Locations In Lithuania Research Articles

Records ofPhyllonorycter robiniella(Clemens, 1859) andParectopa robiniellaClemens, 1863 (Lepidoptera, Gracillariidae) in Lithuania

The specimens of Phyllonorycter robiniella were collected and reared during the examination of Robinia pseudoacacia leaves in three locations of Lithuania. Low infestations of this species were found in three localities of Vilnius city and in one locality of Kaunas and Neringa cities. Leaves mined by Parectopa robiniella larvae were recorded in Ignalina city and the Curonian Spit.

First Records of Crane Flies (Diptera: Limoniidae, Tipulidae) for Lithuania in 2007

Five species of crane flies (Diptera: Limoniidae, Tipulidae): Dicranomyia (Idiopyga) klefbecki (Tjeder, 1941), Dicranomyia (Idiopyga) megacauda Alexander, 1924, Erioptera (Erioptera) minor de Meijere, 1920, Erioptera (Erioptera) nielseni de Meijere, 1921, and Tipula (Lunatipula) recticornis Schummel, 1833 were identified as new to the local fauna in the material collected in two localities in Lithuania in 2007. The current article presents information concerning finding localities, habitats, numbers of collected specimens and general distribution together with original drawings and photographs of the main diagnostic features.

Chemotypes of Achillea millefolium transferred from 14 different locations in Lithuania to the controlled environment

The composition of essential oils hydrodistilled from 19 samples of inflorescences and leaves of Achillea millefolium L. plants, which were transferred from 14 natural habitats in Lithuania to the field collection, is reported. Total content of oil was 0.15–0.55% in inflorescences and 0.06–0.19% (v/w) in leaves. In total 117 compounds were identified positively or tentatively. Data obtained clearly indicate the presence of a remarkable chemical polymorphism within the population of A. millefolium in Lithuania. The content of the major constituents in the oils from inflorescences varied in the following ranges: β-pinene, 0.33–62.29%; β-myrcene, 0.05–69.76%; α-phelandrene, 0.13–29.96%; 1,8-cineole, 2.30–21.57%; and chamazulene, 0.08–30.70%. According to the major components the essential oils' six chemotypes of A. millefolium were defined.

RADIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF ROACH AND PERCH FROM SOME LAKES IN LITHUANIA

From the point of view of biological toxicity the most toxic radionuclides are man‐made 90Sr and 137Cs because the behavoir of both of them is similar to stable calcium and potassium in the body. Fish is the last part of the hydrosystem chain which accumulates pollutants. The aim of this study was to analyse the distribution of these two radionuclides in the muscle and other organs of perch and roach that differ by age and living conditions. Measurements were performed for 137Cs and 90Sr activity concentrations in fishes from the lakes of Drūkšiai, Lūkstas and Dusia. Radioecological investigation was carried out for different age groups of roach and perch analysing samples of muscle and spine bones (including the head of fish). Radioecological investigation of fishes from the lakes of Drūkšiai, Lūkstas and Dusia show that the activity concentrations of 137Cs and 90Sr are low. Anyway, the accumulated radioactivity by food chain reaches the human body. Nowadays a lot of investigations are related to the lakes in the vicinity of Ignalina NPP. The investigation shows that the activity concentrations of 137Cs and 90Sr in fishes from the Drūkšiai lake are the same as in fishes from other lakes in other locations of Lithuania.

Radical scavenging activity and composition of raspberry ( Rubus idaeus) leaves from different locations in Lithuania

Raspberry ( Rubus idaeus) leaves, collected in different locations of Lithuania were extracted with ethanol and the extracts were tested for their antioxidant activity (AA) by using ABTS + decolourisation and DPPH scavenging methods. All extracts were active, with radical scavenging capacity at the used concentrations from 20.5 to 82.5% in DPPH reaction system and from 8.0 to 42.7% in ABTS + reaction. The total amount of phenolic compounds in the leaves varied from 4.8 to 12.0 mg of gallic acid equivalents (GAE) in 1 g of plant extract. Quercetin glucuronide, quercetin-3- O-glucoside and rutin were identified in the extracts.

Genetics Diversity of the Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgarisL.) in Lithuania

The red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris L.) is widespread in Lithuania; it lives and nests in deciduous and coniferous forests. Genetic diversity of 20 Lithuanian red squirrels from 11 locations in Lithuania was examined using a random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method. Ten random primers were used for amplification. Reproducible amplification patterns were obtained using six primers. In total, sixty-three amplification patterns were generated during analyses. Fifty-five (87.3%) of them were polymorphic. Visual examination of electrophoresis gels and analysis of banding patterns showed that the studied red squirrels are genetically quite different. Clustering analysis did not indicate any differentiation among study sites, a correlation between genetic and geographical distances was not detected either. These findings proved that the Lithuanian population of red squirrels is heterogenic. RAPD analysis revealed high-level genetic diversity within Lithuanian red squirrels.

