Origin and genetic structure of white-tailed sea eagles (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Haliaeetus albicilla</Emphasis>) in the Czech Republic: an analysis of breeding distribution,ringing data and DNA microsatellites

The population of white-tailed sea eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) in the Czech Republic declined dramatically during the twentieth century. None were observed in the area for more than 60 years until population recoveries were observed beginning in the 1980s. It is currently estimated that 25–30 breeding pairs of white-tailed sea eagles nest in the Czech Republic. This article analyses surveillance data from three periods between 1973 and 2003 on the occurrence and nesting of white-tailed sea eagles in the Czech Republic. We investigated recolonization of European white-tailed sea eagles in the Czech Republic in terms of migration patterns and population structures. Bird ringing data suggest the Czech population may be recovered from various areas encompassing northern Europe. Using data collected by DNA microsatellite, no population structure was revealed through Bayesian and cluster analyses with an existing Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, which suggests mixed panmictic populations of white-tailed sea eagles in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. While analysis of genetic diversity showed no difference between recovered populations in the southeastern Czech Republic and those persisting in Slovakia, there was genetic diversity between eagles of the southeastern subpopulation and eagles in other parts of the Czech Republic. Taken together, these observations on the population structure of white-tailed sea eagles in the Czech Republic imply that other European birds contributed to the recovery of the Czech population, likely through breeding mixture with an identifiable centre in the southeastern Czech Republic.     

New information on the invasive to Europe aphid species <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brachycaudus divaricatae</Emphasis> Shaposhnikov, 1956 (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Brachycaudus divaricatae (Hemiptera: Aphididae), a recent invader to Europe, has already reached Czech Republic. Partial sequences of mitochondrial COI and nuclear EF-1α genes have been analysed across the sixteen Czech samples of B. divaricatae, together with morphometric analysis of the same samples based on eighteen morphological characters of the apterous viviparous females. For comparative studies, thirteen samples from the Eastern Baltic region of Europe (Latvia, Lithuania and Poland) were used. All sampled populations appeared similar in their genetic and morphological characters studied. One haplotype of mitochondrial COI gene was predominant; it was characteristic for all samples from Czech Republic and 8 out of 13 samples from Eastern Baltic region. Two other haplotypes were found in the Eastern Baltic region only. Four different haplotypes of EF-1α gene were detected. Most of the samples (except one sample from the Eastern Baltic region and two samples from Czech Republic) had the same haplotype. Out of remaining three haplotypes, one was unique for the Eastern Baltic region, whilst two were found in Czech Republic only. For the present, Moravia is the southernmost region in Europe, where B. divaricatae has been already reported. Presumably, this invasive aphid species has entered the Czech Republic from the north via the Moravian Gate, a natural pass formed by the depression between the Western Carpathians and Eastern Sudetes.     

Aster Yellows Subgroup 16SrI‐C Phytoplasma in Rhododendron hybridum

Symptoms of unknown aetiology on Rhododendron hybridum cv. Cunningham's White were observed in the Czech Republic in 2010. The infected plant had malformed leaves, with irregular shaped edges, mosaic, leaf tip necrosis and multiple axillary shoots with smaller leaves. Transmission electron microscopy showed phytoplasma‐like bodies in phloem cells of the symptomatic plant. Phytoplasma presence was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction using phytoplasma‐specific, universal and group‐specific primer pairs. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of 16S rDNA enabled classification of the detected phytoplasma into the aster yellows subgroup I‐C. Sequence analysis of the 16S‐23S ribosomal operon of the amplified phytoplasma genome from the infected rhododendron plant (1724 bp) confirmed the closest relationship with the Czech Echinacea purpurea phyllody phytoplasma. These data suggest Rhododendron hybridum is a new host for the aster yellows phytoplasma subgroup 16SrI‐C in the Czech Republic and worldwide.     

The spread of non-native <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cepaea nemoralis</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Monacha cartusiana</Emphasis> (Gastropoda: Pulmonata) in the Czech Republic with comments on other land snail immigrants

The aim of our study is to describe and visualise the spread of two non-indigenous land snail species Cepaea nemoralis and Monacha cartusiana in the Czech Republic during more than 100 years period. Several factors play an important role in changes of the distribution of these species: ecological (climate change), ethological (passive dispersal potencial) and economic (increasing traffic as a vector of spreading). The spreading of M. cartusiana has a rapidly increasing trend. More than half sites in the Czech Republic were colonised by this species in 2000–2010. While the spread of C. nemoralis has been continuous during the last century, the rapid range extension was recorded in the last two decades.     

