Článek přináší informace o vývoji a současném stavu ichtyofauny ve vodách pražské aglomerace. Celkem zde bylo zaznamenáno přes 50 druhů mihulí a ryb. Skladba zdejší fauny byla a je ovlivňována příslušností k labskému říčnímu systému (výskyt anadromních druhů) a rybářským obhospodařováním (vysazování násad, obhospodařování rybníků a sportovní rybolov). Z hlediska skladby ichtyofauny 8 druhů vymizelo, 15 druhů náleží mezi nepůvodní labské faunistické prvky, které se zde vyskytují přičiněním člověka. Do pražských vod je vysazováno rybáři cca 25 druhů a nejvíce jsou sportovními rybáři loveni kapr obecný, cejn velký, okoun říční, karas stříbřitý, štika obecná a candát obecný. Celkem 37 druhů je klasifikováno v různých kategoriích Červeného seznamu, pět druhů je chráněno zákonem., The development and present state of the ichtyofauna in flowing and stagnant waters in Prague are presented. In total, over 50 species of lampreys and fishes were found in the waters of the Prague conurbation. The ichtyofauna diversity in Prague waters is influenced by the location of the Elbe River system and angling activities (angling and fisheries stocking). In total, 8 species can be classified as extinct, and 15 species are nonnative. The following species are most frequently angled: Cyprinus carpio, Abramis brama, Perca fluviatilis, Carassius gibelio, Esox lucius and Sander lucioperca. Two fishes are classified as invasive aliens, namely Carassius gibelio and Pseudorasbora parva. Generally, about 25 fish species are stocked - the majority of them comes from artificial breeding. In total, 37 native species are classified into various categories of the Red List of Czech ichtyofauna and 8 species are protected by the law., and Lubomír Hanel, Jiří Vostradovský.
Macrocentrus cingulum is an important polyembryonic endoparasitic wasp that attacks larvae of the Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée) and the European corn borer, O. nubilalis (Hübner). Parasitoids use antennae as the main sensory organ to recognize herbivore-induced plant volatiles as host searching cues. The antennal olfaction proteins, odorant receptors (ORs) and ionotropic receptors (IRs) are involved in olfactory signal transduction pathway as a sensory neuron response. In the present study, we constructed a cDNA library from the male and female antennae for identifying the olfaction-related genes in M. cingulum. For that, we sequenced 3160 unique gene sequences and annotated them with gene ontology (GO), cluster of orthologous groups of proteins (COG), and KEGG ontology (KO). Through the homology search, we identified 9 odorant receptors (ORs), 3 ionotropic receptors (IRs) and 1 odorant binding protein (OBP) genes from the cDNA library sequences. Additionally, the expression patterns of these ORs and IRs in different tissues (antennae, heads, thoraxes, abdomens, and legs) were demonstrated by RT-PCR. The qualitative gene expression analyses showed that most of the OR genes were more highly expressed in female than male antennae; whereas IRs, unlike ORs, were more expressed in various male than females tissues. We are the first to report ORs and IRs in M. cingulum, which should help in deciphering the molecular basis of olfaction system in this wasp., Tofael Ahmed, Tian-Tao Zhang, Zhen-Ying Wang, Kang-Lai He, Shu-Xiong Bai., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Tapinoma melanocephalum is a worldwide distributed, highly invasive ant species. It lives in close association with human societies and its distribution is human-mediated in large measure. The geographical origin of this ant species is unknown, but its introduction in areas previously devoided of its presence can represent a threat to the native biota, act as an agricultural pest or as a pathogen vector. To investigate the genetic structure and phylogeography of this species we identified 12 new polymorphic microsatellite markers, and in addition, we tested and selected 12 ant-universal microsatellites polymorphic in T. melanocephalum. We genotyped 30 individuals from several islands of Micronesia and Papua-New Guinea. All 24 loci exhibited strong homozygosity excess (45-100%, mean = 86%), while the number of alleles per locus reached usual values (2-18, mean = 6.5), resulting in levels of expected heterozygosity much higher than observed. Based on several robust tests, we were able to exclude artefacts such as null alleles and allelic dropout as a possible cause of the observed pattern. Homozygosity excess might be a consequence of founder effect, bottleneck and/or inbreeding. As our sample population was composed of individuals from several distinct localities, the Wahlund effect might have contributed to the increased homozygosity as well. Despite the provisionally observed deviation from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the newly developed microsatellites will provide an effective tool for future genetic investigations of population structure as well as for the phylogeographic study of T. melanocephalum., Jan Zima Jr., Ophélie Lebrasseur, Michaela Borovanská, Milan Janda., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Dendrobium is one of the three largest genera in the Orchidaceae and is distributed throughout various habitats. We investigated photosynthesis in seven Dendrobium species and cultivars by comparing their leaf δ13C values, titratable acidity, and CO2 exchange in well-watered and drought-stressed conditions. In