Ecological Research Articles

A 28-years-long monitoring study suggests heavy decline and habitat shifts in three populations of a Mediterranean tortoise species

Long-term ecological studies are important for understanding wild populations’ dynamics and processes and the actual factors that can determine their decline. Here, we report the results of a 28-years-long (1992–2019) monitoring of three distinct populations of a tortoise, Testudo hermanni, in Central Italy, with an emphasis on their population abundance trends and on the eventual variation in their habitat use across years and among the study areas. Samplings were conducted by Visual Encounter Survey (VES) methodology, and using a suite of statistical analyses including correlations and Generalized Linear Models analyses. Our data showed a statistically significant decline in tortoise sightings through time, and concurrently also a variation in habitat use by tortoises. In all the three study areas, we observed a significant increase of tortoise sighting frequency in the habitat type characterized by high (>taller than 200 cm) shrubby and wooded vegetation. Since our analyses revealed no significant change in the habitat type availability by year in each study area, we suggest that T. hermanni was increasingly selecting closed vegetation spots throughout the years. We hypothesize that this observed trend of shift in habitat selection could be due to lowering their body temperatures to prevent overheating. So, the selection of more covered spots would be a thermal ecology adaptive consequence of the ongoing global warming.

Ensuring environmental safety of the food industry: Influence on leadership positions in the economy

The purpose of the article is to substantiate the peculiarities of ensuring environmental safety of products of the food industry. The problems of ensuring environmental safety of the food industry have been identified and the current state and the trends of food industry development in Ukraine have been analyzed. For increasing the leadership positions of the food industry of Ukraine in order to ensure its environmental safety, it has been proposed to strengthen the effective interaction of all interested parties - the state, food industry enterprises, agricultural producers and research institutions. Keywords: Economy; Ecological safety; Food industry; Competitiveness References The Law of Ukraine On Quality and Safety of Food Products and Food Raw Materials As amended by the Laws of Ukraine // The Official Bulletin of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine). 2005. No. 50. Art. 533. Shevchenko R.I. (2015) Environmental safety of food products: definition of the concept. Food Science and Technology. 1: 65-70. Romanko S.M. (2008) Economic and legal mechanism for providing environmental safety of agricultural products: Author’s Abstract…Candidate of Juridical Sciences: 12.00.06 / S.M. Romanco; National Agrarian University, K., 19 p. The Official Website of the State Statistics Service of Ukraine. Retrieved from: http://www.ukrstаt.gоv.uа Velychko O.V. (2011) Mechanism for formation of the national investment and innovation system of Ukraine: monograph / O. V. Velychko, M. M. Dubovykov, O. V. Liashchenko. Luhansk: Elton-2, 186 p. Nyzhnyk V. M. (2013) Mechanisms for increasing the competitive potential of industrial enterprises: monograph / edited by the Doctor of Economic Sciences, Prof. V. M. Nyzhnyk, Candidate of Economic Sciences, Associate Professor M. V. Nikolaichuk. Khmelnytsky: KhNU. 347 p. Novoitenko I.V., Slobodian N.Ya., Malynovskyi V.V. (2016) Prospects for the development of the food industry in Ukraine. Global and National Problems of Economy: collections of scientific works. V.O. Sukhomlynskyi National University of Mykolaiv. 11: 454-460. Semenenko O.H. (2017) Analysis of food industry development in Ukraine. Economic Herald of the University. 33 (1): 168-182.

