During the last 12 years, 23 mollusc species were recorded in the Czech Republic for the first time. With the exception of several introduced and invasive species, some of these molluscs are native, rare and even endangered, including Pagodulina pagodula. This rare woodland snail of Alpine origin was found in spring 2012 in the Mutenská obora Nature Reserve, which includes the forested slopes above the Moravská Dyje River in South Moravia. This is another occurrence of the species outside its Alpine range, in addition to one site in Poland, two in Slovakia, and a few sites in Hungary and the Balkan Peninsula. The species was also recorded in the Czech Republic in several interglacial sediments of the Pleistocene and also in one profile of Holocene origin (Atlantic period), not far away from the recent site. and Adam Lacina, Michal Horsák.
Soutěžní přehlídka Věda je krásná vznikla v r. 2009 jako interní fotografická soutěž Přírodovědecké fakulty Univerzity Karlovy v Praze. Od třetího ročníku je přístupná všem zaměstnancům a studentům Univerzity Karlovy a ve čtvrtém ročníku se v nové objevitelské kategorii otevřela mimofakultní veřejnosti, která se jí může účastnit prostřednictvím popularizačního projektu Přírodovědci.cz. Cíl projektu je velmi jednoduchý - oslavit českou fotografii a ilustraci s přírodovědnou tematikou a upozornit na krásu skrytou běžnému pohledu, tedy na půvab vědeckých objektů a vědy samotné, protože zůstávají často přístupné jen úzkému okruhu badatelů nebo nadšenců., This competition run by the Faculty of Science at Charles University in Prague and its supportive web www.prirodovedci.cz aims to show the beauty and aesthetics revealed by scientific research, either via photography, illustrations or computerized visualizations of natural phenomena., and Alena Ječmíková.
Velemyši, dříve nazývané krysy obláčkové, jsou největší myšovití hlodavci žijící endemicky na Filipínách. Velemyš dinagatskou (Crateromys australis), považovanou za potenciálně vyhynulou, se nám podařilo znovuobjevit 37 let od jejího posledního (a zároveň prvního) nálezu a vědeckého popisu. To bylo také impulzem k návrhu nového českého jména velemyši pro celou skupinu obláčkových krys. Velemyš dinagatská byla nalezena na severu ostrova Dinagat. Nyní je řazena mezi kriticky ohrožené druhy. Ohrožené jsou také ostatní druhy této skupiny, a to zejména kvůli masivní těžbě dřeva a nerostných surovin a tím ničením jejich přirozeného prostředí. Proto je cílená ochrana je nezbytná k přežití tohoto i ostatních druhů velemyší., Cloud rats are the largest murid rodents endemic to the Philippines. The Dinagat Cloud Rat (Crateromys australis), considered to be potentially extinct, was rediscovered in the north of Dinagat Island after 37 years from its first discovery and scientific description. We have also proposed a new Czech name. The species is now listed as critically endangered. All cloud rats are threatened by the destruction of their natural habitats by logging and mining. Targeted protection is therefore essential for their survival., and Milada Řeháková, Václav Řehák.
The great capricorn beetle or Cerambyx longicorn (Cerambyx cerdo, Linnaeus, 1758) is an internationally protected umbrella species representing the highly diverse and endangered fauna associated with senescent oaks. For the conservation and monitoring of populations of C. cerdo it is important to have a good knowledge of its microhabitat requirements. We investigated determinants and patterns of C. cerdo distribution within individual old, open-grown oaks. Trees inhabited by this species were climbed, and the number of exit holes and environmental variables recorded at two sites in the Czech Republic. Distribution of exit holes in relation to height above the ground, trunk shading by branches, orientation in terms of the four cardinal directions, diameter, surface and volume of inhabited tree parts were investigated. This study revealed that the number of exit holes in the trunks of large open-grown oaks was positively associated with the diameter of the trunk and openness and negatively with height above the ground, and the effects of diameter and openness changed with height. The number of exit holes in the surface of a trunk was also associated with the cardinal orientation of the surface. Approximately half of both C. cerdo populations studied developed less than 4 m and approximately a third less than 2 m above the ground. This indicates that most C. cerdo develop near the ground. Active management that prevents canopy closure is thus crucial for the survival of C. cerdo and searching for exit holes is an effective method of detecting sites inhabited by this species., Jan Albert, Michal Platek, Lukas Cizek., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
V této práci sumarizujeme data o výskytu invazních druhů řas a sinic v České republice a mapujeme reálná či potenciální rizika jejich rozšíření. Seznam invazních druhů v ČR obsahuje 10 druhů sinic, 9 rozsivek, 1 obrněnku, 1 zástupce třídy Ulvophyceae, 2 zelené řasy třídy Chlorophyceae a jednu krásivku., This paper summarizes data on alien species of algae and cyanobacteria in the Czech Republic; we identified actual or potential risks resulting from their spread. The list of aliens contains 10 species of Cyanobacteria (Cyanophyta), 10 species of Bacillariophyceae, one species of Dinophyta, one species of Ulvophyceae, two species of Chlorophyceae, and one species of Desmidiales., and Jan Kaštovský ... [et al.].
Caterpillars of the poplar lutestring moth, Tethea or, construct leaf shelters that they defend against intruding conspecifics using a combination of vibratory signals and physical aggression. Staged interactions between a resident caterpillar and introduced conspecific were recorded with a video camera and laser vibrometer. Residents crawl towards the intruder and perform three behaviours: lateral hitting, pushing, and mandible scraping. Vibrations caused by mandible scraping result from the caterpillar repeatedly scraping opened mandibles laterally against the leaf surface in bouts lasting 1.16 ± 0.39 s, with an average of 4 ± 1 scrapes per bout. We propose that these scrapes function in leaf shelter defense against conspecifics for the following reasons: Mandible scrapes are produced only by residents; they are generated when a resident is approached by an intruder; the rate of scraping increases as the intruder approaches the shelter; and residents in all trials retain their shelters, with the intruder leaving the leaf within 127.9 ±104.3s from the beginning of the trial. The function and evolutionary origins of vibration-mediated territoriality in caterpillars are discussed. and Jaclyn L. Scott, Jayne E. Yack.