Search results for "lcsh:Ecology"

Individual differences in behavioral consistency are related to sequential access to resources and body condition in a producer-scrounger game

2014

Investigating the evolution of consistent between-individual behavioral differences necessitates to explain the emergence of within-individual consistency. Relying on a recent mathematical model, we here test the prediction that the emergence of differences in within-individual consistency is related to the sequential access to resources in a frequency-dependent foraging game. To this end we used flocks of zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) engaged in a producer-scrounger foraging game. Tactic investment (i.e., the proportion of hops with the head down) significantly predicted successful tactic use (i.e., the proportion of seeds produced). In support of predictions, we found that individua…

Do testate amoebae communities recover in concordance with vegetation after restoration of drained peatlands?

2016

The environmental importance of peatlands has stimulated efforts to restore their specific ecosystem structure and functions. Monitoring and assessment of the ecological state of the peatland is fundamental in restoration programmes. Most studies have focused on the responses of vegetation and, to a lesser extent, on testate amoebae (TA). To our knowledge, none have investigated whether these two groups show concordance in the context of restoration of drained peatland. Here we assess community concordance between TA and vegetation in boreal peatlands belonging to four different land use management classes (natural, drained, restored 3–7 years ago, and restored 9–12 years ago). TA and veget…

Aportaciones al conocimiento de los mosquitos (Diptera, Culicidae) de alta montaña presentes en la Península Ibérica

2009

Several larval samplings of mosquitoes (Diptera, Culicidae) in different mountainous regions of the peninsular Spain were carried out. A total of 2796 specimens belonging to 18 species were collected, nevertheless the 72.5 % of these finds includes only three of them (Cx. hortensis hortensis, Cx. pipiens and Cs. longiareolata). The adaptation capacity to a varied typology of water bodies together with the marked multivoltinism that characterizes their biotic cycles are postulated as two of the principal reasons that explain their abundances. The altitudinal distribution as well as some information about the bioecology of all the species captured are also exposed.

Primera cita de Culex interrogator (Diptera: Culicidae) para la Hispaniola y actualización del listado de mosquitos de Jarabacoa, República Dominicana

2020

Desde que dio inicio el nuevo siglo, varios estudios sobre la culicidofauna de la Hispaniola han elevado el conocimiento de este grupo de artrópodos, muy relevantes desde el punto de vista médico y veterinario. En relación a la diversidad de la familia Culicidae, los hallazgos más recientes se han realizado en el municipio de Jarabacoa, República Dominicana. Con el objetivo de profundizar en la diversidad de los culícidos presentes en esta localidad montañosa de El Cibao, se procedió a la búsqueda de criaderos de mosquitos, sobre todo de origen natural, desde enero de 2018 hasta junio de 2019. La identificación de los especímenes se realizó mediante la utilización de lupa binocular y micros…

Editorial: From Meristems to Floral Diversity: Developmental Options and Constraints

2021

Chemicals and chemoreceptors: ecologically relevant signals driving behavior in Drosophila

2015

Insects encounter a vast repertoire of chemicals in their natural environment, which can signal positive stimuli like the presence of a food source, a potential mate, or a suitable oviposition site as well as negative stimuli such as competitors, predators, or toxic substances reflecting danger. The presence of specialized chemoreceptors like taste and olfactory receptors allows animals to detect chemicals at short and long distances and accordingly, trigger proper behaviors toward these stimuli. Since the first description of olfactory and taste receptors in Drosophila melanogaster 15 years ago, our knowledge on the identity, properties, and function of specific chemoreceptors has increase…

Alarmist by bad design: Strongly popularized unsubstantiated claims undermine credibility of conservation science

2019

“Unless we change our ways of producing food, insects as a whole will go down the path of extinction in a few decades.” or “Our work reveals dramatic rates of decline that may lead to the extinction of 40% of the world's insect species over the next few decades.” These are verbatim conclusions of the recent paper by Sánchez-Bayoa and Wyckhuys (2019) in Biological Conservation. Because of fundamental methodological flaws, their conclusions are unsubstantiated. Like noted by The Guardian, the conclusions of the paper were set out in unusually forceful terms for a peer-reviewed scientific paper. The current case…