Effect of indoor light on quail meat productivity

We investigated the effect of LED lamps and incandescent lamp bulbs on the productivity and slaughter quality of Pharaoh breed meat quaility. LED lamps had power output of 16 W, luminous flux of 1400 Lm, and color temperature of 4200 K. Incandescent lamp bulbs had power output of 40 W, luminous flux of 500 Lm, and color temperature of 2300-2900 K. From the 6th day of rearing the light, the intensity was 10-15 Lk within the level of live weight. We established a positive influence of LED lamps on quail slaughter qualities. The quails of experimental group (with LED lamps) had the advantages in terms of live weight (it was higher by 21.5 g or 8.23%, P> 0.999), the gains, feed conversion ratio (higher by 0.2 kg, or 5, 08%), quail liveability (higher by 4%). According to the results of the control slaughter, we admited a striking privilege in the level of slaughter weight and the eviscerated carcass of the poultry of the experimental group. The difference between groups is significant (P> 0.95…0.999). The advantages of the quails from experimental group towards the output of thigh muscles (higher by 0.02%), the drumstick muscles (0.12%), and the liver (by 1.02%) were obvious. The anatomical indices confirmed the influence of indoor lighting source on quali slaughter quality, i.e. the index of carcass food part and leg meat from experimental group were higher, the same was true with the indices of muscle and muscle breast of the quail of the control group with incandescent lamp bulbs. Keywords: Quails; LED lamps; Rearing; Productivity; Slaughter features References Cahaner, A. (1990). Genotype by environment interactions in poultry. Poultry Science, 81 (10), 1454-1462. Chu, T.T., Bastiaansen, J.W.M., Berg, P., Rome, H., Marois, D., Henshall, J. & Jensen. J. (2019). Use of genomic information to exploit genotype-by-environment interactions for body weight of broiler chicken in bio-secure and production environments. Genetics Selection Evolution, 51(50). Guidelines for the anatomical cutting of carcasses and organoleptic assessment of the quality of meat and eggs of poultry and egg morphology (2004). Sergiev Posad: VNITIP (in Russian) Kochish, I., Fedkina, T., Kovinko, V. (2010). Genotype, environment and productivity of broiler. Animal husbandry of Russia, 9, 11-12 (in Russian) Lewis, P.D., Morris, T.R. (1998). Responses of domestic poultry to various light sources. World's Poultry Science Journal, 54, 7-25. Lukanov, H. (2019). Domestic quail (Coturnix japonica domestica), is there such farm animal? World's Poultry Science Journal, 75 (4), 547-558. Manser, C.E. (1996). Effects of lighting on the welfare of domestic poultry: a review. Animal Welfare, 5, 341-360. Melnyk, V.O. (2015). Modern science on the effects of light on birds. Melnyk, V.V., Prokopenko, N.P., Bazyvolyak, S.M. (2019). Poultry farming in Ukraine: poultry and egg and meat production in 2018. Modern poultry, 3-4, 2-8 (in Ukrainian) Melnyk, Yu.F., Kovalenko, V.P., Uhnivenko, A.M. (2008). Selection of farm animals. Kyiv: Intas (in Ukrainian) Minvielle, F. (2004). The future of Japanese quail for research and production. World's Poultry Science Journal, 60 (4), 500-507. Mohov B.P., Krasota, V.F. (1998). Ecological and genetic assessment of the livestock system. Zootechniya, 1, 20-22 (in Russian) Nelson, J.R., Bray, J.L., Delabbio, J., Archer G.S. (2020). Light emitting diode (LED) color and broiler growth: effect of supplementing blue/green LED to white LED light on broiler growth, stress, and welfare. Poultry Science, 99 (7), 3519-3524. Olanrewaju, H.A. , Miller, W.W., Maslin, W.R., Collier, S.D., Purswell, J.L., Branton, S.L. (2018). Influence of light sources and photoperiod on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and health indices of broilers grown to heavy weights. Poultry Science, 97, 1109-1116. Shanawany, M. M. (1994). Quail Production Systems: A Review. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Sultana, S., Hassan, M.R., Chow, H.S., Ryu K.S. (2013). Impact of different monochromatic LED light colours and bird age on the behavioural output and fear response in ducks. Italian Journal of Animal Science, 12 (2013), e94, 573-579. Vakulenko, Yu. (2014). Influence of different light sources on the quality of products of laying hens. Animal husbandry of Ukraine, 8-9, 15-18 (in Ukrainian).

