Search results for "Morpho"

Is the ballan wrasse (Labrus bergylta) two species? Genetic analysis reveals within-species divergence associated with plain and spotted morphotype f…

2016

Abstract The ballan wrasse (Labrus bergylta) is a marine fish belonging to the family Labridae characterized by 2 main morphotypes that occur in sympatry: spotty and plain. Previous studies have revealed differences in their life‐history traits, such as growth and maturation; however, the genetic relationship between forms is presently unknown. Using 20 recently developed microsatellite markers, we conducted a genetic analysis of 41 and 48 spotty and plain ballan wrasse collected in Galicia (northwest Spain). The 2 morphotypes displayed highly significant genetic differences to each other (F ST = 0.018, P < 0.0001). A similar degree of genetic differentiation (F ST = 0.025, P < 0.0001) was …

Morphometrics and Cladistics: Measuring Phylogeny in the Sea Urchin Echinocardium

1996

A phylogenetic approach to the study of evolutionary patterns is based on taxic homologies (synapomorphies). In contrast, the recognition of evolutionary processes (namely heterochronies) involves analysis of the entire morphology. Recent developments in geometric morphometry permit analysis of morphological similarities grounded in operational homologies. Such morphometric techniques are explored (1) at the level of evolutionary processes, and (2) as a complement in exploration of phylogenetic relationships. To examplify this, we perform a two-part study of the ontogeny and phylogeny of the spatangoid sea urchin Echinocardium. First, a phylogenetic analysis of ten Recent species in the gen…

Observations on midgut of Apis mellifera workers (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) under controlled acute exposures to a Bacillus thuringiensis-based biopestici…

2016

International audience; AbstractMorphostructural investigations have been carried out on Apis mellifera workers treated with single controlled acute exposures to a biopesticide containing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), to detect midgut changes until 96 h. Our findings show concentration-dependence of these changes, reflecting in different degrees on both mortality and behaviour. In particular, some midgut changes are also found 96 h after treatment. Our results show that the tested product does not affect survival at presumable environmental concentrations, so confirming the lesser toxicity of Bt-based biopesticides compared to other pesticides. However, in the light of the discovered long-te…

The effects of meta-Topolin and benzyladenine on in vitro organogenesis from epicotyl cuttings of Troyer citrange (Citrus sinensis[L.] Osbeck ×Poncir…

2017

Citrus tristeza virus (CTV), worldwide considered as one of the worst disease affecting Citrus plants, produced great changes in citriculture, mainly because it made mandatory the turnover of the sensitive sour orange rootstock with virus resistant ones. Among them, Troyer citrange has become one of the most employed rootstocks, due to its CTV tolerance and to the positive characteristics induced to the scion fruit production. Unfortunately, in Italy, there is a scarcity of seed mother plants. Micropropagation can be a solution for this problem. Among the in vitro techniques allowing the production of good quality true-to-type plants, the regeneration from seedling epicotyl cuttings general…

Root architectural traits of rooted cuttings of two fig cultivars: Treatments with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi formulation

2021

Abstract Many fruit tree species develop symbioses relationships with mycorrhizal fungi by which they improve their efficiency in water and nutrient uptake and, in turn, increase their vegetative growth and productivity, particularly under stressful environments. These benefits origin from the effects that mycorrhizal determined on the root architecture, morphology and physiology. Usually, few attentions has been devoted to the tree root structure and function, especially, in fig plants during their growth phase in the nursery. Recently, several root traits or phenes have been reported as fundamental for the root functions such as the root length ratio (plant’s potential for the exploitatio…

New multilocus phylogeny reorganises the family Macrobiotidae (Eutardigrada) and unveils complex morphological evolution of the Macrobiotus hufelandi…

2021

The family Macrobiotidae is one of the most speciose and diverse groups among tardigrades. Although there have been attempts to reconstruct the phylogeny of this family, the evolutionary relationships within Macrobiotidae are only superficially determined as available genetic data cover only a small fraction of this vast group. Here, we present the first extensive molecular phylogeny of the family based on four molecular markers (18S rRNA, 28Sr RNA, ITS-2 and COI) associated with detailed morphological data for the majority of taxa. The phylogenetic analysis includes nearly two hundred sequences representing more than sixty species, including sixteen taxa that have never been sequenced and/…

Evaluating responses to temperature during pre-metamorphosis and carry-over effects at post-metamorphosis in the wood tiger moth (Arctia plantaginis)

2019

Insect metamorphosis is one of the most recognized processes delimiting transitions between phenotypes. It has been traditionally postulated as an adaptive process decoupling traits between life stages, allowing evolutionary independence of pre- and post-metamorphic phenotypes. However, the degree of autonomy between these life stages varies depending on the species and has not been studied in detail over multiple traits simultaneously. Here, we reared full-sib larvae of the warningly coloured wood tiger moth ( Arctia plantaginis ) in different temperatures and examined their responses for phenotypic (melanization change, number of moults), gene expression (RNA-seq and qPCR of candidate ge…

Cryptic species unveiled: the case of the nematode Spauligodon atlanticus

2013

The implementation of molecular tools in parasitology has led to the discovery of numerous cryptic species. However, detailed morphological studies are needed to evaluate the cryptic nature of such species, as well as to provide an appropriate and formal description. Recent phylogenetic analyses using mitochondrial and nuclear genes have revealed that the nematode Spauligodon atlanticus, parasite of lizards of the genus Gallotia endemic to the Canary Islands, consists of two highly divergent and unrelated lineages, one in the eastern islands and the other in the western ones. This study provides a detailed morphological analysis of the two S. atlanticus lineages characterized genetically, b…

First report of the rare tooth fungus Hericium erinaceus in North African temperate forests

2018

The rare fungus Hericium erinaceus (Bull.) Pers. was collected from temperate forests in northwestern Tunisia and described for the first time in Africa. In this paper, we report data about the distribution, ecology, morphology and molecular identification of H. erinaceus. Collected data may help expand our knowledge on this critically endangered rare species worldwide.

2020

Animals engage in a plethora of mutualistic interactions with microorganisms that can confer various benefits to their host but can also incur context-dependent costs. The sawtoothed grain beetle Oryzaephilus surinamensis harbors nutritional, intracellular Bacteroidetes bacteria that supplement precursors for the cuticle synthesis and thereby enhance desiccation resistance of its host. Experimental elimination of the symbiont impairs cuticle formation and reduces fitness under desiccation stress but does not disrupt the host’s life cycle. For this study, we first demonstrated that symbiont populations showed the strongest growth at the end of metamorphosis and then declined continuously in …