Lepidoptera rhopalocera in the area of the planned construction of the “Altai” gas pipeline

Long-term route surveys of butterflies revealed the species composition and distribution within the area of the planned construction of the “Altai” gas pipeline. The distribution of multispecific communities among the altitudinal belts was characterized. The definite finding localities of 99 species and quantitative assessment of their abundance were reported for the first time. The obtained estimates of butterfly abundance in the territory studied can serve as the basis for the “Biodiversity Damage Cost Estimation.” The cadastral data on the butterflies, obtained for the first time, may be used for further eco- and zoogeographic analysis.     

“Cardamine pratensis complex” in the Asian territory of the USSR

The taxonomy of the “Cardamine pratensis complex” in the Asian territory of the USSR is dealt with. After critical analysis of the materials stored in various herbaria in Leningrad (LE, LEU) and Moscow (MHA, MW) three species,C. nymanii Gand.,C. dentata Schult., andC. pratensis L. s. str. have been recognised pointing out their intraspecific variations and geographical distribution within the territory concerned.     

To the knowledge of the fauna of Microlepidoptera (Lepidoptera) of the “Curonian Spit” National Park. II

A list of 243 Microlepidoptera species found in the territory of the Curonian Spit (both in its Russian and Lithuanian parts), in addition to that in the first part of the present publication (Sinev and Shapoval, 2013), is given: Gelechiidae (33), Tortricidae (138), and Crambidae (72 species). 142 species have been collected in the territory of the “Kurshskaya Kosa” National Park, including 49 species new to the Curonian Spit, 30 species new to Kaliningrad Province and 3 species (Scrobipalpa obsoletella, Scrobipalpa pauperella, and Catoptria osthelderi) new to the fauna of Russia.     

Microsatellite variation and population structure in the “Refractario” cacao of Ecuador

Utilization of germplasm for crop improvement is often hampered by absence of information regarding origin, genetic identity and genealogical relationships of germplasm groups or populations. Molecular marker technology offers an efficient tool to verify or reconstruct passport data. Using a high-throughput genotyping system with 15 microsatellite loci, we fingerprinted 482 accessions in 48 putative half-sib families of Refractario cacao (a group of germplasm collected from nine farms in Ecuador). Based on the multilocus profiles, a Bayesian method for individual assignment was applied to verify membership in each half-sib family. Multivariate statistical analysis showed that the Refractario genetic profile was different from other groups tested, except for the “Nacional” cacao from the coastal valley of Ecuador. Hierarchical partitioning of genetic variance in the Refractario cacao showed that 76% of the variation was contributed by intra-family difference, whereas the inter-family and inter-farm difference accounted for 15 and 9% of total variance, respectively. All three sources of variation were highly significant (P < 0.01). Cluster and Principal Coordinates Analyses revealed a population sub-structure in Refractario, which was also highly heterozygous, suggesting hybridization derived from Nacional cacao and multiple other parental varieties, which all shared a similar genetic background. The improved understanding of identities and structure in Refractario cacao will contribute to more efficient conservation and use of this germplasm group in cacao breeding.     

“SIF” cells in the sympathetic ganglia of the bullfrog,Rana catesbeiana: variety in population and innervation

Summary Small intensely fluorescent (SIF) cells appeared singly or, more frequently, in variably-sized clusters in the sacroccygeal 8th and 9th sympathetic ganglia of the bullfrog. Smaller clusters containing only two to nine SIF cells accounted for 61% of 1773 clusters examined. The largest cluster contained 283 cells. The number of cells in individual ganglia also varied from 21 to 3332. SIF cells, solitary as well as in smaller clusters, received no distinct form of the synaptic contact. In contrast, the cells in larger clusters were frequently innervated by nerve endings that were similar in vesicular constitution to the nerve endings on principal ganglion (PG) cells. No synaptic contact was found between SIF cells and PG cells. SIF cells were also characterized by their location in the vicinity of blood capillaries with a continuous endothelium. p]Our observation seems to suggest that larger clusters of SIF cells receiving nerve endings are linked to a paracrine and/or endocrine system. Chemical influence via the blood stream and intraganglionic milieu for non-innervated SIF cells in the solitary or smaller clusters is a subject for speculation. An interneuronal role of SIF cells to relay stimuli to PG cells seems unlikely. The possible functions here assigned to SIF cells could be variable in efficiency depending on their population and density.     

To the knowledge of the fauna of Microlepidoptera of the “Kurshskaya Kosa” National Park: I

A list of 212 Microlepidoptera species found in the territory of the Curonian Spit (both in its Russian and Lithuanian parts) is given: Micropterigidae (1), Eriocraniidae (1), Nepticulidae (16), Opostegidae (1), Heliozelidae (1), Adelidae (3), Prodoxidae (2), Incurvariidae (2), Tineidae (8), Psychidae (1), Douglasiidae (2), Bucculatricidae (3), Gracillariidae (26), Yponomeutidae (12), Plutellidae (3), Acrolepiidae (2), Glyphipterigidae (3), Lyonetiidae (1), Ethmiidae (1), Depressariidae (12), Elachistidae (20), Chimabachidae (1), Oecophoridae (9), Stathmopodidae (1), Batrachedridae (2), Coleophoridae (25), Momphidae (3), Blastobasidae (2), Cosmopterigidae (3), Choreutidae (1), Schreckensteiniidae (1), Epermeniidae (1), Alucitidae (1), Pterophoridae (7) and Pyralidae (35 species). 113 species of 24 families have been collected in the territory of the “Kurshskaya Kosa” National Park, including 45 species new to the Curonian Spit and 32 species new to Kaliningrad Province.     

An earliest Givetian “Lilliput Effect” in the Paraná Basin,and the collapse of the Malvinokaffric shelly fauna

An earliest Givetian “Lilliput Effect” at Sítio Wolff and São Bento in the Paraná Basin occurred after an extinction event, possibly related to the latest Eifelian KA?ÁK Event. The Malvinokaffric fauna was reduced from 65 genera before the extinction event to eight genera after the event. However, the abundance of the individual taxa is high. The size reduction of the surviving taxa was up to 90%. The palynomorphs during the extinction and post-extinction (“Lilliput Effect”) events are scarce. Normal palynomorph abundance and diversity is restored later in the early Givetian immediately after the post-extinction event. The relictual fauna in the beds with the “Lilliput Effect” at Sítio Wolff and São Bento constitute the last survivors of the classical Malvinokaffric shelly fauna in the Paraná Basin, and are at these sites mixed with immigrants and alien elements (e.g. orthoconic nautiloids).     

Peculiarities of distribution of cystathionine β-synthase in the crustacean brain

By using immunocytochemical method, distribution of cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) was studied in the brain of five crustacean species of the subclass Malacostraca belonging to orders Stomatopoda and Decapoda that have different biological-ecological characteristics. Both similar regularities and differences in distribution of CBS-positive neurons were revealed in homologous brain parts. It is established that differences in the quantitative content of CBS-immunoreactive neurons in the brain of the studied Crustaceans can be due not only to their taxonomic positions, but also to peculiarities of their ecology.     

Composition of the fauna and the communities’ structure of the Cicadina (Homoptera) in the lowland Trans-Volga woodlands

179 species of 7 families of the Cicadina were found in the lowland Trans-Volga woodlands within Nizhniy Novgorod Province, the Republic of Mari El, and Chuvashia. Thirty-tree commonest species were distinguished, and their abundance was compared. Comparison of the species composition of the Cicadina complexes in the model biotopes has shown the greatest similarity between the complexes in the birch forests and spruce forests.     

Island area and species diversity in the southwest Pacific Ocean: is the lizard fauna of Vanuatu depauperate?

One island group suggested to be an exception to the species–area Relationship is the Vanuatu Archipelago, a group of 13 large and 80 small islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean. To test the hypothesis that the lizard fauna of the Vanuatu Archipelago does not meet the predictions of the species-area relationship, and thus is depauperate, we compare diversity among several island groups in the southwest Pacific: Fiji, the Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu. We found that the lizard diversity of Vanuatu meets the pattern of diversity predicted by the species-area relationship. The Solomon Islands, the largest and least isolated oceanic archipelago considered, has the greatest species diversity and endemism of the oceanic islands. Inclusion or exclusion of island groups based on factors such as geologic history or faunal source affects the strength of the relationship between diversity, area, and history of emergence, and influences perceptions of diversity within individual archipelagos. In addition to island size, factors such evolutionary time scale, speciation, and archipelago complexity influence species richness on islands.     

Simulation of the effects of Acanthaster planci on the population structure of massive corals in the genus Porites: evidence of population resilience?

