Axanthism in amphibians is a relatively rare color aberration reported less often than leucism or albinism. It is caused by lack of specific types of pigment cells in the skin, namely xanthophores, erythrophores, and iridophores. Here, we present the first case of occurrence of this aberration in a widely distributed toad of the green toad ( Bufotes viridis ) complex and provide an extensive review of axanthism occurrence in amphibians. So far it has been reported in more than 20 species from nine families of amphibians with the highest occurrence in the family Ranidae.
{"title":"Axanthism in amphibians: A review and the first record in the widespread toad of the Bufotes viridis complex (Anura: Bufonidae)","authors":"D. Jablonski, A. Alena, P. Vlček, D. Jandzik","doi":"10.26496/bjz.2014.69","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26496/bjz.2014.69","url":null,"abstract":"Axanthism in amphibians is a relatively rare color aberration reported less often than leucism or albinism. It is caused by lack of specific types of pigment cells in the skin, namely xanthophores, erythrophores, and iridophores. Here, we present the first case of occurrence of this aberration in a widely distributed toad of the green toad ( Bufotes viridis ) complex and provide an extensive review of axanthism occurrence in amphibians. So far it has been reported in more than 20 species from nine families of amphibians with the highest occurrence in the family Ranidae.","PeriodicalId":8750,"journal":{"name":"Belgian Journal of Zoology","volume":"144 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44631830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In most oscine passerine bird species, male song is composed of different song types of which some are shared with other males. Our aim for this study was to investigate whether song sharing occurs in the pied bush chat (a tropical species with multiple song types), and if so, whether neighbouring males share significantly more song types than non-neighbouring males and whether song sharing declines with increasing distance between males. A standard song sharing index was used to compare all song types of each male with all song types of all other males. Males had a mean repertoire of 22.8±4.4 song types ranging from 17 to 30 song types. Results revealed that neighbouring males shared significantly more song types than did nonneighbouring males. Nevertheless, no two males shared all song types in their repertoires. Furthermore, we observed a significant decline in the proportion of song repertoire shared with increasing distance between males. Results confirm the presence of song sharing in the pied bush chat, which may help neighbouring males to mediate social relationships.
{"title":"Song sharing in the pied bush chat (Saxicola caprata)","authors":"V. Sethi, D. Bhatt, Amit Kumar","doi":"10.26496/bjz.2014.67","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26496/bjz.2014.67","url":null,"abstract":"In most oscine passerine bird species, male song is composed of different song types of which some are shared with other males. Our aim for this study was to investigate whether song sharing occurs in the pied bush chat (a tropical species with multiple song types), and if so, whether neighbouring males share significantly more song types than non-neighbouring males and whether song sharing declines with increasing distance between males. A standard song sharing index was used to compare all song types of each male with all song types of all other males. Males had a mean repertoire of 22.8±4.4 song types ranging from 17 to 30 song types. Results revealed that neighbouring males shared significantly more song types than did nonneighbouring males. Nevertheless, no two males shared all song types in their repertoires. Furthermore, we observed a significant decline in the proportion of song repertoire shared with increasing distance between males. Results confirm the presence of song sharing in the pied bush chat, which may help neighbouring males to mediate social relationships.","PeriodicalId":8750,"journal":{"name":"Belgian Journal of Zoology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49165957","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
T. Delgadin, D. P. Sirkin, Paola Karp, M. Fossati, P. Vissio
Environmental factors and social interactions are known to affect somatic growth and reproduction in teleost fish. It has been described for Cichlasoma dimerus that only one pair is formed under a wide range of laboratory conditions. However, this was not observed in tanks composed of three males and three females, where multiple pair formation occurred. Thus, our objective was to evaluate somatic growth and reproductive performance in C. dimerus under this particular condition, in which more than one pair is expected to be formed. A clear sexual growth dimorphism, with males growing faster than females, and multiple pair formation, sometimes simultaneously, were observed. Both features were absent in previous studies with other aquaria structures. Additionally, there was a significant association between reproductive events and body size, where the bigger the fish, both male and female, the higher the number of reproductive events. Despite the sexual growth dimorphism, no differences were observed between males and females in IGF-I and GHR2 mRNA levels. The results obtained for this social species show a high inter-individual variability in the aquaria in regard to reproductive success and growth. This may have implications on experimental design, where a low level of heterogeneity between fish is desirable. If this variability is not taken into account, possible treatment effects may not be detected.
