Search results for " evolution."
showing 10 items of 9653 documents
Sandbar shark aggregation in the central Mediterranean Sea and potential effects of tourism
2021
An aggregation of sandbar sharks Carcharhinus plumbeus occurs every summer around the remote uninhabited islet of Lampione (Pelagie Islands Marine Protected Area, south-western Mediterranean Sea), attracting an increasing number of tourists for a shark watching experience. Despite the ecological and socio-economic importance of this rare occurrence in Mediterranean waters, there is a lack of scientific data and lack of information as to the potential impact of tourist activities on the presence and behaviour of this shark species. Using baited underwater videos, this study provides the first assessment of this shark aggregation, as well as a preliminary evaluation of the potential effects t…
Psallus thomashenryi sp. n. and Psallus lucanicus from Turkey (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Miridae)
2018
Psallus (Psallus) thomashenryisp. n.(Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Phylinae: Phylini: Phylina) is described from southern Anatolia, Turkey. Illustrations of the dorsal habitus and male genitalia are provided. Its habitus is similar to other uniformly orange species of the subgenus Psallus Fieber, 1858, particularlyP.asthenicusSeidenstücker, 1966 from which it can be easily distinguished by the combination of extremely small size (2.3 mm in both sexes) and different morphology of the vesica. Psallus (Psallus) lucanicus Wagner, 1968 is recorded for the first time from Turkey. Psallus (Psallus) aurora (Mulsant & Rey, 1852) is removed from the list of Turkish fauna based on a reevalu…
A new genus and nine new species of Eugnomini (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) from New Caledonia
2016
Abstract The genus Rasilinus gen. n. is described (type species Rasilinus tchambicus sp. n.). Nine new species: Rasilinus bicolor sp. n., Rasilinus bifurcatus sp. n., Rasilinus bimaculatus sp. n., Rasilinus grandidens sp. n., Rasilinus longulus sp. n., Rasilinus subgemellus sp. n., Rasilinus subnodulus sp. n., Rasilinus tchambicus sp. n., Rasilinus virgatus sp. n. are described from New Caledonia. Illustrations of the external morphology, male and female terminalia, dorsal habitus colour photographs of the adults, key to species and distribution map of the new genus Rasilinus are provided.
Iridescent (angle-dependent reflectance) properties of dorsal coloration in Podarcis muralis (Laurenti, 1768)
2016
Iridescence is a visual property of those surfaces that change in colour with viewing angle. Iridescence has been rarely reported in reptiles, but some snakes and lizards show this type of coloration. Here we study the effect of different angles of light incidence and observation on the spectrophotometrically assessed reflectance of dorsal coloration in the lizard Podarcis muralis. The results demonstrate clear angle dependence of several colour parameters. In particular, different angles of light incidence and observation result in changes in hue of more than 30 nm. This suggests that lizard dorsal coloration may be perceived, depending on viewing geometry, as being of different colours by…
A new genus and species of Cylapinae from Namibia (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae)
2016
Abstract A new genus and species, Linnavuorifulvius cheroti gen. et sp. nov., is described on the basis of specimens collected in Namibia. A dorsal habitus picture, pretarsal structure and genitalia illustrations of the new species are presented. The key to Afrotropical genera of the tribe Fulviini is given.
A new species of the Genus Hemiophthalmocoris from the Oriental Region (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Cylapinae).
2016
Abstract This paper provides the second report of the Cylapinae genus Hemiophthalmocoris Poppius, 1912—H. raunoi sp. nov. outside the Afrotropical Region (Malaysia: Sabah). Scanning electron micrographs of selected structures of Hemiophthalmocoris lugubris Poppius, 1912 are presented. A photograph of the adult of H. raunoi sp. nov. and H. sulawesicus Gorczyca & Cherot, 2002 are given. Illustrations of the male genitalia and dorsal habitus drawing of H. raunoi sp. nov. are provided.
Naturalization and spread of the alien species Ozognathus cornutus (LeConte, 1859) (Coleoptera: Ptinidae: Ernobiinae) in Italy
2021
AbstractOzognathus cornutus(LeConte, 1859) (Coleoptera: Ptinidae: Ernobiinae), species native to North America, is a saproxylophagous species and is known to feed on decaying tissues within conspicuous galls and on vegetal decaying organic material such as dried fruits or small wood shavings and insect excrements in galleries made by other woodboring species. A few years after the first record in 2011, its naturalization in Italy is here reported. The insect was found as successor in galls ofPsectrosema tamaricis(Diptera Cecidomyiidae),Plagiotrochus gallaeramulorum,Andricus multiplicatusandSynophrus politus(Hymenoptera Cynipidae).The galls seem to have played an important ecological role in…
Spatio‐temporal patterns of tree growth as related to carbon isotope fractionation in European forests under changing climate
2019
Aim The aim was to decipher Europe‐wide spatio‐temporal patterns of forest growth dynamics and their associations with carbon isotope fractionation processes inferred from tree rings as modulated by climate warming. Location Europe and North Africa (30‒70° N, 10° W‒35° E). Time period 1901‒2003. Major taxa studied Temperate and Euro‐Siberian trees. Methods We characterize changes in the relationship between tree growth and carbon isotope fractionation over the 20th century using a European network consisting of 20 site chronologies. Using indexed tree‐ring widths (TRWi), we assess shifts in the temporal coherence of radial growth across sites (synchrony) for five forest ecosystems (Atlantic…
Water recycling in leaves of Lithops (Aizoaceae)
2016
Lithops plants consist of a pair of succulent leaves inserted on a short stem; each growing season young leaves develop in a cavity formed between the older pair. Young leaves can take up water from the older pair allowing the plant to maintain growth and leaf expansion even without external supply of water. Recycling water between vegetative organs is one of the possible adaptation strategies of plants under drought stress, but it had never been demonstrated experimentally in Lithops. The methodology used to verify the existence of water redistribution from old leaves to young leaves was fluorescence microscopy, using two dyes to follow the water pathway inside the plant: Sulforhodamine G …
Drought Stress Memory at the Plant Cycle Level: A Review
2021
International audience; Plants are sessile organisms whose survival depends on their strategy to cope with dynamic, stressful conditions. It is urgent to improve the ability of crops to adapt to recurrent stresses in order to alleviate the negative impacts on their productivity. Although our knowledge of plant adaptation to drought has been extensively enhanced during the last decades, recent studies have tackled plant responses to recurrent stresses. The present review synthesizes the major findings from studies addressing plant responses to multiple drought events, and demonstrates the ability of plants to memorize drought stress. Stress memory is described as a priming effect allowing a …