Cassava roots have a low-protein content (0.7-2%). Amino acids such as lysine and methionine are also low, and some research reports have indicated the absence of methionine. The amino acid profiles of a common cassava cultivar and an interspecific hybrid, namely ICB 300, were determined using the computerized amino acid analyzer Hitachi L-8500. The interspecific hybrid has 10 times more lysine...

Molecular linkage maps representing the rice genome have been an important tool for breeding programs because they allow the elucidation of polygenic traits and are an efficient tool for monitoring wild introgressions in interspecific crosses. Common markers among rice genetic maps are important in defining the homology of chromosomes and the synteny between genomic target regions. We used 148 ...

Interspecific competition commonly selects for divergence in ecology, morphology or physiology, but direct observation of interspecific competition under natural conditions is difficult. Herbivorous white-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys leucurus) employ an unusual strategy to reduce interspecific competition: they kill, but do not consume, herbivorous Wyoming ground squirrels (Urocitellus elegans)...

Plant species have repeatedly evolved recognition systems between pollen and pistils that identify and reject inappropriate matings. Two of the most important systems recognize self-pollen and interspecific pollen. Outstanding questions are whether and how these two recognition systems are linked and if this association could constrain the evolution of mate choice. Our study characterizes varia...

Eggplant (Solanum melongena) is amenable to grafting and this technique can be exploited to improve production of this vegetable crop. Here, we study the performance of the ‘Cristal F1’ eggplant cultivar grafted onto a total of 17 rootstocks, including five families, each of which is made by two parents and their hybrid, as well a commercial eggplant rootstock and a self-grafted control. Three ...

Dispersal and the underlying movement behaviour are processes of pivotal importance for understanding and predicting metapopulation and metacommunity dynamics. Generally, dispersal decisions are condition-dependent and rely on information in the broad sense, like the presence of conspecifics. However, studies on metacommunities that include interspecific interactions generally disregard conditi...

In an interspecific cooperative context, individuals must be prepared to tolerate close interactive proximity to other species but also need to be able to respond to relevant social stimuli in the most appropriate manner. The neuropeptides vasopressin and oxytocin and their non-mammalian homologues have been implicated in the evolution of sociality and in the regulation of social behaviour acro...

Weather affects the demography of animals and thus climate change will cause local changes in demographic rates. In birds numerous studies have correlated demographic factors with weather but few of those examined variation in the impacts of weather in different seasons and, in the case of migrants, in different regions. Using capture-recapture models we correlated weather with apparent surviva...

Interspecific interaction may lead to species exclusion but there are several ways in which species can coexist. One way is by reducing the overall intensity of competition via aggregated utilisation of fragmented resources. Known as the 'aggregation model of coexistence', this system assumes saturation and an equilibrium number of species per community. In this study we tested the effects of i...