Patch exploitation strategies of parasitic wasps under intraspecific competition. Behav Ecol.

The optimal residence time of a forager exploiting a resource patch in the absence of competitors has been much studied since the development of the marginal value theorem. However, several foragers are frequently observed exploiting the same patch simultaneously, and patch residence time has been surprisingly little studied in such competitive situations. The few theoretical models developed on this topic predict that foragers should engage in a war of attrition and stay in the patch longer than when foraging alone. We tested this prediction in Pachycrepoideus vindemmiae (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), a solitary parasitoid species in which females are known to defend the hosts they are exploiting via intraspecific fighting. By measuring the effect of direct (i.e., presence of conspecifics) and indirect (i.e., presence of already-parasitized hosts) competition on patch exploitation strategies, we revealed an apparent polymorphism of strategies. Indeed, in competitive situations, some members of the population tended to retreat almost immediately from the patch whereas other members tended to remain, further exploit the patch, and be more involved in interactions with conspecifics. The proportion of ''retreaters'' strongly depended on competition intensity and prior experience of competition. The forager's physiological state (age) also affects patch exploitation strategy and the intensity of interactions between competing females. Our results highlight the necessity for further theoretical studies that consider cases where contests between foragers are costly and take into account prior experience of competition and the forager's physiological state

Training convolutional neural networks to estimate turbulent sub-grid scale reaction rates

This work presents a new approach for premixed turbulent combustion modeling based on convolutional neural networks (CNN).1 We first propose a framework to reformulate the problem of subgrid flame surface density estimation as a machine learning task. Data needed to train the CNN is produced by direct numerical simulations (DNS) of a premixed turbulent flame stabilized in a slot-burner configuration. A CNN inspired from a U-Net architecture is designed and trained on the DNS fields to estimate subgrid-scale wrinkling. It is then tested on an unsteady turbulent flame where the mean inlet velocity is increased for a short time and the flame must react to a varying turbulent incoming flow. The CNN is found to efficiently extract the topological nature of the flame and predict subgrid-scale wrinkling, outperforming classical algebraic models

Biodiversity of the Collembola Fauna of Wetland Kerkini (N. Greece), with description of the sexual dimorphism of Entomobrya atrocincta Schött 1896 (Collembola: Entomobryomorpha)

A report on the results of a research into some aspects of the collembolan fauna of the Greek Nature Reserve associated with Lake Kerkini, known as Wetland Kerkini, is presented. The nature reserve is large and includes a wide variety of habitats, many of which were not included in this preliminary survey. From the areas sampled we recorded 44 species, of which 39 were previously described, two (Folsomia potapovi Jordana & Baquero n. sp., Entomobrya naziridisi Jordana & Baquero n. sp.), are new to science, while three are identifi ed to generic level; a further 21 are new records for Greece, and an additional 11 species are new records to the Greek Mainland. Sampling with Berlese- Tullgren funnels and Malaise traps allowed us to capture species typical of soil and species present over vegetation. This summary is based on the records held in the online database of the Fauna Europaea Project

L'évolution des espèces. 1. Les preuves

National audienceNon seulement il y a des libellules géantes dans le charbon mais les serpents ont en réalité des pattes et c'est de l'eau de mer diluée qui coule dans nos veines. À première vue, tous ces faits véridiques sont ahurissants mais on les comprend très facilement à condition de poser cette question : les espèces vivantes évoluent-elles ? En suivant pas à pas les étapes de la démarche scientifique, les auteurs y répondent avec une constante simplicité

Infection par Wolbachia : De passagères à résidentes

International audienceWolbachia are endosymbiotic alpha-proteobacteria. harboured by terrestrial arthropods and filarial nematodes, where they are maternally transmitted through egg cytoplasm. According to the host group, Wolbachia have developed two contrasting symbiotic strategies. In arthropods, symbiosis is secondary (i.e. facultative), and Wolbachia insure their transmission as reproduction parasites. However, despite of the efficiency of the manipulation mechanisms used, Wolbachia are limited to the state of passenger because some factors can prevent the association between Wolbachia and their hosts to become permanent. On the contrary, symbiosis is primary (i.e. obligatory) in filarial nematodes where Wolbachia insure their transmission via a mutualistic relationship, leading them to become permanent residents of their hosts. However, a few examples show that in arthropods too some Wolbachia have started to present the first stages of a mutualistic behaviour, or are even truly indispensable to their host. Whatever its strategy, Wolbachia infection is a spectacular evolutionary success, this symbiotic bacterium representing one of the most important biomass of its kind

L'évolution des espèces. 2. Les mécanismes

National audienceLes espèces évoluent, c'est un fait prouvé par les fossiles. Mais comment évoluent-elles ? Quelles sont les forces qui transforment les espèces et en font apparaître de nouvelles ? Autant de questions essentielles et passionnantes auxquelles les auteurs répondent avec simplicité. Sans forcément avoir de connaissances scientifiques préalables, vous découvrirez ainsi les fondements de ce que l'on nomme la «théorie de l'évolution», pilier de la biologie depuis plus de 150 ans ..