Scleractinian corals in the genus Porites are slow growing, can live for centuries, and can attain great size. In these respects they differ from the majority of coral species, which grow faster and live for years to decades. The predatory starfish Acanthaster planci L. feeds on a wide range of coral species including Porites spp., and during outbreaks in its populations, causes high coral mortality and injury over much of the affected reefs. Because they are slow growing and because recent outbreaks of the starfish occurred only 15 years apart, it may be argued that the Porites populations on affected reefs will be sent into a period of prolonged decline. The present study uses a size stage model of the transition matrix type to predict effects of starfish outbreaks of various frequencies on Porites populations. A transition matrix characterizing the mortality and injury caused in different Porites size classes at John Brewer Reef during an outbreak year was determined from field data. Transition matrices for non-outbreak years were constructed on the basis of realistic growth rates and postulated survivorship and recruitment schedules. The medium term (100 years) effects of outbreaks were simulated by alternation of a single iteration of the outbreak matrix with many iterations of each non-outbreak matrix. By varying the interval between simulated outbreaks it was possible to define combinations of growth rate, survivorship and recruitment which were viable for various outbreak intervals. Simulations based on estimates of the initial size frequency distribution, recruitment rates and colony growth rates for the John Brewer Reef population predicted that the population would remain viable in the face of outbreaks every 15 years only if juvenile and adult survivorship were high. However, within the range of colony growth rates known to occur throughout the Great Barrier Reef and at recruitment rates of the same order as those estimated in the field population, it appears that a much wider range of survivorship schedules could lead to parity or even sustained growth in the face of outbreaks recurring at intervals of from 1 to 3 decades. It is suggested that because the key measurable parameters (initial size structure, damage characteristics, recruitment rate and growth rate) are likely to be very patchy at the scale of whole reefs, no general statement concerning the prognosis for Porites would be meaningful. However the model provides a tool by which a standardized evaluation of this type of field data may be made on a reef by reef basis.     

Deterministic chaоs and the problem of predictability in population dynamics

The studies of the processes that can significantly influence the predictability in population dynamics are reviewed and the results of mathematical simulations of population dynamics are compared to the time series obtained in field observations. Considerable attention is given to the chaotic changes in population abundance. Some methods of numerical analysis of chaoticity and predictability of the time series are considered. The importance of comparing the results of mathematical simulation and observation data is tightly linked to problems in detecting chaos in the dynamics of natural populations and estimating the prevalence of chaotic regimes in nature. Insight into these problems can allow identification of the functional role of chaotic regimes in population dynamics.     

Molecular screening and fetal diagnosis of β-thalassemia in the Italian population

Summary This paper reports our experience of molecular screening and fetal diagnosis of -thalassemia in 457 at risk couples of Italian descent. Molecular screening was carried out by dot blot analysis on amplified DNA with oligonucleotide probes complementary to the eight most common mutations in Italians [39 (CT); 6 (-A); ⁺-87 (CG); ⁺ IVSI nt 110 (GA); IVSI nt 1 (GA); ⁺ IVSI nt 6 (TC); IVSII nt 1 (GA); ⁺ IVSII nt 745 (CG)]. By using this approach, we have been able to define the mutation in 92.8% of cases. The rest (all but four) were defined by direct sequencing and this led to the detection of nine rare mutations [76 (-C); ⁺ IVSI nt 5 (GA); ⁺ IVSI nt 5 (GC); ⁺ IVSI -1 (cod 30) (GC); ⁺-87 (CT), -290 bp del.; ⁺-101 (CT)], and to the characterization of a novel mutation consisting of the deletion of the G at the invariant AG of the IVSII splice acceptor site of the -globin gene ( IVSII nt 850-1 bp). In the remaining four cases, the -globin gene showed entirely normal sequences and the -globin gene cluster was intact, as indicated by Southern blot analysis. Fetal diagnosis was carried out by dot blot analysis with the oligonucleotide probes defined in the parents. The procedure is simple and reliable, and the results can be obtained within 1 week of sampling. No misdiagnosis has so far occurred. The results indicate that fetal diagnosis of -thalassemia by DNA analysis may be obtained in practically all cases (even in a population showing marked heterogeneity of -thalassemia) by the combination of dot blot analysis for detecting common mutations, and direct sequencing for defining those that are uncommon.