Search results for "Zoology"
showing 10 items of 4160 documents
Assessment of genetically modified cotton GHB614 × LLCotton25 × MON 15985 for food and feed uses, under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 (application EFS…
2018
The three-event stack cotton GHB614 x LLCotton25 x MON 15985 was produced by conventional crossing to combine three single cotton events, GHB614, LLCotton25 and MON 15985. The EFSA GMO Panel previously assessed the three single events and did not identify safety concerns. No new data on the single events that could lead to modification of the original conclusions on their safety were identified. Based on the molecular, agronomic, phenotypic and compositional characteristics, the combination of the single events and of the newly expressed proteins in the three-event stack cotton did not give rise to food and feed safety or nutritional issues. Food and feed derived from cotton GHB614 x LLCott…
Assessment of genetically modified maize MON 87403 for food and feed uses, import and processing, under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 (application EFS…
2018
GMO; maize (Zea mays); MON 87403; ear biomass; Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003; International audience; aize MON 87403 was developed to increase ear biomass at early reproductive phase through the expression of a modified AtHB17 gene from Arabidopsis thaliana, encoding a plant transcription factor of the HD-Zip II family. The molecular characterisation data and bioinformatic analyses did not identify issues requiring assessment for food and feed safety. No statistically significant differences in the agronomic and phenotypic characteristics tested between maize MON 87403 and its conventional counterpart were identified. The compositional analysis of maize MON 87403 did not identify differences…
Gastrointestinal parasites of two populations of Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) from north-east Greenland
2017
Parasitological examination of 275 faecal samples from Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) collected at Zackenberg Valley and Karupelv Valley in north-east Greenland from 2006 to 2008 was conducted using sieving and microscopy. Overall, 125 (45.5%) samples contained parasite eggs of Taenia crassiceps, Taenia serialis, Toxascaris leonina, Eucoleus boehmi, Physalopteridae and Ancylostomatidae, and Strongyloides-like larvae. As long-term ecological studies are conducted at both sampling locations, the present findings constitute a baseline data set for further parasitological monitoring.
Symbiotic polydnavirus and venom reveal parasitoid to its hyperparasitoids
2018
Symbiotic relationships benefit organisms in utilization of new niches. In parasitoid wasps, symbiotic viruses and venom that are injected together with wasp eggs into the host caterpillar suppress immune responses of the host and enhance parasitoid survival. We found that the virus also has negative effects on offspring survival when placing these interactions in a community context. The virus and venom drive a chain of interactions that includes the herbivore and its food plant and attracts the hyperparasitoid enemies of the parasitoid. Our results shed new light on the importance of symbionts associated with their host in driving ecological interactions and highlight the intricacy of how…
Living in a harsh habitat: epidemiology of the whale louse, Syncyamus aequus (Cyamidae), infecting striped dolphins in the Western Mediterranean
2017
Whale lice (Cyamidae) are ectoparasitic amphipods exclusive to cetaceans. Data on their epidemiology usually come from species infecting baleen whales, which are large, slow-moving hosts. In this study, we provide data on infection parameters, population structure and microhabitat selection in a whale louse exclusive to delphinids, Syncyamus aequus, with the aim of comparing them with those from cyamid species from large whales. A total of 176 striped dolphins Stenella coeruleoalba stranded along the Mediterranean coast of Spain during 1980–2016 were examined. The prevalence of S. aequus was 27.3% (95% CI: 20.9–34.3), and populations were sparse, with a mean number of whale lice per infecte…
Impact of Rearing Conditions on the Ambrosia Beetle’s Microbiome
2018
Ambrosia beetles, along with termites and leafcutter ants, are the only fungus-farming lineages within the tree of life. Bacteria harbored by ambrosia beetles may play an essential role in the nutritional symbiotic interactions with their associated fungi
Curse of the black spot: spotting negatively correlates with fitness in black grouseLyrurus tetrix
2016
There is growing evidence that achromatic plumage can act as honest indicators of male quality. In some species with areas of white plumage, black melanin spots can be found on parts of the feathers. The functional significance of these spots and the relationship with male quality is yet poorly understood. We investigated the relationship between black melanin spots in an otherwise totally white ornament, the undertail covert, in relation to age, fitness and covariance with past and present expression of sexual traits, in the lekking black grouse Lyrurus tetrix. We found that spots at tips of feathers (tip spots) were negatively related to survival and reproductive success, and covaried neg…
Shoaling with infected conspecifics does not improve resistance to trematode infection
2018
Group‐living animals can gain protection against parasitic infections through social contacts with previously infected conspecifics (social immunization). Recent research suggests that such protective effects can be induced through visual or chemical cues released by infected individuals, resulting in anticipatory immune upregulation among group members. Here, we study cue‐induced social resistance in rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss exposed to a trematode parasite, the eye‐fluke Diplostomum pseudospathaceum. We established groups of naïve individuals (receivers) that were paired with previously infected individuals (donors) at different ratios of donors to receivers and at different time …
Gut microbiota of the pine weevil degrades conifer diterpenes and increases insect fitness
2017
AbstractThe pine weevil (Hylobius abietis), a major pest of conifer forests throughout Europe, feeds on the bark and cambium, tissues rich in terpenoid resins that are toxic to many insect herbivores. Here we report the ability of the pine weevil gut microbiota to degrade the diterpene acids of Norway spruce. The diterpene acid levels present in ingested bark were substantially reduced on passage through the pine weevil gut. This reduction was significantly less upon antibiotic treatment, and supplementing the diet with gut suspensions from untreated insects restored the ability to degrade diterpenes. In addition, cultured bacteria isolated from pine weevil guts were shown to degrade a Norw…
Neotropical primate evolution and phylogenetic reconstruction using chromosomal data
2017
Platyrrhini are a group of Neotropical primates living in central and south America, and have been extensively studied through morphological and molecular data in order to shed light on their phylogeny and evolution. Agreement on the main clades of Neotropical primates has been reached using different approaches, but many phylogenetic nodes remain under discussion. Contrasting hypotheses have been proposed, presumably due to different markers and the presence of polymorphisms in the features considered; furthermore, neither Neotropical primate biodiversity nor their taxonomy are entirely known. In our perspective, a cytogenetic approach can help by making an important contribution to the ev…