Loss of biodiversity is a major concern. Some conservation measures have been notable
successes, but the current level of conservation action is outweighed by the magnitude of …

Energy allocation between reproduction and self-maintenance is a key life history trade-off.
Therefore, forces that provoke constant renewal of an organism's tissues are investigated to …

The shallow littoral is a highly productive environment characterized by the multitude of
interactions within and between different trophic levels. It serves as an important …

The human genome contains ca. 20,000 protein coding genes and up to 150 of them are
validated or are suspected to be imprinted. The process of imprinting itself was discovered …

Microbes are found virtually everywhere on Earth, from the ocean floor and deep mines to
hot springs, even on our skin and in our gut. They are essential to life on our planet as the …

Seas and oceans cover more than 70% of the Earth's surface. With the average depth of
approximately 3.2 km, the total volume of marine ecosystems makes up 98% of the total …

Halting the fast decrease of global biodiversity has become the major challenge facing
conservation biologists today. Populations of numerous species are suffering significant …

Organismal aging, or senescence, can be defined as a progressive, irreversible loss of
function that results in declines in fertility and survival (Holmes and Martin 2009). This …

Due to their sessile lifestyle, plants cannot choose their neighbours and plant individuals are
strongly influenced by the surrounding vegetation (Turkington & Harper 1979; Aarssen & …

Animals may greatly increase their fitness if they are well adapted to solve different
interspecific interactions–most notably interactions with predators and parasites, as survival …