The mitochondrial genome of Mesomelena mesomelaena (Loew, 1848) is the first to be sequenced in the flesh fly subfamily Miltogramminae (Diptera: Sarcophagidae). The 14,559 bp mitogenome contains 37 typical metazoan mitochondrial genes: 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes and 22 transfer RNA genes, with the same locations as in the insect ground plan. All the protein-coding genes have the start codon ATN, except for cox1 (TCG). Eight protein-coding genes have the stop codon TAA, while the remaining five have the stop codon T (cox1, cox2, nad5, and nad4) or TAG (cytb). Synonymous and non-synonymous substitution rates (Ks and Ka) for each protein-coding gene indicate that these genes evolved primarily under negative (or purifying) selection (Ka < Ks). Phylogeny of Sarcophagidae is proposed based on all the sarcophagid mitogenomes in GenBank, and the subfamily topology is reconstructed as (Sarcophaginae (Paramacronychiinae, Miltogramminae))., Liping Yan, Ming Zhang, Yunyun Gao, Thomas Pape, Dong Zhang., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Nutrition is one of the most important environmental factors that influence the development and growth in Drosophila. The food composition strongly affects their reproduction, welfare and survival, so it is necessary for flies to search for a mixture of macronutrients that maximizes their fitness. We have five D. melanogaster strains, which were reared for 13 years on five different substrates: standard cornmeal-agar-sugar-yeast medium and four substrates modified by adding tomato, banana, carrot and apple. This study was aimed at determining how such long-term rearing of flies on substrates with different protein content affects fitness traits (dynamics of eclosion, developmental time and egg-to-adult survival). Further, we determined how transferring flies reared on fruit/vegetable substrates to a standard laboratory diet affected their fitness. Results indicate that strains reared on the diet with the lowest content of protein and the highest C/N ratio had the slowest eclosion and developmental time, and lowest egg-to-adult survival (apple diet). The flies reared on the diet with the highest protein content and the lowest C/N ratio had the highest survival (tomato diet). Flies reared on the carrot diet, which is quite similar in protein content and C/N ratio to the standard cornmeal diet, had the fastest development. Transferring flies to the standard cornmeal diet accelerate eclosion and developmental time, but did not affect survival., Jelena Trajković, Vukica Vujić, Dragana Miličić, Gordana Gojgić-Cvijović, Sofija Pavković-Lučić, Tatjana Savić., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Forenzní entomologie představuje oblast aplikované biologie, která propojuje přírodní vědy a právní systém. Tento obor lze rozdělit na tři hlavní oblasti: problematiku škůdců potravin a zemědělských produktů, oblast parazitů lidí a zvířat (zejména otázku myiáz) a patrně nejznámější a nejčastěji využívanou oblast stanovení doby smrti člověka, resp. post mortem intervalu (PMI). Jeho základem je přirozený proces degradace mrtvých obratlovců v přírodě, kdy během sukcese tělo postupně kolonizují mouchy, brouci a další bezobratlí. Znalost těchto procesů nám dává možnost určit dobu kolonizace, a tím i PMI s přesností na den i několik týdnů po smrti člověka. Avšak pole působnosti forenzní entomologie je natolik široké, že článek přináší pouze malé nahlédnutí do základů tohoto multidisciplinárního oboru. Proto není překvapením, že přes všechny naše dosavadní znalosti a poznatky forenzní entomologie, každý den přináší stále nové otázky a odpovědi., Forensic entomology is a field of applied biology in which natural science and the judicial system interact. It can be divided into three main areas: the issue of pests, the field of human and animal parasites, mainly a phenomenon called myiasis, and probably the best known and most frequently used area of estimating the period of time since human death or post mortem interval (PMI). It is based on the natural process of degradation of animal cadavers and human corpses when during the process of succession flies, beetles and other invertebrates subsequently colonize a corpse. Good knowledge of the processes allows us to determine the time of colonization as well as PMI within a day even several weeks after the human death. However, the scope of forensic entomology is so wide that this article provides only a small insight into the foundations of this multidisciplinary field. Therefore it is not surprising that despite all of our current knowledge forensic entomology presents new questions and answers every day., and Hana Šuláková.