Semi‐dry grasslands along a climatic gradient across Central Europe: Vegetation classification with validation

Question: What is the variation in species composition of Central European semi‐dry grasslands? Can we apply a training‐and‐test validation approach for identifying phytosociological associations which are floristically well defined in a broad geographic comparison; can we separate them from earlier described associations with only a local validity? Location: A 1200 km long transect running along a gradient of increasing continentality from central Germany via Czech Republic, Slovakia, NE Austria, Hungary to NW Romania. Methods: Relevés with > 25% cover of Brachypodium pin‐natum and/or Bromus erectus were geographically selected from a larger database. They were randomly split into two data sets, TRAINING and TEST, each with 422 relevés. Cluster analysis was performed for each data set on scores from significant principal coordinates. Different partitions of the TRAINING data set were validated on the TEST data set, using a new method based on the comparison of % frequencies of species occurrence in clusters. Clusters were characterized by statistically defined groups of diagnostic species and values of climatic variables. Results: Species composition changed along the NW‐SE gradient and valid clusters were geographically well separated. Optimal partition level was at 11 clusters, six being valid: two clusters Germany and the Czech Republic corresponded to the Bromion erecti; two clusters from the Czech Republic and Hungary to the Cirsio‐Brachypodion, and two clusters were transitional between these two alliances. Conclusion: The training‐and‐test validation method used in this paper proved to be efficient for discriminating between robust clusters, which are appropriate candidates for inclusion in the national or regional syntaxonomic overviews, and weak clusters, which are specific to the particular classification of the given data set.     

Avipoxvirus in great tits (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Parus major</Emphasis>)

A total of six cases and 37 suspect cases of skin avipoxvirus infection in great tits (Parus major) have been described in central Europe since 2005. Most of the cases were diagnosed during the winter season, from October to March. Analyses of the 4b core protein gene showed identical or almost identical DNA sequence in six isolates (one from Austria, three from Hungary, and two from Czech Republic). A morphogenesis of the avipoxvirus including a constitution of acidophilic-type inclusions (ATIs) was documented by electron microscopy in cells from lesions on great tits found in Czech Republic. Moreover, the ATI body protein gene was demonstrated using polymerase chain reaction in the isolate that caused ATIs. A number of new cases of poxvirus infection in great tits have emerged in central Europe since 2005, and the reason for this sudden increase remains unknown.     

A new species of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trichina</Emphasis> (Diptera: Hybotidae) with a key to European species

Trichina thaya sp. n. (Diptera: Hybotidae) from the Czech Republic is described and illustrated. Key to European species of the genus Trichina is provided.     

Formalized classification of the vegetation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Abies alba</Emphasis>-dominated forests in the Czech Republic

A phytosociological classification of silver fir (Abies alba) forests in the Czech Republic was carried out using the Braun-Blanquet approach. It is based on the formalized and supervised Cocktail classification method. The definitions of associations were created by combinations of sociological species groups using logical operators. Dominance of single species was included in the definitions of associations. All relevés with at least 50% cover of silver fir in tree layer available from the Czech Republic were used for analysis. Three associations within two classes were distinguished. Vaccinio vitis-idaeae-Abietetum albae (Vaccinio-Piceetea, Piceion excelsae) is an oligotrophic, species-poor spruce-pine-fir forest dominated by Vaccinium myrtillus in the herb layer occurring mostly on podzols. Luzulo-Abietetum albae (Querco-Fagetea, Luzulo-Fagion) is an oligo-mesotrophic spruce-fir forest characterized by the dominance of graminoids (Luzula luzuloides, Calamagrostis arundinacea) in the herb layer. It occurs especially on cambisols. Nutrient-demanding species are typical of the stands of herb-rich mesotrophic Galio rotundifolii-Abietetum albae (Querco-Fagetea, Fagion sylvaticae, Galio rotundifolii-Abietenion) that occurs also mostly on cambisols. Soil nutrients and soil reaction (represented by Ellenberg indicator values) were determined as the most important ecological gradients affecting the variation of the vegetation in these communities.     

