Biologie dekompozitorů byla vždy tak trochu na druhé koleji širšího vědeckého i veřejného zájmu. Není se trochu čemu divit – než se přehrabovat v něčem nevábném, je pohodlnější pozorovat zvířata na rostlinách či jejich predátory. Nicméně dekompozitoři si naši pozornost zaslouží už jen tím, že po nás uklízejí, ať jde o kontinuální úklid koprofágů, tak o jednorázový úklid, který po nás provedou nekrofágové, a tím pomáhají udržovat to krásné a přitažlivé v chodu a stabilitě. Z koprofágů se již od věků pyramid těší jisté pozornosti koprofágní brouci, nicméně za poslední léta o nich v naší literatuře mnoho slyšet nebylo. Cílem tohoto článku je tedy představit širší veřejnosti tyto koprofágní brouky s jejich osobitou a zajímavou ekologií, která zajímavě ovlivnila jednu lidskou kulturou., Dung beetles are introduced as an important and interesting ecological group. Their ecology, what they eat and their impact on human culture and society are reviewed. Although they are no longer considered to be a deity, dung beetles still prove to be highly beneficial for both nature and human society, thanks to their degradation of dung., and František Xaver Jiří Sládeček.
Klíšťata sají obrovské množství krve, která je jejich jediným zdrojem živin a energie. Přesný enzymatický mechanismus zpracování krve ve střevě klíšťat však kupodivu nebyl donedávna vůbec znám. Náš komplexní molekulární model trávení hostitelského hemoglobinu u klíštěte obecného (Ixodes ricinus) poprvé odhalil analogii enzymatického aparátu s krevsajícími ploštěnci a hlísticemi, a zároveň tato znalost představuje zásadní poznatek pro účinný boj s klíšťaty a jimi přenášenými patogeny., Ticks (in this case Ixodidae and Argasidae) feed on enormous amounts of host blood, which provides their ultimate source of energy and nutrients. There has been only limited evidence on the exact molecular mechanisms of blood digestion in ticks. For the first time, our complex enzymatic model of proteolytic digestion in the Common Tick (Ixodes ricinus) reveals the analogy of tick intestinal proteolysis with bloodfeeding platyhelminthes and nematodes and presents a future application potential in tick or tick-borne pathogen interventions., and Daniel Sojka.
Čeleď brukvovitých patří k největším rostlinným čeledím; zahrnuje 49 tribů, 321 rodů a 3 660 druhů. Zájem vědců o tuto rostlinnou skupinu vzrostl především díky ustanovení huseníčku rolního (Arabidopsis thaliana) modelovým druhem a sekvenování jeho genomu. To v r. 2000 odstartovalo mimo jiné bouřlivý rozvoj srovnávací fylogenomiky a cytogenomiky, včetně úspěšného zavedení metody malování chromozomů (chromosome painting) huseníčku a její aplikace na další zástupce brukvovitých (srovnávací malování chromozomů; comparative chromosome painting, CCP). Metoda CCP umožňuje studium chromozomové kolinearity, rozpoznání chromozomových přestaveb, porovnání struktury chromosomů nebo jejich částí mezi jednotlivými druhy a rekonstrukci struktury celých karyotypů. Brukvovité jsou jedinou rostlinnou čeledí, u níž je v tomto rozsahu metoda CCP použitelná. Srovnávací cytogenetické mapy brukvovitých tak představují zcela unikátní typ dat o evoluci rostlinných karyotypů a genomů., Whole-genome sequencing of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana has stimulated a rapid development of comparative phylogenomics and cytogenomics, including the invention of chromosome painting in A. thaliana and comparative chromosome painting (CCP) in other species of the Brassicaceae (Cruciferae) family. This is the only plant family in which large-scale CCP is feasible. CCP provides unique insights into the karyotype and genome evolution in plants by comparing chromosome collinearity, identification of chromosome rearrangements, construction of comparative cytogenetic maps, and reconstruction of ancestral karyotype structures., and Terezie Mandáková.
The paper reviews the past and present of the CBS. Since its establishment, it has in - fluenced the field of botany in the country by acting as a link between academics, students and amateur botanists. The founders and other prominent figures are commemorated. At present, the main CBS activities include the publication of journals (Preslia, Bulletin of the CBS, Bryonora) and the organization of Floristry Summer Schools and regular conferences and lectures. and Lubomír Hrouda.
Brassinosteroids (BRs) and polyamines, well-established growth regulators, play a key role in abiotic stress response in plants. In the present study, we examined the role of 24-epibrassinolide (EBL, an active BR) and/or putrescine (Put) in the salt-induced stress in cucumber. The 15-d-old plants were exposed to 100 mM NaCl and they were subsequently treated by exogenous EBL and/or Put. The salt stress reduced significantly plant growth and gas-exchange parameters, and increased proline content and electrolyte leakage in the leaves. Toxic effects induced by salt stress were completely overcome by the combination of EBL and Put. EBL and/or Put treatments improved the growth parameters of the NaCl-treated plants, such as shoot length, root length, fresh and dry mass. Our data also indicated that applications of EBL and Put upregulated the activities of the antioxidant enzymes, such as catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase under salt stress., Q. Fariduddin, B. A. Mir, M. Yusuf, A. Ahmad., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Seedlings of the hypoxia-sensitive cucumber cultivar were hydroponically grown under hypoxia for 7 d in the presence or absence of 24-epibrassinolide (EBR, 2.1 nM). Hypoxia significantly inhibited growth, while EBR partially counteracted this inhibition. Leaf net photosynthetic rate (PN), stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, and water-use efficiency declined greatly, while the stomatal limitation value increased significantly. The maximum net photosynthetic rate was strongly reduced by hypoxia, indicating that stomatal limitation was not the only cause of the PN decrease. EBR markedly diminished the harmful effects of hypoxia on PN as well as on stomata openness. It also greatly stimulated CO2 fixation by the way of increasing the carboxylation capacity of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco), ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate regeneration, Rubisco activity, and the protection of Rubisco large subunit from degradation. Our data indicated that photosystem (PS) II was damaged by hypoxia, while EBR had the protective effect. EBR further increased nonphotochemical quenching that could reduce photodamage of the PSII reaction center. The proportion of absorbed light energy allocated for photochemical reaction (P) was reduced, while both nonphotochemical reaction dissipation of light energy and imbalanced partitioning of excitation energy between PSI and PSII increased. EBR increased P and alleviated this imbalance. The results suggest that both stomatal and nonstomatal factors limited the photosynthesis of cucumber seedlings under hypoxia. EBR alleviated the growth inhibition by improving CO2 asimilation and protecting leaves against PSII damage., Y. H. Ma, S. R. Guo., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Podyjí National Park is one of the hotspots of fungal diversity in the Czech Republic (so far we know about 1400 species from this area). The main reasons for this fact (well-preserved natural habitats, habitat and geological diversity) are introduced and briefly discussed in the article. high fungal diversity is documented based on several examples of rare or endangered species, which are typical for some of the local habitats and characterize the range of ecological conditions in the studied area. and Jan Běťák.
Since 2011, a unique project studying the effect of artificial canopy opening (Small-size clearings) on biodiversity in lowland forests has been carried out in the Podyjí NP. The response of communities of butterflies, moths, epigeic, floricolous and saproxylic beetles, birds, reptiles, and vascular plants was observed for three years. The results showed a positive effect of early stages in forest succession not only for the majority of groups studied, but also for many threatened species, and also demonstrated the importance of open forest remnants for biodiversity. In protected forests at low and middle elevations, conservation management should attempt to maintain a mosaic of forest at different stages of succession. and Pavel Šebek a kolektiv autorů.
The moths belong to the best-studied groups of insects in the Podyjí NP. In total, 2250 species of butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) have hitherto been recorded here. Many species are closely associated with rocky steppe and heeathland, the most valuable natural habitats in this terriotory. Concurrently, the Podyjí NP is located on the western distribution border of many eastern and southern species. On the other hand, a total of 13 species of butterflies and moths have now become extinct here. and Jan Šumpich, Jan Liška, Zdeněk Laštůvka.
The main objective of the management of woodland in the Podyjí National Park (NP) is to allow natural processes and support biodiversity. How the woodland has changed since designation of the NP is illustrated by changes in selected parameters (tree species composition, proportion of dead wood etc.). Some active measures to support woodland biodiversity are also presented in the paper. and Jaroslav Ponikelský a kolektiv spoluautorů.
The Podyjí NP has very diverse vegetation which results in the occurrence of rich butterfly communities. To date, 142 species of butterflies have been recordeed in this area, of which 19 species (13 %) are considered regionally extinct and three species (2 %) are only migrants, not native to the Czech fauna. The main cause of the decline in butterflies is the abandonment of traditional techniques of habitat management. To conserve and support butterfly diversity, the NP authority practices a wide range of management measures. and Milan Švestka.
Šumava lakes have been recovering over the last 30 years from acidification caused by high atmospheric deposition of sulphur and nitrogen. Regeneration was manifested by decreasing acidity and increasing biodiversity (except for fish). It was temporarily interrupted by Spruce Bark Beetle (Ips typographus) infestation in lake catchments. Spruce defoliation and changes in light and humidity conditions caused enhanced mineralization of soil humus layer resulting in nitrate leaching and also partial acidification (only temporary, within a few decades the lakes will profit from the release of nitrogen from the ecosystem). and Jakub Hruška a kol.
