Biosystems Diversity (E-Journal - Dnipro National University)
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Spatial and temporal analysis of rabies and effectiveness of the oral rabies vaccination program in Ukraine
Get PDFRabies has been known as a lethal disease since time immemorial. Nonetheless, modern modeling estimates suggest that this infection is a cause of death of almost 60 thou people around the globe every year. In Ukraine, rabies is also a relevant problem in veterinary and human medicine. In the early 21st century, the epizootic situation regarding this infection was characterized as intense with periodic disease outbreaks. As of now, the most effective modern way to combat rabies is oral vaccination of wild carnivores against rabies. In 2018, a large-scale campaign of vaccination of feral carnivores began in Ukraine. To identify the efficacy of this anti-epizootic event, we used a complex approach that included the use of all the control elements: surveillance of rabies spread, assessment of tetracycline marker, and identification of the immunity to rabies virus in foxes in the area of vaccination. In 2022, due to the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, the oral vaccination of wild animals was not conducted. Therefore, complex assessment of efficacy of vaccination is necessary to monitor achievements of the Veterinary Service of Ukraine in combating this infection. This paper, based on our epizootic, histological, and serological studies, presents the trends of spread of rabies cases in Ukraine, which were confirmed in laboratory studies in 2018–2022. Also, the paper demonstrates the downward dynamics of rabies in all species of the animals. Analysis of the efficacy of the oral vaccination campaign of wild carnivores against rabies revealed its efficiency. At the same time, to achieve the best effect, oral vaccination of wild carnivores against rabies should be carried out twice a year – in spring and autumn. Extending the analysis to include domestic carnivores (dogs and cats) revealed problems in the current system of rabies prophylaxi
Change in the general aboveground phytomass as a basis for modeling dynamics of recovery of vegetative cover
Get PDFOur study was focused on changes in the general aboveground phytomass during restoration of the vegetative cover. The objective was to analyze changes in the aboveground phytomass as an indicator of autogenic ecosystem dynamics. Therefore, we set the following goals: to detect changes that occurred in the amount of aboveground phytomass while the natural vegetation recovered; develop a mathematical model that would describe the process of dynamics of aboveground phytomass during progressive autogenic successions; develop a parameter of natural ecosystem dynamics based on changes in the aboveground phytomass during recovery of natural vegetation. To achieve our goals, we conducted a series of eight stationary experiments that lasted from 2005 to 2014 in the territory of central Polissia. Also, we carried out geobotanical studies, measuring phytomass outside the stationary plots. As vegetation in the disturbed areas recovered, the amount of aboveground phytomass naturally increased. Function of the natural logarithm is a mathematical model of change in the aboveground phytomass. In this model, regression coefficient “a” represents the initial conditions of when recovery started. For secondary ecological successions, regression coefficient “a” was higher than for the initial one. Regression coefficient “b” indicated the rates of production of aboveground phytomass. With time, a predicted trend of change in the aboveground phytomass becomes more likely to deviate.. Increase in the aboveground phytomass in most cases accompanies autogenic succession, and its decline, except in rare cases, accompanies/ homogenic succession. Accumulation of maximum possible phytomass and its storage for a maximum time interval corresponds to the state of energy (climatic) climax, while stopping its production at lower values – to catastrophic climax. The mathematical model of change in the general aboveground phytomass is the basis for further development of an integral theory of ecosystem dynamics. Prediction algorithms that have been developed based on the proposed mathematical model can be useful during environmental audit or decision making in nature protection when assessing whether an area requires a strict protection regime
East and West of the Carpathian Arc: Evidence of postglacial ecological and morpho-logical divergence of Phytoecia tigrina metapopulations (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae)
Get PDFPhytoecia tigrina Mulsant (1851) is recognized as a species under strict protection EU Habitat Directive, it represents a focal point for conservation efforts across Europe. However, the dearth of comprehensive understanding regarding its biology, ecology, and geographical distribution poses formidable challenges to conservation endeavors. In the current study, we have delineated eight European and two Asian distinct metapopulations of Ph. tigrina across its geographic range, with a particular emphasis on elucidating its dispersion within the Circum-Carpathian region. This delineation serves to underscore the species' distribution, niche dimensions and limits of ecological tolerance that illuminate its adaptation capacity to diverse environmental conditions within the range. Our study has unveiled notable differentials in both morphological and ecological