Gene flow strongly influences the regional genetic structuring of plant populations. Seed and pollen dispersal patterns can respond differently to the increased isolation resulting from habitat fragmentation, with unpredictable consequences for gene flow and population structuring. In a recently fragmented landscape we compared the pre- and post-fragmentation genetic structure of populations of...

The genus Placobdella (Glossiphoniidae) has a centre of species concentration in North America. type P. costata is the only representative Palaearctic region. American which feed on turtles are represented predominantly by two common species, parasitica and rugosa, geographically overlap eastern USA southern Canada. latter morphologically indistinguishable from multilineata southeast USA. These...

The host-parasite system “Emys trinacris – Placobdella costata Haemogregarina stepanowi” is known for Sicily, but scarce information available to date about the distribution of two parasites on island. Therefore, an extensive sampling effort through visual census and collection analysis blood smears endemic Sicilian pond turtle E. was carried out in 46 water bodies scattered throughout mainland...