We examined the prevalence, quantity, and diversity of Campylobacter species in the excreta of 159 California gull (Larus californicus) samples using culture-, PCR-, and quantitative PCR (qPCR)-based detection assays. Campylobacter prevalence and abundance were relatively high in the gull excreta examined; however, C. jejuni and C. lari were detected in fewer than 2% of the isolates and DNA ext...

Life history theory predicts that females should produce few large eggs under food stress and many small eggs when food is abundant. We tested this prediction in three female-biased size-dimorphic predatory mites feeding on herbivorous spider mite prey: Phytoseiulus persimilis, a specialized spider mite predator; Neoseiulus californicus, a generalist preferring spider mites; Amblyseius anderson...

The assessment of long-term negative effects insecticides on the target and non-target insects can help assess toxicity side-effects pesticides. In this study, sublethal a low concentration spiromesifen (LC<sub>20</sub>) life-history traits T. urticae its phytoseiid predator N. californicus were estimated for two successive generations (F0 F1). According to results, adult longevity,...

Charnov and Bull suggested that environmentally induced variation in adult body size coupled with sexspecific differences in fitness can select for the evolution of adaptive environmental sex determination (ESD). In this study we determine whether larval density affects sex determination in the copepod Tigriopus californicus (Baker, 1912), as predicted by Charnov and Bull. Individuals reared at...