Colour polymorphism associated with a gene duplication in male wood tiger moths.

Colour is often used as an aposematic warning signal, with predator learning expected to lead to a single colour pattern within a population. However, there are many puzzling cases where aposematic signals are also polymorphic. The wood tiger moth, , displays bright hindwing colours associated with unpalatability, and males have discrete colour morphs which vary in frequency between localities.

Mercury and amino acid content relations in northern pike (Esox lucius) in subarctic lakes along a climate-productivity gradient.

Mercury is a highly toxic element for consumers, but its relation to amino acids and physiology of wild fish is not well known. The main aim of this study was to evaluate how total mercury content (THg) of northern pike (Esox lucius) is related to amino acids and potentially important environmental and biological factors along a climate-productivity gradient of ten subarctic lakes. Linear regression between THg and sixteen amino acids content [nmol mg dry weight] from white dorsal muscle of pike from these lakes were tested.

Phytoplankton group identification with chemotaxonomic biomarkers: In combination they do better.

Chemotaxonomic biomarkers are needed to monitor and evaluate the nutritional quality of phytoplankton communities. The biomolecules produced by different phytoplankton species do not always follow genetic phylogeny. Therefore, we analyzed fatty acids, sterols, and carotenoids from 57 freshwater phytoplankton strains to evaluate the usability of these biomolecules as chemotaxonomic biomarkers.

Complex plant quality-microbiota-population interactions modulate the response of a specialist herbivore to the defence of its host plant.

Many specialist herbivores have evolved strategies to cope with plant defences, with gut microbiota potentially participating to such adaptations.In this study, we assessed whether the history of plant use (population origin) and microbiota may interact with plant defence adaptation.We tested whether microbiota enhance the performance of larvae on their host plant, and increase their ability to cope the defensive compounds, iridoid glycosides (IGs).

Alterations in Daphnia magna exposed to enniatin B and beauvericin provide additional value as environmental indicators.

Mycotoxins beauvericin (BEA) and enniatin B (ENN B) affect negatively several systems and demand more studies as the mechanisms are still unclear. The simultaneous presence of contaminants in the environment manifests consequences of exposure for both animals and flora. Daphnia magna is considered an ideal invertebrate to detect effects of toxic compounds and environmental alterations.