Entomopathogenic nematodes from families Steinernematidae and Heterorhabdi - tidae and the molluscoparasitic nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita are enigmatic soil creatures. These lethal pathogens of invertebrates can also be used as effective and safe biocontrol agents. In this article, we review the biology, ecology and distribution of these organisms and we de - pict their current use in biological control. and Jiří Nermuť, Vladimír Půža, Zdeněk Mráček.
Ernst Schäfer (1910-1992) byl německý zoolog, sběratel přírodnin a cestovatel známý zejména díky třem průkopnickým výpravám do Tibetu, území, kam se přírodovědci prakticky nedostali až do druhé poloviny 20. století. Třetí expedice z let 1938-39 je poněkud kontroverzní, neboť se stala součástí nacistické propagandy a její cíle nebyly čistě jen vědecké., Ernst Schäfer (1910–92) was a German zoologist, collector and explorer who is primarily known for his three pioneering expeditions to Tibet, which was virtually closed to science well into the second half of the 20th century. The third expedition, in 1938–39, was rather controversial as it became a part of Nazi propaganda and its goals were not purely scientific., and Jan Robovský, Jiří Hrubý.
Czech White-Nose Syndrome Team together with international collaborators discovered mechanisms of tolerance that protect Palearctic bats from white-nose syndrome (WNS), the disease that caused mass die-off in North America. The discovery raises hope for a better future of bats in North American ecosystems. White-nose syndrome (WNS) is caused by a generalist pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans with the worst possible characteristics of an infectious fungal agent. The generalist nature of the WNS fungus means that it can infect any bat hibernating in a contaminated cave or mine and, moreover, it may remain viable and virulent, waiting for its hosts until the next hibernation period. Harmless to humans, the WNS fungus kills hibernating North American bats in winter. However, loss of voracious insectivorous bats from agricultural ecosystems may result in economic costs required for increased pest control. Without mass die-offs of bats harbouring the WNS agent in Europe, the response to disease is an enigma. To study the survival crossroads, the Czech WNS Team focused on the relationship between pathogen quantity and disease under natural conditions. High disease prevalence together with high fungal loads in absence of bat population declines in Eurasia indicates disease tolerance mechanisms, where hosts limit harm inflicted by the pathogen but do not hinder its growth. The tolerance mechanisms revealed by the Czech WNS Team is a function of bat adaptation to the presence of the pathogen. and Natália Martínková.
Epigenetická regulace aktivity genů může významnou měrou ovlivňovat fenotypovou variabilitu organismů. Vzhledem k tomu, že některá indukovaná epigenetická variabilita může být děděna po mnoho generací, je možné, že epigenetická variabilita ovlivňuje jak ekologii, tak i evoluční trajektorie organismů. V článku popisuji některé poslední poznatky úlohy epigenetické variability v ekologii a evoluci rostlin., Phenotypic variation can be driven by epigenetic regulation of genes' activity. It is possible that induced epigenetic variation can alter the ecology and evolutionary trajectories of organisms because some induced epigenetic variation can be faithfully heritable among several generations. In the article, I discuss some recent information about the role of epigenetic variation in the ecology and evolution of plants., and Vít Latzel.