scholarly journals Do Active and Passive Antipredator Defences in the Toad Epidalea calamita Differ between Males and Females from Natural Habitats and Agrosystems?

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 614
Author(s):  
Francisco Javier Zamora-Camacho

Due to their assumed costs, simultaneous antipredator strategies are expected to face trade-offs, which, however, could be milder in individuals subjected to a more intense predator pressure. In this work, I studied the relationship between locomotion and parotoid glands in the natterjack toad, Epidalea calamita. Specifically, I predicted that individuals with reduced sprint speed would rely more on their chemical defences, having larger and more aposematically coloured parotoid glands. In addition, I expected this trade-off to be more evident in females and toads from pine grove habitats, because, according to previous work, males and toads from agrosystems are under greater predator pressure. However, sprint speed showed no relationship with coloration, but toads with proportionally greater parotoid glands were also proportionally faster. Thus, the costs of these antipredator traits might not be high enough to make them interfere, or the benefits of simultaneous optimisation of sprint speed and parotoid gland size might outweigh the costs of it in some individuals. In any case, habitat and sex did not affect these relationships, so the trends detected are valid across sexes and the habitats studied.

2004 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrizia Vermigli ◽  
Alessandro Toni

The present research analyzes the relationship between attachment styles at an adult age and field dependence in order to identify possible individual differences in information processing. The “Experience in Close Relationships” test of Brennan et al. was administered to a sample of 380 individuals (160 males, 220 females), while a subsample of 122 subjects was given the Embedded Figure Test to measure field dependence. Confirming the starting hypothesis, the results have shown that individuals with different attachment styles have a different way of perceiving the figure against the background. Ambivalent and avoidant individuals lie at the two extremes of the same dimension while secure individuals occupy the central part. Significant differences also emerged between males and females.


2020 ◽  
pp. 003329412097175
Author(s):  
Johanna Levallius ◽  
Elin Monell ◽  
Andreas Birgegård ◽  
David Clinton ◽  
Emma Forsén Mantilla

Introduction Binge eating is a common behaviour that is strongly linked to both obesity and eating disorder. There is evidence that binge eating commonly co-occurs with other problematic and addictive-like behaviours; however, this has not been explored systematically. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between binge eating, body weight, disordered eating behaviours and associated addictive-like behaviours, with particular attention paid to gender differences. Method A community sample ( N = 500; 75% female, Mage = 32.5 years) reported disordered eating behaviours (i.e. binge eating, purging, restriction of eating, compulsive exercise), body mass index (BMI), food addiction, starvation addiction, exercise dependence, tobacco use and alcohol consumption. Results 42% of females and 21% of males reported binge eating during the past four weeks. Binge eating was significantly associated with all investigated behaviours in females, and with purging, compulsive exercise and overweight/obesity in males. Controlling for BMI, self-starvation predicted binge eating in males (OR = 1.07), while food addiction (OR = 1.73) and alcohol dependence (OR = 1.11) predicted binge eating in females. Conclusions The multiple associations between binge eating and addictive-like behaviors supports broad screening and generalized prevention efforts. Prevention efforts should reflect gender differences.


2021 ◽  
pp. 25-29
Author(s):  
A. E. Barulin ◽  
S. V. Klauchek ◽  
A. E. Klauchek

Purpose of the study. To establish the relationship between neurophysiological status and the level of efficiency in young people with bruxism.Materials and methods. Two groups of 64 and 53 subjects (males and females) aged 20–35 years old with bruxism and non-bruxers were formed according to questionnaire results and physical examination. The level of efficiency was assessed by the results of sensorimotor tracking of a moving object (the ‘Smile’ model). Spectral analysis was performed for evaluation of the baseline electroencephalograms. Microsoft Excel and Statistica 10.0 programs were used for statistical data processing.Results. The level of efficiency was statistically significantly lower in the hardest test of Smile model among the individuals with bruxism (p < 0.05). The bruxers also demonstrated a significantly lower dominant frequency and maximum amplitude of alpha-rhythm (p < 0.05), and significantly higher dominant frequency of beta2 rhythm (p < 0.05). The dominant frequency and the maximum amplitude of the alpha-rhythm are parameters corresponding to significant coefficients of the regression analysis. A negative relationship was found between the degree of error during sensorimotor tracking and the frequency and amplitude of alpha-rhythm.Conclusion. Regression models present the relationship between the level of efficiency and the alpha-rhythm severity. The regression equations make it possible to determine the functional state of the subject using an electroencephalogram.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajiang Chen ◽  
Pengli Cheng ◽  
Yajuan Luo

The phenomenon of "cancer villages" has emerged in many parts of rural China, drawing media attention and becoming a fact of social life. However, the relationship between pollution and disease is often hard to discern. Through sociological analysis of several villages with different social and economic structures, the authors offer a comprehensive, historically grounded analysis of the coexistence between the incidence of cancer, environmental pollution and villagers’ lifestyles, as well as the perceptions, claims and responses of different actors. They situate the appearance of "cancer villages" in the context of social, economic and cultural change in China, tracing the evolution of the issue over two decades, and providing deep insights into the complex interactions and trade-offs between economic growth, environmental change and public health.