Genetics Polymorphism Study of Ixodes Ricinus L. Populations in Lithuania using RAPD Markers

Ixodes ricinus ticks are common and widespread in Lithuania. They are the main vector in transmission of infectious diseases like tick-born encephalitis, Lyme borreliosis and human granulocytic ehrlichiosis. The aim of our study was to investigate genetic variability of I. ricinus ticks in Lithuania. I. ricinus ticks were collected from different locations of Lithuania. Data on genetic polymorphism of I. ricinus were used to determinate genetic distances within and among different Lithuanian populations in this species. At first, 103 collected ticks were analysed using specifics for I. ricinus new primers designed by A. Jenkins for taxonomic identification. PCR analysis data showed that all ticks were I. ricinus. Polymorphism of I. ricinus was analysed using the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method. 47 DNA samples of I. ricinus ticks were used for RAPD reaction. Ten arbitrary sequence decamers were used as primers. Reproducible amplification patterns were obtained using five primers. RAPD analys...

Hunting behaviour of predatory wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae): is the distribution of stinging effort phylogenetically inherited or dependent on the prey type?

Ancistrocerus, Discoelius and Symmorphus are xylicolous predatory wasps, the former two genera hunting caterpillars, the last one using both caterpillars and larvae of Chrysomelidae beetles. One of the aims of this study was to compare the stinging pattern of species from these genera with the ancestral “complete four-sting pattern” (C4SP) and reduced “two-sting pattern” (C2SP). Another aim was to clarify whether stinging pattern of predatory wasps depends mostly on the prey type or on the systematic position of the wasp. Sting traces on 6123 paralysed prey specimens, taken from 409 fresh wasp nests made by 10 wasp species in reed (Phragmites australis) trap-nests in three localities of Lithuania, were studied. The total number of stings applied to a prey specimen, the number and the share of stings directed to its body segments and the probability of stinging the segments were considered. The main conclusions of the study are: (1) the total number of stings delivered to a prey is species-specific, in some cases it may be used to distinguish fresh nests of related wasp species, as those of Symmorphus crassicornis and S. murarius and those of Discoelius dufourii and D. zonalis. (2) The distribution of stings is significantly different from the basic patterns C4SP and C2SP in all ten studied wasps; however, four caterpillar-hunting species have the distribution close to the C2SP The stinging pattern of three Symmorphus species hunting Chrysomelidae larvae included regular stings to the throat, three thoracic and the first abdominal segment; it could be abbreviated as C5SP (a complete five-sting pattern). (3) The distribution of stings among the segments of prey was found to be more dependent on the taxonomic position of the wasp species than on the prey type, thus it might be used as a behavioural character in comparative and phylogenetic studies. (4) The stinging pattern depended on the prey type as well: in the caterpillar-hunting S. debilitatus, it was quite different from the stinging pattern of the Symmorphus that hunt Chrysomelidae larvae.

Chemical composition of the essential oil of different varieties of thyme ( Thymus pulegioides) growing wild in Lithuania

Twenty-five samples of Thymus pulegioides L. representing two varieties of subsp. silvestris and four varieties of subsp. pulegioides were collected from 11 localities in Lithuania and the composition of their essential oil was analysed by capillary gas chromatography (GC) and mass spectrometry (MS). Five chemotypes have been defined for the species using hierarchical cluster analysis: (1) linalool (L)—one sample; (2) geranial/geraniol/neral (G/G/N)—11 samples; (3) thymol (T)—two samples; (4) carvacrol/γ-terpinene/ p-cymene (C/γT/pC)—seven samples; (5) thymol/carvacrol/ p-cymene/γ-terpinene (T/C/pC/γT)—four samples. It was concluded that there is no clear relation in essential oil composition between the studied taxa and the chemical types detected. Four different chemotypes were defined within the subsp. s ilvestris var. conglomeratus, three chemotypes within the subsp. pulegioides var. pulegioides and var. ovatus. The G/G/N-chemotype is the most frequently found, followed by the phenolic types, the linalool chemotype being recorded only once. Both infra-specific and intra-population chemical polymorphisms were recorded.