{"title":"Inter-individual variability in reproductive success and somatic growth in Cichlasoma dimerus (Heckel, 1840)","authors":"T. Delgadin, D. P. Sirkin, Paola Karp, M. Fossati, P. Vissio","doi":"10.26496/bjz.2014.70","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26496/bjz.2014.70","url":null,"abstract":"Environmental factors and social interactions are known to affect somatic growth and reproduction in teleost fish. It has been described for Cichlasoma dimerus that only one pair is formed under a wide range of laboratory conditions. However, this was not observed in tanks composed of three males and three females, where multiple pair formation occurred. Thus, our objective was to evaluate somatic growth and reproductive performance in C. dimerus under this particular condition, in which more than one pair is expected to be formed. A clear sexual growth dimorphism, with males growing faster than females, and multiple pair formation, sometimes simultaneously, were observed. Both features were absent in previous studies with other aquaria structures. Additionally, there was a significant association between reproductive events and body size, where the bigger the fish, both male and female, the higher the number of reproductive events. Despite the sexual growth dimorphism, no differences were observed between males and females in IGF-I and GHR2 mRNA levels. The results obtained for this social species show a high inter-individual variability in the aquaria in regard to reproductive success and growth. This may have implications on experimental design, where a low level of heterogeneity between fish is desirable. If this variability is not taken into account, possible treatment effects may not be detected.","PeriodicalId":8750,"journal":{"name":"Belgian Journal of Zoology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47189660","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fahimeh Azod, S. Shahidi-Noghabi, K. Mahdian, G. Smagghe
Menochilus sexmaculatus Fabricius (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is an important biological control agent in pistachio orchards, especially against Agonoscena pistaciae Burckhardt and Lauterer (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), which is the most damaging pest of pistachio. In this project we exposed M. sexmaculatus adults to two important commonly-used insecticides through feeding on treated prey ( A. pistaciae ) to evaluate the side-effects on this predator. We tested spirotetramat, which belongs to the keto-enol group inhibiting lipid biosynthesis in insects, at 2/1, 1/1 and 1/2 of the maximum field recommended concentration (MFRC), and abamectin, which is a mixture of avermectins and a natural fermentation product of the bacterium Streptomyces avermitilis , at 1/1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 and 1/16 of its MFRC. Spirotetramat did not affect adult survival of M. sexmaculatus at all three concentrations when ingested via treated prey, while in marked contrast abamectin caused 100% adult mortality of M. sexmaculatus when ingested via treated prey at 1/1, 1/2, 1/4 and 1/8 of the MFRC. At sublethal levels, spirotetramat reduced total and daily fecundity of M. sexmaculatus at all three concentrations tested, but did not affect egg hatching at 1/1 and 1/2 of the MFRC. Moreover, prey consumption was decreased when beetles were exposed to the prey treated with spirotetramat at 1/1 and 2/1 of the MFRC concentrations. With abamectin, even at 1/16 of the MFRC, total fecundity, daily fecundity and prey consumption of M. sexmaculatus adults were significantly affected. In conclusion, no acute toxicity was observed on M. sexmaculatus by ingestion of prey treated with spirotetramat, although reproduction parameters and prey consumption were affected at MFRC and lower concentrations. In marked contrast, abamectin was notably very harmful at its MFRC and also at lower concentrations. This research highlighted the importance of toxicity risk assessments, including lethal and sublethal effects, to obtain a more accurate estimation of the compatibility of insecticides in current integrated pest management (IPM) programs.
