1_Chromosomes of six European species (one with two subspecies) of Orthoptera belonging to the tribes Ephippigerini and Bradyporini were analyzed using C-banding, Ag-NOR, DAPI (AT-rich)/CMA3 (GC-rich) staining and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using the 18S rDNA and (TTAGG)n telomeric probes with the aim to better understand chromosomal organization and evolutionary relationships between genera and subgenera within and across both tribes. The evolution of karyotypes was studied in terms of changes in chromosome number (2n) and morphology (FN, the fundamental number – i.e. the number of chromosome arms including the X chromosome). The ancestral 2n = 31 was reduced to 2n = 29 (FN = 31) and 27 (FN = 31) by one or two Robertsonian fusions in the Ephippigerini. Whereas in the Bradyporini 2n = 27 (FN = 32) as a result of two Robertsonian translocations and a pericentric inversion in the X chromosome. The quantity of heterochromatin in GC-rich regions distinguished the karyotypes of Ephippigerini (only a single CG-rich band on one autosome pair) from those of Bradyporini (CG-rich bands on all chromosomes). FISH using the 18S rDNA probe localized 1–3 rDNA clusters to autosomes and/or to the X chromosome in all species examined. The rDNA loci coincided with active NORs as determined by Ag-NOR staining. A comparison of the location of the single NOR/rDNA in two species of the genus Steropleurus (Ephippigerini) suggests that the reduced chromosome number in S. pseudolus results from a Robertsonian fusion between two pairs of autosomes, one of them carrying the NOR/rDNA as in S. stalii (and also in E. ephippiger)., 2_Whereas the karyotypes of three species of the genus Bradyporus, though showing the same chromosome number and morphology, differed in the number and distribution of NORs/rDNA sites [one autosomal in B. (B.) dasypus versus three in B. macrogaster and B. (C.) oniscus, two of them X-linked]. Trends in karyotype diversification of the taxa based on the present data and previous research are discussed. In some individuals belonging to the species Bradyporus (B.) dasypus and B. (C.) m. macrogaster B chromosomes (Bs) were detected: acrocentric (the smallest elements in the complement) and submetacentric (similar to medium-sized autosomes), respectively., Elzbieta Warchalowska-Sliwa ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Microsatellites are the most common markers used in population and conservation genetic studies. However, their isolation is laborious and expensive. In some taxa, such as Lepidoptera, it is particularly difficult to isolate microsatellite markers due to the high similarity of the flanking regions of different loci and the presence of null alleles. Here we isolated microsatellites of the endangered butterfly Boloria aquilonaris using 454 GS-FLX Titanium pyro-sequences of biotin enriched DNA libraries and tested the success of cross-amplification on the sister-species B. eunomia. Fifteen polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated in B. aquilonaris using initially 101 stringently designed primer pairs. Unlike in many other studies of microsatellite isolation in Lepidoptera, few null alleles were detected and only at very low frequencies. Additionally, the raw data set can still be used for the isolation of other microsatellite loci. None of the selected polymorphic loci for B. aquilonaris gave clear banding patterns for B. eunomia, although about 15 other loci gave promising banding patterns for the latter species. Low intra- and inter-specific transferability of developed markers in this study also lends support to the hypothesis that the evolution of the genome of Lepidoptera is dissimilar from that of other organisms., Sofie Vandewoestijne, Camille Turlure, Michel Baguette., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Body size is one of the most investigated traits in studies of sexual selection in fruit flies of the genus Drosophila. In D. melanogaster, size has often been correlated with male mating success, i.e. larger males were more successful in achieving copulations both in laboratory and field conditions. In the present paper, we investigated if male body size is a sexually selected trait in competitive conditions, when full-sibs that developed at two different temperatures (18 and 25°C) competed for females. Males developed at a lower temperature were significantly larger than those reared at a higher temperature, but they were not more successful in mating. We conclude that when body size is significantly induced by temperature variability, it is not correlated with male mating success., Sofija Pavkovic-Lučic, Vladimir Kekic., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The Asian ladybird Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is regarded as an invasive species in many parts of the world. In a previous study we hypothesised that H. axyridis enters diapause at the end of October and then shifts to a quiescent state in December in northwestern Europe. In the present study we test this idea of a short, early period of diapause by sampling beetles from their hibernation sites immediately after their migratory flights in October, subsequently keeping them in outdoor cages, and then, after certain time-intervals, measuring the pre-oviposition time under optimal egg-laying laboratory conditions at 25°C. We did this at both short (12L) and long (16L) photoperiods, since a photoperiodic response is an indicator of true diapause, rather than quiescence. A significant, albeit small, difference in pre-oviposition period between the two photoperiods, which disappears in December, corroborates our earlier hypothesis that the ladybirds are in a state of diapause until mid-December. Compared with that of native ladybirds the diapause of H. axyridis generally is relatively short and weak; moreover, it appears to have become shorter over the last decade. This flexibility in diapausing behaviour may be an important factor that contributes to the invasive success of H. axyridis., C. Lidwien Raak-Van Den Berg ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seynam literatury