The multicoloured Asian ladybird Harmonia axyridis is an invasive insect that can negatively influence biodiversity and human economy in invaded areas. According to the enemy release hypothesis, invasive alien species are often little affected by parasites and other enemies. We studied the prevalence of common parasites of insects infesting and infecting H. axyridis in NW Poland. A large sample of 2351 individuals was collected and divided into two groups: 1180 beetles were dissected and examined for the presence of eugregarines, nematodes and Laboulbeniales fungi, and 751 were checked for phoretic mites. Our results show that H. axyridis is indeed parasitized infrequently. The prevalence of eugregarines and nematodes was very low (1.5% and 0.4%, respectively). No specimens of Laboulbeniales or phoretic mites were found. Our study indicates that in NW Poland H. axyridis is rarely infested or infected by parasites. This paper reports for the first time the infection of H. axyridis by the eugregarine Gregarina barbarara., Kryzstof Dudek, Paweł Sienkiewicz, Dariusz J. Gwiazdowicz, Piotr Tryjanowski., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Twenty eight species of winter-active Heleomyzidae were collected during a long-term study in Poland. More than 130 samples of insects, including Heleomyzidae, were collected from the surface of snow in lowland and mountain areas using a semi-quantitative method. Lowland and mountain assemblages of Heleomyzidae recorded on snow were quite different. Heleomyza modesta (Meigen, 1835) and Scoliocentra (Leriola) brachypterna (Loew, 1873) dominated in the mountains, Tephrochlamys rufiventris (Meigen, 1830) mainly in the lowlands and Heteromyza rotundicornis (Zetterstedt, 1846) was common in both habitats. Heleomyzidae were found on snow during the whole period of snow cover, but the catches peaked from late November to the beginning of February. In late winter and early spring the occurrence of heleomyzids on snow decreased. Most individuals were active on snow at air temperatures between -2 and +2.5°C. A checklist of 78 winter active European Heleomyzidae is presented. Helomyza nivalis Wahlgren, 1918 is herein considered as a new junior synonym of Helomyza caesia Meigen, 1830, syn. n., Agnieszka Soszyńska-Maj, Andrzej J. Woźnica., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Representatives of Ligophorus Euzet et Suriano, 1977 were found on the gills of Mugil liza Valenciennes caught in southern Brazil. They were identified as Ligophorus uruguayense Failla Siquier et Ostrowski de Núñez, 2009 and Ligophorus saladensis Marcotegui et Martorelli, 2009, even though specific identification proved to be difficult due to inconsistencies in some diagnostic features reported for these two species. Therefore, a combined morphological and molecular approach was used to critically review the validity of these species, by means of phase contrast and confocal fluorescence microscopical examination of sclerotised hard parts, and assessing the genetic divergence between L. saladensis, L. uruguayense and their congeners using rDNA sequences. The main morphological differences between the two species relate to the shape of the accessory piece of the penis and the median process of the ventral bar. The accessory piece in L. uruguayense is shorter than in L. saladensis, has a cylindrical, convex upper lobe and straight lower lobe (vs with the distal tip of the lower lobe turning away from the upper lobe in the latter species). The ventral bar has a V-shaped anterior median part in L. uruguayense (vs U-shaped in L. saladensis). The two species are suggested to be part of a species complex together with L. mediterraneus Sarabeev, Balbuena et Euzet, 2005. We recommend to generalise such comparative assessment of species of Ligophorus for a reliable picture of the diversity and diversification mechanisms within the genus, and to make full use of its potential as an additional marker for mullet taxonomy and systematics., Natalia C. Marchiori, Antoine Pariselle, Joaber Pereira Jr., Jean-François Agnèse, Jean-Dominique Durand, Maarten P.M. Vanhove., and Obsahuje bibliografii
We provide here a general introduction on chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence, then we present our measurements on fast (< 1 s) induction curves (the so-called OJIP transients) on dark-adapted intact leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana, under five different light intensities [in the range of ~ 500 to ~ 3,000 µmol(photons) m‒2 s‒1] using two different instruments: Handy PEA (Hansatech Instruments, UK; excitation light, 650 nm) and FluorPen (model FP-110; Photon Systems Instruments, The Czech Republic; excitation light, 470 nm). We then discuss the observed differences in the OJIP curves, as well as in Fo (F20μs, F50μs, or the extrapolated Ft→0), FP (the peak), and the ratios FP/Fo, and Fv (= FP ‒ Fo)/FP in terms of differences in excitation light intensity and absorptance (or absorbance) of the excitation light by the leaves, and other factors, as well as the data available in the literature. We suggest that such measurements be accompanied, in the future, by parallel measurements on Chl a fluorescence imaging, an area pioneered by Hartmut K. Lichtenthaler., B. Padhi, G. Chauhan, D. Kandoi, A. Stirbet, B. C. Tripathy, G. Govindjee., and Obsahuje bibliografické odkazy
Leaf chlorophyll (Chl) concentration can be an indicator of plant health, including photosynthetic potential and nutrient status. In some cases, this measure can indicate the degree to which plants are water-stressed. Traditional methods of measuring Chl concentration have involved a destructive sampling technique: extraction and spectrophotometric analysis. A compatible nondestructive method to measure leaf Chl concentration exists and applies transmittance spectroscopy to plants with a Minolta SPAD-502 meter. These techniques were evaluated by comparing leaf Chl concentration in big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii). Leaves were sampled from plants representing three ecotypes (originating from Central Kansas, Eastern Kansas, and Illinois, USA) and two cultivars of A. gerardii growing in Hays, Kansas, USA. Leaf Chl concentration was measured using nondestructive and destructive techniques. We documented a saturating relationship between destructively measured leaf Chl concentration and SPAD index resulting from a decelerating change in SPAD index as Chl concentration increased. The comparison of A. gerardii ecotypes and cultivars demonstrated highest Chl concentration in the ecotype and cultivar from areas with historically low precipitation, Central Kansas and A. gerardii var. hallii, respectively. A high ratio of Chl a to Chl b is an index of drought adaptation and was also manifested in A. gerardii from drier regions. Thus, drought-adapted ecotypes and cultivars might be able to maintain high photosynthetic productivity and protect photosystem II during dry periods. Conversely, the ecotypes and cultivar originating from areas with higher precipitation had lower leaf Chl and a lower Chl a/b ratio., K. L. Caudle, L. C. Johnson, S. G. Baer, B. R. Maricle., and Obsahuje bibliografii
We present the results of the first study on the karyotypes of four European species of Roncus: Roncus alpinus L. Koch, 1873, Roncus lubricus L. Koch, 1873, Roncus transsilvanicus Beier, 1928 and Roncus sp. The diploid number was 2n = 23 in Roncus sp., 2n = 43 in R. alpinus and R. transsilvanicus and 2n = 45 in R. lubricus. Telocentric autosomes predominate in species with a high chromosome number and metacentric autosomes in Roncus sp. We assume that the ancestral situation for this genus is a high number of chromosomes. A low number of chromosomes is very likely a consequence of centric fusions, which have possibly played a very important role in karyotype evolution in the genus Roncus. All the species analyzed have the X0 sex chromosome system. The X chromosome is metacentric and is the smallest element in the karyotypes of all the species analyzed., František Šťáhlavský, Jana Christophoryova, Hans Henderickx., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
A key to genera of South American Deltocephalini Dallas, 1870 based on adult males is presented. Two new genera, each based on a single new species from Argentina are described and illustrated: Corrientesia gen. n. based on type species C. ochrescens sp. n. and Salnogia gen. n. based on type species S. fletcheri sp. n. A new species of Graminella DeLong, 1936, G. schrocki sp. n. from Argentina is also described and illustrated. Graminella stelliger (Berg, 1884) equals Fusanus acristylus Cheng, 1980, syn. n. A new combination, Limpica pallida (Linnavuori & DeLong, 1979) comb. n., transferred from Reventazonia Linnavuori, 1959, is also proposed. Quaziptus Kramer, 1965, is returned from Paralimnini Distant, 1908 to Deltocephalini Dallas, 1870., Yani Duan, Christopher H. Dietrich., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The Northern pine processionary moth, Thaumetopoea pinivora (Treitschke, 1834) shows a highly scattered distribution with fragmented populations across Europe. A previous study exploring the postglacial history of T. pinivora defined it as a cold-tolerant relict species and concluded that a progressive reduction of suitable habitats after the postglacial expansion from refugia in the southern Iberian peninsula best explained the distribution and genetic structure of populations of this species. However, recent records, both by us and others, challenge this view. Surprisingly, some of the newly found populations from southern Spain use black pine, Pinus nigra J.F. Arnold as a host plant despite the fact that the typical host of the species, Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris L. occurs in the area. We provide genetic data for one of these recently found southern populations where the larvae feed on P. nigra, and compare this with previously published data on individuals collected on P. sylvestris. This data reveals that populations from different host trees are no more genetically differentiated than populations sharing the same host plant. The findings of a wider diet breadth open the way to widen the search for the still unidentified glacial refugium of T. pinivora, and as such may contribute to a better understanding about how the species has spread across Europe., José A. Hódar, Anna Cassel-Lundhagen, Andrea Battisti, Stig Larsson., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Iron is an essential limiting factor for primary production in many marine systems. The present study investigated differential regulation of protein expression in marine phytoplankton Prymnesium parvum under low Fe concentration. The phytoplankton was grown in f/2 culture medium in artificial seawater with low (0.0025 μM) and high (0.05 μM) Fe concentrations. Two-dimensional differential gel electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometer analysis were performed for protein identification and characterization. The growth of the alga declined substantially under the low Fe compared to the high Fe concentration. Under low Fe conditions, P. parvum upregulated 10 proteins including chloroplastic ATP synthase subunit b, D2 protein of PSII, D1 protein of PSII reaction centre, and light harvesting complex II protein, most of which are associated with photosynthetic activities in PSII. The results suggest that the marine alga P. parvum altered the biosynthesis of several photosynthetic proteins in order to cope with low Fe conditions., M. M. Rahman, M. A. Rahman, T. Maki, T. Nishiuchi, T. Asano, H. Hasegawa., and Obsahuje bibliografii
A simple method of a bicolor (multicolor), fast-Fourier, PAM chlorophyll fluorometry has been developed to obtain fluorescence induction curves. Quantum yields of PSII photochemistry were determined with blue and red simultaneously applied pulsed measuring lights for three subsequent 20-min periods of dark-, light-adaptation under actinic light and dark recovery. Measuring lights were cross-combined with blue and red actinic lights and saturation pulses. Coefficients of chromatic divergence were calculated as a ratio of the quantum yields obtained by red measuring light to that obtained by blue measuring light. Adaptation of Ficus benjamina and Hordeum vulgare leaves under blue (but not red) actinic light resulted in the sufficient increase of chromatic divergence. In addition, fraction of active, non(photo)inhibited, PSII centers was shown to be dependent on the color of measuring light. Thus, color of the light sources should be considered when reporting results of parameters evaluated from fluorescence induction curves., V. Lysenko, D. Lazár, T. Varduny., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Chlorophyll index and leaf nitrogen status (SPAD value) was incorporated into the nonrectangular hyperbola (NRH) equation for photosynthetic light-response (PLR) curve to establish a modified NRH equation to overcome the parameter variation. Ten PLR curves measured on rice leaves with different SPAD values were collected from pot experiments with different nitrogen (N) dosages. The coefficients of initial slope of the PLR curve and the maximum net photosynthetic rate in NRH equation increased linearly with the increase of leaf SPAD. The modified NRH equation was established by multiplying a linear SPAD-based adjustment factor with the NRH equation. It was sufficient in describing the PLR curves with unified coefficients for rice leaf with different SPAD values. SPAD value, as the indicator of leaf N status, could be used for modification of NRH equation to overcome the shortcoming of large coefficient variations between individual leaves with different N status. The performance of the SPAD-modified NRH equation should be further validated by data collected from different kinds of plants growing under different environments., J. Z. Xu, Y. M. Yu, S. Z. Peng, S. H. Yang, L. X. Liao., and Obsahuje bibliografii
nfective nymphal stages of the family Sebekidae Sambon, 1922 are reported from four species of fish in Australian waters for the first time. Infected fish were collected from locations in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and north Queensland. The infective nymphs of Alofia merki Giglioli in Sambon, 1922 and Sebekia purdieae Riley, Spratt et Winch, 1990 are reported and described for the first time. The remaining specimens were identified as belonging to the genus Sebekia Sambon, 1922 based on the combination of buccal cadre shape, shape and size of hooks, and overall body size, but could not be attributed to any of the other species of Sebekia already reported due to missing required morphological features. DNA sequences of members of the family Sebekidae are presented for the first time. The lack of knowledge on the pentastome fauna of wild crocodiles, and any potential intermediate hosts, in northern Australia, is also outlined., Diane P. Barton, Jess A.T. Morgan., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Four of 28 wild boodies or burrowing bettongs, Bettongia lesueur (Quoy et Gaimard) passed oocysts of species of Eimeria Schneider, 1875. The boodies are surviving on off-shore islands and in large predator-proof sanctuaries on the mainland where they were reintroduced. The boodie is a potoroid marsupial extinct from the mainland of Australia due to predation from red foxes and feral cats. Comparison with other species of the genus Eimeria indicates that the coccidium found represents a new species. Sporulated oocyst of Eimeria burdi sp. n. are pyriform, 21.0-24.0 µm (mean 22.6 µm) by 14.0-16.0 µm (14.9 µm), with a length/width ratio 1.31-1.71 (1.52) and 1-µm-thick yellowish bilayered wall. Micropyle is present at the thinner apex end filled with hyaline body. Polar granules are absent. Sporocysts are ellipsoidal, 10.0-13.5 µm (11.8 µm) by 7.0-8.5 µm (7.4 µm), shape index is 1.42-1.89 (1.63) and a very thin, poorly defined unilayered sporocyst wall is 0.2 µm thick with a domelike almost indistinct Stieda body. Substieda body is indistinct., Frances Hulst, Leah F. Kemp, Jan Šlapeta., and Obsahuje bibliografii
