Search results for "Fauna"
showing 10 items of 513 documents
Influence of environmental factors and biogenic habitats on intertidal meiofauna
2017
This study investigated the influence of physical and chemical conditions and biotic factors on the distribution and diversity of meiofauna in intertidal zone along a geographical gradient. At 11 sites along the Italian coast, we studied the concurring role of environmental variables, trophic resources and the presence of habitat-forming species (macroalgae vs. mussels) in controlling the meiofaunal communities. The increase of water temperature combined with local thermal conditions was associated with a decrease in nematodes and copepods, with a consequent decrease in meiofaunal abundance towards the south. However, the increase in salinity, as geographical gradient decreases, and local t…
Defaunation and biomass collapse of mammals in the largest Atlantic forest remnant
2016
Large continuous rainforests are the main hope for sustaining the population of large-bodied vertebrates that cannot cope with fragmentation or unsustainable hunting. The Brazilian Atlantic forest is considered a biodiversity hotspot and although highly fragmented, it still contains large forest patches that may be important for the conservation of mammals that require large areas. Here, we estimated species richness, density and biomass of medium- and large-sized mammals along the largest remnant of the Atlantic rainforest, Brazil (the Serra do Mar bioregion), an estimated area of 8000 km2. We recorded 44 species based on 4090 km of diurnal line transects and camera traps, animal tracks an…
Parasite communities in Boops boops (L.) (Sparidae) after the Prestige oil-spill: Detectable alterations
2007
Environmental pollution affects parasite populations and communities, both directly and through effects on intermediate and final hosts. In this work, we present a comparative study on the structure and composition of metazoan parasite communities in the bogue, Boops boops, from two localities (Galician coast, Spain) affected by the Prestige oil-spill (POS). We focus on the distribution of both individual parasite species and larger functional groupings by using both univariate and multivariate analyses. Our results indicate directional trends in community composition that might be related to the Prestige oil-spill disturbance of the natural coastal communities off Galicia. Endoparasite com…
Diversity of subfamily Anacharitinae (Hymenoptera: Cynipoidea: Figitidae) in China with description of a new species of Xyalaspis Hartig, 1843
2016
Abstract The poorly known Anacharitinae fauna from China is studied. Two species of genus Aegilips Haliday, 1835 (which only had one species previously recorded there) are recorded in China. The genera Anacharis Dalman, 1823 and Xyalaspis Hartig, 1843 are recorded for the first time with two and four species present respectively. A new species of Xyalaspis, X. ribesi sp. n., is described. Diagnostic characters of the new species are illustrated, and data about biology, distribution and morphological variability of the Chinese Anacharitinae are discussed.
Distribution, diversity patterns and faunogenesis of the millipedes (Diplopoda) of the Himalayas
2018
The Himalayas support a highly rich, diverse, multi-layered, mostly endemic diplopod fauna which presently contains >270 species, 53 genera, 23 families and 13 orders. This is the result of mixing the ancient, apparently Tertiary and younger, Plio-Pleistocene elements of various origins, as well as the most recent anthropochore (= man-mediated) introductions. At the species and, partly, generic levels, the fauna is largely autochthonous and sylvicolous, formed through aboundingin situradiation and vicariance events. In general, the species from large genera and families tend to occupy a wide range of altitudes, but nearly each of the constituent species shows a distribution highly lo…
New insights into Late Devonian vertebrates and associated fauna from the Cuche Formation (Floresta Massif, Colombia)
2019
New vertebrate remains are reported from the Late Devonian (?Frasnian) Cuche Formation of northeastern Colombia, including a new taxon of antiarch placoderm (Colombialepis villarroeli, gen. et sp. nov., previously reported as Asterolepis) and a new taxon of arthrodiran placoderm (Colombiaspis rinconensis, gen. et sp. nov.). We also report evidence of a stegotrachelid actinopterygian, a diplacanthid acanthodian (cf. Florestacanthus morenoi), a second antiarch placoderm (Bothriolepis sp.), a putative megalichthyid, and a putative tristichopterid. The absence of typical Euramerican markers, e.g., Asterolepis and Strepsodus, in this assemblage suggests that faunal interchange between Euramerica…
Detection and Characterization of Wolbachia Infections in Natural Populations of Aphids: Is the Hidden Diversity Fully Unraveled?
2011
Copyright © 2011 Augustinos et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Aphids are a serious threat to agriculture, despite being a rather small group of insects. The about 4,000 species worldwide engage in highly interesting and complex relationships with their microbial fauna. One of the key symbionts in arthropods is Wolbachia, an a-Proteobacterium implicated in many important biological processes and believed to be a potential tool for biological control. Aphids were thought not to harbour W…
Differing trophic niches of three French stygobionts and their implications for conservation of endemic stygofauna
2019
1. Groundwater ecosystems represent the greatest proportion of unfrozen freshwa- ter on Earth and harbour high numbers of rare taxa with restricted distributions. Stygofaunal abundance, species richness, and ecology play essential roles in groundwater ecosystem services and functioning, as well as providing an impor- tant contribution to global biodiversity. However, as global depletion and contam- ination of groundwater pose serious and often irreversible threats to stygofauna, more information is urgently needed about the ecology of rare groundwater spe- cies to guide effective strategies for their conservation or restoration. 2. In this study, analyses of carbon and nitrogen stable isoto…
Determining stingray movement patterns in a wave-swept coastal zone using a blimp for continuous aerial video surveillance
2020
Stingrays play a key role in the regulation of nearshore ecosystems. However, their movement ecology in high-energy surf areas remains largely unknown due to the notorious difficulties in conducting research in these environments. Using a blimp as an aerial platform for video surveillance, we overcame some of the limitations of other tracking methods, such as the use of tags and drones. This novel technology offered near-continuous coverage to characterise the fine-scale movements of stingrays in a surf area in Kiama, Australia, without any invasive procedures. A total of 98 stingray tracks were recorded, providing 6 h 27 min of movement paths. The tracking data suggest that stingrays may u…
Epibiontes en juveniles de tortugas carey Eretmochelys imbricata varadas en la costa del Departamento de Rocha, Uruguay
2016
The hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is the most threatened sea turtle species in the world. An important aspect of the biology of sea turtles is the study of colonizing fauna, i.e., their epibiota. The aim of this study is a taxonomic determination on the epibiota found on 4 hawksbills turtles stranded in 2009 and 2011 on the coast of Rocha Department, Uruguay. The epibiota was composed by algae from the class Phaeophyceae (Sphacelaria sp. and Hincksia mitchelliae) and invertebrates from the classes Cirripedia (Platylepas hexastylos, Chelonibia testudinaria and Amphibalanus improvisus) and Hirudinea (Ozobranchus margoi), with greater predominance of P. hexastylos cirripeds (n= 365…