Publications

distribution of neuropeptide y (npy) in the cerebral cortex of the lizards psammodromus algirus and podarcis hispanica: co-localization of npy, somatostatin, and gaba.	the aim of the present study was to analyze the distribution and characteristics of npy immunoreactive structures in the cerebral cortex of lizards and to investigate the degree of co-existence of this neuropeptide with somatostatin and gaba. the immunoperoxidase method was applied to vibratome sections as well as to semithin sections. npy neurons are multipolar or fusiform and were unevenly distributed throughout the brain cortex. within the medial, dorsomedial and dorsal cortices, most npy per ...	1991	1677949
ultrastructure of the dorsal cortex of the lizard psammodromus algirus.	the dorsal cortex of psammodromus algirus shows three layers, superficial plexiform layer (spl), cellular layer (cl), and deep plexiform layer (dpl), from the pia mater to the ependyma. the marginal glial sheet constitutes the outer limit of the spl. this glial sheet consists of flattened tanycytic processes running parallel to the cortical surface. a few globous neurons are scattered within the neuropil of the spl which is formed by axons, axon terminals, dendrites and dendritic spines. three t ...	1986	3760544
ultrastructural study of the epithelial mucous cells in lizards (lacertilia).	an ultrastructural study of the mucous cells of the intestinal epithelium of four lacertilian species (lacerta lepida, lacerta hispanica, psammodromus algirus and acanthodactylus erythrurus) is here reported. two types of mucous cells have been found in these species: common mucous cells and granular mucous cells. immature and mature forms of both types have been observed. the common mucous cells or typical goblet cells have the same characteristics in all four species. the granules of the granu ...	1982	7055841
investigation on the pars tuberalis of the hypophysis of psammodromus algirus l. (sauria). an electron microscopy study.	the anatomic-microscopic and cytological aspects of the lateral lobes of adenohypophysis of psammodromus algirus have been studied. along the whole of its extension, the 'pars tuberalis' appears to be separated from the hypothalamic region by a space of 1600 a with a winding course filled with fibrillar matrix. the main inclusions of 'pars tuberalis' cells are glycogen granules histochemically characterized by the thiery's method. a correlation between the electron and light microscopy observati ...	1982	7108992
subpopulations of gaba neurons containing somatostatin, neuropeptide y, and parvalbumin in the dorsomedial cortex of the lizard psammodromus algirus.	different subpopulations of gaba neurons containing the neuropeptides somatostatin and neuropeptide y, and the calcium binding protein parvalbumin were studied by immunocytochemistry using light and electron microscopy in the dorsomedial cortex of the lizard psammodromus algirus to investigate the connectivity of different subsets of gaba neurons in the lizard dorsomedial cortical circuitry and to compare cortical regions of reptiles and mammals. gaba neurons were classified into different subse ...	1993	7902363
immunocytochemical localization of the gabaa receptor in the cerebral cortex of the lizard psammodromus algirus.	this study examined the distribution and localization of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (gaba)a receptor in the brain cortex of a reptile by light and electron microscopy, to test whether cortical gaba inhibition is mainly mediated through the gabaa receptor complex. we used preembedding immunocytochemistry and a monoclonal antibody, raised against the receptor complex, that recognizes the beta 2 and beta 3 subunits of the receptor. gabaa receptors were distributed throughout the entire cerebral co ...	1994	7929895
monoaminergic innervation patterns in the anterior dorsal ventricular ridge of a lacertid lizard, psammodromus algirus.	in contrast to the view of a diffuse monoaminergic innervation of the telencephalon, studies on the monoaminergic innervation in certain mammalian isocortical regions have shown a high degree of regional and laminar specificity. the present study was designed to examine the distribution patterns of dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin in a telencephalic structure, the anterior dorsal ventricular ridge, of the sand lizard psammodromus algirus (lacertidae) using specific antibodies against each m ...	1994	7987666
intrinsic connections in the anterior dorsal ventricular ridge of the lizard psammodromus algirus.	we have studied the intrinsic connections of the anterior dorsal ventricular ridge (advr) in the lacertid lizard psammodromus algirus by means of retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase (hrp) and fluorescent labeling with the lipophilic carbocyanine dye dii. we injected hrp into different regions in the advr arrayed in a medial-to-lateral sequence, with each consisting of three distinct superficial-to-deep zones. when hrp was injected into a given region, many labeled neurons (always loca ...	1996	8841921