{"title":"Lethal and sublethal effects of spirotetramat and abamectin on predatory beetles (Menochilus sexmaculatus) via prey (Agonoscena pistaciae) exposure, important for integrated pest management in pistachio orchards","authors":"Fahimeh Azod, S. Shahidi-Noghabi, K. Mahdian, G. Smagghe","doi":"10.26496/BJZ.2016.46","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26496/BJZ.2016.46","url":null,"abstract":"Menochilus sexmaculatus Fabricius (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is an important biological control agent in pistachio orchards, especially against Agonoscena pistaciae Burckhardt and Lauterer (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), which is the most damaging pest of pistachio. In this project we exposed M. sexmaculatus adults to two important commonly-used insecticides through feeding on treated prey ( A. pistaciae ) to evaluate the side-effects on this predator. We tested spirotetramat, which belongs to the keto-enol group inhibiting lipid biosynthesis in insects, at 2/1, 1/1 and 1/2 of the maximum field recommended concentration (MFRC), and abamectin, which is a mixture of avermectins and a natural fermentation product of the bacterium Streptomyces avermitilis , at 1/1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 and 1/16 of its MFRC. Spirotetramat did not affect adult survival of M. sexmaculatus at all three concentrations when ingested via treated prey, while in marked contrast abamectin caused 100% adult mortality of M. sexmaculatus when ingested via treated prey at 1/1, 1/2, 1/4 and 1/8 of the MFRC. At sublethal levels, spirotetramat reduced total and daily fecundity of M. sexmaculatus at all three concentrations tested, but did not affect egg hatching at 1/1 and 1/2 of the MFRC. Moreover, prey consumption was decreased when beetles were exposed to the prey treated with spirotetramat at 1/1 and 2/1 of the MFRC concentrations. With abamectin, even at 1/16 of the MFRC, total fecundity, daily fecundity and prey consumption of M. sexmaculatus adults were significantly affected. In conclusion, no acute toxicity was observed on M. sexmaculatus by ingestion of prey treated with spirotetramat, although reproduction parameters and prey consumption were affected at MFRC and lower concentrations. In marked contrast, abamectin was notably very harmful at its MFRC and also at lower concentrations. This research highlighted the importance of toxicity risk assessments, including lethal and sublethal effects, to obtain a more accurate estimation of the compatibility of insecticides in current integrated pest management (IPM) programs.","PeriodicalId":8750,"journal":{"name":"Belgian Journal of Zoology","volume":"146 1","pages":"113-122"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41481385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Introduced species may compete with indigenous ones, e.g. for space resources, but evidence for syntopic cavity-nester birds is limited, at least for Mediterranean urban parks. In this work we report data on nest-site habitat use, availability and selection in two species: the introduced rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri) and the autochthonous starling (Sturnus vulgaris) nesting in ornamental tree (Cedrus libanotica) patches occurring in an historical urban park (Rome, central Italy). In particular, in our study we hypothesize that parakeets negatively affect starling nest-site selection. On 55 trees, we detected 73 available holes for nesting (38.4 % of which hosted nests: 9 of rose-ringed parakeet, 16 of starling, 3 of house sparrow). Birds utilized for nesting only a limited number (< 20%) of the ornamental trees (all larger than 80 cm in diameter). Compared to the total number of available trees, nesting trees had a significantly larger diameter at breast height. We observed a shift in the frequency distribution of nest hole height classes between starlings and parakeets suggesting competition for nesting sites between these two species. Starlings located their nests significantly lower than did rose-ringed parakeets, resulting in a higher specialization for starlings (as measured by the Feinsinger index) than for rose-ringed parakeets. The analysis of co-occurrence highlights a spatial segregation in nest holes. We argue that these differences in preferred nest height are indicative of parakeet dominance over starlings in cavity selection for nesting.
