Search results for "Reproduction"
showing 10 items of 752 documents
Review on Physiological Effects of Vermicomposts on Plants
2020
Vermicompost is a type of organic fertilizer produced by earthworms and their symbiotic microorganisms. In addition to nutrient-rich organic fraction, vermicomposts also contain plant-available soluble minerals as well as substances with plant growth-regulating activity. In order to promote understanding on beneficial effects of vermicompost in different farming systems, the aim of the present review is to analyze possible mechanisms of vermicompost action on plants. After overview of plant growth-affecting activity of vermicomposts at the level of seed germination and vegetative growth, detailed analysis is dedicated to physiological effects associated with mineral nutrition: changes in bo…
Effect of ewe feeding system (grass v. concentrate) on intramuscular fatty acids of lambs raised exclusively on maternal milk
2005
AbstractTwenty pregnant Comisana ewes were divided into two groups of 10. One group was allowed to graze a vetch pasture (grass). The second group of animals was housed collectively in a pen and was given hay and concentrates (concentrate). After lambing, all the ewes were allowed to stay with the respective lambs between 18:00 h and 07:00 h of the following day in two different pens. Therefore all the lambs were raised exclusively on maternal milk. The lambs were slaughtered at 38 days of age. Milk and lamb meat (longissimus dorsi muscle) fatty acids were analysed. Ewes on grass produced milk with a lower (P< 0·001) proportion of saturated fatty acids and with a higher proportion of bot…
Cutting Type and IBA Treatment Duration Affect <i>Teucrium fruticans</i> Adventitious Root Quality
2014
Root development of stem cuttings of Silver Germander (Teucrium fruticans) was investigated in relation to cutting type and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) treatment. Terminal cuttings of a clone grown in Sicily were trimmed to three types: terminal cuttings with apex (TWA), terminal cuttings without apex (TWOA) or sub-terminal cuttings (ST). To verify the cutting response to exogenous auxin, cuttings were dipped to a 2.0 cm depth in a 0.5% indole-3-butyric acid solution for 0, 5 or 7 minutes. Overall percent survival was 97 to 98%. Rooting percent, root number and root length were affected by cutting type and indole-3-butyric acid treatment. In general, TWA cuttings demonstrated a higher capac…
Winter male plumage coloration correlates with breeding status in a cooperative breeding species
2007
The function of colored ornaments is usually related to the signaling of individual quality in intra- and intersexual interactions. In cooperative breeding species, where only a fraction of the male population access the breeding status and the other fraction has the option to help breeding pairs, colored traits might provide the females with a reliable information on the quality of potential mate. Males of the cooperative breeding azure-winged magpies (Cyanopica cyanus) display conspicuous blue plumage coloration. Here we explored the role played by structural blue coloration of males and the probability of becoming a breeder or a helper. Birds were trapped during 4 consecutive years, and …
Time and heat for sexual reproduction: comparing the phenology of Chara hispida of two populations at different latitudes
2017
Abstract Geographical location affects the main ecological factors driving the timing of plants’ life events. In addition, studying phenology is the simplest procedure to track current global warming and its effects on the success and survival of different populations of the same species. Little is known about the effect of water temperature and its corresponding accumulated heat on charophytes’ phenology. We compared differences in water temperature and sexual reproductive phenology of Chara hispida in two ponds of two countries located at different latitudes (Spain and Switzerland) over the same year. We estimated the accumulated heat required to develop from one phenophase to another (un…
Time reproduction of structured auditory events by deaf and hearing subjects
2009
Congenital deafness affects different aspects of information processing and time perception. In deafness the accuracy of duration judgments seems to be linked to differences in the use of conventional time units, applied strategy as well as cognitive processes such as attention or working memory (Kowalska & Szelag, 2006). The present experiment investigated the effect of different event structures on duration reproduction in deaf and normal hearing subjects. The accuracy and variability of performances were calculated respectively by means of the absolute error score and coefficient of variation of time reproductions. Results showed a global underestimation of durations for all subjects; mo…
Delayed mixis in rotifers: an adaptive response to the effects of density-dependent sex on population growth
2004
In most cyclically parthenogenetic life cycles, sex is needed to produce resting stages. In several species of cyclically parthenogenetic rotifers, some generations of clones are not responsive to a density-dependent signal that triggers sexual female production. These unresponsive rotifers hatch from resting eggs and typically pass 8–12 generations of female parthenogenesis before becoming receptive to the mixis signal. We addressed the selection for mixis delay using a simulation model. A delay of sexual reproduction could increase population growth through parthenogenesis and thus the number of resting eggs ultimately produced. In a monomorphic population without mixis delay, we determin…
Variability for mixis initiation in Brachionus plicatilis
2001
Deductions from both evolutionary models and inductive argumentation from empirical data support the notion of intraspecific variability for the initiation of sexual reproduction (mixis) within rotifer populations. In this study, we focus on the time and density at which mixis is initiated in a growing population. Cyclical parthenogenetic clones of Brachionus plicatilis established by hatching of resting eggs, isolated from a natural habitat, have been tested at the start of their sexual phase. Clones exhibited great variation for this trait, their time of switching to sexual reproduction being correlated with population density. Most of the variation for mixis initiation has either low or …
Population dynamics of Cyclotella ocellata (Bacillariophyceae): endogenous and exogenous factors
1999
Population dynamics of Cyclotella ocellata PANTOCSEK were examined from 1991 to 1993 in an oligo-mesotrophic, gravel-pit lake near Madrid (Spain). Monthly and daily sampling was carried out to track seasonal- and auxosporulation dynamics, respectively. This species was the most abundant planktonic diatom in the lake. The population increased steadily in spring until the seasonal peak (3.8.10 6 ind/ L in April) and then abundance declined slowly through late winter. Time series techniques showed that the seasonal dynamics were driven by exogenous factors: there was a relationship between Cyclotella abundance and the chemical environment, both TP (synchronic) and SRSi (with delay). Auxosporul…
WHO BEARS THE COSTS OF INTERSPECIFIC COMPETITION IN AN AGE-STRUCTURED POPULATION?
2003
Social and density-dependent life history processes may differ according to age and the reproductive history of individuals. Arvicoline rodents have a typical, season-dependent, bimodal, age distribution of breeding individuals within a population. This distribution may influence population fluctuations. In this study, we measured effects of interspecific competition from field voles (Microtus agrestis) on various fitness components of female bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) in an age-structured breeding population in large (0.25 ha) outdoor enclosures. We monitored survival, reproduction, and space use of experimental bank vole populations with females from two different age groups. Wi…