calretinin immunoreactivity in the cerebral cortex of the lizard psammodromus algirus: a light and electron microscopic study.	the present study describes the distribution and structural features of calretinin-immunoreactive neurons and fiber plexuses in the cerebral cortex of a lacertid lizard, at the light and electron microscopic levels, and also examines the colocalization of calretinin with parvalbumin and gamma-aminobutyric acid (gaba) in certain cortical regions. calretinin-immunoreactive neurons are present throughout the cerebral cortex of psammodromus and can be classified according to morphological and neuroc ...	1997	9183700
cholecystokinin innervation of the cerebral cortex in a reptile, the lizard, psammodromus algirus.	we used light and electron microscopic and immunohistochemical methods to map the distribution of cholecystokinin (cck) in the cerebral cortex of a lizard, psammodromus algirus. at light microscopy, the cck immunoreactivity was limited to fibers and terminals densely innervating all cortical regions except for the lateral (pyriform) cortex which was very slightly immunostained. the cck-positive terminals were almost restricted to the cell layers in every cortical region where they surrounded imm ...	1998	9491276
nucleus accumbens in the lizard psammodromus algirus: chemoarchitecture and cortical afferent connections.	to better understand the organization and evolution of the basal ganglia of vertebrates, in the present study we have analyzed the chemoarchitecture and the cortical input to the nucleus accumbens in the lacertid lizard psammodromus algirus. the nucleus accumbens contains many gamma-aminobutyric acid (gaba)-positive neurons and calbindin-positive neurons, the majority of which may be spiny projection neurons, and a few dispersed neuropeptide y-positive neurons that likely represent aspiny intern ...	1999	10022193
calcium-binding proteins in the dorsal ventricular ridge of the lizard psammodromus algirus.	the aim of the present work was to study further the intrinsic organization of the dorsal ventricular ridge of lizards. for that purpose, the morphology and distribution of cells and fibers containing the calcium-binding proteins calbindin-d28k, parvalbumin, and calretinin were investigated by using immunohistochemical methods. colocalization of calcium-binding proteins with the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (gaba) was also studied because they are shown to coexist in many areas of th ...	1999	10022194
calbindin-d28k in cortical regions of the lizard psammodromus algirus.	the morphology, distribution, and ultrastructural features of calbindin-d28k-immunoreactive neurons and fibers in the cortical regions of the lizard psammodromus algirus, considered homologues to the mammalian hippocampal formation, were analyzed by using the peroxidase anti-peroxidase technique at the light and electron microscopic level. on the basis of staining properties and localization, two distinct populations of calbindin-d28k-immunoreactive neurons were observed in both the medial and d ...	1999	10022196
expression of calcium-binding proteins in the diencephalon of the lizard psammodromus algirus.	this work is a study of the distribution pattern of calbindin-d28k, calretinin, and parvalbumin in the diencephalic alar plate of a reptile, the lizard psammodromus algirus, by using the prosomeric model (puelles [1995] brain behav evol 46:319-337), which divides the alar plate of the diencephalon into the caudorostrally arranged pretectum (p1), dorsal thalamus plus epithalamus (p2), and ventral thalamus (p3). calbindin and calretinin are more extensively expressed in the dorsal thalamus than in ...	2000	11042592
hindlimb asymmetry reduces escape performance in the lizard psammodromus algirus.	locomotor performance of lizards and its relationship to the ecology and morphology of the forms concerned has been well studied recently. asymmetry of limbs might make the body unstable and make performance less effective. however, their effects on terrestrial locomotion remain almost unexplored. in this article, the escape performance of the lizard psammodromus algirus running at high speed was related to hindlimb morphology and fluctuating asymmetry levels. femur length was significantly shor ...	2006	11517447
