Analyzovali jsme stanoviště a rozšíření houby šupinovky Henningsovy (Pholiota henningsii) v Evropě, kde je známa z Holandska, Akvitánie, Pařížské pánve, Massiv Central, úpatí Pyrenejí a Alp ve Francii a Švýcarsku, třetihorních pánví v Rakousku a jižních Čechách, z Mazurských jezer v Polsku, ostrova Sjaelland v Dánsku a ostrovů poblíž Stockholmu ve Švédsku. Všude je velmi vzácná a v mnoha zemích je zařazena na červených seznamech ohrožených druhů hub. Roste na slatinách, přechodových rašeliništích i vrchovištích, jak živinami bohatých, tak chudých. Váže se na lokality a oblasti s dlouhodobou (tisíciletou) historií otevřených rašelinišť ležících v blízkosti vodních nádrží. V ČR byly tři historické lokality doplněny v roce 2012 o dvě nové. Dlouhodobá mozaika lesa a bezlesí se zdá být hlavní podmínkou pro přežívání tohoto druhu reliktních stanovišť., The occurrence of the rare fungus Pholiota henningsii has been analysed in Europe. It is known from the Netherlands, the Parisian and Aquitanian basins, the Massif Central, and the foothils of the Pyrenées and Alps in France, Switzerland and Austrian Terciary basins, with numerous mires, in southern Bohemia, the Mazury lakes in Poland, Sjaelland island in Denmark and the island region near Stockholm in Sweden. In many countries it is included in Red Lists of endangered species. The fungus occurs in spring fens, transitional mires and raised bogs, both nutrient rich and oligotrophic. It is confined to localities with long term (i.e. millennia-long) mire non-forest continuity, in the vicinity of open water bodies up to the present. In the Czech Republic three historical sites were completed by two new localities in 2012. A temperate and forest - treeless mire mosaic seems to be the conditional factor for the long-term persistence of this relict species., and Jan Holec, Tomáš Kučera.
The Southern birch mouse, Sicista subtilis (Pallas, 1773), is one of the rarest and least known small mammal species in Europe. At present, the occurrence of its subspecies, the S. subtilis trizona (Frivaldszky, 1865), is confined to Hungary. The last living individual of this rare subspecies was caught in 1926. Prior to 2006, individuals were detected only from owl-pellets, but at fewer and fewer localities. After an 80 year hiatus in the records, the first living specimen was trapped on 21st June, 2006 in the Borsodi Mezőség (NE Hungary), at a location well known from previous skeletal records. In the same year, another 42 specimens were trapped. Recapture occurred only three times. The last three specimens were captured on 22nd September in 2006. So far S. subtilis trizona has occurred mainly in weed vegetation Carduetum acanthoidis and in its edge. These patches mostly border on abandoned plough-land vegetation (Convolvulo–Agropyretum repentis) dominated by annual grasses. The majority of the habitat had been ploughed a short time earlier (approx. 10–15 years), and barns and other farm-buildings occupying smaller part of it.
The bush-cricket Saga pedo, one of the largest predatory insects, has a scattered distribution across 20 countries in Europe. At the northern boundary of its distribution, this species is most commonly found in Slovakia and Hungary. In Slovakia in 2003-2006, 36 known and potentially favourable localities were visited and at seven this species was recorded for the first time. This species has been found in Slovakia in xerothermic forest steppes and limestone grikes (98% of localities) and on slopes (10-45°) with south-westerly or westerly aspects (90%) at altitudes of 220-585 m a.s.l. (mean 433 m, n = 20 localities). Most individuals (66%) were found in grass-herb layers 10-30 cm high and almost 87% within 10 m of a forest edge (oak, beech and hornbeam being prevalent). The maximum density was 12 nymphs (3rd-5th instar) / 1000 m2 (July 4, 510 m a.s.l.). In a comparison of five present and previous S. pedo localities, 43 species of Orthoptera were found in the present and 37 in previous localities. The mean numbers and relative abundance of species in present S. pedo localities were also significantly higher. S. pedo individuals at the northern boundary of their distribution were expected to be smaller and lighter because of suboptimal ecological conditions there. However, the body size of S. pedo individuals from these areas were similar to the average value for the whole area. Based on analyses of present and former localities and the Orthopteran assemblages around S. pedo, the factors endangering this species, and methods for conserving it and its habitat are discussed.
Four lamprey species and 55 fish species are considered autochthonous taxa in the Czech Republic. In recent years, as a result of spontaneous migrations, the native ichthyofauna has been increased by three species Sander volgensis, Gymnocephalus baloni, Proterorhinus marmoratus) which, in view of their autochthonous occurrence in the Central European region, are evaluated as native. At present, according to the criteria of the IUCN (2001) version 3.1, two lamprey species and 6 fish species are evaluated as “regionally extinct”. Most of these taxons are denoted as anadromous. One species has been classified in the category “Extinct in the wild”. Two lamprey species and 25 fish species are considered to be endangered to various extent: one lamprey species and 10 fish species are classified as “Critically endangered”; one lamprey species and 5 fish species as “Endangered”; ten fish species as “Vulnerable”. In the course of the past two centuries, attempts have been made at introducing about 30 fish species (see Lusk et al. 1998, Hanel 2003); of these, the introduction of 11 species can be evaluated as successful. Only four non-native species have established stable and naturally reproducing populations in natural conditions (Pseudorasbora parva, Carassius auratus, Ameiurus nebulosus, Gasterosteus aculeatus).
