The Science of Nature

https://link.springer.com/journal/114

List of Papers (Total 452)

Branched tyramides from males of the harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex badius

Tyramides are produced in microgram quantities by males of species in the large Myrmicine ant sub-family (> 7000 species). Tyramides are transferred to female sexuals during mating where a specific female sexual evolved enzyme hydrolyzes the tyramides to the biogenic amine, tyramine. Tyramine is a ligand for receptors that rapidly activate reproductive development in the newly...

Integument colouration and circulating carotenoids in relation to urbanisation in Eurasian kestrels (Falco tinnunculus)

Urbanisation is one of the biggest environmental challenges of our time, yet we still lack an integrative understanding of how cities affect behaviour, physiology and parasite susceptibility of free-living organisms. In this study, we focus on carotenoids, strictly dietary micronutrients that can either be used as yellow-red pigments, for integument colouration (signalling...

Homeotic transformation in a terrestrial isopod: insights into the appendage identity in crustaceans

In many crustacean species, an individual possesses both uniramous and biramous appendages that enable us to compare the two types on the same genetic background. Therefore, among the diverse morphologies of arthropod appendages, crustacean biramous appendages provide interesting subjects for studying the developmental mechanisms underlying appendage modifications. In this study...

Diet composition of wild columbiform birds: next-generation sequencing of plant and metazoan DNA in faecal samples

Accurate knowledge of a species’ diets is fundamental to understand their ecological requirements. Next-generation sequencing technology has become a powerful and non-invasive tool for diet reconstruction through DNA metabarcoding. Here, we applied those methods on faecal samples of Common Woodpigeons Columba palumbus, European Turtle Doves Streptopelia turtur, and Stock Doves C...

The written history of plant phenology: shaping primary sources for secondary publications

Phenological research establishes the science of nature's natural calendar. This research, the monitoring and analysis of seasonal rhythms of plants and animals, is commonly based on citizen science data. Such data may be digitized from primary sources provided by the citizen scientist’s original phenological diaries. Secondary data sources are formed by historical publications...

Animals evoking fear in the Cradle of Humankind: snakes, scorpions, and large carnivores

Theories explain the presence of fears and specific phobias elicited by animals in contemporary WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic) populations by their evolutionary past in Africa. Nevertheless, empirical data about fears of animals in the Cradle of Humankind are still fragmentary. To fill this gap, we examined which local animals are perceived as the...

Eurasian beavers in Central Italy: perceptions in the local community

According to the IUCN guidelines, wildlife reintroduction should consider any impacts on humans within feasibility assessments. Eurasian beavers Castor fiber are recovering across their native range, due to protection laws and reintroductions. In Central Italy, a self-sustaining, naturalised population of Eurasian beavers has been identified in the last five years. A...

The maxillary canal of the titanosuchid Jonkeria (Synapsida, Dinocephalia)

The maxillary canal of the titanosuchid dinocephalian Jonkeria is described based on digitised serial sections. We highlight that its morphology is more like that of the tapinocephalid Moschognathus than that of Anteosaurus. This is unexpected given the similarities between the dentition of Jonkeria and Anteosaurus (i.e., presence of a canine) and the fact that the branching...

Pigmentary colouration of hairy carpenter bees, genus Xylocopa

Carpenter bees can display distinct colouration patterns due to structural coloured wings and/or coloured hairs on their bodies. Females of the sexually dichromatic Xylocopa caerulea are marked by strongly blue-pigmented hairs on the head, thorax and abdomen. The thorax of female X. confusa is covered by yellow-pigmented hairs. The diffuse pigmentary colouration of the blue and...

Effects of floral symmetry and orientation on the consistency of pollinator entry angle

Since the publication of Sprengel’s (1793) observations, it has been considered that flowers with zygomorphic (or bilaterally symmetrical) corollas evolved to restrict the movement of pollinators into the flower by limiting the pollinator’s direction of approach. However, little empirical support has been accumulated so far. Our aim was to build on previous research that showed...

Morphology, anatomy and sleep movements of Ludwigia sedoides

The diurnal motion of higher plants, responding to the alternation of day and night, known as nyctinastic movements or “sleep movements”, has been discussed frequently. We present the first description of the circadian rhythm of the water plant Ludwigia sedoides (Humb. & Bonpl.) H.Hara of the family Onagraceae, furthermore its morphology and anatomy. Our results indicate that the...

Impact of genetic relatedness on reproductive behavior in Pelvicachromis pulcher, a biparental cichlid fish with mutual mate choice and ornamentation

Inbreeding can result in inbreeding depression. Therefore, many species seek to avoid inbreeding. However, theory predicts that inbreeding can be beneficial. Accordingly, some species tolerate inbreeding or even prefer mating with close relatives. Evidence for active inbreeding, i.e., kin-mating preference was reported in the biparental African cichlid fish Pelvicachromis...

Complex preference relationships between native and non-native angiosperms and foraging insect visitors in a suburban greenspace under field and laboratory conditions

The introduction and spread of non-native flora threatens native pollinators and plants. Non-native angiosperms can compete with native plants for pollinators, space, and other resources which can leave native bees without adequate nutritional or nesting resources, particularly specialist species. In the current study, we conducted flower preference experiments through field...

Bombus terrestris terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758) and hybrids with the endemic Bombus xanthopus spotted on Capraia Island (Tuscan Archipelago, Italy): some conservation management implications

Expansion of wild and managed allochthonous species leads to potential negative consequences for the endemic wildlife, such as resource competition, pathogens spread, hybridization and native species replacements. On Capraia Island, the last sighting of Bombus terrestris terrestris dates back to 1917. All subsequent surveys carried out on the island only reported the presence of...

Intermittent and temporally variable bioturbation by some terrestrial invertebrates: implications for ichnology

Bedding planes and vertical sections of many sedimentary rock formations reveal bioturbation structures, including burrows, produced by diverse animal taxa at different rates and durations. These variables are not directly measurable in the fossil record, but neoichnological observations and experiments provide informative analogues. Comparable to marine invertebrates from many...

Spatially associated or composite life traces from Holocene paleosols and dune sands provide evidence for past biotic interactions

Biotic interactions (e.g., predation, competition, commensalism) where organisms directly or indirectly influenced one another are of great interest to those studying the history of life but have been difficult to ascertain from fossils. Considering the usual caveats about the temporal resolution of paleontological data, traces and trace fossils in the sedimentary record can...

The ontogeny of elements: distinct ontogenetic patterns in the radular tooth mineralization of gastropods

The molluscan phylum is characterized by the radula, used for the gathering and processing of food. This structure can consist of a chitinous membrane with embedded rows of teeth, which show structural, chemical, and biomechanical adaptations to the preferred ingesta. With regard to the chemical composition of teeth, some taxa (Polyplacophora and Patellogastropoda) were...

Material gradients in gastropod radulae and their biomechanical significance: a combined approach on the paludomid Lavigeria grandis

The radula, a chitinous membrane spiked with teeth, is the molluscan autapomorphy for the gathering and processing of food. The teeth, as actual interfaces between the organism and the ingesta, act as load transmitting regions and have to withstand high stresses during foraging — without structural failure or high degrees of wear. Mechanisms contributing to this were studied...

Extended phenotypes can underlie trade-offs: a case of social spiders

Extended phenotypes engineered by animals can potentially improve safety and/or foraging. Whether the well-known trade-off between safety and foraging applies for extended phenotypes, and if so, how it is resolved has not been determined. Spiders build elaborate silk structures that serve as traps for their insect prey and often attach silken retreats (nests) to their capture...