The effects of landscape attributes on Lepidoptera communities were studied in an agricultural area in Calabria (S-Italy). The association between a set of community descriptors and landscape metrics was determined using a multi-scale approach. Lepidoptera were sampled using yellow sticky traps in 10 olive groves. The landscape in 5 concentric areas, with radii from 250 to 1250 m, around each sampling site was analyzed. The composition and configuration of the landscape were calculated both at the landscape and class level based on the main classes of land use. The following life-history traits of Lepidoptera were considered: (i) dispersal ability of adults, (ii) habitat preferences and (iii) diet breadth of larvae. An index of community vulnerability was calculated by combining life-history traits and species diversity. There were no significant correlations between any of the landscape metrics and species richness or between species richness and abundance of natural or semi-natural habitats. However, life-history traits were significantly correlated with some landscape metrics, depending on the spatial scale. Most notably, landscape diversity is positively correlated with community vulnerability. The presence of sensitive species in olive orchards, but not species richness per se, is associated with the presence of natural and semi-natural habitats in the surrounding agricultural landscape. In conclusion, responses of communities to landscape changes are more likely to be revealed by an analysis of ecological traits, than species richness. In particular, the vulnerability index, used in this joint analysis of the main ecological traits, seems to be an effective descriptor of the relationships between communities and landscape., Stefano Scalercio ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Most species of ants inhabiting the temperate zone overwinter underground, whereas those of the genus Temnothorax remain in nests aboveground. I studied the cost of aboveground overwintering. Workers of Temnothorax crassispinus survived in higher numbers (median = 88%) in artificial nests experimentally buried at a depth of 5 cm than those in nests on the surface (48%) of the soil. The results support the hypothesis that overwintering aboveground could be a consequence of a limited supply of nests and/or the advantage of being able to respond quickly to warm temperatures in spring. Address, Slawomir Mitrus., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The Costanera Sur ecological reserve in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was established in 1986 on the banks of the Rio de la Plata on excavated substrata landfill, where free space was left for plant and animal communities to take over. The 350 ha of the reserve include such biotopes as wetlands, pampas and small areas of woodland, providing a valuable site for the city's inhabitants to meet various species of animals in close proximity to the historical city centre, e.g. 270 bird species have been recorded there., Andrej Funk, Kateřina Funková., Ekologická rezervace Costanera Sur v Buenos Aires v Argentině vznikla v roce 1986 na břehu Río de La Plata na skládce vytěženého substrátu, kde byl ponechán volný prostor k sukcesi společenstev rostlin a živočichů. Na ploše 350 ha rezervace zahrnuje biotopy mokřadů, pampy a malých úseků lesa a představuje cennou lokalitu pro rekreaci obyvatel města i pro poznávání různých druhů zvířat v těsné blízkosti historického centra města. Zatím zde byl doložen výskyt např. 270 druhů ptáků., and cze
Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is a parasitoid wasp widely used in the biological control of fruit flies. In this paper, we present a detailed analysis of the karyotype of this species based on the results of classical and molecular cytogenetic techniques. The cytogenetic analysis confirmed the male and female chromosome numbers previously reported (n = 20, 2n = 40). The entire short arm of most chromosomes is made up of a large constitutive heterochromatic segment. The high heterochromatin content differentiates D. longicaudata from other braconid species. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using autologous 18S rDNA probes revealed six clusters of rDNA, i.e. six nucleolar organizer regions (NORs), in the heterochromatic short arms of different chromosomes in the haploid male karyotype. This number is exceptionally high for Hymenoptera, which usually have two NORs in the diploid complement. It is noteworthy that these rDNA-FISH experiments represent the first use of this technique on a braconid species using autologous probes. Since Ag-NOR-bands were coincident with C-positive bands on metaphase chromosomes, it was not possible to identify active nucleoli. The physical characteristics of the D. longicaudata karyotype, especially the content and distribution of heterochromatin and the number and location of rDNA clusters, contribute to a better understanding of the structure and organization of braconid chromosomes and provide a basis for genomic and evolutionary studies., Leonela Carabajal Paladino ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
1_Chromosomes of six European species (one with two subspecies) of Orthoptera belonging to the tribes Ephippigerini and Bradyporini were analyzed using C-banding, Ag-NOR, DAPI (AT-rich)/CMA3 (GC-rich) staining and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using the 18S rDNA and (TTAGG)n telomeric probes with the aim to better understand chromosomal organization and evolutionary relationships between genera and subgenera within and across both tribes. The evolution of karyotypes was studied in terms of changes in chromosome number (2n) and morphology (FN, the fundamental number – i.e. the number of chromosome arms including the X chromosome). The ancestral 2n = 31 was reduced to 2n = 29 (FN = 31) and 27 (FN = 31) by one or two Robertsonian fusions in the Ephippigerini. Whereas in the Bradyporini 2n = 27 (FN = 32) as a result of two Robertsonian translocations and a pericentric inversion in the X chromosome. The quantity of heterochromatin in GC-rich regions distinguished the karyotypes of Ephippigerini (only a single CG-rich band on one autosome pair) from those of Bradyporini (CG-rich bands on all chromosomes). FISH using the 18S rDNA probe localized 1–3 rDNA clusters to autosomes and/or to the X chromosome in all species examined. The rDNA loci coincided with active NORs as determined by Ag-NOR staining. A comparison of the location of the single NOR/rDNA in two species of