traits among Ph. tigrina metapopulations, notably between those located on the eastern and western flanks of the Carpathian Arc. Such differentials suggest the influence of divergent evolutionary trajectories, likely influenced by historical climatic changes during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene epochs. Significantly, specimens derived from eastern metapopulations exhibit morphological features of sufficient magnitude to warrant the proposition of a distinct subspecies, Phytoecia (Pilemia) tigrina podillica ssp. nov. This taxonomic delineation underscores the taxonomic complexity inherent within the Ph. tigrina species complex. Our investigations have further illuminated the historical dynamics of the species distribution, indicating the presence at least of two refugia during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). These refugial enclaves, situated in the Sea of Marmara/Eastern Aegean Sea region and the Pannonian Plain, likely played pivotal roles in shaping contemporary distributional patterns. Moreover, our ecological niche modeling endeavors have elucidated rapid expansions of suitable habitat for Ph. tigrina during post-glacial epochs, notably the Preboreal and Boreal periods. These expansions aligned with the rapid dispersion of its host plant Cynoglottis barrelieri supplying colonization of new territories in the face of the fast-changing post-glacial environment. Our study underscores the intricate interplay between evolutionary history, environmental dynamics, and imperatives for conservation Ph. tigrina. By elucidating these complexities, we endeavor to furnish a robust foundation for future conservation initiatives aimed at safeguarding this emblematic species and its associated habitats
Recycling and decontamination of organic waste in Ukraine: Current state, technologies and prospects for the biogas industry
Get PDFGlobal and regional competition for natural resources, particularly for land and water, food and fodder, takes place in the context of a dire necessity to limit greenhouse gas emissions and is becoming more and more pressing every year. Environmental soundness, sustainability and security are becoming more relevant and are considered as key elements of modern agricultural enterprises' operation. The concept of the coming years in animal husbandry is non-waste production, which consists in the complete recycling of waste, and if it is impossible – in their safe disposal. If the waste cannot be reused or upcycled, such waste should be transformed into energy. The production of biogas and biomethane contributes to solving two global problems: the growing amount of organic waste produced by modern economies and the negative impact of CO2 emissions on climate change and the environment. We considered the social and economic prerequisites developed in the main sectors of contemporary Ukrainian livestock breeding in terms of potential sources of raw materials for biogas production. The main focus of the study is on the elements of greening of national agriculture, production and on the prospects for the development of the biogas industry in Ukraine. Favourable conditions for the development of biogas technologies have been identified among large producers of livestock products (dairy cattle breeding, swine breeding and poultry farming). In other sectors, opportunities are still limited due to economic, social and legislative difficulties. The paper also analyses the prospects for the use of various means of combating pathogens for the processing and disposal of organic waste. The main role of anaerobic digestion as an alternative method for the inactivation of dangerous pathogens responsible for infectious and parasitic diseases of animals and humans has been determined
Assessment of the state of forest vegetation of waste dumps of coal mines in Ukraine
Get PDFThe aim of the work was to assess the current state of protective vegetation cover formed as a result of forest reclamation and natural overgrowth of all rock dumps of coal mines in Ukraine. The relevance of the research is conditioned by the important role of taking into account the degree of forest cover on the surface of dumps when assessing their ecological hazard to the environment. Forest plantations reduce the intensity of deflation and erosion of the surface of dumps, so the intensity of pollutants entering the adjacent territory is also sharply reduced. The main research method was the analysis of space images. The scientific novelty of the research results consists in the estimation of the average afforestation of the surface of dumps of the Lviv-Volynsky coal basin, Western and Central Donbass and in the established dependence of the afforestation of dumps slopes on their exposure and insolation coefficient proposed by the authors. Differences in afforestation of dumps of the above-mentioned basins (50.6%, 5.6% and 10.6%, respectively) testify both to the role of differences in climatic conditions and to the low level of dump reclamation in the Donetsk coal basin. Almost 1,900 ha or 79.5% of the dump surface in the north-eastern part of the Central Donbas is not forested and is a source of intensive environmental pollution. The afforestation of southern slopes in the Central Donbas is 4.7 times lower than that of northern slopes. However, a part of dumps is characterised by almost complete afforestation of southern slopes. This important fact proves the possibility of growing plantations under conditions of unstable moisture inherent in Donbas, even on such slopes. The practical significance of the work consists in the presented low-cost reclamation technology and the results of its use by the authors in forest reclamation of two rock dumps of PJSC ‘Lisichanskvugillia’. The given results of the survey of forest plantations more than 30 years after their creation by the authors prove the possibility of mass afforestation of rock dumps in Ukraine and, as a consequence, the reduction of the area of agricultural lands polluted by dumps and the intensity of their pollution
