The process of niche construction can alter the trajectory of natural selection through organism-environment feedback. As such, the mechanism and impact of niche construction can be better investigated along environmental gradients. Here we investigate how the process of niche construction affects the distribution of genotypes and fitness landscape along an environmental gradient under three se...

Introduction: The existence of probable lakes on Mars has been recognized for more than two decades [1-4]. Lakes can either be open-basins with both inlet valley(s) and an outlet valley [e.g., 5], or they can be closed-basins that lack an outlet [e.g., 6]. Although both open-and closed-basin lakes were likely present on early Mars, open-basin lakes are easier to study, and we can have higher co...

The uncanny valley hypothesis, proposed already in the 1970s, suggests that almost but not fully humanlike artificial characters will trigger a profound sense of unease. This hypothesis has become widely acknowledged both in the popular media and scientific research. Surprisingly, empirical evidence for the hypothesis has remained inconsistent. In the present article, we reinterpret the origina...

The objective of the research was to determine the effect of habitat type of selected species of trees on the nature of co-occurrence of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, Ni, Cr and Co. The presence of speciation forms of these metals was investigated, with reference to the species composition of tree stands in selected areas of the Tatra Mountain National Park (Chochołowska Valley, Strążyska Valley, Koś...

An abandoned stream valley, here called Florence Valley, was found in eastern Erie County, Ohio. Florence Valley is about one mile long and connects the valleys of Chappel Creek and the Vermilion River. There is evidence that Florence Valley was formed as a result of the capture of a tributary of the Vermilion River by Chappel Creek. Chappel Creek, at the junction of Florence Valley and the val...

The valley of Cuatro Ciénegas, an aquatic oasis located in the Mexican Chihuahuan Desert, exhibits the highest level of endemism in North America and is a Mexican National Protected Area. However, little is known about the evolutionary distinctiveness of several vertebrate species present in the Cuatro Ciénegas valley. We conducted a phylogeographic study using mitochondrial haplotypes from the...

Flash floods are considered to be one the worst kind of hazard. They are characterized by their suddenness, rarity, small scale, heavy rain and peak discharge, unpredictable, fast and violent movement. It has severe effects on human society in the form life losses, damages to property, roads, communication and on natural settings. Advances in hydrology, meteorology, engineering, using of GIS an...