Adaptation Syndrome Research Articles

The stress hormones effect on the progression of vaginal bacterial dysbiosis

Annotation. The stress objective marker is the neuro-hormonal stress-implementing system stress and the increase the cortisol and prolactin levels in the blood, leading to the “distress syndrome” formation. Aim – to establish the stress effect, revealed according to the level of stress- implementing hormones, in particular cortisol and prolactin, on the progression of vaginal bacterial dysbiosis and the bacterial vaginosis (BV) development. During the study there were used the data taken from 298 women, who were divided into the following groups according to the Opportunistic pathogenic microflora index (OPMI) and normobiota index (NBI): normocenosis (n=53), dysbiosis I (n=128) and II degree (n=117) among the latter 83 patients with NBI>1 lg GE/sample were identified, in which BV was established. Molecular genetic studies of the epithelium scraping from the vagina posterolateral wall were carried out by Polymerase chain reaction (“DNK-Technologiia” LLC, RF). Facultative and obligate anaerobes, myco- and ureplasmas, and yeast-like fungi were quantified. The cortisol and prolactin blood levels were identified. For statistical analysis, the Statistica 10 software (StatSoft, Inc., USA) was used. Catch out that the blood cortisol content with dysbiosis progression compared with the normocenosis has changed in two-phase: it was increased with I degree dysbiosis (1.2–1.4 times; p<0.01) and decreased with II degree dysbiosis and BV (1.5 times; p<0.001). So, with respect to the classical concept of the General adaptive syndrome of G. Selye, the first dysbiosis development stages can be considered as reaction of “anxiety”, while the development of BV is a reaction of “exhaustion”. The blood prolactin content compared with normocenosis with dysbiosis was increased, which was most expressed in BV (1.5 times; p <0.001). It also reflected the stress response development with increased central nervous system stress. The blood hormones content has relation with BV-associated microbiota indexes: prolactin was positively related with NBI, and cortisol was negatively related to the number of Atopobium vaginalis. Thus, according to the data obtained, BV can be attributed to the stress pathology with the "distress syndrome" development and the content of cortisol and prolactin in the blood can be considered as marker factors for hormonal regulation disorder.

The domestication of Penicillium cheese fungi

Domestication is the process of organism evolution under selection by humans, and as such has been a model for studying adaptation since Charles Darwin. Here we review recent studies on the genomics of adaptation and domestication syndrome in two cheese-making fungal lineages, Penicillium roqueforti used for maturing blue cheeses, and the Penicillium camemberti species complex used for making soft cheeses such as Camembert and Brie. Comparative genomics have revealed horizontal gene transfers involved in convergent adaptation to cheese. Population genomics have identified differentiated populations with contrasted traits, several populations having independently been domesticated for cheese making in both P. roqueforti and the Penicillium camemberti species complex, and having undergone bottlenecks. The different cheese populations have acquired traits beneficial for cheese making in comparison to non-cheese populations, regarding color, spore production, growth rates on cheese, salt tolerance, lipolysis, proteolysis, volatile compound or toxin production and/or competitive ability. The cheese populations also show degeneration for some unused functions such as decreased ability of sexual reproduction or of growth under harsh conditions. These recent findings have fundamental importance for our understanding of adaptation and have applied interest for strain improvement.

Limiting similarity shapes the functional and phylogenetic structure of root neighborhoods in a subtropical forest.

Environmental filtering and limiting similarity mechanisms can simultaneously structure community assemblages. However, how they shape the functional and phylogenetic structure of root neighborhoods remains unclear, hindering the understanding of belowground community assembly processes and diversity maintenance. In a 50-ha plot in a subtropical forest, China, we randomly sampled >2700 root clusters from 625 soil samples. Focusing on 10 root functional traits measured on 76 woody species, we examined the functional and phylogenetic structure of root neighborhoods and linked their distributions with environmental cues. Functional overdispersion was pervasive among individual root traits (50% of the traits) and accentuated when different traits were combined. Functional clustering (20% of the traits) seemed to be associated with a soil nutrient gradient with thick roots dominating fertile areas whereas thin roots dominated infertile soils. Nevertheless, such traits also were sorted along other environmental cues, showing multidimensional adaptive trait syndromes. Species relatedness also was an important factor defining root neighborhoods, resulting in significant phylogenetic overdispersion. These results suggest that limiting similarity may drive niche differentiation of coexisting species to reduce competition, and that alternative root strategies could be crucial in promoting root neighborhood resource use and species coexistence.

