Uzi Motro

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Verified

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• Professor Emeritus at Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Environmental changes driven by anthropogenic activities often disrupt animal communication and mating behavior. Consequently, these changes may force animals to adopt alternative mating tactics and strategies to find a mate. The mating disruption technique is an environmentally friendly tactic often used to control the pink-bollworm moth populatio...

Environmental changes driven by anthropogenic activities often disrupt animal communication and mating behavior. Consequently, these changes may force animals to adopt alternative mating tactics and strategies to find a mate. The mating disruption technique is an environmentally friendly tactic often used to control the pink-bollworm moth populatio...

The Yellowspotted Puffer Torquigener flavimaculosus (Hardy & Randall, 1983) invaded the Mediterranean from the Red Sea via the Suez Canal. In the present study, we analyzed two mitochondrial loci, the cytochrome c oxidase 1 (COI) and the control region (D-loop), from the Mediterranean and the Red Sea populations. Both the COI and the D-loop showed...

The distribution of the intertidal barnacle Chthamalus montagui spans the West Mediterranean Sea and the Northeast Atlantic shores of Europe and West Africa. Knowledge of the phylogeography of this species has been limited to the Mediterranean and the European shores of the Atlantic. The present study con- siders the populations of West Europe, but...

Simple Summary Many crops and wild plants depend on bee pollination for reproduction. Recent decades have shown evidence for a decline in the populations of many species of bees. One reason for this decline is the introduction of alien bees into new areas. We assessed the potential influence of bumble bees that are produced on an industrial scale a...

The intertidal barnacle Chthamalus stellatus has a broad distribution, occurring in the Mediterranean, the east Atlantic shores and east Atlantic Macaronesian Islands (Madeira, the Canaries and the Azores). Traditionally, based on morphological characters, Chthamalus of the Cape Verde Islands were also regarded as C. stellatus. However, using a mit...

Poli's stellate barnacle, Chthamalus stellatus Poli, populates the Mediterranean Sea, the NorthEastern Atlantic coasts, and the offshore Eastern Atlantic islands. Previous studies have found apparent genetic differences between the Atlantic and the Mediter-ranean populations of C. stellatus, suggesting possible geological and oceanographic explanat...

The circadian and endocrine systems influence many physiological processes in animals, but little is known on the ways they interact in insects. We tested the hypothesis that juvenile hormone (JH) influences circadian rhythms in the social bumble bee Bombus terrestris. JH is the major gonadotropin in this species coordinating processes such as vite...

The circadian and endocrine systems influence many physiological processes in animals, but little is known on the ways they interact in insects. We tested the hypothesis that juvenile hormone (JH) influences circadian rhythms in the social bumble bee Bombus terrestris. JH is the major gonadotropin in this species coordinating processes such as vite...

Juvenile hormone (JH) is a key regulator of insect development and reproduction. Given that JH commonly affects adult insect fertility, it has been hypothesized to also regulate behaviors such as dominance and aggression that are associated with reproduction. We tested this hypothesis in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris for which JH has been shown t...

The intertidal barnacle Chthamalus stellatus has a broad distribution, occurring in the Mediterranean, the east Atlantic shores and east Atlantic Macaronesian Islands (Madeira, the Canaries and the Azores). Traditionally, based on morphological characters, Chthamalus of the Cape Verde Islands were also regarded as C. stellatus. However, using a mit...

The Mediterranean coastal dune habitat of Israel is diminishing rapidly, mostly due to massive urbanization , changes in habitat characteristics caused by dune stabilization and the presence of Acacia saligna, an invasive species brought to Israel for the purpose of dune stabilization. In this study we document the effect of sand stabilization on t...

We studied Lesser Kestrels’ ( Falco naumanni ) conditional nest-site fidelity, i.e., fidelity that depends on the outcome of the previous nesting attempt in that site. In particular, we were interested in examining whether individual kestrels practice a Win–Stay/Lose–Shift (WSLS) strategy towards their nest-sites; that is, does the tendency to use...

