Search results for "LER"
showing 10 items of 14795 documents
Spatial variations in Ba/Cashell fingerprints of Glycymeris pilosa along the eastern Adriatic Sea
2020
Abstract The long living Glycymeris pilosa bivalve is an interesting target species for the sclerochronological research in the Mediterranean Sea. In this study, Ba/Cashell and Mg/Cashell variations were studied along the coast of the eastern Adriatic Sea. Specimens were collected alive by SCUBA and skin diving during several occasions in 2014, 2015 and 2016 from five sites including Pag, Pasman Channel, Cetina, Živogosce and Drace. Element-to-Cashell ratios were measured by LA-ICP-MS in line scan mode in three specimens of each site, ranging in age from 7 to 21. In addition, chemical analysis was conducted on three ontogenetically older specimens (68-97 years-old) from Drace. Mg/Cashell an…
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IMPACT AND INCIDENCE OF PARASITISM OF PSYLLAEPHAGUS BLITEUS RIEK (HYMENOPTERA ENCYRTIDAE) ON POPULATIONS OF GLYCASPIS BRIMBLECO…
2018
The red gum lerp psyllid, Glycaspis brimblecombei Moore (Hemiptera, Aphalaridae), is an Australian native sap-sucking insect pest of eucalypts that has been first reported for the West Palaearctic Region in 2008 and, in 2010, it has been found also in Italy. Subsequently its primary parasitoid, Psyllaephagus bliteus Riek (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), was also detected within the main European and North African infested areas, where no release of the parasitoid was ever performed. This study, carried out in 30 Eucalyptus camaldulensis plantations located along the coast, on the hills and the mountains in Mediterranean climatic areas of Sicily (Italy), aimed to determine the influence of environ…
Inter- and intra-variability of seed germination traits of Carpobrotus edulis N.E.Br. and its hybrid C. affine acinaciformis.
2018
Invasions by alien Carpobrotus spp. have been recognised as one of the most severe threats to Mediterranean climate coastal ecosystems, and Carpobrotus is considered one of the most widespread invasive alien genera in the Mediterranean Basin. The aims of this study were to characterise seed germination of both C. edulis and its hybrid C. aff. acinaciformis, in terms of photoperiod, temperature and salinity. Inter- and intra-specific variability in the responses to photoperiod (12/12 h light and total darkness), constant temperatures (5, 10, 15, 20, 25 °C) and an alternating temperature regime (25/10 °C), salt stress (0, 125, 250, 500 mm NaCl) and the recovery of seed germination were evalua…
First successful eradication of invasive Norway rats Rattus norvegicus from a small Mediterranean island (Isola delle Femmine, Italy)
2019
Invasive alien species, once introduced, may affect local biodiversity, both directly (e.g. by predation) and indirectly (e.g. by reducing the vegetation cover). Among those, rats (Rodentia, Muridae) are listed among the most invasive species, exerting strong impacts particularly when introduced to island ecosystems. Accordingly, black rats Rattus rattus have been eradicated from a number of islands in the Mediterranean basin to protect breeding seabirds. Where the larger Norway rat Rattus norvegicus is present, extent of damage may be even higher. In our work, we present the results of the first eradication program dealing with Norway rats in a small Mediterranean island (Isola delle Femmi…
Introduction and Breeding of Rhododendrons in Latvia
2017
Abstract Rhododendrons are relatively new beautiful ornamental plants in Latvia forming an essential part of public and private gardens, although they were introduced in Latvian territory already during the first half of 19th century. Rhododendrons deserve their immense popularity due to the diversity of their habitat, size and type of blossoms and leaves and their flowering season. There are about 1000 rhododendron species in the wild up to now whereas breeders in various countries have created more than 30 000 cultivars. Intensive rhododendrons introduction and acclimatization in Latvia started in 1957 when Rihards Kondratovičs, at the time director of the Botanical Garden, University of …
Alternative prey can change model-mimic dynamics between parasitism and mutualism
2003
Classical (conventional) Mullerian mimicry theory predicts that two (or more) defended prey sharing the same signal always benefit each other despite the fact that one species can be more toxic than the other. The quasi-Batesian (unconventional) mimicry theory, instead, predicts that the less defended partner of the mimetic relationship may act as a parasite of the signal, causing a fitness loss to the model. Here we clarify the conditions for parasitic or mutualistic relationships between aposematic prey, and build a model to examine the hypothesis that the availability of alternative prey is crucial to Mullerian and quasi-Batesian mimicry. Our model is based on optimal behaviour of the pr…
Phenology of Emergence by Mediterranean Sympatric Cave-Dwelling Bats During Their Breeding Period
2017
The emergence of cave-dwelling bats can be influenced by multiple variables, such as diurnal predator evasion, energetic requirements, and prey abundance. This work aimed to determine emergence patterns of cave-dwelling bat species from roosts over the April–July 2013 period in the Valencian Community (East Spain) by infrared camera and acoustic recordings. We observed that Miniopterus schreibersii left earliest followed by the Myotis myotis/blythii group and Myotis capaccinii and finally Myotis escalerai. This pattern of emergence was observed in four roosts with no significant differences. Miniopterus schreibersii tended to display quicker flight in open areas, compared to the Myotis genu…
Contribución al conocimiento de los murciélagos (Mammalia, Chiroptera) del Parque Natural de Penyagolosa (provincia de Castellón)
2019
Se exponen los principales resultados obtenidos en los muestreos efectuados en agosto de 2004 en el Parque Natural de Penyagolosa. La comunidad de quirópteros del Parque Natural está integrada por al menos 14 especies. Diez de ellas fueron localizadas en los muestreos, siendo ocho nuevas citas tras ellos. La revisión de la bibliografía e informes técnicos más recientes permiten añadir las restantes cuatro especies. De entre las especies localizadas en los muestreos, destacan las forestales Plecotus auritus (Linnaeus, 1758) y Barbastella barbastellus (Schreber, 1774); las fisurícolas Pipistrellus pipistrellus (Schreber, 1774) y Eptesicus serotinus (Schreber, 1774) y la cavernícola Myotis esc…
Prolonged diapause has sex-specific fertility and fitness costs
2019
AbstractDiapause in seasonal environments allows insects to survive adverse seasons. However, individuals can sometimes enter a prolonged diapause for more than a year, and also skip favourable seasons, which can bring additional costs through e.g. loss of metabolic resources. At the same time, prolonged diapause can be beneficial if it allows individuals to have a risk-spreading strategy to skip potentially suboptimal breeding seasons. We studied if prolonged diapause (2-year diapause) negatively affects the fertility and fitness of female and male Colorado potato beetles (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) compared to control (1-year diapause) beetles. We also tested the parental effects on the s…
Potential of an exploitation of acid-tolerant antimicrobial microorganisms evolving enzyme systems for the utilization of dairy by-products and ligno…
2016
Introduction Bioproduction of optically pure lactic acid (LA) has roused interest in the recent years due to its potential application in a wide range of fields, and there is a significant interest to further development of sustainable and cost-effective process. However, the efficient utilization of agro-industrial wastes for LA production still causes considerable challenges. The biotechnological LA production within the targeted cost still required the development of high-performance LA-producing microorganisms and the lowering of the costs of raw materials and fermentation process. Cheap biomass, such as starchy and cellulosic agricultural residues or by-products from the food industry,…