{"title":"Rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri) and starling (Sturnus vulgaris) syntopics in a Mediterranean urban park: evidence for competition in nest-site selection?","authors":"G. Dodaro, C. Battisti","doi":"10.26496/BJZ.2014.61","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26496/BJZ.2014.61","url":null,"abstract":"Introduced species may compete with indigenous ones, e.g. for space resources, but evidence for syntopic cavity-nester birds is limited, at least for Mediterranean urban parks. In this work we report data on nest-site habitat use, availability and selection in two species: the introduced rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri) and the autochthonous starling (Sturnus vulgaris) nesting in ornamental tree (Cedrus libanotica) patches occurring in an historical urban park (Rome, central Italy). In particular, in our study we hypothesize that parakeets negatively affect starling nest-site selection. On 55 trees, we detected 73 available holes for nesting (38.4 % of which hosted nests: 9 of rose-ringed parakeet, 16 of starling, 3 of house sparrow). Birds utilized for nesting only a limited number (< 20%) of the ornamental trees (all larger than 80 cm in diameter). Compared to the total number of available trees, nesting trees had a significantly larger diameter at breast height. We observed a shift in the frequency distribution of nest hole height classes between starlings and parakeets suggesting competition for nesting sites between these two species. Starlings located their nests significantly lower than did rose-ringed parakeets, resulting in a higher specialization for starlings (as measured by the Feinsinger index) than for rose-ringed parakeets. The analysis of co-occurrence highlights a spatial segregation in nest holes. We argue that these differences in preferred nest height are indicative of parakeet dominance over starlings in cavity selection for nesting.","PeriodicalId":8750,"journal":{"name":"Belgian Journal of Zoology","volume":"144 1","pages":"5-14"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41372750","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Zawal, P. Śmietana, E. Stępień, V. Pešić, M. Kłosowska, G. Michoński, A. Bańkowska, P. Dabkowski, R. Stryjecki
Ecological studies of water mites have a very long tradition. However, no explicit data have been obtained to date with regard to specific ecological parameters defining autoecological values for particular species, and therefore such values have not been compared between closely related species. The present study is an attempt at making such comparisons between two closely related species: Mideopsis orbicularis and Mideopsis crassipes . Both species are psammophilous; M. orbicularis prefers stagnant waters, while M. crassipes prefers running waters. The research was conducted during 2010 in 89 localities distributed along the Krąpiel River and in water reservoirs found in its valley. The two species were collected solely in the river, where they were found in 26 localities and only these localities were analyzed. Until now M. crassipes was characterized as a species preferring rather fast-flowing habitats, and M. orbicularis as preferring slow water habitats, i.e. isolated still-water bodies. In this study both species preferred slow flow water habitats: 77.5% (225 individuals) of all M. orbicularis specimens and 67.3% (318 individuals) of all M. crassipes specimens were collected in isolated still-water bodies. The only correlations identified between water mite occurrence and water quality were the positive one between the abundance of M. orbicularis and water temperature, the negative one between the abundance of this species and BOD5. There were also some correlations with substrate, including the positive correlation between occurrence of M. crassipes and sandy bottom. M. orbicularis was also encountered on organic bottoms and among water plants.
{"title":"Habitat comparison of Mideopsis orbicularis (O. F. Müller, 1776) and M. crassipes Soar, 1904 (Acari: Hydrachnidia) in the Krąpiel River","authors":"A. Zawal, P. Śmietana, E. Stępień, V. Pešić, M. Kłosowska, G. Michoński, A. Bańkowska, P. Dabkowski, R. Stryjecki","doi":"10.26496/bjz.2015.50","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26496/bjz.2015.50","url":null,"abstract":"Ecological studies of water mites have a very long tradition. However, no explicit data have been obtained to date with regard to specific ecological parameters defining autoecological values for particular species, and therefore such values have not been compared between closely related species. The present study is an attempt at making such comparisons between two closely related species: Mideopsis orbicularis and Mideopsis crassipes . Both species are psammophilous; M. orbicularis prefers stagnant waters, while M. crassipes prefers running waters. The research was conducted during 2010 in 89 localities distributed along the Krąpiel River and in water reservoirs found in its valley. The two species were collected solely in the river, where they were found in 26 localities and only these localities were analyzed. Until now M. crassipes was characterized as a species preferring rather fast-flowing habitats, and M. orbicularis as preferring slow water habitats, i.e. isolated still-water bodies. In this study both species preferred slow flow water habitats: 77.5% (225 individuals) of all M. orbicularis specimens and 67.3% (318 individuals) of all M. crassipes specimens were collected in isolated still-water bodies. The only