Skip to content. | Skip to navigation

Personal tools

You are here: Home

Search results

RSS Subscribe to an always-updated RSS feed.

4466 items matching your search terms.
Filter the results.
Item type



































New items since



Sort by relevance · date (newest first) · alphabetically
Article Reference Complex geographical variation patterns in Tropheus duboisi Marlier, 1959 (Perciformes, Cichlidae) from Lake Tanganyika
Intra-specific morphological variation in the cichlid Tropheus duboisi from 10 localities over its entire known distribution area along the central eastern and northern shore of Lake Tanganyika was investigated. This revealed significant differences between various populations that are geographically isolated. These morphological observations only partially correspond to the results of a haplotype network, based on mtDNA. In addition, a difference in the timing of the onset of the adult colour pattern was discovered for one isolated population. The occurrence of morphological intra-specific differentiation is discussed with respect to the basal position of T. duboisi within Tropheus as well as to the presumed morphological stasis of the genus.
Located in Library / No RBINS Staff publications
Article Reference A new Placodermi (Acanthothoraci) from the Early Devonian Jauf Formation (Saudi Arabia)
Located in Library / No RBINS Staff publications
Article Reference Inferring internal anatomy from the trilobite exoskeleton: the relationship between frontal auxiliary impressions and the digestive system
Located in Library / No RBINS Staff publications
Article Reference Genital anatomy, jaw and radula of Guladentia subtussulcata (Helicoidea, Cepolidae), endemic to western Cuba
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022 OA
Article Reference The evolutionary history of Neanderthal and Denisovan Y chromosomes
The genomes of archaic hominins have been sequenced and compared with that of modern humans. However, most archaic individuals with high-quality sequences available have been female. Petr et al. performed targeted sequencing of the paternally inherited Y chromosomes from three Neanderthals and two Denisovans (see the Perspective by Schierup). Comparisons with available archaic and diverse modern human Y chromosomes indicated that, similar to the maternally inherited mitochondria, the human and Neanderthal Y chromosomes were more closely related to each other compared with the Denisovan Y chromosome. This result supports the conclusion that interbreeding between early humans and Neanderthals and selection replaced the more ancient Denisovian-like Y chromosome and mitochondria in Neanderthals.Science, this issue p. 1653; see also p. 1565Ancient DNA has provided new insights into many aspects of human history. However, we lack comprehensive studies of the Y chromosomes of Denisovans and Neanderthals because the majority of specimens that have been sequenced to sufficient coverage are female. Sequencing Y chromosomes from two Denisovans and three Neanderthals shows that the Y chromosomes of Denisovans split around 700 thousand years ago from a lineage shared by Neanderthals and modern human Y chromosomes, which diverged from each other around 370 thousand years ago. The phylogenetic relationships of archaic and modern human Y chromosomes differ from the population relationships inferred from the autosomal genomes and mirror mitochondrial DNA phylogenies, indicating replacement of both the mitochondrial and Y chromosomal gene pools in late Neanderthals. This replacement is plausible if the low effective population size of Neanderthals resulted in an increased genetic load in Neanderthals relative to modern humans.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2020
Article Reference A century of coping with environmental and ecological changes via compensatory biomineralization in mussels
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Article Reference On two new species of Cypricercus Sars 1895 (Crustacea, Ostracoda) from Brazil
We describe two new species of Cypricercus, Cypricercus alfredo sp. nov. and Cypricercus tiao sp. nov., and briefly redescribe the female of Cypricercus centrurus (Klie, 1940) from Brazilian floodplains. Both new species have the elongated carapace which is characteristic of the genus. Cypricercus alfredo sp. nov. was found as both sexual and asexual populations and has a posterior spine on the right valve and differs from the Brazilian C. centrurus by the position and the size of spine and the size and shape of the carapace. Cypricercus tiao sp. nov. was found as one asexual population only and lacks a posterior spine on the right valve. Cypricercus populations in Brazil mostly consist exclusively of asexual females, but some sexual populations and populations with mixed reproduction can also be found. This genus occurs primarily in the Southern Hemisphere, but some species can also be found in the southern part of North America and in India. We also present a re-appraisal of all species presently allocated to the genus, primarily based on original descriptions.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Article Reference Species niches, not traits, determine abundance and occupancy patterns: A multi‐site synthesis
