Search results for "competition"
showing 10 items of 1409 documents
Pairing success and sperm reserve of male Gammarus pulex infected by Cyathocephalus truncatus (Cestoda: Spathebothriidea).
2011
SUMMARYManipulative parasites with complex life cycles are known to induce behavioural and physiological changes in their intermediate hosts. Cyathocephalus truncatus is a manipulative parasite which infects Gammarus pulex as intermediate host. G. pulex males display pre-copulatory mate guarding as a response to male-male competition for access to receptive females. In this paper, we tested the influence that C. truncatus-infection might have on male G. pulex sperm number and pairing success. We considered 3 classes of G. pulex males in our experiments: (i) uninfected males found paired in the field, (ii) uninfected males found unpaired in the field, or (iii) infected males found unpaired i…
Density-dependent effects on parasite growth and parasite-induced host immunodepression in the larval helminth Pomphorhynchus laevis.
2011
SUMMARYLarval helminths exploit the physiology of their intermediate hosts: first, as a resource for energy and space and second by altering the immune system activity to ensure their survival. Whereas the growth pattern under parasite competition has been investigated, the effect of multiple infections on the level of parasite-induced immunodepression in a trophically transmitted helminth has been neglected. In this study, amphipodsGammarus pulexwere infected in the laboratory by the acanthocephalanPomphorhynchus laevisto investigate how parasite density in the intermediate host affected (i) cystacanth growth and (ii) the level of parasite-induced alterations of the host immune defences, t…
No room for males in caves: Female-biased sex ratio in subterranean amphipods of the genus Niphargus.
2021
Sex allocation theory predicts that the proportion of daughters to sons will evolve in response to ecological conditions that determine the costs and benefits of producing each sex. All else being equal, the adult sex ratio (ASR) should also vary with ecological conditions. Many studies of subterranean species reported female-biased ASR, but no systematic study has yet been conducted. We test the hypothesis that the ASR becomes more female-biased with increased isolation from the surface. We compiled a data set of ASRs of 35 species in the subterranean amphipod Niphargus, each living in one of three distinct habitats (surface-subterranean boundary, cave streams, phreatic lakes) representing…
Founder-effect speciation theory: Failure of experimental corroboration
1995
The theory of founder-effect speciation proposes that colonization by very few individuals of an empty habitat favors rapid genetic changes and the evolution of a new species. We report here the results obtained in a 10-year-long and large-scale experiment with Drosophila pseudoobscura designed to test the theory. In our experimental protocol, populations are established with variable numbers of very few individuals and allowed to expand greatly for several generations until conditions of severe competition for resources are reached and the population crashes. A few random survivors are then taken to start a new population expansion and thus initiate a new cycle of founding events, populati…
A feasibility study of application and potential effects of a single session transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on competitive anxiety, m…
2020
Objective : To examine feasibility and potential effects of a single session tDCS over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on competitive anxiety, mood state, and autonomic and endocrine stress responses in elite archer athletes under a real world competition. Methods : Twelve male elite archers volunteered to participate in this pilot trial. Participants were randomized in order to take left anodal DLPFC, left cathodal DLPFC, or sham stimulation (the F3 or F4 areas according to the 10/20 EEG International System) in a within-subject study design. This study included three official competitions. About 45 min before the competition, the tDCS stimulation process was started and the par…
Short term diet of precooked corn meal almost lacking in tryptophan and interspecific rat-mouse aggressive behaviour.
1990
The content of tryptophan in a precooked corn meal and in 4 types of selected corn seeds: Zea mays indurata, identata, opaque/2 and Marano synth., has been determined by three different methods: ion-exchange chromatography, spectrofluorometry and spectrophotometry. This content is very low, less than 0.080% d.w. Alimentation for 4 d with a diet composed of precooked corn meal with a tryptophan content less than 0.025% induced the appearance of aggressive-cidal or aggressive non-cidal behaviour towards the mouse in more than half of Wistar rats bred in a room constantly lighted by a sodium steam light. The appearance of this behaviour is probably connected with a decrease in brain serotonin.
Far Space Remapping by Tool Use: A rTMS Study Over the Right Posterior Parietal Cortex
2015
Abstract Background In previous studies, rTMS has been successfully employed to interfere with the right posterior parietal cortex (rPPC) inducing neglect-like behavior in healthy subjects. Several studies have shown that the use of tools can modulate the boundaries between near and far space: indeed when far space is reached by the stick, far space can be remapped as near. Objective The aim of the present study was to investigate whether once that rTMS on the rPPC has selectively induced neglect-like bias in the near space (but not in the far space), neglect can appears also in the far space when the subjects used a tool to perform the task. Methods Fifteen right-handed healthy subjects ex…
Changes in performance and poling kinetics during cross-country sprint skiing competition using the double-poling technique
2013
In this study, changes in skiing performance and poling kinetics during a simulated cross-country sprint skiing competition were investigated. Twelve elite male cross-country skiers performed simulated sprint competition (4 x 1,150 m heat with 20 min recovery between the heats) using the double-poling technique. Vertical and horizontal pole forces and cycle characteristics were measured using a force plate system (20-m long) during the starting spurt, racing speed, and finishing spurt of each heat. Moreover, heat and 20-m phase velocities were determined. Vertical and horizontal pole impulses as well as mean cycle length were calculated. The velocities of heats decreased by 2.7 +/- 1.7% (p …
Asymmetries in reproductive anatomy : insights from promiscuous songbirds
2019
Directional asymmetry in gonad size is commonly observed in vertebrates and is particularly pronounced in birds, where the left testis is frequently larger than the right. The adaptive significance of directional asymmetry in testis size is poorly understood, and whether it extends beyond the testes (i.e. side-correspondent asymmetry along the reproductive tract) has rarely been considered. Using the Maluridae, a songbird family exhibiting variation in levels of sperm competition and directional testis asymmetry, yet similar in ecology and life history, we investigated the relative roles of side-correspondence and sperm competition on male reproductive tract asymmetry at both inter- and int…
Rail access charges and internal competition in high speed trains
2016
Abstract This paper develops an ex ante analysis of the introduction of on-track competition in High Speed Rail (HSR) lines. The distinctive elements of our analysis are the consideration of: (i) the vertical structure of the rail sector, (ii) operators that compete in prices and number of services, and (iii) access charges for the use of the rail infrastructure that are endogenous. We provide simulation results for three Spanish HSR routes. The socio-economic viability of entry is found to depend on whether infrastructure and rail operations are integrated or separated, and also on the policy rule to set rail access charges. Firstly, separation without entry is not an appropriate good poli…