The aim of this study was to investigate whether haemocytes of Galleria mellonella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) larvae produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) like human blood phagocytes. The production of ROS was measured first using luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence of un-stimulated and stimulated (four activators with different modes of action) haemolymph or isolated haemocytes. However, spontaneous and activated production of ROS remained at the background level. In subsequent experiments an ultrasensitive fluorescence method using Amplex Red reagent to detect hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was used. After optimization, Amplex Red was successfully used for determining H2O2 production by both un-stimulated and stimulated haemocytes. To determine the affect of pH and ions on the measurement, several diluent solutions were tested. This revealed that Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions are less important for the reaction in insect than mammalian cells. Among the activators tested, phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) and calcium ionophore (Ca-I) had the best stimulatory effect on insect samples, while opsonised zymosan particles (OZP) was the best activator for human phagocytes. In conclusion, the haemocytes of G. mellonella produce H2O2 as an important innate immunity factor, but under different conditions and in different amounts, which probably results in them being less effective in killing microbes than human phagocytes. and Ondřej Vašíček, Ivana Papežíková, Pavel Hyršl.
From 1994-1997 the food of Coccinella septempunctata L. was investigated on the basis of gut dissections of adults and larvae collected in the field. Additionally, the gut contents of adults fed under laboratory conditions were investigated. The likelihood of recovering different prey types during gut dissection was variable, which will be illustrated by presenting some common prey fragments. The food eaten by adult C. septempunctata throughout a year was studied at a locality in Berlin-Staaken. Ladybirds were collected from March 1994 until November 1997 in different crops and habitats on roughly a monthly basis. Aphid feeding was detectable from April until October. In May and June they were the most frequent food type. Fungal spores, in most cases the conidia of Alternaria spp., became most frequent in July. Additionally non-aphid arthropods were frequently preyed upon in July. A very common non-aphid prey item were thrips. Pollen was important in May and September. Comparing the food components of newly emerged adults with those of overwintered adults some remarkable differences were detected. In newly emerged adults non-aphid arthropods and fungal spores were much more frequent than in overwintered adults whereas aphids were less frequently found. The diet of adults and larvae was also investigated in June and July in cereal fields at two other localities, Northern Flaeming and Magdeburger Boerde. No difference in adult diet was found between the three localities. The composition of the larval diet was relatively similar to that of the adults., Holger Triltsch, and Lit
Forenzní entomologie představuje oblast aplikované biologie, která propojuje přírodní vědy a právní systém. Tento obor lze rozdělit na tři hlavní oblasti: problematiku škůdců potravin a zemědělských produktů, oblast parazitů lidí a zvířat (zejména otázku myiáz) a patrně nejznámější a nejčastěji využívanou oblast stanovení doby smrti člověka, resp. post mortem intervalu (PMI). Jeho základem je přirozený proces degradace mrtvých obratlovců v přírodě, kdy během sukcese tělo postupně kolonizují mouchy, brouci a další bezobratlí. Znalost těchto procesů nám dává možnost určit dobu kolonizace, a tím i PMI s přesností na den i několik týdnů po smrti člověka. Avšak pole působnosti forenzní entomologie je natolik široké, že článek přináší pouze malé nahlédnutí do základů tohoto multidisciplinárního oboru. Proto není překvapením, že přes všechny naše dosavadní znalosti a poznatky forenzní entomologie, každý den přináší stále nové otázky a odpovědi., Forensic entomology is a field of applied biology in which natural science and the judicial system interact. It can be divided into three main areas: the issue of pests, the field of human and animal parasites, mainly a phenomenon called myiasis, and probably the best known and most frequently used area of estimating the period of time since human death or post mortem interval (PMI). It is based on the natural process of degradation of animal cadavers and human corpses when during the process of succession flies, beetles and other invertebrates subsequently colonize a corpse. Good knowledge of the processes allows us to determine the time of colonization as well as PMI within a day even several weeks after the human death. However, the scope of forensic entomology is so wide that this article provides only a small insight into the foundations of this multidisciplinary field. Therefore it is not surprising that despite all of our current knowledge forensic entomology presents new questions and answers every day., and Hana Šuláková.