correlations identified between water mite occurrence and water quality were the positive one between the abundance of M. orbicularis and water temperature, the negative one between the abundance of this species and BOD5. There were also some correlations with substrate, including the positive correlation between occurrence of M. crassipes and sandy bottom. M. orbicularis was also encountered on organic bottoms and among water plants.","PeriodicalId":8750,"journal":{"name":"Belgian Journal of Zoology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48418928","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The introduction and spread of invasive alien species (IAS) constitutes one of the most important drivers affecting global biodiversity and ecosystem services (1). The rate of biological invasions is accelerated by the world-wide movement of people and goods (2).It is widely recognized that an important first step in developing a strategy for addressing the IAS problem is to document alien species already present as well as those likely to arrive in a particular region. Therefore, reporting on the occurrence of the non-invasive segment of non-native species remains important, since non-natives can become established and behave invasive in time. Moreover, data on pathways and commodities of introductions are crucial to inform preventive strategies to reduce the arrival of new and potentially damaging alien species (3). Information on the routes and mechanisms of invasions is also used in alien species risk assessments, management, monitoring and surveillance (4). Pathway analysis represents a first and important step of curtailing the accidental spread of non-native species and is becoming increasingly important with the newly adopted European Union regulation No 1143/2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of IAS (5, 6). This regulation includes provisions for the drafting of action plans on priority pathways of unintentional species introductions. Here, we report on the introduction of two species of damselfly alien to Belgium:
{"title":"A first report of introduced non-native damselfly species (Zygoptera, Coenagrionidae) for Belgium","authors":"T. Adriaens, G. Knijf","doi":"10.26496/BJZ.2015.60","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26496/BJZ.2015.60","url":null,"abstract":"The introduction and spread of invasive alien species (IAS) constitutes one of the most important drivers affecting global biodiversity and ecosystem services (1). The rate of biological invasions is accelerated by the world-wide movement of people and goods (2).It is widely recognized that an important first step in developing a strategy for addressing the IAS problem is to document alien species already present as well as those likely to arrive in a particular region. Therefore, reporting on the occurrence of the non-invasive segment of non-native species remains important, since non-natives can become established and behave invasive in time. Moreover, data on pathways and commodities of introductions are crucial to inform preventive strategies to reduce the arrival of new and potentially damaging alien species (3). Information on the routes and mechanisms of invasions is also used in alien species risk assessments, management, monitoring and surveillance (4). Pathway analysis represents a first and important step of curtailing the accidental spread of non-native species and is becoming increasingly important with the newly adopted European Union regulation No 1143/2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of IAS (5, 6). This regulation includes provisions for the drafting of action plans on priority pathways of unintentional species introductions. Here, we report on the introduction of two species of damselfly alien to Belgium:","PeriodicalId":8750,"journal":{"name":"Belgian Journal of Zoology","volume":"145 1","pages":"76-80"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43166653","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Urodeles, including European newts, are usually sexually dimorphic predators. Among newts, the alpine newt has the most pronounced sexual size dimorphism (in favour of females). Gender is a factor that is often associated with intra-specific diet differences. Despite the significant number of dietary studies on the alpine newt, some topics such as the breadth of the trophic niche and its overlap between sexes, or inter-sexual differences in qualitative and quantitative composition of prey remain unresolved. The present study dealing with these questions was conducted at two localities (ponds at an elevation of about 450 m) in the Czech Republic. Newts were captured from the banks during the entire breeding season using a dip net, and the stomach contents were extracted using a stomach flushing technique. Altogether 190 individuals were sampled, and a total of 1,417 prey items were obtained. The available food sources differed over the course of the breeding season, as newts changed the taxa they preyed on. This reflects the ability of newts to switch between several hunting strategies. The overall food niche overlap between the sexes was relatively large (C = 0.761, resp. C = 0.797). Inter-sexual differences were detected at both localities, mainly in the number of prey items consumed from the most important prey categories such as Rana eggs or Isopoda, which were consumed in higher numbers by females. The findings of this study suggest that females are more sensitive to the trade-off between energy intake and expenditure during the breeding season.
