Search results for "Field population"
showing 4 items of 4 documents
Overwintering survival in relation to body mass in a field population of the wolf spider ( Hygrolycosa rubrofasciata )
1999
Body size is often considered to be an important trait affecting individual fitness. In arthropods, females commonly benefit from larger size directly through increased fecundity (Roff, 1992), and males through increased mating success (Andersson, 1994). It has also been suggested that larger individuals may in general have a better survival than smaller individuals (Calder, 1983; Peters, 1983). From this suggestion it may be predicted that during stressful environmental conditions larger individuals should do better than smaller individuals.
Eradicating Mosquitoes using Translocations
1969
CHROMOSOMAL translocations have been suggested1,2 as useful mechanisms for genetic control: translocation heterozygotes produce fewer offspring because some of their gametes do not receive a full chromosomal complement. The resultant semisterility has been observed in many plants and animals, chiefly after irradiation or other treatments of laboratory stocks but only rarely in natural populations. Spontaneous translocations originating in a field population are usually eliminated3 quickly because of the lower productivity they confer on the heterozygotes. They can become fixed in all members of a population only if it is small and isolated4.
Evidence for an even sex allocation in haplodiploid cyclical parthenogens
2002
Recent theoretical work has shown that haplodiploid cyclical parthenogens, such as rotifers, are expected to have an equal frequency of male-producing and resting-egg producing females during their sexual phase. We tested this prediction by following sexual reproduction dynamics in two laboratory populations and one field population of the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis through two growing seasons. We recorded population density, proportion of sexual females, and sex allocation (the proportion of male-producing sexual females as a fraction of total sexual females). We found this sex allocation ratio to vary from 0.3 to 1.0 in single sampling events. However, when we computed sex allocation b…
Sensitive measure of prevalence and parasitaemia of haemosporidia from European blackbird (Turdus merula) populations: value of PCR-RFLP and quantita…
2006
8 pages; International audience; Haemosporidian parasites are common in birds in which they act as an important selective pressure. While most studies so far have focused on the effect of their prevalence on host life-history traits, no study has measured the effect of parasitaemia. We developed molecular methods to detect, identify and quantify haemosporidia in 2 natural populations of the Blackbird Turdus merula. Three different parasite genotypes were found - 1 Haemoproteus and 2 Plasmodium. A PCR-RFLP screening revealed that only approximately 3% of blackbirds were free of parasites, compared to the 34% of uninfected birds estimated by blood smear screening. A quantitative PCR (q-PCR) a…