Search results for "Reproduction"
showing 10 items of 752 documents
Holm Oak Quercus ilex L.
2018
The holm oak is an evergreen tree species representative of Mediterranean forests. The largest populations of this species are in the Iberian Peninsula, forming the tree cover of an agro-silvo-pastoral system called “dehesa” in Spain and “montado” in Portugal. The high ecological and economic value of the species is of interest for rural development. The main current product are the acorns used for feeding Iberian black pigs, which are the basis of an important gastronomic industry. In addition, several bioactive compounds with new potential industrial applications in nutrition, pharmacology and cosmetics have been identified in acorns of oak species. Plantations with holm oak seedlings myc…
Determinants of endometrial receptivity.
2005
Understanding the molecular changes that occur during the window of implantation is fundamental to our knowledge of human reproduction. Lately, the development of microarray technology has allowed this process to be studied from a global molecular perspective. In the last 2 years, researchers have focused their efforts on throwing light on the gene expression profile of the receptive endometrium. The genes hold the key to the development of the endometrium at any stage, and we have focused our work on the window of implantation. The four most recently published works in this field have revealed a long list of genes that are up- or downregulated at the time of implantation. Although these st…
Could the recent zika epidemic have been predicted?
2017
AbstractGiven knowledge at the time, the recent 2015-2016 zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic probably could not have been predicted. Without the prior knowledge of ZIKV being already present in South America, and given the lack of understanding of key epidemiologic processes and long-term records of ZIKV cases in the continent, the best related prediction was for potential risk of an Aedes-borne disease epidemic. Here we use a recently published two-vector capacity model to assess the predictability of the conditions conducive to epidemics of diseases like zika, chikungunya or dengue, transmitted by the independent or concurrent presence of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. We compare the potenti…
Relative reproductive success of co-infecting parasite genotypes under intensified within-host competition.
2015
In nature, host individuals are commonly simultaneously infected with more than one genotype of the same parasite species. These co-infecting parasites often interact, which can affect their fitness and shape host-parasite ecology and evolution. Many of such interactions take place through competition for limited host resources. Therefore, variation in ecological factors modifying the host resource level could be important in determining the intensity of competition and the outcome of co-infections. We tested this hypothesis by measuring the relative reproductive success of co-infecting genotypes of the trematode parasite Diplostomum pseudospathaceum in its snail host Lymnaea stagnalis whil…
What People Make of Social Capital Online: An Empirical Study on the Conversion of Social Capital via Networking Sites
2010
Social capital is considered an important aspect of online social networks and the idea that it can be converted into other forms of capital, is central to the capital concept. Examples of such a conversion are finding a job or obtaining information faster than others. However, the conversion and, therefore, the relevance of online social capital have not been sufficiently researched. Results from an online survey conducted on three German SNS indicate large interpersonal differences in the effectiveness of social capital conversion. They are best explained by the amount of available social capital and active investments in social capital, i.e., networking. Surprisingly, demographic attribu…
A Comparative Ultrastructural Investigation of Some Nannochloris Species (Chlorococcales) with Particular Reference to the Systematic Position of Nan…
1989
Nanochlorum eucaryotum was described by Wilhelm et al. (1982) as a new algal species with an uncertain taxonomic position. Whereas some features were chlorococcacean, others suggested an isolated position in the sense of a “pre-eucaryote” (Wilhelm, 1983; Zahn, 1984; Geisert et al., 1987). Our comparative ultrastructural, physiological and biochemical examinations of coccoid microalgae (Menzel, 1988) gave no arguments for the separation of Nanochlorum eucaryotum from the genus Nannochloris. This paper is concerned with the ultrastructural composition of the cell wall and mode of reproduction in Nanochlorum eucaryotum as well as in three Nannochloris species. The systematic position of Nanoch…
(A)sexual reproduction - a review of life cycles of grape phylloxera,Daktulosphaira vitifoliae
2009
Since its emergence as a pest of grapevine about 150 years ago, studies on the life cycle and mode of reproduction of grape phylloxera (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae Fitch) (Homoptera: Phylloxeridae) have been of considerable scientific interest and importance for applied viticulture. The life cycle of grape phylloxera, as described in the mid to late nineteenth century, is still subject to discussion and confusion. In this article, we aim to provide for the first time an overview of the reported life cycle strategies of grape phylloxera by summarizing documented observations, the results of controlled field and laboratory assays, and the results of molecular genetic analyses. Thus, we present …
Infanticide in the evolution of reproductive synchrony: effects on reproductive success.
2007
Synchronous breeding in animals and plants has stimulated both a theoretical and empirical examination of the possible benefits of active synchronization. The selective pressures of predation and infanticide are the strongest candidates proposed to explain the evolution of reproductive synchrony. Alternatively, breeding asynchronously with conspecifics may ensure a greater availability of resources per breeder. However, the possible fitness benefits resulting from active asynchronization have not yet received attention in evolutionary ecology. Here we present a hypothesis, based on a graphical model, illustrating the costs and benefits of the two modes of reproduction. We tested the hypothe…
Pythium terrestris, a new species isolated from France, its ITS region, taxonomy and its comparison with related species
2002
Pythium terrestris (F-78) was isolated from soil samples taken in Lille in northern France. Its morphology resembles that of Pythium rostratum, and Pythium longandrum, a recently described species. However the antheridial and sporangial characteristics of this new species are unique. The fungus does not sporulate, the sporangium germinates directly into mycelium through germ tubes. The oogonia of P. terrestris are normally provided with hypogynous and monoclinous antheridia, at times the monoclinous antheridial branches wrap around the oogonia forming a complicated knot. Morphological features of this new species, together with the sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region o…
New insights into non-avian dinosaur reproduction and their evolutionary and ecological implications: linking fossil evidence to allometries of extan…
2013
It has been hypothesized that a high reproductive output contributes to the unique gigantism in large dinosaur taxa. In order to infer more information on dinosaur reproduction, we established allometries between body mass and different reproductive traits (egg mass, clutch mass, annual clutch mass) for extant phylogenetic brackets (birds, crocodiles and tortoises) of extinct non-avian dinosaurs. Allometries were applied to nine non-avian dinosaur taxa (theropods, hadrosaurs, and sauropodomorphs) for which fossil estimates on relevant traits are currently available. We found that the reproductive traits of most dinosaurs conformed to similar-sized or scaled-up extant reptiles or birds. The …