addition, the leaf thickness and mesophyll succulence index (Sm) were measured in well-watered conditions. Our results indicate that Dendrobium loddigesii is a typical obligate (or constitutive) CAM plant because the leaf δ13C values were -14.47 and -14.66‰ in both conditions, respectively. Others showed the leaf thickness of 0.31-0.89 mm and their δ13C values ranged from -25.68 to -28.37‰. These are not the CAM plants but they could not be classified as obligate C3 or C3/CAM intermediate plants. Dendrobium crepidatum and Dendrobium fimbriatum were further identified as the obligate C3 plants because the net CO2 uptake was positive during daytime and negative during nighttime in both conditions. In contrast, Dendrobium chrysotoxum, Dendrobium nobile, and D. nobile ‘V1’ and ‘V4’, showed no positive net CO2 uptake and low ΔH+ values during nighttime under well-watered conditions, indicating C3 photosynthesis. However, they showed the positive net CO2 uptake and large ΔH+ values during nighttime after drought-stress (21 or 28 days without H2O), indicating CAM photosynthesis. Therefore, these four species and cultivars were identified as C3/CAM intermediate (inducible or facultative) plants. In brief, obligate CAM, C3/CAM intermediate, and obligate C3 plant types all exist in the section of Dendrobium. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the obligate C3 plants in Dendrobium, and these diverse photosynthetic pathways may explain their varied environmental adaptations., S. Qiu, S. Sultana, Z. D. Liu, L. Y. Yin, C. Y. Wang., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The study of leaf vascular systems is important in order to understand the fluid dynamics of water movement in leaves. Recent studies have shown how these systems can be involved in the performance of photosynthesis, which is linked to the density of the vascular network per unit of leaf area. The aim of the present study was to highlight the correlation between a leaf vein density (VD) and net photosynthetic rate (PN), which was undertaken using a digital camera, a stereoscopic microscope, and a light source. The proposed hypothesis was tested, for the first time, on the leaves of two cultivars of Vitis vinifera (L.). A significant difference was found between the VD of mature leaves of the two cultivars. VD was also significantly correlated with the maximum leaf PN. These findings support the hypothesis that the vascular system of grape leaves can be correlated with leaf photosynthesis performance., M. Pagano, P. Corona, P. Storchi., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Our study was aimed to characterize the phenotype and functional endpoints of local microwave hyperthermia (LHT, 42 °C) on tumor infiltrating and spleen leukocytes. The effectiveness of LHT applied into the tumor of B16F10 melanoma-bearing C57/BL6 mice was compared with anesthetized and non-treated animals. Subpopulations of leukocytes were analyzed using the flow cytometry, and the cytotoxic activity of splenocytes against syngeneic B16F10 melanoma and NK-sensitive YAC-1 tumor cell lines was evaluated in 51 Cr-release assay. Similarly, the in vitro modification of the heat treatment was performed using healthy and melanoma-bearing splenocytes. We found a 40 % increase of activated monocytes (CD11b+CD69+) infiltration into the tumor microenvironment. In the spleen of experimental animals, the numbers of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs-CD3+CD8+) and NK cell (CD49b+NK1.1+) raised by 22 % and 14 %, respectively, while the NK1.1+ monocytes decreases by 37 %. This was accompanied by an enhancement of cytotoxic effector function against B16F10 and YAC-1 targets in both in vivo and in vitro conditions. These results demonstrate that LHT induces better killing of syngeneic melanoma targets. Furthermore, LHT evokes the homing of activated monocytes into the tumor microenvironment and increases the counts of NK cells and CTL in the spleen., J. Kubeš, J. Svoboda, J. Rosina, M. Starec, A. Fišerová., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické údaje
Poplars (Populus spp.) are widely used in the pulp and paper industry and as bioenergy resources. Poplars require a large amount of water for biomass accumulation and lack of water is a limiting factor for poplar growth. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi have been previously reported to afford some plant species with greater resistance to drought stress. However, the effects of AM fungi on hybrid poplar under drought stress and recovery have not been studied. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the AM fungus, Rhizophagus irregularis, on the growth, water status, chlorophyll (Chl) content and fluorescence, and photosynthesis of poplar seedlings. The experiment was divided into three stages. At each stage of the experiment, the seedlings were subjected to a different watering regime: well-watered (prior stress), drought, and then rewatering (recovery). Measurements were taken at the end of each stage of the experiment. The results showed that mycorrhizal plants had a higher net photosynthetic rate and Chl fluorescence compared with nonmycorrhizal plants, regardless of the stage. Mycorrhizal and nonmycorrhizal plants showed different responses to drought stress: mycorrhizal plants showed better water-use efficiency and water uptake under drought stress conditions. In general, the poplar seedlings that formed the AM symbiosis with R. irregularis showed enhanced growth and reduced loss of biomass during the drought stress compared with the nonmycorrhizal seedlings., T. Liu, M. Sheng, C. Y. Wang, H. Chen, Z. Li, M. Tang., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Tomato meets the dietary nutrient and antioxidant requirements of diverse populations. Being a C3 crop and an important vegetable, it is likely to be influenced by increased CO2 concentrations under climate change situation. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of elevated CO2 on overall physiology, water relations, growth, yield, and fruit quality of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) cv. Arka Ashish. Plants were grown at elevated CO2 [550 (EC550) and 700 (EC700) ppm of CO2] in open top chambers. Increased assimilation rate, decreased stomatal conductance and transpiration rate were observed at elevated CO2 (EC) concentrations. Reduced leaf osmotic potential and increased water potential were observed at EC compared with the control (380 ppm of CO2) in flowering and fruiting stages. Lower total chlorophyll content was recorded at EC700. Plant height was significantly higher at EC550 compared with EC700. Higher number of branches was observed at EC700 as compared with plants grown at EC550 and the control. Leaf area was lower at EC700 compared with EC550 but specific leaf mass was higher at EC700. Due to higher leaf dry mass and root dry mass, the plants grown at EC700 exhibited higher total dry mass compared to EC550 and the control. Increased number of flowers and fruits together with higher fruit set led to higher fruit yield at both EC concentrations. The highest yield increase was observed at EC700. The fruits showed a lower content of phenols, flavonoids, ferric reducing antioxidant potential, total soluble solids, and titratable acidity in plants grown at EC as compared with the control. The ascorbic acid content was high at both EC700 and EC550. Carotenoids and lycopene content was low at EC700 compared to higher content observed at EC550 and the control., H. Mamatha, N. K. Srinivasa Rao, R. H. Laxman, K. S. Shivashankara, R. M. Bhatt, K. C. Pavithra., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Unfavourable growth conditions significantly determine the yield of crop plants. Intraspecific competition is a condition in which plants compete with each other for environmental resources. An excessive density contributes to increased competition within species, which results in disruption of photosynthesis process. According to this idea, experiments were conducted to investigate the photosynthetic response of potato (Solanum tuberosum) plants to excessive congestion. Two potato varieties of different earliness classes (Vineta and Satina) were used to evaluate the efficiency of the photosynthetic apparatus based on chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence measurements under stress conditions. Changes in Chl contents of the tested plants were also analysed. In relation to intraspecific competition, we can conclude that the Vineta variety was less sensitive to this stress factor. In contrast, the photosynthetic apparatus of the Satina variety showed less efficient functioning under these conditions. In this study, the application of Chl fluorescence was presented for the first time in order to analyse the effects of intraspecific competition in plants., J. Olechowicz, C. Chomontowski, P. Olechowicz, S. Pietkiewicz, A. Jajoo, M. H. Kalaji., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are a promising technology with a potential to improve the irradiance efficiency, light quality, and the light spectrum for increasing plant yield and quality. In this experiment, we investigated the impacts of various LED light qualities, including 100% red, 100% blue, 70% red + 30% blue, and 100% white, on the growth and photosynthesis, phytochemical contents, and mineral element concentrations in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. cv. 'Grizzly') in comparison to normal greenhouse conditions. Photon flux of 300 µmol m-2 s-1 was provided for 14 h by 120 LEDs set on a 60 cm × 60 cm sheet of aluminum platform in the growth chambers, where plants were grown for 60 d. Fresh mass per plant was significantly higher when grown under 100% blue and 70% red + 30% blue LEDs compared to the other environments including greenhouse conditions. Phytochemical concentrations and a nutritive value of lettuce were also significantly affected by the light treatments. Chlorophyll and carotenoid concentrations increased in the plants grown under 70% red + 30% blue LEDs compared to those grown in the greenhouse. Vitamin C content was 2.25-fold higher in the plants grown under 100% blue LEDs compared to those grown in the greenhouse. Higher photosynthesis and maximal quantum yield of PSII photochemistry were also observed in the plants treated with LED lights. The application of LED light led to the elevated concentrations of macro-and micronutrients in lettuce possibly because of the direct effect of LED light and lower stress conditions in the growth chambers compared to the greenhouse. Although the mechanism of the changes in lettuce grown under LED is not well understood, the results of this study demonstrated that LED light could be used to enhance the growth and nutritional value of lettuce in indoor plant production facilities., A. Amoozgar, A. Mohammadi, M. R. Sabzalian., and Obsahuje bibliografii