Biometrical approach to evaluate the relationship between roe deer body parameters and winter feeding resources

Introduction: The study is aimed to analyze the biometrical data referred to animals pertaining to class age 0 (0-11 months), in roe deer population of central Italy Apennine, in order to evaluate the relationship between size/shape of body structure/parameters and feeding resources available during the autumn-winter period. Materials and Methods: The analysis of the size was performed on 56 roe deer obtained by selective shooting. For the mandible shape analysis 27 samples were treated with the GeoGebra’s program. To evaluate the relationship between size/shape of body structure/parameters and the feeding resources, an environmental category, derived from the carrying capacity of forest ecosystems relative to the hunting zone, was attributed to each animal. Statistical analysis of size was performed by ANOVA. Shape variables were generated using a Generalized Procustes Analysis program. Results: The analysis of the size showed no significant differences for analyzed parameters between sex, while five parameters showed significant differences among environmental categories. As mandible concerns, it showed an increasing size trend linked to the available feeding resources. This is also supported by the fact that the shape analysis showed a more open mandibular angle (for the mandibular dorsal view) in those animals living in the hunting zone characterized by highest feeding resources, in particular in subjects pertaining to the sub-class 0-8 months. Conclusion: Data analysis suggests that the mandible seems to be the element whose development is mainly affected by the winter feeding resource availability. In the roe deer, the mandible reaches the definitive size during the first living year. So, the food availability during the first winter season could represent a critical factor for the development of this bone. This approach applied to a wider database could be useful to define body marker parameters related to environmental carrying capacity to planning the roe deer selective shooting

Woodpecker cavity establishment in managed forests: relative rather than absolute tree size matters

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The genomic tool-kit of the truffle Tuber melanosporum programmed cell death

A survey of the truffle Tuber melanosporum genome has shown the presence of 67 programmed cell death (PCD)-related genes. The 67 genes are all expressed during fruit body (FB) development of T. melanosporum development; their expression has been detected by DNA microarrays and qPCR. A set of 14 PCD-related genes have been chosen, those with the highest identities to the homologs of other species, for a deeper investigation. That PCD occurs during T melanosporum development has been demonstrated by the TUNEL reaction and transmission electron microscopy. The findings of this work, in addition to the discovery of PCD-related genes in the T. melanosporum genome and their expression during the differentiation and development of the FB, would suggest that one of the PCD subroutines, maybe autophagy, is involved in the FB ripening, i.e., sporogenesis

Datasets and script "Metabolic responses to cold: thermal physiology of native common waxbills (<i>Estrilda astrild</i>)" Pacioni et al., 2024

Datasets and script from "Metabolic responses to cold: thermal physiology of native common waxbills (Estrilda astrild)" Pacioni et al., 2024</p

The challenge for identifying the fungi living inside mushrooms: the case of truffle inhabiting mycelia

<p>The <i>Tuber</i> ascomata (truffles) are a microhabitat for bacteria, viruses, and fungi (yeasts and filamentous fungi). In this survey, we tried to develop a method that would make it possible to define the mycobiome of the truffle-inhabiting filamentous fungi using culture independent molecular methods. The nested quantitative Real-Time PCR allowed us to demonstrate that each truffle is home to multiple species of filamentous fungi and that their DNA is present within the healthy ascoma at the ratio of 10⁻⁶ compared to that of the truffle. Probably due to their insignificant presence, Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis of the amplification of ITS amplicons showed only those of the host. Based on the results, the possibilities of being able to detect the fungicolous fungi present in very small amounts within a fungal host are discussed.</p

Biophysical models accurately characterize the thermal energetics of a small invasive passerine bird

Summary: Effective management of invasive species requires accurate predictions of their invasion potential in different environments. By considering species’ physiological tolerances and requirements, biophysical mechanistic models can potentially deliver accurate predictions of where introduced species are likely to establish. Here, we evaluate biophysical model predictions of energy use by comparing them to experimentally obtained energy expenditure (EE) and thermoneutral zones (TNZs) for the common waxbill Estrilda astrild, a small-bodied avian invader. We show that biophysical models accurately predict TNZ and EE and that they perform better than traditional time-energy budget methods. Sensitivity analyses indicate that body temperature, metabolic rate, and feather characteristics were the most influential traits affecting model accuracy. This evaluation of common waxbill energetics represents a crucial step toward improved parameterization of biophysical models, eventually enabling accurate predictions of invasion risk for small (sub)tropical passerines