Abiotic and biotic factors determine success or failure of individual organisms, populations and species. The early life stages are often the most vulnerable to heavy mortality due to environmental conditions. The deer ked (Lipoptena cervi Linnaeus, 1758) is an invasive insect ectoparasite of cervids that spends an important period of the life cycle outside host as immobile pupa. During winter, dark-coloured pupae drop off the host onto the snow, where they are exposed to environmental temperature variation and predation as long as the new snowfall provides shelter against these mortality factors. The other possible option is to passively sink into the snow, which is aided by morphology of pupae. Here, we experimentally studied passive snow sinking capacity of pupae of L. cervi. We show that pupae have a notable passive snow sinking capacity, which is the most likely explained by pupal morphology enabling solar energy absorption and pupal weight. The present results can be used when planning future studies and when evaluating possible predation risk and overall survival of this invasive ectoparasite species in changing environmental conditions., Sirpa Kaunisto, Hannu Ylönen, Raine Kortet., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Deer (family Cervidae) form the most numerous and varied group of ungulates or large herbivores in four out of 6 continents. This review of the phylogeny and taxonomy of living deer species is based on information published recently in scientific papers. The first part presents the taxonomy of muntjacs (Muntiacini). This tribe includes 11–14 species living solitarily in closed habitats (mostly forests) in South and Southeast Asia. Their antlers are two-tined and Jan Pluháček.
The second part of this text on the systematics and phylogeny of extant cervids focuses on Cervini. This group includes more than 20 various deer species inhabiting forests and grasslands of Europe, Asia, and North America; 15 of them listed in the Red Data List of endangered species. During the last 10 years many papers have been published on their phylogeny. Its recent overview including relationships between individual species is summarized. and Jan Pluháček.
The last part of the series on cervid taxonomy involves the subfamily Capreolinae. This subfamily could be divided into two clades: an Old World clade including Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus, C. pygargus), Chinese Water Deer (Hydropotes inermis) and Moose (Alces alces) and a New World clade including Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), Mule Deer (the genus Odocoileus) and deer of Mesoamerica and South America (Ozotoceros bezoarticus, Blastocerus dichotomus and species of the genera Hippocamelus, Pudu and Mazama). Most of the species belonging to Capreolinae are evolutionary young. The evolutionary relationships among extant South American deer remain unclear. Cervids are the most successful ungulate family that has ever colonized South America. and Jan Pluháček.