The updated check list of Dolichopodidae (Diptera) of the Czech Republic and Slovakia: Background information,data and considerations

The 1997 check list of Dolichopodidae of the Czech Republic and Slovakia has recently been reviewed and updated. The new species list includes 346 species with 22 species added as new to the fauna of the Czech Republic. While the check list itself is published elsewhere, largely unpublished new records of Hercostomus argentifrons, H. nigrilamellatus, Medetera adjaniae, M. melancholica and M. setiventris are presented here, together with data on their distribution in Europe and their biology and ecology. The status of the newly added Sympycnus desoutteri is discussed. H. argentifrons is recorded here for the first time from the Czech Republic (Bohemia; Moravia) and background information is given on its discovery. While the Czech fauna with 324 species can be considered well known, the fauna of Slovakia is definitely much richer than its current national list of 217 species suggests. In the latter country, in particular surveys of sandy habitats with heathland or peatmoor, saltmarshes, reedmarshes, humid forests on loamy soils, and of rothole and saprun microhabitats on trees might quickly yield new species records.     

Nest defence in the meadow pipit <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anthus pratensis</Emphasis>: the influence of renesting potential

The reproductive value hypothesis predicts that the level of nest defence is determined by the expected chance of offspring to survive until reproduction, and by the reproductive potential of the parents. Rates of survival from one breeding season to the next are low in small passerines, and their residual reproductive potential strongly declines as the current breeding season terminates. Therefore, we can expect that parents which have only one breeding attempt per season should defend their nests more intensively than parents with a possibility to renest. We studied nest defence in populations of meadow pipit (Anthus pratensis) breeding in Norway and the Czech Republic, differing in renesting potential. To simulate the threat from a predator, we placed a stuffed stoat (Mustela erminea) first 5 m and then 1 m away from a nest with nestlings. Parents increased or kept nest defence constant when the stoat approached their nests in Norway and, during a breeding season shortened by severe weather, in the Czech Republic (when renesting potential was limited). Parents decreased nest defence when the stoat approached the nest during “normal” breeding seasons in the Czech Republic (when renesting was common). These findings give support to the reproductive value hypothesis.     

Ecology of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Leuctra geniculata</Emphasis> (Plecoptera: Leuctridae), an atlantomediterranean species on the north-eastern border of its area

The first records of Leuctra geniculata Stephens, 1836 in the north-eastern border of its area (the Czech Republic) are presented and an overview of references, synonyms and distribution of the species is given. The ecological preferences of the species, supported by chemical and hydromorphological parameters, are defined. Probable dissemination paths into the Czech Republic and the supposed life cycle of the species are discussed. Photographs of morphological characters, SEM photos of eggs, associated macroinvertebrate assemblages (EPT taxa) and maps of distribution are included.     

First Report of a 16SrI‐C Phytoplasma Infecting Celery (Apium graveolens) with Stunting,Bushy Top and Phyllody in the Czech Republic

Apium graveolens L. plants showing stunting, purplish/whitening of new leaves, flower abnormalities and bushy tops were observed in South Bohemia (Czech Republic) during 2011 and 2012. Transmission electron microscopy observations showed phytoplasmas in phloem sieve tube elements of symptomatic but not healthy plants. Polymerase chain reactions with universal and group‐specific phytoplasma primers followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses and sequencing of 16S rDNA enabled classification of the detected phytoplasmas into the aster yellows group, ribosomal subgroup 16SrI‐C. Identical analyses of the ribosomal protein genes rpl22 and rps3 were used for further classification and revealed affiliation of the phytoplasmas with the rpIC subgroups. This is the first report of naturally occurring clover phyllody phytoplasma in A. graveolens in both the Czech Republic and worldwide.     

