Search results for "Biotic component"
showing 10 items of 127 documents
Additional insights on the ecology of the relic tree Zelkova sicula di Pasquale, Garfì et Quézel (Ulmaceae) after the finding of a new population
2011
Abstract In early autumn 2009 a new population of Zelkova sicula, a very threatened tree species endemic to Sicily, has been found some 17 km east from the first and unique population previously known. The abiotic (slope, rock and stone outcrop cover, environmental stress, etc.) and biotic (plant species composition, vegetation mean height, total cover, etc.) features of 30 plots selected within the two populations were investigated in order to contribute at clarifying the actual and potential eco-geographic range of this species. Data analysis showed that the floristic differences among the sampled plots mostly relate to the rather high micro-habitat amplitude of the target species and the…
Modelling temperature-dependent dynamics of single and mixed infections in a plant virus
2022
Multiple viral infection is an important issue in health and agriculture with strong impacts on society and the economy. Several investigations have dealt with the population dynamics of viruses with different dynamic properties, focusing on strain competition during multiple infections and the effects on viruses’ hosts. Recent interest has been on how multiple infections respond to abiotic factors such as temperature (T). This is especially important in the case of plant pathogens, whose dynamics could be affected significantly by global warming. However, few mathematical models incorporate the effect of T on parasite fitness, especially in mixed infections. Here, we investigate simple mat…
Complex responses of global insect pests to climate change
2018
AbstractInsect pests strongly affect the productivity and profitability of agriculture and forestry. Despite the well-known sensitivity of insects to abiotic effects such as temperature, their potential responses to ongoing climate change remain unclear. Here we compile and review documented climate change responses of 31 of the globally most impactful phytophagous insect pests, focussing on species for which long-term, high-quality data are available. Most of the selected species show at least one response affecting their severity as pests, including changes in geographic range, population dynamics, life-history traits, and/or trophic interactions. Of the studied pests, 41% only show respo…
Biocrusts and catchment asymmetry in Tabernas Desert (Almeria, Spain)
2022
Abstract Catchment asymmetry is a fairly frequent phenomenon on a global scale but the main causes leading to its formation are still not well understood. Where the intervention of structural or tectonic causes is not relevant, asymmetry seems to result from differential erosion between opposite slopes that flow into the same channel, which is frequently associated with contrasted biocrust and/or vegetation covers. Biocrusts are known to be important surface stabilizing agents. However, their geomorphological consequences at the landscape scale are little known. In this study we combined field measurements with digital elevation models and image analysis to determine whether catchment asymm…
Bacterial community response to changes in a tri-trophic cascade during a whole-lake fish manipulation
2015
Microbial communities play a key role in biogeochemical processes by degrading organic material and recycling nutrients, but can also be important food sources for upper trophic levels. Trophic cascades might modify microbial communities either directly via grazing or indirectly by inducing changes in other biotic or in abiotic factors (e.g., nutrients). We studied the effects of a tri-trophic cascade on microbial communities during a whole-lake manipulation in which European perch (Perca fluviatilis) were added to a naturally fishless lake divided experimentally into two basins. We measured environmental parameters (oxygen, temperature, and nutrients) and zooplankton biomass and studied th…
A highly enantioselective abiotic receptor for malate dianion in aqueous solution
2006
The highly enantioselective molecular recognition of the malate dianion by a synthetic receptor in aqueous solution has been studied by potentiometric titrations, mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), diffusion measurements (PGSE NMR) and molecular modeling. Garcia-España Monsonis, Enrique, Enrique.Garcia-Es@uv.es
Latitudinal- and local-scale variations in a rocky intertidal interaction web
2015
Natural assemblages are structured by a complex combination of positive and negative interactions, and the relative importance of each interaction can vary across spatial scales. By using a simple interaction web (barnacles-grazers-microphytobenthos) in a rocky intertidal system, we tested the hypothesis that the relative strength of positive and negative interactions would vary as a function of different environmental stress between 2 latitudinal levels and local environmental conditions. We manipulated the cover of barnacles and the presence of limpets at 2 sites in northern and southern Italy and non-destructively examined the response of microphyto - benthos (MPB) (photosynthetic biomas…
CHIRONOMID (DIPTERA) BIOCOENOSES IN SCANDINAVIAN GLACIER BROOKS
1971
AbstractGlacier brooks in Northern Scandinavia have been investigated for the occurrence of chironomid larvae and pupae. In the uppermost zone of glacier brooks with a very narrow temperature amplitude, Diamesa lindrothi is the most abundant species. In a lower zone with a wide diurnal temperature amplitude during summer months, the simuliid Prosimulium macropyga is more abundant, along with other species of Diamesa. Lacking any primary organic production, the diptera larvae living here feed on particles drifted up on the glacier surface, conserved there and released into the glacier brook by the melting of the ice. The larvae of Diamesa lindrothi have developed adjustments to obviate the s…
Ecological and agronomic importance of the plant genus Lotus. Its application in grassland sustainability and the amelioration of constrained and con…
2010
The genus Lotus comprises around 100 annual and perennial species with worldwide distribution. The relevance of Lotus japonicus as a model plant has been recently demonstrated in numerous studies. In addition, some of the Lotus species show a great potential for adaptation to a number of abiotic stresses. Therefore, they are relevant components of grassland ecosystems in environmentally constrained areas of several South American countries and Australia, where they are used for livestock production. Also, the fact that the roots of these species form rhizobial and mycorrhizal associations makes the annual L. japonicus a suitable model plant for legumes, particularly in studies directed to r…
High temperature and bacteriophages can indirectly select for bacterial pathogenicity in environmental reservoirs
2010
The coincidental evolution hypothesis predicts that traits connected to bacterial pathogenicity could be indirectly selected outside the host as a correlated response to abiotic environmental conditions or different biotic species interactions. To investigate this, an opportunistic bacterial pathogen, Serratia marcescens, was cultured in the absence and presence of the lytic bacteriophage PPV (Podoviridae) at 25°C and 37°C for four weeks (N = 5). At the end, we measured changes in bacterial phage-resistance and potential virulence traits, and determined the pathogenicity of all bacterial selection lines in the Parasemia plantaginis insect model in vivo. Selection at 37°C increased bacterial…