Search results for "FROG"

Visible implant elastomer (VIE) success in early larval stages of a tropical amphibian species

2020

AbstractAnimals are often difficult to distinguish at an individual level, but being able to identify individuals can be crucial in ecological or behavioral studies. In response to this challenge, biologists have developed a range of marking (tattoos, brands, toe-clips) and tagging (PIT, VIA, VIE) methods to identify individuals and cohorts. Animals with complex life cycles are notoriously hard to mark because of the distortion or loss of the tag across metamorphosis. In frogs, few studies have attempted larval tagging and none have been conducted on a tropical species. Here, we present the first successful account of VIE tagging in early larval stages (Gosner stage 25) of the dyeing poison…

Geographic mosaic of selection by avian predators on hindwing warning colour in a polymorphic aposematic moth

2020

AbstractWarning signals are predicted to develop signal monomorphism via positive frequency-dependent selection (+FDS) albeit many aposematic systems exhibit signal polymorphism. To understand this mismatch, we conducted a large-scale predation experiment in four locations, among which the frequencies of hindwing warning coloration of aposematic Arctia plantaginis differ. Here we show that selection by avian predators on warning colour is predicted by local morph frequency and predator community composition. We found +FDS to be strongest in monomorphic Scotland, and in contrast, lowest in polymorphic Finland, where different predators favour different male morphs. +FDS was also found in Geo…

Exotic Meats: An Alternative Food Source

2019

International audience; Exotic meats were a protein source for human diet for many years. However, the massive capture caused the overexploitation and placed many reptiles and amphibious on the verge of extinction. Therefore, the captive rearing, the control during slaughtering and processing has been proposed as an alternative to the capture of wild animals. The present chapter shows the nutritional composition of this kind of meat, characterized by low levels of fat, high contents of protein, essential amino acids, fatty acids (especially long-chain n-3) and minerals indicating that their consumption may be beneficial for human health. However, very little data is available on the nutriti…

Is the painted frog Discoglossus pictus a declining species in Italy? On the reliability of a distributional atlas approach

2013

The conservation status of amphibians is often assessed using public databases because of a lack of up-to-date field data. However, it is crucial that this kind of data is used carefully, evaluating the reliability and the consistency of the information. In Italy, the conservation status of the painted frog, Discoglossus pictus, was recently assessed using public databases, and the outcome highlighted a worrying situation for the species. We analyzed the reliability of these conclusions and reassessed the status of the painted frog, taking into account its insular distribution and new data of species occurrence. Our results contrast with the previous analysis and show how an incautious use …

The large invasive population of Xenopus laevis in Sicily, Italy

2008

AbstractThe worldwide spread of invasive species is considered to be one of the main causes of global amphibian declines and the loss of biodiversity in general. The African Clawed Frog, Xenopus laevis, shows a strong ability to establish populations and invade various geographic regions. In 2004 X. laevis was found in Sicily for the first time. The Sicilian population is probably the largest in Europe with a range of about 225 km2 in an area characterized by numerous agricultural ponds. This high density of ponds has potentially facilitated the dispersal of X. laevis. The frogs can move far from rivers or watercourses by utilizing the ponds as suitable "islands". The analysis of their diet…

The amphibian globin gene repertoire as revealed by the <i>Xenopus </i>genome

2006

The draft genome sequence of the Western clawed frog <i>Xenopus (Silurana) tropicalis</i> facilitates the identification, expression analysis and phylogenetic classification of the amphibian globin gene repertoire. Frog and mammalian neuroglobin display about 67% protein sequence identity, with the expected predominant expression in frog brain and eye. Frog and mammalian cytoglobins share about 69% of their amino acids, but the frog protein lacks the mammalian-type extension at the C-terminus. Like in mammals, <i>X. tropicalis</i> cytoglobin is expressed in many organs including neural tissue. Neuroglobin and cytoglobin genomic regions are syntenically conserved in a…

6-Phosphofructokinase from frog skeletal muscle: purification and properties

1990

A cross-linguistic comparison of reference across five signed languages

2022

AbstractDo signers of different signed languages establish and maintain reference the same way? Here we compare how signers of five Western deaf signed languages coordinate fully conventionalized forms with more richly improvised semiotics to identify and talk about referents of varying agency. The five languages (based on a convenience sample) are Auslan, Irish Sign Language, Finnish Sign Language, Norwegian Sign Language, and Swedish Sign Language. Using ten retellings ofFrog, Where Are You?from each language, we analyze tokens of referring expressions with respect to: (a) activation status (new vs. maintained vs. re-introduced); (b) semiotic strategy (e.g., pointing sign, fingerspelling,…

Post-Messinian evolutionary relationships across the Sicilian channel: Mitochondrial and nuclear markers link a new green toad from Sicily to African…

2008

19 páginas, 6 figuras y 3 tables

Palaeoclimatic changes explain Anatolian mountain frog evolution: a test for alternating vicariance and dispersal events

2002

Holarctic biodiversity has been influenced by climatic fluctuations since the Pliocene. Asia Minor was one of the major corridors for postglacial invasions in the Palearctic. Today this area is characterized by an extraordinarily rich fauna with close affiliation to European, Asian and Indo-African biota. However, exact scenarios of range expansion and contraction are lacking. Using a phylogeographical approach we (i) identify monophyletic lineages among Anatolian mountain frogs and (ii) derive a spatio-temporal hypothesis for the invasion process in Anatolia. We sequenced 540 bp of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene from 40 populations of mountain frogs from Anatolia, the Elburz Mountains and…