Search results for "ZOOLOGIA"

Distribution of recent freshwater ostracods in Sicily (Southern Italy)

2005

Conferma della presenza di Aphanius fasciatus (Valenciennes, 1821) (Cyprinodontiformes Cyprinodontidae) nel bacino idrografico del Fiume Imera Meridi…

2009

Un’abbondante popolazione del Ciprinodontide autoctono Aphanius fasciatus è stata rinvenuta nel Fiume ImeraMeridionale ed in alcuni suoi affluenti. É così confermata la persistenza della specie nel sito, nonostante le pesanti alterazioni ambientali che hanno interessato il fiume e che avevano fatto ritenere A. fasciatus localmente estinto. Trattandosi di una delle poche popolazioni di Aphanius fasciatus sopravvissute nei corsi d’acqua siciliani e alla luce della notevole diversità genetica e morfologica riscontrata tra le differenti popolazioni siciliane di questo Ciprinodontide, la sopravvivenza di questa popolazione assume un’importante valenza conservazionistica.

Isolation of a novel LPS-induced component of the ML superfamily in Ciona intestinalis

2015

ML superfamily represents a group of proteins playing important roles in lipid metabolism and innate immune response. In this study, we report the identification of the first component of the ML superfamily in the invertebrate Ciona intestinalis by means of a subtractive hybridization strategy. Sequence homology and phylogenetic analysis showed that this protein forms a specific clade with vertebrate components of the Niemann-Pick type C2 protein and, for this reason, it has been named Ci-NPC2. The putative Ci-NPC2 is a 150 amino acids long protein with a short signal peptide, seven cysteine residues, three putative lipid binding site and a three-dimensional model showing a characteristic b…

Nuevas aportaciones al conocimiento de macroinvertebrados de agua dulce de Costa Rica y Nicaragua, con especial énfasis en las esponjas

2018

Se estudia la caracterización limnológica de 30 lagunas del bosque tropical seco de Costa Rica y Nicaragua durante 2010-11. Se aislaron gémulas de esponjas de agua dulce en cuatro de las localidades. Se registraron dos nuevas citas de esponjas para Nicaragua, Radiospongilla cerebellata (Bowerbank, 1863) y Corvoheteromeyenia heterosclera (Ezcurra de Drago, 1974). En Costa Rica también se registró esta última y se recolectaron ejemplares de Radiospongilla crateriformis (Potts, 1882). En otra laguna de Costa Rica, se recolectó una larva de neuróptero (Insecta) de la familia Sisyridae asociada a las esponjas: Sisyra apicalis Banks, 1908. Por otro lado, hemos podido recolectar gémulas incrustada…

Evolutionary consequencesof social information use in birds

2017

Social interactions, at intra- and inter-specific levels, have been lately the focus of new perspectives in examining the role of information use within communities. Acquiring information can change individual and social phenotypes, with important implications on community structure and its evolution. At the same time, social behaviour, and the patterns of connections among individuals arising from social interactions, can be shaped by individual phenotypes, and ultimately influence the spread of information through communities. Thus, the fingerprint of the evolutionary consequences of information use can be detected in both the mechanisms that determine responses to information at the indi…

Rediscovery of the enigmatic solifuges (Arachnida: Solifugae) at Lampedusa Island (Italy)

2018

Solifuges were recorded in Italy for the first time in 1956, on the island of Lampedusa (Strait of Sicily), and classified as Biton ehrenbergi Karsch, 1880 and Biton velox Simon, 1885. More than 60 years later, we carried out the first targeted investigation of these little-known animals. A survey conducted during both spring and autumn 2017 confirmed the presence of solifuges on Lampedusa Island. We identified all specimens as B. velox and not B. ehrenbergi. We concluded that B. ehrenbergi is absent from the island, on the basis of both newly collected data and a re-evaluation of the past records. Morphology and taxonomic position of the examined specimens are discussed in light of the unr…

Contrasting age-specific recruitment and survival at different spatial scales: A case study with the European storm petrel

2009

Evolutionary studies on optimal decisions or conservation guidelines are often derived by generalising patterns from a single population, while inter-population variability in life-history traits is seldom considered. We investigated here how survival and recruitment probabilities changed with age at different geographical scales using the encounter histories of 5523 European storm petrels from three Mediterranean colonies, and also how our estimates of these parameters might be expected to affect population growth rates using population matrix models. We recorded similar patterns among colonies, but also important biological differences. Local survival, recruitment and breeding success inc…

Linderiella baetica Alonso & Garcia-de-Lomas 2009 (Crustacea, Branchiopoda, Anostraca): On the verge of extinction?

2016

The province of Cadiz (South of Spain) hosts the only known locality in the world of Linderiella baetica Alonso & Garcia-de-Lomas 2009 (Anostraca). In this paper, the geographical distribution of the species based on published sampling data focused on large branchiopods and temporary pools in Andalusia and the entire Iberian Peninsula is assessed. The current situation is summarized based on the threats to their survival, which are mainly related to habitat alteration. In the Iberian Peninsula, at least 1,648 bodies of water (about 720 in Andalusia) have been explored. Prevalence data suggest that L. baetica is a rare species (localities with presence / sample locations = 6.07 . 10-4). The …

Molecular phylogenetics and historical biogeography of the west-palearctic common toads (Bufo bufo species complex)

2012

In most pan-Eurasiatic species complexes, two phenomena have been traditionally considered key processes of their cladogenesis and biogeography. First, it is hypothesized that the origin and development of the Central Asian Deserts generated a biogeographic barrier that fragmented past continuous distributions in Eastern and Western domains. Second, Pleistocene glaciations have been proposed as the main process driving the regional diversification within each of these domains. The European common toad and its closest relatives provide an interesting opportunity to examine the relative contributions of these paleogeographic and paleoclimatic events to the phylogeny and biogeography of a wide…

Body size variability across habitats in the Brachionus plicatilis cryptic species complex

2020

AbstractThe body size response to temperature is one of the most recognizable but still poorly understood ecological phenomena. Other covarying environmental factors are frequently invoked as either affecting the strength of that response or even driving this pattern. We tested the body size response in five species representing the Brachionus plicatilis cryptic species complex, inhabiting 10 brackish ponds with different environmental characteristics. Principal Component Analysis selected salinity and oxygen concentration as the most important factors, while temperature and pH were less influential in explaining variation of limnological parameters. Path analysis showed a positive interclo…