Phyr: An r package for phylogenetic species‐distribution modelling in ecological communities

Abstract Model‐based approaches are increasingly popular in ecological studies. A good example of this trend is the use of joint species distribution models to ask questions about ecological communities. However, most current applications of model‐based methods do not include phylogenies despite the well‐known importance of phylogenetic relationships in shaping species distributions and community composition. In part, this is due to a lack of accessible tools allowing ecologists to fit phylogenetic species distribution models easily. To fill this gap, the r package phyr (pronounced fire) implements a suite of metrics, comparative methods and mixed models that use phylogenies to understand and predict community composition and other ecological and evolutionary phenomena. The phyr workhorse functions are implemented in C++ making all calculations and model estimations fast. phyr can fit a variety of models such as phylogenetic joint‐species distribution models, spatiotemporal‐phylogenetic autocorrelation models, and phylogenetic trait‐based bipartite network models. phyr also estimates phylogenetically independent trait correlations with measurement error to test for adaptive syndromes and performs fast calculations of common alpha and beta phylogenetic diversity metrics. All phyr methods are united under Brownian motion or Ornstein–Uhlenbeck models of evolution, and phylogenetic terms are modelled as phylogenetic covariance matrices. The functions and model formula syntax we propose in phyr provide an easy‐to‐use collection of tools that we hope will ignite the use of phylogenies to address a variety of ecological questions.

Effect of Stress Factors on the Coagulogram of Common Carp, Cyprinus carpio

The paper presents the results of a study of the coagulogram of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) following stress induced through acute hypoxia within 72 hours. In addition, stress markers (glucose, cortisol, hemoglobin) were analyzed on the basis of correlation and regression. It has been established that by the increase in thrombin time (TT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and an increase in the level of fibrinogen in fish blood by the 4th day of the experiment, that the coagulation processes were accelerated under the influence of hypoxic stress. Also, the dynamics of the stress markers corresponds to the stages of the classical adaptation syndrome. It has been concluded that any of them can be used to indicate stressful conditions.

Неочевидные патогенетические звенья механизмов воздействия на организм человека вируса SARS-CoV-2

The authors formulated a hypothesis about an important link in the pathogenesis of COVID-19, in which the increasing hypoxia and an acute response of the body like a general adaptation syndrome, accompanied by systemic pathological changes, including dangerous disorders of rheology and blood coagulation, play a key role.

Drought adaptation in populations of Inga vera subsp. affinis (DC.) T.D.Penn. that are exposed to extensive seasonal flooding

Inga vera Willd. subsp. affinis (DC.) T.D.Penn. is a main component of riparian forests, widely used in agroforestry in many parts of tropical south America and can thrive in a variety of environments that include sites that are flooded for up to six months. Here, we contribute a wood anatomical study in flooded versus non-flooded environments to discover features that enable the wide environmental plasticity of this species. Population differences in anatomical and structural traits point to a drought adaptation syndrome in the flooded population sample. Four anatomical traits, vessel lumen diameter, intervessel pit diameter, fiber lumen diameter and fiber length showed significant population differences. Further, scanning electron microscopy revealed qualitative differences in vestures on the inside walls of vessel elements. Our results support the view that flood conditions can paradoxically induce physiological drought stress due to anaerobic conditions in the root zone, which leads to physiological and structural features normally observed in drought-adapted tree populations. Our observations also suggest that planting stock obtained from flooded areas may contain adaptive traits that could also be useful for cultivation and land reclamation applications under drier conditions that are anticipated in the future due to climate change.