A new feather mite species, Dolichodectes hispanicus sp. n. (Astigmata: Proctophyllodidae), is described from the Melodious Warbler Hippolais polyglotta (Vieillot) (Passeriformes: Acrocephalidae) in Spain. The new species is closest to the type species of the genus, D. edwardsi (Trouessart, 1885) from the Grear Reed-Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus (Linnaeus) (Acrocephalidae). Adults of D. hispanicus differ from those of D. edwardsi by dimensional characteristics, in particular, by having shorter aedeagus that does not extend to the anal suckers in males and shorter hysteronotal shield in females. Tritonymphs of D. hispanicus are much more distinctive and differ from those of D. edwardsi by having the prodorsal shield covering all the prodorsum, the hysteronotal shield occupying about three quarters of the hysterosoma, and idiosomal setae h3 being filiform. The morphological description of the new species is augmented by sequence data from the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene fragment (COI)., Sergey V. Mironov, Jorge Doña, Roger Jovani., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Nanayella gen. n. is proposed to accommodate four new species of dactylogyrid monogeneans found on the gills of two species of pimelodid catfishes (Siluriformes) from the Amazon River basin in Peru and the Upper Paraná River basin in Brazil. Nanayella gen. n. is mainly characterised by the presence of modified hook pairs 5 and 6, which have a slender shank with slightly enlarged base, inconspicuous thumb, and straight point. Nanayella aculeatrium gen. n. et sp. n. (type species) from Sorubim lima (Bloch et Schneider) (type host) differs from its congeners mainly by possessing seven sclerotised spines on one side of circular ornamentation of the vaginal atrium. Nanayella fluctuatrium gen. n. et sp. n. is characterised by the presence of sclerotised undulations surrounding the circular ornamentation of the vaginal atrium. Nanayella amplofalcis gen. n. et sp. n. is typified by possessing hook pairs 1 and 2 with a robust, wide shank and a round, weakly sclerotised subunit at the base. Nanayella processusclavis gen. n. et sp. n. differs from congeners by the presence of a conspicuous posterior medial process on the dorsal bar. Urocleidoides megorchis Mizelle et Kritsky, 1969 described from the gills of S. lima in Brazil is transferred to Nanayella gen. n. as Nanayella megorchis comb. n. based on morphological and molecular evidence. Analyses of partial sequences of the 28S rRNA gene revealed all five species of the new genus to form a monophyletic clade within a bigger clade comprised of dactylogyrids of South American pimelodids., Aline A. Acosta, Carlos A. Mendoza-Palmero, Reinaldo J. da Silva, Tomáš Scholz., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Achorovermis testisinuosus gen. et sp. n. (Digenea: Aporocotylidae) infects the heart of the smalltooth sawfish, Pristis pectinata Latham (Rhinopristiformes: Pristidae), in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Specimens of the new genus, along with the other blood flukes that infect batoids are similar by having an inverse U-shaped intestine and a curving testis as well as by lacking tegumental spines. The new genus differs from all of the other blood flukes infecting batoids by having an elongate body (>50 × longer than wide), a testis having >100 curves, and an ovary wholly anterior to the uterus. It differs from Ogawaia glaucostegi Cutmore, Cribb et Yong, 2018, the only other blood fluke infecting a rhinopristiform, by having a body that is >50 × (vs <30 ×) longer than wide, a testis that is >75 × (vs <40 ×) longer than wide and has >100 (vs <70) curves, an ovary wholly anterior to (vs lateral and dorsal to) the seminal vesicle, a uterus wholly posterior to (vs overlapping and lateral to both) the testis and ovary, and a sinuous (vs convoluted) uterus. The new species joins a small group of chondrichthyan blood flukes that lack tegumental spines: O. glaucostegi, Orchispirium heterovitellatum Madhavi et Rao, 1970, Myliobaticola richardheardi Bullard et Jensen, 2008, Electrovermis zappum Warren et Bullard, 2019. Blood flukes infecting batoids are further unique by having a curving testis. That is, the blood flukes infecting species within Selachii are morphologically distinct from those infecting species within the Batoidea (excluding Gymnurahemecus bulbosus Warren et Bullard, 2019). Based on the morphological similarity, we suspect that the new species shares a recent common ancestor with O. glaucostegi. The discovery of the new species brings the total number of chondrichthyan blood flukes to 11 species assigned to nine genera., Micah B. Warren, Micah D. Bakenhaster, Rachel M. Scharer, Gregg R. Poulakis and Stephen A. Bullard., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Frezella gen. n. is proposed to accommodate Frezella vaucheri sp. n. from poorly known auchenipterid fish, Tocantinsia piresi (Miranda Ribeiro), from the Xingú River, one of the principal tributaries of the lower Amazon River in Brazil. The new genus belongs to the Proteocephalinae because of the medullary position of the testes, ovary (yet some follicles penetrate to the cortex on the dorsal side), vitelline follicles and uterus. It differs from other proteocephaline genera in the morphology of the scolex, which includes a metascolex composed of two distinct zones: anterior, strongly wrinkled part posterior to the suckers, and posterior, sparsely folded zone. Frezella can also be differentiated by having the internal longitudinal musculature hypertrophied laterally on both sides, the presence of some ovarian follicles in the cortex on the dorsal side and the presence of additional pair of tiny, thin-walled osmoregulatory canals situated slightly dorsomedian to ventral canals. Frezella vaucheri is the first helminth parasite reported from T. piresi, which occurs in the lower reaches of the Amazon and Tocantins River basins in Brazil., Philippe Vieira Alves, Alain de Chambrier, Tomáš Scholz, José Luis Luque., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Synbranchiella gen. n. is proposed to accommodate Synbranchiella mabelae sp. n. (Proteocephalidae: Monticelliinae) from the intestine of the marbled swamp eel Synbranchus marmoratus Bloch, in the River Colastiné, a tributary of the middle River Paraná in Argentina. The new genus is placed in the Monticelliinae because of the cortical position of the genital organs. It differs from all known monticelliine genera by the following combination of characters: (i) scolex robust, with a conical apex, without metascolex; (ii) biloculate suckers with a conspicuous septum separating unequally-sized loculi and a robust non-adherent area, lacking free posterior margin; (iii) vitelline follicles in two narrow lateral bands, extended throughout the nearly entire proglottid length; (iv) vagina always anterior to the cirrus-sac, with an inconspicuous vaginal sphincter; (v) a genital pore pre-equatorial. Scanning electron microscopy revealed three types of microtriches on the tegument surface: acicular and capiliform filitriches and gladiate spinitriches. A phylogenetic analysis of the large subunit nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (lsrDNA, D1-D3 domains) confirms that S. mabelae represents an independent lineage within a large clade comprised mainly from Neotropical taxa parasitising catfishes. This is the second proteocephalidean cestode described from a Neotropical synbranchiform fish host., Nathalia J. Arredondo, Philippe Vieira Alves, Alicia A. Gil de Pertierra., and Obsahuje bibliografii
a1_Survey work of batoid elasmobranchs in the eastern Atlantic and Indo-Pacific revealed multiple species of a new genus of cestode. Stillabothrium Healy et Reyda gen. n. (Rhinebothriidea: Escherbothriidae) is unique in its possession of an even number of non-medial longitudinal septa in the posterior portion of the bothridia, resulting in a series of loculi that are longer than wide (i.e. vertically oriented) and are arranged in columns. Five new species of Stillabothrium are described, S. ashleyae Willsey et Reyda sp. n., S. davidcynthiaorum Daigler et Reyda sp. n., S. campbelli Delgado, Dedrick et Reyda sp. n., S. hyphantoseptum Herzog, Bergman et Reyda sp. n., S. jeanfortiae Forti, Aprill et Reyda sp. n., and two species are formally transferred to the genus, S. amuletum (Butler, 1987) comb. n., and S. cadenati (Euzet, 1954) comb. n., the latter of which is redescribed. The species differ in the configuration of the other bothridial septa and in proglottid anatomy. Species of Stillabothrium were found parasitising a total of 17 species of batoid elasmobranchs of the genera Dasyatis Rafinesque, Glaucostegus Bonaparte, Himantura Müller et Henle, Pastinachus Rüppell, Rhinobatos Linck and Zanobatus Garman, including several host species that are likely new to science. A phylogenetic hypothesis based on Bayesian analysis of 1 084 aligned positions of the D1-D3 region of 28S rDNA for 27 specimens representing 10 species of Stillabothrium and two outgroup species supported the monophyly of Stillabothrium. These results also supported morphologically determined species boundaries in all cases in which more than one specimen of a putative species was included in the analysis. Host specificity appears to vary across species of Stillabothrium, with the number of host species parasitised by each species of Stillabothrium ranging from one to four., a2_The geographic distribution of species of Stillabothrium spans the eastern Hemisphere, including the eastern Atlantic (coastal Senegal) and several locations in the Indo-Pacific (coastal Vietnam, Borneo and Australia). In addition, Phyllobothrium biacetabulatum Yamaguti, 1960 is formally transferred into family Escherbothriidae, although its generic placement remains uncertain (species incertae sedis)., Florian B. Reyda, Claire J. Healy, Andrew R. Haslach, Timothy R. Ruhnke, Tara L. Aprill, Michael P. Bergman, Andrew L. Daigler, Elsie A. Dedrick, Illari Delgado, Kathryn S. Forti, Kaylee S. Herzog, Rebecca S. Russell, Danielle D. Willsey., and Obsahuje bibliografii
A new lecanicephalidean genus is erected for cestodes previously recognised as "New Genus 12" (Polypocephalidae) in a phylogenetic analysis of the interrelationship of members of this order. Examination of the cestode fauna of the mangrove whipray, Urogymnus granulatus (Macleay) (Myliobatiformes: Dasyatidae) from the Solomon Islands and northern Australia revealed the existence of specimens representing two new species, consistent in morphology with "New Genus 12." Corollapex gen. n. is unique among the 24 valid lecanicephalidean genera in its possession of an apical organ in the form of an external retractable central disk surrounded by eight concave muscular, membrane-bound pads and an internal heterogeneous glandular component. The two new species described herein, Corollapex cairae sp. n. (type species) and Corollapex tingoi sp. n., differ from one another in overall size and number of mature and immature proglottids, and are noted to demonstrate a differential distribution between mature and juvenile host individuals. Additional species diversity in the new genus, beyond C. cairae sp. n., C. tingoi sp. n., and "New Genus 12 n. sp. 1" of Jensen et al. (2016) is suggested. Corollapex gen. n. appears to be restricted to dasyatid hosts in the Indo-West Pacific region., Kaylee S. Herzog, Kirsten Jensen., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The use of phytoseiid species in biological plant protection is widespread. However, the techniques used to release them differ. The possible release of Amblyseius andersoni (Chant, 1959) using a new method was tested. High numbers of this mite overwinter in the ground litter in Hungarian orchards. By transferring such ground litter to plots in young orchards, the population density was found to be significantly increased in the release compared to control plots; A. andersoni became the dominant phytoseiid species in the new orchard. Due to the rate at which it spreads, this species was also recorded in the control plots towards the end of the growing season (Aug., Sept.), at which time there was no significant difference in the numbers of this species in the treated and control plots. In the winter following release, A. andersoni was found in the ground litter of the orchard., Árpád Szabó, Béla Pénzes., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
A new mite species Schizocoptes daberti sp. n. (Acariformes: Chirodiscidae) from Chrysochloris stuhlmanni Matsche (Afrosoricida: Chrysochloridae) from the Democratic Republic of the Congo is described. It differs from the closely related species S. conjugatus Lawrence, 1944 in both sexes by distance si-si at least twice longer than si-se (vs these distances are subequal in S. conjugatus); in females by setae cp 30-40 µm long (vs about 65 µm long), and in males by the very weakly sclerotised posterior parts of the hysteronotal shield (vs strongly sclerotised), setae d1 situated anterior to the hysteronotal shield (vs at the hysteronotal shield), and by opened coxal fields III (vs closed). An amended generic diagnosis, including description of immature stages, and a key to named species of Schizocoptes Lawrence, 1944 are provided., Andre V. Bochkov., and Obsahuje bibliografii
