Search results for "IOS"

Relationship between maternal transfer of immunity and mother fecundity in an insect.

2012

Trans-generational immune priming (TGIP) corresponds to the plastic adjustment of offspring immunity as a result of maternal immune experience. TGIP is expected to improve mother's fitness by improving offspring individual performance in an environment where parasitism becomes more prevalent. However, it was recently demonstrated that maternal transfer of immunity to the offspring is costly for immune-challenged female insects. Thus, these females might not provide immune protection to all their offspring because of the inherent cost of other fitness-related traits. Females are therefore expected to adjust their investment to individual offspring immune protection in ways that maximize the…

Synthetic cartography for mapping biodiversity in the Mediterranean region: Sicily as a case study

2018

This paper proposes a new hierarchical land classification system for the mapping of species distribution at national or regional scales. Our integrative framework incorporates two hierarchical levels inferred from historical, climatic, geomorphological and geological attributes. The feasibility of this proposal is based on the use of historical collections and literature data, as well as on its ability to combine old low-precision data with more recent records of higher resolution. The system is set up for vascular plants, but it can also be used for other taxonomic groups. Furthermore, it has the potential for application to the whole Mediterranean region because it is based on informatio…

Distribution, ecological role and symbioses of selected shrubby species in the Mediterranean Basin: a review

2020

Among the Mediterranean ecosystems, shrublands are a characteristic type of vegetation, widespread in different habitats. Owing to different factors such as the physiological, morphological, reproductive, phenological and regenerative properties, as well as the inter-intraspecific interactions, each shrubby species represents an important element within the plant community and plays a specific ecological role. In this review, attention was focused on the ecological functions and type of plant-microsymbiont interactions in respect of selected shrubby species within the Mediterranean Basin: Amelanchier ovalis, Astragalus nebrodensis, Crataegus laciniata, Lycium intricatum, Prunus spinosa and …

Density, social information, and space use in the common lizard (Lacerta vivipara)

2007

6 pages; International audience; Socially acquired information is widespread in the animal kingdom. Many individuals make behavioral decisions based on such social information. In particular, individuals may decide to leave or select their habitat based on social information. Few studies have investigated the role of density-related information, a potential social cue about habitat quality in dispersal. Here, we tested for the possibility that the phenotype of intruder common lizards (Lacerta vivipara) may inadvertently carry information about their natal population density. We found that such information use is likely. The behavior of focal lizard was influenced by the natal population den…

2021

Many phytophagous insects harbor symbiotic bacteria that can be transmitted vertically from parents to offspring, or acquired horizontally from unrelated hosts or the environment. In the latter case, plants are a potential route for symbiont transfer and can thus foster a tripartite interaction between microbe, insect, and plant. Here, we focus on two bacterial symbionts of the darkling beetle Lagria villosa that belong to the genus Burkholderia; the culturable strain B. gladioli Lv-StA and the reduced-genome strain Burkholderia Lv-StB. The strains can be transmitted vertically and confer protection to the beetle’s eggs, but Lv-StA can also proliferate in plants, and both symbiont strains h…

Molecular evidence supports simultaneous association of the achlorophyllous orchid Chamaegastrodia inverta with ectomycorrhizal Ceratobasidiaceae and…

2020

Abstract Background Achlorophyllous orchids are mycoheterotrophic plants, which lack photosynthetic ability and associate with fungi to acquire carbon from different environmental sources. In tropical latitudes, achlorophyllous forest orchids show a preference to establish mycorrhizal relationships with saprotrophic fungi. However, a few of them have been recently found to associate with ectomycorrhizal fungi and there is still much to be learned about the identity of fungi associated with tropical orchids. The present study focused on mycorrhizal diversity in the achlorophyllous orchid C. inverta, an endangered species, which is endemic to southern China. The aim of this work was to identi…

Changes in Energy Status of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cells During Dehydration and Rehydration

2021

Anhydrobiosis is the state of life when cells are exposed to waterless conditions and gradually cease their metabolism. In this study, we determined the sequence of events in Saccharomyces cerevisiae energy metabolism during processes of dehydration and rehydration. The intensities of respiration and acidification of the medium, the amounts of phenyldicarbaundecaborane (PCB−) bound to yeast membranes, and the capabilities of cells to accumulate K+ were assayed using an electrochemical monitoring system, and the intracellular content of ATP was measured using a bioluminescence assay. Mesophilic, semi-resistant to desiccation S. cerevisiae strain 14 and thermotolerant, very resistant to desic…

Immunity and the emergence of virulent pathogens.

2013

6 pages; International audience; The emergence/re-emergence of infectious diseases has been one of the major concerns for human and wildlife health. In spite of the medical and veterinary progresses as to prevent and cure infectious diseases, during the last decades we have witnessed the emergence/re-emergence of virulent pathogens that pose a threat to humans and wildlife. Many factors that might drive the emergence of these novel pathogens have been identified and several reviews have been published on this topic in the last years. Among the most cited and recognized drivers of pathogen emergence are climate change, habitat destruction, increased contact with reservoirs, etc. These factor…

Resistance of a recombinant Escherichia coli to dehydration.

2009

International audience; Dehydration of microorganisms, rendering them anhydrobiotic, is often an efficient method for the short and long term conservation of different strain-producers. However, some biotechnologically important recombinant bacterial strains are extremely sensitive to conventional treatment. We describe appropriate conditions during dehydration of the recombinant Escherichia coli strain HB 101 (GAPDH) that can result dry cells having a 88% viability on rehydration. The methods entails air-drying after addition of 100 mM trehalose to the cultivation medium or distilled water (for short term incubation).

Levels of genetic differentiation and gene flow between four populations of the Scaly-naped Pigeon, Patagioenas squamosa : implications for conservat…

2021

Island-endemic columbid species are particularly vulnerable to environmental degradation, extreme climatic events, and interactions with exotic species. The situation might be even more critical in the case of exploited species, where legal hunting and poaching can severely affect population dynamics. Here we document for the first time the genetic structure of the Scaly-naped Pigeon, Patagioenas squamosa, a Caribbean-endemic columbid species of cynegetic interest, over a large part of its range. Using both mitochondrial DNA and nuclear markers (microsatellites), we investigated gene flow, genetic diversity, and genetic structure among four islands populations originating from Puerto-Rico, …