Increasing human and industrial activities lead to heavy metal pollution. Heavy metal chromium (Cr) is considered to be a serious environmental contaminant for the biota. Phytotoxic effects of Cr were studied in wheat plants. Growth parameters were largely inhibited as a result of disturbances in the plant cell metabolism in response to Cr toxicity. Chromium toxicity led to decline in a number of active reaction centres of PSII, rate of electron transport, and change in PSII heterogeneity. Chromium did not cause any change in heterogeneity of the reducing side. A significant change in antenna size heterogeneity of PSII occurred in response to Cr toxicity. Chromium seems to have extensive effects on the light harvesting complex of PSII., S. Mathur, H. M. Kalaji, A. Jajoo., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Among the most important quality parameters of irrigation water used for greenhouse crops, alkalinity of water is considered critical due to its impact on soil or growing medium solution pH. In this study, plant growth, Fe content, photosynthetic pigment content, maximal quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (Fv/Fm), performance index (PI), leaf relative water content (LRWC), and soluble sugars concentration were investigated in nongrafted and grafted tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv. Red stone) plants onto five rootstocks of eggplant (Solanum melongena cv. Long purple), datura (Datura patula), orange nightshade (Solanum luteum Mill.), local Iranian tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), and field tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv. Cal.jn3), exposed to 0, 5, and 10 mM NaHCO3 concentrations, to determine whether grafting could improve alkalinity tolerance of tomato. Significant depression of leaf area, leaf and stem dry mass, shoot and root Fe content and LRWC under high NaHCO3 level was observed in both grafted and ungrafted plants. The highest reduction in the shoot Fe content was observed at 10 mM sodium bicarbonate in control plants (greenhouse tomato). Moreover, at high HCO3- level, the highest percentage of LRWC reduction was also recorded in ungrafted plants. Values of Fv/Fm and PI decreased significantly at 5 and 10 mM NaHCO3 irrespective of rootstock type. The present study revealed that soluble sugars content, photosynthetic pigments content, Fv/Fm and PI values in plants grafted onto datura rootstock were higher than those in nongrafted and rest of the grafted plants. Thus, the use of datura rootstock could provide a useful tool to improve alkalinity tolerance of tomato plants under NaHCO3 stress., Y. Mohsenian ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The effect of exogenous noradrenaline (NA) (1.6 mg.kg-1 i.p., 35 min prior sacrifice) on the activity of antioxidant enzymes (AOE) copper zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD), manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) and catalase (CAT), as well as lipid peroxides (LP) concentration were studied in the rat interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT) and heart of saline (controls) and Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) treated rats (10 mg.kg-1, i.p., during 3 days and 20 min before NA). NA differently affects both AOE activities and LP production in the IBAT and heart. Thus, NA inhibited the activity of all IBAT AOE and LP production while in the heart it markedly increased CAT activity only, but had no effect on any of SODs activities and LP concentration. L-NAME, a nitric oxide synthase blocker, completely abolished the NA-induced inhibition of the IBAT AOE and LP production, whereas in the heart it was without effect. In conclusion, these results indicate that both NA and L-NAME effects on AOE activity and LP production are tissue specific and also suggest that nitric oxide mediates the NA-induced inhibition of AOE activity and LP production in the IBAT only., A. Perovic, T. Vuckovic, G. Cvijic, J. Djordjevic, V. Davidovic., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
Článek shrnuje dosavadní znalosti o druhové diverzitě, bionomii a rozšíření rodu Purpuricenus (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) na území Íránu s dílčími poznámky o jejich výskytu a ekologii., The article summarises recent knowledge related to the diversity, bionomy and distribution of species of the genus Purpuricenus (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) in Iran. Some previously less known occurence data and ecological notes are briefly mentioned., and Jiří Simandl.