Late Pleistocene hyena skeleton remains of a communal/prey depot cave den in the Bohemian Mountains (Czech Republic) – its osteology,taphonomy and palaeoecology

A total of 366 bones are arranged to six incomplete individual skeletons (=MNI) of different age classes and taphonomic preservation from the Late Pleistocene Crocuta crocuta spelaea (Goldfuss 1823) hyena den Srbsko Chlum–Komín Cave, Czech Republic, Bohemian Mountains (Central Europe). The hyena assemblage counts no siblings, 37% cub, 33% early adult/subadult and 30% adult/senile individuals. A senile scavenged individual demonstrates the cannibalism within the cave. About 10% of the 3569 megafauna bones are from hyenas which larger amounts are typical at communal/prey depot den sites. This site is different to three other larger natal/birth and communal or prey depot hyena den cave sites in Czech Republic. The Chlum–Komín Cave hyena prey bone assemblage (=NISP) consists, similar as at two other Czech Republic sites, mainly of Equus ferus przewalskii (50%), including pregnant females being hunted in spring/early summer. The fewer amounts of Coelodonta antiquitatis (4%), Bison priscus (2%), Rangifer tarandus (15%), and alpine Rupicapra rupicapra (2%) or Capra ibex (1%) and the absence of mammoth correlate to hyena den bone assemblages in middle high elevated mountain regions of northern/central Europe. The rareness of cave bears in the Bohemian Mountains, on which hyenas specialized to feed additionally in European mountain regions, explains predominant predation on horses.     

Radiocesium in mushrooms from selected locations in the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic

In this paper, activity concentrations of radiocesium in mushrooms from various locations in the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic in the years 2000–2004 are presented. Summary reports of Czech regulatory bodies have judged the average activity concentrations in mushrooms to be remarkably below the maximum permissible level of contamination. However, there are certain regions where radiocesium activities have approached the maximum permissible level for contamination of basic foodstuff. For example, the highest activity concentration of ¹³⁷Cs measured by gamma-spectrometry was 2,263 Bq kg⁻¹ (on a dry mass basis), in Xerocomus badius from Staré Ransko (a locality in the Czech-Moravian Highlands, Czech Republic). The highest activity concentration of ¹³⁷Cs measured in Slovakia was 966 Bq kg⁻¹ (on a dry mass basis), for Suillus luteus from Senica. For comparison, the corresponding activity concentration in a sample taken within the 30 km zone around Chernobyl was measured to be 6,000 Bq kg⁻¹ (on a dry mass basis). Our results have also demonstrated remarkably lower activity concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs in Slovakia compared to those in the Czech Republic.     

Mark–recapture on large spatial scale reveals long distance dispersal in the Marsh Fritillary,Euphydryas aurinia

1. Long distance dispersal (LDD), or movements far beyond the occupied habitat borders, maintains the integrity of metapopulations in fragmented landscapes. Recent studies on butterflies increasingly reveal that LDD exists even in species that were long regarded as sedentary. Mark–recapture (MR) studies covering larger study areas typically reveal movements among distant colonies. 2. We studied dispersal of the EU‐protected, regionally endangered Euphydryas aurinia Rottemburg butterfly in the Czech Republic, using two complementary MR approaches. The single system study was carried out for eight seasons within 30 habitat patches covering 28 ha. The multiple populations study was carried out for a single season, but covering almost all Czech colonies of the species (82 colonies, 110 distinct patches, total area 324 ha within ca 1500 km²). 3. Single system mean lifetime movements were consistently higher for males, but slopes of dispersal kernel power functions were shallower for females, implying that higher proportions of females crossed distances of several kilometres. 4. The multiple populations study allowed detection of 51 lifetime movements exceeding 5 km (41 males, 10 females) and 14 movements exceeding 10 km (13 males, 1 female). Both mean lifetime movements and slopes of the dispersal kernels varied among systems, with no consistent pattern between sexes. All Czech Republic populations are within 0.1% movement probability of both sexes, whereas 1% movement probability delimits three separate management units. 5. Dispersal predictions from local data underestimate total mobility, warning against the use of local MR data for extrapolating long‐distance movements. Local dispersal data, however, remain useful for analysing finer details of insect mobility.     

A new lobster <Emphasis Type="Italic">Paraclytia valashtensis</Emphasis> (Crustacea,Decapoda, Nephropidae) from the Late Cretaceous of the central Alborz Range,Iran

A new species of Late Cretaceous clawed lobster, Paraclytia valashtensis, is described. The discovery is a notable addition to the sparse decapod fossil record of Iran, and this is the first record of the genus outside central Europe. The four previously known species of Paraclytia are from Germany and the Czech Republic, so this discovery represents a significant expansion of the palaeogeographic range of the genus.     

