Search results for "Endangered Specie"
showing 10 items of 176 documents
Hybridization and competition between the endangered sea marigold (Calendula maritima, Asteraceae) and a more common congener
2013
Occurrences of hybridization between the rare, endangered Sicilian endemic, Calendula maritima, and other congeners in the wild have been suspected by several authors, but never demonstrated. In San Cusumano (Trapani), one of the only three Sicilian mainland populations, C. maritima occurs in close proximity to the more common congener C. suffruticosa subsp. fulgida, and individuals morphologically intermediate between the two taxa have been observed. In order to determine whether hybridization is occurring at this site, and, if so, begin to assess the impact it could have on C. maritima, two independent tests of hybridity were conducted by studying (1) the pollen morphology and viability a…
Parental investment asymmetries of a globally endangered scavenger: unravelling the role of gender, weather conditions and stage of the nesting cycle
2019
Capsule: In Egyptian Vultures Neophron percnopterus, both sexes invested similar parental effort throughout the breeding period. However, there was variation in the degree of intensity of parental ...
The genetic heritage of Alpine local cattle breeds using genomic SNP data
2020
Abstract Background Assessment of genetic diversity and population structure provides important control metrics to avoid genetic erosion, inbreeding depression and crossbreeding between exotic and locally-adapted cattle breeds since these events can have deleterious consequences and eventually lead to extinction. Historically, the Alpine Arc represents an important pocket of cattle biodiversity with a large number of autochthonous breeds that provide a fundamental source of income for the entire regional economy. By using genotype data from medium-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays, we performed a genome-wide comparative study of 23 cattle populations from the Alpine Arc an…
Paternity testing of endangered species of birds by DNA fingerprinting and random amplified polymorphic DNA fingerprinting
1994
Since 1985 DNA fingerprinting is the method of choice to solve forensic problems such as paternity testing (Jeffreys et al., 1986) or identification of immigration cases (Jeffreys et al., 1985 a, b). Its applicability became evident not only in man but also in many biological problems. Jeffreys’probes 33.15 and 33.6 or Epplen’s oligonucleotide probes were used in DNA fingerprinting of dogs and cats (Jeffreys & Morton, 1987), non-human primates (Weiss, 1989), birds (Longmire et al., 1991, Miyaki et al., 1993), fishes (Schartl et al., 1993) or even plants (Weising et al., 1991). Especially its application in paternity testing turned to account in many species of animals (Lubjuhn et al., 1991,…
Conservation of the Giant Freshwater Pearl Mussel (Pseudunio auricularius = Margaritifera auricularia Spengler, 1793) in Spain
2023
Las almejas de agua dulce o náyades son uno de los grupos faunísticos más amenazados del planeta. Entre ellos, la almeja gigante del Ebro o náyade auriculada (Pseudunio auricularius, Spengler 1793) es el bivalvo unionido más amenazado de Europa, y la población de la cuenca del río Ebro en España se encuentra en una situación crítica. El objetivo de esta tesis es aumentar el conocimiento científico del estado de conservación actual de la especie en España con el fin de aplicar acciones de gestión significativas para reducir su riesgo de extinción. El descenso de las poblaciones de náyades (Orden Unionida) en la cuenca del Ebro es generalizado, pero la situación en los canales asociados es cr…
Effect of substrate particle size on burrowing of the juvenile freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera
2021
AbstractJuveniles of the endangered freshwater pearl mussel (FPM,Margaritifera margaritifera) live burrowed in stream substrate for the first years of their life. Fine sediments block water exchange within substrate and may cause juvenile mortality and recruitment failure. To better understand the connection between success of juvenile FPM and substrate particle size, it would be important to understand behavioural responses of FPM to varying substrate sizes at this critical life stage. We placed newly detached FPM juveniles in a 7-mm layer of sieved sand sorted into five sizes (< 120, 120–200, 200–250, 250–500 and 500–650 µm) each with 10 replicate dishes, 10 juveniles per dish, with bu…
Who threatens who? Natural hybridization between Lotus dorycnium and the island endemic Lotus fulgurans (Fabaceae)
2010
In contrast to its creative role in plant evolution, hybridization may be a cause for concern in efforts to preserve rare and endangered species. Threats can be more acute when population sizes are unequal and when barriers to introgression are weak. Lotus fulgurans is an endangered Balearic Islands endemic shrub related to the widespread Mediterranean species Lotus dorycnium. Both species are morphologically distinct when they grow together. However, morphologically intermediate individuals have been observed on the island of Minorca, in a single, narrowly localized, and apparently stable hybrid zone. Morphological and molecular markers suggest that gene flow between these two Lotus specie…
Biogeography of the smooth snake (Coronella austriaca): origin and conservation of the northernmost population
2014
Understanding historical range expansions and population demography can be crucial for the conservation and management of endangered species. In doing so, valuable information can be obtained regarding, for example, the identification of isolated populations, associations to particular habitats and distribution range shifts. As poikilotherms, snakes are vulnerable to environmental changes that can greatly shape their distribution ranges. Here we used mitochondrial data to elucidate the origin of the smooth snake population in Aland island, which is the northernmost location where the species is found. In Aland, we used mitochondrial and microsatellite data to fine-map its spatial genetic st…
Resembling a Viper: Implications of Mimicry for Conservation of the Endangered Smooth Snake
2014
The phenomenon of Batesian mimicry, where a palatable animal gains protection against predation by resembling an unpalatable model, has been a core interest of evolutionary biologists for 150 years. An extensive range of studies has focused on revealing mechanistic aspects of mimicry (shared education and generalization of predators) and the evolutionary dynamics of mimicry systems (co-operation vs. conflict) and revealed that protective mimicry is widespread and is important for individual fitness. However, according to our knowledge, there are no case studies where mimicry theories have been applied to conservation of mimetic species. Theoretically, mimicry affects, for example, frequency…
RAPD differentiation between Borderea pyrenaica and B. chouardii (Dioscoreaceae), two relict endangered taxa
2001
As currently circumscribed, the genus Borderea Mieg. comprises two narrowly distributed European taxa, Borderea pyrenaica (Bub.) Mieg. and B. chouardii (Gaussen) Heslot. An accumulation of facts such as that both species share a very close overall morphology, that only a single population of Borderea chouardii is known, and that they live in contrasting environments has led some authors to suggest that B. chouardii is a mere ecotype of the more widespread B. pyrenaica. We tested this hypothesis using RAPD markers in four populations of Borderea, three of them identified as B. pyrenaica and the other one representing the only known population of B. chouardii. Eleven out of twenty assayed pri…