Modern concepts of the general theory of physiotherapy

The article highlights the causes and eff ects of the interaction of external physical factors with the human body. The author refl ected the concepts of a “specifi c” reaction, a compensatory reaction, and an “selective” sensitivity of an organism to exposure to physiotherapeutic factors, a general adaptation syndrome, an activation reaction, a training reaction, resonance, and synchronization. In the article, the author talks about the main factors in constructing the general theory of physiotherapy.

Dynamics of individual indicators of protein metabolism in the body of broiler chickens on the background of combined stress when included in the diet “Reasil Humic Vet” + “Laktin” and “Reasil Humic Health”

The body of broiler chickens is characterized by a high metabolism, which promotes rapid growth and development, but their performance indicators are largely related to housing conditions, which are known to include a number of technological stressors. With the development of stress in the body of poultry changes the course of metabolic processes, which causes changes in all types of metabolism, including protein. The aim of the study was to determine the changes in individual indicators of protein metabolism in the body of broiler chickens against the background of combined stress when included in the diet “Reasil Humic Vet” + “Laktin” and “Reasil Humic Health”. At 13th day of life, all clinically healthy poultry were exposed to combined stress – revaccination (intranasal Newcastle disease) plus cold stress (for 60 minutes by air conditioning and 5 °C in the vivarium). Material for research was selected for 3 days after the action of the stress factor (stage of anxiety), 13, 20 and 26 days after the action of the stress factor (the resistance stage). The material for the study was blood plasma, which determined the concentration of total protein, as well as the content of albumin, globulin fraction (α1, α2, β, γ). It was found that 3 days after the action of stress in chickens of Control group the development of adaptive reactions is manifested by the stability of the total protein content and redistribution of the fractional composition of plasma globulins in the form of increased albumin and α2-globulins. At different stages of development of the stage of resistance in birds of Control group, the content of total protein decreases by an average of 14.6 % due to the content of albumin by 6.9 % and α2-globulins – by 15.9 %, against the background of increasing α1- and γ-globulins by 23.1 and 33.5 % with the stabilization of individual studied indicators at the final stages of development of the resistance stage. The use in the diet of broilers feed “Reasil Humic Vet”, probiotic feed supplement “Laktin”, feed “Reasil Humic Health” under the influence of complex stress helps to increase the intensity of protein metabolism in poultry with the development of adaptation syndrome, as evidenced by the growth of total protein on average by 37.8 % (P < 0.05) and albumin – by 17.0 % (P < 0.05), which indicates an increase in the intensity of protein-synthesizing properties of the organism. In different periods of stress in the blood of broiler chickens Research groups there is an increase in the ratio of individual protein fractions, especially the content of γ-globulins - an average of 21.3 % (P < 0.05), which indicates an increase in the immune status of their body with a predominance of numerical values in the Research 1 group of poultry.

Predators Induce Morphological Changes in Tadpoles of Hyla andersonii

Predators can affect the development, fitness, and behavior of prey species in myriad ways. In response to the threat of predation, tadpoles can alter growth rate, morphology, and foraging behavior. Changes to tadpole development have the potential to alter life history characteristics and are therefore of interest in species of conservation concern. Using experimental mesocosms, we explored how non-lethal predators affected the larval development of the Pine Barrens Treefrog, Hyla andersonii, a near-threatened species in the United States. We found that caged dragonflies (Anax junius) induced darker tail coloration and deeper tail fins in tadpoles of H. andersonii, but the dragonflies did not affect tadpole behavior, survival, or size at metamorphosis. Non-lethal predator presence also induced greater within population variation in the tail color trait compared to populations without predators. This result suggests that there may be underlying genetic variation in the ability to express phenotypically plastic traits, a concept that should be explored further because it has implications for the evolution of inducible defenses. These findings support the existence of an adaptive syndrome among hylid tadpoles, where tadpoles develop conspicuous tail morphology in response to larval dragonfly predators.