The aim of the present study was to find groups of moths suitable for estimating changes in the abundance and richness of local and regional biodiversity in a temperate forest. We captured macro-moths from May to October over a 5-year period (2005–2009) at various sites in Mt. Jirisan National Park (JNP) in southern Korea. Six taxa were selected based on a strong correlation between the number of species in these taxa and total number of species of large moths: Ennominae (Enn), Arctiinae (Arc), Hermininae (Her), Notodontidae (Not), Drepanidae (Dre) and Ophiderinae (Oph). Of these, combinations of four groups were found to have the best predictive capability. We determined whether these indicator groups could be used to reveal mean differences in species abundance according to spatial (forest type, altitude) and temporal variables (monsoon season) since moth composition and abundances were closely related with these variables. The mean differences in the groups of moths in the two types of forest (Arc, Dre, Enn, Not), two altitudes (Dre, Enn, Her, Oph) and two seasons (Dre, Enn, Oph) were significant. Overall, it was revealed that a set of four groups, including two taxa (Dre and Enn), could be used to show differences in local and regional biodiversity of moths in southern Korean temperate forest., Jeong-Seop An, Sei-Woon Choi., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Dnešní terestrické ekosystémy jsou do značné míry produktem koevoluce rostlin a hmyzu, který představuje vůbec nejpočetnější a nejrozmanitější skupinu živočichů. Počátky tohoto vzájemného působení lze vysledovat stovky milionů let do minulosti, přičemž postupně docházelo k nárůstu jeho komplexity. Nejčastějšími doklady těchto složitých vztahů jsou fosilizované listy nebo jejich otisky, vykazující často specifické i nespecifické poškození, jako jsou miny nebo hálky, stopy po ovipozici, popřípadě nejrůznější typy okusů. Kvalitativní a kvantitativní analýza těchto stop má velký význam při studiu evolučních procesů v rámci výše uvedených skupin organismů. Detekované změny v dynamice trofických vztahů mezi hmyzem a jeho rostlinnými hostiteli pomáhají zpřesnit představu o vlivu měnícího se prostředí na okolní biotu, jakož i poskytují vodítko pro stanovování průběhu klimatických změn v čase., Contemporary terrestrial ecosystems are largely a product of the coevolution of plants and insects, which are the most prevalent and diverse group of animals. The origin of these interactions can be traced hundreds of millions of years back followed by a gradual increase in their complexity. The most common evidence of these complex relationships is represented by the fossilized leaves, often having specific and non-specific damage such as the mines, galls, traces of oviposition, or various types of feeding. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of these ichnofossils are of great importance with regard to the study of the evolutionary processes occurring among these groups of organisms. The detected changes in the dynamics of trophic relationships between insects and their host plants help to clarify ideas regarding the impact on the developing environment and organisms, and provide evidence for the recognition of trends in climate changes in the past., and Stanislav Knor, Jakub Prokop.
Discontinuous gas exchange (DGE) is the main (23 individuals) breathing mode in resting adult Platynus assimilis. Few of the beetles tested (13 individuals) displayed a pattern of cyclic gas exchange or CGE. The burst of CO2 release in DGE and CGE was always accompanied by abdominal pumping (active ventilation or V). Seven individuals displayed a pattern of continuous respiration, characterized by regular abdominal pumping. Resting metabolic rate (RMR) in continuously breathing beetles was higher than in those using DGE and CGE. After treatment with sub-lethal doses of alpha-cypermethrin DGE ceased. Treated beetles were characterized by continuous pumping and almost regular periods of activity. RMR increased significantly after treatment with a pyrethroid., Irja Kivimägi ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Silk production quantity is the most economically important characteristic of the domesticated silkworm moth, Bombyx mori. It is controlled by multiple loci. The cocoon and silk production quantity of silkworm strains Jingsong and Lan10 have significantly diverged. A backcross population (BC1) was bred using Jingsong and Lan10 as parents to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for silk quality. In this research, a genetic linkage map of the silkworm was constructed using the BC1 mapping population. The map contained 85 sequence-tagged site markers, 80 simple sequence repeat markers, and 16 single nucleotide polymorphisms. A linkage map was constructed from the data, which consisted of 181 markers distributed over 28 expected linkage groups and spans 2147.1 cM in total length. Fourteen QTLs were detected for cocoon filament length, whole cocoon weight, pupae weight, filament weight, and cocoon shell weight. The 14 QTLs were distributed in 5 linkage groups (linkage groups 1, 14, 18, 23 and 25) based on the constructed linkage map. In addition, five QTLs, which had the highest logarithm (base 10) of odds (LOD) values, were located on the first chromosome, three of