Search results for "biodiversity."
showing 10 items of 2292 documents
Following the Antarctic Circumpolar Current: patterns and processes in the biogeography of the limpet Nacella (Mollusca: Patellogastropoda) across th…
2017
14 pages; International audience; AimWe use an integrative biogeographical approach to further understand the evolution of an important Southern Ocean marine benthic element, the limpet genus Nacella (Mollusca: Patellogastropoda).LocationSouthern Ocean.MethodsWe used multi-locus time-calibrated phylogeny of Nacella at the scale of the whole Southern Ocean to elucidate the underlying processes involved in the origin and diversification of the genus.ResultsDivergence-time estimates suggest that soon after its origin during the mid-Miocene (c. 12.5 Ma), Nacella separated into two main lineages currently distributed in (1) South America and (2) Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic islands. We ident…
Females pay the oxidative cost of dominance in a highly social bird.
2018
12 pages; International audience; Understanding the evolution and maintenance of social behaviour requires a better understanding of the physiological mechanisms underlying the trade-offs between the benefits and costs of social status. Social dominance is expected to provide advantages in terms of access to resources and to reproduction but acquiring and maintaining dominance may also entail physiological costs. Dominant individuals are likely to engage more frequently in aggressive behaviours and/or may allocate a substantial amount of energy and resources to signal their status. Hence, dominance is likely to involve multiple physiological processes that stimulate aerobic metabolism and l…
Barcoding of parasitoid wasps (Braconidae and Chalcidoidea) associated with wild and cultivated olives in the Western Cape of South Africa
2019
Wild and cultivated olives harbor and share a diversity of insects, some of which are considered agricultural pests, such as the olive fruit fly. The assemblage of olive-associated parasitoids and seed wasps is rich and specialized in sub-Saharan Africa, with native species possibly coevolving with their hosts. Although historical entomological surveys reported on the diversity of olive wasp species in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, no comprehensive study has been performed in the region in the molecular era. In this study, a dual approach combining morphological and DNA-based methods was used for the identification of adult specimens reared from olive fruits. Four species of B…
Opportunity costs resulting from scramble competition within the choosy sex severely impair mate choosiness.
2016
12 pages; International audience; Studies on mate choice mainly focus on the evolution of signals that would maximize the probability of finding a good-quality partner. Most models of sexual selection rely on the implicit assumption that individuals can freely compare and spot the best mates in a heterogeneous population. Comparatively few studies have investigated the consequences of the mate-sampling process. Several sampling strategies have been studied from theoretical or experimental perspectives. They belong to two families of decision rules: best-of-n strategies (individuals sample n partners before choosing the best one within this pool) or threshold strategies (individuals sequenti…
First extensive characterization of the venom gland from an egg parasitoid: structure, transcriptome and functional role.
2018
The venom gland is a ubiquitous organ in Hymenoptera. In insect parasitoids, the venom gland has been shown to have multiple functions including regulation of host immune response, host paralysis, host castration and developmental alteration. However, the role played by the venom gland has been mainly studied in parasitoids developing in larval or pupal hosts while little is known for parasitoids developing in insect eggs. We conducted the first extensive characterization of the venom of the endoparasitoid Ooencyrtus telenomicida (Vassiliev), a species that develops in eggs of the stink bug Nezara viridula (L.). In particular we investigated the structure of the venom apparatus, its functio…
New national and regional bryophyte records, 51
2017
1. Aloina rigida (Hedw.) Limpr.Contributors: O. Yu. Pisarenko, V. E. Fedosov and V. A. BakalinRussia: Primorsky Territory, Dalnegorsky District, vicinity of Dalnegorsk Town, NE-facing steep slope o...
Potential impact of genetically modified Lepidoptera-resistant Brassica napus in biodiversity hotspots: Sicily as a theoretical model
2018
The general increase of the cultivation and trade of Bt transgenic plants resistant to Lepidoptera pests raises concerns regarding the conservation of animal and plant biodiversity. Demand for biofuels has increased the cultivation and importation of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.), including transgenic lines. In environmental risk assessments (ERAs) for its potential future cultivation as well as for food and feed uses, the impact on wild Brassicaeae relatives and on non-target Lepidoptera should be assessed. Here we consider the potential exposure of butterflies as results of possible cultivation or naturalization of spilled seed in Sicily (Italy). Diurnal Lepidoptera, which are pollinat…
2019
Street greeneries and other green spaces within the urban matrix can potentially reduce air pollution and increase urban biodiversity. Yet, these services can be negatively affected by anthropogenic stress factors. In the boreo-nemoral zone, large amounts of salts are spread each year for deicing the pavement. To address the effect of deicing salt on street lines of lime trees and how this cascades up to influence the surrounding arthropod biodiversity, we compared heavily salt-polluted and less polluted sites in the city of Riga, Latvia. We analyzed the impairment of foliar functions and development of aphids’ colonies using a common garden experiment. We found marked variation in the soil…
Highly contrasted population genetic structures in a host-parasite pair in the Caribbean Sea.
2017
Evolution and population genetic structure of marine species across the Caribbean Sea are shaped by two complex factors: the geological history and the present pattern of marine currents. Characterizing and comparing the genetic structures of codistributed species, such as host–parasite associations, allow discriminating the relative importance of environmental factors and life history traits that influenced gene flow and demographic events. Using microsatellite and Cytochrome Oxidase I markers, we investigated if a host–parasite pair (the heart urchin Meoma ventricosa and its parasitic pea crab Dissodactylus primitivus) exhibits comparable population genetic structures in the Caribbean Sea…
Catálogo de los líquenes y hongos liquenícolas de Sierra Nevada (España)
2021
The authors are grateful to the Regional Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning of Andalucía and the direction of the Sierra Nevada National Park for the facilities and the means placed at their disposal to carry out this work. Ana Rosa Burgaz has received financial support from the project CGL2013-41839-P, Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Spain. Maria Prieto, Clara Rodríguez and Sergio Muriel were funded by the project CGL2016-80562-P from MINECO, Spain. Salvador Chiva and Cristina Dumitru were funded by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO CGL2016–79158-P) and Prometeo Excellence in Research Program (Generalitat Valenciana, PROMETEO/2017/039), Spain.