The macrozoobenthos in saline pools at dumps in a former coal mining area was studied over a period of two years. Due to specific environmental conditions these pools are unique in the Czech Republic. Extremely high values of salinity (up to 11‰) along with a low concentration of dissolved phosphorus (0.01-0.1 mg.l-1) are typical of some of the water in this area. The pools were grouped into three categories based on their conductivity values and treated using cow dung, municipal wastewater treatment sludge and inorganic NPK (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium) fertilizer at doses recommended for carp ponds. The application of fertilizer had a positive effect on the density and biomass of all the groups in the macrozoobenthos. The highest and the lowest increases in macrozoobenthos biomass were recorded after the application of NPK and cow dung, respectively. However, the application of fertilizer had no effect on the diversity of macrozoobenthos. Chironomus aprilinus, recorded in the Czech Republic for the first time, inhabited all pools with conductivity ranges of between 5,000-16,000 µS.cm-1. The density of C. aprilinus larvae increased with increasing salinity reaching a maximum of about 17,083 ind.m-2 (biomass - 82 g.m-2). Analysis of C. aprilinus phenology revealed a bivoltine pattern with the summer generation of larvae reaching a maximum in June-July and the overwintering generation in October to November., Josef Matěna, Iva Šínová, Jakub Brom, Kateřina Novotná., and Obsahuje bibliografii
This paper examines the changes in the species composition of aphids living in dry calcareous grasslands in Central Europe over a 25-year period. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first analysis of this type in the world that takes into account both previous and current data on species richness as well as groups of aphids that are distinguishable on the basis of biological and ecological criteria such as host-alternation and feeding types, life cycle, ecological niche, symbiosis with ants and their ecological functional groups. Over the period of more than 25 years, there has been a significant decrease in aphid α-diversity, from 171 to 105 species. The gain, which is in species not previously recorded, was 17 taxa. The loss of biodiversity occurred despite the fact that these habitats are protected and are valuable regional biodiversity hotspots. The losses are mostly related to intensive human activity in adjacent areas, which, unfortunately, has resulted in the isolation of these small, protected environmental islands by the removal of ecological corridors. Since, as is shown in this study, the frequencies between individual biological and ecological groups of aphids have been retained, it would be possible to restrict this loss of biodiversity if appropriate actions are taken., Barbara Osiadacz, Roman Hałaj, Damian Chmura., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The tenebrionid beetles on 25 circum-Sicilian islands were studied to determine the influence of island geographical and landscape features on three main intercorrelated biogeographical patterns: (1) species richness, studied using species-area and species environment relationships, (2) species assemblage composition, investigated using Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA), and (3) inter-site faunal similarity, investigated using Canonical Correlation Analysis (CANCOR) applied to multidimensional scaling of inter-island faunal dissimilarities. Species richness was mostly influenced by island area and landscape heterogeneity (expressed using various indices of diversity based on land cover categories). When species identities were considered in the CCA, no substantial effect of landscape was detected. Current island isolation did not have a strong influence on species richness, but has a distinct effect in determining species assortments on the remotest islands. Historical influences of Pleistocene landbridge connections were not detectable in species richness relationships using geographical variables in species richness analyses or in assemblage gradients in the CCA, but emerged distinctly from inter-island similarities in the CANCOR. and Simone Fattorini.
To date, thousands of microRNAs (miRNAs) and their precursors (pre-miRNAs) have been identified in insects and their nucleotide sequences deposited in the miRBase database. In the present work, we have systematically analyzed, utilizing bioinformatics tools, the featural differences between human and insect pre-miRNAs, as well as differences across 24 insect species. Results showed that the nucleotide composition, sequence length, nucleotides preference and secondary structure features between human and insects were different. Subsequently, with the aid of three available SVM-based prediction programs, pre-miRNA sequences were evaluated and given corresponding scores. Thus it was found that of 2633 sequences from the 24 chosen insect species, 2229 (84.7%) were successfully recognized by the Mirident classifier, higher than Triplet-SVM (72.5%) and PMirP (72.6%). In contrast, four species, including the domesticated silkworm, Bombyx mori L., the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster Meigen, the honeybee, Apis mellifera L. and the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), were found to be largely responsible for the poor performance of some sequence matching. Compared with other species, B. mori especially showed the worst performance with the lowest average MFE index (0.73). Collectively these results pave the way for understanding specificity and diversity of miRNA precursors in insects, and lay the foundation for the further development of more suitable algorisms for insects., Li, Jisheng ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