Changes in distribution and substrate preferences of selected threatened lichens in the Czech Republic

The distribution and ecology of four threatened lichens in the Czech Republic, Evernia mesomorpha, Hyperphyscia adglutinata, Hypotrachyna revoluta and Parmotrema perlatum, have been studied. All species are mainly epiphytic, but recent records from the Czech Republic are largely from siliceous rocks in river/brook valleys. Changes in distribution and substrate preferences are documented and discussed.     

Pupilla pratensis (Gastropoda: Pupillidae) in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and its distinction from P. muscorum and P. alpicola based on multidimensional analysis of shell measurements

Pupilla pratensis (Clessin, 1871) was recently confirmed as a distinct species based on morphological, ecological and molecular evidence. The main purpose of this study is to publish the first reliable data on the occurrence of P. pratensis in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The second goal is to analyse conchometry of P. pratensis, P. muscorum (L., 1758), and P. alpicola (Charpentier, 1837) to find out whether it is possible to reliably distinguish these species solely based on shell measurements. For multidimensional analysis of shell measurement variation we used principal components analysis (PCA). We documented six populations of P. pratensis in the Czech Republic and one in SW Slovakia. The revision of voucher material showed that all previously reported records of P. alpicola from the Czech Republic belonged in fact to P. pratensis. This requires the exclusion of P. alpicola from the list of Czech molluscs. Based on multidimensional analysis of shell measurements it was possible to distinguish P. pratensis from P. muscorum with no overlapping specimens. Pupilla alpicola was almost completely different from P. muscorum with only few overlapping specimens, contrary to P. pratensis which was mostly impossible to distinguish from P. alpicola based on analysed shell measurements. Shell width was the best single shell measurement for distinguishing P. pratensis and P. muscorum. Shell measurements of two Swedish populations of P. pratensis did not differ from shell variation of Czech and Slovak populations. However, Scandinavian populations displayed some differences from central European populations in apertural barriers which are discussed in detail. Czech and Slovak populations of P. pratensis occurred in calcium-rich fen meadows which perfectly matches with site characteristics reported from Scandinavia. We assume that the observed morphometric differences between P. pratensis and P. muscorum can be useful for distinguishing the species also outside the Czech territory and for palaeoecological studies where only empty shells are available. Since these species occupy ecologically different habitats their reliable identification in fossil material can improve the reconstructions of past environments.     

New distributional data and an updated and commented list of Czech and Slovak Sarcophagidae (Diptera)

Based on a revision of large recent collections housed by Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Masaryk University, Brno, and in the private collection of Yu. Verves (Kyiv, Ukraine), new distributional data and an updated and commented list of Czech and Slovak Sarcophagidae are presented. The following six species are firstly recorded from the Czech Republic: Macronychia (s. str.) substriginervis Verves & Khrokalo, 2006, Paragusia multipunctata (Rondani, 1859), Oebalia praeclusa (Pandellé, 1895), Nyctia lugubris (Macquart, 1843), Blaesoxipha dupuisi Léonide & Léonide, 1973, and B. grylloctona Loew, 1861. As a result, 143 species of the family Sarcophagidae are currently known from the Czech Republic (109 from Bohemia and 129 from Moravia), and 131 species are known from Slovakia.     

Contribution to the occurrence and former distribution of Tephroseris palustris (Compositae) in the Central Europe

Tephroseris palustris (syn. Senecio palustris) is a circumboreal species with large distribution range. The European part of the recent distribution area extends southwards to central France, Germany, Poland, and Ukraine, while in Great Britain, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania, T. palustris has been treated as extinct species. The southern boundary of its distribution in Poland does not reach the Carpathian territory. Herbarium specimens, formerly collected in Czech Republic, were found, however, all Czech localities are extinct. No herbarium specimens confirming the old literature data from Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania have been found. Some herbarium specimens coming from this area, and declared as T. palustris (S. palustris), in fact, refer to Senecio paludosus L. Contrary to previous nomenclature review (Jeffrey & Chen 1984), the name Tephroseris palustris (L.) Rchb. seems to be correct (Reichenbach Fl. Saxon.: 146, 1842).