We review recent results about the functioning of aquatic carnivorous traps from the genus Utricularia. The use of high speed cameras has helped to elucidate the mechanism at the origin of the ultra fast capture process of Utricularia, at a millisecond time scale. As water is pumped out of the trap, pressure decreases inside the trap and elastic energy is stored due to the change of shape of th...

In the carnivorous plant genus Genlisea a unique lobster pot trapping mechanism supplements nutrition in nutrient-poor habitats. A wide spectrum of microbes frequently occurs in Genlisea's leaf-derived traps without clear relevance for Genlisea carnivory. We sequenced the metatranscriptomes of subterrestrial traps vs. the aerial chlorophyll-containing leaves of G. nigrocaulis and of G. hispidul...

Population viability analysis (PVA) is widely used to assess the extinction risk of threatened species and to evaluate different management strategies. However, conventional PVA neglects important biotic interactions and therefore can fail to identify important threatening processes. We designed a new PVA approach that includes species interactions explicitly by networking species models within...

Soft-bottom macrobenthic diversity and community structure were assessed at Mumbai and Jawaharlal Nehru ports during three different periods between 2001 and 2002 (November 2001 post-monsoon 1, April/May 2002 pre-monsoon, and October 2002 post-monsoon 2). A total of 43 macrobenthic invertebrate species belonging to five phyla were recorded. Macrofaunal abundance (PM1 186, PreM 106, and PM2 31 i...

Presencelabsence data for the small-mammal species at sites in seven deserts were analyzed for evidence of similarity in community structure. The deserts studied were located in North and South America (268 and 118 sites, respectively), Australia (245 sites), Israel (54 sites), and greater Eurasia (Thar, 15 sites; Turkestan, 36 sites; Gobi, 98 sites). Patterns observed in all deserts included: ...

Shrimp trawling directly impacts target species and non-target species, altering micro-habitats marine trophic webs. Thus, the objective of present research was to analyze feeding habits Paralonchurus brasiliensis as a tool evaluate impact on food chains in environments, South Atlantic Brazil. One thousand nineteen stomachs P. were dissected after being captured bycatch shrimp Xiphopenaeus kroy...