Influence of temperature on the aquatic biota

Detailed analysis of temperature indicators of Kremenchug reservoir in August showed a tendency to increase the coefficient of their variation (Cv=10.69–13.97%). This indicates the unstability and stress of the temperature conditions of the aquatic environment for living organisms. First of all, it will affect the organisms of near-flood layers of water which are in direct contact with unstable air masses. (Cv=28.45–31.45%). Blue-green algae species which were the most resistant to temperature fluctuations are Microcystis aeruginosa Kutz. emend. Elenkin and Anabaena flos-aquae sp. Their maximum values were recorded in the water area near the village Chervona Sloboda. An impact of a temperature factor and a number of other abiotic factors leads to intensive water «bloom» and subsequent mass extinction of algae Cyanophyta. Hot sunny days with the air temperature up to 18-32°C and water of temperature 21.0–25.8°C are most dangerous. As a result of lethal consequences, significant amounts of the most sensitive species of aquatic living organisms fall out of the ecosystem: Noble ?rayfish (Astacus astacus), Zander (Sander lucioperca). The presented data reflect the process of global warming. Keywords: Temperature; Ecological conditions; Aquatic organisms; Kremenchug Reservoir References Bat-oyun Tserenpurev, Masato, S., Mitsuru, T. (2012). Effects of cloud, atmospheric water vapor, and dust on photosynthetically active radiation and total solar radiation in a Mongolian grassland. Journal of Arid Land, 4(4), 349-356. Doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1227.2012.00349. Birungi, Z., Masola, B., Zaranyika, M.F., Naigaga, I. & Marshall, B. (2007). Active biomonitoring of trace heavy metals using fish (Oreochromis niloticus) as bioindicator species. The case of Nakivubo wetland along Lake Victoria. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts A/B/C, 32(15–18), 1350–1358. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pce.2007.07.034 Crayfish and fish die en masse in the Dnieper in Cherkasy region. (2016). TV channel VIKKA-news. News archive. 8 August, 16-46. EU Water Framework Directive (2010). DIRECTIVE 2000/60/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy. Gorbunova, Z.N., Medved', V.A., & Borisova, Ye.V. (2001). Transformation of urea during the growth of some blue-green (Cyanoprocaryota) and green (Chlorophyta, Chlorococcales) algae. International Journal on Algae, 3(4). Krishnamurthy, T., Carmichael, W.W. & Sarver, E.W. (1986). Toxic peptides from freshwater cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). I. Isolation, purification and characterization of peptides from Microcystis aeruginosa and Anabaena flos-aquae. Toxicon, 24(9), 865-73. doi: 10.1016/0041-0101(86)90087-5. Kruzhilina, S.V. (2010). Perennial dynamics of quantitative development of phytoplankton of Kremenchug reservoir and its structural indicators. Rybogospodarska nauka Ukrainy, 3, 14-19. Likhareva, E.I. (1989). Possibilities of restoring crayfish stocks in water bodies of the Leningrad Region 1. Elements of crayfish biology. Collected papaers of the State Research Institute of Lake and River Fisheries, 300, 10. Lopes, I., Baird, D.J., & Ribeiro, R. (2006). Genetic adaptation to metal stress by natural populations of Daphnia longispina. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 63(2), 275–285. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2004.12.015 Results of the analysis of water samples of the Kremenchug reservoir in 3rd quarter of 2012. (2012) Cherkasy. Official portal of the city council. October 26. Romanenko, V.D. (2006). Methods of hydroecological research of surface waters. Kyiv: L?g?s. Sirenko, L.A. & Kirpenko, Yu.A., (2000). Biologically Active Metabolites of Blue-Green Algae and Their Role in Epidemiology. Hydrobiological Journal, 36 (5), 14. Doi: 10.1615/HydrobJ.v36.i5.110

Biological, Trophological, Ecological and Control Features of Horse-Chestnut Leaf Miner (Cam?raria ohridella Deschka and Dimic)

