Concerted evolution of body mass and cell size: similar patterns among species of birds (Galliformes) and mammals (Rodentia).

Cell size plays a role in body size evolution and environmental adaptations. Addressing these roles, we studied body mass and cell size in Galliformes birds and Rodentia mammals, and collected published data on their genome sizes. In birds, we measured erythrocyte nuclei and basal metabolic rates (BMRs).

Functioning grouped soil microbial communities according to ecosystem type, based on comparison of fallows and meadows in the same region.

Predicting the composition and function of microbial communities at a bio-geographical scale, across ecosystems, is challenging. We compared six abandoned fields to six meadows to see whether soil microbial community structure and activity are more similar within the ecosystem type than between the types. We implemented bacteria and fungi phylogenetic markers profiling, phospholipids analysis, fluorescence counts of total bacteria and algae and microscopy of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF).

Automated measurement of ommatidia in the compound eyes of beetles.

The size of the ommatidia that compose the insect compound eye is linked to visual capacity, physiological performance, and cell size. Therefore, rapid and reliable methods for measuring ommatidia can advance research on insect ecology and evolution. We developed an automated method to measure ommatidia in nail polish imprints of the eyes of three Carabidae beetle species using the widely available, free software ImageJ.

How to time growth and reproduction during the vegetative season: an evolutionary choice for indeterminate growers in seasonal environments.

Indeterminate growers such as plants, mollusks, fish, amphibians, and reptiles are highly diversified with respect to the seasonal timing of growth and reproduction. Current life-history theory does not offer a consistent view on the origin of this diversity. We use dynamic optimization to examine resource allocation in seasonal environments, considering that offspring produced at different times of the season have unequal future prospects.