The predictive potential of the kinetic model of aging of living systems in demography

An original mathematical model, previously tested by the authors on other non-demographic objects, is proposed for describing and forecasting demographic systems — the population of the countries of the World using the examples of the USA, China and Russia, as well as the number of mice in the “mouse paradise” experiment of the American scientist John Calhoun. The proposed approach allows us to describe the stages and features of this dynamics: population growth in the USA, growth and possible decrease in the population in China, loss of a part of the population of the Russian Empire and the USSR due to two world wars and the collapse of the USSR, biological degradation of the “mouse paradise” up to its complete extinction. The use of the kinetic model of aging of various types of living systems to predict the development of the number of demographic systems is based on the assumptions that the aging and development processes are related to each other and have the same statistical regularity, reflecting the fractal principle of Nature - the unity of structure and function. The results obtained suggest that a person, a population of the World, humanity and other biological species develop and simultaneously age like each other under the conditions of the always existing syndrome of general adaptation (stress) and according to the same pattern corresponding to the mathematical model proposed here.

Physiological state of the broiler chickens organism on the background of combined stress and additive of humic acids and probiotic

The cultivation of broiler chickens is cost-effective given the high reproductive quality and growth rate of young growth at an early age. However, the management of the industry involves a number of technological operations that cause excessive stress on the adaptive systems, decrease the immunobiological reactivity of the bird organism, the development of stress and cause a decline in egg and meat productivity. Under these conditions, it is necessary to strengthen and stimulate the resistance of the body of the bird, to determine ways to eliminate the development of stressful states by providing full feeding. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to determine the morpho-functional status of the body of broiler chickens against the background of combined stress when included in the diet of humic acids “Reasil Humic Vet”, “Reasil Humic Health” and probiotics “Laktin”. For the 13th day of life, all livestock in a clinically healthy poultry were subjected to combined stress – revaccination (intranasal against Newcastle disease) + cold stress (for 60 min by conditioning the room and reducing the vivarium temperature by 5 °C). The study material was sampled 3 days after exposure to stress (corresponding to the anxiety stage), at 13, 20, and 26 days after exposure to stress (which accounted for the various stages of resistance stage development). It is established that the morpho-functional status of the body of broiler chickens on the background of combined stress is characterized at the stage of anxiety by reducing the concentration of hemoglobin and hematocrit by an average of 16.6 %, increasing the number of eosinophils and pseudo-eosinophils; at various stages of development of the stage of resistance – decrease in the number of red blood cells and hemoglobin concentration by 3.4–6.5 % against the background of increase of hematocritic value by 37.0 %, increase in the number of leukocytes by 17.2 % with a slight stabilization of respiratory and protective function of blood due to 26 days after stress. Influencing the formation of adaptive reactions of the body of broiler chickens of the experimental groups in the conditions of development of adaptation syndrome positive influence of the use of new biostimulants of natural origin “Reasil Humic Vet”, “Laktin” and “Reasil Humic Health” is shown, which is shown by the increase of hemoglobin concentration on average 13.0 % (P < 0.05), leukocyte count by 25.4 % (P < 0.05) due to lymphocytes 1.1 times (P < 0.05).

Predictive role of indicators of oxidative metabolism and elemental status in professional drivers of vehicles in the Northern region