The horse-chestnut leaf miner (Cameraria orhidella Deschka & Dimic) is now one of the most dangerous "invasive alien" pests of plantations of bitter chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum L.) in Ukraine. The factors of absence of natural enemies, the presence of a sufficient amount of fodder base, favorable conditions for reproduction and development have led to the fact that (17 years after the first appearance of this moth) this pest occurs almost throughout Ukraine. It was noted, that Cameraria ohridella first appeared in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2003. Biological, trophological, and ecological features of Cameraria ohridella in the conditions of the urban phytocenoses in Kyiv (botanical gardens and parks) during 2001–2019 were studied. It was investigated that 77,2–86,2% of total number of mines were found on the lower tier leaves of the chestnut trees. It was established that Cameraria ohridella develop three generations under conditions of the research zone. The fourth generation is possible, but under unfavorable weather conditions in Kiev, most puppae die. The research was carried out in 2008–2019 and it has been determined that increased resistance to Cameraria ohridella have following species: Aesculus × Carnea Hayne, A. octandra Marsh., A. pavia L., and A. parviflora Walt. It was shown, that in the presence of chestnuts that are damaged by Cameraria ohridella in phytocenoses, it is advisable to treat them with injection of the Imunocomplexon-CH composite into the trunk, which is undergoing the trials stage now. The drug is effective for not less than 3–4 years (efficiency level – 90–100%), which is due to immunization and stimulation of the plant development. Keywords: Horse-chestnut leaf miner; Chestnut; Immunisation; Monitoring; Phenology; Urban phytocenosis References Akymov, Y. A., Zerova, M. D. & Narolskyi, N. B. (2006). Byolohyia kashtanovoi mynyruiushchei moly – Cameraria ohridella Geschka&Dimi?? (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) v Ukrayne. Vesnyk zoolohy, 40(4), 321–332. (in Ukrainian). Chumak, P. Ya. (1992). Biotsenotychne obgruntuvannia preventyvnoi systemy biolohichnoho zakhystu roslyn-introdutsentiv vid shkidnykiv. Okhorona, vyvchennia i zbahachennia roslynnoho svitu. Kyiv : Lybid. Heitland, W. & Metzger, J. Die (1997). Kastanienminiermotte Cameraria orhidella Deschka & Dimic (Le pi doptera: Gracillariidae) in Bayern. LWF Aktueli. Hryhoriuk, I. P., Demchuk, T. L. & Kolomiiets, Yu. V. (2011). Naukovo-praktychni zasady zberezhennia i vidnovlennia roslyn hirkokashtana zvychainoho (Aesculus hippocastanum L.) u miskykh urbanizovanykh umovakh: mat. KhIII zizdu Ukrainskoho Botanichnoho tovarystva (Lviv, 19–23 veresnia 2011 r.). (in Ukrainian). Kolisnichenko, O. M. (2004). Sezonni biorytmy ta zymostiikist derevnykh roslyn. Kyiv : Fitosotsiotsentr. Melnichenko, A. N. (1936). Zakonomernosti massovogo pereleta lugovogo motyilka i problemyi postroeniya ego zaletov. Zaschita rasteniy, 7(1), 56–59. (in Russian). Pyatnitskiy, G. K. (1936). K voprosam ekologii i teorii massovyih razmnozheniy lugovogo motyilka. Leningrad : TsUGEMS. (in Russian). Scherbinovskiy, N. S. (1952). Pustyinnaya sarancha shistotserka. Moskva : Gosselhozizdat. (in Russian). Sykalo, O. O., Chumak, P. Ya., Vyhera & S. M., Sylchuk, O. I. (2017). Osnovy zakhystu rozsadnykiv ta tsenoziv dekoratyvnykh roslyn. Kyiv : TsP“Interservis”. (in Ukrainian). Tribel, S. A. (1989). Lugovoy motyilek. Moskva : VO Agropromizdat. (in Russian). Trybel, O. S., Hamanova, O. M. & Svientoslavski, Ya. S. (2008). Kashtanova minuiucha mil. Kyiv : Kolobih. (in Ukrainian). Vyhera, S. M. (2009). Fitontsydolohiia z osnovamy vyroshchuvannia ta zastosuvannia fitontsydno-likarskykh roslyn: navchalnyi posibnyk. Kyiv : Ruta. (in Ukrainian). Vyhera, S. M. (2015). Pryrodookhoronnyi kontrol kulturnykh fitotsenoziv. Kyiv : TsP “Komprynt”. (in Ukrainian). Vyhera, S. M., Chumak, P. Ia., Kovalchuk, V. P. & Sylchuk, O. I. (207). Efektyvnyi sposib monitorynhu moli kashtanovoi minuiuchoi pershoho pokolinnia. Patent na korysnu model ??? 121 584. Zareiestrovano v Derzhavnomu reiestri patentiv Ukrainy na korysni modeli 11.12. 2017. (in Ukrainian). Zerova, M. D., Nykytchenko, H. N. & Narolkyi, N. B. (2008). Kashtanovaia mynyruiushchaia mol v Ukrayne. Kyiv. (in Ukrainian). Zerova, M. D., Svyrydov, S. V. & Narolskyi, M. B. (2007). Kashtanova minuiucha mil. Kyiv. (in Ukrainian).

