This years EMPSEB conference (The European Meeting of PhD Students in Evolutionary Biology) was a really exciting experience for me. I met a lot of nice people and got helpful feedback and tips. It was quite surprising how widespread the use of bioinformatics is!

#EMPSEB31 #lentibulariaceae #carnivory #evolutionarybiology #plantbiology

Paedophagy (Zoology 🦥)

Paedophagy in its general form is the feeding behaviour of fish or other animals whose diet is partially, or primarily the eggs or larvae of other animals. However, P. H. Greenwood, who was the first to describe paedophagia, defines it to be a feeding behaviour evolved among cichlid fishes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paedophagy

#Paedophagy #Zoology #Carnivory #Cichlidae #Ichthyology

Unearthing how a #carnivorous fungus traps and digests worms
https://phys.org/news/2023-11-unearthing-carnivorous-fungus-digests-worms.html

Key processes required for the different stages of #fungal #carnivory by a nematode-trapping fungus https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3002400

"#Arthrobotrys oligospora usually derives its #nutrients from decaying organic matter, but starvation and the presence of nearby #worms can prompt it to form traps to capture and consume worms. A. oligospora is just one of many species of #fungi that can trap and eat very small #animals."

Deficiency causes rare tropical #plant to develop appetite for meat https://phys.org/news/2023-05-deficiency-rare-tropical-appetite-meat.html

#Carnivory on demand: #phosphorus deficiency induces glandular leaves in the African #liana Triphyophyllum peltatum https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nph.18960

Under certain circumstances, a rare #tropical plant develops into a #carnivore. A research team has now deciphered the mechanism responsible for this.

A carnivorous #fungus (#Pleurotus ostreatus, the common oyster #mushroom!) kills #nematodes with a toxin that paralyses the worm and triggers #apoptosis. The toxin is a ketone that is stored in toxocysts that release their content when the worm touches them.
The dissolved worm then is then fed on by the mushroom.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ade4809

#carnivory #Sporespondence

Big carnivory by Iberian neanderthals and why a broader diet may have helped H sapiens

#neanderthals #carnivory #zinc #iberia
@anthropology

https://theconversation.com/neanderthals-how-a-carnivore-diet-may-have-led-to-their-demise-193764?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20November%204%202022%20-%202456124591&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20November%204%202022%20-%202456124591+CID_c37011681330f7aa1f3b20599ffd2dd8&utm_source=campaign_monitor_uk&utm_term=Neanderthals%20how%20a%20carnivore%20diet%20may%20have%20led%20to%20their%20demise