When parasites invade paired structures of their host non-randomly, the resulting asymmetry may have both pathological and ecological significance. To facilitate the detection and visualisation of asymmetric infections we have developed a free software tool, Analysis of Symmetry of Parasitic Infections (ASPI). This tool has been implemented as an R package (https://cran.r-project.org/package=aspi) and a web application (https://wayland.shinyapps.io/aspi). ASPI can detect both consistent bias towards one side, and inconsistent bias in which the left side is favoured in some hosts and the right in others. Application of ASPI is demonstrated using previously unpublished data on the distribution of metacercariae of species of Diplostomum von Nordmann, 1832 in the eyes of ruffe Gymnocephalus cernua (Linnaeus). Invasion of the lenses appeared to be random, with the proportion of metacercariae in the left and right lenses showing the pattern expected by chance. However, analysis of counts of metacercariae from the humors, choroid and retina revealed asymmetry between eyes in 38% of host fish., Matthew T. Wayland, James C. Chubb., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Paraberrapex atlanticus sp. n. (Cestoda: Lecanicephalidea) is described from the spiral intestine of the angel shark Squatina guggenheim Marini from coastal waters off Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Paraberrapex atlanticus sp. n. can be distinguished from the only species described in the genus, P. manifestus Jensen, 2001 in having cocoons 5-6 times longer with more eggs per cocoon, the extension of the uterine duct, the distribution of vitelline follicles, and the size and density of microtriches on the bothridial surfaces. The presence of P. atlanticus sp. n. in S. guggenheim confirms the specificity of Paraberrapex Jensen, 2001 for squatiniform sharks., Leonardo D. Mutti, Verónica A. Ivanov., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Chicken turtles, Deirochelys reticularia (Latreille in Sonnini et Latreille) (Testudines: Emydidae) from Alabama, USA were infected by Spirorchis collinsi Roberts et Bullard sp. n. and Spirorchis cf. scripta. The new species is most easily differentiated from its congeners by the combination of having caeca that extend far beyond the genitalia, intercaecal genitalia positioned in the middle portion of the body, a testicular column that nearly abuts the caecal bifurcation, a cirrus sac positioned between the testes and ovary, a massive Mehlis' gland, an elongate, longitudinal metraterm that extends anteriad beyond the level of the ovary, a pre-ovarian genital pore, and a prominent, intercaecal Manter's organ. The specimens of S. cf. scripta differed from the holotype and published descriptions of Spirorchis scripta Stunkard, 1923 by several subtle morphological features, perhaps comprising intraspecific variation, but collectively warranted a detailed description herein. Based on examinations of the aforementioned specimens plus the holotype, paratypes and vouchers of morphologically-similar congeners, Spirorchis MacCallum, 1918 is emended to include the presence of oral sucker spines, a pharynx, lateral oesophageal diverticula ('plicate organ') and a median oesophageal diverticulum ('oeseophageal pouch'). Phylogenetic analysis of the nuclear large subunit rDNA (28S) recovered S. collinsi sister to Spirorchis picta Stunkard, 1923, > 99% similarity between S. cf. scripta and S. scripta, and a monophyletic Spirorchis MacCallum, 1918. No blood fluke infection has been reported previously from these drainages, Alabama, or this turtle species. This is the first new species of Spirorchis to be described from North America in 26 years., Jackson R. Roberts, Raphael Orélis-Ribeiro, Kenneth M. Halanych, Cova R. Arias, Stephen A. Bullard., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Wallinia mexicana sp. n. is described from the Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus (De Filippi) (Characidae Weitzman), from two localities in northern Mexico. The new species can be distinguished from the two congeneric species, described from small-bodied characids in South and Central America, mainly by the posterior extent of the vitelline follicles (halfway between the posterior testis and the end of the caeca), by having a larger oesophagus, testes that are always oblique, and eye-spot remnants. The distinct status of the new species was confirmed by molecular data (28S rRNA gene sequences). Phylogenetic analysis suggests the new species is the sister species of W. chavarriae Choudhury, Hartvigsen et Brooks, 2002 described from characids in northwestern Costa Rica. Additionally, genetic divergence between these congeners reached 3.3%, a value higher than that observed for closely related species pairs of allocreadiids for that molecular marker. Based on these new findings, recently published records of this new species as Magnivitellinum simplex Kloss, 1966 and Creptotrematina aguirrepequenoi Jiménez-Guzmán, 1973 in Astyanax mexicanus from Durango and San Luis Potosi states, respectively, are corrected., Gerardo Pérez-Ponce de León, Ulises Razo-Mendivil, Berenit Mendoza-Garfias, Miguel Rubio-Godoy, Anindo Choudhury., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Combining a biotin-enrichment protocol and 454GS-FLX titanium pyrosequencing technology, we characterised 22 polymorphic microsatellite loci from the parasitic wasp, Habrobracon hebetor (Say) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a cosmopolitan species commonly used in biological control against a wide range of both major lepidopterous pests of stored products and field crops in different parts of the world. Three multiplex PCR sets were optimised and characterised across 46 H. hebetor specimens from two samples collected from millet fields in Niger. Two to 11 alleles were found per locus and observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.289 to 0.826. Polymorphism was detected in both samples with a similar level of observed heterozygosity (0.482 vs. 0.502) and number of alleles (4.1 vs. 3.6). Deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was detected at the same five loci in both samples and five or seven more loci in each sample but was not associated with heterozygote deficiencies. Even though evidence for linkage disequilibrium was found between a few alleles, these new loci segregated independently. The variability of the 22 loci will enable estimates of genetic diversity and structure patterns, as well as gene flow between H. hebetor populations at different spatial scales. Cross-species amplifications were successful among the six Bracon spp. tested and nine loci will be particularly appropriate for population genetic studies in B. brevicornis., Madougou Garba, Anne Loiseau, Laure Benoit, Nathalie Gauthier., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The transfer of light energy from phycobilisomes (PBS) to photosystem II (PSII) reaction centers is vital for photosynthesis in cyanobacteria and red algae. To investigate the relationship between PBS and PSII and to optimize the energy transfer efficiency from PBS to PSII, isolation of the PBS-PSII supercomplex is necessary. SPC (sucrose/phosphate/citrate) is a conventional buffer for isolating PBS-PSII supercomplex in cyanobacteria. However, the energy transfer occurring in the supercomplex is poor. Here, we developed a new buffer named SGB by adding 1M glycinebetaine and additional sucrose to SPC buffer. Compared to SPC, the newly developed SGB buffer greatly enhanced the associated populations of PBS with thylakoid membranes and PSII and further improved the energy transfer efficiency from PBS to PSII reaction centers in cyanobacteria in vitro. Therefore, we conclude that SGB is an excellent buffer for isolating the PBS-PSII supercomplex and for enhancing the energy transfer efficiency from PBS to PSII reaction centers in cyanobacteria in vitro., L. P. Chen, Q. X. Wang, W. M. Ma., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Plasma corticosterone (CORT) measures are a common procedure to detect stress responses in rodents. However, the procedure is invasive and can influence CORT levels, making it less than ideal for monitoring CORT circadian rhythms. In the current paper, we examined the applicability of a non-invasive fecal CORT metabolite measure to assess the circadian rhythm. We compared fecal CORT metabolite levels to circulating CORT levels, and analyzed change in the fecal circadian rhythm following an acute stressor (i.e. blood sampling by tail veil catheter). Fecal and blood samples were collected from male adolescent rats and analyzed for CORT metabolites and circulating CORT respectively. Fecal samples were collected hourly for 24 h before and after blood draw. On average, peak fecal CORT metabolite values occurred 7-9 h after the plasma CORT peak and time-matched fecal CORT values were well correlated with plasma CORT. As a result of the rapid blood draw, fecal production and CORT levels were altered the next day. These results indicate fecal CORT metabolite measures can be used to assess conditions that disrupt the circadian CORT rhythm, and provide a method to measure long-term changes in CORT production. This can benefit research that requires long-term glucocorticoid assessment (e.g. stress mechanisms underlying health)., P. K. Thanos ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Here we describe the new trypanosomatid, Phytomonas borealis sp. n., from the midgut of the spiked shieldbugs, Picromerus bidens (Linnaeus), collected in two locations, Novgorod and Pskov Oblasts of Russia. The phylogenetic analyses, based on the 18S rRNA gene, demonstrated that this flagellate is a sister species to the secondary monoxenous Phytomonas nordicus Frolov et Malysheva, 1993, which was concurrently documented in the same host species in Pskov Oblast. Unlike P. nordicus, which can complete its development (including exit to haemolymph and penetration into salivary glands) in Picromerus bidens, the new species did not form any extraintestinal stages in the host. It also did not produce endomastigotes, indispensable for transmission in other Phytomonas spp. These observations, along with the fact that P. bidens overwinters at the egg stage, led us to the conclusion that the examined infections with P. borealis were non-specific. Strikingly, the flagellates from the Novgorod population contained prokaryotic endosymbionts, whereas the parasites from the second locality were endosymbiont-free. This is a first case documenting presence of intracellular symbiotic bacteria in Phytomonas spp. We suggest that this novel endosymbiotic association arose very recently and did not become obligate yet. Further investigation of P. borealis and its intracellular bacteria may shed light on the origin and early evolution of endosymbiosis in trypanosomatids., Anna I. Ganyukova, Alexander O. Frolov, Marina N. Malysheva, Viktoria V. Spodareva, Vyacheslav Yurchenko and Alexei Yu. Kostygov., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The development of smartphones, specifically their cameras, and imaging technologies has enabled their use as sensors/measurement tools. Here we aimed to evaluate the applicability of a fast and noninvasive method for the estimation of total chlorophyll (Chl), Chl a, Chl b, and carotenoids (Car) content of soybean plants using a smartphone camera. Single leaf disc images were obtained using a smartphone camera. Subsequently, for the same leaf discs, a Chl meter was used to obtain the relative index of Chl and the photosynthetic pigments were then determined using a classic method. The RGB, HSB and CIELab color models were extracted from the smartphone images and correlated to Chl values obtained using a Chl meter and by a standard laboratory protocol. The smartphone camera was sensitive enough to capture successfully a broad range of Chl and Car contents seen in soybean leaves. Although there was a variation between color models, some of the proposed regressions (e.g., the S and b index from HSB and Lab color models and NRI [RGB model]) were very close to the Chl meter values. Based on our findings, smartphones can be used for rapid and accurate estimation of soybean and Car contents in soybean leaves., J. P. G. Rigon, S. Capuani, D. M. Fernandes, T. M. Guimarães., and Obsahuje bibliografii
As part of a biodiversity study in northwestern Hungary, we conducted a parasitological survey of small mammals. In both common shrews (Sorex araneus Linnaeus) and pygmy shrews (Sorex minutus Linnaeus), we found myxospores of a species of Soricimyxum Prunescu, Prunescu, Pucek et Lom, 2007 (Myxosporea) and plasmodia in the bile ducts within the liver. Spores from both species of shrewswere morphologically and morphometrically indistinguishable, but differed in their SSU rRNA gene sequences by 3.3%. We identified spores and developmental stages from the common shrew as Soricimyxum fegati Prunescu, Prunescu, Pucek et Lom, 2007, based on morphometric data and DNA sequence similarity. Spores from the pygmy shrew were only 96.7% similar to S. fegati, hence we identified them as a novel myxosporean Soricimyxum minuti sp. n. This is only the second myxosporean parasite species described from mammals., Csaba Székely, Gábor Cech, Stephen D. Atkinson, Kálmán Molnár, László Egyed, András Gubányi., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Nucleoside diphosphate kinases (NDPK) are key enzymes involved in the intracellular nucleotide maintenance in all living organisms, especially in trypanosomatids which are unable to synthesise purines de novo. Four putative NDPK isoforms were identified in the Trypanosoma cruzi Chagas, 1909 genome but only two of them were characterised so far. In this work, we studied a novel isoform from T. cruzi called TcNDPK3. This enzyme presents an atypical N-terminal extension similar to the DM10 domains. In T. cruzi, DM10 sequences targeted other NDPK isoform (TcNDPK2) to the cytoskeleton, but TcNDPK3 was localised in glycosomes despite lacking a typical peroxisomal targeting signal. In addition, TcNDPK3 was found only in the bloodstream trypomastigotes where glycolytic enzymes are very abundant. However, TcNDPK3 mRNA was also detected at lower levels in amastigotes suggesting regulation at protein and mRNA level. Finally, 33 TcNDPK3 gene orthologs were identified in the available kinetoplastid genomes. The characterisation of new glycosomal enzymes provides novel targets for drug development to use in therapies of trypanosomatid associated diseases., María de los Milagros Cámara, León Bouvier, Chantal Reigada, Fabio A. Digirolamo, Melisa Sayé, Claudio A. Pereira., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The parasitic caterpillars of Maculinea (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) need to be adopted and nursed by ants of the genus Myrmica (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Each Maculinea species is locally associated with one or a few main and often several secondary host species. To determine whether the parasite-host associations bear marks of cophylogenetic constraints, we reconstructed phylogenies of Maculinea and Myrmica using DNA sequence data. We searched for evidence of cospeciation with a tree-independent (ParaFit) and tree-based (TreeFitter) method. This did not reveal any indication of phylogenetic host tracking in Maculinea. This agrees with earlier insights, which emphasise that as most of the potential host ant populations are never infested by Maculinea, the selective pressure of the butterflies on Myrmica is likely to be slight. Each Maculinea species also specialises on one or a few host plant species before adoption by ants. We suggest that Maculinea species have a substantial potential to accommodate evolutionarily to geographically changing ranges of potential Myrmica hosts, available at the oviposition sites of the butterflies. We use recently published evidence on geographically varying host ant species to discuss a suite of plausible scenarios of adaptive shifts to new Myrmica host species. and Gunther Jansen, Kari Vepsäläinen, Riitta Savolainen.