Host-ant specificity of Maculinea alcon, an endangered obligatory myrmecophilous lycaenid butterfly, was studied at two sites in southern Poland (Świętokrzyskie Mts near Kielce). M. alcon larvae and pupae were found in nests of both Myrmica vandeli and M. scabrinodis, which is the typical host in Poland and Southern Europe. To our knowledge this is the first record of M. vandeli as a host of M. alcon. Our results show that M. scabrinodis and M. vandeli are about equally suitable as hosts. We hypothesize that both host ant species are closely related and have similar chemical profiles, and that the M. alcon "scabrinodis-vandeli" populations we studied belong to the M. alcon "scabrinodis" race. More than half of the M. alcon pupae, both from M. vandeli and M. scabrinodis nests, were parasitized by a single wasp species of the genus Ichneumon, which also suggests that the cuticular chemistry of the two ant species is similar.
Na hustě osídleném ostrově Srí Lanka se zachovalo necelých 5 % primárních deštných lesů. Část z nich je chráněna v biosférické rezervaci Sinharaja na jihozápadě země. Vysoký stupeň endemismu je typický pro flóru i faunu rezervace. Různorodé rostlinné formace, které se plynule mění od nížin až po submontánní stupeň, představují refugium pro mnohé vzácné a ohrožené druhy živočichů - více než 50 % z nich je endemických. Protože o toto chráněné území projevuje zájem stále větší počet turistů, lze předpokládat, že nebude v budoucnu ohroženo exploatací a bude i nadále spravováno podle nejnovějších poznatků ekologů. I proto je pro návštěvníky zpřístupněna jen nepatrná část rezervace., Only 5 % of primary rainforests have been preserved on the densely populated island of Sri Lanka. Some rainforests are preserved within the biosphere reserve Sinharaja in the southwest of the country, with a high degree of flora and fauna endemism. Various plant formations, changing from lowlands up to the submontaneous level, provide a refuge for rare and endangered species of animals (more than 50 % endemic). Due to rising tourism, the area likely will not be much exploited and will be managed according to the latest ecological knowledge., and Jozef Májsky.
Nosorožci tuponosí (Ceratotherium simum) a Cottonovi (Ceratotherium cottoni) mají nejvyvinutější sociální systém ze všech druhů nosorožců, přesto toho o jejich sociálním chování a především komunikaci bylo donedávna známo jen málo. V článku jsou popisovány výsledky čtyř recentních studií, které se zabývaly sociálním chováním a vokální a olfaktorickou komunikací obou druhů v rezervacích v Jihoafrické republice i v zoologických zahradách., The Northern and Southern White Rhinos (Ceratotherium cottoni and C. simum) have the most developed social system among all the rhinoceros species. Until recently, little has been known about their communication and social behaviour. This paper presents the results of four recent studies involving research into the social behaviour and vocal and olfactory communication of these species both in the wildlife reserves in South Africa and in zoological gardens., and Ivana Cinková.
The common hamster (Cricetus cricetus L.) is supposed to be an abundant species in Eastern Europe including Ukraine. However, the current data on hamster’s occurrence in Ukraine from 1990 till nowadays show that the species became rare. The common hamster can be found in the West, North-East Ukraine and the Crimean peninsula. The species have declined in the forest-steppe zone and became extinct in most part of the steppe zone. Its actual distribution range has thus been strongly reduced. One of the possible causes of this decline is the habitat loss due to changes in agricultural management.
The existing literature, museum records, personal reports of field biologists and our own field results were compiled to assess the present distribution of the common hamster within Transylvania and the Pannonian Plain of Romania. Combining available distribution data and the existence of natural barriers we were able to designate five, possibly separate, populations: the Pannonian Plain, the Transylvanian Plateau, the Olt Valley, the Braşov Depression and the Ciuc Depression population. The Pannonian Plain and
the Transylvanian Plateau populations showed mass outbreaks in recent years. Twenty three individuals were available for the genetic analyses. The populations belonged to the Pannonia lineage, based on the sequences of 16SrRNA, cytb and ctr of mtDNA. In general we found very high diversity in mtDNA and 16 microsatellite loci. Moreover the most common ctr haplotypes for the Transylvanian Plateau were also present in the Pannonian Plain population and in populations from Hungary and Slovakia, which indicates recent or even current exchange of individuals. Summing up, recent mass outbreaks and high levels of genetic diversity, with some indication of current or very recent gene flow, showed that Romanian populations are in good state, at least compared to many other European countries. As such, these populations should be of particular interest and placed under protection, as they could serve as the reservoir of the genetic variability for the European Pannonia lineage of the common hamster.
Efficient and systematic survey methods are essential for wildlife researchers and conservationists to collect accurate ecological data that can be used to make informed conservation decisions. For endangered and elusive species, that are not easily detected by conventional methods, reliable, time- and cost-efficient methodologies become increasingly important. Across a growing spectrum of conservation research projects, survey outcomes are benefitting from scent detection dogs that assist with locating elusive species. This paper describes the training methodology used to investigate the ability of a scent detection dog to locate live riverine rabbits (Bunolagus monticularis) in their natural habitat, and to determine how species-specific the dog was towards the target scent in a controlled environment. The dog was trained using operant conditioning and a non-visual methodology, with only limited scent from roadkill specimens available. The dog achieved a 98% specificity rate towards the target scent, indicating that the dog was able to distinguish the scent of riverine rabbits from the scent of other lagomorph species. The dog has already been able to locate ten of these elusive individuals in the wild. The training method proved successful in the detection of this critically endangered species, where scent for training was only available from deceased specimens.