Infrastructure is one of the main causes of landscape fragmentation, which results in isolation and loss of populations. Although the negative effect of roads on insects is well documented, only a minority of studies has focused on roads in the context of barriers to dispersal. Flying species in particular have been neglected. We investigated the effect of a four-lane motorway as a barrier to the movement of an isolated population of the threatened dragonfly Sympetrum depressiusculum in an agricultural landscape in Central Europe. Generalized additive models were used to assess the motorway's effect on (i) the distribution of adult dragonflies in patches of terrestrial habitat surrounding their natal site, and (ii) individual flight behaviour (i.e. willingness or unwillingness to cross the motorway). Movement patterns of marked adults throughout the landscape were also investigated. During one season, significantly fewer adults were found at patches located on the far side of the motorway, indicating it has a barrier effect. Observations on flight behaviour revealed no apparent effect of the motorway. The possible barrier effect for the species studied was therefore presumed to be a consequence of road mortality. Our results indicate that the motorway may influence the dispersal of this threatened species of dragonfly, which is a habitat specialist with particular requirements for its terrestrial environment. Negative effects on other species with similar behaviour and strategy can be presumed. When establishing new habitats, carrying out reintroductions or translocations, it is necessary to consider that roadways may reduce population size and affect population dynamics by limiting dispersal., Hana Šigutová, Filip Harabiš, Michal Hykel, Aleš Dolný., and Obsahuje bibliografii
We studied the demography, movement, behaviour and choice of nectar plants by adults of Aporia crataegi. This study was done in a dense network of different types of habitats (total size of study area 16.26 ha) from open landscape to shrubland, the latter being a result of abandonment of traditional agricultural practices such as extensive mowing and grazing. Total population size was estimated to be approximately 1700 and 2700 for females and males, respectively. Median and maximum distances moved by males were 134 and 3493 m, and by females 138 and 3165 m, respectively. The average lifespan was ca. 7.1 and 7.5 days, with maximum recorded lifespans of 21 and 17 days for males and females, respectively. The greater capture probability recorded for males indicates their high activity, as they spend most of their time in flight patrolling and searching for mates. A parabolic recruitment curve and protandry were also recorded. Both sexes are highly mobile. The spatial distribution of both sexes was roughly similar. The adult behaviour differed in different habitats, with more time spent feeding and resting when nectar plants were plentiful and more time spent flying when they were rare. Although adults utilized nine nectar sources, only two were recorded in over 80% of all the feeding occasions. In order to re-establish open grassland with some shrubland, traditional and mosaic management of the landscape should be revived at least to some extent., Jure Jugovic, Mitja Črne, Martina Lužnik., and Obsahuje bibliografii
a1_Imaging the four fluorescence bands of leaves, the red (F690) and far-red (F740) chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence as well as the blue (F440) and green (F520) fluorescence of leaves and the corresponding fluorescence ratios is a fast and excellent nondestructive technique to detect the photosynthetic activity and capacity of leaves, of gradients over the leaf area as well as the effect of various strain and stress parameters on plants. This review primarily deals with the first and pioneering multi-colour fluorescence imaging results obtained since the mid-1990s in a cooperation with French colleagues in Strasbourg and in my laboratory in Karlsruhe. Together we introduced not only the joint imaging of the red and far-red Chl fluorescence but also of the blue and green fluorescence of leaves. The two instrumental setups composed for this purpose were (1) the Karlsruhe-Strasbourg UV-Laser Fluorescence Imaging System (Laser-FIS) and (2) the Karlsruhe Flash-Light Fluorescence Imaging System (FL-FIS). Essential results obtained with these instruments are summarized as well as the basic principles and characteristics of multi-colour fluorescence imaging. The great advantage of fluorescence imaging is that the fluorescence yield in the four fluorescence bands is sensed of several thousand up to 200,000 pixels per leaf area in one image. The multi-colour FIS technique allows to sense many physiological parameters and stress effects in plants at an early stage before a damage of leaves is visually detectable. Various examples of plant stress detection by the multi-colour FIS technique are given. Via imaging the Chl fluorescence ratio F690/F740 it is even possible to determine the Chl content of leaves. The FIS technique also allows to follow the successive uptake of diuron and loss of photosynthetic function and to screen the ripening of apples during storage., a2_Particularly meaningful and of high statistical relevance are the fluorescence ratio images red/far-red (F690/F740), blue/red (F440/F690), and blue/green (F440/F520) as well as images of the fluorescence decrease ratio RFd, which is an indicator of the net CO2 assimilation rates of leaves., H. K. Lichtenthaler., and Obsahuje bibliografické odkazy
Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning has characteristics of simple operation, high efficiency and high precision technique for landslide surface monitoring. In recent years, finalization of modern GNSS systems Galileo and BeiDou has brought a possibility of multi-GNSS positioning. The paper focuses on evaluation of possible benefits of multi-GNSS constellations in landslide monitoring. While simulating observational conditions of selected Recica landslide in the Czech Republic, one-month data from well-established permanent GNSS reference stations were processed. Besides various constellation combinations, differential and Precise Point Positioning techniques, observation data lengths and observation sampling intervals were evaluated. Based on the results, using a combination of GPS and GLONASS, or GPS, GLONASS and Galileo systems can be recommended, together with a static differential technique and observation periods for data collection exceeding eight hours. In the last step, data from GNSS repetitive campaigns realized at the Recica landslide during two years were processed with optimal setup and obtained displacement results were compared to standard geotechnical measurements.