mesencephalic and diencephalic afferent connections to the thalamic nucleus rotundus in the lizard, psammodromus algirus.	the present work is an analysis of the afferent projections to the thalamic nucleus rotundus in a lizard, both at the light- and electron-microscopic level, using biotinylated dextran amine (bda) as a neuroanatomical tracer. this study has confirmed previously reported afferent projections to nucleus rotundus in reptiles and has also identified a number of new cellular aggregates projecting to this dorsal thalamic nucleus. after bda injections into nucleus rotundus, retrogradely labelled neurons ...	2002	12169109
effect of testosterone on t cell-mediated immunity in two species of mediterranean lacertid lizards.	one of the primary assumptions of the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis is that testosterone has an immunosuppressive effect, but conflicting results have been reported in a variety of bird species concerning the effect of testosterone on the humoral and the t cell-mediated components of the immune system. the t cell-mediated component of the immune system is particularly important during the breeding season, because the likelihood of injury during sexual competition is high and t cell-mediat ...	2004	15114648
reservoir role of lizard psammodromus algirus in transmission cycle of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (spirochaetaceae) in tunisia.	to investigate the reservoir role of the lizard psammodromus algirus for the lyme disease spirochete, 199 lizards were trapped from april to october 2003 in el jouza, northwestern tunisia. in this site, the infection rate of free-living ixodes ricinus (l.) by borrelia was evaluated by immunofluorescence as 34.6% for adult ticks and 12.5% for nymphs. eighty percent of p. algirus (117/146) captured during this study were infested by i. ricinus, the predominant tick species collected from lizards. ...	2006	16892633
bioaccumulation of heavy metals in the lizard psammodromus algirus after a tailing-dam collapse in aznalcóllar (southwest spain).	quantification of heavy metal concentrations in biota is a common technique that helps environmental managers measure the level of pollutants circulating in ecosystems. despite interest in heavy metals as indicators of localized pollution, few studies have assessed these pollutants in reptiles. in 1998, the tailing pond of a pyrite mine near aznalcóllar (southwestern spain), containing mud with high heavy metal concentrations, collapsed, releasing 6 million m(3) of toxic sludge into the guadiama ...	2009	18587604
non-lethal effects of predators on body growth and health state of juvenile lizards, psammdromus algirus.	predation risk does not necessarily increase predation rates because prey may be able to behave differentially to cope with higher predation risk. however, antipredatory behaviors may be costly, leading to negative, although non-lethal, effects of predators on prey. we examined in outdoor enclosures whether an experimental increase in predation pressure, which did not increase direct mortality, but forced individuals to increase antipredatory behaviors, may have significant non-lethal effects on ...	2010	20298705
polymorphic microsatellite markers for the lizard psammodromus algirus (squamata: lacertidae).	eight microsatellite loci are described for the lizard psammodromus algirus, a species widely used as a model in behavioural and ecological studies. all loci were highly polymorphic (six alleles or more per locus) in a sample of 24 individuals from a single site near navacerrada (central spain). observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.29 to 0.96. these markers will be used to study mating strategies and determinants of reproductive success in this species.	2008	21585854
life-history traits of two mediterranean lizard populations: a possible example of countergradient covariation.	the trade-off between clutch and offspring size, which is a central topic in life-history research, is shaped by natural selection to maximize the number of surviving offspring, but it also depends on the resources available for reproduction. conspecific populations living in different environments may differ in adult body size, clutch mass, clutch size, offspring size, and/or post-natal growth rates, due either to phenotypic plasticity or to local adaptation. here, we compare these traits and t ...	2013	23076409
oxidative stress decreases with elevation in the lizard psammodromus algirus.	oxidative stress is considered one of the main ecological and evolutionary forces. several environmental stressors vary geographically and thus organisms inhabiting different sites face different oxidant environments. nevertheless, there is scarce information about how oxidative damage and antioxidant defences vary geographically in animals. here we study how oxidative stress varies from lowlands (300-700 m asl) to highlands (2200-2500 m asl) in the lizard psammodromus algirus. to accomplish thi ...	2014	24603098