尾螈，包括欧洲蝾螈，通常是两性异形的捕食者。在蝾螈中，高山蝾螈具有最明显的性别大小二态性(有利于雌性)。性别是一个经常与特定饮食差异相关的因素。尽管对高山蝾螈的饮食进行了大量的研究，但一些主题，如营养生态位的宽度及其在两性之间的重叠，或在猎物的定性和定量组成方面的两性差异，仍未得到解决。目前处理这些问题的研究是在捷克共和国的两个地点(海拔约450米的池塘)进行的。在整个繁殖季节使用浸网从河岸捕获蝾螈，并使用胃冲洗技术提取胃内容物。共采集190只，捕获猎物1417只。随着蝾螈捕食种类的改变，它们在繁殖季节的食物来源也有所不同。这反映了蝾螈在几种狩猎策略之间切换的能力。两性食物生态位总体重叠较大(C = 0.761, p < 0.05)。C = 0.797)。在这两个地方都发现了两性间的差异，主要是在捕食最重要的猎物种类(如蛙卵或等足目动物)的数量上，雌性捕食的数量更多。本研究结果表明，雌性在繁殖季节对能量摄入和消耗之间的权衡更为敏感。
{"title":"Changes in prey importance and prey niche overlap of sexes during the alpine newt breeding season","authors":"O. Kopecký","doi":"10.26496/bjz.2016.42","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26496/bjz.2016.42","url":null,"abstract":"Urodeles, including European newts, are usually sexually dimorphic predators. Among newts, the alpine newt has the most pronounced sexual size dimorphism (in favour of females). Gender is a factor that is often associated with intra-specific diet differences. Despite the significant number of dietary studies on the alpine newt, some topics such as the breadth of the trophic niche and its overlap between sexes, or inter-sexual differences in qualitative and quantitative composition of prey remain unresolved. The present study dealing with these questions was conducted at two localities (ponds at an elevation of about 450 m) in the Czech Republic. Newts were captured from the banks during the entire breeding season using a dip net, and the stomach contents were extracted using a stomach flushing technique. Altogether 190 individuals were sampled, and a total of 1,417 prey items were obtained. The available food sources differed over the course of the breeding season, as newts changed the taxa they preyed on. This reflects the ability of newts to switch between several hunting strategies. The overall food niche overlap between the sexes was relatively large (C = 0.761, resp. C = 0.797). Inter-sexual differences were detected at both localities, mainly in the number of prey items consumed from the most important prey categories such as Rana eggs or Isopoda, which were consumed in higher numbers by females. The findings of this study suggest that females are more sensitive to the trade-off between energy intake and expenditure during the breeding season.","PeriodicalId":8750,"journal":{"name":"Belgian Journal of Zoology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44736907","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Filippo Barbanera, B. Moretti, M. Guerrini, Omar F. Al-Sheikhly, G. Forcina
Historical and modern natural museum collections are storehouses of extraordinary value for scientific research in a wide range of fields. Recent advances in molecular biotechnology (e.g., next generation genomics) have increased the range of collection material employable for DNA-based analyses to unprecedented levels. Nevertheless, the value of museum specimens strictly depends on reliability of data associated with them. We report on investigations of ancient DNA from specimens of smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata, Mustelidae), the largest otter species living in Asia, in US and European mammal collections. Mitochondrial DNA Cytochrome-b gene sequencing proved that the studied specimens were not the expected taxon. Indeed, they actually belonged to three different species, namely the Asian small-clawed (Aonyx cinereus), Eurasian (Lutra lutra) and African clawless (Aonyx capensis) otters. This represents the first record of mustelid misidentification from museum collections. Detection of errors can be extremely difficult when based only on collectors’ notes and data. Hence, we warn scientists involved in otter research about potential challenges when dealing with museum specimens. We recommend curators pursue a multidisciplinary approach, including DNA analyses, to accurately catalogue the resources under their management and uphold the value of biodiversity information.
