Search results for "Life"
showing 10 items of 24622 documents
Relationships between vegetation, air and soil temperatures on Norwegian mountain summits
2017
ABSTRACTGeographic variations in air and soil temperatures are dependent on several biotic and abiotic factors. Air temperature has mostly been used to characterize thermal conditions for plant life, and studies of bioclimatic gradients. From a biological point of view, it is also essential to know to what extent soil temperature is coupled with air temperature. In this study, we have quantified the deviations between soil and air temperatures along gradients in latitude, altitude, and possible effects of the vegetation. Sixteen different temperature variables were estimated from 49 vegetation plots on 19 mountain summits along the high mountain range in Norway, ranging from 230 to 1780 m a…
Understanding the long-term effects of species invasions
2006
We describe here the ecological and evolutionary processes that modulate the effects of invasive species over time, and argue that such processes are so widespread and important that ecologists should adopt a long-term perspective on the effects of invasive species. These processes (including evolution, shifts in species composition, accumulation of materials and interactions with abiotic variables) can increase, decrease, or qualitatively change the impacts of an invader through time. However, most studies of the effects of invasive species have been brief and lack a temporal context; 40% of recent studies did not even state the amount of time that had passed since the invasion. Ecologists…
Conservation of the Grey Bush Cricket Platycleis albopunctata (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) Under Differing Habitat Conditions: Implications From an In…
2009
Assessing the chance of survival of any species is a great challenge in conservation biology. In this chapter, we analyse the vulnerability of the grey bush cricket Platycleis albopunctata in habitats of different food availability under current and increased temperature conditions applying an individual-based model. Our simulations show that populations in warmer habitats with a higher food limitation have a much lower extinction risk than those living in habitats that are less food-limited and colder. An increase in mortalities of life stages severely increases the risk of population extinction, whereas a shift in the termination of egg diapause towards the beginning of the year caused by…
Dental microwear texture gradients in guinea pigs reveal that material properties of the diet affect chewing behaviour
2021
ABSTRACT Dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA) is widely used for diet inferences in extant and extinct vertebrates. Often, a reference tooth position is analysed in extant specimens, while isolated teeth are lumped together in fossil datasets. It is therefore important to test whether dental microwear texture (DMT) is tooth position specific and, if so, what causes the differences in wear. Here, we present results from controlled feeding experiments with 72 guinea pigs, which received either fresh or dried natural plant diets of different phytolith content (lucerne, grass, bamboo) or pelleted diets with and without mineral abrasives (frequently encountered by herbivorous mammals in natu…
A secondary mode of action of the herbicide lenacil: Modification of K+ permeability of Acer pseudoplatanus cells
1984
Abstract The action of lenacil on plasmalemma permeability to K+, transmembrane electric potential difference (PD) calculated from the tetraphenylphosphonium distribution, proton extrusion and intracellular pH of Acer pseudoplatanus cells calculated from the 5,5-dimethyloxazolidine,4-dione distribution, was studied and compared with the action of fusicoccin (FC) and diethylstilbestrol (DES). The three compounds temporarily stimulated the rate of 86Rb+ uptake with a half-maximum effect at 5.0 μM for 3-cyclohexyl-6, 7-dihdro-1H-cyclopentapyrimidine-2,4(3H,5H)-dione (lenacil). Lenacil and FC had no action on transmembrane electric potential difference, whereas DES decreased it. Lenacil inhibit…
Body growth and its implications in population dynamics of Acanthodactylus erythrurus (Schinz, 1834) in the Eastern Iberian peninsula
2019
Abstract We calculated growth rate for the spiny-footed lizard (Acanthodactylus erythrurus) inhabiting coastal eastern Spain from long-term mark-recapture data. Growth curves differ between sexes, with males growing faster than females and achieving larger size maximums. In this population each sex reaches maturity at about 300 days of age, approximately 34% faster than males, and 28% faster than females studied in a population further south and west in Iberia. Our logarithmic growth model has an accuracy of 96.8% and high statistical significance ( for males and for females). Although both the exponential curve of “best fit” for growth estimated for males (), and the linear curve of “best …
Variability and cryptic heteromorphism of Ambrosia artemisiifolia seeds: What consequences for its invasion in France
2007
International audience; Background and Aims:Ambrosia artemisiifolia is a ruderal weed introduced from North America to Europe. It produces large amount of achenes which are highly heterogeneous in size. Due to the preponderant role of propagules in invasive plant processes, the achene mass variability related to germination, dispersal strategy and life history traits of offspring were investigated within this species. Methods:The variability in achene mass was quantified among six populations sampled in different habitats. The effects of achene mass variation on germination were studied. The percentages of floating and non-floating achenes were evaluated in the studied populations. The cons…
First estimates of metabolic rate in Atlantic bluefin tuna larvae.
2020
Atlantic bluefin tuna is an iconic scombrid species with a high commercial and ecological value. Despite their importance, many physiological aspects, especially during the larval stages, are still unknown. Metabolic rates are one of the understudied aspects in scombrid larvae, likely due to challenges associated to larval handling before and during respirometry trials. Gaining reliable estimates of metabolic rates is essential to understand how larvae balance their high growth needs and activity and other physiological functions, which can be very useful for fisheries ecology and aquaculture. This is the first study to (a) estimate the relationship between routine metabolic rate (RMR) and …
A head start for life history development? Family income mediates associations between height and immune response in men.
2018
OBJECTIVES Male height and health affect a diverse range of social and economic outcomes such as competition for resources and mates. Life history theory predicts that limited availability of bioenergetic resources curbs the development of central life history functions such as somatic growth, immunity, and investment in offspring. Although genetic factors are important determinants of height, other factors such as income level may affect the incidence of infections during ontogeny, thus having indirect effects on somatic growth. We tested whether growing up in families with a higher income positively affects height and immune function. MATERIALS AND METHODS Seventy-three young Latvian men …
The rhizosphere of mycorrhizal plants
2002
Providing that appropriate carbon substrates are available, microbial communities are able to develop a range of activities which are crucial in maintaining a biological balance in soil (Bowen and Rovira 1999), a key issue for the sustainability of either natural ecosystems or agroecosystems (Kennedy and Smith 1995). Soil-borne microbes have a particular microhabitat in which to flourish. In particular, they are bound to the surface of soil particles or found in soil aggregates, while others interact specifically with the plant root system (Glick 1995). The root-soil interface is actually a dynamic changing environment, a microcosm where microorganisms, plant roots and soil constituents int…