Dnešní terestrické ekosystémy jsou do značné míry produktem koevoluce rostlin a hmyzu, který představuje vůbec nejpočetnější a nejrozmanitější skupinu živočichů. Počátky tohoto vzájemného působení lze vysledovat stovky milionů let do minulosti, přičemž postupně docházelo k nárůstu jeho komplexity. Nejčastějšími doklady těchto složitých vztahů jsou fosilizované listy nebo jejich otisky, vykazující často specifické i nespecifické poškození, jako jsou miny nebo hálky, stopy po ovipozici, popřípadě nejrůznější typy okusů. Kvalitativní a kvantitativní analýza těchto stop má velký význam při studiu evolučních procesů v rámci výše uvedených skupin organismů. Detekované změny v dynamice trofických vztahů mezi hmyzem a jeho rostlinnými hostiteli pomáhají zpřesnit představu o vlivu měnícího se prostředí na okolní biotu, jakož i poskytují vodítko pro stanovování průběhu klimatických změn v čase., Contemporary terrestrial ecosystems are largely a product of the coevolution of plants and insects, which are the most prevalent and diverse group of animals. The origin of these interactions can be traced hundreds of millions of years back followed by a gradual increase in their complexity. The most common evidence of these complex relationships is represented by the fossilized leaves, often having specific and non-specific damage such as the mines, galls, traces of oviposition, or various types of feeding. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of these ichnofossils are of great importance with regard to the study of the evolutionary processes occurring among these groups of organisms. The detected changes in the dynamics of trophic relationships between insects and their host plants help to clarify ideas regarding the impact on the developing environment and organisms, and provide evidence for the recognition of trends in climate changes in the past., and Stanislav Knor, Jakub Prokop.
This article focuses on military handbooks from the first half of the 17th century placed in the collections of the Military History Institute Prague. In the introduction, it summarises the history and structure of the collection of early printed books in the library under study. After that, it characterises the set of the handbooks i.a. in terms of their topic, the language and the publisher’s provenance, as well as format. Its main aim is to analyse the frontispieces and engraved title pages of these publications with regard to the iconographic motifs that are usually depicted on them. The final part of the work outlines the possibilities of using the frontispieces and engraved title pages of the studied publications as iconographic sources in historiography and it places the title illustrations of the military handbooks in a wider context., Klára Andresová., Obsahuje anglický abstrakt a shrnutí., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Conifer bark beetles are well known to be associated with fungal complexes, which consist of pathogenic ophiostomatoid fungi as well as obligate saprotroph species. However, there is little information on fungi associated with Ips acuminatus in central and eastern Europe. The aim of the study was to investigate the composition of the fungal communities associated with the pine engraver beetle, I. acuminatus, in the forest-steppe zone in Ukraine and to evaluate the pathogenicity of six associated ophiostomatoid species by inoculating three-year-old Scots pine seedlings with these fungi. In total, 384 adult beetles were collected from under the bark of declining and dead Scots pine trees at two different sites. Fungal culturing from 192 beetles resulted in 447 cultures and direct sequencing of ITS rRNA from 192 beetles in 496 high-quality sequences. Identification of the above revealed that the overall fungal community was composed of 60 species. Among these, the most common were Entomocorticium sp. (24.5%), Diplodia pinea (24.0%), Ophiostoma ips (16.7%), Sydowia polyspora (15.1%), Graphilbum cf rectangulosporium (15.1%), Ophiostoma minus (13.8%) and Cladosporium pini-ponderosae (13.0%). Pathogenicity tests were done using six species of ophiostomatoid fungi, which were inoculated into Scots pine seedlings. All ophiostomatoid fungi tested successfully infected seedlings of Scots pine with varying degrees of virulence. Ophiostoma minus was the only fungus that caused dieback in inoculated seedlings. It is concluded that I. acuminatus vectors a species-rich fungal community including pathogens such as D. pinea and O. minus. The fungal community reported in the present study is different from that reported in other regions of Europe. Pathogenicity tests showed that O. minus was the most virulent causing dieback in seedlings of Scots pine, while other fungi tested appeared to be only slightly pathogenic or completely non-pathogenic., Kateryna Davydenko, Rimvydas Vasaitis, Audrius Menkis., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Článek přináší přehled současných znalostí o fylogenezi mnohobuněčných živočichů, tak jak vycházejí ze současného fylogenomického výzkumu. Zvláštní pozornost je věnována skupinám s konfliktním postavením (Ctenophora, Xenacoelomorpha, Bryozoa) a skupinám, o jejichž postavení dosud nevíme téměř nic (Dendrogramma, Dicyemida, Orthonectida)., We present an overview of current knowledge on the phylogeny of multicellular animals, based on current phylogenomic research. This overview pays special attention to groups with uncertain positions (Ctenophora, Xenacoelomorpha, Bryozoa) and groups whose position is still largely unknown (Dendrogramma, Dicyemida, Orthonectida)., and Jan Zrzavý.