The nature and rate of juvenile hormone (JH) biosynthesis and effects of allatostatins and allatotropin have been investigated in isolated corpora allata (CA) of adults and larvae of the noctuid tomato moth, Lacanobia oleracea. In adult female CA, mean rates of synthesis were relatively constant (10-16 pmol/pr/h) at all times. However, the range of JH synthesis by individual CA of similarly aged insects was quite large (2-30 pmol/pr/h). High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation shows that adult female moth CA synthesise predominantly JH I and JH II. Rates of JH synthesis in vitro are dependent on methionine concentration. Synthetic Manduca sexta allatostatin (Mas-AS) caused a dose-dependent inhibition of JH synthesis by adult female CA but only to a max. of 54%, whilst 10 µM synthetic M. sexta allatotropin caused a 37% stimulation of CA activity. At 1 mM the cockroach allatostatin, Dip-allatostatin-2, had no significant effect on JH synthesis. In larval L. oleracea, rates of JH biosynthesis were very low., Neil Audsley, Robert J. Weaver, John P. Edwards, and Lit
Článek se zabývá taxonomií, reprodukční biologií, fylogenetikou, fylogeografií a introdukční historií ryb rodu karas (Carassius). Článek poskytuje souhrn poznatků, které jsou značně komplikované a spojené s jedinečným způsobem rozmnožování, definicí druhu a nepřesným chápáním biologie a systematiky těchto ryb v minulosti. Celá problematika je ještě daleko od svého kompletního vyřešení, ale současný pohled nám může pomoci v lepší péči o vodní prostředí., This article deals with the taxonomy, reproductive biology, phylogenetics, phylogeography and introduction history of the fishes of the genus Carassius. It summarizes findings associated with their unique mode of reproduction, challenging species delimitation and insufficient understanding of the biology and systematics of these fishes in the past. Deeper insight into the biology of Prussian Carp (Carassius gibelio) will require more research, but the available results can improve our understanding and management of the aquatic environment., Lukáš Kalous., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Půdní semenná banka má vliv na složení vegetace na daném stanovišti. Semena různých druhů rostlin jsou velmi variabilní jak svým tvarem, tak velikostí. Tato variabilita výrazně ovlivňuje vznik a vývoj složení půdní semenné banky a tím i životnost semene. Složení půdní semenné banky je často výrazně odlišné od složení vegetace na daném stanovišti, což je nejvíce patrné u lesních biotopů. Ke studiu půdní semenné banky se využívá zejména dvou rozdílných metod - metoda ruční separace semen a kultivační metoda., The soil seed bank influences the composition of vegetation on the site. Seeds of different plant species are highly variable both in shape and size. This variation strongly affects the formation and composition of soil seed bank, as well as seed persistence. Soil seed bank composition often considerably differs from that of the local vegetation, which is most evident in forest habitats. Two different methods - separation and cultivation - are used for research into the soil seed bank., Jana Kůrová., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The predation on insects on leaves was measured by direct observation using live larvae of Calliphora vicina (Diptera: Calliphoridae) as bait placed on 15 common species of woody plants in a floodplain forest in the temperate region. The predation rate was measured in terms of the proportion of the larvae that were missing or had been attacked after 30 min of exposure on leaves. Despite the fact that the important predators differed during the course of a season, the most frequently recorded predators were birds and ants and less frequently recorded wasps and spiders. Analysis of the pattern in the distribution of the attacks confirmed that it is best described by a negative binomial distribution, which corresponds to a clumped dispersal of predation. Based on the results of the best-fitted generalized additive model, we could not reject an equal probability of attacks on the different species of woody plants. Further, predation at the forest edge was notably higher than in the forest interior. The model also predicted marked variations in the incidence of attacks during the course of a day and a season, with the attacks occurring mainly in three periods during the year and two during the day. In general, the sampling method used could become the standard measure of the risk of insects living on trees being attacked by predators in future studies., Michaela Drozdová, Jan Šipoš, Pavel Drozd., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Následující řádky přinášejí informaci o významném buněčném mechanismu, který pomáhá udržovat energetickou rovnováhu buněk v okamžicích náhlého zvýšení požadavku na dodávku energie. Tento mechanismus také usnadňuje přenos energeticky bohatých substrátů v buněčném prostoru k místům jeho spotřeby a je zvláště rozvinutý v buňkách, jejichž požadavky na dodávku energie v průběhu času značně kolísají a jsou schopné vysokého výkonu. Můžeme jej pozorovat ve svalových vláknech, srdečních myocytech, neuronech, ale i ve spermatických buňkách, které se po probuzení k aktivitě pokouší vyhrát závod s ostatními a splnit tím svoji biologickou úlohu., The article presents information on an important cell mechanism that helps to maintain the energy balance in cells at moments when there is a sudden increase in demand for energy supply. This mechanism also facilitates the transfer of energy-rich substrata in cellular space to the locations of its consumption, and it is particularly well-developed in cells that are capable of high performance and their energy requirements vary considerably over time. We can observe it in muscle fibres, cardiac myocytes, neurons and sperm cells., and Jitka Žurmanová.