Tropical rainforest can be divided into several altitude levels, which vary in light conditions and also in the nature of their flora and fauna. In terms of the occurrence of typical groups of butterflies, we can define these levels by their height range and typical butterfly groups that form mimetic (unilateral and reciprocal) protective complexes there, even though numerous other species also live there which do not belong to these complexes. This issue is described based on the example of lowland tropical forests in South and Central America. and George O. Krizek.
Ovaries of Puto superbus and Ceroputo pilosellae are composed of numerous short telotrophic ovarioles that are arranged around the distal part of the lateral oviduct. An individual ovariole consists of a distal trophic chamber (= tropharium) and proximal vitellarium. The tropharia enclose individual trophocytes (= nurse cells) and early previtellogenic oocytes termed arrested oocytes. A single oocyte develops in each vitellarium. Analysis of serial sections has shown that ovarioles of P. superbus contain from 16 to 51 germ cells (13–43 trophocytes, 2–7 arrested oocytes, 1 developing oocyte) while those of C. pilosellae from only 8 to 10 germ cells (5–7 trophocytes, 0–2 arrested oocytes, 1 developing oocyte). The classification and phylogeny of scale insects are discussed taking into consideration the results of this study., Anna Michalik ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Molekulární genetika vstoupila na antropologické kolbiště koncem 60. let, ale teprve přímá analýza archaické DNA (aDNA) z fosilních pozůstatků od 80. let umožnila přesnější vhled do evoluce našeho druhu ve středním a mladém pleistocénu. Navzdory různým „Jurským parkům“ totiž DNA po smrti organismu rychle degraduje a časové okno její možné analýzy je poměrně omezené. Navíc jsou vzorky kontaminovány DNA okolních organismů. Nicméně velice záhy se pozornost paleogenetiků soustředila na naše příbuzné - neandertálce. Analýza jejich genomu ukázala, že ~2 % jejich DNA se vyskytuje v genomu anatomicky moderního člověka s výjimkou subsaharské Afriky a celkový rozsah tohoto přenosu může dosahovat až 20 %. Křížení s neandertálci lidem zřejmě umožnilo snadnější adaptaci na chladnější podmínky eurasijského kontinentu, současně však přineslo i výskyt některých chorob. Překvapení přinesla sekvence aDNA izolovaná z článku prstu nalezeného v Denisově jeskyni na Altaji. Ukázalo se, že tento jedinec patřil k neznámému druhu odlišnému jak od moderních lidí, tak i od neandertálců. I tito hominini přispěli až 6 % svojí DNA do genomu některých současných populací člověka (JV Asie, Oceánie). Podle nejnovějších poznatků byl tok genů mezi homininy středního a mladého paleolitu poměrně složitý, byla např. detekována příměs neandertálské DNA v genomu denisovců, kteří navíc získali další sekvence od dalšího, blíže neurčeného druhu hominina. Posledním příspěvkem paleogenetiky do obrazu naší evoluce je sekvence mitochondriální DNA získaná ze zhruba 400 tisíc let starých fosilních pozůstatků heidelberského člověka (Homo heidelbergensis) ze Sima de los Huesos (Šachty kostí) z krasové oblasti Atapuerca ve Španělsku, která ukazuje na příbuznost tohoto druhu., Molecular genetics entered the arena of anthropology at the end of the 1960s, but only direct analysis of ancient DNA (aDNA) from fossils since the 80s has permitted a better insight into the evolution of our own species. Despite the rapid decomposition of DNA starting immediately after death, molecular geneticists are now able to retrieve and sequence aDNA tens or even hundreds of thousands years old. Paleogenetic studies of ancient humans and their relatives have revealed a rather complex picture of Middle and Upper Pleistocene hominins (Neanderthals, Denisovans, ante-Neanderthals etc.) and gene flow among them. New and exciting findings changing our views of the evolution of our own species are appearing with an accelerating pace., Miloš Macholán., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
This article summarizes available data on the free-living population of the Barbary Sheep (Ammotragus lervia) in the Plzeň District in the 1970s to 1990s. This population originated through repeated escapes of the Barbary Sheep from the Plzeň Zoo (1972–87). The Barbary Sheep appeared to be viable in the wild, and its free-living population ceased to exist not before 1994. Additionally, a short review of the Barbary Sheep stock in Czech zoos is presented (1985–2011). and Miloš Anděra, Lenka Václavová.
he painted lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Nymphalinae) is well known for its seasonal long-distance migrations and for its dramatic population fluctuations between years. Although parasitism has occasionally been noted as an important mortality factor for this butterfly, no comprehensive study has quantified and compared its parasitoid complexes in different geographical areas or seasons. In 2009, a year when this butterfly was extraordinarily abundant in the western Palaearctic, we assessed the spatial and temporal variation in larval parasitism in central Morocco (late winter and autumn) and north-east Spain (spring and late summer). The primary parasitoids in the complexes comprised a few relatively specialized koinobionts that are a regular and important mortality factor in the host populations. However, there was a strong seasonal variation in the level of parasitism. In Spain percentage parasitism was more than four times higher in late summer than in spring (77.3% vs. 18%), while in Morocco it was five times higher by the end of winter than in the autumn (66.2% vs. 13.2%). In both regions the build up of parasitoid populations occurred after V. cardui had bred in the same general area over successive generations, and this may represent a selective force favouring seasonal migration to enemy-free space., Constanti Stefanescu ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Adults of the invasive harlequin ladybird, Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), were found to be parasitized by nematodes (Tylenchomorpha: Allantonematidae) in Denmark. The nematodes were identified as Parasitylenchus sp. Major morphological characters of the nematodes did not differ significantly from Parasitylenchus coccinellinae Iperti & van Waerebeke 1968, but minor deviations in egg dimension and tail length were measured. Parasitism was only recorded in early autumn, with prevalence ranging from 2 to 33%. Adult and juvenile nematodes occurred together in the body cavity of both female and male H. axyridis. and Susanne Harding, George O. Poinar, Desislava V. Dimitrova, Tove Steenberg.
Entomofilní hlístice, tedy hlístice žijící v asociaci s nějakým druhem hmyzu, můžeme jednoduše rozdělit na foretické, entomopatogenní a entomoparazitické. Tzv. foretické druhy využívají hmyz jako vektor, který je přenáší do nového prostředí, a pro své nositele jsou v drtivé většině případů neškodné. Opakem jsou entomopatogenní hlístice, tj. hlístovky, které žijí v symbióze s bakteriemi zodpovědnými za usmrcení hmyzího hostitele (odtud entomopatogenní) a zároveň pak slouží hlísticím jako potrava. Za entomoparazitické druhy považujeme ostatní entomofilní hlístice, které parazitují v těle hmyzu, ale nejsou obligátně vybaveny bakterií patogenní pro hmyz. Nejrůznější zástupce entomoparazitických hlístic můžeme najít v celkem asi 24 čeledích. Obligátně parazitické druhy se vyskytují v čeledích Mermithidae, Tetradonematidae, Syrphonematidae, Carabonematidae, Oxyuridae, Thelastomatidae, Sphaerulariidae, Allantonematidae a Fergusobiidae. Právě těmto poněkud opomíjeným hlísticím se článek věnuje. Zaměřuje se především na ty druhy, které se vyskytují na území České republiky. Kromě základních údajů o jednotlivých skupinách a obecných informací o ekologii hlístic si všímá i jejich praktického významu, tedy skutečnosti, jak ovlivňují populace různého člověku škodlivého hmyzu a jak jich můžeme využít., This group of parasitic nematodes consists of approximately 24 families, although obligate parasites can be found in eight of them. Some of these enigmatic nematodes adopted amazing life strategies and serve as bioagents to control populations of mosquitoes or woodwasps. In this article we review the biology, ecology and distribution of these organisms and depict their current use in biological control., and Jiří Nermuť, Vladimír Půža.
The partial consumption of prey refers to when a predator does not consume all the digestible biomass of an animal it has killed. The frequency of partial consumption of prey by the polyphagous predator Macrolophus pygmaeus (Hemiptera: Miridae) was recorded for different species of prey and prey population structures, in single and mixed prey species patches. All the instars of the aphid, Aphis gossypii, were provided as prey alone or together with Myzus persicae or Macrosiphum euphorbiae. Numbers killed were determined when equal (10 nymphs of each instar, 40 in total) or unequal numbers (higher numbers of young nymphs but again 40 in total) of nymphs were placed on an eggplant leaf in a plastic Petri dish. In each dish a single 5th instar nymph of the predator was introduced and the numbers killed and numbers of partially consumed aphids were recorded after 24h, at 25 ± 1°C. The numbers of A. gossypii killed were higher than those of the other species of prey used. The frequency of partially consumed prey was highest when A. gossypii was offered alone in equal numbers of each instar, followed by when A. gossypii was provided together with M. persicae in unequal numbers of instars (23.6% and 11.2%, of the total mortality, respectively). Killed but not consumed prey was also recorded, at frequencies that reached 10.7% of the total mortality when A. gossypii was provided alone in equal numbers of each instar. For M. persicae and M. euphorbiae, these percentages were significantly lower. The higher frequency of this behaviour when A. gossypii was the prey may be related to its lower nutritional quality for the predator. The effect of prey instar was not significant. These results indicate that in determining the numbers killed by a predator, partially consumed prey may make up a significant part of the total kill and thus should be taken into consideration., Dionyssios Lykouressis, Dionyssios Perdikis, Ioannis Mandarakas., and Obsahuje bibliografii