Search results for "Colour"
showing 10 items of 290 documents
Environmentally‐induced noise dampens and reddens with increasing trophic level in a complex food web
2019
Stochastic variability of key abiotic factors including temperature, precipitation and the availability of light and nutrients greatly influences species’ ecological function and evolutionary fate. Despite such influence, ecologists have typically ignored the effect of abiotic stochasticity on the structure and dynamics of ecological networks. Here we help to fill that gap by advancing the theory of how abiotic stochasticity, in the form of environmental noise, affects the population dynamics of species within food webs. We do this by analysing an allometric trophic network model of Lake Constance subjected to positive (red), negative (blue), and non‐autocorrelated (white) abiotic temporal …
The current and future state of animal coloration research
2017
Animal colour patterns are a model system for understanding evolution because they are unusually accessible for study and experimental manipulation. This is possible because their functions are readily identifiable. In this final paper of the symposium we provide a diagram of the processes affecting colour patterns and use this to summarize their functions and put the other papers in a broad context. This allows us to identify significant ‘holes’ in the field that only become obvious when we see the processes affecting colour patterns, and their interactions, as a whole. We make suggestions about new directions of research that will enhance our understanding of both the evolution of colour …
Experimental evidence suggests that specular reflectance and glossy appearance help amplify warning signals
2017
AbstractSpecular reflection appears as a bright spot or highlight on any smooth glossy convex surface and is caused by a near mirror-like reflectance off the surface. Convex shapes always provide the ideal geometry for highlights, areas of very strong reflectance, regardless of the orientation of the surface or position of the receiver. Despite highlights and glossy appearance being common in chemically defended insects, their potential signalling function is unknown. We tested the role of highlights in warning colouration of a chemically defended, alpine leaf beetle, Oreina cacaliae. We reduced the beetles’ glossiness, hence their highlights, by applying a clear matt finish varnish on thei…
Do colour morphs of wall lizards express different personalities?
2021
Abstract Colour morphs sometimes have different behavioural strategies which may be maintained by frequency or density dependence mechanisms. We investigated temporal changes in behavioural reaction to a novel environment among colour morphs (yellow, orange, white) of the European wall lizard (Podarcis muralis). Adult males were given two 15 min experimental trials, and their locomotion was highly consistent between the two trials. Boldness, freezing and escape behaviour were less repeatable. Colour morphs differed in their locomotion and freezing behaviour. Boldness was similar among the morphs, whereas escape behaviour was lowest in yellow morph. Consequently, yellow morph males tended to…
Aspartic Proteinase from Barley Seeds is Related to Animal Cathepsin D
1991
In contrast to the well-characterized mammalian aspartic proteinases, plant aspartic proteinases have received little attention so far. Aspartic proteinase activity has been detected, for example, in resting seeds of scots pine (Salmia et al., 1978), soybean (Bond & Bowles, 1983), barley and wheat (Morris et al., 1985) as well as in leaves of orange (Garcia-Martinez & Moreno, 1986) and barley (Kervinen et al., 1990). Aspartic proteinases have been purified from the seeds of rice (Doi et al., 1980), cucumber, squash (Polanowski et al 1985) and wheat (Dunaevsky et al., 1989) as well as from the leaves of tomato (Rodrigo et al., 1989). The plant aspartic proteinases have been reported to enhan…
Multiple paths to cold tolerance: the role of environmental cues, morphological traits and the circadian clock gene vrille
2021
AbstractBackgroundTracing the association between insect cold tolerance and latitudinally and locally varying environmental conditions, as well as key morphological traits and molecular mechanisms, is essential for understanding the processes involved in adaptation. We explored these issues in two closely-related species, Drosophila montana and Drosophila flavomontana, originating from diverse climatic locations across several latitudes on the coastal and mountainous regions of North America. We also investigated the association between sequence variation in one of the key circadian clock genes, vrille, and cold tolerance in both species. Finally, we studied the impact of vrille on fly cold…
Study on the effects of several operational variables on the enzymatic batch saccharification of orange solid waste
2017
In this work, batch enzyme-aided extraction and enzymatic saccharification of blade-milled orange waste was studied. The operation variables for this process were thoroughly analysed. It was determined that batch runs with initial pH values of 5.0 and 5.2 controlled during the first hour, 50°C and 300-500r.p.m. agitation resulted in the best yields, with a limited total and partial first-order enzyme deactivation (for cellulases and polygalacturonidase, respectively). Orange peel waste (OPW) at 6.7% w/w dry solid, 0.22 filter paper units (FPU)/g DS and proportional activities of other enzymes led to over 40g/L free monosaccharides and global yields to glucose over 80%. When using 10.1% w/w …
Temperature differences associated with colour do not determine where the acorn ant Temnothorax crassispinus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) chooses to nest
2021
Temperature is an important factor for invertebrates. Social insects build nests, which along with their ability to thermoregulate, provide shelter from extreme temperatures. However, for many species of ants the most common method of controlling the temperature inside a nest is to choose a suitable nest site. During a fi eld experiment, the choice of nest site by the acorn ant Temnothorax crassispinus, a species which lives in coniferous and mixed forests, was studied. It typically occupies ephemeral nest sites and can move to a new nest site several times in one season. It was predicted that in early spring, dark coloured nest sites would be warmer and thus more frequently occupied by ant…
Instrumental and sensory evaluation of seven apple (Malus domestica borkh.) cultivars under organic cultivation in Sicily
2017
Article In this trial we examined the quality of 7 clones belonging to more diffused apple polyclonal varietal groups, using chemical/physical and sensory analyses during two consecutive years. Galaxy, and their ameliorative clones Gala Annaglò® and Dalitoga (Gala clones) that ripen in summer, Erovan* Early Red One® and Scarlet Spur*-Evasni® (Red Delicious clone), Corail Pinova and its ameliorative clone RoHo 3615 * Evelina® that ripen in autumn were studied. Gala Annaglò® is interesting for the fruit size and peel color, Dalitoga for the early ripening and Galaxy for the crunchiness and consistency. All the Gala clones reached very high total solid soluble content confirmed by the panel ju…
Fruit Yield and Quality of ‘Valencia’ Orange Trees under Long-Term Partial Rootzone Drying
2020
Climate, soil and tree water status, fruit yields and quality of &lsquo