The effect of food supplement to Lesser Kestrel ( Falco naumanni ) nests during the nestling period (from hatching to fledging) was studied in two nesting colonies in Israel – Alona and Jerusalem. Our hypothesis, based on diminishing returns considerations, was that food supplement will have a greater effect on fledgling success in the food-limited...

A trapping study was conducted to compare the efficacy of 11 different small mammal traps—seven live-traps and four lethal-traps—in capturing pest rodents in agricultural fields and orchards. The 9-year study was carried out in various regions in Israel, and comprised of 648 trap-sets, totalling over 32,000 trap-nights. Mice comprised the great maj...

Increased fragmentation and easier access to natural areas (e.g. ecotourism) is bringing man in closer contact to wild populations. Such encounters, even when they don't pose a direct threat to wildlife, may induce behavioral changes in animals that in the long run may have negative fitness consequences. We studied changes to the vigilance/group‐si...

Capsule: Microclimatic conditions in the nests of the Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni, particularly the percentage of time of extremely low humidity, affect breeding success. Aim: To study the effect of within-nest temperature and humidity on nest productivity, and the correlation between nest productivity and the order of dates on which nests were o...

Capsule: In Griffon Vultures Gyps fulvus both parents take part in all parenting tasks but males take a significantly larger part of the burden.

Interpretation of complex DNA mixtures is an ongoing challenge in the field of forensic genetics. Commonly used STR markers are quite polymorphic, enabling very high statistical association between a single source DNA profile from a crime scene and a matching suspect. STR typing of low order mixtures with two and three contributors also commonly pr...

Males of the brown widow spider, Latrodectus geometricus (Theridiidae), invest energy in courtship displays and are often cannibalized after mating; accordingly, partial sex role reversal is expected. In this species, subadult females are able to mate and produce viable offspring. In contrast to mature females, these subadult females do not canniba...

We studied the use of nest-sites by Griffon Vultures (Gyps fulvus) and the breeding success in these sites during 1998–2002 in Gamla Nature Reserve (Israel). Nest-sites in which a breeding attempt succeeded in fledging a young, were more likely to be occupied by nesting vultures in the following breeding season, than nest-sites that experienced a f...

The trawl fishery of the Mediterranean coast of Israel was analyzed vis á vis catch and fishing effort for the years 1949-2010. The Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) was calculated using the Fox surplus-yield model and was found to be 1,413 ton per annum using 1,415 units of effort (fishing days X engine power divided by 1000). Only during nine years...

Gamla Nature Reserve once held the largest colony of nesting and roosting Griffon Vultures (Gyps fulvus) in Israel, with 45 to 57 pairs nesting at the colony during our study years (1998-2002), and up to 140 individuals roosting on the canyon's cliffs. Nevertheless, the fledging success there was very low: only 34% of breeding attempts (nest with e...

After landing at the end of their nuptial flight, young queens of the harvester ant Messor semirufus search for a suitable nesting site and dig a burrow. After 3 months in the burrow, they start laying eggs, and nurse their first brood of workers alone. Field observations indicate that a few newly dug burrows contain more than one queen. Laboratory...

Table S1. Frequencies of hyper‐methylated fragments, grouped by crossbreeding group. Table S2. Frequencies of hyper‐methylated fragments, grouped by developmental stage.

Field observations on the behavior of young queens of the harvester ant Messor semirufus, reveal a considerable variance among individuals in the time span between landing after nuptial flight, and the start of nest digging. During that interval, which can last from a few minutes to almost 2 h, the queens wander around while being exposed to many d...

Environmental influences shape phenotypes within and across generations, often through DNA methylations that modify gene expression. Methylations were proposed to mediate caste and task allocation in some eusocial insects, but how an insect's environment affects DNA methylation in its offspring is yet unknown. We characterized parental effects on m...

Reintroduction of herbivores may play a vital role in restoring ecosystem functions. Here we describe the role of the Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica), reintroduced into Israel, as a vector of seed dispersal by endozoochory. Persian fallow deer have a wide diet both from grazing and browsing. From fecal samples, we found that more than 30 sp...

