Search results for "RP"
showing 10 items of 25034 documents
Blood parasites mediate morph-specific maintenance costs in a colour polymorphic wild bird
2011
Parasites can mediate profound negative effects on host fitness. Colour polymorphism has been suggested to covary genetically with intrinsic physiological properties. Tawny owl colour polymorphism is highly heritable with two main morphs, grey and brown. We show that experimental medication acts to reduce blood parasites and that medicated grey females maintain body mass during breeding, whereas medicated brown females decline in body mass similar to control females of both morphs. We find no effect of medication on general immunoglobulin levels, antigen-specific humoral response or H/L ratio. In the descriptive data, both morphs have similar blood parasite infection rates, but blood parasi…
Do colour morphs of wall lizards express different personalities?
2021
Abstract Colour morphs sometimes have different behavioural strategies which may be maintained by frequency or density dependence mechanisms. We investigated temporal changes in behavioural reaction to a novel environment among colour morphs (yellow, orange, white) of the European wall lizard (Podarcis muralis). Adult males were given two 15 min experimental trials, and their locomotion was highly consistent between the two trials. Boldness, freezing and escape behaviour were less repeatable. Colour morphs differed in their locomotion and freezing behaviour. Boldness was similar among the morphs, whereas escape behaviour was lowest in yellow morph. Consequently, yellow morph males tended to…
Fight or flight trade-offs and the defensive behaviour of the mountain katydid, Acripeza reticulata
2020
The defensive repertoires of prey are shaped by diverse ecological and evolutionary demands. This can generate trade-offs between the components of defences, as in the classic ‘fight or flight’ dichotomy, or dedicated investment in a singular end, allowing individuals in better condition to mount a more effective defence all round. Further, sexual dimorphism may drive sex differences in such responses, although our understanding of the interaction between sexual selection and defensive behaviour is in its infancy. Deimatic, or ‘startle’, defences typically combine multiple protective strategies, such as camouflage and aposematism, with a rapid transition between them, and thus offer unique …
Biomechanics and functional morphology of a climbing monocot.
2015
Climbing monocots can develop into large bodied plants despite being confined by primary growth. In our study on Flagellaria indica we measured surprisingly high stem biomechanical properties (in bending and torsion) and we show that the lack of secondary growth is overcome by a combination of tissue maturation processes and attachment mode. This leads to higher densities of mechanically relevant tissues in the periphery of the stem and to the transition from self-supporting to climbing growth. The development of specialised attachment structures has probably underpinned the evolution of numerous other large bodied climbing monocot taxa.
Hydrogel‐Based 3D Bioprinting for Bone and Cartilage Tissue Engineering
2020
As a milestone in soft and hard tissue engineering, a precise control over the micropatterns of scaffolds has lightened new opportunities for the recapitulation of native body organs through three dimentional (3D) bioprinting approaches. Well-printable bioinks are prerequisites for the bioprinting of tissues/organs where hydrogels play a critical role. Despite the outstanding developments in 3D engineered microstructures, current printer devices suffer from the risk of exposing loaded living agents to mechanical (nozzle-based) and thermal (nozzle-free) stresses. Thus, tuning the rheological, physical, and mechanical properties of hydrogels is a promising solution to address these issues. Th…
50,000 years of ice and seals: Impacts of the Last Glacial Maximum on Antarctic fur seals
2021
Abstract Ice is one of the most important drivers of population dynamics in polar organisms, influencing the locations, sizes, and connectivity of populations. Antarctic fur seals, Arctocephalus gazella, are particularly interesting in this regard, as they are concomitantly reliant on both ice‐associated prey and ice‐free coastal breeding areas. We reconstructed the history of this species through the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) using genomic sequence data from seals across their range. Population size trends and divergence events were investigated using continuous‐time size estimation analysis and divergence time estimation models. The combined results indicated that a panmictic population …
Evolution of the Globin Gene Family in Deuterostomes: Lineage-Specific Patterns of Diversification and Attrition
2012
In the Metazoa, globin proteins display an underlying unity in tertiary structure that belies an extraordinary diversity in primary structures, biochemical properties, and physiological functions. Phylogenetic reconstructions can reveal which of these functions represent novel, lineage-specific innovations, and which represent ancestral functions that are shared with homologous globin proteins in other eukaryotes and even prokaryotes. To date, our understanding of globin diversity in deuterostomes has been hindered by a dearth of genomic sequence data from the Ambulacraria (echinoderms + hemichordates), the sister group of chordates, and the phylum Xenacoelomorpha, which includes xenoturbel…
Phylogenomics Identifies an Ancestral Burst of Gene Duplications Predating the Diversification of Aphidomorpha
2019
Aphids (Aphidoidea) are a diverse group of hemipteran insects that feed on plant phloem sap. A common finding in studies of aphid genomes is the presence of a large number of duplicated genes. However, when these duplications occurred remains unclear, partly due to the high relatedness of sequenced species. To better understand the origin of aphid duplications we sequenced and assembled the genome of Cinara cedri, an early branching lineage (Lachninae) of the Aphididae family. We performed a phylogenomic comparison of this genome with 20 other sequenced genomes, including the available genomes of five other aphids, along with the transcriptomes of two species belonging to Adelgidae (a close…
First Descriptions of Larva and Pupa of Bagous claudicans Boheman, 1845 (Curculionidae, Bagoinae) and Systematic Position of the Species Based on Mol…
2019
In this paper, the mature larva and pupa of Bagous claudicans are described and illustrated for the first time. Measurements of younger larval instars are also given. The biology of the species is discussed in association with larval morphology and feeding habits. Overall larval and pupal morphological characters of the genus Bagous are presented. Confirmation of the larva identification as Bagous claudicans species was conducted by cytochrome oxidase I (COI) sequencing. DNA barcoding was useful for specimen identification of larval stages. The systematic position of the species within the Bagous collignensis-group, based on morphological and molecular results, is also discussed.
Vaquita Face Extinction from Bycatch. Comment on Manjarrez-Bringas, N. et al., Lessons for Sustainable Development: Marine Mammal Conservation Polici…
2019
We are among the scientists who have documented the environmental and ecological changes to the Upper Gulf of California following the reduction in the Colorado River’s flow. We object to any suggestion that our research supports Manjarrez-Bringas et al.’s conclusion that the decline in the Colorado River’s flow is the reason for the decline in the population of the endangered vaquita porpoise (Phocoena sinus). Manjarrez-Bringas et al.’s conclusions are incongruent with their own data, their logic is untenable, their analyses fail to consider current illegal fishing practices, and their recommendations are unjustified and misdirected. Vaquita face extinction because of bycatch, not because …