Speckled shrimp (Metapenaeus monoceros), is a commercially important prawn in the embayments and estuaries of the Mediterranean Sea. It is originally a Lessepsian species which had migrated from the Red Sea into the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal. This study was carried out in the North-eastern Mediterranean Sea between November 2009 and October 2010 with monthly sampling of speckled ...

In the toad Bufo calamita, among-population variation of size follows roughly a converse Bergmann cline, but populations exist that do not fit this pattern. We propose that latitudinal body size variation is a byproduct of adaptive covariation among the life-history traits juvenile growth rate, longevity and lifetime fecundity. We choose five populations (two in Andalusia, two in Catalonia and ...

dehghan (ksc 400) is an early-medium maturity grain maize hybrid that has been developed from a cross between two inbred lines (ke72012/12×k1263/1). this cross was carried out in 1997, for the first time. the characteristics of dehghan hybrid were studied in different trials (preliminary, semi final, final and on farm trials) in several locations during 1997 to 2005. the mean grain yield of the...

the evaluation of gene bank germplasm collection for morpho-physiological traits is important in the breeding programs. although phenotypic variation was considered, it is likely that this phenotypic variation is largely genetic and therefore directly useable for breeders, especially for those traits with high heritability such as heading and maturity time, plant height, kernel number and weigh...

Length and age at maturity are important life history parameters for estimating spawning stock biomass and reproductive potential of fish stocks. Bias in estimates of size and age at maturity can arise when disparate distributions of mature and immature fish within a population are not accounted for in the analysis. Here we investigate the spatial and temporal variability in observed size and a...

High adult mortality rate is expected to select for early maturation. However, physiological constraints or size-related reproductive benefits might select for delayed maturation, especially in small-bodied species. Additionally, the mating system and the relative intensity of mate competition can modify the timing of maturation. Here, we investigate the influence of mortality rate and mating s...