Providing information on the impacts of climate change on hydrological processes is becoming ever more critical. Modelling and evaluating the expected changes of the water resources over different spatial and time scales can be useful in several fields, e.g. agriculture, forestry and water management. Previously a Budyko-type spatially distributed long-term climate-runoff model was developed for Hungary. This research includes the validation of the model using historical precipitation and streamflow measurements for three nested sub-catchments of the Zala River Basin (Hungary), an essential runoff contributing region to Lake Balaton (the largest shallow lake in Central Europe). The differences between the calculated (from water balance) and the estimated (by the model) mean annual evapotranspiration varied between 0.4% and 3.6% in the validation periods in the sub-catchments examined. Predictions of the main components of the water balance (evapotranspiration and runoff) for the Zala Basin are also presented in this study using precipitation and temperature results of 12 regional climate model simulations (A1B scenario) as input data. According to the projections, the mean annual temperature will be higher from period to period (2011–2040, 2041–2070, 2071–2100), while the change of the annual precipitation sum is not significant. The mean annual evapotranspiration rate is expected to increase slightly during the 21st century, while for runoff a substantial decrease can be anticipated which may exceed 40% by 2071–2100 relative to the reference period (1981–2010). As a result of this predicted reduction, the runoff from the Zala Basin may not be enough to balance the increased evaporation rate of Lake Balaton, transforming it into a closed lake without outflow.
The article presents the construction of an agent-based model of segregation step by step. The article is intended as a tutorial for the reader’s first steps with agent-based modeling. The model is programmed in the NetLogo software and provided in two versions: first as an online executable version, for first-impression purposes, and second as NetLogo code, for serious experiments and further model improvements by the reader. The article describes the user interface and source code of the model in close detail. Most of the article is dedicated to careful, in-depth explanation of the NetLogo code. The model aims to answer Schelling’s classical question: "Is it possible to obtain an ethnically segregated structure of a town with relatively tolerant inhabitants?" The model also aims to answer the question: "Does size of recognized neighbourhood suppress tendency to segregation?" Analysis of the data produced by the model informs us that the tendency to segregation decreased with larger recognized neighbourhood - the larger the neighbourhood the lower the number of inhabitants living in an ethnically homogenous neighbourhood. However, size of recognized neighbourhood did not moderate the relationship between intolerance and tendency to segregation - the slope of the relationship was still the same (or even steeper for larger neighbourhoods)., František Kalvas., and Obsahuje bibliografické odkazy
Inconclusive preoperative imaging is a strong predictor of multiglandular parathyroid disease (MGD) in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). MGD was investigated in a cohort of 17 patients with PHPT (mean age 64.9 years, total calcium 2.75 mmol/l and parathyroid hormone (PTH) 113.3 ng/l) who underwent 18F-fluorocholine PET/CT (FCH) imaging before surgery. The initial MIBI SPECT scintigraphy (MIBI) and/or neck ultrasound were not conclusive or did not localize all pathological parathyroid glands, and PHPT persisted after surgery. Sporadic MGD was present in 4 of 17 patients with PHPT (24 %). In 3 of 4 patients with MGD, FCH correctly localized 6 pathological parathyroid glands and surgery was successful. Excised parathyroid glands were smaller (p <0.02) and often hyperplastic in MGD than in single gland disease. In two individuals with MGD, excision of a hyperplastic parathyroid gland led to a false positive decline in intraoperative PTH and/or postoperative serum calcium. Although in one patient it was associated with partial false negativity, parathyroid imaging with FCH seemed to be superior to neck ultrasound and/or MIBI scintigraphy in MGD.