The First Data on the Fauna and Distribution of Blood Parasites of Amphibians in Lithuania

One hundred and fifty two specimens of frogs (the order Anura) belonging to four species (Rana esculenta-lessonae, R. temporaria, Bufo bufo, B. viridis) were captured in nine localities of Lithuania during summer and early autumn in 1998–2000 and investigated for blood parasites by microscopic examination of stained blood films. Only haemoflagellates from the genus Trypanosoma were recorded. Parasites were found in all the examined species of anurans, except B. viridis. Four morphological forms of these parasites, which were attributed to the Trypanosoma rotatorium complex, were recorded. The overall prevalence of infection was 40.1%. The highest prevalence of infection was recorded in R. esculenta-lessonae (65.1%). There were clear differences in the prevalence of infection among different populations of the same amphibian species. There was no discernible difference in the intensity of infection among different frog species. This is the first report on blood parasites of amphibians in Lithuania.

Some Data on Endoparasites of Common Mole in Lithuania

To study common mole (Talpa europaea L., 1758) infection with endoparasites 59 individuals trapped in five localities of Lithuania in 1999–2001 were examined. All common moles were examined by the method of total helminthological autopsy, skeletal muscles of 45 and brains of 25 animals being additionally studied by microscopic examination of stained and native preparations. The prevalence of infection was established to be 91.5%. The number of helminth species detected in mole digestive and internal organs totalled 13: Omphalometra flexuosa, Dilepis undula, Staphylocystis bacillaris, Tricholinstowia talpae, T. linstowi, Parastrongyloides winchesi, Capillaria sp., C. incrassata, Porrocaecum sp., P. depressum, Agamospirura minutissima, and unidentified larvae – ‘larva 1’. and ‘larva 2’. Capillaria sp. eggs were detected in the spleen. Common moles were most often infected with adult T. talpae and C. incrassata nematodes and nematode larvae of Porrocaecum sp. and ‘larva 1’. There were free and encapsulated nematode larvae of the Spirurata suborder found in 48.9% of the investigated skeletal muscles and in 36% of the examined brain samples. The A. minutissima species is supposed to have been dominant in these tissues. The highest intensity of infection up to 2,168 with ‘larva 2’ was found. Protists of the Sarcocystis and Frenkelia genera (Protista, Coccidia) were not recorded in any of the cases of common mole diaphragm, skeletal muscle or brain investigation.

Bacterial Ring Rot of Potatoes Caused by Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. sepedonicus in Lithuania.

Bacterial ring rot of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) was observed for the first time in Lithuania from 1998 to 1999. The disease, caused by Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. sepedonicus, is considered one of the most important bacterial diseases of potato. Nearly all countries that produce potatoes report the presence of the bacterium (1). C. michiganensis subsp. sepedonicus is listed as an A2 quarantine pathogen by the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization. The pathogen has a latent period that can last for several generations of potato production, thus increasing the risk for further dissemination of the disease. Plant wilting and tuber rotting, characteristic symptoms of the disease, were observed in various localities in Lithuania. The disease was found in 12 potato varieties. Disease incidence approached 5% in the field and 5 to 21% in storage. The presence of C. michiganensis subsp. sepedonicus in diseased as well as asymptomatic plant tissue was determined by immunofluorescence cell staining and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with the use of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies, respectively. More than 350 potato samples were tested. Twenty-five samples tested positive by these methods. Pathogenicity tests of 30 samples were conducted on eggplant. Characteristic symptoms were found on 21 plants. The bacteria were reisolated on nutrient dextrose agar medium from 12 inoculated eggplants. For confirmation of six suspicious strains, polymerase chain reaction with a specific Cms50 primer set was employed (2). In three cases, positive results were obtained.

Composition of Essential Oils of Pinus sylvestris L. from Different Locations of Lithuania

Oils of Pinus sylvestris L. produced from plant material collected from different locations in Lithuania have been investigated by GC and GC/MS. The oil content in many samples was approximately 1 mL/100 g (dry weight) with few exceptions when it was slightly higher or lower. More than 70 constituents were identified (64 positively and 10 tentatively) in the oils. α-Pinene (18.5-33.0%) and δ-3-carene (9.1-24.6%) were dominating constituents with the only one exception when the germacrene-4-ol content in one of the samples was 13.2%. The important bornyl acetate content varied from 0.5% to 3.0%. The main sesquiterpenes were β-caryophyllene, germacrene D, bicyclogermacrene, δ-cadinene, γ-cadinene, germacrene D-4-ol, cubenol (2.0-5.1%) and α-cadinol (1.9-7.7%).