The ontogenetic dietary shift from non-dangerous to dangerous prey in predator-eating predators under capture risk.

Evaluating the patterns and generality of ontogenetic dietary shifts (ODSs) contributes to understanding prey-predator interactions and food web dynamics. Numerous studies have focused on predators that target distinctively lower trophic-level organisms. However, the ODS of predators that routinely prey on organisms at similar trophic levels (i.

Legacy of pre-eruption vegetation affects ground-dwelling arthropod communities after different types of volcanic disturbance.

Volcanic eruptions are one of the largest natural disturbances and are followed by the establishment of novel plant and animal communities in terrestrial ecosystems. However, the role of pre-eruption vegetation in the establishment of arthropod communities after volcanic disturbances is currently unknown. Here, we asked whether the legacy of pre-eruption vegetation mediates the community structure of ground-dwelling arthropods after volcanic disturbances.

Alternative reproductive tactics in male freshwater fish influence the accuracy of species recognition.

Sexual conflict can result in coercive mating. Because males bear low costs of heterospecific mating, coercive males may engage in misdirected mating attempts toward heterospecific females. In contrast, sexual selection through consensual mate choice can cause mate recognition cues among species to diverge, leading to more accurate species recognition.

Population genetic structure and evolution of Batesian mimicry in from the Ryukyu Islands, Japan, analyzed by genotyping-by-sequencing.

Batesian mimicry is a striking example of Darwinian evolution, in which a mimetic species resembles toxic or unpalatable model species, thereby receiving protection from predators. In some species exhibiting Batesian mimicry, nonmimetic individuals coexist as polymorphism in the same population despite the benefits of mimicry. In a previous study, we proposed that the abundance of mimics is limited by that of the models, leading to polymorphic Batesian mimicry in the swallowtail butterfly, on the Ryukyu Islands in Japan.

The response of three species of phytoseiid mite (Acari: Phytoseiidae) to synthetic pyrethroid pesticides in the laboratory and the field.

The Kanzawa spider mite, Tetranychus kanzawai Kishida, is a major pest in tea fields [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze] in Japan.

Degradative enzymes for type II arabinogalactan side chains in Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum.

Type II arabinogalactan (AG) is a soluble prebiotic fiber stimulating the proliferation of bifidobacteria in the human gut. Larch AG, which is comprised of type II AG, is known to be utilized as an energy source for Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum (B.

Use of a Lower-Volume, Surface Pesticide Spray Conserves Spider Assemblages in a Tea Field.

Since spiders are sensitive to pesticides, the use of lower-volume pesticide sprays that specifically target the plucking surface may help to preserve their assemblages. In this study, we investigated the effect of four pyrethroid pesticides on spider populations in tea (Camellia sinensis) fields when applied using a lower-volume sprayer. Abundance and composition at family level of spiders were assessed before and after treatments.

The Effect of Organic Fertilizers and Flowering Plants on Sheet-Web and Wolf Spider Populations (Araneae: Lycosidae and Linyphiidae) and Its Importance for Pest Control.

The main goal of this study was to identify the treatment that increases the populations of spiders, which are effective predators in agroecosystems. In 2013 and 2014 the experimental eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) field was two different treatments, organic fertilizers and chemical fertilizer treatment, and in 2014 we surrounded organic fertilizer plots with the flowering plants mealy cup sage (Salvia farinacea Benth.