the importance of lizards and small mammals as reservoirs for borrelia lusitaniae in portugal.	borrelia lusitaniae is a pathogen frequent in the mediterranean area. apart from lizards, evidence for birds and small mammals as competent reservoirs for this genospecies has been occasional. we collected questing ticks, skin biopsies and ixodes sp. ticks feeding on lizards, birds and small mammals in a b. burgdorferi s.l. (sensu lato) enzootic area to assess their importance in the maintenance of b. lusitaniae. borrelia lusitaniae was the most prevalent genospecies in questing ticks and was co ...	2015	25291988
bergmann's rule rules body size in an ectotherm: heat conservation in a lizard along a 2200-metre elevational gradient.	bergmann's rule predicts larger body sizes in colder habitats, increasing organisms' ability to conserve heat. originally formulated for endotherms, it is controversial whether bergmann's rule may be applicable to ectotherms, given that larger ectotherms show diminished capacity for heating up. we predict that bergmann's rule will be applicable to ectotherms when the benefits of a higher conservation of heat due to a larger body size overcompensate for decreased capacity to heating up. we test t ...	2014	25387908
ultraviolet radiation does not increase oxidative stress in the lizard psammodromus algirus along an elevational gradient.	lizards, as ectotherms, spend much time basking for thermoregulating exposed to solar radiation. consequently, they are subjected to ultraviolet radiation (uvr), which is the most harmful component of solar radiation spectrum. uvr can provoke damages, from the molecular to tissue level, even cause death. photooxidation triggered by uvr produces reactive oxidative species (ros). when antioxidant machinery cannot combat the ros concentration, oxidative stress occurs in the organisms. given that uv ...	2015	25535112
tick infestations (acari: ixodidae) on three lizard species from seraidi (annaba district), northeastern algeria.	parasitism of ixodes ricinus on three species of lizards (psammodromus algirus, podarcis vaucheri and timon pater) in northeastern algeria was studied. psammodromus algirus was the most preferred host, t. pater was least preferred. nymphs of i. ricinus were found attached to lizards from march to august in various numbers. most nymphs were collected during march, april and june for p. algirus, and most larvae from april until august. larval stages were found to be mostly associated with p. vauch ...	2015	26071102
thermal dependence of sprint performance in the lizard psammodromus algirus along a 2200-meter elevational gradient: cold-habitat lizards do not perform better at low temperatures.	sprint speed has a capital relevance in most animals' fitness, mainly for fleeing from predators. sprint performance is maximal within a certain range of body temperatures in ectotherms, whose thermal upkeep relies on exogenous thermal sources. ectotherms can respond to diverse thermal environments either by shifting their thermal preferences or maintaining them through different adaptive mechanisms. here, we tested whether maximum sprint speed of a lizard that shows conservative thermal ecology ...	2015	26267503
thermoregulation in the lizard psammodromus algirus along a 2200-m elevational gradient in sierra nevada (spain).	achieving optimal body temperature maximizes animal fitness. since ambient temperature may limit ectotherm thermal performance, it can be constrained in too cold or hot environments. in this sense, elevational gradients encompass contrasting thermal environments. in thermally pauperized elevations, ectotherms may either show adaptations or suboptimal body temperatures. also, reproductive condition may affect thermal needs. herein, we examined different thermal ecology and physiology capabilities ...	2016	26373651
elevational variation in body-temperature response to immune challenge in a lizard.	immunocompetence benefits animal fitness by combating pathogens, but also entails some costs. one of its main components is fever, which in ectotherms involves two main types of costs: energy expenditure and predation risk. whenever those costs of fever outweigh its benefits, ectotherms are expected not to develop fever, or even to show hypothermia, reducing costs of thermoregulation and diverting the energy saved to other components of the immune system. environmental thermal quality, and there ...	2016	27168981
does ecophysiology mediate reptile responses to fire regimes? evidence from iberian lizards.	background. reptiles are sensitive to habitat disturbance induced by wildfires but species frequently show opposing responses. functional causes of such variability have been scarcely explored. in the northernmost limit of the mediterranean bioregion, lizard species of mediterranean affinity (psammodromus algirus and podarcis guadarramae) increase in abundance in burnt areas whereas atlantic species (lacerta schreiberi and podarcis bocagei) decrease. timon lepidus, the largest mediterranean liza ...	2016	27330864
