Search results for "Biological"
showing 10 items of 12574 documents
Systematic revision of the Late Miocene sabre-toothed felid Paramachaerodus in Spain
2010
Abstract: A systematic revision of the sabre-toothed cat genus Paramachaerodus Pilgrim, 1913 is presented. Two species are recognized within Paramachaerodus, Pa. orientalis, and Pa. maximiliani, and the genus Promegantereon Kretzoi, 1938 is retrieved to include Promegantereon ogygia. Material from the Turolian Spanish localities of Crevillente-2 (MN 11, Alicante) and Las Casiones (MN 13, Teruel), which was previously assigned to Paramachaerodus, is now included in the tribe Metailurini. The exceptional discoveries at the Spanish Vallesian (MN 10, Madrid) fossil site of Batallones-1 have made it possible to characterize the dentition and cranial anatomy of a previously very poorly known mac…
Large herbivore population and vegetation dynamics 14,600–8300 years ago in central Latvia, northeastern Europe
2019
Abstract This study seeks to explain how the large herbivore (large vertebrate, megafauna – terrestrial taxa with adults > 45 kg) population density changed during abrupt postglacial climate and environmental change. The Lateglacial and Early Holocene (14,600–8300 years ago) were represented by various environmental and climate changes and a transition from a cold to a warm climate, with subsequent changes in flora and fauna. Using Lake Āraisi as a case study (Latvia, northeastern Europe), local to regional vegetation was reconstructed by analyzing plant macroremains and pollen from the lake sediment profile. Here, we present the first dung fungus spore-based qualitative reconstruction of l…
Heteroptera of Lebanon. II.Phytocoris(Exophytocoris)RaunolinnavuoriiSp. Nov. from the Horsh Ehden Nature Reserve and Adjacent Areas (Hemiptera: Heter…
2016
Abstract A new species of Phytocoris (Heteroptera: Miridae: Mirinae: Mirini), P. (Exophytocoris) raunolinnavuorii sp. nov., is described and illustrated from Lebanon. The new species, easily distinguished from all the other species of the subgenus by its coloration and male genitalia, belongs to the Phytocoris pinihalepensis-group. The new species lives on the conifers Abies cilicica (Antoine & Kotschy) Carriere (Pinaceae) and Juniperus excelsa M. Bieb. (Cupressaceae).
Development of Rich Fen on the SE Baltic Coast, Latvia, during the Last 7500 Years, Using Paleoecological Proxies: Implications for Plant Community D…
2016
We present the paleoecological development of a rich fen located in the dune area on the SE Baltic coast, during the last 7500 years. The Apsuciems Mire hosts rare and endangered plant communities in Europe, such as Schoenus ferrugineus and Cladium mariscus. Analysis at high-resolution of plant macroremains in two peat cores was carried out to reconstruct local vegetation succession and fluctuations in moisture availability on the peatland, while a pollen record was developed to reconstruct plant succession, moisture variability and human activity at the regional scale. Based on the presence or the absence of macroremains of plants that occur in wet habitat e.g. Cladium mariscus, Schoenople…
Does quality of winter food affect spring condition and breeding in female bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus)?
2004
We studied the effects of food supplementation on 16 bank vole populations in spring. We manipulated food quantity and quality in eight populations that were enclosed and eight other populations th...
Values and challenges in the assessment of coprophilous fungi according to the IUCN Red List criteria: the case study of Poronia punctata (Xylariales…
2020
Coprophilous fungi are specialized microorganisms, playing key roles in ecosystems and in several other contexts, whose protection requires more substantial efforts. This paper aims to highlight and discuss valuable and critical aspects faced during the process of the threat status assessment of Poronia punctata, providing inspirations for future conservation actions.
Cranial bone histology of Metoposaurus krasiejowensis (Amphibia, Temnospondyli) from the Late Triassic of Poland
2016
In this study, 21 skull bones ofMetoposaurus krasiejowensisfrom the Late Triassic of Poland were investigated histologically. Dermal bones show a diploë structure, with an ornamented external surface. The ridges consist of mostly well vascularized parallel-fibered bone; the valleys are built of an avascular layer of lamellar bone. The thick middle region consists of cancellous bone, with varying porosity. The thin and less vascularized internal cortex consists of parallel-fibered bone. The numerous Sharpey’s fibers and ISF are present in all bones. The cyclicity of growth is manifested as an alternation of thick, avascular annuli and high vascularized zones as well as a sequence of resting …
Rhynchophorus ferrugineus: Behavior, Ecology, and Communication
2017
Red palm weevil (RPW) ecology is characterized by the adults' ability to aggregate on palms. The aggregation process has the functions of protection, feeding, and reproduction for the individuals. Semiochemicals and visual cues strongly influence this behavior at intraspecific and interspecific levels. Adults actively fly over long distances, following chemical cues, such as aggregation pheromone and host plant odor, or visual cues to colonize a new host. The aggregation pheromone of RPW is a male-produced mixture of 4-methyl-5-nonanol (major component) and the related ketone 4-methyl-5-nonanone (minor component). These compounds are largely used in the field to lure males and especially fe…
Magnitude and direction of parasite‐induced phenotypic alterations: a meta‐analysis in acanthocephalans
2020
Several parasite species have the ability to modify their host's phenotype to their own advantage thereby increasing the probability of transmission from one host to another. This phenomenon of host manipulation is interpreted as the expression of a parasite extended phenotype. Manipulative parasites generally affect multiple phenotypic traits in their hosts, although both the extent and adaptive significance of such multidimensionality in host manipulation is still poorly documented. To review the multidimensionality and magnitude of host manipulation, and to understand the causes of variation in trait value alteration, we performed a phylogenetically corrected meta-analysis, focusing on a…
Volatile-mediated foraging behaviour of three parasitoid species under conditions of dual insect herbivore attack
2016
Infochemicals play an important role in structuring intra-and interspecific interactions. Many parasitoid wasp species rely on herbivory or oviposition-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs/OIPVs) to locate their herbivorous hosts, and must cope with variation in the volatile blends due to factors such as plant/host species, herbivore density or attack by several herbivores. However, little is known about how dual herbivory or changes in herbivore density affect multiple parasitoid species, each attacking a different herbivore, in the same system. In a natural system, we investigated the effect of dual attack on the ability of three parasitoid species to differentiate between volatiles induced by …