which located at the same region in linkage group 1. These results represent an important foundation for the map-based cloning of QTLs and marker-assisted selection for improving the silk quality of economically important silkworm strains., Bing Li ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Four species of Anagrus (A. breviphragma Soyka, A. incarnatus Haliday, A. fennicus Soyka and A. obscurus Foerster sensu Soyka), that live on Carex riparia Curtis (Cyperaceae) in uncultivated areas along the Po river in the Piacenza province in Italy were analysed using RAPD markers in order to investigate their genetic relationships. High levels of RAPD polymorphism were found in the genus Anagrus, which permitted the fingerprinting of the four species. Analysis of average genetic similarities within species and comparison with average values between species confirms that A. breviphragma, A. incarnatus, A. fennicus and A. obscurus represent four genetically distinct species. A dendrogram constructed from molecular data of single families clearly clustered the four species in different groups, their mutual position reflecting morphological and biological observations., Elisabetta Chiappini, Lucia Soressi, Corrado Fogher, Marco Zanirato, and Lit
a1_In the last few decades, Aedes albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae) (= Stegomyia albopicta), the so-called "Asian tiger mosquito", has spread from its native range in southeast Asia to Africa, the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, and Pacific islands. The spread of this species poses a risk to human health as it is considered to be one of the main vectors of dengue and other arboviruses. Aedes albopictus was reported in Croatia in 2004, thereafter it was discovered at several coastal localities in 2005 and to date it has spread to most coastal areas and islands in Croatia. Here we investigate the genetic variability of A. albopictus based on 39 individuals collected during the summer of 2009 along the East-Adriatic coast and islands of Croatia and Montenegro and using two mitochondrial molecular markers: cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and NADH dehydrogenase 5 (ND5). We identified a single ND5 haplotype, corresponding to the previously reported and worldwide-distributed haplotype H3. The COI marker was more variable and we identified four COI haplotypes. In order to identify the geographic origin of the populations that colonized Croatia, we performed phylogenetic analyses of ND5 and COI haplotypes in Croatian populations and other A. albopictus populations retrieved from the GenBank. The phylogenetic tree based on ND5 haplotypes revealed two well supported clades where the unique Croatian ND5 haplotype clustered with the majority of haplotypes originating from South-Asia, America, Europe, and Africa. Another smaller cluster consisted of only Brazilian haplotypes. The phylogenetic tree and haplotype network that resulted from the COI analysis also indicates that the three Croatian COI haplotypes cluster with European and American haplotypes. However the fourth Croatian COI haplotype was the only European haplotype that occurred in a separate clade (group) with Indian, South-Asian, and Brazilian haplotypes., a2_This data suggests there have been several independent introduction events in Croatia., and Toni Žitko, Ana Kovačić, Yves Desdevises, Jasna Puizina.
The Ojców National Park is situated in southern Poland in an area of Jurassic limestone, which determines the hydrochemistry of the water in the River Prądnik. The geochemical index of the sediment in the River Prądnik indicated it is moderately polluted with Pb and Zn, and heavily polluted with Cd compared to unpolluted sediment. The effect of natural and anthropogenic sources on the sediment in the River Prądnik and in appearing of structural and functional alterations in the salivary gland chromosomes of two species of Chironomidae, Micropsectra pallidula and Polypedilum convictum, was investigated. Two types of chromosomal rearrangements (inherited and somatic) were identified in the species studied. Inherited heterozygous inversions occurred at a higher frequency (between 5.55%–57.81%) and may have local adaptive value. In M. pallidula a karyotype divergence consisting of fixed chromosome inversions on arms B and E was recorded. As somatic chromosome rearrangements can be caused by stress agents, we suggest that the somatic aberrations in both of the species studied indicate the existence of pollution, i.e. induced stress. On the basis of these somatic rearrangements the somatic index of both species was defined: M. pallidula – 0.346, P. convictum – 0.555. In addition to these rearrangements functional alterations in key structures, Balbiani rings (BRs) and the nucleolar organizer region (NOR) located on chromosome EF, which significantly decreased their transcriptional activity, were recorded in M. pallidula. Changes in the appearance of the telomere region on chromosome G in P. convictum was considered to be a response to the environmental conditions in the River Prądnik. It was shown that polytene chromosomes are very sensitive to environmental changes and can be used to detect pollutants in aquatic ecosystems., Paraskeva Michailova ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury