High efficiency protocol of DNA extraction from Micromys minutus mandibles from owl pellets: a tool for molecular research of cryptic mammal species

Owl pellets have high potential as a source of DNA. However, this noninvasive method of collecting DNA is rarely used, and its methodological aspects are poorly understood. We investigated the methodology for DNA extraction and amplification from owl pellets containing the smallest European rodent—the Harvest mouse Micromys minutus—as an example. We used mandibles identified in owl pellets for mitochondrial and nuclear DNA amplification. For DNA extraction, we tested two commercial protocols and utilized a protocol being a combination of two commercial kits which ensured high efficiency of DNA extraction. Additionally, we recorded that the amount of DNA was five times higher in extracts from teeth as compared to DNA extracts from jawbones derived from the same mandible. The quantity of DNA was significantly positively correlated with biological sample weight; however, the age of the pellet remains had an impact on the level of inhibition. We recorded inhibition in 40 % of mtDNA extracts derived from pellets older than 150 months, whereas in DNA extracts from pellets younger than 80 months, we did not observe a negative impact of inhibition on PCR efficiency. The amplification success rate was 89.9 % for the mitochondrial fragment and 39.4 % in the case of the nuclear fragment. We observed partial degradation of DNA evidenced by the fact that the longest fragments that we were able to amplify in the case of mtDNA were 450 and 200 bp for nuDNA. The study shows that pellets can be considered as a source of DNA and have high potential for molecular research in the case of threatened species and species that are difficult to study using standard field techniques.     

Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) decline after the expansion of American mink (Neovison vison) in Poland

Field survey data in Central Poland revealed that the proportion of sites inhabited by muskrats decreased from 44% to 7% over one decade. This corresponded to the decline in hunting bags of muskrat over the whole of Poland. The largest hunting harvest of muskrat was recorded in 1987/1988 (66,416 individuals), the smallest in 2007/2008 (4,567 individuals). The decline in hunting bags occurred in all regions analysed; however, it was most rapid in the north and north-east. Before the expansion of mink, which started in northern Poland at the beginning of the 1980s, muskrat densities in particular regions depended on the availability of aquatic habitats. A comparison of hunting bags of muskrat and American mink in years 2002–2008 indicated a significant negative correlation between the numbers of these two species harvested in seven regions of Poland. The negative correlation between numbers of muskrat and mink suggests that mink predation is one of the most important factors in the decline of the muskrat population in Poland.     

A new genus of African Acrometopini (Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae) based on morphology,chromosomes, acoustics,distribution, and molecular data,and the description of a new species

A new genus, Altihoratosphaga, is erected for species formerly assigned to Horatosphaga Schaum, 1853, and a new species is described. Four species are included in Altihoratosphaga: Altihoratosphaga nomima (Karsch, 1896), Altihoratosphaga montivaga ( Sjöstedt, 1909 ), Altihoratosphaga nou (Hemp, 2007) and Altihoratosphaga hanangensis sp. nov. All four species are restricted to Tanzanian localities, and, except for A. nomima, for which no ecological data are available, are confined to montane forest habitats. Data on ecology, acoustics, chromosomes, and molecular relationships are provided, as well as a key to Altihoratosphaga species. The present‐day distribution of Altihoratosphaga species suggests former migration events at times when wetter and colder climatic fluctuations favoured connections between montane forest communities, which today are isolated, enabling flightless taxa such as Altihoratosphaga and Monticolaria to spread. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 158 , 66–82.     

Nematophagous fungus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Paecilomyces lilacinus</Emphasis> (Thom) Samson is also a biological agent for control of greenhouse insects and mite pests

Pathogenicity of nematophagous fungus Paecilomyces lilacinus (Thom) Samson in control of the most destructive greenhouse pests such as: greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum, glasshouse red spider mite, Tetranychus urticae, the cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii and western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis was examined in laboratory and pot experiments. The fungus showed the greatest efficacy in controlling winged and wingless forms of the cotton aphid. The cotton aphid’s population was almost totally eliminated. In controlling the greenhouse whitefly, P. lilacinus was most successful when applied against nymphal growth stages (L₃-L₄). Control of the western flower thrips was most efficient against prepupal and pupal stages when the fungus was applied as a water spore suspension to the soil. When the fungus was applied at temperatures below 10 °C, it was able to reduce a glasshouse red spider mite population by 60%.     

植被覆盖度对夏季降温效应的影响——以内蒙古为例

随着全球变暖的加剧,区域热环境问题日益凸显,植被的降温作用逐渐得到广泛关注。目前已有的研究多从样地尺度分析不同类型植被的降温效应。而区域尺度的研究多从定性的角度揭示地表温度与植被覆盖的关系,对评估植被的实际降温效应具有一定的局限性。以内蒙古为研究区,以MODIS地表温度数据为基础,采用近邻分析法,将森林、灌丛和草地的MODIS地表温度与相邻5km范围内的低覆盖地表作为对照,分析植被的降温效应以及植被覆盖度对降温效应的影响。从2015年7月地表温度平均值的结果来看,降温度数在蒙东、蒙中和蒙甘区均呈现森林>灌丛>草地。森林的降温范围在0.67-1.03℃,灌丛为0.60-0.95℃,草地为0.47-0.86℃。植被降温度数与植被覆盖度的回归拟合为对数分布,均呈显著正相关（P<0.01）。且在不同的植被覆盖度范围内植被降温效应具有显著差异,植被覆盖度水平较低时（<40%）,植被覆盖度的增加能更显著地降低地表温度。从整体来看,植被覆盖度每增加10%,森林降温0.12-0.39℃;灌丛降温0.1-0.2℃;草地降温0.049-0.075℃。综上,内蒙古作为全球气候变化最为敏感的区域之一,研究植被的夏季降温效应能够为内蒙古的气候调节服务评估提供重要的理论支撑及案例参考。