Quantitative community-wide moth surveys frequently employ flight-interception traps equipped with UV-light emitting sources as attractants. It has long been known that moth species differ in their responsiveness to light traps. We studied how the settling behaviour of moths at a light trap may further contribute to sampling bias. We observed the behaviour of 1426 moths at a light tower. Moths were classified as either, settling and remaining still after arrival, or continually moving on the gauze for extended periods of time. Moths that did not move after settling may not end up in the sampling container of the light trap and therefore are under-represented in automated trap samples relative to their true proportions in the community. Our analyses revealed highly significant behavioural differences between moths that differed in body size. Small moths were more likely to remain stationary after settling. As a corollary, representatives of three taxa, which in Europe are predominantly small species (Nolidae, Geometridae: Eupitheciini, Erebidae: Lithosiini), usually settled down immediately, whereas most other moths remained active on or flying around the trap for some time. Moth behaviour was also modulated by ambient temperature. At high temperatures, they were less likely to settle down immediately, but this behavioural difference was most strongly apparent among medium-sized moths. These results indicate the likely extent of the sampling bias when analysing and interpreting automated light-trap samples. Furthermore, to control for temperature modulated sampling bias temperature should always be recorded when sampling moths using flight-interception traps. and Mirko Wölfling, Mira C. Becker, Britta Uhl, Anja Traub, Konrad Fiedler.
Lathyrus pisiformis (Pisiform Grass Pea) has to be counted among the most endangered species in the Czech Republic, with only two recent localities in the central part of Bohemia. In the past, the species was found at one other site – in the pheasantry near Budeničky (north of the town of Slaný), but this population is now extinct. and Michal Štefánek.
In plants, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) acts as a signalling molecule that facilitates various biochemical and physiological processes. H2O2 is a versatile molecule, involved in several cellular processes both under stress and stress-free conditions. In regulating plant metabolism under stress conditions, exogenous application of H2O2 also plays a pivotal role which is manifested in improved growth, photosynthetic capacity, and antioxidant protection. Abiotic stress is an inevitable environmental factor that extensively affects and reduces growth, quality, yield, and productivity of plants. Several signalling pathways involved in H2O2-mediated stress and defense responses have been extensively studied and there is ample scope of additional research that could further clarify the mechanism and modulating factors which regulate these pathways. An attempt has been made to dissect the role of H2O2 under low temperature stress and how it affects plant growth and development, photosynthetic capacity, regulation of antioxidant system, and signalling., T. A. Khan, M. Yusuf, Q. Fariduddin., and Obsahuje bibliografii
by O. Nordgaard. The protist plankton and the diatoms in bottom samples / by E. Jørgensen., KČSN - signatura S-E 128, Poškozené desky., and Desky skenovány z jiné signatury. S-E 128
Previous studies revealed altered levels of the circulating insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and of its binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) in subjects with coronary atherosclerosis, metabolic syndrome and premature atherosclerosis. Hyperlipidemia is a powerful risk factor of atherosclerosis. We expected IGF-I and IGFBP-3 alterations in subjects with moderate/severe hyperlipidemia but without any clinical manifestation of atherosclerosis. Total IGF-I and IGFBP-3 were assessed in 56 patients with mixed hyperlipidemia (MHL; cholesterol>6.0 mmol/l, triglycerides>2.0 mmol/l), in 33 patients with isolated hypercholesterolemia (IHC; cholesterol>6.0 mmol/l, triglycerides<2.0 mmol/l), and in 29 healthy controls (cholesterol<6.0 mmol/l, triglycerides<2.0 mmol/l). The molar ratio of IGF-I/IGFBP-3 was used as a measure of free IGF-I. IHC subjects differed from controls by lower total IGF-I (164±60 vs. 209±73 ng/ml, p=0.01) and IGF-I/IGFBP-3 ratio (0.14±0.05 vs. 0.17±0.04, p=0.04). Compared to controls, MHL subjects had lower total IGF-I (153±54 ng/ml, p=0.0002) and IGFBP-3 (2.8±0.6 mg/ml, p<0.0001), but higher IGF-I/IGFBP-3 ratio (0.25±0.06, p<0.0001). Differences remained significant after the adjustment for clinical and biochemical covariates, except for triglycerides. Patients with both IHC and MHL have lower total IGF-I compared to controls. The mechanism is presumably different in IHC and MHL. Because of prominent reduction of IGFBP-3 in patients with MHL, they have reduced total IGF-I despite the actual elevation IGF-I/IGFBP-3 ratio as a surrogate of free IGF-I., J. Malík, T. Štulc, D. Wichterle, V. Melenovský, E. Chytilová, Z. Lacinová, J. Marek, R. Češka., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
Analogickým studiím z Tichomoří a Mexika se podařilo experimentálně prokázat, že i lesní plži čeledi Clausiliidae - Cochlodina laminata a Alinda biplicata s rozměry těla cca 20 mm mohou projít živí zažívacím traktem středně velkých ptáků. Zajímavým poznatkem je, že ačkoli přežila pouze 2 % všech plžů, tak pokud nedošlo k poškození jejich schránky, přežilo plných 62 % jedinců nalezených v trusu., Analogously to the studies of the Pacific area and Mexico, we were able to prove experimentally that the forest snails from family Clausiliidae - Cochlodina laminata and Alinda biplicata with a body size of approximately 20 mm can pass through the digestive tract of a medium-sized bird. There is an interesting finding that although only 2% of gastropods survived at all, 62% of those with intact (undamaged) shells survived., and Jasna Simonová.
