Search results for "Hymen"

Predation on Multiple Trophic Levels Shapes the Evolution of Pathogen Virulence

2009

The pathogen virulence is traditionally thought to co-evolve as a result of reciprocal selection with its host organism. In natural communities, pathogens and hosts are typically embedded within a web of interactions with other species, which could affect indirectly the pathogen virulence and host immunity through trade-offs. Here we show that selection by predation can affect both pathogen virulence and host immune defence. Exposing opportunistic bacterial pathogen Serratia marcescens to predation by protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila decreased its virulence when measured as host moth Parasemia plantaginis survival. This was probably because the bacterial anti-predatory traits were traded o…

The ovipositing female of Ooencyrtus telenomicida relies on physiological mechanisms to mediate intrinsic competition with Trissolcus basalis

2012

Ongoing studies by our group showed that the outcome of the intrinsic competition between two solitary egg parasitoids, Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) and Ooencyrtus telenomicida (Vassiliev) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), is dominated by O. telenomicida. In this article we investigated the role played by the ovipositing O. telenomicida female in the suppression of a T. basalis competitor. Laboratory experiments were conducted by allowing an O. telenomicida female to puncture the eggs of Nezara viridula (L.) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) with her ovipositor (= no oviposition) or to parasitize them. The results show that O. telenomicida relies on some physiological mechan…

The effect of prey resources on evolutionary and ecological dynamics of prey (Serratia marcescens) and predator (Tetrahymena thermophila)

2006

Ravintoresurssin ajallisen vaihtelun vaikutus saaliin (Serratia marcescens -bakteeri) ja pedon (Tetrahymena thermophila -alkueläin) evolutiiviseen ja…

2010

Resurssit ovat yksi tärkeimmistä eliöiden evoluutioon vaikuttavista ympäristötekijöistä. Esimerkiksi eliöiden kyky kilpailla ja puolustautua voivat kehittyä erilailla ravintoympäristöstä ja sen muutoksista riippuen: hyvä resurssisaatavuus voi mahdollistaa kalliisiin puolustusominaisuuksiin allokoimisen, kun taas resurssien puute voi estää saaliin puolustusominaisuuksien evoluution. Tutkin saalistuksen ja ympäristön vaihtelun vaikutusta faktoriaalisessa mikrokosmos kokeessa, jossa saalisbakteereita (Serratia marcescens) kasvatettiin joko yksin (kontrollit) tai yhdessä alkueläinpedon (Tetrahymena thermophila) kanssa vakaassa tai vaihtelevassa ravintoresurssiympäristössä 8 viikon ajan. Petojen…

Size-related mortality during overwintering in cavity-nesting ant colonies (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

2016

The ongoing process of climate change will result in higher temperatures during winter and therefore might increase the survival of overwintering invertebrates. However, the process may also lead to a reduction in snow cover and expose overwintering invertebrates to lower temperatures, which could result in higher mortality. During a field experiment, I investigated the effects of a reduction in snow cover on the survival of the ant Temnothorax crassispinus, which overwinters in nests located on the ground. Ant colonies differed in the survival rate of the workers in the experimental (from which snow cover was removed) and control group. In the control group, the survival rate was unrelated…

The impact of life stage and pigment source on the evolution of novel warning signal traits

2021

Our understanding of how novel warning color traits evolve in natural populations is largely based on studies of reproductive stages and organisms with endogenously produced pigmentation. In these systems, genetic drift is often required for novel alleles to overcome strong purifying selection stemming from frequency-dependent predation and positive assortative mating. Here, we integrate data from field surveys, predation experiments, population genomics, and phenotypic correlations to explain the origin and maintenance of geographic variation in a diet-based larval pigmentation trait in the redheaded pine sawfly (Neodiprion lecontei), a pine-feeding hymenopteran. Although our experiments c…

Microgastrinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in the Forest State of Artikutza (Navarra: Spain): Diversity and Community Structure

2013

Microgastrinae is one of the largest subfamilies of the Braconidae with about 2,000 described species worldwide. These wasps are of enormous ecological interest due to their role in controlling the caterpillar populations. This study analyses diversity and community structure within the Microgastrinae in the Artikutza Forest, located in the Peñas de Aia Natural Park, western Pyrenees, Spain. The specimens were collected in two different habitats: mixed forest and beech forest. A total of 524 specimens, belonging to nine separate genera and 27 species were captured. Alpha, beta and gamma diversity were analyzed. Additionally, the relationship between Microgastrinae phenology and climatic con…