Search results for "Reproduction"
showing 10 items of 752 documents
Selection of low investment in sex in a cyclically parthenogenetic rotifer
2009
Cyclical parthenogens, which combine asexual and sexual reproduction, are good models for research into the ecological and population processes affecting the evolutionary maintenance of sex. Sex in cyclically parthenogenetic rotifers is necessary for diapausing egg production, which is essential to survive adverse conditions between planktonic growing seasons. However, within a planktonic season sexual reproduction prevents clonal proliferation. Hence, clones with a low propensity for sex should be selected, becoming dominant in the population as the growing season progresses. In this context, we studied the dynamics of the heritable variation in propensity for sexual reproduction among clo…
Mictic patterns of the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis Müller in small ponds
1995
Populations of the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis were monitored in three small ponds in a marsh on the Mediterranean coast. Samples were taken approximately every three weeks from July 1992 to November 1993. Salinity, temperature, conductivity, pH and oxygen concentration were measured in the field. Population density was determined from preserved quantitative samples. Individuals were classified as mictic females, amictic females, non-ovigerous females, and males, differentiating between two morphotypes (‘S’ and ‘L’). From these counts, a level of mixis was calculated. We also determined the proportion of mictic females in natural populations by culturing females isolated from fresh sample…
Natural recruitment contributes to high densities of grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella (Valenciennes, 1844) in Western Europe
2015
Introductions of grass carp, well known for their potentially negative ecosystem effects, have been performed in several countries around the world. As the species was considered unable to reproduce naturally under non-native environmental conditions, little attention was initially given to its invasive potential. We studied an area in northern-Italy where, contrary to expectations, introductions that were performed in the early 80s still exert a considerable pressure on aquatic macrophytes. In order to reveal whether the observed population dynamics are the result of natural events or stocking we analysed the density, age- and size-structure of the grass carp population and the migration p…
The Epigenetics of the Endocannabinoid System
2020
The endocannabinoid system (ES) is a cell-signalling system widely distributed in biological tissues that includes endogenous ligands, receptors, and biosynthetic and hydrolysing machineries. The impairment of the ES has been associated to several pathological conditions like behavioural, neurological, or metabolic disorders and infertility, suggesting that the modulation of this system may be critical for the maintenance of health status and disease treatment. Lifestyle and environmental factors can exert long-term effects on gene expression without any change in the nucleotide sequence of DNA, affecting health maintenance and influencing both disease load and resistance. This potentially …
Involvement of circadian oscillation(s) in the photoperiodic time measurement and the induction of reproductive diapause in a northern Drosophila spe…
2013
An ability to predict forthcoming changes in environmental conditions and get prepared for them in advance is crucial for the survival and reproduction of organisms living in a seasonally changing environment. We have studied the possible involvement of circadian oscillator(s) in the photoperiodic timer controlling seasonal responses by tracing Drosophila montana females' diapause induction in constant darkness and in a classical Nanda-Hamner experiment. Nearly all females developed ovaries in continuous darkness, which shows the direct development to be their default developmental pathway in the absence of photoperiods. In Nanda-Hamner experiment the females' diapause incidence was close t…
Humic acid reduces gonadotropin activity and hormonal sensitivity of frog oocytes
2005
The specific stimulatory effect of sturgeon Acipenser güldenstädti Br. gonadotropic hormone (GTH) on frog Rana temporaria L. oocyte maturation in vitro was investigated in relation to humic acid (HA) concentrations from 12.5 to 50 mg/l. HA was observed to bind to both the follicular membrane of the oocytes and the GTH molecule, reducing the oocytes' hormone sensitivity and maturation ability. It was also shown that HA inactivated GTH, lowering its specific ability to stimulate oocyte maturation.
Use of the Sperm-Class Analyser® for objective assessment of human sperm morphology
2003
The Sperm-Class Analyser was validated for assessing morphometric parameters of the head and midpiece of unwashed and washed human ejaculated spermatozoa from volunteers providing a wide range of semen quality. A higher proportion of sperm could be assessed (86% fresh semen and 75% washed sperm) if Hemacolor staining was used rather than DiffQuik (80 and 73%) or Papanicolaou (78 and 68%). Different stains employed different fixatives and the area, length, width and perimeter of the sperm head was significantly larger for washed sperm stained by Hemacolor and DiffQuik. Acrosomal area ranged from 48 to 51% of the sperm head area and this percentage was larger for washed sperm stained with Dif…
Antioxidants in ICSI
2013
Male factor infertility can be caused by reasons, either related or not with total sperm production. Among causes of male infertility in cases of normal sperm count and motility, oxidative stress is one of the most relevant processes influencing fertility in vivo or in assisted reproduction treatments’ results. This chapter provides the most updated information regarding the oxidative stress situation in sperm and the relevance of antioxidants use in intracytoplasmic sperm injection results.
Individual- and group-level sex ratios under local mate competition : consequences of infanticide and reproductive dominance
2023
Extremely female-biased sex ratios of parasitoid wasps in multiple-foundress groups challenges evolutionary theory which predicts diminishing bias as foundress numbers increase. Recent theory based on foundress cooperation has achieved qualitative rather than quantitative success in explaining bias among parasitoids in the genus Sclerodermus. Here, we develop an explanation, expanding the theory of local mate competition, based on the observation that male production seems dominated by some foundresses within groups. Two sex ratio effects arise from such reproductive dominance: an immediate effect via suppression of male production, and a long-term evolutionary response to reproductive skew…
Reproduction of Baltic cod, Gadus morhua (Actinopterygii: Gadiformes: Gadidae), in the Gotland Basin: Causes of annual variability
2015
Background. The Gotland Basin spawning ground is one of three main spawning areas of Baltic cod, Gadus morhua Linnaeus, 1758. The threshold water parameters for cod development are the salinity exceeding 11‰ and the oxygen level above 2 mL· L–1. Such conditions are only present when the 11‰ isohaline is above the 2 mL· L–1 isooxygen. In such situation the water volume between the isolines is called the “suitable reproduction volume”. When the position of the isolines is reversed, the salinity and the oxygen level of the water layer demarcated by them are below the required thresholds and as such the water is unsuitable for the cod development. We refer to it as the “unsuitable reproduction …