Search results for "Behavioral Ecology"
showing 6 items of 46 documents
Fatty-acid preference changes during development in Drosophila melanogaster.
2011
WOS:000296521400044; International audience; Fatty-acids (FAs) are required in the diet of many animals throughout their life. However, the mechanisms involved in the perception of and preferences for dietary saturated and unsaturated FAs (SFAs and UFAs, respectively) remain poorly explored, especially in insects. Using the model species Drosophila melanogaster, we measured the responses of wild-type larvae and adults to pure SFAs (14, 16, and 18 carbons) and UFAs (C18 with 1, 2, or 3 double-bonds). Individual and group behavioral tests revealed different preferences in larvae and adults. Larvae preferred UFAs whereas SFAs tended to induce both a strong aversion and a persistent aggregation…
Data from: Low but contrasting neutral genetic differentiation shaped by winter temperature in European great tits
2015
Gene flow is usually thought to reduce genetic divergence and impede local adaptation by homogenising gene pools between populations. However, evidence for local adaptation and phenotypic differentiation in highly mobile species, experiencing high levels of gene flow, is emerging. Assessing population genetic structure at different spatial scales is thus a crucial step towards understanding mechanisms underlying intraspecific differentiation and diversification. Here, we studied the population genetic structure of a highly mobile species – the great tit Parus major – at different spatial scales. We analysed 884 individuals from 30 sites across Europe including 10 close-by sites (< 50 km)…
Nesting behaviour and description of mature larva of Lindenius albilabris (Fabricius, 1793) (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae)
2022
Nesting habits of the digger wasp Lindenius albilabris (Fabricius, 1793) at two localities in Poland were studied. The female hunts nymphs or adults of plant bugs Lygus rugulipennis Poppius, 1911 and L. pratensis (Linnaeus, 1758), depositing up to 10 individuals per cell, depending on their size. Nests are built in a wide variety of sandy habitats, on dirt roads, and in wastelands. The nest consists of a 10–12 cm long main burrow and one to three cells. Males are usually found on flowers of wild carrots Achillea millefolium, Daucus carota, Peucedanum oreoselinum, Pimpinella sp. and Tanacetum vulgare. The nest kleptoparasite Metopia argyrocephala was recorded in nests of this species. The ma…
Antipredatory function of head shape for vipers and their mimics.
2011
Most research into the adaptive significance of warning signals has focused on the colouration and patterns of prey animals. However, behaviour, odour and body shape can also have signal functions and thereby reduce predators' willingness to attack defended prey. European vipers all have a distinctive triangular head shape; and they are all venomous. Several non-venomous snakes, including the subfamily Natricinae, commonly flatten their heads (also known as head triangulation) when disturbed. The adaptive significance of this potential behavioural mimicry has never been investigated. We experimentally tested if the triangular head shape typical of vipers offers protection against predation.…
Intraguild interactions between egg parasitoids: window of opportunity and fitness costs for a facultative hyperparasitoid.
2013
We investigated intraguild interactions between two egg parasitoids of Nezara viridula (L.) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), Ooencyrtus telenomicida (Vassiliev) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) and Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston) (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae), as the former has the potential to be a facultative hyperparasitoid of the latter. We assessed the suitability of N. viridula eggs for the development of O. telenomicida as a function of egg age when they were unparasitized, or had been attacked by T. basalis at different times prior to exposure to O. telenomicida females. Ooencyrtus telenomicida can exploit healthy N. viridula host eggs up to 5 days of age, just prior to the emergence of N. viri…
The crisis of psychiatry – insights and prospects from evolutionary theory
2012
Darwin’s emphasis on natural selection has had a transformative influence on how biological and medical sciences are conceptualized and conducted. However, the relevance of his ideas for the understanding of psychiatric conditions is still under-appreciated. Modern understanding of disease has required appreciation of the dialectical give and take between environmental influences, life history theory imperatives, human behavioral ecology, and characteristics of adaptive processes at all levels of the individual. This has enabled a better comprehension of metabolic disturbances, cancers, auto-immune disease, inherited anemias, and vulnerability to infectious disease 1. Here we propose that a…