PAM (pulse amplitude modulation) fluorometers can be used to estimate the electron transport rate (ETR) [μmol(e-) m-2 s-1] from photosynthetic yield determinations, provided the absorptance (Abtλ) of the photoorganism is known. The standard assumed value used for absorptance is 0.84 (leaf absorptance factor, AbtF). We described a reflectance-absorptancetransmittance (RAT) meter for routine experimental measurements of the actual absorptance of leaves. The RAT uses a red-green-blue (RGB) LED diode light source to measure absorptances at wavelengths suitable for use with PAM fluorometers and infrared gas analysers. Results using the RAT were compared to Abtλ spectra using a Taylor integrating sphere on bird’s nest fern (Asplenium nidus), banana, Doryanthes excelsa, Kalanchoe daigremontiana, and sugarcane. Parallel venation had no significant effect upon Abt465 in banana, Doryanthes, a Dendrobium orchid, pineapple, and sugarcane, but there was a slight difference in the case of the fern A. nidus. The average Abt465 (approximately 0.96) and Abt625 (approximately 0.89) were approximately 14% and 6% higher than the standard value (AbtF = 0.84). The PAR-range Abt400-700 was only approximately 5% higher than the standard value (approximately 0.88) based on averaged absorptance from the blue, green, and red light data and from where the RGB-diode was used as a ‘white’ light source. In some species, absorptances at blue and red wavelengths are quite different (e.g. water lily). Reflectance measurements of leaves using the RAT would also be useful for remote sensing studies., R. J. Ritchie, J. W. Runcie., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Invertebrate diversity has rapidly declined throughout Europe during the last century. Various reasons for this decrease have been proposed including human induced factors like climate change. Temperature changes alter distributions and occurrences of butterflies by determining habitat conditions at different scales. We evaluated changes in the composition of butterfly communities recorded at nine areas of fallow ground in south-western Germany in 1973, 1986, 2010 and 2012 using Pollard’s transect technique. To demonstrate the importance of climatic changes in affecting butterfly communities, we calculated the community temperature index (CTI) for each butterfly community in each year. Although they increased slightly, the CTI-values did not match the temperature trends recorded in the study region. However, the reduction in the standard deviations of the CTIs over time is reflected in the marked loss of cold- and warm-adapted species due to their inability to cope with temperature and land-use induced habitat changes. Results of our butterfly surveys indicate a marked decline in species richness and striking changes in the composition of the butterfly communities studied. This trend was most pronounced for habitat specialists, thus mirroring a depletion in trait diversity. Our results indicate that, in the course of large-scale anthropogenic changes, habitat degradation at smaller scales will continuously lead to the replacement of habitat specialists by ubiquitous species., Katharina J. Filz ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The Australian species of the genus Coelioxys Latreille are revised. Six species are recognized: Coelioxys albolineata Cockerell, 1905; Coelioxys froggatti Cockerell, 1911; Coelioxys reginae Cockerell, 1905; Coelioxys weinlandi Schulz, 1904 and two new species: Coelioxys julia sp. n. and Coelioxys tasmaniana sp. n. Three names are synonymized: Coelioxys biroi Friese, 1909 syn. n. and Coelioxys albolineata darwiniensis Cockerell, 1929 syn. n. under Coelioxys albolineata, and Coelioxys victoriae Rayment, 1935 syn. n. under Coelioxys froggatti. Species descriptions and redescriptions, illustrations, distribution maps, floral records and a key to both sexes of all species are provided., Léo Correia da Rocha-Filho., and Obsahuje bibliografii
In Senegal, several areas provide great potential for agriculture and animal production, but African animal trypanosomosis (AAT) is one of the major constraints to the development of more effective livestock production systems. A study was conducted to assess the current situation of AAT in this country. Surveys were carried out between June 2011 and September 2012 in four different areas: Dakar, Sine Saloum, Kedougou region and Basse Casamance in several animal species: dogs (152), donkeys (23), horses (63), sheep (43), goats (52) and cattle (104), distributed in the four sites. Molecular tools (PCR) indicated 3.4% positive animals including dogs, donkeys, a goat and cattle. The savannah type of Trypanosoma congolense Broden, 1904 (53% of positive cases) and the forest type of T. congolense (subgenus Nannomonas Hoare, 1964) were predominant. Trypanosoma vivax Ziemann, 1905 (subgenus Duttonella Chalmers, 1918) was only present in one animal and no trypanosome of the subgenus Trypanozoon Lühe, 1906 was found. Half of the positive cases were detected in Sine Saloum, where T. congolense savannah-type was predominant, and the other half in Basse Casamance, where T. congolense forest-type was predominant; no cases were found in Dakar or in the Kedougou region. A high risk of infection in dogs with T. congolense savannah-type was shown in Sine Saloum, requiring prevention and control of dogs in this area. The involvement of tsetse flies in the transmission of T. congolense in Sine Saloum and Basse Casamance is discussed., Sophie Ravel, Oleg Mediannikov, Géraldine Bossard, Marc Desquesnes, Gérard Cuny, Bernard Davoust., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Light is critical in determining plant structure and functioning in dune ecosystems, which are characterised by high incident and reflected radiation. Light variations demand great plasticity of the photosynthetic apparatus. This study assessed the phenotypic plasticity of foredune species by analysing their light response and dark recovery curves measured under field conditions. We also addressed the question how coexisting species, structurally distinct, differed in their photochemical efficiency in response to short-term changes in light. Finally, we examined how the varying intensity of stressors operating along a dune gradient affected responses to light. The species differed in light use strategies but showed similar patterns of the dark recovery. Species differences in photochemistry varied seasonally, with species being winter specialists, summer specialist or generalists. Some aspects of their photochemistry varied significantly along the gradient. Unexpectedly, other traits did not vary as predicted. For example, changes in light efficiency of plants along the gradient were not consistent with assumed directional changes in the severity of stressors. The different light use strategies observed in coexisting species did not conform to the prediction that stressors constrain the range of possible functional designs in harsh environments. However, the species followed very similar patterns of post-illumination recovery, which suggests that evolutionary pressures might be acting to maintain similar recovery mechanisms. Our results indicated that dune gradients might be nondirectional, which determines unpredictable patterns of variation in leaf traits along the dune gradient. Seasonal differences in the relative performance may allow species to coexist where otherwise one species would exclude the other., R. Bermúdez, R. Retuerto., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Myxozoans (Cnidaria: Myxozoa) are almost exclusively endoparasites of aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates, with the notable exception being two species of Soricimyxum Prunescu, Prunescu, Pucek et Lom, 2007 described from terrestrial shrews (Soricidae) in central Europe. Myxospores of the two parasites are morphologically indistinguishable, but have SSU rDNA sequences that differ by about 4%. Herein, we report additional molecular and histology data from Soricimyxum fegati Prunescu, Prunescu, Pucek et Lom, 2007 from common shrew (Sorex araneus Linnaeus) from Hungary, and add a new geographic record for S. fegati in pygmy shrew (Sorex minutus Linnaeus) from Slovakia. A limited survey of shrews from the northern United States, Blarina brevicauda Say and Sorex sp. from New York, and Sorex spp. from Oregon, did not discover any infections, which is in stark contrast to the relatively high infection rates (up to 66%) in European shrew populations. We also provide a summary and discussion of literature records of species of Soricimyxum and a host survey. Given the lack of distinguishing morphological or morphometric characters between Soricimyxum spp., and the overlap in vertebrate hosts and geographic ranges, unambiguous identification of these closely related shrew parasites can presently only be achieved through sequence comparison of one or more variable SSU rDNA regions., Csaba Székely, Stephen D. Atkinson, Kálmán Molnár, László Egyed, András Gubányi, Gábor Cech., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Tapeworms of the genus Caryophyllaeus Gmelin, 1790 (Caryophyllidea: Caryophyllaeidae), common parasites of cyprinid fishes, are reviewed and taxonomic status of 42 nominal taxa that have been placed in the genus during its long history is clarified. The following seven species occurring in the Palaearctic Region are recognised as valid: C. laticeps (Pallas, 1781), C. auriculatus (Kulakovskaya, 1961), C. balticus (Szidat, 1941) comb. n. (syn. Khawia baltica Szidat, 1941), C. brachycollis Janiszewska, 1953, C. fimbriceps Annenkova-Chlopina, 1919, C. syrdarjensis Skrjabin, 1913, and newly described Caryophyllaeus chondrostomi sp. n. (= C. laticeps morphotype 4 of Bazsalovicsová et al., 2014) from common nase, Chondrostoma nasus (Linnaeus), found in Austria and Slovakia. The new species differs by the paramuscular or cortical position of preovarian vitelline follicles, a large, robust body (up to 64 mm long), conspicuously long vas deferens, flabellate scolex with small wrinkles on the anterior margin, and anteriormost testes located in a relatively short distance from the anterior extremity. Caryophyllaeus kashmirenses Mehra, 1930 and Caryophyllaeus prussicus (Szidat, 1937) comb. n. are considered to be species inquirendae, C. truncatus von Siebold in Baird, 1853 and C. tuba von Siebold in Baird, 1853 are nomina nuda. Data on the morphology, host spectra, distribution and known life-cycles of valid species are provided. Phylogenetic interrelations of four species of the genus including its type species and newly described C. chondrostomi were assessed based on an analysis of sequences of lsrDNA and cox1. A key to identification of all valid species of Caryophyllaeus is also provided., Daniel Barčák, Mikuláš Oros, Vladimíra Hanzelová, Tomáš Scholz., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Monozoic cestodes of the recently amended genus Promonobothrium Mackiewicz, 1968 (Cestoda: Caryophyllidea), parasites of suckers (Cypriniformes: Catostomidae) in North America, are reviewed, with information on their host specificity, distribution and data on the scolex morphology of seven species studied for the first time using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Evaluation of type and voucher specimens from museum collections and newly collected material of most species indicated the following valid nominal species: Promonobothrium minytremi Mackiewicz, 1968 (type species); P. ingens (Hunter, 1927); P. hunteri (Mackiewicz, 1963); P. ulmeri (Calentine et Mackiewicz, 1966); P. fossae (Williams, 1974) and P. mackiewiczi (Williams, 1974). Rogersus Williams, 1980 with its only species R. rogersi is transferred to Promonobothrium based on morphological and molecular data. Promonobothrium currani sp. n. and P. papiliovarium sp. n. are described from Ictiobus bubalus (Rafinesque) and Ictiobus niger (Rafinesque), and Erimyzon oblongus (Mitchill), respectively. The newly described species can be distinguished from the other congeners by the morphology of the scolex, the position of the anteriormost vitelline follicles and testes, the presence of postovarian vitelline follicles and the shape of the ovary. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of six species based on sequences of the small and large subunits of the nuclear ribosomal RNA genes (ssrDNA, lsrDNA) confirmed the monophyletic status of the genus and supported the validity of the species analysed. A key to identification of all species of Promonobothrium based on morphological characteristics is provided., Mikuláš Oros, Jan Brabec, Roman Kuchta, Anindo Choudhury, Tomáš Scholz., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Many species of carabid beetles are important pre- and post-dispersal seed feeders of herbaceous plants. Here we summarise data from dissections, field observations, rearing and "cafeteria" experiments on 55 granivorous and 188 omnivorous species that occur in Italy. We tested the hypothesis that seed feeding carabids are restricted to taxa with pronounced morphological adaptations for manipulating and crushing seeds in both the larval and adult stages. The feeding guilds of carabids were rearranged into the following groups: (i) strict predators with long mandibles and predaceous larvae, often depending also on non-prey food; (ii) omnivorous species with stout mandibles and larvae of a seed-eating morphotype; (iii) granivorous species, feeding only on seeds with larvae sometimes of the scarabeoid c-form type. The seed feeding carabids in the Italian fauna belong to the tribe Zabrini (Amara and Zabrus genera) and to all the Harpalinae (sub)tribes, from Anisodactylini to Ditomina. The time of reproduction seems to be associated with habitat preference; wetland or dry open land, rather than true granivorous versus omnivorous habits, but in stenophagous seed feeders, a phenological coincidence with particular plants is sometimes recorded., Federica Talarico, Anita Giglio, Roberto Pizzolotto, Pietro Brandmayr., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Water-filled tree holes are abundant microhabitats in forests worldwide and are inhabited by specialized communities of invertebrates. Despite their importance, the temporal dynamics of communities within and between years are largely unknown. Here, I present a case study on the phenology of insect larvae in two holes in a beech tree (lower and upper canopy) located in southern Germany over a period of three years. I asked whether water temperature and the characteristics of insect larvae at the community and population levels are similar in periodicity every year and whether they differ in the lower and upper canopy. The water temperature in tree holes differed greatly from air temperature, and this effect was more pronounced in the lower than in the upper canopy, which resulted in a lower probability of drying out occurring in the lower canopy. This was associated with a higher species richness in the lower canopy and greater abundance of drought tolerant species in the upper canopy. There was a significant periodicity in larval abundance, biomass, species richness and body size distribution of abundant species in both tree holes, but it was not seasonal. This result indicates that unpredictable drying out of tree holes are more important drivers of tree hole community dynamics than changes in water temperature. The community of larvae in the tree hole in the upper canopy lagged behind that in the lower canopy, which indicates that most species mainly colonize the more stable microhabitats in the lower canopy. Hopefully this case study will encourage future larger-scale phenological studies to test (1) whether the patterns observed in this study can be generalized over larger spatial scales and (2) the relative importance of abiotic and biotic drivers of the dynamics of communities in tree holes., Martin M. Gossner., and Obsahuje bibliografii
We have developed a simple and an effective method for the isolation of photochemically active broken chloroplasts from conifer needles that can be applied for a wide variety of conifer species with needle-like leaves. The utilisation of this method in photosynthetic studies offers a possibility to examine the efficiency of almost any component of thylakoid electron-transport chain and to disclose information about individual parts of primary photosynthetic processes that would be otherwise difficult to obtain. Various aspects influencing the outcome of this procedure, including the amount of needles necessary for sufficient yields, the possible length and the conditions of their storage, the best method for their disruption, the composition and pH of isolation and storage buffers, the centrifugation sequence, etc., are discussed., D. Holá ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje bibliografii
To understand the factors governing the diversity, abundance and host associations of parasitoids attacking frugivorous drosophilid flies on Iriomote-jima, a subtropical island of Japan, we monitored parasitism on several occasions over the period 2003–2009. Fifteen drosophilid and 12 parasitoid species were recorded. Three species of Drosophila, D. bipectinata, D. albomicans and D. takahashii, bred abundantly in banana baits, though their abundance varied between years and seasons. Frequent parasitoid species were Asobara japonica, A. pleuralis (Braconidae), Leptopilina ryukyuensis and L. pacifica (Figitidae). L. victoriae was recorded only in December 2003. In addition, host acceptance and host suitability of the four most frequently recorded parasitoid species were studied in the laboratory. Most parasitoid and drosophilid species showed species-specific associations with more than one antagonist species, suggesting that they have been subjected to complex coevolutionary interactions. In addition, host range of most of the parasitoid species included one of the three major Drosophila species, suggesting that the abundance of potential hosts is one of the factors determining the evolution of parasitoid host use., Biljan Novkovic ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Semi-natural habitats are key components of rural landscapes because they shelter a significant number of overwintering arthropods that are beneficial to agriculture. However, woodlots are semi-natural habitats with high patch-level heterogeneity and this aspect has been poorly studied. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of woodlot heterogeneity on overwintering ground beetles. Woodlot heterogeneity was characterized in terms of distance from the woodlot boundary and date of the most recent logging operation. We used emergence traps to quantify the population density of ground beetles that overwintered in the different parts of the woodlot. In woodlot edges the densities and species richness of ground beetles were significantly higher than in the rest of the woodlot. Ground beetles that are active in crop fields overwintered in the edges but not in the inner zone of the woodlot. Species assemblages of ground beetles overwintering in the edges were highly diverse. The date of the most recent logging operation did not explain the distribution of ground beetles that overwintered in the woodlot. Our results show that woodlots, and in particular their edges, are used as a winter shelter by ground beetles that spend part of their life in crops, which potentially favours biological control in adjacent crop fields. and Anthony Roume, Annie Ouin, Laurent Raison, Marc Deconchat.
The effect of ultraviolet B radiation (UV-B) on cellular ultrastructure, chlorophyll (Chl), carotenoids, and total phenolics of Acrostichum danaeifolium gametophytes was analyzed. The control group of spores was germinated under standard conditions, while the test group of spores was germinated with additional UV-B for 30 min every day for 34 d. The cell characteristics were preserved in gametophytes irradiated with UV-B, but the number of starch grains increased in the chloroplasts and the more developed grana organization in contrast to the chloroplasts of the control group. Chl a content decreased, while Chl b content increased in the gametophytes cultivated with UV-B for 34 d. Contents of lutein and zeaxanthin decreased and trans-β-carotene concentration was enhanced in the gametophytes irradiated with UV-B. The content of total phenolic compounds increased in the gametophytes cultivated with UV-B. Therefore our data suggest that the gametophytes of A. danaeifolium, a fern endemic to the mangrove biome, were sensitive to enhancement of UV-B radiation at the beginning of their development and they exhibited alterations in their ultrastructure, pigment contents, and protective mechanisms of the photosynthetic apparatus, when exposed to this radiation., A. M. Randi, M. C. A. Freitas, A. C. Rodrigues, M. Maraschin, M. A. Torres., and Obsahuje bibliografii
a1_The aim of this work was to study the acclimation of photosynthesis in a boreal grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) grown in controlled environment chambers under elevated temperature (ambient + 3.5°C) and CO2 (700 μmol mol-1) with varying soil water regimes. More specifically, we studied, during two development stages (early: heading; late: florescence completed), how the temperature response of light-saturated net photosynthetic rate
(Psat), maximum rate of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase activity (Vcmax) and potential rate of electron transport (Jmax) acclimatized to the changed environment. During the early growing period, we found a greater temperature-induced enhancement of Psat at higher measurement temperatures, which disappeared during the late stage. Under elevated growth temperature, Vcmax and Jmax at lower measurement temperatures (5-15°C) were lower than those under ambient growth temperature during the early period. When the measurements were done at 20-30°C, the situation was the opposite. During the late growing period, Vcmax and Jmax under elevated growth temperature were consistently lower across measurement temperatures. CO2 enrichment significantly increased Psat with higher intercellular CO2 compared to ambient CO2 treatment, however, elevated CO2 slightly decreased Vcmax and Jmax across measurement temperatures, probably due to down-regulation acclimation. For two growing periods, soil water availability affected the variation in photosynthesis and biochemical parameters much more than climatic treatment did. Over two growing periods, Vcmax and Jmax were on average 36.4 and 30.6%, respectively, lower with low water availability compared to high water availability across measurement temperatures. During the late growing period, elevated growth temperature further reduced the photosynthesis under low water availability., a2_Vcmax and Jmax declined along with the decrease in nitrogen content of leaves as growing period progressed, regardless of climatic treatment and water regime. We suggest that, for grass species, seasonal acclimation of the photosynthetic parameters under varying environmental conditions needed to be identified to fairly estimate the whole-life photosynthesis., Z.-M. Ge ... [et al.]., Obsahuje poznámky, and Obsahuje bibliografii
European larch (Larix decidua Mill.) and Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] synthesize chlorophyll (Chl) in darkness. This paper compares Chl accumulation in 14-d-old dark-grown seedlings of L. decidua and P. abies after shortterm (24 h) feeding with 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA). We used two ALA concentrations (1 and 10 mM) fed to cotyledons of both species in darkness and in continuous light. The dark-grown seedlings of L. decidua accumulated Chl only in trace amounts and the seedlings remained etiolated. In contrast, P. abies seedlings grown in darkness were green and had significantly higher Chl content. After ALA feeding, higher protochlorophyllide (Pchlide) content was observed in L. decidua than in P. abies cotyledons incubated in darkness. Although short-term ALA feeding stimulated the synthesis of Pchlide, Chl content did not change significantly in cotyledons incubated in darkness. The Chl accumulation in cotyledons fed with ALA was similar to the rate of Chl accumulation in the controls. Higher Chl accumulation was reported in control samples after illumination: 86.9% in L. decidua cotyledons and 46.4% in P. abies cotyledons. The Chl content decreased and bleaching occurred in cotyledons incubated with ALA in light due to photooxidation. Analyses of Chlbinding proteins (D1 and LHCIIb) by Western blotting proved differences between Chl biosynthesis in L. decidua and P. abies seedlings in the dark and in the light. No remarkable increase was found in protein accumulation (D1 and LHCIIb) after ALA application. Our results showed interspecific difference in Chl synthesis between two gymnosperms. Shortterm ALA feeding did not stimulate Chl synthesis, thus ALA synthesis was not the rate-limiting step in Chl synthesis in the dark., N. Maximová, Ľ. Slováková., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Temporal patterns and frequency spectra of the songs and stridulatory files of 14 species of the genus of the phaneropterid bush-crickets Isophya from Eastern Europe, Altai and the Caucasus are given. The sound signals of the species studied can be separated into three main types: (1) those consisting of two syllables (Isophya gracilis, I. kalishevskii, I. schneideri, I. caspica, Isophya sp. 1); (2) one syllable and series of clicks (I. modesta rossica, I. stepposa, I. taurica, I. brunneri, I. doneciana, I. altaica); (3) single repeating syllables of uniform shape and duration (I. pienensis, Isophya sp. 2 and possibly I. stysi). The acoustic signals and behaviour of eastern European, Altai and Caucasian species are compared to those of several other European species of Isophya., Roustem Zhantiev, Olga Korsunovskaya, Alexander Benediktov., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Obesity is a serious health problem worldwide and many genes have been implicated in determination of obesity, but our knowledge of the genes responsible for individual differences in weight loss after physical intervention are poor. One of the candidate genes is a gene for angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) ant its insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism. We have analyzed the association between the ACE gene variant in intervened obese females. Twenty four unrelated healthy obese (BMI > 29.9 kg/m2, with abdominal type of obesity) premenopausal (age between 25 and 45 years) Czech Caucasian sedentary and non-diabetic females, pre-selected according the ACE I/D polymorphism (twelve II and twelve DD homozygotes) were studied in a medical research centre. They underwent 9 weeks intervention program (combination of the lowering of dietary intake to optimal level for the age and 3 times a week physical activity at fitness centre). The participants were supervised to sustain a heart rate of 65 % of maximum. Anthropometrical, biochemical parameters and body composition (Bodystat 1500) were analyzed before and after the intervention. Our study suggest, that in Czech Caucasian females I/D polymorphism within the ACE gene will have no major effect on weight loss. Interestingly, we have detected, that in obese females II genotype was associated with higher increase in basal metabolic rate (202 kcal per day) then in DD homozygotes (p<0.05), thus at least under some circumstances, this genetic variant may have an slight effect on BMI development., P. Suchánek ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The effect of the chronic and acute antioxidant tempol (superoxide dismutase mimetic) treatment on cardiac ischemic tolerance was investigated in adult male Wistar rats. The first experimental group was given tempol (1 mM) in drinking water for three weeks, the second group received tempol (100 mg/kg, i.v.) 10 min before test ischemia, and control rats received the same volume of solvent. Anesthetized open-chest animals (pentobarbitone 60 mg/kg, i.p.) were subjected to 20-min coronary artery occlusion and 3-h reperfusion for infarct size determination. Ventricular arrhythmias were monitored during ischemia and at the beginning (5 min) of reperfusion. Acute tempol administration shifted the time profile of ischemic arrhythmias to the later phase and significantly increased the number of ischemic and reperfusion premature ventricular complexes, respectively (504±127 and 84±21) as compared with the chronically treated group (218±36 and 47±7) or controls (197±26 and 31±7). Acute tempol-treated rats exhibited a tendency to decrease infarct size (P = 0.087). The mechanism of proarrhythmic tempol action during ischemia and reperfusion remains to be elucidated., J. Neckář, B. Ošťádal, F. Kolář., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