2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 537-546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xoaquín Moreira ◽  
Kailen A. Mooney ◽  
Sergio Rasmann ◽  
William K. Petry ◽  
Amparo Carrillo-Gavilán ◽  
...  

1993 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Horst Bohn

AbstractBohn, H.: Revision of the panteli-group of Phyllodromica in Spain and Morocco (Blattaria: Blattellidae: Ectobiinae). Ent. scand. 24: 49-72. Copenhagen, Denmark. April 1993. ISSN 0013-8711. The species of the panteli-group are characterized by lobiform wings in both sexes and very specialized glands on tergite 7 in the males consisting of two pairs of long tubular pouches. The five or six species are distributed in southern Spain (P. panteli (Bolívar), P. coniformis sp. n., P. ignabolivari sp. n.) and northern Morocco (P. Janeri (Bolívar), P. vignai (Failla & Messina), P. sp. B). The distribution pattern suggests a colonization of Morocco from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar. The characteristics of the panteli-group are reported, the relationship with other groups is discussed, all species are described and depicted, and keys for the identification of males and females are presented.


Author(s):  
Tianwei Geng ◽  
Hai Chen ◽  
Di Liu ◽  
Qinqin Shi ◽  
Hang Zhang

Exploring and analyzing the common demands and behavioral responses of different stakeholders is important for revealing the mediating mechanisms of ecosystem service (ES) and realizing the management and sustainable supply of ES. This study took Mizhi County, a poverty-stricken area on the Loess Plateau in China, as an example. First, the main stakeholders, common demands, and behavioral responses in the food provision services were identified. Second, the relationship among stakeholders was analyzed. Finally, this study summarized three types of mediating mechanisms of food provision services and analyzed the influence of the different types of mediating mechanisms. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) Five main stakeholders in the study area were identified: government, farmers, enterprises, cooperatives, and middlemen. (2) Increasing farmers’ income is the common demand of most stakeholders in the study area, and this common demand has different effects on the behavioral responses of different stakeholders. (3) There are three types of mediating mechanisms in the study area: government + farmers mediating corn and mutton, government + enterprises mediating millet, and government + cooperatives mediating apples. On this basis, the effects of the different types of mediating mechanisms on variations in food yield, and trade-offs and synergies in typical townships, were analyzed.


2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaac Estevan ◽  
Octavio Álvarez ◽  
Coral Falcó ◽  
Isabel Castillo

Development of self-efficacy scales allows the analysis of athletes’ perceptions and examination of the relationship between perception and performance. The aim of this paper was to: (1) develop a specific self-efficacy scale in a taekwondo task, the roundhouse kick, and (2) analyse the sport performance and its relationship with two self-efficacy scales (specific and general) outcomes according to the athletes’ gender.<strong> </strong>Forty-three taekwondo athletes (33 male and 10 female) participated in this study. The Physical (PSE) and Specific (RKSES) self-efficacy scales were administered. Performance data (impact force and total response time) were acquired by athletes kicking twice to an instrumented target. Results showed that the specific self-efficacy scale has high reliability and is able to predict sport performance in males and females. Males had higher self-efficacy scores and also higher performance results than females. Females’ taekwondo psychological training should be focus on improving their self-efficacy perception in order to increase their performance in the roundhouse kick. This specific self-efficacy scale for the taekwondo roundhouse kick offers empirical information to coaches, sport psychologists and researchers that allow them to predict athletes’ sport performance in the roundhouse kick.


Author(s):  
Zhakiah Ahmed Amer

The objective of the current study was to detect the relationship between the qualitative differences between the creativity and the age of the student and the age of the parents at birth، family size، birth order، economic and cultural level، loss of parents and their habitat (environment) using the descriptive approach. A total of 953 students، from the first level (males and females) and from the scientific and literary colleges in Khartoum University، Sudan. The results showed no significant differences in creativity، no correlative between the age of the parents and the students' ages in creativity، but there are: - a negative correlative relationship with maternal age at level (0. 01) and a positive correlative relationship with the age of the students at the level (0. 01)، but in both flexibility and fluency، there is a negative correlation relationship statistically significant with the age of students at the level of (0. 01). There is no correlation between the creativity and birth order of the student، creativity and family size، negative correlative relation with family size at (0. 01). The differences in creativity could be attributed to the place of residence at a significant level (0. 01).  


eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheng-Kai Hsu ◽  
Ana Marija Jakšić ◽  
Viola Nolte ◽  
Manolis Lirakis ◽  
Robert Kofler ◽  
...  

The pervasive occurrence of sexual dimorphism demonstrates different adaptive strategies of males and females. While different reproductive strategies of the two sexes are well-characterized, very little is known about differential functional requirements of males and females in their natural habitats. Here, we study the impact environmental change on the selection response in both sexes. Exposing replicated Drosophila populations to a novel temperature regime, we demonstrate sex-specific changes in gene expression, metabolic and behavioral phenotypes in less than 100 generations. This indicates not only different functional requirements of both sexes in the new environment but also rapid sex-specific adaptation. Supported by computer simulations we propose that altered sex-biased gene regulation from standing genetic variation, rather than new mutations, is the driver of rapid sex-specific adaptation. Our discovery of environmentally driven divergent functional requirements of males and females has important implications-possibly even for gender aware medical treatments.


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