variations in chemical sexual signals of psammodromus algirus lizards along an elevation gradient may reflect altitudinal variation in microclimatic conditions.	chemical signals used in intraspecific communication are expected to evolve or to show phenotipic plasticity to maximize efficacy in the climatic conditions of a given environment. elevational environmental gradients in mountains provide a good opportunity to test this hypothesis by examining variation in characteristics of signals in species found across different elevations with different climatic conditions. we analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (gc-ms) the lipophilic fraction o ...	2017	28251299
determinants of survival in juvenile psammodromus algirus lizards.	theories posit that the relative mortality rate of adults and juveniles is a major determinant of population dynamics and life history evolution. moreover, differential survival of pre-reproductive individuals may be an important source of variation in lifetime reproductive success, and characters that influence survival of juveniles are likely to be under strong selection. we examined survival from hatching to maturity in a natural population of psammodromus algirus lizards using data from a ca ...	2000	28308413
variation in the effect of profitability on prey size selection by the lacertid lizard psammodromus algirus.	maximizing the average rate of energy intake (profitability) may not always be the optimal foraging strategy for ectotherms with relatively low energy requirements. to test this hypothesis, we studied the feeding behaviour of captive insectivorous lizards psammodromus algirus, and we obtained experimental estimates of prey mass, handling time, profitability, and attack distance for several types of prey. handling time increased linearly with prey mass and differed significantly among prey types ...	1993	28313853
expression of regulatory genes in the embryonic brain of a lizard and implications for understanding pallial organization and evolution.	the comparison of gene expression patterns in the embryonic brain of mouse and chicken is being essential for understanding pallial organization. however, the scarcity of gene expression data in reptiles, crucial for understanding evolution, makes it difficult to identify homologues of pallial divisions in different amniotes. we cloned and analyzed the expression of the genes emx1, lhx2, lhx9, and tbr1 in the embryonic telencephalon of the lacertid lizard psammodromus algirus. the comparative ex ...	2018	28891227
a golgi study of the dorsal cortex in the lizard psammodromus algirus.	the dorsal cortex of psammodromus algirus is three-layered. from the pia to the ependyma, it consists of a superficial plexiform layer, a cellular layer, and a deep plexiform layer. five neuronal types have been classified in the dorsal cortex. pyramidal neurons represent 18.75% of neurons and differ morphologically depending on their position in the pars medialis or lateralis of dorsal cortex. pyramidal neurons in the pars medialis are smaller and their apical dendritic fields are less extensiv ...	1987	29898568
electron microscopy of the dorsomedial cortex in the lizard psammodromus algirus.	the cellular populations and the plexiform layers of the dorsomedial cortex of psammodromus algirus are described at the ultrastructural level. solitary globous cells are located in the outermost layer of the cortex, the superficial plexiform layer. double pyramidal cells of the cellular layer show uniform ultrastructural characteristics. displaced double pyramidal cells, vertical fusiform cells, and globous cells are found in the deep plexiform layer. two types of dendritic spines are described ...	1986	29933647
electron microscopy of the medial cortex in the lizard psammodromus algirus.	the medial cortex of psammodromus presents a three-layer organization. most of the cell bodies are localized in a compact lamina, the cellular layer. two plexiform layers, superficial and deep, enclose the cellular layer. the most external portion of the superficial plexiform layer is formed by a limiting glial sheet consisting of tanycytic processes that reach the surface of the cortex. astrocytes are localized close to the glial sheet. there are two types of axon terminals within the superfici ...	1985	29969868