Introduction. The predominant source of environmental pollution is motor transport, the release of pollutants which leads to excessive formation of free radicals. The most important metabolic part of the non-specifi c component of the syndrome of adaptation to adverse factors is the activation of free radical oxidation processes that contribute to the mobilization of protective reserves of the body. There is evidence that different groups of the population have different vulnerability to Prooxidant exposure to pollutants. The aim of the study is to establish correlations between the indicators of the pro — and antioxidant system and the elemental status of professional drivers living in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Region. Materials and methods. 182 male residents (32.6±6.2 years old) of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Region (KHMAR) were examined: 94 drivers of heavy trucks and fuel trucks and 88 employees. Free radical oxidation products (FRO) were determined in the blood: lipid hydroperoxides (LHP) and thiobarbituric acid active products (TBA-AP) using test kits from BCM Diagnostics (Germany) and AGAT (Russia). Total antioxidant activity (TAA) and thiol status (TS) were determined using commercial kits from Cayman Chemical and Immundiagnostik AG (Germany). The coefficient of oxidative stress (COS) was calculated using the formula: COS=LHP × TBA-AP / TAA × TS. The content of vitamin E was determined on the fl uorometer “Fluorat 02 — ABLF” of the company “Lumex” (Russia), vitamin C — using commercial kits of the company “Immundiagnostik AG” (Germany) on the analyzer of the company “Personal Lab” (Italy). The concentration of macro — and microelements (Ca, Se, Zn, Fe, Pb, Cd) was determined in the samples of AES — ISP and MS — ISP hair in TcMB (Moscow). Statistical processing was performed using the Microsoft Exsel software package and “Statistica 8.0”. For normal distribution, M, m, min, and max values were used. For abnormal distribution, both Me, 25 and 75 PS were used. Correlation relationships were studied using Spearman’s correlation coefficient. Differences at p<0.05 were considered reliable. Results. Drivers compared with employees have signifi cantly higher values of lipid peroxidation, Pb, Cd, Fe ( p <0.001–0.046), against the background of lower indicators of AOS, Ca, Se, Cu, Zn ( p <0.001–0.040). Direct relationships between TAA, vitamins E, C, Se and Zn (r=+0.312–0.802) and inverse relationships between TAA and Pb, Cd (r= –0.623–0.558) were found in drivers of KHMAR with more than 5 years of work experience, which is associated with the development of an oxidative imbalance, which is characterized by an increase in lipid peroxidation products. Conclusions. The relationship between the indicators of the state of oxidative metabolism, the availability of bioelements and antioxidant vitamins involved in the regulation of metabolic processes (p=0.048–0.001) has been established. Direct relationships between the indicators of total antioxidant activity, the glutathione system and the concentration of vitamins E, C, selenium and zinc (r=+0.312–0.802) and inverse relationships between the level of total antioxidant activity, thiol status, and toxic elements: lead and cadmium (r= –0.513–0.604) in the male population of KHMAR were revealed. More pronounced changes in adaptive metabolic reactions in the body of employees of motor transport companies who have a work experience of more than 5 years are associated with the development of an oxidative imbalance, which is characterized by an increase in POL products. The obtained data on the state of the oxidative status of the body of residents exposed to the negative eff ects of a chemical factor can be the basis not only for the formation of risk groups, the development and implementation of a set of scientifi cally-based preventive measures, but also for subsequent evaluation of the eff ectiveness of their use.

Arterial hypertension prevention as an actual medical and social problem

Social changes, technological re-equipment, intensive formation of urban infrastructure have led to a constant increase in stress factors and an excessive growth of the nervous and psychological population burden. As a result of these processes in economically developed countries, acute diseases are becoming less and less significant, unlike the group of chronic disorders, such as arterial hypertension. Data from the review of the literature and the data we have received indicate that there is an increase in the level of cortisol in the blood in the phase of anxiety, which reduces in the resistance phase. A significant role is played by another hormone - insulin, which plays a key role in the development of the general adaptive syndrome. Through it the body implements numerous counter-defects in relation to the regulatory influence of catecholamines and cortisol. In conditions of prolonged stress, the level of insulin in the blood decreases and diabetes develops. The effect of cortisol and catecholamines in the resistance phase persists. The level of oxidative modification of blood plasma proteins indices depends on the behavior of the individual and changes in his psycho-emotional state, while a prolonged increase in the levels of catecholamines and cortisol in peripheral blood causes the development of psychosomatic pathology. It is proved that under the influence of complex action of risk factors there are significant changes in the psycho-emotional state that cause hypertension. This is confirmed by the presence of the highest level of reactive anxiety in patients with hypertension of the 1st stage on the background of the lowest personal anxiety which is the basis for the occurrence of the disease. With the progression of hypertension there are more profound changes in the personality of the patient, which is accompanied by the accumulation of personal anxiety, which can lead to a depressive state of neurotic genesis, which we observed with its complication. On the basis of a comprehensive study, the effect of stress on the occurrence of a syndrome of psychoemotional stress is shown, which leads to a steady increase in blood pressure - hypertension, and with its subsequent action complicates its course.&#x0D; Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.19(4) 2020 p.722-729

Pine Stands as Bioindicators: Justification for Air Toxicity Monitoring in an Industrial Metropolis