Estudio de la población de carpincho (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) en el área natural protegida "El Morejón", Campana (Buenos Aires)

En la Argentina, la Ecorregion Pampeana presenta bajo nivel de proteccion debido a su alto valor economico y al dominio privado. El reemplazo de sus ambientes naturales por usos productivos causo la retraccion numerica de especies como el carpincho (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), que habita sus humedales. Los aspectos biologicos y ecologicos de esta especie permanecen poco estudiados en la provincia de Buenos Aires. En consecuencia, los objetivos de este estudio fueron estimar las abundancias real y relativa, la densidad y el tamano poblacional, y determinar la estructura de la poblacion, el patron de actividad de los individuos en las dos lagunas presentes en el area natural protegida “El Morejon”, partido de Campana, Buenos Aires. Para ello, a lo largo del ano 2014 se realizaron relevamientos de transectas de rastros y trampas camara en las cuatro estaciones. A pesar de estar inmersa en un area urbanizada e industrializada, se obtuvo un tamano poblacional mayor al esperado. Se estimo la presencia de un promedio de 15 individuos en la Laguna 1 y 154 en la 2, en areas de uso estimadas de 3 y 10 ha, respectivamente. Durante el invierno se registro el mayor numero de individuos, y en otono, primavera y verano, los menores. Es posible que esto se asocie a la movilidad de los individuos en busca de alimento. Estos resultados son relevantes para una planificacion correcta de medidas de manejo, y confirman la importancia de que existan reservas privadas que conserven el ecosistema natural de la region.

Isotopic niche of the American pika (Ochotona princeps) through space and time

Anthropogenic climate change is influencing the ecology and distribution of animals. The American pika (Ochotona princeps (Richardson, 1828)) is considered a model species for studying the effects of climate on small alpine mammals and has experienced local extirpation across its range. Using stable isotope analysis of two seasonal molts and bone collagen, we characterize the isotopic carbon and nitrogen niche of pika populations across their range and through time. We find pika isotopic diet to be stable across both time and space compared with other animals and considering the geographic and environmental extent of their range. We find that climatic, not geographic, factors explain part of the isotopic variation across their range. Both δ13C and δ15N from the fall-onset molt decrease with relative humidity of the environment and δ15N values from bone collagen increase with temperature and precipitation. We find a small but significant seasonal difference in δ13C, which could be explained by microbial enrichment of cached haypiles. We establish a baseline of pika isotopic diet and patterns related to climate across their range. We conclude that differences in isotopic signature between pika populations likely reflect the physiology of their forage plants in different environmental conditions.

A ecosofia como paradigma estético: enfrentando o mar de lama

Este artigo resulta de pesquisa bibliográfica na qual abordamos a ecosofia enquanto paradigma estético inserida no contexto dos problemas ecológicos contemporâneos. Trata-se aqui de realizarmos um exercício de pensamento tendo como sustentação epistêmica a filosofia da multiplicidade, deleuze-guattariana, mais especificamente, com a proposta do filósofo Félix Guattari em torno de um paradigma ecosófico desdobrado em três grandes perspectivas ecológicas: a do meio ambiente, o das relações sociais e o da subjetividade humana. Desses constructos depreendem-se pautas socioeducativas que permitem pensar maneiras de se vivenciar as relações do homem com a natureza, com o outro e consigo próprio.

Bioproductos en el crecimiento y rendimiento de Phaseolus vulgaris L. var. Delicia 364

Los actuales sistemas de producción de alimentos requieren el empleo de alternativas con enfoques ecológicos y asequibles, entre los que se destaca el uso de los bioproductos generados por la acción de microorganismos que actúan en la nutrición, crecimiento y desarrollo de las plantas. El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar la respuesta de Phaseolus vulgaris L. var. Delicia 364 a la aplicación de bioproductos (hongos micorrícicos arbusculares y Spiruvinas) en macetas de plástico con volumen de 44 L de capacidad. En el presente experimento se utilizó el bioproducto Azofert. El experimento se realizó en el municipio El Salvador, provincia Guantánamo, Cuba. Los tratamientos se distribuyeron en un diseño completamente al azar: (T1) Azofert sin HMA (testigo); (T2) Azofert sin HMA + 2 L ha-1 de Spiruvinas; (T3) Azofert + Rhizophagus irregularis; (T4) Azofert + Glomus cubense; (T5) Azofert + Funneliformis mosseae; (T6) Azofert + Rhizophagus irregularis + 2 L ha-1 de Spiruvinas; (T7) Azofert + Glomus cubense + 2 L ha-1 de Spiruvinas; (T8) Azofert + Funneliformis mosseae + 2 L ha-1 de Spiruvinas. Se evaluó: altura de las plantas, diámetro del tallo, número de vainas, número de granos por vainas, peso de 100 granos y rendimiento. Además, se evaluó el funcionamiento micorrícico mediante la colonización micorrícica y la densidad visual. Los resultados mostraron que la aplicación de bioproductos (hongos micorrícicos arbusculares y Spiruvinas) incrementaron el crecimiento y el rendimiento del cultivo de frijol var. Delicia 364; asimismo, con la combinación Azofert + Rhizophagus irregularis + Spiruvinas se obtuvo el mayor rendimiento con 2.11 Mg ha-1, lo que representa 37.9% más que el promedio nacional.

