Algal-searching ability in laboratory experiments reflects orange spot coloration of the male guppy in the wild

AbstractExtrapolating patterns from individuals to populations informs climate vulnerability models, yet biological responses to warming are uncertain at both levels. Here we contrast data on the heating tolerances of fishes from laboratory experiments with abundance patterns of wild populations. We find that heating tolerances in terms of individual physiologies in the lab and abundance in the wild decline with increasing temperature at the same rate. However, at a given acclimation temperature or optimum temperature, tropical individuals and populations have broader heating tolerances than temperate ones. These congruent relationships implicate a tight coupling between physiological and demographic processes underpinning macroecological patterns, and identify vulnerability in both temperate and tropical species.

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Technology of landscaping in arid zones by using biohumus from sheep wool

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/202016902012 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 169 ◽

pp. 02012

Author(s):

Alibek Ydyrys ◽

Birlikbay Yeszhanov ◽

Nurlan Baymurzaev ◽

Sayat Sharakhmetov ◽

Askar Mautenbaev ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Laboratory Experiments ◽

Green Economy ◽

Arid Zones ◽

Environmental Standards ◽

Water Shortages ◽

Ecological Zones ◽

In The Wild ◽

New Ideas ◽

Low Humidity ◽

Sheep Wool

The problem of greening the arid zones in Kazakhstan and in the world, as well as addressing water shortages in agriculture in these areas, requires new ideas or innovative technologies. We used sheep’s wool to create biohumus in combination with desert soils. In Kazakhstan sheep’s wool is considered useless, although it is rich in bioresources. Our research shows that biohumus obtained from sheep’s wool is highly fertile in laboratory experiments, and for it the need to use water is 3 times less than for other soils. Under laboratory conditions, we have proven that biohumus can be used to grow plants in different ecological zones. Its use in the wild/field can solve several problems of greening dry areas and growing food crops in low humidity conditions. In addition, it can increase the value of sheep’s wool as a bio resource. It is thus an economically promising technology that meets the environmental standards of a green economy.

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Mate Guarding in Male Sand Lizards (Lacerta Agilis)

Behaviour ◽

10.1163/156853996x00503 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 133 (5-6) ◽

pp. 367-386 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Annica Gullberg ◽

Mats Olsson ◽

Hakan Tegelström

Keyword(s):

Laboratory Experiments ◽

Mate Guarding ◽

Operational Sex Ratio ◽

Sexually Active ◽

Museum Collection ◽

Male Size ◽

Female Age ◽

In The Wild ◽

Mate Acquisition ◽

Lacerta Agilis

AbstractWe investigated factors that may determine mate guarding tactics in male sand lizards. In a sample of lizards from a museum collection, larger males had larger testis, but in laboratory experiments and in a natural population larger males did not sire more offspring. Males with long inter-copulatory intervals were more successful in sperm competition than males with short inter-copulatory intervals. In the wild, the operational sex ratio (OSR, No of receptive females/No of sexually active males) declined throughout the mating season. Mean duration of mate guardings was unaffected by OSR, time to ovulation, female age and mass, and clutch size. Larger males guarded females longer and were more likely to mate guard a female of similar age. Larger males had more partners but there was no correlation between male size or guarding time and the proportion of young that males sired in clutches from females mated with several partners. Males with more partners were more successful at siring offspring in clutches from females that mated with more than one partner. We suggest that fitter males are better at both mate acquisition and have more competitive sperm.

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Epidemiological dynamics of viral infection in a marine picoeukaryote

10.1101/2021.03.23.436719 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Luisa Listmann ◽

Sarah Heath ◽

Pedro F. Vale ◽

C. Elisa Schaum ◽

Sinead Collins

Keyword(s):