Článek přináší informace o vývoji a současném stavu ichtyofauny ve vodách pražské aglomerace. Celkem zde bylo zaznamenáno přes 50 druhů mihulí a ryb. Skladba zdejší fauny byla a je ovlivňována příslušností k labskému říčnímu systému (výskyt anadromních druhů) a rybářským obhospodařováním (vysazování násad, obhospodařování rybníků a sportovní rybolov). Z hlediska skladby ichtyofauny 8 druhů vymizelo, 15 druhů náleží mezi nepůvodní labské faunistické prvky, které se zde vyskytují přičiněním člověka. Do pražských vod je vysazováno rybáři cca 25 druhů a nejvíce jsou sportovními rybáři loveni kapr obecný, cejn velký, okoun říční, karas stříbřitý, štika obecná a candát obecný. Celkem 37 druhů je klasifikováno v různých kategoriích Červeného seznamu, pět druhů je chráněno zákonem., The development and present state of the ichtyofauna in flowing and stagnant waters in Prague are presented. In total, over 50 species of lampreys and fishes were found in the waters of the Prague conurbation. The ichtyofauna diversity in Prague waters is influenced by the location of the Elbe River system and angling activities (angling and fisheries stocking). In total, 8 species can be classified as extinct, and 15 species are nonnative. The following species are most frequently angled: Cyprinus carpio, Abramis brama, Perca fluviatilis, Carassius gibelio, Esox lucius and Sander lucioperca. Two fishes are classified as invasive aliens, namely Carassius gibelio and Pseudorasbora parva. Generally, about 25 fish species are stocked - the majority of them comes from artificial breeding. In total, 37 native species are classified into various categories of the Red List of Czech ichtyofauna and 8 species are protected by the law., and Lubomír Hanel, Jiří Vostradovský.
The sex determination cascades in insects are diversified at the top of the cascade, where different primary molecular signals are employed, while at the bottom of the cascades, particularly the doublesex genes, are highly conserved. Here, we identified the doublesex ortholog (Btau-dsx) of Bactrocera tau, a pumpkin fruit fly, and found that Btau-dsx is composed of six exons and five introns with an additional short "m" exon located in the second intron. Btau-dsx is different from its orthologs in most dipteran insects: Its pre-mRNA is sex-specifically spliced to yield three (two male and one female) instead of two transcript variants. The two deduced proteins produced by the male-specific transcripts are a functional (Btau-DSXM1) and a truncated (Btau-DSXM2) protein, while the female-specific transcript produces the functional Btau-DSXF protein. These three proteins contain all conserved domains except Btau-DSXM2 which has no OD2 domain. The female-specific transcript is detected in both fertilized and unfertilized eggs and in both somatic and germ cells of the adult females, while the male-specific transcript is detected only in fertilized eggs and in the abdominal tissues and testes of adult males. The presence of the Btau-dsxM1 transcript in fertilized eggs at the early syncytium stage suggests that in XY embryos, the Y-linked M factor gene may function quite soon after fertilization to alter the splicing pattern of Btau-dsx pre-mRNA from the female-specific to the male-specific mode. Injection of Btau-dsxF dsRNA into recently emerging females can reduce the expression of vitellogenin (Btau-Vg) and causes some defects in the ovaries, indicating that Btau-dsxF works upstream of Btau-Vg., Thanaset Thongsaiklaing, Hataichanok Passara, Mingkwan Nipitwathanaphon, Lertluk Ngersiri., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Macrocentrus cingulum is an important polyembryonic endoparasitic wasp that attacks larvae of the Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée) and the European corn borer, O. nubilalis (Hübner). Parasitoids use antennae as the main sensory organ to recognize herbivore-induced plant volatiles as host searching cues. The antennal olfaction proteins, odorant receptors (ORs) and ionotropic receptors (IRs) are involved in olfactory signal transduction pathway as a sensory neuron response. In the present study, we constructed a cDNA library from the male and female antennae for identifying the olfaction-related genes in M. cingulum. For that, we sequenced 3160 unique gene sequences and annotated them with gene ontology (GO), cluster of orthologous groups of proteins (COG), and KEGG ontology (KO). Through the homology search, we identified 9 odorant receptors (ORs), 3 ionotropic receptors (IRs) and 1 odorant binding protein (OBP) genes from the cDNA library sequences. Additionally, the expression patterns of these ORs and IRs in different tissues (antennae, heads, thoraxes, abdomens, and legs) were demonstrated by RT-PCR. The qualitative gene expression analyses showed that most of the OR genes were more highly expressed in female than male antennae; whereas IRs, unlike ORs, were more expressed in various male than females tissues. We are the first to report ORs and IRs in M. cingulum, which should help in deciphering the molecular basis of olfaction system in this wasp., Tofael Ahmed, Tian-Tao Zhang, Zhen-Ying Wang, Kang-Lai He, Shu-Xiong Bai., and Obsahuje bibliografii