Small canopy gaps do not affect the predation pressure on large ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in a managed forest Continuous cover forestry is a silvicultural system designed to mimic natural forest dynamics and maintain the structure of uneven-aged semi-natural forests. One of the key steps in this approach is to…
Continue Reading....Publication – Ratkai et al., Myrmecological News
Climate microrefugia promote intraspecific trait variability of the Palaearctic ant species Myrmica ruginodis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Topographic depressions in karst areas (dolines) play an outstanding role in maintaining small-scale environmental heterogeneity in homogeneous landscapes. Such depressions can serve as microrefugia for cool-adapted species, providing cooler and more humid conditions than the…
Continue Reading....Publication – Báthori et al., PLOS ONE
Taxonomy of the Palearctic socially parasitic Temnothorax (Myrmoxenus) ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae The ant genus Temnothorax is one of the most diverse in the Palearctic region, comprising several species with different life histories and uncertain taxonomic backgrounds. Socially parasitic Temnothorax ant species were typically described decades ago, primarily based on traditional morphological traits. In some…
Continue Reading....Publication – Herczeg et al., Scientific Reports
Juvenile agile frogs spatially avoid ranavirus-infected conspecifics Exposure to contagious pathogens can result in behavioural changes, which can alter the spread of infectious diseases. Healthy individuals can express generalized social distancing or avoid the sources of infection, while infected individuals can show passive or active self-isolation. Amphibians are globally threatened…
Continue Reading....Publication – Csősz et al., Evolutionary Systematics
A new species of yellow acorn ant discovered in Italy via integrative taxonomy (Temnothorax luteus-complex, Formicidae) The Mediterranean, a global hotspot for rare ant species, hosts a significant representation of the global diversity of the mainly Holarctic ant genus Temnothorax. However, several groups still require significant taxonomic efforts. The taxonomy of…
Continue Reading....Publication – Samu et al., Crop Protection
Cereal leaf beetle (Oulema spp.) damage reduces yield and is more severe when natural enemy action is prevented Insect pests pose a global threat to crop yield. Biological control by natural enemies aims to reduce pest damage in a sustainable way. Cereal leaf beetles (CLB; Oulema spp.) are major pests…
Continue Reading....Publication- Csősz et al., Zoologica Scripta
Integrative taxonomy reveals inflated biodiversity in the European Temnothorax unifasciatus complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Temnothorax unifasciatus (Latreille, 1798) is a widely distributed pan-European species from the Iberian Peninsula to the Caucasus. This taxon’s relatively high morphological variability prompts the taxonomists of earlier times and today to mention the morphologically different elements at specific or…
Continue Reading....Publication – Biró et al., Ecology and Evolution
From darkness to twilight: Morphological divergence between cave and surface-subterranean ecotone Niphargus species Subterranean and surface habitats are in stark contrast in several environmental factors. Therefore, adaptation to the subterranean environment typically impedes the (re)colonisation of surface habitats. The genus Niphargus includes amphipod crustaceans that primarily occupy subterranean habitats. All its species show typical…
Continue Reading....Publication – Takáts et al., Journal of Insect Conservation
From 20 to 2? Landmark-based geometric morphometrics reveal negligible wing-shape divergence between 20 subspecies of the Apollo butterfly, Parnassius apollo (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae), in the Carpatho-Pannonian region For effective conservation management of endangered taxa, it is important to define operational units for conservation. In the absence of detailed genetic analyses, morphology-based…
Continue Reading....Publication – Růžičková & Elek, Biologia
Academic inbreeding reduces the scientific performance of ecologists Academic inbreeding, defined as recruiting professionals from the same institution where they obtained their doctoral degrees, is characterized by low academic mobility. These inbred researchers can have lower scientific performance than the more mobile ones due to limited exposure to novel approaches…
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