Prosopis juliflora is an invasive leguminous tree species growing profusely under wide environmental conditions. Primary objective of this study was to investigate adaptation strategies evolved to deal with wide environmental conditions during different seasons. P. juliflora adapts through a production of leaves in two seasons, namely, the spring (the first cohort) and monsoon (the second cohort) with differing but optimal physiological characteristics for growth in respective seasons. Our studies show that the first cohort of leaves exhibit maximum carbon fixation under moderate temperatures and a wide range of PPFD. However, these leaves are sensitive to high leaf-to-air-vapor pressure deficit (VPD) occurring at high temperatures in summer resulting in senescence. While the second cohort of leaves produced during monsoon showed maximum carbon fixation at high irradiance and temperatures with low VPD, it is sensitive to low temperatures causing senescence in winter., P. A. Shirke, U. V. Pathre, P. V. Sane., and Obsahuje bibliografické odkazy
Cuttings of Populus cathayana Rehd, originating from three triploid and one diploid populations with the same parents but different gamete origins, were used to examine physiological responses to drought stress and rewatering by exposure to three progressive water regimes. Progressive drought stress significantly decreased the leaf relative water content (RWC), photosynthesis, and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, and increased the relative electrolyte leakage, malondialdehyde (MDA), free proline (Pro), and antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase, in the four populations evaluated. However, compared to the diploid population, triploid populations showed lower relative electrolyte leakage and MDA, higher RWC and Pro content, and more efficient photosynthesis and antioxidant systems under the same water regime. Our data indicated that triploid populations possessed more efficient protective mechanisms than that of diploid population with gradually increasing drought stress. Moreover, some triploid genotypes were less tolerant to water stress than that of diploids due to large intrapopulation overlap., T. Liao, Y. Wang, C. P. Xu, Y. Li, X. Y. Kang., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Diapause is a common dormancy strategy exhibited by many species of invertebrates and insects to temporarily avoid seasonally recurring unfavourable conditions for their development, most usually in winter. Less frequently, a prolonged diapause lasting two or more years is described in species living in unpredictable environments where it is adaptive, but with significant costs. In this paper we examine the occurrence of prolonged diapause in the lycaenid butterfly Tomares ballus. Pupae of this species undergo an obligate diapause from mid-May to late January the following year. However, during our rearing experiments (from 2009 to 2016) the emergence of adults occurred sequentially and a fraction of the pupae remained in diapause for up to seven years. The annual percentage emergence after the first year of diapause was 45.6%, and only barely exceeded 50.0% in 2015. Remarkably, 12 pupae (11.4% of the initial brood) remained in diapause in their eighth year. The negative exponential equation fitted to the emergence data suggests that further emergences may occur within the next five years. Therefore, the potential for successful prolonged diapause of T. ballus pupae may be more than 10 years. The adaptive value of this strategy is discussed in relation to the effects of adverse and unpredictable weather during the flight period of the butterfly, intra-guild competition, parasitoids and changes in habitat quality. We suggest that this strategy may also be exhibited by other species of Mediterranean lycaenids., Rafael Obregón, Juan Fernández Haeger, Diego Jordano., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Dlouhou dobu se předpokládalo, že populace obývající určitá území Evropy také tato území na konci doby ledové kolonizovaly jako první. Nové výzkumy však ukázaly, že v některých případech byla první příchozí populace později nahrazena jinou, pocházející z jiného glaciálního refugia. Náš článek ukazuje, že k takovému nahrazení jedné populace druhou došlo při kolonizaci Velké Británie norníkem rudým (Clethrionomys glareolus) a že při tom hrály roli fyziologické adaptace způsobené mutací v hemoglobinu., It has long been assumed that the populations that first colonized particular empty territory after the last ice age have remained there until the present day. However, recent findings in small mammals suggest that replacements involving a population from one glacial refugium at the cost of a population from another refugium may have been a not infrequent event. The article demonstrates that such population replacement took place during post-glacial colonization of Great Britain by the Bank Vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) and that physiological differences conferred by haemoglobin have probably played a role in this process., and Petr Kotlík, Silvia Marková, Karolína Filipi, Michaela Strážnická, Jeremy B. Searle.
Serum levels of adiponectin were measured in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer of pT2 and pT3 stage. Adiponectin ELISA assay, immunohistochemistry, and selected metabolic and biochemical parameters measurement was performed in 25 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia and 43 with prostate cancer (17 patients with organ-confined and 26 patients with locally advanced disease). Serum adiponectin levels did not differ between prostate benign hyperplasia and cancer clinical stage T2, but was significantly higher in pT3 relative to pT2 group (14.51± 4.92 vs. 21.41±8. 12, P = 0.003). Tissue immunohistochemistry showed enhanced staining in neoplastic prostate glands and intraepithelial neoplasia relative to benign prostatic hyperplasia without distinction between disease grade and stage. Serum adiponectin levels are higher in locally advanced relative to organ-confined prostate cancer and may thus serve as an auxiliary marker providing further improvement for discrimination between pT2 and pT3 stages., D. Housa, Z. Vernerová, J. Heráček, B. Procházka, P. Čechák, J. Kuncová, M. Haluzík., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
Ve střední Evropě (Česko, Maďarsko a Polsko) jsme zaznamenali 9 případů zajímavé adopce mláďat káně lesní (Buteo buteo) v hnízdech orlů mořských (Haliaeetus albicilla). Adoptovaná mláďata byla v dobré kondici, dospělí orli mořští se o ně starali a mláďata byla nakonec úspěšně vyvedena., Nine interesting cases of young Common Buzzards (Buteo buteo) adopted in nests of White-tailed Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) in central Europe (Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary) are reviewed. The B. buteo nestlings adopted were in good condition, the adult H. albicilla fed and cared for them properly, and the young birds successfully fledged., and Ivan Literák, Jakub Mráz.
1_The adult demographic parameters, mobility, nectar choice and how the spatial distribution of males and females of Z. polyxena is affected by the distribution and abundance of host-plants, and adults of the opposite sex was studied in a population of this species inhabiting a dense network of permanent habitats (totalling 8.7 ha). The population size was estimated to be ca. 300 individuals. The average adult lifespan was 4.4 days and the maximum 23 (male) and 20 (female) days. The capture probability was higher for males than females due to the more conspicuous behaviour and bounded area of activity of males. A slow increase was followed by a slow decrease in the sex specific parabolic recruitment curve, indicating slight protandry and long emergence period, probably due to habitat heterogeneity. The spatial distribution of host plants (Aristolochia lutea) is the key factor determining the spatial distribution of adults. There was a strong positive correlation between male and female density at each patch, both of which were dependent on the cover of host plants growing in sunny conditions. In searching for A. lutea plants suitable for oviposition, females fly greater distances and move more frequently between patches than males. The size, shape and orientation of the male home range were influenced by the size, shape and orientation of stands of host-plants in sunny positions, but not by patch area. Such adult fidelity to stands of host-plants in sunny positions indicates that the spatial distributions of oviposition sites, mate-locating sites and larval habitats of Z. polyxena overlap. The better statistical fit and much lower probabilities for long-distance movements generated by a negative exponential function than an inverse power function are probably due to the small size and high habitat connectivity of the site studied. Adults were opportunistic in their use of nectar plants., 2_Traditional management is the key factor for maintaining permanent habitats for this species in a grassland biotope., Tatjana Čelik., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The central-marginal model is widely accepted in chromosomally polymorphic species of Drosophila. In fact, geographically and ecologically central populations of Drosophila show higher levels of polymorphism for paracentric inversions, whereas marginal populations tend to be monomorphic. This fact has been variously explained. Chromosomal polymorphisms in grasshoppers have also been attributed to show such geographical structuring, as in the case of the South-American grasshopper Dichroplus pratensis Bruner (Orthoptera: Acrididae). However, in three other cases involving Acrididae – Leptysma argentina Bruner, Trimerotropis pallidipennis (Burmeister) and Cornops aquaticum (Bruner), it is clear that chromosomal polymorphisms (sometimes with a wide extension over the Argentine area) do not conform to this pattern, and show instead clear correlations with environmental variables, especially minimum temperature, showing low or null frequencies of the rearrangements at one extreme of the environmental gradient and with high or fixed frequencies at the other. Furthermore, this correlation with temperature might also be true in the case of D. pratensis. These aforementioned examples emphasise the dangers of over-generalization when discussing chromosomal polymorphisms, and suggests that such polymorphisms should be considered very much in a case-specific manner in terms of the particular genetic system under study., Pablo C. Colombo., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Článek podrobně popisuje autorovo neobvyklé setkání s kojoty (Canis latrans) v roce 2010 v kostarickém národním parku Braulio Carillio v části Sector Volcán Barva. Pořízené dokumentační fotografie umožnily analyzovat agresivní chování kojotů vůči člověku a jeho etologickou interpretaci na základě znalostí etologie psovitých šelem., In August 2010, the author visited Braulio Carrillo National Park in Costa Rica and approached three coyotes (Canis latrans). The article describes their attack, probably due to maternal aggression combined with fear-induced and territorial aggressions., and Ivan Literák.
Agrolesnické systémy v tropických oblastech nabízejí možnost, jak zajistit trvale udržitelnou produkci na obdělávaných pozemcích, a často představují jediný zalesněný ekosystém v okolní odlesněné krajině. Tento článek se věnuje problematice agrolesnictví v tropech se zaměřením na kávové plantáže pěstované v Peru., Agroforestry systems present a way to keep sustainable production in cultivated areas, especially in the tropical zone. At the same time it is often the only forested ecosystem in otherwise deforested landscape. This article is about agroforestry in tropical areas, with the focus on coffee (Coffea) plantations in Peru., and Lenka Ehrenbergerová.
Ground-dwelling sciurids, including prairie dogs (Cynomys), marmots (Marmota) and several genera of ground squirrels (e.g. Ammospermophilus, Spermophilus, Notocitellus, Ictidomys, Urocitellus), emit alarm calls in the presence of predators to warn their kin. These calls show high intra- and inter-species variation. The alarm calls of many species have potential to encode information about caller identity, and possibly enable the ground squirrels to recognize unreliable callers or to estimate the degree of risk. The alarm calls can be used to determine species or subspecies, and can also help resolve some taxonomic complexities. and Irena Schneiderová.
