Diversity and invasion within a predator community: impacts on herbivore suppression

2011 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 453-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian N. Hogg ◽  
Kent M. Daane
Life ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 562
Author(s):  
Anita Giglio ◽  
Maria Luigia Vommaro ◽  
Pietro Brandmayr ◽  
Federica Talarico

Predator community structure is an important selective element shaping the evolution of prey defence traits and strategies. Carabid beetles are one of the most diverse families of Coleoptera, and their success in terrestrial ecosystems is related to considerable morphological, physiological, and behavioural adaptations that provide protection against predators. Their most common form of defence is the chemical secretion from paired abdominal pygidial glands that produce a heterogeneous set of carboxylic acids, quinones, hydrocarbons, phenols, aldehydes, and esters. This review attempts to update and summarise what is known about the pygidial glands, with particular reference to the morphology of the glands and the biological function of the secretions.


2015 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 849-860 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Govindaraj ◽  
B. Ganeshkumar ◽  
K. R. Nethrayini ◽  
R. Shalini ◽  
V. Balamurugan ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
S. D. Sivasubramaniam ◽  
M. Cosentino ◽  
L. Ribeiro ◽  
F. Marino

AbstractThe data produced by the scientific community impacts on academia, clinicians, and the general public; therefore, the scientific community and other regulatory bodies have been focussing on ethical codes of conduct. Despite the measures taken by several research councils, unethical research, publishing and/or reviewing behaviours still take place. This exploratory study considers some of the current unethical practices and the reasons behind them and explores the ways to discourage these within research and other professional disciplinary bodies. These interviews/discussions with PhD students, technicians, and academics/principal investigators (PIs) (N=110) were conducted mostly in European higher education institutions including UK, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Czech Republic and Netherlands.Through collegiate discussions, sharing experiences and by examining previously published/reported information, authors have identified several less reported behaviours. Some of these practices are mainly influenced either by the undue institutional expectations of research esteem or by changes in the journal review process. These malpractices can be divided in two categories relating to (a) methodological malpractices including data management, and (b) those that contravene publishing ethics. The former is mostly related to “committed bias”, by which the author selectively uses the data to suit their own hypothesis, methodological malpractice relates to selection of out-dated protocols that are not suited to the intended work. Although these are usually unintentional, incidences of intentional manipulations have been reported to authors of this study. For example, carrying out investigations without positive (or negative) controls; but including these from a previous study. Other methodological malpractices include unfair repetitions to gain statistical significance, or retrospective ethical approvals. In contrast, the publication related malpractices such as authorship malpractices, ethical clearance irregularities have also been reported. The findings also suggest a globalised approach with clear punitive measures for offenders is needed to tackle this problem.


Author(s):  
Yilin Qian ◽  
Kunihiro Okano ◽  
Miwa Kodato ◽  
Michiko Arai ◽  
Takeru Yanagiya ◽  
...  

Abstract Toxic cyanobacterial blooms frequently develop in eutrophic freshwater bodies worldwide. Microcystis species produce microcystins (MCs) as a cyanotoxin. Certain bacteria that harbor the mlr gene cluster, especially mlrA, are capable of degrading MCs. However, MCs-degrading bacteria may possess or lack mlr genes (mlr+ and mlr− genotypes, respectively). In this study we investigated the genotype that predominantly contributes to biodegradation and cyanobacterial predator community structure with change in total MCs concentration in an aquatic environment. The two genotypes co-existed but mlr+ predominated, as indicated by the negative correlation between mlrA gene copy abundance and total MCs concentration. At the highest MCs concentrations, predation pressure by Phyllopoda, Copepoda, and Monogononta (rotifers) was reduced; thus, MCs may be toxic to cyanobacterial predators. The results suggest cooperation between MCs-degrading bacteria and predators may reduce Microcystis abundance and MCs concentration.


2021 ◽  
pp. 000765032110530
Author(s):  
Akwasi Opoku-Dakwa

Although work tasks often address substantive social issues, the effects of issue characteristics on task motivation are little understood. This study explores this topic by examining how the moral characteristics of an issue (moral intensity) affect motivation in tasks intended to address the issue (task motivation). Adopting the lens of work design theory, I hypothesize that moral intensity increases task motivation through the mediation of perceived task impacts on the community (perceived community impacts), and that this effect will occur after controlling for the effects of perceived task impact on the worker and their organization. In two studies in the context of volunteering I find that, rather than acting in parallel with other task impacts, the effect of moral intensity through perceived community impacts is fully mediated by perceived organization and self impacts in a three-stage mediation. These findings demonstrate the potential relevance of issue characteristics such as moral intensity to work design theory and shed new light on the psychological mechanisms through which perceived prosocial impacts promote task motivation. I discuss implications for research and practice.


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