DNA barcoding core mark…

Surrounding pathogens shape maternal egg care but not egg production in the European earwig

2017

Earwig mothers increase egg care when pathogens are present in the nest, but do not adapt the quantity and quality of their eggs accordingly. Our results confirm that parents can both detect the presence of microbial pathogens in their nesting area and develop pre-hatching behavioral strategies to reduce the associated risk of pathogen infection. These findings overall emphasize the central importance of pathogens in the evolution of parental care in animals.Twitter: @JMeunierEarwig

Dual colonization of the Palaearctic from different regions in the Afrotropics bySenecio

2016

Aim Investigation of the geographical origin of Senecio and the colonization of the Palaearctic including the relationship of life-history strategy and elevational distribution in the source area and the colonized area. Location Worldwide with a focus on the Afrotropic and the Palaearctic. Methods Sampling focused on adding species from the Afrotropic to existing datasets of Senecio. Two nuclear markers and three chloroplast markers were amplified and sequenced. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference were used to infer phylogeny, divergence times, biogeographical history and life-history strategy evolution. Results Senecio originated most likely during the Mid to Late Miocene in western …

2017

By the possession of unique exocrine scent glands, Opiliones (harvestmen) arise as a perfect model for studies on the evolutionary history of secretion chemistry. Among gland compounds of harvestmen, it is the quinones that represent recurring elements across the secretions of all suborders. Reliable data on quinone-distribution, however, is only known for Laniatores (benzoquinones) and Cyphophthalmi (naphthoquinones). We here unraveled the quinone-distribution across scent gland secretions of the third large harvestman suborder, the Palpatores (= Eu- and Dyspnoi): Naphthoquinones were found in phalangiid Eupnoi across all subfamilies as well as in nemastomatid (and at least one ischyropsal…

2017

The endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia is the most widespread bacteria in insects, yet the ecology of novel acquisitions in natural host populations is poorly understood. Using temporal data separated by 12 years, I tested the hypothesis that immigration of a parasitoid wasp led to transmission of its Wolbachia strain to its dipteran host, resulting in double-strain infection, and I used geographic and community surveys to explore the history of transmission in fly and parasitoid. Double infection in the fly host was present before immigration of the parasitoid. Equal prevalence of double infection in males and females, constant prevalence before and after immigration in two regions, and inc…

Odor diversity decreases with inbreeding in the antHypoponera opacior

2016

Reduction in heterozygosity can lead to inbreeding depression. This loss of genetic variability especially affects diverse loci, such as immune genes or those encoding recognition cues. In social insects, nestmates are recognized by their odor, that is their cuticular hydrocarbon profile. Genes underlying hydrocarbon production are thought to be under balancing selection. If so, inbreeding should result in a loss of chemical diversity. We show here that cuticular hydrocarbon diversity decreases with inbreeding. Studying an ant with a facultative inbreeding lifestyle, we found inbred workers to exhibit both a lower number of hydrocarbons and less diverse, that is less evenly proportioned pro…