Population Dynamics ◽

Laboratory Experiments ◽

Natural Populations ◽

Epidemiological Models ◽

Laboratory Findings ◽

Serial Transfer ◽

Natural Systems ◽

Ostreococcus Tauri ◽

In The Wild ◽

Low Costs

AbstractOstreococcus tauri is a ubiquitous marine pico-eukaryote that is susceptible to lysis upon infection by its species specific Ostreococcus tauri viruses (OtVs). In natural populations of O. tauri, costs of resistance are usually invoked to explain the persistence or reappearance of susceptible individuals in resistant populations. Given the low costs of resistance measured in laboratory experiments with the O. tauri/OtV system to date, the question remains of why susceptible individuals persist in the wild at all. Epidemiological models of host and pathogen population dynamics are one useful approach to understand the conditions that can allow the coexistence of susceptible and resistant hosts. We used a SIR (Susceptible-Infected-Resistant) model to investigate epidemiological dynamics under different laboratory culturing regimes that are commonly used in the O.tauri/OtV system. When taking into account serial transfer (i.e. batchcycle lengths) and dilution rates as well as different resistance costs, our model predicts that no susceptible cells should be detected under any of the simulated conditions – this is consistent with laboratory findings. We thus considered an alternative model that is not used in laboratory experiments, but which incorporates one key process in natural populations: host populations are periodically re-seeded with new infective viruses. In this model, susceptible individuals re-occurred in the population, despite low costs of resistance. This suggests that periodic attack by new viruses, rather than (or in addition to) costs of resistance, may explain the high proportion of susceptible hosts in natural populations, and underlie the discrepancy between laboratory studies and observations of fresh isolates.ImportanceIn natural samples of Ostreococcus sp. and its associated viruses, susceptible hosts are common. However, in laboratory experiments, fully resistant host populations readily and irreversibly evolve. Laboratory experiments are powerful methods for studying process because they offer a stripped-down simplification of a complex system, but this simplification may be an oversimplification for some questions. For example, laboratory and field systems of marine microbes and their viruses differ in population sizes and dynamics, mixing or migration rates, and species diversity, all of which can dramatically alter process outcomes. We demonstrate the utility of using epidemiological models to explore experimental design and to understand mechanisms underlying host-virus population dynamics. We highlight that such models can be used to form strong, testable hypotheses about which key elements of natural systems need to be included in laboratory systems to make them simplified, rather than oversimplified, versions of the processes we use them to study.

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Crayfish chelae usage suggests predominantly ambidextrous habitude

Crustaceana ◽

10.1163/15685403-00003886 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 92 (3) ◽

pp. 257-267 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Sandra-Florina Lele ◽

Lucian Pârvulescu

Keyword(s):

Laboratory Experiments ◽

Specific Pattern ◽

Freshwater Crayfish ◽

Wild Populations ◽

Decapod Crustaceans ◽

Biometrical Analysis ◽

Astacus Leptodactylus ◽

In The Wild ◽

Austropotamobius Torrentium ◽

Crayfish Species

Abstract Heterochely is an important feature in some marine decapod crustaceans, but it is seldom investigated in freshwater crayfish. In this study, we applied a biometrical analysis targeting wild populations of three European crayfish species, Astacus leptodactylus, Astacus astacus, and Austropotamobius torrentium, as well as one invasive North American species, Faxonius limosus. Field data were combined with video-recorded observations to understand the usage of chelae in laboratory experiments for A. leptodactylus and F. limosus. According to biometrical measurements, heterochely was evenly distributed between species and sexes in wild populations, leading to the assumption that there is no specific pattern in chela size. Moreover, we found that the ambidextrous usage of chelae is a commonly encountered behaviour in crayfish, since no significant relationship was found between their chelae and asymmetry. This behaviour could maximize the chances of survival for crayfish in general, since losing one or both chelae is often recorded in the wild.

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Measuring Preferences and Choices

Mate Choice ◽

10.23943/princeton/9780691150673.003.0002 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Gil G. Rosenthal

Keyword(s):

Conceptual Framework ◽

Laboratory Experiments ◽

Internal Representation ◽

Social Affiliation ◽

Mating Preferences ◽

Behavioral Observations ◽

In The Wild

Studies of mating outcomes range from behavioral observations of social affiliation in the wild, to laboratory experiments where individual choosers and courters are paired in isolation. However, mating outcomes do not tell us much about mating preferences. In order to understand what is going on inside the heads and bodies of choosers, we need to measure not only the mate choices of choosers—how choosers discriminate among actual mates—but also the underlying preferences: choosers' internal representation of courter traits. This chapter begins by discussing how mating outcomes are measured. It then presents a conceptual framework for thinking about how preferences are structured, followed by a discussion of the options for empirically measuring mating preferences and the pitfalls associated with each approach.

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Peromyscus mice as a model for studying natural variation

eLife ◽

10.7554/elife.06813 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

Cited By ~ 82

Author(s):

Nicole L Bedford ◽

Hopi E Hoekstra

Keyword(s):

Disease Ecology ◽

Natural Variation ◽

Laboratory Experiments ◽

Deer Mouse ◽

Model Organisms ◽

Field Observations ◽

Terrestrial Habitat ◽

In The Wild ◽

History Of ◽

And Behavior

The deer mouse (genus Peromyscus) is the most abundant mammal in North America, and it occupies almost every type of terrestrial habitat. It is not surprising therefore that the natural history of Peromyscus is among the best studied of any small mammal. For decades, the deer mouse has contributed to our understanding of population genetics, disease ecology, longevity, endocrinology and behavior. Over a century's worth of detailed descriptive studies of Peromyscus in the wild, coupled with emerging genetic and genomic techniques, have now positioned these mice as model organisms for the study of natural variation and adaptation. Recent work, combining field observations and laboratory experiments, has lead to exciting advances in a number of fields—from evolution and genetics, to physiology and neurobiology.

