Search results for "class"

2019

Parents can influence offspring dispersal through breeding site selection, competition, or by directly moving their offspring during parental care. Many animals move their young, but the potential role of this behavior in dispersal has rarely been investigated. Neotropical poison frogs (Dendrobatidae) are well known for shuttling their tadpoles from land to water, but the associated movements have rarely been quantified and the potential function of tadpole transport in dispersal has not been addressed. We used miniature radio-transmitters to track the movements of two poison frog species during tadpole transport, and surveyed pool availability in the study area. We found that parental male…

Do mosses really exhibit so large distribution ranges? Insights from the integrative taxonomic study of the Lewinskya affinis complex (Orthotrichacea…

2019

The strikingly lower number of bryophyte species, and in particular of endemic species, and their larger distribution ranges in comparison with angiosperms, have traditionally been interpreted in terms of their low diversification rates associated with a high long-distance dispersal capacity. This hypothesis is tested here with Lewinskya affinis (≡ Orthotrichum affine), a moss species widely spread across Europe, North and East Africa, southwestern Asia, and western North America. We tested competing taxonomic hypotheses derived from separate and combined analyses of multilocus sequence data, morphological characters, and geographical distributions. The best hypothesis, selected by a Bayes …

Multiple shifts to open habitats in Melastomateae (Melastomataceae) congruent with the increase of African Neogene climatic aridity

2018

International audience; AimAfrican Melastomateae (Melastomataceae) comprise c. 185 species occurring in closed or open habitats throughout sub-Saharan Africa. We sought to reconstruct biogeographical and habitat history, and shifts in diversification rates of African Melastomateae using a well-sampled, dated molecular phylogeny.LocationAmericas, sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, SE Asia.TaxonAngiosperms, Melastomataceae, African Melastomateae.MethodsPhylogenetic relationships were estimated based on an extensive sampling of New and Old World Melastomateae, using two nuclear and three plastid markers. Divergence times were estimated in BEAST based on three calibration priors under Bayesian unc…

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…

In-Field and Early Detection of Xylella fastidiosa Infections in Olive Using a Portable Instrument

2019

Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca (Xfp) is a gram-negative pathogenic bacteria responsible for serious diseases (Purcell, 2013) that inflicts considerable economic loss (Li et al., 2007; Luvisi et al., 2017). The pathogen has been linked to olive quick decline syndrome (OQDS). This devastating olive disease was first observed in Salento (Apulia, southeastern Italy) in 2009. Infected trees respond to Xfp infection with scattered desiccation of twigs and small branches in the upper crown, which extend to the rest of the canopy, showing the characteristic blight effect. The disease causes tree death within a few years from the onset of symptoms (Martelli, 2016). The primary agronomic procedure f…

Loncomelos koprulense (Asparagaceae), a new species from southern Turkey

2021

A new species, Loncomelos koprulense (Asparagaceae), is described and illustrated from southern Turkey. It is a very rare endemic species growing on small semi-rocky escarpments within the Köprülü Kanyon in the province of Antalya. Morphologically for its hairy leaves, L. koprulense shows some relationships with L. malatyanum and L. tardum, species localized in Anatolia too. The chromosome number of the new species is 2n = 2x = 22. Geographical distribution map for L. koprulense, L. malatyanum and L. tardum is provided.

Putting Parasemia in its phylogenetic place: a molecular analysis of the subtribe Arctiina (Lepidoptera)

2016

Despite being popular among amateur and professional lepidopterologists and posing great opportunities for evolutionary research, the phylogenetic relationships of tiger moths (Erebidae: Arctiinae) are not well resolved. Here we provide the first phylogenetic hypothesis for the subtribe Arctiina with the basic aim of clarifying the phylogenetic position of the Wood Tiger Moth Parasemia plantaginis Hübner, a model species in evolutionary ecology. We sampled 89 species in 52 genera within Arctiina s.l., 11 species of Callimorphina and two outgroup species. We sequenced up to seven nuclear genes (CAD, GAPDH, IDH, MDH, Ef1𝛼, RpS5, Wingless) and one mitochondrial gene (COI) including the barcod…

Pearl grafting: tracking the biological origin of nuclei by straightforward immunological methods.

2018

9 pages; International audience; French Polynesia is renowned for the production of Tahitian black pearl. These gems are obtained by grafting a nucleus into the gonad of a receiving oyster together with a graft, i.e. a small section of mantle tissue of a donor oyster. This procedure initiates the formation of a pearl sack around the nucleus, and subsequently, the deposition of concentric layers of nacre. The nucleus plays a key-role in pearl formation and its characteristics influence markedly the quality of the final product. As it is manufactured from mollusc shells, it contains a small percentage of organics. In the present paper, we used a set of biochemical techniques to characterize a…

Divergent parasite infections in sympatric cichlid species in Lake Victoria

2018

Parasitism has been proposed as a factor in host speciation, as an agent affecting coexistence of host species in species-rich communities and as a driver of post-speciation diversification. Young adaptive radiations of closely related host species of varying ecological and genomic differentiation provide interesting opportunities to explore interactions between patterns of parasitism, divergence and coexistence of sympatric host species. Here, we explored patterns in ectoparasitism in a community of 16 fully sympatric cichlid species at Makobe Island in Lake Victoria, a model system of vertebrate adaptive radiation. We asked whether host niche, host abundance or host genetic differentiatio…

Biological control of potato soft rot caused by Dickeya solani and the survival of bacterial antagonists under cold storage conditions

2018

Dickeya and Pectobacterium are responsible for causing blackleg of plants and soft rot of tubers in storage and in the field, giving rise to losses in seed potato production. In an attempt to improve potato health, biocontrol activity of known and putative antagonists was screened using in vitro and in planta assays, followed by analysis of their persistence at various storage temperatures. Most antagonists had low survival on potato tuber surfaces at 4 °C. The population dynamics of the best low‐temperature tolerant strain and also the most efficient antagonist, Serratia plymuthica A30, along with Dickeya solani as target pathogen, was studied with TaqMan real‐time PCR throughout the stora…