Biometria do fruto e avaliações físico-química e antioxidante da farinha de calabura

A Muntingia calabura é uma espécie arbórea frutífera exótica introduzida no Brasil onde se adaptou muito bem os tipos de solos e clima tropical. O objetivo do trabalho foi analisar a biometria do fruto e constituintes físico-químicos, carotenoides, compostos fenólicos totais e atividade antioxidante da farinha do fruto inteiro de calabura. Os frutos apresentaram comprimento de 1,45 mm, diâmetro de 1,54 mm, massa fresca de 1,97 g e massa seca de 0,41 g. A farinha do fruto apresentou, umidade 6,61%, cinzas 3,72%, lipídeos 3,48%, °Brix 3,5, pH 6,67, cumarinas (+), para cor L* 29,35, a* 11,15, b* 19,98, C* 22,88, h° 60,82, vitamina A 7,74 µg de retinol, vitamina C 15,26 mg 100 g-1, vitamina E em tocoferol 0,11 m/m, carboidratos 85,76%, proteína total 0,43%, β-caroteno 92,94 µg 100 mL-1, licopeno 47,98 µg 100 g-1, compostos fenólicos 10,32 mg EAG 100 g-1, DPPH não foi detectado na amostra, e índice de oxidação igual a 20,5 segundos. A análise biométrica dos frutos apresentou resultados que constituirão novos dados para ecologia e genética desta espécie vegetal. A farinha do fruto inteiro apresentou teores de compostos importantes que podem ser utilizados pela indústria de alimentos para a produção de produtos funcionais, com características bioativas e farmacêuticas no estudo, elaboração e desenvolvimento na linha tópica como soluções fotoprotetoras devido aos teores de vitaminas, carotenoides e compostos fenólicos.

A multilevel statistical toolkit to study animal social networks: the Animal Network Toolkit Software (ANTs) R package

The possible role played by individual attributes, sociodemographic characteristics and/or ecological pressures in the interaction between animals and the development of social relationships between them is of great interest in animal ecology and evolutionary biology. Social Network Analysis is an ideal tool to study these types of questions. The Animal Network Toolkit Software (ANTs) R package was specifically developed to provide all the different social network analysis techniques currently used in the study of animal social networks. This global package enables users to (1) compute global, polyadic and nodal network measures; (2) perform data randomisation: data stream and network (node and link) permutations; (3) perform statistical permutation tests for static or temporal network analyses, and (4) visualise networks. ANTs allows researchers to perform multilevel network analyses ranging from individual network measures to interaction patterns and the analysis of the overall network structure, and carry out static or temporal network analyses without switching between different R packages, thus making a substantial contribution to advances in the study of animal behaviour. ANTs outperforms existing R packages for the computation speed of network measures and permutations.

Ecological and geographical characteristics of aujeszky???s disease among the wild pigs in Ukraine

Ecological and geographical characteristics of aujeszky???s disease among the wild pigs in Ukraine

Nuclear ecology along the Coleridge Way

[T]hough hope is about the future, grounds for hope lie in the records and recollections of the past. (Solnit 2005, xvii) Look deeply at a flower. It may be tiny, but the sun, the clouds, and every...