the genus Steropleurus (Ephippigerini) suggests that the reduced chromosome number in S. pseudolus results from a Robertsonian fusion between two pairs of autosomes, one of them carrying the NOR/rDNA as in S. stalii (and also in E. ephippiger)., 2_Whereas the karyotypes of three species of the genus Bradyporus, though showing the same chromosome number and morphology, differed in the number and distribution of NORs/rDNA sites [one autosomal in B. (B.) dasypus versus three in B. macrogaster and B. (C.) oniscus, two of them X-linked]. Trends in karyotype diversification of the taxa based on the present data and previous research are discussed. In some individuals belonging to the species Bradyporus (B.) dasypus and B. (C.) m. macrogaster B chromosomes (Bs) were detected: acrocentric (the smallest elements in the complement) and submetacentric (similar to medium-sized autosomes), respectively., Elzbieta Warchalowska-Sliwa ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Microsatellites are the most common markers used in population and conservation genetic studies. However, their isolation is laborious and expensive. In some taxa, such as Lepidoptera, it is particularly difficult to isolate microsatellite markers due to the high similarity of the flanking regions of different loci and the presence of null alleles. Here we isolated microsatellites of the endangered butterfly Boloria aquilonaris using 454 GS-FLX Titanium pyro-sequences of biotin enriched DNA libraries and tested the success of cross-amplification on the sister-species B. eunomia. Fifteen polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated in B. aquilonaris using initially 101 stringently designed primer pairs. Unlike in many other studies of microsatellite isolation in Lepidoptera, few null alleles were detected and only at very low frequencies. Additionally, the raw data set can still be used for the isolation of other microsatellite loci. None of the selected polymorphic loci for B. aquilonaris gave clear banding patterns for B. eunomia, although about 15 other loci gave promising banding patterns for the latter species. Low intra- and inter-specific transferability of developed markers in this study also lends support to the hypothesis that the evolution of the genome of Lepidoptera is dissimilar from that of other organisms., Sofie Vandewoestijne, Camille Turlure, Michel Baguette., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Body size is one of the most investigated traits in studies of sexual selection in fruit flies of the genus Drosophila. In D. melanogaster, size has often been correlated with male mating success, i.e. larger males were more successful in achieving copulations both in laboratory and field conditions. In the present paper, we investigated if male body size is a sexually selected trait in competitive conditions, when full-sibs that developed at two different temperatures (18 and 25°C) competed for females. Males developed at a lower temperature were significantly larger than those reared at a higher temperature, but they were not more successful in mating. We conclude that when body size is significantly induced by temperature variability, it is not correlated with male mating success., Sofija Pavkovic-Lučic, Vladimir Kekic., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The Asian ladybird Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is regarded as an invasive species in many parts of the world. In a previous study we hypothesised that H. axyridis enters diapause at the end of October and then shifts to a quiescent state in December in northwestern Europe. In the present study we test this idea of a short, early period of diapause by sampling beetles from their hibernation sites immediately after their migratory flights in October, subsequently keeping them in outdoor cages, and then, after certain time-intervals, measuring the pre-oviposition time under optimal egg-laying laboratory conditions at 25°C. We did this at both short (12L) and long (16L) photoperiods, since a photoperiodic response is an indicator of true diapause, rather than quiescence. A significant, albeit small, difference in pre-oviposition period between the two photoperiods, which disappears in December, corroborates our earlier hypothesis that the ladybirds are in a state of diapause until mid-December. Compared with that of native ladybirds the diapause of H. axyridis generally is relatively short and weak; moreover, it appears to have become shorter over the last decade. This flexibility in diapausing behaviour may be an important factor that contributes to the invasive success of H. axyridis., C. Lidwien Raak-Van Den Berg ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seynam literatury
The use of light traps for controlling insect pests is restricted since they kill both pests and beneficial insects. It may be a possible to reduce the numbers of beneficial insects trapped by adjusting nightly trapping time based on differences recorded in the timing of the nocturnal flight peaks of target pests and beneficials. To test this, insects were collected hourly over night using black light traps at three locations in China from 2003 to 2005. Groups of lepidopteran and coleopteran pests were selected as the target pests that we would control by trapping and groups of beneficial predatory insects the catches of which needed to be reduced. The highest numbers of Coleoptera were caught between 20:00 and 22:00 h and of most Lepidoptera between 02:00 and 04:00 h. The hourly numbers of predatory insects caught by light traps were evenly distributed throughout the night. A model was developed to describe the relationships between the cumulative proportions of insects caught and time of night. The model accurately describes the flight activity of insects that were mainly caught before midnight, after midnight and evenly throughout a night by using different parameters for the three different insect groups. A beneficial-friendly trapping strategy was developed to reduce the numbers of beneficial insects trapped, which was based on differences in the nocturnal flight activity of pests and beneficial insects and validated by a field study in Shandong province. Results show that this trapping strategy reduced the number of beneficial insects caught by 46% and the electricity consumption by 50% compared to the traditional strategy. Thus this strategy is more beneficial-friendly than the traditional trapping strategy for controlling pests., Gang Ma, Chun-Sen Ma., and Obsahuje seznam literatury