Search

Die Nutzung von Totholz als ��berwinterungslebensraum durch viele fakultative Totholzbewohner ist der breiten ��ffentlichkeit wenig bekannt. In diesem Beitrag werden Erkenntnisse der winterlichen Erfassung von Insekten im Totholz aus dem Gebiet des Nordschwarzwalds und der angrenzenden Rheinebene pr��sentiert. Die Funde zeigen, dass adulte Laufk��fer, Hummeln, Hornissen und Blattwespen regelm����ig im morschen Totholz ��berwintern. Anhand der in diesem Zusammenhang bedeutenden Gruppe der Laufk��fer werden ��kologische Anpassungsmechanismen diskutiert. Neben Vorschl��gen f��r eine Bearbeitung des Themas im schulischen Kontext der Primar- und Sekundarstufe wird auf die gro��en Wissensl��cken und den Forschungsbedarf hingewiesen., Biologie in unserer Zeit, Bd. 51 Nr. 4 (2021): Schwarmintelligenz

Background: This study investigated the relationship between smoking and hearing loss and deafness (HLD) and whether the relationship is modified by genetic variation. Data for these analyses was from the subset of Japanese American families collected as part of the American Diabetes Association Genetics of Non-insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus study. Logistic regression with generalized estimating equations assessed the relationship between HLD and smoking. Nonparametric linkage analysis identified genetic regions harboring HLD susceptibility genes and ordered subset analysis was used to identify regions showing evidence for gene-smoking interactions. Genetic variants within these candidate regions were then each tested for interaction with smoking using logistic regression models. Results: After adjusting for age, sex, diabetes status and smoking duration, for each pack of cigarettes smoked per day, risk of HLD increased 4.58 times (odds ratio (OR) = 4.58; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): (1.40,15.03)), and ever smokers were over 5 times more likely than nonsmokers to report HLD (OR = 5.22; 95% CI: (1.24, 22.03)). Suggestive evidence for linkage for HLD was observed in multiple genomic regions (Chromosomes 5p15, 8p23 and 17q21), and additional suggestive regions were identified when considering interactions with smoking status (Chromosomes 7p21, 11q23, 12q32, 15q26, and 20q13) and packs-per-day (Chromosome 8q21). Conclusions: To our knowledge this was the first report of possible gene-by-smoking interactions in HLD using family data. Additional work, including independent replication, is needed to understand the basis of these findings. HLD are important public health issues and understanding the contributions of genetic and environmental factors may inform public health messages and policies.

Ecological, morphological and life-history traits have been increasingly used in community ecology during the last decade. Dung beetles represent a model group of insects frequently used in studies of landscape ecology and grassland management. Their body sizes and nesting behavioral traits are regularly used to help understand ecological processes at the community level. However, information on their seasonal activity, wing morphometry and dung specialization is sparse in published reports, or is simply not available yet. We thus compiled a comprehensive list of the morphological and ecological traits of Central European dung beetles (Geotrupidae, Scarabaeidae and Aphodiidae). We gathered information from published works and, for the first time, took morphometric measurements of wings. We provide a database of 12 traits for all 100 dung beetle species occurring in Central Europe. Most species are not restricted to one specific dung type, and the most frequently used dung types are sheep/goat, cattle and horse dung, which are almost equally exploited by 90, 89 and 87 species, respectively. More than one-third of all species are active in winter, and the number of active species is the highest in June. The wing morphometry shows a high variation and is largely determined by the family identity; the ratio of elytron length to wing area is the largest in Aphodiidae but the smallest in Geotrupidae. Our database is the first standardized set of information for Central European dung beetles and can be used in future trait-based studies focusing on the ecology and conservation of these beetles.

This chapter provides an overview of current biodiversity knowledge in Mediterranean forest ecosystems across all levels (genetic diversity, species diversity, landscape diversity) and endemism, ecological peculiarities that make Mediterranean forest ecosystems different. It also outlines the importance of biodiversity for functional forest ecosystems and illustrates some examples of conservation efforts in the region.