Chronic traffic noise increases food intake and alters gene expression associated with metabolism and disease in bats

Abstract Anthropogenic noise exposure has deleterious effects on the foraging ecology of many animals. However, the effects of chronic anthropogenic noise on food intake and health condition in wildlife remain largely unknown. We tested whether traffic noise exposure over multiple days would change food intake and would have effects on the health of Asian particoloured bats. We broadcast traffic noise to the bats of two noise‐exposure groups (group A, five bats; group C, six bats) and broadcast silence files to the bats of two control groups (group B, five bats; group D, six bats) for 12 days. We measured the changes in food intake, body weight and concentration of faecal triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) in groups A and B. We compared the transcriptional profiles in brain, kidney and liver tissues between bats in groups C and D. The bats exposed to traffic noise had a significantly higher daily food intake and a significantly greater body weight than bats in control group during the period of playback. Faecal T3 and T4 were higher in the noise‐exposure group after playback had been on for more than 1 day. We found a total of 169 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between noise‐exposure and control groups. Some DEGs related to stress response were upregulated in the bats exposed to noise. The 169 DEGs were mainly enriched in Gene Ontology (GO) terms associated with metabolism, fundamental cellular processes, stress response and immune response. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways affected by noise exposure were linked with metabolism, disease, apoptosis, autophagy, phagosome and ribosome. Synthesis and applications. Our results suggest that bats exposed to chronic traffic noise while roosting may need more energetic intake and have a greater motivation to forage than others not exposed to noise, probably as a result of a stress response. Furthermore, chronic traffic noise may increase the risk of metabolic dysregulation, immune disorders and other diseases. Management measures for reducing noise disturbance, for example, implementing sound barriers, are essential.

Sub-Atomic Elements Investigation Of The Impact Of Actuated Changes On The Protein Structures Related With Illnesses Of A Radiobiological Nature

The initiated changes in organic atoms, for example, DNA and proteins, have a serious distinctive nature (ecological elements, infections, ionizing radiation, mutagenic synthetic substances, acquired hereditary modifications, and so forth.). Actuated changes can annihilate the current synthetic (hydrogen) bonds in the local atomic structures or, in actuality, make new substance (hydrogen) bonds that don't ordinarily exist there. In protein structures, the reason for such changes may be the replacement of one or a few explicit amino corrosive deposits (point transformations). At the nuclear level, the substitution of one amino corrosive buildup by another causes basic alterations of the atomic power fields of the earth, which can break significant hydrogen bonds hidden the auxiliary solidness of natural particles. In this work, in view of sub-atomic elements (MD) strategy, we show the impact of mutational structure changes on a few natural protein models.

NUEVOS REGISTROS DE HONGOS AGARICALES (BASIDIOMYCOTA) PARA LAS YUNGAS BOLIVIANAS

Fil: Melgarejo Estrada, Elizabeth. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Micologia y Botanica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Micologia y Botanica; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biologia Experimental; Argentina

First Quaternary Brazilian cave pollen record: morphological descriptions, taxonomic and ecological data

This paper presents descriptions, and taxonomic and ecological data by the angiosperm pollen grains recovered from Quaternary sediments of the Gruta do Urso Cave, Tocantins State, Northern Brazil. Among recovered assemblage, 44 types of angiosperm pollen were identified. Most of the pollen types described here are related to the modern aboreal-shrub and herbaceous-subshrub taxa currently present in the plant communities of the Cerrado biome: (i) forest formations (Annonaceae, Aspidosperma, Ilex, Celtis, Trema, Tournefortia, Protium, Combretaceae-Melastomataceae type, Croton-type, Moraceae-Urticaceae type, cf. Bauhinia brevipes, Cassia, Pithecellobium, Peixotoa, and Cedrela); (ii) savannah formations (Anacardium, Astronium, Asteraceae Tribu Eupatorieae, Caryocar, Cyperaceae, Eriotheca-type, Ludwigia, Pseudobombax spp., Ouratea, Qualea, and Utricularia), and (iii) grasslands (Poaceae). Regarding the diversity of pollen types registered, the most representative botanical families were: Fabaceae (8), Malvaceae (4), Euphorbiaceae (3), Anacardiaceae (3), Apocynaceae (2), Cannabaceae (2), Sapindaceae (2) and Poaceae (2), which also occur in the Cerrado-Caatinga transition. Pollen data show paleovegetation during the Last Glacial Maximum and Holocene times out of the cave, and provides a reliable source for paleoecological, paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic investigations. Keywords: palynology, Quaternary, paleovegetation, Brazilian savannah. Este artigo apresenta as descricoes morfologicas, dados taxonomicos e ecologicos de graos de polen de angiospermas recuperados de sedimentos quaternarios da Gruta do Urso, Estado do Tocantins, Norte do Brasil. Foram registrados 44 tipos polinicos que se relacionam com os taxons arbustivo-arboreos e arbustivo-herbaceos ocorrentes atualmente nas comunidades vegetacionais do bioma Cerrado: (i) formacoes florestais (Annonaceae, Aspidosperma, Ilex, Celtis, Trema, Tournefortia, Protium, Tipo Combretaceae-Melastomataceae, Tipo Croton, Tipo Moraceae-Urticaceae, cf. Bauhinia brevipes, Cassia, Pithecellobium, Peixotoa e Cedrela); (ii) cerrado sensu stricto (Anacardium, Astronium, Asteraceae Tribo Eupatorieae, Caryocar, Cyperaceae, Tipo Eriotheca, Ludwigia, Pseudobombax spp., Ouratea, Qualea e Utricularia) e (iii) gramineas (Poaceae). Quanto a diversidade polinica, as familias botânicas mais representativas foram: Fabaceae (8), Malvaceae (4), Euphorbiaceae (3), Anacardiaceae (3), Apocynaceae (2), Cannabaceae (2), Sapindaceae (2) e Poaceae (2), que tambem ocorrem na transicao dos biomas Cerrado-Caatinga. Os dados polinicos refletem a paleovegetacao do entorno da caverna durante o Ultimo Maximo Glacial e Holoceno, e constituem uma fonte confiavel para as investigacoes paleoecologicas, paleoambientais e paleoclimaticas. Palavras-chave: palinologia, Quaternario, paleovegetacao, Cerrado.