{"title":"Investigation of ancient DNA to enhance natural history museum collections: misidentification of smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) specimens across multiple museums","authors":"Filippo Barbanera, B. Moretti, M. Guerrini, Omar F. Al-Sheikhly, G. Forcina","doi":"10.26496/BJZ.2016.45","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26496/BJZ.2016.45","url":null,"abstract":"Historical and modern natural museum collections are storehouses of extraordinary value for scientific research in a wide range of fields. Recent advances in molecular biotechnology (e.g., next generation genomics) have increased the range of collection material employable for DNA-based analyses to unprecedented levels. Nevertheless, the value of museum specimens strictly depends on reliability of data associated with them. We report on investigations of ancient DNA from specimens of smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata, Mustelidae), the largest otter species living in Asia, in US and European mammal collections. Mitochondrial DNA Cytochrome-b gene sequencing proved that the studied specimens were not the expected taxon. Indeed, they actually belonged to three different species, namely the Asian small-clawed (Aonyx cinereus), Eurasian (Lutra lutra) and African clawless (Aonyx capensis) otters. This represents the first record of mustelid misidentification from museum collections. Detection of errors can be extremely difficult when based only on collectors’ notes and data. Hence, we warn scientists involved in otter research about potential challenges when dealing with museum specimens. We recommend curators pursue a multidisciplinary approach, including DNA analyses, to accurately catalogue the resources under their management and uphold the value of biodiversity information.","PeriodicalId":8750,"journal":{"name":"Belgian Journal of Zoology","volume":"146 1","pages":"101-112"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47080277","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aphids establish symbiotic associations with a diverse assemblage of mutualistic bacteria. Some of them are not required for the host’s survival but still have a crucial impact on the biology and ecology of their host. Facultative symbionts may modify important host-life-history traits and affect the interactions of aphids with other members of the community. So far several species of aphid have been reported to occur in coastal dunes. Given the extreme environmental conditions of this type of habitat and the wide distribution along the European coast of some aphid species, these aphids would be expected to show variation in their facultative endosymbionts. However, there is currently no information available for these species. To address this question, we collected specimens from different populations of aphids (i.e. Schizaphis rufula, Laingia psammae and Rhopalosiphum padi) associated with the dune grass Ammophila arenaria in several locations of the North and the Irish Sea. By means of specific diagnostic PCR’s we checked for the presence of facultative bacterial endosymbionts in these populations. Results of this explorative assessment showed variation in the endosymbiont community according to species and location. All populations sampled along the North Sea coast were associated with the facultative endosymbiont Serratia symbiotica. Hamiltonella defensa was only detected in some specimens coming from the population in Het Zwin, Belgium. Regiella insecticola and the ?-protobacteria X-type were only found associated with the population of Schizaphis rufula in De Panne, Belgium. Although further experiments are necessary to characterize the nature of these symbiotic relationships, our correlation analyses showed a significant co-occurrence of S. symbiotica with H. defensa and R. insecticola with X-type protobacteria suggesting reciprocal regulatory functions. No significant correlation was detected between the number of mummies (i.e. carcasses of aphids parasitized by wasps) and the occurrence of bacterial symbionts. The potential role of these symbionts in coastal dune ecosystems is discussed.
{"title":"Facultative endosymbionts of aphid populations from coastal dunes of the North Sea","authors":"E. Peña, V. Vandomme, E. Frago","doi":"10.26496/BJZ.2014.64","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26496/BJZ.2014.64","url":null,"abstract":"Aphids establish symbiotic associations with a diverse assemblage of mutualistic bacteria. Some of them are not required for the host’s survival but still have a crucial impact on the biology and ecology of their host. Facultative symbionts may modify important host-life-history traits and affect the interactions of aphids with other members of the community. So far several species of aphid have been reported to occur in coastal dunes. Given the extreme environmental conditions of this type of habitat and the wide distribution along the European coast of some aphid species, these aphids would be expected to show variation in their facultative endosymbionts. However, there is currently no information available for these species. To address this question, we collected specimens from different populations of aphids (i.e. Schizaphis rufula, Laingia psammae and Rhopalosiphum padi) associated with the dune grass Ammophila arenaria in several locations of the North and the Irish Sea. By means of specific diagnostic PCR’s we checked for the presence of facultative bacterial endosymbionts in these populations. Results of this explorative assessment showed variation in the endosymbiont community according to species and location. All populations sampled along the North Sea coast were associated with the facultative endosymbiont Serratia symbiotica. Hamiltonella defensa was only detected in some specimens coming from the population in Het Zwin, Belgium. Regiella insecticola and the ?-protobacteria X-type were only found associated with the population of Schizaphis rufula in De Panne, Belgium. Although further experiments are necessary to characterize the nature of these symbiotic relationships, our correlation analyses showed a significant co-occurrence of S. symbiotica with H. defensa and R. insecticola with X-type protobacteria suggesting reciprocal regulatory functions. No significant correlation was detected between the number of mummies (i.e. carcasses of aphids parasitized by wasps) and the occurrence of bacterial symbionts. The potential role of these symbionts in coastal dune ecosystems is discussed.","PeriodicalId":8750,"journal":{"name":"Belgian Journal of Zoology","volume":"144 1","pages":"41-50"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48624602","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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