Five permanent sample plots (SPs; 200–250 trees per plot) were established in middle-aged high-grade suburban pine stands near the industrial city of Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Russia. Needle damage, inventory parameters of the stands, and the defense response of the stem phloem were evaluated annually for the years 2002–2019 and attributed to acute or chronic toxic exposures (creeping fire or industrial pollutants, respectively). The results form a basis for using trees as bioindicators. A newly elaborated stem lesion test was formed from a hypothesis on the upward sugar transport for the regeneration of an injured crown, based on Eschrich’s model of bidirectional sugar transport in the phloem. The formation of a phloem lesion was induced by inoculation of the stem with a mycelial extract of the ophiostomatoid fungus Ceratocystis laricicola. The lesion length and its shift relative to the inoculation hole were measured. An increase in the length of needles at early stages of stand weakening by pollutants was found to correspond to the hormesis model (Selye’s adaptation syndrome). A possibility of assessing the chronology of pollutant toxicity and the duration of the recovery period after creeping fire was shown.

Multiple Genetic Trajectories to Extreme Abiotic Stress Adaptation in Arctic Brassicaceae

Extreme environments offer powerful opportunities to study how different organisms have adapted to similar selection pressures at the molecular level. Arctic plants have adapted to some of the coldest and driest biomes on Earth and typically possess suites of similar morphological and physiological adaptations to extremes in light and temperature. Here, we compare patterns of molecular evolution in three Brassicaceae species that have independently colonized the Arctic and present some of the first genetic evidence for plant adaptations to the Arctic environment. By testing for positive selection and identifying convergent substitutions in orthologous gene alignments for a total of 15 Brassicaceae species, we find that positive selection has been acting on different genes, but similar functional pathways in the three Arctic lineages. The positively selected gene sets identified in the three Arctic species showed convergent functional profiles associated with extreme abiotic stress characteristic of the Arctic. However, there was little evidence for independently fixed mutations at the same sites and for positive selection acting on the same genes. The three species appear to have evolved similar suites of adaptations by modifying different components in similar stress response pathways, implying that there could be many genetic trajectories for adaptation to the Arctic environment. By identifying candidate genes and functional pathways potentially involved in Arctic adaptation, our results provide a framework for future studies aimed at testing for the existence of a functional syndrome of Arctic adaptation in the Brassicaceae and perhaps flowering plants in general.

Adaptive flammability syndromes in thermo-Mediterranean vegetation, captured by alternative resource-use strategies

Fire affects and is affected by leaf functional traits indicative of resource allocation trade-offs. Global change drivers constrain both the resource-use strategies and flammability of coexisting species. However, small attention has been given in identifying links among flammability and plant economics. Ambiguity comes from the fact that flammability is a multidimensional trait. Different flammability attributes (i.e. ignitibility, sustainability, combustibility and consumability) have been used to classify species, but no widely-accepted relationships exist between attributes. We hypothesised that flammability is a spectrum (defined by its four attributes) and the alternative flammability syndromes of coexisting species can be captured by their resource-use strategies. Furthermore, we argue that flammability syndromes are adaptive strategies that ensure persistence in the post-fire community. We conducted a large-scale study to estimate all flammability attributes on leaves from nine, dominant, thermo-Mediterranean species with alternative resource-use and fire-response strategies across a wide environmental and geographic gradient. We assessed the interdependence among attributes, and their variation across ecological scales (genus, species, individual, site and region). Furthermore, we collected 10 leaf functional traits, conducted a soil study and extracted long-term climatological data to quantify their effect on flammability attributes. We found that leaf flammability in thermo-Mediterranean vegetation is a continuous two-dimensional spectrum. The first dimension, driven by leaf shape and size, represents heat release rate (combustibility vs. sustainability), while the second, controlled by leaf economics, presents ignition delay and total heat release (i.e. consumability). Alternative flammability syndromes can increase fitness in fire-prone communities by offering qualitative differences in survival or reproduction. Trade-offs and constraints that control the distribution of resource-use strategies across environmental gradients appeared to drive leaf flammability syndromes as well. Tying the flammability spectrum with resource allocation trade-offs on a global scale can help us predict future ecosystem properties and fire regimes and illustrate evolutionary constraints on flammability.