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Determining the age of adults of Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae)

Bulletin of Entomological Research ◽

10.1017/s0007485300009123 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 73 (3) ◽

pp. 501-525 ◽

Cited By ~ 61

Author(s):

T. S. Mail ◽

J. Chadwick ◽

M. J. Lehane

Keyword(s):

Laboratory Experiments ◽

Preliminary Investigation ◽

Stomoxys Calcitrans ◽

Standard Laboratory ◽

Promising Candidate ◽

Double Blind ◽

In The Wild ◽

Males And Females ◽

The Uk ◽

Accumulation Method

AbstractA preliminary investigation to find an easily assayable biochemical character, varying reproducibly with age which would give a more accurate assessment of insect age than the best methods then available, had revealed the fluorescent eye pigments, the pteridines, as a promising candidate. Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) was chosen as a model. Double-blind laboratory experiments in which the age post-eclosion of females was predicted from a standard laboratory curve of pteridine accumulation with age post-eclosion, showed the method to be accurate on average to ±1·49 days. Further laboratory experiments defined the relationships between temperature and pteridine accumulation in males and females of S. calcitrans such that the method could be modified for field use. Field observations in the UK indicated that the temperature of adults in the wild is determined by ambient temperature, the number of sunlight hours and the flies' own physiological and/or behavioural capabilities. From this information, equations for the accumulation of pteridines with temperature and age post-eclosion in males and females of S. calcitrans were constructed. To test the accuracy of these equations, approximately 19 600 marked flies of known age were released in a farmyard; 126 females were recaptured over 22 days and 90 males over 19 days. The average errors of predicted age using the pteridine accumulation method were ±190 days for females and ±137 days for males over the life-span of the recaptured insects.

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On Skeletochronology of Asian grass frog Fejervarya limnocharis (Gravenhorst, 1829) from Java to support management conservation

TREUBIA ◽

10.14203/treubia.v45i0.3109 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 45 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Ni Luh Putu Rischa Phadmacanty ◽

Amir Hamidy ◽

Gono Semiadi

Keyword(s):

Traditional Medicine ◽

Laboratory Experiments ◽

High Volume ◽

Biological Data ◽

Minimum Size ◽

Hematoxylin Staining ◽

In The Wild ◽

Fejervarya Limnocharis

Asian grass frog Fejervarya limnocharis is being utilized as pets, for laboratory experiments, for a mixture of traditional medicine and for cuisine. The harvest of F. limnocharis in high volume can threat its population. Biological data such as the age when the specimens are harvested is valuable information to manage the harvesting system in sustainable way. We conducted the skeletochronology technique using paraffin methods and hematoxylin staining from 69 samples (46 males, 21 females, 2 juveniles). The results showed that the age harvested male ranged from 1 to 3 years old, while the female ranged from 2 to 3 years old. The snout-vent length (SVL) of harvested specimens ranges between 39.84−52.37 mm for both sexes. We propose an intervention in the harvesting system by limitation of the size for harvested specimens to at least 46 mm. In this minimum size, individuals of F. limnocharis have reproduced several times and have contributed to the population in the wild.

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Fish Models in Neural and Behavioral Toxicology: Expanding beyond Mortality and Teratogenicity

10.20944/preprints201909.0234.v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Bruna Patrícia Dutra Costa ◽

Layana Aquino Moura ◽

Sabrina Alana Gomes Pinto ◽

Monica Gomes Lima-Maximino ◽

Caio Maximino

Keyword(s):

Life History ◽

Laboratory Experiments ◽

Life History Traits ◽

Toxicity Assessment ◽

Point Of View ◽

Neurobehavioral Function ◽

Highly Sensitive ◽

In The Wild ◽

Current Guidelines ◽

Behavioral Domains

The industry is increasingly relying on fish for toxicity assessment. However, current guidelines for toxicity assessment focus on teratogenicity and mortality. From an ecotoxicological point of view, however, these endpoints are not sensitive enough, as they are not able to detect sub-lethal or non-teratogenic effects that can nonetheless result in decreased fitness and/or inability to adapt to a changing environment, affecting whole populations. Impacts of toxicants on neurobehavioral function have the potential to affect many different life-history traits, and are easier to assess in the laboratory than in the wild. We propose that carefully-controlled laboratory experiments on different behavioral domains – including anxiety, aggression, and exploration – can increase our understanding of the ecotoxicological impacts of contaminants, since these domains are related to traits such as defense, sociality, and reproduction, directly impacting life-history traits. We review the effects of selected contaminants on these tests, focusing on larval and adult zebrafish, showing that these behavioral domains are highly sensitive to small concentrations of these substances. These strategies suggest a way forward on ecotoxicological research using fish.

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