Ephemeral streams are challenging environments for tadpoles; thus, adaptive features that increase the survival of these larvae should be favored by natural selection. In this study, we compared growth strategies Bombina orientalis (the oriental fire-bellied toad) tadpoles from ephemeral with those such non-ephemeral streams. Using a common garden experiment, tested interactive effects location...

Cannibalism is taxonomically widespread and can have large impacts on individual fitness population-level processes. As such, identifying how cannibalism rates vary in response to ecological cues important for predicting species evolution population dynamics. In this study, we aimed identify several eco-evolutionary factors that affect rate measure they interacted with one another. To do this, ...

Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) is a representative of the evolutionary closely related class of Hedgehog proteins that have essential signaling functions in animal development. The N-terminal domain (ShhN) is also assigned to the group of LAS proteins (LAS = Lysostaphin type enzymes, D-Ala-D-Ala metalloproteases, Sonic Hedgehog), of which all members harbor a structurally well-defined Zn2+ center; howeve...

Monogynous mating systems (low male mating rates) occur in various taxa and have evolved several times independently in spiders. Monogyny is associated with remarkable male mating strategies and predicted to evolve under a male-biased sex ratio. While male reproductive strategies are well documented and male mating rates are easy to quantify, especially in sexually cannibalistic species, female...

Male praying mantises are forced into the ultimate trade-off of mating versus complete loss of future reproduction if they fall prey to a female. The balance of this trade-off will depend both on (1) the level of predatory risk imposed by females and (2) the frequency of mating opportunities for males. We report the results of a set of experiments that examine the effects of these two variables...

Structural complexity generally reduces predation and cannibalism rates. Although the benefits from this effect vary among environmental contexts and through time, it has been the common explanation for high species abundance in complex habitats. We hypothesized that oviposition habitat selection for structural complexity depends on the expected trophic function of the progeny. In Salamandra in...

Discretional cannibalism is a widespread phenomenon among lepidopteran herbivores. Herbivores encounter variation in dietary nutrient quality when foraging, which alters feeding behaviour, as well population- and trophic-level dynamics. For example, plant resistance traits directly influence patterns insect herbivores through reduced consumption of tissue increased rates cannibalism. However, t...