Search results for "SYSTEMATICS"
showing 10 items of 6702 documents
Small sweat bees (Hymenoptera: Halictidae) as potential major pollinators of melon (Cucumis melo) in the Mediterranean
2016
In the current scenario of a general decline of the honeybee worldwide, studies on the potential of alternative bee species in pollinating cultivated plants are important. Although melon, Cucumis melo, is a crop with great commercial importance, there is very little information on its pollinating fauna in Europe, and none from the southern Mediterranean area. In a locality in central Spain, using both pan-traps and net collections, we found that melon flowers are visited by 31 species of bees spanning four families, though only four were both dominant and constant. These four species belonged to the family Halictidae (sweat bees) and mostly (three species) to the genus Lasioglossum. Five ot…
Dimorphism in inflorescence scent of dioecious wild grapevine
2016
Abstract Wild grapevine ( Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris ) is the dioecious ancestral form of grapevine, from which the domesticated cultivars have derived ( V. vinifera subsp. vinifera ). Little is known about the floral scent compounds of wild grapevine that is considered as being partly insect pollinated. The knowledge of volatiles released by male and female inflorescence may contribute to the understanding of the pollination biology of this endangered taxon. Inflorescence scents of male and female individuals were collected by dynamic headspace and analysed by thermal desorption-GC/MS. A total of 17 compounds of C5-branched chain alcohols, aliphatics, aromatics, and terpenoids were i…
Variations of essential oil constituents in oregano (Origanum vulgare subsp. viridulum (= o. heracleoticum) over cultivation cycles
2020
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Effects of two acanthocephalan parasites on the fecundity and pairing status of female Gammarus pulex (Crustacea: Amphipoda)
2002
Acanthocephalan parasites are known to alter the reproductive biology and physiology of their hosts in various ways. In this study we investigated the influence of two acanthocephalan parasites, Pomphorhynchus laevis and Polymorphus minutus, on the fecundity and pairing success of female Gammarus pulex. The results show that P. laevis and P. minutus affect female intermediate host reproduction in different ways. Females infected with P. minutus were totally castrated, whereas those infected with P. laevis only showed reduced fecundity. The oocytes of P. laevis-infected females showed a similar structure to those of uninfected females, although infected females had a higher proportion of ooc…
Neighbouring plants and perception of predation risk modulate winter browsing by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
2018
The presence of neighbouring plants and predation risk can affect trophic interactions between plants and herbivores. We hypothesized that the relative preference for neighbouring species would determine winter herbivory and that predation risk would modulate browsing pressure. We tested these hypotheses using feeding trials in two regions with high white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmermann, 1780)) densities: Outaouais and Anticosti Island (Quebec, Canada). In each, we selected a species of interest and compared browsing rates and time spent foraging with neighbours relatively preferred or avoided. In a subexperiment, we included coyote (Canis latrans Say, 1823) urine to test f…
Host plant use by the Heath fritillary butterfly, Melitaea athalia : plant habitat, species and chemistry
2008
We present a study of habitat use, oviposition plant choice, and food plant suitability for the checkerspot butterfly Melitaea athalia Rottemburg (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in Aland, Finland. We found that in Aland, unlike in the mainland of Finland and many parts of its range, M. athalia flies mainly in open meadows. When offered an array of plants in a large (32 × 26 m) field cage, they predominately oviposited upon Veronica chamaedrys L., V. spicata L. and Plantago lanceolata L. (Plantaginaceae), which grow in open meadows. The relative abundance of the butterfly in Aland, and its habitat and host plant use there, may reflect local adaptation to land use practices and geology that mainta…
Improving the conservation of Mediterranean Chondrichthyans : the ELASMOMED DNA barcode reference library
2017
Cartilaginous fish are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic stressors and environmental change because of their K-selected reproductive strategy. Accurate data from scientific surveys and landings are essential to assess conservation status and to develop robust protection and management plans. Currently available data are often incomplete or incorrect as a result of inaccurate species identifications, due to a high level of morphological stasis, especially among closely related taxa. Moreover, several diagnostic characters clearly visible in adult specimens are less evident in juveniles. Here we present results generated by the ELASMOMED Consortium, a regional network aiming to sample …
An annotated checklist of freshwater Copepoda (Crustacea, Hexanauplia) from continental Ecuador and the Galapagos Archipelago.
2019
An annotated checklist of the free-living freshwater Copepoda recorded in different regions in Ecuador (including the Amazon, the Andes, the coastal region, and the Galapagos Islands) is here provided. We revised all published records, critically evaluated the validity of each taxon and provided short taxonomic and biogeographical remarks for each one. A total of 27 taxa have been reported, including species and records at the generic level only. The species and taxa identified only up to the generic level belong to five families and 14 genera. The Cyclopoida is the most diverse group with 16 records belonging to species (or identified to the generic level only) and eight genera, followed b…
Seasonal survival in a non-hibernating Mediterranean garden dormouse population
2020
The seasonal survival pattern of a garden dormouse Eliomys quercinus population was studied in a Mediterranean agricultural field area from East Spain, a geographical location in which this species does exhibit no hibernation. Individuals were captured from nest—boxes checked monthly during a 4-year period. Data were analysed using an open population Cormack–Jolly–Seber model including sex, age class and season as factors. Best models included the effect of age and differences in survival between adult males and females. Survival rate was more variable between seasons in males than in females or juveniles. Maximum adult male survival was reached in autumn, decreased in winter and dropped to…
Ardeola, a Scientific Journal of Ornithology: Cooperative Survivorship within the Red Queen Game
2016
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