In order to understand plant responses to both the widespread phenomenon of increased nutrient inputs to coastal zones and the concurrent rise in atmospheric CO2 concentrations, CO2–nutrient interactions need to be considered. In addition to its potential stimulating effect on photosynthesis and growth, elevated CO2 affects the temperature response...

The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 led to a massive influx of Red Sea species that invaded the Mediterranean; this was termed ‘Lessepsian migration'. Among these species was a species of lizardfish, identified by some authors as Saurida undosquamis and by others as S. macrolepis. Recently, the Red Sea and the Mediterranean populations were descr...

Although there has been extensive research on the evolution of individual decision making under risk (when facing variable outcomes), little is known on how the evolution of such decision-making mechanisms has been shaped by social learning and exploitation. We presented socially foraging house sparrows with a choice between scattered feeding wells...

Foraging bumblebees focus mainly on one flower species (their 'major'), and occasionally visit other flowers ('minors') that are less rewarding. Minoring allows tracking of potential alternative resources that might become more profitable with time. This is expected to provide an adaptive benefit under unstable foraging conditions, but to reduce fo...

This report demonstrates the limits of DNA identification when siblings are involved. The Israeli DNA database routinely amplifies suspects samples using the PowerPlex(®) ESI16 system (Promega). While uploading a series of suspects into the database software, we found an unusual high number of shared alleles between two suspects 31 out of 32 allele...

The augmentation of traditional taxonomy by the addition of genetic methods, particularly DNA analysis, has revealed that many species that appeared identical morphologically throughout their distribution range are actually divided into two or more genetically distinct species. The whiting, Sillago sihama, is a fish that was considered to be of a w...

We studied the diets of the barn owl Tyto alba and the long-eared owl Asio otus in an arid region in the northern and central Negev Desert, Israel. The diet of the two owl species consisted mainly of small mammals, but the long-eared owl consumed a significantly larger proportion of birds in all seasons than did the barn owl. Seasonal differences i...

Social foragers may be regarded as being engaged in a producer-scrounger game in which they can search for food independently or join others who have discovered food. Research on the producer-scrounger game has focused mainly on the different factors influencing its ESS solution, but very little is known about the actual mechanisms that shape playe...

A sexual assault case resulted in a pregnancy, which was subsequently aborted. The alleged father of the fetus was unknown. Maternal and fetal types were obtained using the 11-locus AmpFℓSTR(®) SGM Plus(®) kit. The national DNA database was searched for the paternal obligatory alleles and detected two suspects who could not be excluded as father of...

In frequency-dependent games, strategy choice may be innate or learned. While experimental evidence in the producer-scrounger game suggests that learned strategy choice may be common, a recent theoretical analysis demonstrated that learning by only some individuals prevents learning from evolving in others. Here, however, we model learning explicit...

A long standing question in evolutionary biology concerns the maintenance of adaptive combinations of traits in the presence of recombination. This problem may be solved if positive epistasis selects for reducing the rate of recombination between such traits, but this requires sufficiently strong epistasis. Here we use a model that we developed pre...

In an environment where the availability of resources sought by a forager varies greatly, individual foraging is likely to be associated with a high risk of failure. Foragers that learn where the best sources of food are located are likely to develop risk aversion, causing them to avoid the patches that are in fact the best; the result is sub-optim...

Variation in learning abilities within populations suggests that complex learning may not necessarily be more adaptive than simple learning. Yet, the high cost of complex learning cannot fully explain this variation without some understanding of why complex learning is too costly for some individuals but not for others. Here we propose that differe...

Social foragers can use either a 'producer' strategy, which involves searching for food, or a 'scrounger' strategy, which involves joining others' food discoveries. While producers rely on personal information and past experience, we may ask whether the tendency to forage as a producer is related to being a better learner. To answer this question,...

We followed the daily and seasonal foraging patterns of the solitary bee Proxylocopa olivieri during two springs and summers in Har Gilo, Israel. During the foraging season, the bees exhibited a clear bimodal daily activity pattern. They foraged mostly before sunrise and after sunset. We hypothesized that this activity schedule entails foraging ben...

