Social evolution in honey bees has produced strong queen-worker dimorphism for plastic traits that depend on larval nutrition. The honey bee developmental programme includes both larval components that determine plastic growth responses to larval nutrition and nurse components that regulate larval nutrition. We studied how these two components contribute to variation in worker and queen body si...

We investigated growth patterns and evidence of growth dependent survival for a population of Atlantic cod Gadus morhua using analysis of their otolith microstructure. Central concentrations of a population of cod larvae and juveniles in the north-eastern North Sea were sampled twice (in April and May 2001), and larval/juvenile growth history from each of the sampling sequences was outlined. Gr...

A growth depressing effect of high dietary neutral lipid levels in marine fish larvae has been reported. This may be a result of a decrease in the efficiency or activity of digestive enzymes, a reduction in absorption efficiency and/or a decrease in food intake. The present work reviews recent studies carried out on commercially valuable species (Atlantic herring, Senegalese sole, European seab...

Aqueous extract from leaves of Sambcus ebulus L. were tested for antifeedant, growth regulation and ovicidal effects against the red floor beetle Tribolium confusum Duv. under laboratory condition (29?1?C, RH 60?5% and 12L:12D). The results indicated a significant deterrence for feeding, and comparatively significant larval, pupal and adult weight decrease in treated vs. controlled insects. Sim...

Larval mortality in marine fishes is strongly linked to individual life history traits such as size and growth, but the processes that influence variability in these traits are poorly understood. We explore the relative importance of maternal and paternal influences and water temperature on the larval growth and performance characteristics of the tropical clownfish Amphiprion melanopus (Pomacen...

Quantitative, computer-assisted autoradiography was used to assess the relative rate and pattern of growth of retina and tectum in larval and early juvenile goldfish. 3H-thymidine was used to mark the boundary of retina and tectum, and the location of this boundary was charted as the eye and brain grew and added more cells. The pattern of growth is at all times discordant. The original (larval)...

Salamandra salamandra has an unusual mode of reproduction. Females retain eggs in their oviducts and give birth to aquatic larvae or, in some populations, to fully metamorphosed juveniles. We investigated how variation in the birth size of larvae of five different sibships of S. salamandra affected larval survival, larval growth rates, time to metamorphosis, and size at metamorphosis under diff...

The Inositol 1,4,5- trisphosphate receptor (InsP(3)R) is an intracellular ligand gated channel that releases calcium from intracellular stores in response to extracellular signals. To identify and understand physiological processes and behavior that depends on the InsP(3) signaling pathway at a systemic level, we are studying Drosophila mutants for the InsP(3)R (itpr) gene. Here, we show that g...