Monitoring of bushmeat markets has traditionally been seen as a source of faunistic and ecological data on mammal communities in West Africa. Nonetheless, it is largely unexplored whether datasets coming from monitoring of large “hub” markets in towns can reliably picture the mammal faunas and community compositions at the local level. Here, Swali market in Bayelsa State, Nigeria, that is one of the largest bushmeat markets in the Niger Delta, was monitored for six months in 2013-2014. Data from Swali
market were compared with those collected during regular field surveys at five protected forests situated within 15 km radius from the market. A total of 21 mammal species was recorded at Swali versus 29 in the five protected forests. The trade was more intense by wet season. There was a statistically significant linear relationship between mean weight of the sold mammal and its price. A considerable portion of species that occur at the protected forests did not occur in the market samples, including the very rare species and the small-sized species. However, the abundance in the market of the common species was positively related to their apparent field abundance in the forest reserves. Therefore, it is concluded that large-sized bushmeat markets did not depict reliably the whole faunal composition
and the community structure of mammals in West Africa, although these types of surveys are sufficient to characterize the abundance distribution of the common species at the regional scale.
In order to study a possible effect of mini-invasive heart intervention on a response of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal stress axis, we analyzed four stress markers (cortisol, cortisone, DHEA and DHEAS) in 25 sows using minimally invasive heart catheterisation as the stress factor. The marker levels were assessed in four periods of the experiment, (1) the baseline level on the day before intervention, (2) after the introduction of anesthesia, (3) after conducting tissue stimulation or ablation, and (4) after the end of the catheterisation. For statistical analyses we used the non-parametric Friedman test for four dependent samples (including all four stages of the operation) or three dependent samples (influence of operation only, baseline level was excluded). Statistically significant differences in both Friedman tests were found for cortisol and for cortisone. Significant differences for DHEA as well as for DHEAS were found for all tested stages but not for the effect of operation itself. We have concluded that cortisol levels are blunted by the influence of anesthesia after its administration, and therefore decrease back to the baseline at the end of the operation. The other markers (cortisone, DHEA and DHEAS) acted as balanced systems against the injurious stress effect., H. Skarlandtová, M. Bičíková, P. Neužil, M. Mlček, V. Hrachovina, T. Svoboda, E. Medová, J. Kudlička, A. Dohnalová, Š. Havránek, H. Kazihnítková, L. Máčová, E. Vařejková, O. Kittnar., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Action potentials (APs) and the force of isometric contractions of the right ventricular papillary muscles were measured in adult and newborn guinea-pigs. The measurements were carried out in the steady state with the rate of stimulation of 0.1, 1, and 2 Hz, and further some measurements were done in which Sr2+ was substituted for Ca2- The duration of APs of the newborn animals without pharmacological treatment was significantly shorter in comparison with that of the adults at all the used stimulation frequencies. An analogous sensitivity was found in the contractile force to increased stimulation frequency and when the steady state stimulation was discontinued by the insertion of interpolated extrasystoles in papillary muscles of adult or newborn animals. The biphasic contractions of papillary muscles were evoked in both groups of animals by the incomplete substitution of Sr2+ by Ca2+ in the presence of isoprenaline. The early component of the biphasic contractions had a faster course as compared to the late component and disappeared in the presence of caffeine in both groups of animals. Our results suggest that the heart cells of newborn guinea-pigs probably possess the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), whose function does not differ in quality from that of the adult guinea-pigs. The postnatal prolongation of APs is therefore not probably the result of postnatal development changes of the functions of SR, but could be related to changes in the relations between the surface and volume of the heart cell during its growth.
Two hundred and ninety-nine specimens of Atherina boyeri, collected from five Mediterranean sites (three from the open sea (Chioggia, Catania and Gaeta) and two from river mouths (the Birgi and S. Bartolomeo rivers) were analyzed in order to confirm previous genetic studies. Eigtheen loci were scored from 12 enzymatic systems, 3 of which were polymorphic: EST*, PGM* and PGI*. Mean Fst value (0.300, pFst and genetic distance revealed that samples from the river mouths (Birgi and S. Bartolomeo) were grouped separately from the open sea samples (Catania, Chioggia and Gaeta). These results are in agreement with the most recent classification, which considers A. boyeri as a complex of 3 different species.
There has been increasing evidence in recent years for the hypothesis of bones as endocrine organs. Osteocalcin, long considered just a marker of new bone formation, is now seen as the first hormone produced by bones, and seems to be associated with regulating glucose metabolism and reproduction. The aim of this work was to monitor changes of osteocalcin in reaction to hypoglycemia, and determine if there are differences in such reactions between the sexes. The study included 61 healthy probands with physiological calciophosphate metabolism (30 men and 31 women). We applied to each of them an insulin tolerance test, and then monitored levels of undercarboxylated osteocalcin and reactions to hypoglycemia at regular time intervals. We found differences in the reaction to hypoglycemia between the sexes. In men there was a significant decline in undercarboxylated osteocalcin between the 30 and 40 min (p<0.0015), which reflects a reaction to a glycemic decline between 25-30 min, followed by reversal. Low undercarboxylated osteocalcin in men lasted up to 90 min, after which they returned to levels before the test. In women we did not find any significant changes in undercarboxylated osteocalcin levels. Changes in undercarboxylated osteocalcin induced by hypoglycemia indicate a relationship between bones and glucose metabolism. There was an interesting difference between the sexes. However, a definitive conclusion about the role of osteocalcin in human metabolism will require numerous future studies., Michaela Dušková, Lucie Kolátorová, Hana Jandíková, Hana Pospíšilová, Luboslav Stárka., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Many areas of biology employ standard model organisms on which a majority of research effort is concentrated. However, there is invariably a danger associated with the use of too few or atypical models for studies of particular taxonomic groups, guilds or biological phenomena. Using aphidophagous ladybirds, I show that in this group, in the last ten years, 69% of research has been concentrated on just five species, all generalist ecotypes. Much research is now concentrated on invasive species, originally biocontrol agents, and over half the aphidophagous ladybird work on intraguild interactions is centred on two of the five predominant species, Coccinella septempunctata and Harmonia axyridis. Using examples from differing areas of research, I show that studies of more unusual, non-commercial specialists can enhance our understanding of the commonly studied groups. I suggest further areas where a similar approach may lead to equally illuminating results.
Altogether 445 bats, representing nine species, caught during swarming in the Lodowa Cave in Mount Ciemniak, Western Tatra Mountains, southern Poland, were examined for ectoparasitic mites. In total, 259 spinturnicid (Spinturnix mystacina, S. andegavinus, S. kolenatii, S. plecotinus and S. myoti) and 95 argasid (Carios vespertilionis) mites were collected from seven bat species, Myotis myotis, M. mystacinus, M. brandtii, M. daubentonii, Eptesicus nilssonii, Plecotus auritus, and Vespertilio murinus. There were sex-based differences in the prevalence of mites in some hosts but no differences in their mean intensity and there was no observed relationship between the number of mites and the condition of the bats. The prevalence of mites differed significantly between years in E. nilssonii. The results suggested a very low mite load on swarming bats that had no impact on the body condition of bats.