light microscopy of the medial wall of the cerebral cortex of the lizard psammodromus algirus.	the telencephalic medial wall of the lizard psammodromus algirus was studied using golgi and conventional light microscopic techniques. the area is formed by two different cytological fields-medial cortex and dorsomedial cortex. these two cortices possess three layers dorsoventrally: a superficial plexiform layer, a cellular layer, and a deep plexiform layer. the alveus, a deep fiber system, runs adjacent to the ependyma. four classes of neurons are found in the cellular layer of the medial cort ...	1984	30025435
prey availability, prey selection, and trophic niche width in the lizard psammodromus algirus along an elevational gradient.	mountains imply enormous environmental variation, with alpine habitats entailing harsh environments, especially for ectotherms such as lizards. this environmental variability also may imply variation in prey availability. however, little is known about how lizard trophic ecology varies with elevation. in this study, we analyze diet, prey availability, prey selection, and trophic niche width in the lacertid lizard psammodromus algirus along a 2,200-m elevational gradient in the sierra nevada (se ...	2018	30323839
opposed elevational variation in prevalence and intensity of endoparasites and their vectors in a lizard.	studying the causes of parasite geographic distribution is relevant to understand ecological and evolutionary processes that affect host populations as well as for species conservation. temperature is one of the most important environmental variables affecting parasite distribution, as raising temperatures positively affect development, reproduction, and rate of transmission of both endo- and ectoparasites. in this context, it is generally accepted that, in mountains, parasite abundance decrease ...	2018	30402060
relationship between oxidative stress and sexual coloration of lizards depends on thermal habitat.	sexual signals serve as an honest indicator of individual quality, reflecting either developmental and/or maintenance costs. a possible underlying physiological mechanism is oxidative stress, which could mediate energy trade-offs between sexual signals and other quality traits. in ectotherms, thermal performance acts as a key indicator of individual quality and influence signal intensity. we investigated how oxidative state is reflected in visual signals of lizards from different thermal habitat ...	2019	31612286
the combined use of raw and phylogenetically independent methods of outlier detection uncovers genome-wide dynamics of local adaptation in a lizard.	local adaptation is a dynamic process by which different allele combinations are selected in different populations at different times, and whose genetic signature can be inferred by genome-wide outlier analyses. we combined gene flow estimates with two methods of outlier detection, one of them independent of population coancestry (cioa) and the other one not (roa), to identify genetic variants favored when ecology promotes phenotypic convergence. we analyzed genotyping-by-sequencing data from fi ...	2019	31938524
telomere length mirrors age structure along a 2200-m altitudinal gradient in a mediterranean lizard.	the timing of organisms' senescence is developmentally programmed but also shaped by the interaction between environmental inputs and life-history traits. in ectotherms, ageing dynamics are still poorly understood even though their body temperature, metabolism, or growth trajectory are very sensitive to environmental changes. here, we investigated the role of life-history traits such as age, sex, body size, body condition, and tail autotomy (i.e self-amputation) in shaping telomere length in six ...	2020	32522626
long-term trace element assessment after a mine spill: pollution persistence and bioaccumulation in the trophic web.	trace elements can be toxic when they cannot be easily removed after entering an ecosystem, so a long-term assessment is fundamental to guide ecosystem restoration after catastrophic pollution. in 1998, a pyrite mining accident in aznalcóllar (south-western spain) spilled toxic waste over a large area of the guadiamar river basin, where, after restoration tasks, the guadiamar green corridor was established. eight years after the mine accident (2005-2006), the ground-dwelling insectivorous lizard ...	2020	32866866
age structure of a lizard along an elevational gradient reveals nonlinear lifespan patterns with altitude.	lifespan is one of the main components of life history. shorter lifespans can be expected in marginal habitats. however, in the case of ectotherms, lifespan typically increases with altitude, even though temperature-one of the main factors to determine ectotherms' life history-declines with elevation. this pattern can be explained by the fact that a shorter activity time favors survival. in this study, we analyzed how lifespan and other life-history traits of the lizard psammodromus algirus vary ...	2020	32939218