Giardiasis is a common gastrointestinal infection of humans and animals with a worldwide distribution. Eight genetic groups (known as assemblages A to H) are currently recognised within the species complex of Giardia duodenalis (Lambl, 1859), of which assemblages A and B are responsible for infection of humans and other mammalian hosts. Genotyping data on giardiasis are not available from Slovenia. In this work, we have characterised isolates of G. duodenalis from 85 human symptomatic cases collected during 2002-2013. Genomic DNAs were first tested by a real-time (rt) PCR assay and then by conventional PCR at three loci (beta-giardin, bg; triose phosphate isomerase, tpi; and glutamate dehydrogenase, gdh). We found that the threshold cycle (Ct) values in rt-PCR testing were higher for samples collected during 2002-2005 and that this was paralleled by a low amplification rate in conventional PCR (6 of 32, i.e. 19%). In contrast, lower Ct values and higher amplification rate (45 of 53; 85%) were observed for samples collected during 2006-2013, suggesting an adverse effect of prolonged freezing of stools. Assemblages A and B were found with an almost identical frequency in the 51 genotyped samples. In agreement with previous studies, sequences from assemblage B isolates were characterised by larger genetic variability and by the presence of heterogeneous positions, which made assignment to specific genotypes difficult. Less variability was observed in sequences from assemblage A isolates, which belonged to the human-specific subassemblage AII. These data showed that the genotypes of G. duodenalis that circulate in humans in Slovenia are similar to those previously identified in Europe., Barbara Šoba, Sabina Islamović, Miha Skvarč, Simone M. Cacciò., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Multimammate mice of the genus Mastomys are widespread in sub-Saharan Africa and occur in a wide range of open habitats. Representatives of this genus are the most common African rodents, the main vertebrate agricultural pests and vectors of human pathogens. In Ethiopia, the biogeographically most complex eastern African country, several species have been reported, but their distribution has never been described because of their cryptic morphology. Here we present genetically identified species from 377 Ethiopian Mastomys specimens and analyse their distributional patterns. The genus, represented by four species, inhabits most of the country, with the exception of the highest mountains and dry areas, such as the Afar triangle and the Somali region. For the first time we document M. kollmannspergeri from a single locality in the northernmost part of Ethiopia. Three previously recorded species are more widespread – M. erythroleucus was found at 32 localities, M. natalensis at 13 localities and the Ethiopian endemic species M. awashensis at 18 localities. and Phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequences indicates that only one of the six phylogroups of M. natalensis and one of the four phylogroups of M. erythroleucus are represented in Ethiopia. Haplotype network analysis indicates two subclades of Ethiopian M. erythroleucus separated by the Ethiopian Rift Valley. Using presence records, we constructed distribution models for the species and analysed the level of overlap. The predicted distribution shows most overlap between M. awashensis and M. natalensis, which is in agreement with empirical data as both species were found in sympatry at four localities. A medium level of overlap was predicted between M. natalensis and M. erythroleucus and both species were found co-existing at two localities. This study not only presents the first detailed distribution of cryptic Mastomys species, but also clearly identifies multimammate mice as model taxa for future evolutionary studies (e.g. the evolution of coexistence or host-parasite interactions) and indicates the regions suitable for such studies.
The taxonomy of Diplectanum Diesing, 1858, a genus of monopisthocotylean monogeneans, remains unsettled and needs to be revised based on new morphological criteria. Recent studies in monopisthocotyleans have shown that the muscle arrangement in the posterior attachment organ (haptor) differs between congeneric species and can be used as an additional criterion in genus-level taxonomy. To explore the possibility of using the haptoral musculature and nervous system in the taxonomy of Diplectanum, we conducted a detailed confocal-microscopy study of three species of Diplectanum (D. aculeatum Parona et Perugia, 1889, D. sciaenae van Beneden et Hesse, 1863 and D. similis Bychowsky, 1957) with phalloidin staining for muscle and indirect immunostaining for 5HT and FMRFamide. A further goal was to clarify the functional mechanics of the haptor and the role of its essential components (squamodiscs and anchors) in attachment to the host. The system of connecting bars and gaffing anchors was found to have a complex musculature consisting of 23 muscles in D. aculeatum and D. sciaenae, and 21 muscles in D. similis. The squamodiscs were shown to be operated by several groups of muscles attached primarily to the area termed the squamodisc fulcrum. Most of the haptoral musculature is identical in D. aculeatum and D. sciaenae and these species differ only in the presence of a muscle sheath around the tissue strand between the squamodiscs in D. sciaenae and in the different patterns of superficial squamodisc muscles. Diplectanum similis shows more significant differences from the other two species: besides lacking two of the haptoral muscles, it also differs in the shapes and arrangement of several other muscles. The nervous system of all three species conforms to the general pattern typical for the Dactylogyroidea and shows little variation between species., Anatoly A. Petrov, Evgenija V. Dmitrieva, Maryana P. Popyuk, Pavel I. Gerasev, Sergey A. Petrov., and Obsahuje bibliografii