Conspecific brood parasitism occurs in many songbird species but has not been reported in Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia). In three separate study areas where breeding Song Sparrows experience heavy nest predation pressure and Brownheaded Cowbird (Molothrus ater) parasitism, we observed six instances in which newly laid eggs were attributable to female Song Sparrows other than the nest owners...

The parasite-host-environment system is dynamic, with several points of equilibrium. This makes it difficult to trace the thresholds between benefit and damage, and therefore, the definitions of commensalism, mutualism, and symbiosis become worthless. Therefore, the same concept of parasitism may encompass commensalism, mutualism, and symbiosis. Parasitism is essential for life. Life emerged as...

—Bot fl ies (Diptera: Muscidae: Philornis spp.) are a group of fl ies comprising mostly species with a Neotropical distribution. Their larvae parasitize several species of birds, living subcutaneously on altricial chicks. We investigated the eff ect of parasitism by bot fl ies (P. seguyi) on the reproductive success of Chalk-browed Mockingbirds (Mimus saturninus) in temperate grasslands near th...

Global biodiversity decline has prompted great interest in the effects of habitat modification and diversity on the functioning and stability of ecosystem processes. However, the applicability of previous modeled or mesocosm community studies to real diverse communities in different habitats remains ambiguous. We exposed standardized nesting resources for naturally occurring communities of cavi...

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of egg age and pre-colonization of cysts by a saprophytic or parasitic fungus on parasitism of Heterodera glycines eggs by other parasitic fungi. In agar and in soil tests, fungi generally parasitized more eggs in early developmental stages than eggs containing a juvenile. The effect of pre-colonization of cysts by a fungus on parasitism o...

in this research, host stage preference of parasitoid wasp, aphidius matricariae haliday in choice and no-choice tests and functional response of the parasitoid were investigated on common wheat aphid, schizaphis graminum rondani on the alvand cultivar in laboratory conditions at 20, 25 and 30 °c, rh 70 ±10 % and a photoperiod of 16 h l : 8 h d. the maximum mean parasitisms in choice and no-cho...

tlsb-1%Males are often the 'sicker' sex with male biased parasitism found in a taxonomically diverse range of species. There is considerable interest in the processes that could underlie the evolution of sex-biased parasitism. Mating system differences along with differences in lifespan may play a key role. We examine whether these factors are likely to lead to male-biased parasitism through na...

We introduce a methodology for generating random multi-qubit stabilizer codes based on solving constraint satisfaction problem (CSP) bipartite graphs. This framework allows us to enforce commutation, $X/Z$ balancing, finite rate, sparsity, and maximum-degree constraints simultaneously in CSP that we can then solve numerically. Using state-of-the-art solver, obtain convincing evidence the existe...

Natural enemies such as predators and parasites are known to shape intraspecific variability of behaviour and personality in natural populations, yet several key questions remain: (i) What is the relative importance of predation vs. parasitism in shaping intraspecific variation of behaviour across generations? (ii) What are the contributions of genetic and plastic effects to this behavioural di...