Search results for "Animal"
showing 10 items of 22159 documents
Comparison of wormlion behavior under man-made and natural shelters: urban wormlions more strongly prefer shaded, fine-sand microhabitats, construct …
2019
Abstract Urban habitats differ from their natural surroundings in various aspects, such as a higher temperature and a distinct species composition. It is therefore not surprising that animal behavior too differs between these habitat types. We studied the foraging and habitat selection behavior of a pit-building predator, a wormlion, originating from either an urban or a more natural site. Wormlions occur in nature under structures that provide shelter from sunlight and rain, such as caves, and are also common in cities, occurring under artificial shelters. Wormlions construct pit-traps to hunt arthropods, and the pits constructed by urban wormlions were larger than those constructed by wor…
Upper thermal threshold of Lepidurus arcticus (Branchiopoda, Notostraca) in lakes on the southern outreach of its distribution range
2021
Qvenild T, Fjeld E, Fjellheim A, Hammar J, Hesthagen T and Lakka H-K. 2021. Upper thermal threshold of Lepidurus arcticus (Branchiopoda, Notostraca) in lakes on the southern outreach of its distribution range. Fauna norvegica 41: 50–88. The Arctic tadpole shrimp Lepidurus arcticus has a circumpolar distribution and the Scandes (Fennoscandian Mountains) marks its southernmost limit in Europe. Within this area, 391 natural and 88 regulated lakes with L. arcticus have been identified, of which 87% are above the treeline. The lakes hosting L. arcticus decrease in altitude from south to north, which results from its temperature preferences. The majority of the locations are at a lower lake air t…
Helminth Infection of the Loggerhead Sea Turtle Caretta caretta along the Coasts of Sicily and the North West Adriatic Sea
2021
We provide new data on the presence of helminth parasites in 64 individual loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta stranded along the coasts of Sicily and the northwest Adriatic Sea between June 2014 and August 2016. The necropsy examination revealed 31 individuals (48.4%) positive for endoparasites, showing a greater prevalence of trematodes than nematodes. In particular, seven species and a single genus of Trematoda (Hapalotrema) and a single species and genus of Nematoda (Kathlania) were identified. Among the Digenea flukes the species with the highest prevalence of infection were Rhytidodes gelatinosus (34.6%) and Hapalotrema sp. (33.3%), while among the Nematoda they were Kathlania sp. …
Shell morphology of the unionid mussels (Anodonta anatina, Unio pictorum and U. tumidus) in relation to gender and trematode parasitism
2015
Freshwater mussels (Unionoida) show great variability in shell morphology which can be associated with differences in habitat, sex and/or parasite infection. Three unionid mussel species, (Anodonta anatina, Unio pictorum and Unio tumidus) were collected from two sites Lake Saravesi, (Laukaa) and Lake Kuivasjarvi, (Oulu), between May - October 2012. Intraspecific trends that were associated with the mussels’ sex and/or parasites infection were studied and observations were made on how sex and parasite infection could have a role in shells morphological characters/patterns. The study revealed a range of morphometric differences among and across populations, as well as, within and between spec…
Tracking mite trophic interactions by multiplex PCR
2020
Background A thorough knowledge of trophic webs in agroecosystems is essential to achieve successful biological pest control. Phytoseiid mites are the most efficient natural enemies of tetranychid mites, which include several important pests worldwide. Nevertheless, phytoseiids may feed on other food sources including other microarthropods, plants and even other phytoseiids (intraguild predation), which can interfere with biological control services. Molecular gut content analysis is a valuable tool for characterizing trophic interactions, mainly when working on microarthropods such as mites. We have designed new primers for Phytoseiidae, Tetranychidae and Thysanoptera identification and th…
The identity of the tropical African Polichne mukonja Griffini, 1908 (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae, Phaneropterinae)
2016
Polichne mukonja Griffini, 1908 from Cameroon was hitherto known only from the holotype preserved at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels. This was probably due to the fact that the genus Polichne Stål, 1874 distributed only in Australia and Papua New Guinea. In view of this distribution, the tropical African species was therefore overlooked in the African literature. The recent discovery of two specimens at the Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna, now provides us with a better understanding of the identity of this taxon, which is related to the African genus Catoptropteryx Karsch, 1890. Polichne mukonja is here transferred to a new genus Griffinipteryx and both taxa are p…
Evaluation of the animal-assisted therapy in Alzheimer's disease
2017
Animal-assisted therapy sessions have been set up in a protected unit for patients with a dementia-related syndrome. The aim is to measure the effects of animal-assisted therapy on behavioural disorders in daily life and care. The results obtained provided some interesting areas to explore and recommendations with a view to optimising the implementation of such a system.
Mast cells as protectors of health.
2019
Mast cells (MCs), which are well known for their effector functions in T(H)2-skewed allergic and also autoimmune inflammation, have become increasingly acknowledged for their role in protection of health. It is now clear that they are also key modulators of immune responses at interface organs, such as the skin or gut. MCs can prime tissues for adequate inflammatory responses and cooperate with dendritic cells in T-cell activation. They also regulate harmful immune responses in trauma and help to successfully orchestrate pregnancy. This review focuses on the beneficial effects of MCs on tissue homeostasis and elimination of toxins or venoms. MCs can enhance pathogen clearance in many bacter…
Metabolic Changes in Tumor Microenvironment: How Could They Affect γδ T Cells Functions?
2021
The metabolic changes that occur in tumor microenvironment (TME) can influence not only the biological activity of tumor cells, which become more aggressive and auto sustained, but also the immune response against tumor cells, either producing ineffective responses or polarizing the response toward protumor activity. γδ T cells are a subset of T cells characterized by a plasticity that confers them the ability to differentiate towards different cell subsets according to the microenvironment conditions. On this basis, we here review the more recent studies focused on altered tumor metabolism and γδ T cells, considering their already known antitumor role and the possibility of manipulating th…
Farming intensity indirectly reduces crop yield through negative effects on agrobiodiversity and key ecological functions
2022
International audience; Farming intensity and landscape heterogeneity influence agrobiodiversity and associated ecological functions. The relative contributions of these agroecosystem components to agricultural production remain unclear because of inter-relations and weather-dependant variations. Using a structural equation modelling approach, we estimated direct and indirect contributions of farming intensity (soil management, pesticide use and fertilisation) and landscape heterogeneity (of semi-natural covers and crop mosaic) to cereal crop production, in 54 fields (mostly wheat), in two years (24 and 30 fields). Indirect effects were evaluated through agrobiodiversity (carabid and plant …