All the information on the genus Eledonoprius was gathered to provide an up to-date overview of the geographical distribution and ecology of its species, and to assess their association with old-growth forests. Based on recent samples collected in deciduous forests and woodlands of Italy, the authors outline the habitats of these rare species and give an account of their trophic relations with bracket fungi. E. armatus is recorded in Central Italy and Sardinia for the first time; E. serrifrons is new to Basilicata (Southern Italy) and Syria., Giuseppe M. Carpaneto ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Duponchelia fovealis Zeller is a polyphagous insect that has been recently reported attacking strawberry plants (Fragaria x ananassa Duchesne). Despite its economic importance there are few studies on this pest because it is difficult to rear it in the laboratory. With a constant supply of insects, studies on alternative methods of pest control can be conducted. This study aimed at developing an artificial diet for rearing D. fovealis with biological characteristics similar to those reared on their natural diet. This study was carried out in a climate-controlled room (25°C ± 2°C, RH 70% ± 10%, and 14L : 10D). The natural diet consisted of 'San Andreas' strawberry leaves (D1), while the artificial diet (D2) was developed in which beans, casein, soy protein, yeast and wheat germ are used as sources of protein. Five instars were identified. D. fovealis completed its life cycle in 38 and 40 days when fed D1 and D2, respectively. Survival was highest for the larvae fed the artificial diet. Females fed D1 lay a mean of 300.2 ± 62.3 eggs, while those fed D2, 220.3 ± 41.8 eggs. The artificial diet is suitable for the continuous rearing of D. fovealis in the laboratory., Maria A. C. Zawadneak, Rodrimar B. Gonçalves, Alex S. Poltronieri, Bráulio Santos, Adélia M. Bischoff, Aline M. Borba, Ida C. Pimentel., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Severoameričtí raci (např. rak pruhovaný a rak signální vyskytující se i v ČR) jsou příkladem invazních živočichů, jejichž invazní potenciál je zesílen přenosem onemocnění nebezpečného pro příbuzné druhy z jiných geografických oblastí. Původcem nemoci, tzv. račího moru, je Aphanomyces astaci ze skupiny Oomycetes způsobující úhyny celých populací evropských raků. Račí mor se v Evropě vyskytuje už od 19. století a i v současnosti zůstává přes intenzívní výzkum jedním z nejvýznamnějších faktorů ohrožujících původní raky (u nás jde o raka říčního a raka kamenáče, u nichž bylo jen od roku 2004 zaznamenáno deset případů zdecimování populací touto nemocí)., North American crayfish species such as the Spiny-cheek Crayfish and the Signal Crayfish are examples of invasive animals with an ability to carry and transmit a disease lethal to their relatives from other parts of the world. The disease called the crayfish plague and caused by Aphanomyces astaci (Oomycetes) may eradicate whole populations of the indigenous European crayfish. The disease is known in Europe from the 19th century and despite intensive research it is still one of the main factors endangering indigenous crayfish., and Eva Kozubíková-Balcarová.
The conifer needle scale, Nuculaspis abietis (Schrank) emerged as an important pest of conifers in the Kelardasht region of Mazandaran province, Iran, in the late 1990's. This pest feeds on conifer needles and twigs causing needle drop and branch desiccation. Its discovery in Kelardasht in Mazandaran Province necessitated a local quarantine of conifers in the genera Picea, Abies, and Pinus. We studied the life history and ecology of this scale on Norway spruce, Picea abies, under laboratory and natural field conditions. The complete life cycle of females required 206.4 ± 5.7 days in the laboratory (25 ± 1°C, 65-75% RH, 14L : 10D) and 315.7 ± 9.3 days under field conditions. In Kelardasht, numbers of adult males and females peaked in mid-June and early May, respectively, and numbers of first and second instar nymphs in mid-July and early September. Lifetime fecundity was estimated to be 57.3 ± 5.1 eggs and 54.0 ± 4.4 nymphs per female under laboratory conditions. The sex ratio ranged from 59% female for second instar nymphs to 71% female for adults. Aspidiotiphagus citrinus (Crawford) (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) was found naturally parasitizing the scale and overwintering in the larval stage on second instar nymphs. First generation adult wasps emerged in spring from overwintered second instar nymphs to parasitize 64.75% of first instar scales. Second generation wasps emerged from early September to mid-October and parasitized 19.75% of second instar scales, for a cumulative parasitism rate of 84.5%. and Arash RASEKH, J.P. MICHAUD, Hassan BARIMANI VARANDI.
A global decline in pollinator abundance and diversity has demanded increased research attention to the ecology and genetics of bumblebees. However, as progressively more restrictions are placed on sampling for insects, researchers are increasingly obliged to use archival specimens collected for purposes other than genetic analyses. In this study we assessed the suitability, for population genetic studies, of popular, low-cost methods for preservation and storage of bumblebee specimens. Specimens of Bombus terrestris L. were held under six storage regimes for up to two years. DNA was extracted from the samples using three extraction protocols and the quality of the DNA was examined using PCR amplification of a mitochondrial and a nuclear gene. All extraction and storage methods provided sufficient DNA for successful PCR amplification. However, samples preserved in acetone or at freezing temperatures yielded the highest DNA concentrations. DNA yields from pinned specimens at room temperature declined over time, particularly when using standard extraction techniques. DNA concentrations were significantly lower from specimens preserved in 70% ethanol compared to all other extraction techniques and declined linearly over the two years of storage. These results indicate that two of the most popular insect storage methods (pinning and storage in ethanol) should be avoided for the long-term preservation of genetic material for future studies. We suggest that optimal insect preservation methods should be incorporated into research protocols in order to best capitalise on limited collection opportunities., António S. Moreira ... []., and Obsahuje seznam literatury