Reintroductions often rely on captive-raised, naïve animals that have not been exposed to the various threats present in natural environments. Wild animals entering new areas are timid and invest much time and effort in antipredator behavior. On the other hand, captive animals reared in predator-free conditions and in close proximity to humans may...

Thirty-one pairs of long-legged buzzards (Buteo rufinus) have nested in the past in cliffs of the Judean mountains. During the past 40 years, nesting there has substantially diminished and many pairs of buzzards have moved to nest in trees of the Judean coastal plains, as opposed to common literature. Our main objective was to understand the breedi...

This is the first report of the diet composition of Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) in the northern and central Negev desert, Israel. The diet consisted of 71.3% small mammals, 26.5% birds, 2.0% invertebrates, and 0.1% reptiles. There were no significant differences among the seven localities studied or among seasons in percent rodents or invertebrates...

Group foragers can use a ‘producer’ tactic which involves searching for food or a ‘scrounger’ tactic which involves joining others who have discovered food. While these alternative behaviours are well documented, it is not clear to what extent an individual's tendency to forage independently or to follow others is under genetic control or rather is...

In Tribolium castaneum Herbst, in which dispersal is genetically determined, it is possible to select for strains that are characterized by high and low dispersal, High dispersal (HD) beetles are better adapted than low dispersal (LD) beetles for colonization, as can be seen from differences that exist between the two groups with regard to several...

Colonies of the cosmopolitan urochordate Botryllus schlosseri that share one or both alleles at a single allorecognition locus (Fu/HC) and come into tissue contacts, may fuse and form a mixed entity, a chimera. Botryllus populations worldwide exhibit unprecedented extensive polymorphism at this locus, a result that restricts fusions to kin encounte...

The golden jackal, Canis aureus, and the red fox, Vulpes vulpes, are two common canids in Israel. Although the two species have similar diets, the jackal is about three times larger than the red fox. The current evidence for interspecific competition between these two canids is circumstantial and indirect. In this study we aimed to measure experime...

There are differing views in the literature regarding the feeding strategy of the barn owl (Tyto alba, Strigiformes). Whereas some authors conclude that the barn owl is a selective predator, selecting to prey on certain species, oth- ers maintain that it is an opportunist. We studied the diet composition of barn owls from agricultural fields in nor...

The faunal assemblage of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov (GBY) in the northern Jordan Valley, Israel, a waterlogged Early–Middle Pleistocene Acheulian site (0.79 Ma) correlated with Oxygen Isotope Stage (OIS) 20.2–18.2, includes over 5000 fragments (1–40 mm) of fossil freshwater crab of an undetermined species suspected to be Potamon sp., based on the morphol...

Animal conflicts are often characterized by time-dependent strategy sets. This paper considers the following type of animal conflicts: a member of a group is at risk and needs the assistance of another member to be saved. As long as assistance is not provided, the individual which is at risk has a positive, time-dependent rate of dying. Each of the...

This paper presents an asymmetric game-theoretical model to the following type of animal conflicts: a member of a group is at risk and needs the help of another member to be saved. As long as assistance is not provided, this individual has a positive, time-dependent rate of dying. Assisting the individual which is at risk accrues a cost, but losing...

In many groups of organisms the location of settling is determined by competition, and fitter individuals tend to settle closer to their natal territory than less fit ones. In this work we study the implications of this phenomenon to the problem of adaptation and speciation on a rugged adaptive landscape. One consequence of fitness-associated dispe...

Animal movement between habitat patches is often considered a random process. However, responses to landscape heterogeneity can direct the movement of animals and affect connectivity patterns. Topographical heterogeneity is a major source of habitat heterogeneity, which often directs animal movements and yet is scarcely studied in the context of di...

The parental investment conflict considers the question of how much each sex should invest in each brood, thereby characterizing different animal species. Each species usually adopts a certain parental care pattern: female-care only, male-care only, biparental care, or even no parental care at all. The differences in care patterns are usually expla...