Coloured Moericke water pan traps were used to determine the effect of colour on the preference behaviour of butterflies (Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea, Papilionoidea) over the period 2001 to 2003 in grassland habitats in Eastern Slovakia (Košická kotlina basin). A total of 912 individuals belonging to 53 species and 7 families of butterflies were trapped. The colour of the traps that caught the most butterflies was white, followed by blue, violet, yellow and finally the least were caught by red coloured traps. Ordination analysis showed that some butterfly families and species were more likely to be caught by traps of a specific colour. Measurements of the wavelengths of the colours used revealed that butterflies preferred short-wavelengths light. The effect of colour on the catches did not differ significantly among the sites. The butterflies were more likely to be caught by traps of a certain colour even though the other features of the traps were the same., Lenka Kočíková ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The carob moth, Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is a serious pest and causes a considerable loss of yield of pomegranate in Iran. Apanteles myeloenta (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is the dominant parasitoid of this pest parasitizing it more than 30% in recent years. This parasitoid is a candidate for augmentative biological control program to reduce the level of the infestation of fruit overwinter. The objective of this research was to optimize the mass production of A. myeloenta. The mean developmental time of females was 28 days and of males 27 days. Pupal development lasted 7 days. The second instar was the preferred host and most heavily parasitized (45%). Wasps that started their development in second instar hosts produced the highest progeny and those that started in third instar hosts survived as adults for longest. The sex ratio (females to males) of A. myeloenta that emerged from carob moth larvae parasitized in the first instar was 1 : 3.5, in the second instar 1 : 3 and in the third instar 1 : 2. The influence of different host ages on the functional response of A. myeloenta to host density was assessed. Logistic regression indicated a type II functional response to different densities of all the stages of the host tested., Hossein Kishani Farahani, Seyed Hossein Goldansaz., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Béthoux recently identified the species †Adiphlebia lacoana Scudder from the Carboniferous of Mazon Creek, Ill., USA as the oldest beetle. The fossils bear coriaceous tegmina with pseudo-veins allegedly aligned with "rows of cells" as they occur in Permian beetles and extant Archostemata. The examination of four new specimens of †Adiphlebia lacoana from the same locality revealed that the "cells" are in fact clumps of clay inside a delicate meshwork, and no derived features shared with Coleoptera or Coleopterida (= Coleoptera + Strepsiptera) were found. Instead, †Adiphlebia lacoana bears veinal fusions and braces similar to extant Neuroptera. These features support a placement in †Strephocladidae, and are also similar to conditions found in †Tococladidae. These unplaced basal holometabolan families were erroneously re-analyzed as ancestral Mantodea and Orthoptera. Homologization of the wing pairs in neopteran lineages is updated and identification errors are corrected. A new Permian beetle family †Moravocoleidae [†Protocoleoptera (= Permian Coleoptera with pointed unpaired ovipositor; e.g., †Tshekardocoleidae)] is described., Jarmila Kukalová-Peck, Rolf G. Beutel., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Changes of photosynthesis under blue light were examined in the ABA-overproducing 7B-1 mutant in tomato. Net photosynthetic rate (PN), stomatal conductance (gs), intrinsic water-use efficiency (WUEi) and chlorophyll (a+b) [Chl (a+b)] content in leaves of different insertion (1st, 4th and 9th ones) were measured in 5-, 7- and 9-week-old plants. PN, gs, and Chl (a+b) content were mostly similar in young leaves of 7B-1 and wild type (WT) plants. With the aging of leaves, a blue-light-induced increase in PN and gs to steady-state was delayed and steady-state values of PN and gs were lower in 7B-1 plants compared with WT. Steady-state values of WUEi were increased in 4th and 9th leaves of 7B-1 plants compared with WT. The results can be explained by the higher endogenous level of ABA in 7B-1 plants and their lower sensitivity to ABA in earlier growth stage., E. Ježilová ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Dysfunction of mitochondria induced by ischemia is considered to be a key event triggering neuronal cell death after brain ischemia. Here we report the effect of ischemia-reperfusion on mitochondrial protein synthesis and activity of cytochrome c oxidase (EC 1.9.3.1, COX). By performing 4-vessel occlusion model of global brain ischemia, we have observed that 15 min of global ischemia led to the inhibition of COX subunit I (COXI) synthesis to 56 % of control. After 1, 3 and 24 h of reperfusion, COXI synthesis was inhibited to 46, 50 and 72 % of control, respectively. Depressed synthesis of COXI was not a result of either diminished transcription of COXI gene or increased proteolytic degradation of COXI, since both Northern hybridization and Western blotting did not show significant changes in COXI mRNA and protein level. Thus, ischemia-reperfusion affects directly mitochondrial translation machinery. In addition, ischemia in duration of 15 min and consequent 1, 3 and 24 h of reperfusion led to the inhibition of COX activity to 90.3, 80.3, 81.9 and 83.5 % of control, respectively. Based on our data, we suggest that inhibition of COX activity is rather caused by ischemia-induced modification of COX polypeptides than by inhibition of mitochondrial translation., P. Racay ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The European stag beetle, Lucanus cervus, is recognised as a flagship species for biodiversity conservation. Although the species is widely distributed across Europe declines have led to it being granted protected or endangered status in a number of countries and regarded as "near threatened" by the IUCN. The integration of genetic approaches into conservation efforts is urgently needed but has been impeded to date by the lack of appropriate genetic markers. To provide such a resource the development of the first microsatellite loci for stag beetle is described. Loci were identified using two methods (i) enriched library cloning (ELC) and (ii) Restriction enzyme Associated DNA sequencing (RAD-Seq). Inefficient microsatellite detection using the ELC method suggests that RAD-Seq, or other Next Generation Sequencing based methods, may ultimately be more cost effective for obtaining informative suites of markers for this and other coleopteran species. 18 loci were characterised by genotyping 42 UK specimens collected as prey leftover/roadkill. All loci produced unambiguous genotypes and were polymorphic. Though preliminary, estimates of genetic variability suggest UK populations may be genetically depauperate. The microsatellite loci represent a suite of genetic markers that can be applied to non-invasive population monitoring and numerous other areas of Lucanus conservation and evolutionary research., Niall J. McKeown, Deborah J. Harvey, Amy J. E. Healey, Ilze Skujina, Karen Cox, Alan C. Gange, Paul W. Shaw., and Obsahuje bibliografii