Long-termed changes in ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) assemblages in a field treated by organic fertilizers

In 2001–2006, ground beetles were pitfall-trapped in a temperate lowland area of South Slovakia in an experimental field divided in five plots fertilized by four different doses of manure or biosludge (25 t stable manure ha⁻¹, 50 t biosludge ha⁻¹, 50 t stable manure ha⁻¹, 100 t biosludge ha⁻¹ and without fertilization). The field was subsequently sown by spring barley, sugar beat, maize, sunflower, sugar beat and maize. The ground beetle assemblage consisted of 31 species, but only five species predominated: Pseudoophonus rufipes representing 82.6% of individuals and five species (Poecilus cupreus, Carabus scheidleri, Calathus fuscipes, Trechus quadristriatus, Pterostichus melanarius, Anchomenus dorsalis, Dolichus halensis) representing together 14.5% of individuals. Pseudophonus rufipes represented 81.7% of dry biomass and three species (Carabus scheidleri, Poecilus cupreus Pterostichus melanarius) 15.9% of biomass. There was no significant influence of organic fertilizing on assemblage structure. During the investigation, the number of individuals and their biomass increased in all plots until 2003 and than dropped to the starting values. The culmination of 2003 was preceded by a warmer and more humid season in 2002. After a cold and dry season of 2003 abundance decreased approximately to starting values. Simultaneously, the local maxima and minima of occurrence of ground beetles in individual plots shifted independently on the doses of organic material. At the same time, number of occurring species slightly decreased. The observed changes obviously represent part of long-termed fluctuations in wider surroundings.     

Hip bone morphometrics of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from Adriatic Sea: Sex determination and postnatal development

Bones are frequently the only cetacean samples available in the wild and may be useful for determination of sex, physical maturity, body length, and body mass. We analyzed the postnatal morphological development and morphometric characteristics of the cleaned and dried, paired hip bone (os coxae) from 131 bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, (61 females, 70 males; total body length 117–322 cm) ranging in age from neonates to 28 yr, salvaged from Croatian waters of the eastern Adriatic Sea. Adult dolphins exhibited sexual dimorphism in their hip bone morphology and morphometrics: fully‐formed hip bones from males were significantly longer, heavier, and more robust than those from females. Moreover, the fully formed hip bone from males featured a prominent bony tuberosity protruding dorsolaterally from the caudal half that was significantly wider and higher than in females. Morphometric measurements were used to generate classification functions for reliable sex determination (97%). In addition, hip bone length in both sexes correlated tightly with total body length, allowing one measurement to be calculated from the other. Only a single ossification developed in all hip bones although soft tissue attachments and comparative review suggests homological equivalence with the tripartite terrestrial mammal hip bone.     

Variation in the diet of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in mountain habitats: Effects of altitude and season

The diet of red fox was studied on the basis of faecal analysis (2242 specimens) in mountain habitats. Three different areas of the ?umava Mts. (SW Bohemia, Czech Republic) were examined during the growing and non-growing seasons in 1998–2008. Related taxa were pooled, merging similar items into 17 groups for subsequent analysis. Patterns of food composition were interpreted using Principal Component Analysis. The diet of the red fox in mountain habitats comprises a broad spectrum of items, including big ungulates (the red fox makes use of carcass), other vertebrates, various invertebrate species, fruits, and also indigestible items. Principal components reflected the seasonal pattern in food composition (56.7% of variation in taxonomic groups among the areas and seasons) as well as altitudinal gradient (24.0% of this variation). We refer to proportional increase of Carnivora, Reptilia, Amphibia, earthworms, Mollusca, fruits, Coleoptera and other Insects in growing season compared with non-growing season at the expense of decrease in proportion of Rodentia, Artiodactyla and galliform birds. The higher occurrence of Lagomorpha, fishes, plants and indigestible items in the diet consumed in the foothills reflects their wide supplies in the urbanised areas or their functioning as prey alternatives under food conditions in lower altitudes.     

Hands-on Experiments on Predatory Behaviour with Antlion Larvae

One of the innovations in the Slovenian school system has been the introduction of elective subjects in the curricula of primary and secondary schools, thus there is a lack of teaching manuals for practical exercises and hands-on classroom experience. This situation is reflected in the Ethology classroom and for that purpose we prepared step-by-step model experiments, which can be used in Ethology classes. The larvae of antlions (Myrmeleontidae) are proposed as ideal organisms for studying the effect of environmental factors on predatory behaviour. The students perform three different experiments, where the effect of substrate particle size and feeding regime on the behaviour of antlion larvae are tested. Students are made to work in three groups, and depending on the result of the first experiment, the other two experiments are performed. Students are encouraged to think about the setting, active research, thorough observation and interpretation of the data to yield meaningful information. The exercise plan is the basic principle of studying animal behaviour, and the main focus is for students to be actively involved.     

Developmental changes of chromatin nonhistone proteins of sea urchin embryos

Summary The developmental changes in the pattern of chromatin nonhistone proteins have been investigated. The main feature of the observed changes was not the introduction of new or the disappearence of earlier existing species, but the stage-specific alterations in the rate of biosynthesis of the nonhistone protein constituents.     

Strukturproteine und lösliche proteine in zwei letalen,auf saccharosemedium kultivierten chlorophyllmutanten vonarabidopsis thaliana

Structural proteins of both chlorophyll — deficient mutants, extracted with a phosphate buffer solution pH 8,3, using Triton X-100 as detergent, exhibit, in comparison with normal plants, a faint cathodic fraction giving positive staining for lipoproteins and containing chlorophyll. No differences in soluble proteins were found between the mutants and control plants. The pattern of the individual protein fractions differs according to the method employed.     

Esterases in mycobacteria

It was found that a submerged culture ofMycobacterium phlei degrades simple esters (ethylacetate and ethylbutyrate) as well as synthetic lipids (triacetine and tributyrine). The effect of pH on the rate of degradation of tributyrine was investigated and the maximum activity of esterases found within a wide range of pH. The activity of esterases was followed during growth of a submerged culture ofMycobacterium phlei. Esterases were not released into the cultivation medium during growth or even during the early stationary phase. Only a low steady activity of esterases could be demonstrated in a filtrate of the cultivation liquid. The total activity of esterases reached its maximum after a 6–11 day incubation. The specific activity of esterases reached a maximum on the 6th day of incubation; its value decreased to about one half and did not change substantially on prolonged incubation. Changes in the specific activity of esterases were found to be time-related with changes of pH and a decrease of the specific activity was associated with a release of macromolecular compounds into the incubation medium. Esterases as well as other macromolecular compounds were isolated from the filtrate of the cultivation medium ofMycobacterium phlei. The isolated preparation contained 60–72% total activity of esterases present in the filtrate of the cultivation liquid.     

The mechanical transmission of euonymus mosaic virus,maple leaf perforation by leaf extract or leaf nucleic acid to herbaceous plants

Conditions for the mechanical transmission of some woody viruses to herbaceous hosts were studied. Viruses from naturally-infected spindle tree (Euonymus europaea) and maple (Acer pseudoplatanus) leaves were mechanically transmitted by the homogenate prepared by using charcoal and celite to beans (Phaseolus vulqaris cv. Kocovska and Perlicka). The transmission of Euonymus mosaic virus and maple leaf perforation by nucleic acids prepared from naturally infected woody plants was also successful.