Search results for "49"
showing 10 items of 1208 documents
Propagule pressure increase and phylogenetic diversity decrease community’s susceptibility to invasion
2017
Background Invasions pose a large threat to native species, but the question of why some species are more invasive, and some communities more prone to invasions than others, is far from solved. Using 10 different three-species bacterial communities, we tested experimentally if the phylogenetic relationships between an invader and a resident community and the propagule pressure affect invasion probability. Results We found that greater diversity in phylogenetic distances between the members of resident community and the invader lowered invasion success, and higher propagule pressure increased invasion success whereas phylogenetic distance had no clear effect. In the later stages of invasion,…
Flashing light emitting diodes (LEDs) induce proteins, polyunsaturated fatty acids and pigments in three microalgae
2020
As the periodic emission of light pulses by light emitting diodes (LEDs) is known to stimulate growth or induce high value biocompounds in microalgae, this flashing light regime was tested on growth and biochemical composition of the microalgae Nannochloropsis gaditana, Koliella antarctica and Tetraselmis chui. At low flashing light frequencies (e.g., 5 and 50 Hz, Duty cycle = 0.05), a strain-dependent growth inhibition and an accumulation of protein, polyunsaturated fatty acids, chlorophyll or carotenoids (lutein, β-carotene, violaxanthin and neoxanthin) was observed. In addition, a 4-day application of low-frequency flashing light to concentrated cultures increased productivities of eicos…
Spatial and Temporal Variability in Migration of a Soaring Raptor Across Three Continents
2019
Disentangling individual- and population-level variation in migratory movements is necessary for understanding migration at the species level. However, very few studies have analyzed these patterns across large portions of species' distributions. We compiled a large telemetry dataset on the globally endangered egyptian vulture neophron percnopterus (94 individuals, 188 completed migratory journeys), tracked across similar to 70% of the species' global range, to analyze spatial and temporal variability of migratory movements within and among individuals and populations. We found high migratory connectivity at large spatial scales (i.e., different subpopulations showed little overlap in winte…
Experimental approaches for testing if tolerance curves are useful for predicting fitness in fluctuating environments
2017
Most experimental studies on adaptation to stressful environments are performed under conditions that are rather constant and rarely ecologically relevant. Fluctuations in natural environmental conditions are ubiquitous and include for example variation in intensity and duration of temperature, droughts, parasite loads, and availability of nutrients, predators and competitors. The frequency and amplitude of many of these fluctuations are expected to increase with climate change. Tolerance curves are often used to describe fitness components across environmental gradients. Such curves can be obtained by assessing performance in a range of constant environmental conditions. In this perspectiv…
Unravelling the scientific debate on how to address wolf-dog hybridization in Europe
2019
Anthropogenic hybridization is widely perceived as a threat to the conservation of biodiversity. Nevertheless, to date, relevant policy and management interventions are unresolved and highly convoluted. While this is due to the inherent complexity of the issue, we hereby hypothesize that a lack of agreement concerning management goals and approaches, within the scientific community, may explain the lack of social awareness on this phenomenon, and the absence of effective pressure on decision-makers. By focusing on wolf x dog hybridization in Europe, we hereby (a) assess the state of the art of issues on wolf x dog hybridization within the scientific community, (b) assess the conceptual base…
Kindness to the final host and vice versa: A trend for parasites providing easy prey?
2019
Traditionally the “extended phenotype” concept refers to parasites that manipulate host phenotype to increase parasite fitness. This includes parasites that render intermediate hosts more susceptible to predation by final hosts. We explore here the proposition that an evolutionary driver in such cases is the energetic benefit to the final host, in addition to increased parasite fitness. We will review some well-established host-manipulation models, where such a scenario seems likely. One example is provided by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, which conspicuously impairs predator avoidance in rodents. Pathologies in humans that acquire T. gondii are known, but infection in adult feline defin…
A Migratory Divide Among Red-Necked Phalaropes in the Western Palearctic Reveals Contrasting Migration and Wintering Movement Strategies
2019
Publisher's version (útgefin grein)
Corrigendum: Predator-Induced Plasticity on Warning Signal and Larval Life-History Traits of the Aposematic Wood Tiger Moth, Arctia plantaginis
2021
In the published article, there was an error regarding the affiliation for Diana Abondano Almeida. As well as having affiliation 2, they should also have Department of Wildlife-/Zoo-Animal-Biology and Systematics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe Universität, Frankfurt, Germany. The authors apologize for this error and state that this does not change the scientific conclusions of the article in any way. The original article has been updated.
Migratory passage structures at hydropower plants as potential physiological and behavioural selective agents
2019
Anthropogenic activities affect fish populations worldwide. River dams have profound impacts on ecosystems by changing habitats and hindering migration. In an effort to counteract such effects, a range of mitigation measures have been installed at hydroelectric power plants. However, not all individuals in a population use these measures, potentially creating strong selection processes at hydroelectric power plants. This may be especially true during migration; fish can get heavily delayed or pass through a hydropower turbine, thus facing increased mortality compared with those using a safe bypass route. In this study, we quantify migration route choices of descending wild passive integrate…
50,000 years of ice and seals: Impacts of the Last Glacial Maximum on Antarctic fur seals
2021
Abstract Ice is one of the most important drivers of population dynamics in polar organisms, influencing the locations, sizes, and connectivity of populations. Antarctic fur seals, Arctocephalus gazella, are particularly interesting in this regard, as they are concomitantly reliant on both ice‐associated prey and ice‐free coastal breeding areas. We reconstructed the history of this species through the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) using genomic sequence data from seals across their range. Population size trends and divergence events were investigated using continuous‐time size estimation analysis and divergence time estimation models. The combined results indicated that a panmictic population …