The article summarises results of our research on inter- and intra-species variability in alarm calls (emitted in the presence of predator) of the European Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus citellus) and closely related species (Taurus Ground Squirrel - S. taurensis, Anatolian Ground Squirrel - S. xanthoprymnus). Alarm calls of all three species mostly consist of two different elements; individuals producing alarm calls with only one of them were, however, also recorded. Although their alarm calls share the same basic structure, the three species can be clearly distinguished. Significant inter-individual differences allow identification of particular callers in a colony. and Irena Schneiderová, Richard Policht.
Alkali stress is an important agricultural problem that affects plant metabolism, specifically root physiology. In this study, using two rice cultivars differing in alkali resistance, we investigated the physiological and molecular responses of rice plants to alkali stress. Compared to the alkali-sensitive cultivar (SC), the alkali-tolerant cultivar (TC) maintained higher photosynthesis and root system activity under alkali stress. Correspondingly, the Na+ content in its shoots was much lower, and the contents of mineral ions (e.g., K+, NO3-, and H2PO4-) in its roots was higher than those of the SC. These data showed that the metabolic regulation of roots might play a central role in rice alkali tolerance. Gene expression differences between the cultivars were much greater in roots than in shoots. In roots, 46.5% (20 of 43) of selected genes indicated over fivefold expression differences between cultivars under alkali stress. The TC had higher root system activity that might protect shoots from Na+ injury and maintain normal metabolic processes. During adaptation of TC to alkali stress, OsSOS1 (salt overly sensitive protein 1) may mediate Na+ exclusion from shoots or roots. Under alkali stress, SC could accumulate Na+ up to toxic concentrations due to relatively low expression of OsSOS1 in shoots. It possibly harmed chloroplasts and influenced photorespiration processes, thus reducing NH4+ production from photorespiration. Under alkali stress, TC was able to maintain normal nitrogen metabolism, which might be important for resisting alkali stress., H. Wang, X. Lin, S. Cao, Z. Wu., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Cytochrome P450s (P450s) involved in insecticide resistance reduce the efficacy of insecticide-based vector control by rendering vector control ineffective. They are recorded in many species of vectors and have various constitutive and insecticide induction profiles. In this study, the isolation and prediction of the structure of a P450 from a strain of Aedes aegypti originating from Malaysia is reported. Quantitative mRNA expression of this gene and a previously reported P450, CYP4H28v2, in the developmental stages of the mosquito after exposure to sub-lethal concentrations of insecticides is also reported. The isolated P450, CYP4H31v2, is an allelic variant of CYP4H31 and contains several conserved motifs of P450s. The secondary structure of the protein is mostly made up of alpha helices and random coils. The tertiary structure was generated using homology modeling and was of good quality based on structure validation using protein structure assessment tools. CYP4H28v2 and CYP4H31v2 were differentially expressed in the developmental stages of the vector, with a significantly increased expression in adult males. The genes were significantly over-expressed in larvae exposed to deltamethrin and permethrin for 6 h. In the DDT-treated larvae, only CYP4H31v2 was significantly over-expressed after a 6 h exposure. Under-expression of the genes was predominant in larvae treated with the organophosphates malathion and temephos. Though the functions of these P450s are unknown, their response to induction by exposure to insecticides indicates the likely involvement of these genes in insecticide tolerance. and Fatma M. A. El-Garj, Mustafa F.F. Wajidi, Silas W. Avicor.
One of the best documented effects of climate change on biodiversity are shifts in phenology. However, long-term data quantifying and projecting the expected changes in phenology associated with climate warming are limited to a few well-recorded areas in the world. In the absence of temporal recording, an alternative approach is to determine the phenological response of species along marked gradients in climate or along latitudinal or altitudinal transects (space-for-time substitution). We studied the phenology (timing and duration of the flight period) of butterflies in 2006 along an altitudinal gradient (900-1680 m; estimated temperature lapse rate = -6.6°C/km) in the Serranía de Cuenca (central Spain) at the assemblage and individual species levels. Timing of the flight period was later for assemblages at high than at low altitudes. A similar trend of an increasing delay in the flight period with altitude was recorded for some individual species. However, there were also some exceptions to this pattern regardless of the number of sites and the altitudinal ranges of the species, suggesting possible local adaptation to regional climate. The duration of the flight period was shorter at high altitudes for assemblages, but this trend was not mirrored in the response of individual species. The results partly support substituting space-for-time when assessing the potential effect of climate change on phenophases such as the timing of the flight period, but we recommend extreme caution in extrapolating the results in the absence of information on how the responses of populations differ. and Juan Ignacio De Arce Crespo, David Gutiérrez.
Ground concentration of ozone (O3) causes serious threat to plants. In order to protect sensitive plants from O3 pollution, many kinds of antioxidants were assessed in previous studies. In this study, effects of O3 fumigation (a single spike of 120 ± 20 nmol mol-1 for four hours) on an ornamental species (Coleus blumei) was examined in open-top chambers. Before the O3 treatment, plants were sprayed respectively either with a solution of three different antioxidants [Na-ascorbate (NaAsA), kinetin (KIN), and spermidine (Spd)] or with distilled water to compare their protective effects to plants. Our results revealed that O3 fumigation impaired the plasma membrane, decreased chlorophyll (Chl) content, inhibited photosynthesis, induced photoinhibition and photodamage, and caused visible injury. Spraying with KIN, NaAsA or Spd ameliorated the decrease of the Chl content and photosynthetic capability, the impairment of membrane, and visible injury under O3 fumigation. The plants treated with KIN showed the best ability to mitigate the injury caused by O3., L. Zhang, L. L. Jia, J. X. Sui, M. X. Wen, Y. J. Chen., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Salicylic acid (SA) and polyamines (PA) are widely used to overcome various abiotic stresses including salt (NaCl) stress in plants. In the present investigation, co-application efficacies of SA and PA on the salt stress (200 mM NaCl) were evaluated in Lycopersicon esculentum. After transplantation, at 10-d stage, seedlings were exposed to NaCl through soil and then allowed to grow till 30-d stage. At 31-d stage of growth, plants were sprayed with double distilled water (control) or spermidine (1.0 mM) and/or SA (10-5 M). The salt stress significantly reduced the growth, gas-exchange parameters, but increased antioxidant enzymes and proline content in the leaves. Moreover, the loss caused by salt stress was successfully restored by the following treatment of spermidine and SA., Q. Fariduddin, T. A. Khan, M. Yusuf, S. T. Aafaqee, R. R. A. E. Khalil., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Forticulcita platana sp. n. and Forticulcita apiensis sp. n. are described from Mugil liza Valenciennes in Argentina, and from Mugil cephalus Linnaeus in Salt Springs, Florida, USA, respectively. Supplemental material relating to the hermaphroditic sac of Forticulcita gibsoni Blasco-Costa, Montero, Balbuena, Raga et Kostadinova, 2009 is provided from a specimen isolated from M. cephalus off Crete, Greece.Forticulcita platana can be distinguished from all species of Forticulcita Overstreet, 1982 except F. gibsoni, based on possessing small pads or gland cells along the hermaphroditic duct. It can be differentiated from that species in possessing a hermaphroditic sac that is one and a half to two times longer than wide rather than one that is approximately three times longer than wide, longer eggs (44-52μm rather than 34-44 μm long) and a shorter post-testicular space (<45% of the body length). Forticulcita apiensis can be differentiated from the other species of Forticulcita in possessing a testis that is shorter than or equal to the pharynx rather than one that is longer than the pharynx. Xiha gen. n. is erected for Dicrogaster fastigatus Thatcher et Sparks, 1958 as Xiha fastigata (Thatcher et Sparks,1958) comb. n., and we tentatively consider Dicrogaster fragilis Fernández Bargiela, 1987 to be Xiha fragilis (Fernández Bargiela, 1987) comb.n. The new genus fits within the concept of Forticulcitinae Blasco-Costa, Balbuena, Kostadinova et Olson, 2009 in having a vitellarium comprised of a single elongate to subspherical mass. Xiha can be differentiated from Forticulcita in having spines lining the hermaphroditic duct, or intromittent organ. A Bayesian inference analysis of partial 28S rDNA sequences of the two New World species of Forticulcita, Xiha fastigata and previously published haploporids places Xiha fastigata within the Forticulcitinae and sister to Forticulcita. Amended diagnos for the subfamily and for Dicrogaster Looss, 1902 are provided., Michael J. Andres, Stephen S. Curran, Thomas J. Fayton, Eric E. Pulis, Robin M. Overstreet., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Three adult nematode specimens, all ovigerous females belonging to the family Cystidicolidae Skryabin, 1946, were found for the first time in the subcutaneous tissue around the eye of the captive porcupinefish Diodon nichthemerus Cuvier at a public aquarium in Osaka, Japan. Because no male was available, these could not be identified to the genus and species. This case highlights the risk of parasitism in aquaculture puffer fish, as these may ingest small shrimp, which probably act as intermediate hosts for the nematode., Kozue Sasaki, Yoshimi Miyagawa, Itsuki Kiyatake, Kiyoko Onda, Takaomi Ito, Mitsuhiko Asakawa., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Classical biological control is an important means of managing the increasing threat of invasive plants. It constitutes the introduction of natural enemies from the native range of the target plant into the invaded area. This method may be the only cost-effective solution to control the rapidly expanding common ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia, in non-crop habitats in Europe. Therefore, candidate biocontrol agents urgently need to be assessed for their suitability for ragweed control in Europe. A previous literature review prioritized the host-specific leaf beetle Ophraella slobodkini as a candidate agent for ragweed control in Europe, whereas it rejected its oligophagous congener O. communa. Meanwhile, O. communa was accidentally introduced and became established south of the European Alps, and we show here that it is expanding its European range. We then present a short version of the traditional pre-release risk-benefit assessment for these two candidate agents to facilitate fast decision-making about further research efforts. We selected two complementary tests that can be conducted relatively rapidly and inform about essential risks and benefits. We conducted a comparative no-choice juvenile performance assay using leaves of ragweed and sunflower, the most important non-target plant, in Petri dishes in climatic conditions similar to that in the current European range of O. communa. This informs on the fundamental host range and potential for increasing abundance on these host plants. The results confirm that O. slobodkini does not survive on, and is hence unlikely to cause severe damage to sunflower, while O. communa can survive but develops more slowly on sunflower than on ragweed. In parallel, our species distribution models predict no suitable area for the establishment of O. slobodkini in Europe, while O. communa is likely to expand its current range to include a maximum of 18% of the European ragweed distribution. Based on this early assessment, the prioritization and further assessment of O. slobodkini seem unwarranted whereas the results urgently advocate further risk-benefit analysis of O. communa. Having revealed that most of the European area colonized by ragweed is unlikely to be suitable for these species of Ophraella we suggest the use of such relatively short and cheap preliminary assessment to prioritise other candidate agents or strains for these areas., Suzanne T. E. Lommen, Emilien F. Jolidon, Yan Sun, José I. Bustamante Eduardo, Heinz Müller-Schärer., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Problems with parasitic infections and their interspecies transmissions are common in zoological gardens and could pose serious health damage to captive animals. This study presents results of eight-year monitoring of intestinal parasites in animals from Zoo Ljubljana, Slovenia. A total of 741 faecal samples from 40 animal species were collected two to four times per year and examined microscopically. Intestinal parasites were detected in 45% of samples, with detection of helminths (Cestoda, Nematoda - Ascaridida, Enoplida, Strongylida, Oxyurida, Rhabditida and Trichurida) and protists (Apicomplexa and Ciliophora) in 25% and 13% of samples, respectively; mixed infection was found in 7% of samples. The mostly infected were ungulates (61%), followed by reptiles (44%), ratites (29%), primates (22%) and carnivores (7%). During the observation period, the number of infected animal species increased from 8 to 25. This is the first long-term monitoring study of intestinal parasites in zoo animals from Slovenia. Routine monitoring of parasitic infection and regular deworming and hygienic measures are necessary to prevent gastrointestinal infections in captive animals., Pavel Kvapil, Marjan Kastelic, Alenka Dovč, Eva Bártová, Petr Čížek, Natacha Lima, Špela Štrus., and Obsahuje bibliografii