RNA sequences that conform to the consensus sequence of 5′ splice sites but are not used for splicing occur frequently in protein coding genes. Mutational analyses have shown that suppression of splicing at such latent sites may be dictated by the necessity to maintain an open reading frame in the mRNA. Here we show that stop codon frequency in int...

Presented is a case report of a violent sexual assault where the DNA profile obtained from an item of evidence was compared to a suspect's profile. The profiles did not match, but the sharing of such a large number of alleles raised the suspicion that perhaps the real perpetrator was a blood relative of the suspect. The investigators requested a sa...

Foraging bees spend less time flying between flowers of the same species than when flying between individuals of different species. This time saving has been suggested as a possible advantage of flower-constant foraging. We hypothesized that the time required to switch flower type increases if (a) such switches are infrequent and (b) the bees need...

Animal conflicts are often characterized by time dependent strategy sets. This paper considers the following type of animal conflicts: a member of a group is at risk and needs the assistance of another member to be saved. As long as assistance is not provided, the individual which is at risk has a positive, time dependent rate of dying. Each of the...

The reasons for annual variability in the composition of phytoplankton assemblages are poorly understood but may include competition for resources and allelopathic interactions. We show that domination by the patch-forming dinoflagellate, Peridinium gatunense, or, alternatively, a bloom of a toxic cyanobacterium, Microcystis sp., in the Sea of Gali...

Splice site selection is a key element of pre-mRNA splicing and involves specific recognition of consensus sequences at the 5(') and 3(') splice sites. Evidently, the compliance of a given sequence with the consensus 5(') splice site sequence is not sufficient to define it as a functional 5(') splice site, because not all sequences that conform wit...

The Israel police forensic biology laboratory received as an item of evidence in an attempted murder case, a pair of trousers belonging to a suspect. A bloodstain was observed on the trousers and analyzed by STR typing for nine loci using the Promega GenePrint STR silver stain detection kits. The genetic profile defined was found to be identical to...

The majority (n = 445) of the Israeli and Palestinian fatal victims of the El Aqsah Intifada was examined at the National Center of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv. Analysis of the trauma sustained and the anthropologic profile of both the victims and the perpetrators elucidates the trends and contrasts them with the phenomenon in the past. The purpo...

DNA typing of nine short tandem repeat (STR) loci was carried out on unrelated Israeli Jewish and Arab individuals. All loci were highly polymorphic and the distribution of the obtained genotypes did not deviate from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. A comparison between Jewish and Arab population data revealed statistically significant differences in al...

The parental investment conflict considers the question of how much each sex should invest in each brood, thereby characterizing different animal groups. Each such group usually adopts a certain parental care pattern: female-care only, male-care only, biparental care, or even no parental care at all. The differences in care patterns are usually exp...

The allele frequency distributions of three STR loci amplified by PCR have been studied in four Israeli communities: Ashkenazi Jews and three non-Ashkenazi groups, namely Moroccan, Yemenite, and Ethiopian Jews. The loci analyzed were CSF1PO, TPOX, and HUMTHO1. The typing was performed in sequencing polyacrylamide gels under denaturing conditions th...

Chorionic villus sampling (CVS), prior to pregnancy termination (pre-termination CVS), is suggested as a tool for forensic paternity testing. Unlike the abortion material, which consists of ruptured tissues of fetal and maternal origin, extra-embryonic membranes obtained through CVS can provide an uncontaminated source of fetal tissue for genotypin...

The Jewish population in Israel comprises of inhabitants of heterogeneous ethnic backgrounds. Genetic studies classify the Israeli Jewish population into two major groups: Ashkenazi from Central and Eastern Europe and Sephardic or non Ashkenazi, from the Mediterranean and North Africa. The present study was aimed at elucidating the differential inf...

This case report demonstrates a rape case, where no semen, hair, or fingerprints were left by the perpetrator at the crime scene, but rather uncharacteristic biological and physical evidence in the form of a lollipop and a pair of glasses. Three separate forensic laboratories collaborated using conventional forensic methods of PCR DNA typing, photo...