Search results for "PTE"
showing 10 items of 2238 documents
Transfer of individuals as a means of investigating natural selection in operation.
2009
Populations of Philaenus spumarius (Homoptera) displaying colour polymorphism at stable equilibrium were subjected to the introduction of alien phenotypes. In an exchange experiment between populations of isolated islands, 2/3 of population A, from Allgrundet, was transferred to Porskobben, and 2/3 of population P from Porskobben to Allgrundet. The immediate result of the transfer was A-type allele frequencies on Porskobben and P-type frequencies on Allgrundet. After four generations, the pre-transfer frequencies were almost completely restored. This change implies strong island-specific selection pressures. The process was remarkably rapid in view of the mixed composition of the gene pools…
Coupling transcriptomics and behaviour to unveil the olfactory system of Spodoptera exigua larvae
2020
AbstractChemoreception in insects is crucial for many aspects related to food seeking, enemy avoidance, and reproduction. Different families of receptors and binding proteins interact with chemical stimuli, including odorant receptors (ORs), ionotropic receptors (IRs), gustatory receptors (GRs), odorant binding proteins (OBPs) and chemosensory proteins (CSPs). In this work, we describe the chemosensory-related gene repertoire of the worldwide spread pest Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuide) focusing on the transcripts expressed in larvae, which feed on many horticultural crops producing yield losses. A comprehensive de novo assembly that includes reads from chemosensory organs of larva…
Foraging behavior of two egg parasitoids exploiting chemical cues from the stink bug Piezodorus guildinii (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae).
2019
Several parasitoids attacking the same host may lead to competition. Adult parasitoids' abilities to find, parasitize and defend hosts determine resource's retention potential. In soybean, two egg parasitoid species, Telenomus podisi and Trissolcus urichi (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae), compete on the egg masses of Piezodorus guildinii (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) one of the major pest of this crop. We evaluated parasitoid's abilities to exploit hosts' footprints; and parasitoid's behavior when competing for the same host. Both arena residence time and retention time were similar for T. podisi and T. urichi on male or female host footprints. In its turn, T. urichi reentered the area contaminate…
Northward invasion of the parasitic deer ked ( Lipoptena cervi), is there geographical variation in pupal size and development duration?
2010
SUMMARYThe deer ked (Lipoptena cervi) is a common ectoparasite of cervids. During the last decades the species has rapidly invaded in northern Europe, especially in Finland, towards the north and increased its prevalence on the moose population. Consequently, during this rapid invasion the deer ked has faced more severe climatic conditions. We studied whether pupal size (measured as pupal weight) and pupal development duration of the deer ked varies along historical invasion zones and temperature zones towards north in Finland. Moreover, we explored possible size- and gender-dependent variation in pupal development duration. We divided wild-collected pupae in respect to their origin in two …
Fishery-induced selection for slow somatic growth in European eel
2012
International audience; Both theoretical and experimental studies have shown that fishing mortality can induce adaptive responses in body growth rates of fishes in the opposite direction of natural selection. We compared body growth rates in European eel (Anguilla anguilla) from three Mediterranean stocks subject to different fishing pressure. Results are consistent with the hypotheses that i) fast-growing individuals are more likely to survive until sexual maturity than slow-growing ones under natural conditions (no fishing) and ii) fishing can select for slow-growing individuals by removing fast-growing ones. Although the possibility of human-induced evolution seems remote for a panmictic…
Fish functional traits are affected by hydrodynamics at small spatial scale
2016
The Mediterranean damselfish Chromis chromis is a species with a broad distribution found both in the Mediterranean Sea and Eastern Atlantic as far south as the coast of Angola. We hypothesized that the species may have significant functional morphological plasticity to adapt along a gradient of environmental conditions. It is a non-migratory zooplanktivorous species and spends the daytime searching for food in the middle of the water column. Therefore, local hydrodynamics could be one of the environmental factors affecting traits of C. chromis with repercussions at the population level. We compared the body condition, individual growth and body shapes of damselfish collected under two diff…
A new rare species of Oedipoda Latreille, 1829 (Orthoptera: Acrididae) from South Italy
2019
Oedipoda cynthiae n. sp. (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Oedipodinae) is described from Apulia (South Italy). In the past, the same population here considered had been assigned to O. miniata and later to O. charpentieri. Morphological features, biogeographical considerations, and a preliminary molecular analysis confirm that this population must be assigned to a new species, which is described and illustrated here.
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…
New Mediterranean records of Trabutina mannipara (Hemprich & Ehrenberg 1829) (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Pseudococcidae)
2018
The occurrence of Trabutina mannipara (Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1829) (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha) is reported for the first time at Linosa (Pelagian Islands, Sicily Channel, Italy) and Libya. T. mannipara was approved by USA authorities for release as biocontrol agents against invasive saltcedars. The potential impact of this species, that in the Mediterranean area showed to be occasionally invasive, is discussed.
Assessing the spatiotemporal persistence of fish distributions: a case study on two red mullet species (Mullus surmuletus and M. barbatus) in the wes…
2020
Understanding the spatiotemporal persistence of fish distributions is key to defining fish hotspots and effective fisheries-restricted areas (FRAs). Hierarchical Bayesian spatiotemporal models provide an excellent framework to understand these distributions, as they can accommodate different spatiotemporal behaviour in the data, primarily due to their flexibility. The aim of this research was to characterize the fundamental behavioural patterns of fish as persistent, opportunistic or progressive by comparing different spatiotemporal model structures in order to provide better information for marine spatial planning. To illustrate this method, the spatiotemporal distributions of 2 sympatric …