The study focuses on the evolutionary and taxonomic dynamics driving cavernicoly (cave-dwelling behavior) within Cixiidae planthoppers on La Réunion Island. A comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the island’s cixiid species reveals that the genus Brixia , the most diversified cixiid taxon on the island, exhibits both epigean and hypogean adaptations. In particular, the lalouettei + clade includes eutroglophile species, with...

Motivation The accelerated and widespread conversion of once continuous ecosystems into fragmented landscapes has driven ecological research to understand the response of biodiversity to local (fragment size) and landscape (forest cover and fragmentation) changes. This information has important theoretical and applied implications, but is still far from complete. We compiled the most comprehensive and updated database to inves...

Octocorals represent a major alternative group in the benthic community of reefs that have diverged from hexacoral dominance. Despite their phototrophic symbionts, supplementing their diet with heterotrophic sources may promote their growth, particularly when compared to hexacorals in bleaching conditions. However, limited comprehensive data exists on octocorals' trophic ecology, especially regarding their ability to feed on d...

We assessed the in situ daily primary production, photosynthetic efficiency, and xanthophyll cycling of a temperate coral, Cladocora caespitosa , during the summer using an in situ incubation chamber equipped with temperature, oxygen, light, salinity, and pH sensors. During sunny days, photosynthetic carbon (C) production rates of C. caespitosa can be as high as those measured for tropical corals and rapidly follow changes in...

Carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios ( δ 13 C and δ 15 N) were determined in the zooxanthellae, host tissue, and whole symbiotic association of the symbiotic temperate coral Cladocora caespitosa , as well as in the different components of the coral's potential food sources (plankton, particulate organic matter in seawater and in the sediment). Data were collected both in winter and summer at three different locations, to assess...