Internet searches offer insight into early-season pollen patterns in observation-free zones

Tracking concentrations of regional airborne pollen is valuable for a variety of fields including plant and animal ecology as well as human health. However, current methods for directly measuring regional pollen concentrations are labor-intensive, requiring special equipment and manual counting by professionals leading to sparse data availability in select locations. Here, we use publicly available Google Trends data to evaluate whether searches for the term “pollen” can be used to approximate local observed early-season pollen concentrations as reported by the National Allergy Bureau across 25 U.S. regions from 2012–2017, in the context of site-specific characteristics. Our findings reveal that two major factors impact the ability of internet search data to approximate observed pollen: (1) volume/availability of internet search data, which is tied to local population size and media use; and (2) signal intensity of the seasonal peak in searches. Notably, in regions and years where internet search data was abundant, we found strong correlations between local search patterns and observed pollen, thus revealing a potential source of daily pollen data across the U.S. where observational pollen data are not reliably available.

The behaviour of sea snakes (Emydocephalus annulatus) shifts with the tides

Tidal cycles are known to affect the ecology of many marine animals, but logistical obstacles have discouraged behavioural studies on sea snakes in the wild. Here, we analyse a large dataset (1,445 observations of 126 individuals) to explore tidally-driven shifts in the behaviour of free-ranging turtle-headed sea snakes (Emydocephalus annulatus, Hydrophiinae) in the Baie des Citrons, New Caledonia. Snakes tended to move into newly-inundated areas with the rising tide, and became more active (e.g. switched from inactivity to mate-searching and courting) as water levels rose. However, the relative use of alternative habitat types was largely unaffected by tidal phase.

Quantifying colour difference in animals with variable patterning

Colour pattern influences behaviour and affects survival of organisms through perception of light reflectance. Spectrophotometric methods used to study colour optimise precision and accuracy of reflectance across wavelengths, while multiband photographs are generally used to assess the complexity of colour patterns. Using standardised photographs of sand lizards (Lacerta agilis), we compare how colours characterised using point measurements (using the photographs, but simulating spectrophotometry) on the skin differ from colours estimated by clustering pixels in the photograph of the lizard's body. By taking photographs in the laboratory and in the field, the experimental design included two 2-way comparisons. We compare point vs. colour clustering characterisation and influence of illumination in the laboratory and in the field. We found that point measurements adequately represented the dominant colour of the lizard. Where colour patterning influenced measurement geometry, image analysis outperformed point measurement with respect to stability between technical replicates on the same animal. The greater colour variation derived from point measurements increased further under controlled laboratory illumination. Both methods revealed lateral colour asymmetry in sand lizards, i.e. that colours subtly differed between left and right flank. We conclude that studies assessing the impact of colour on animal ecology and behaviour should utilise hyperspectral imaging, followed by image analysis that encompasses the whole colour pattern.