Aim Locally abundant species are usually widespread, and this pattern has been related to properties of the niches and traits of species. However, such explanations fail to account for the potential of traits to determine species niches and often overlook statistical artefacts. Here, we examine how trait distinctiveness determines the abilities of species to exploit either common habitats (niche position) or a range of habitats (niche breadth) and how niche position and breadth, in turn, affect abundance and occupancy. We also examine how statistical artefacts moderate these relationships. Location Sixteen sites in the Neotropics. Time period 1993–2014. Major taxa studied Aquatic invertebrates from tank bromeliads. Methods We measured the environmental niche position and breadth of each species and calculated its trait distinctiveness as the average trait difference from all other species at each site. Then, we used a combination of structural equation models and a meta-analytical approach to test trait–niche relationships and a null model to control for statistical artefacts. Results The trait distinctiveness of each species was unrelated to its niche properties, abundance and occupancy. In contrast, niche position was the main predictor of abundance and occupancy; species that used the most common environmental conditions found across bromeliads were locally abundant and widespread. Contributions of niche breadth to such patterns were attributable to statistical artefacts, indicating that effects of niche breadth might have been overestimated in previous studies. Main conclusions Our study reveals the generality of niche position in explaining one of the most common ecological patterns. The robustness of this result is underscored by the geographical extent of our study and our control of statistical artefacts. We call for a similar examination across other systems, which is an essential task to understand the drivers of commonness across the tree of life.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Article Reference The value of eco-volunteer projects for biodiversity conservation-butterfly monitoring in Krka National Park (Croatia) with an updated checklist.
The biogeographical importance of Dalmatia, bordered by the Dinaric Alps and the Adriatic Sea, is evident through the rich biodiversity of this region and its network of protected areas. One of those areas, Krka National Park (NP), supports a wide range of natural habitats, but rapidly increasing tourism puts high pressure on its ecosystems, despite its protected status. Accurate knowledge of species and their distributions within natural places such as Krka is essential to direct and prioritize future conservation efforts. As collecting biodiversity data is time and resource-intensive, alternative ways to obtain this information are needed. One possibility is monitoring based on ecovolunteering. From June to August of 2019, an Operation Wallacea/BIOTA scientific team surveyed a section of Krka NP and its surrounding boundaries, within the vicinity of the village of Puljane, to study its butterfly richness and abundance. Pollard walks and static count surveys were conducted with the help of eco-volunteers, testing the effectiveness of gathering field data through this approach. Overall, 57 butterfly species were found throughout the study, including four new records for Krka NP. Three further new species for the park were detected close to its boundaries and are also expected to occur within its borders. Here, we present an updated butterfly checklist for Krka NP, highlighting the positive impact of eco-volunteering initiatives and the importance of combined research efforts to study and protect the rich biodiversity and ecosystems of protected areas.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Article Reference Climate influences the response of community functional traits to local conditions
Functional traits determine an organism’s performance in a given environment and as such determine which organisms will be found where. Species respond to local conditions, but also to larger scale gradients, such as climate. Trait ecology links these responses of species to community composition and species distributions. Yet, we often do not know which environmental gradients are most important in determining community trait composition at either local or biogeographical scales, or their interaction. Here we quantify the relative contribution of local and climatic conditions to the structure and composition of functional traits found within bromeliad invertebrate communities. We conclude that climate explains more variation in invertebrate trait composition within bromeliads than does local conditions. Importantly, climate mediated the response of traits to local conditions; for example, invertebrates with benthic life-history traits increased with bromeliad water volume only under certain precipitation regimes. Our ability to detect this and other patterns hinged on the compilation of multiple fine-grained datasets, allowing us to contrast the effect of climate vs. local conditions. We suggest that, in addition to sampling communities at local scales, we need to aggregate studies that span large ranges in climate variation in order to fully understand trait filtering at local, regional and global scales.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021