Genomic and phenomic analysis of island ant community assembly.

Island biodiversity has long fascinated biologists as it typically presents tractable systems for unpicking the eco-evolutionary processes driving community assembly. In general, two recurring themes are of central theoretical interest. First, immigration, diversification, and extinction typically depend on island geographical properties (e.g., area, isolation, and age). Second, predictable ecological and evolutionary trajectories readily occur after colonization, such as the evolution of adaptive trait syndromes, trends toward specialization, adaptive radiation, and eventual ecological decline. Hypotheses such as the taxon cycle draw on several of these themes to posit particular constraints on colonization and subsequent eco-evolutionary dynamics. However, it has been challenging to examine these integrated dynamics with traditional methods. Here, we combine phylogenomics, population genomics and phenomics, to unravel community assembly dynamics among Pheidole (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) ants in the isolated Fijian archipelago. We uphold basic island biogeographic predictions that isolated islands accumulate diversity primarily through in situ evolution rather than dispersal, and population genomic support for taxon cycle predictions that endemic species have decreased dispersal ability and demography relative to regionally widespread taxa. However, rather than trending toward island syndromes, ecomorphological diversification in Fiji was intense, filling much of the genus-level global morphospace. Furthermore, while most endemic species exhibit demographic decline and reduced dispersal, we show that the archipelago is not an evolutionary dead-end. Rather, several endemic species show signatures of population and range expansion, including a successful colonization to the Cook islands. These results shed light on the processes shaping island biotas and refine our understanding of island biogeographic theory.

БИОСПУТНИКИ «БИОН-6–11»: ИССЛЕДОВАНИЯ НА ОБЕЗЬЯНАХ

In 1951, the USSR started launching rockets with dogs in preparation of the first human space flight. The US, starting in 1948, launched primates. These launches of rockets with animals pursued primarily the objectives of engineering testing, whereas the actual researches with primates in orbital flights in US and USSR began in 1969 and 1983, respectively. USSR/Russia launched 12 rhesus-macaques onboard 6 biosatellites of the BION series. The main goal of the investigations was to attack the so-called space adaptation syndrome. Implanted and applied electrodes provided unique information about progression of the space motion sickness, motor dysfunction and growth of intracranial pressure in the condition of microgravity. The BION program was conducted in a broad cooperation with international partners.

Morphofunctional rearrangements of adrenal cortex of adult rats at the experimental microelementosis

Xenobiotics, including salts of heavy metals, determine the development of pathology of individual organs and systems of the body. Adrenal hormones occupy a key place in the regulation and maintenance of the organism basic functions. The study of morphological, biochemical and immunohistochemical changes in the adrenal cortex of pubescent male rats at exposure to the complex of heavy metal salts remains an actual aspect of modern morphology. The experiment involved 24 white adult male rats weighing 250–300 g, aged 7–8 months. The animals of the experimental group consumed ordinary drinking water saturated with a combination of heavy metal salts (Zn, Cu, Fe, Mg, Cr) for 60 days. Histological, biochemical (determination of the content of hormones COR – cortisol, DHS – dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate) and immunohistochemical (determination of the expression of proliferation marker Ki-67) methods were used. Long-term consumption of the combination of heavy metals salts by mature rats leads to thickening of the stromal component of the gland, the rupture of capillaries and the violation of rheological properties of blood. Chromatin condensation, its marginal location, and initial stages of necrobiotic changes have been found in the spongiocyte nuclear apparatus. For endocrinocytes of the zona glomerulosa and zona reticularis of the gland, a slight increase in proliferative activity has been revealed, while cells of the zona fasciculata were non-reactive. These results correlate with the results of biochemical research, according to which hormones of the zona reticularis – DHS were actively involved in the formation of adaptive reactions in the body of experimental animals at the 60-day period of administration of the complex of heavy metals salts. The results of complex studies indicate a weakening of the secretory activity of cells of the zona fasciculata, which adversely affects the development of compensatory-adaptive processes in the body and the course of the general adaptation syndrome in response to the action of the damaging agent.