Adaptation strategies of Heracleum sosnowskyi in Ukrainian Polissia
Get PDFHeracleum sosnowskyi is an invasive transformer species dangerous for biodiversity and human health. The materials for this study were the standard geobotanical descriptions made on the territory of Ukrainian Polissia in the period from 2004 to 2022. The relevés were classified using the Braun-Blanquet methods and used for synphytoindication evaluation of the environmental factors, rating ecofactors, estimated based on the ecological scales of the species that form a phytocoenosis. Heracleum sosnowskyi was observed to occur in plant communities belonging to 13 classes, 16 orders, 21 alliances, and 29 associations. According to the synphytoindication, it most often grew in mesophyte, hemihydrocontrasthophobic (moderately moistened habitats that are sporadically moistened), subacidophilic, semieutrophic, acarbonataphilic, nitrophilic, hemiaerophobic (moderately aerated habitats), submicrothermal (habitats that receives 20–30 kc/sm2), subombrophytic, hemioceanic, subcryophytic (habitats with the average temperature of the coldest month of the year is approximately –8), semi-illuminated, euhemerobic (habitats that have been altered or created by humans and are under anthropogenic influence) habitats. The competitive advantages of Sosnowsky's hogweed over the native species are the combination of the ability to change r and K strategies, depending on the environmental conditions, with the production of a large number of seeds that are dispersed from a tall peduncle, maintaining a significant germination rate for several years, and allelopathy and efficient assimilation of nitrogen compounds, which helps it to increase the size of the shoot. Ruderal and natural grass ecosystems are the most vulnerable to the penetration of H. sosnowskyi in the early stages of autogenic succession (value of natural dynamic was 3.0–4.0 points). The highest projective cover and the density of its population were observed in the nitrified forest edges of associations Elytrigio repentis-Aegopodietum podagrariae var. Heracleum sosnowskyi (value of natural dynamic was 4.0–7.0 points). Forest ecosystems with multi-tiered vegetation (value of natural dynamic was above 9.5 points) and meadows with thorough sod (value of natural dynamic was above 4.8 points) were less vulnerable to invasions. At the same time, disruptions of the completeness of the tree stand or the integrity of sod created additional opportunities for the species to invade the territory. Once penetrating into natural or ruderal ecosystems, H. sosnowskyi most often transforms their autotrophic blocks into a variant of association Agropyretum repentis var. Heracleum sosnowskyi of class Artemisietea vulgaris, which is a more favorable phytocenosis for its intensive reproduction and spread. The results of the study can be used to prevent the spread of H. sosnowskyi
Assortative mating in Gastropoda: A meta-analysis
Get PDFThe term ‘assortative mating’ denotes situations when the choice of a mating partner is nonrandom and the phenotypes across mate pairs are correlated, either positively or negatively. Assortative mating has been registered as a particular type of behaviour in many taxa of animals, including various vertebrate and invertebrate species. The aim of this study is to conduct a meta-analysis of published data concerning assortative mating in various taxa of Gastropoda. In total, we found 36 published peer-reviewed papers that consider the size-assortative mating in Gastropoda. 32 species belonging to different taxonomic groups of this class were studied, which provided 58 cases for further analysis. The range of estimates of the strength of assortment between individuals for species included into our meta-analysis (46 cases) is very wide: from –0.155 (Brephulopsis cylindrica) to +0.966 (Veronicella sloanii). Integrally, for the studied species of Gastropoda, the average weighted estimate of the strength of assortment between the sizes of copulating individuals was 0.381 ± 0.014. It revealed that virtually all the points representing individual studies form a funnel-shaped dispersion on a scatterplot that lies along the line representing the estimate of the generalized mean rgen = 0.343 and uniformly fill the funnel-shaped space between the lines of 95% confidence interval of the correlation coefficient for a given sample size adjusted for the overall mean. The distribution of the estimates of the correlation coefficient between copulating individuals among the various gastropod species has a shape close to the normal distribution (Kolmogorov-Smirnov's d = 0.061; P > 0.20). Moreover, most estimates are concentrated within a range from 0.2 to 0.6. We found that the probability of obtaining reliable estimates of the correlation coefficient between the sizes of copulating individuals is dependent upon the number of pairs used in the analysis (binary logistic regression: χ2 = 8.92; df = 1; P = 0.0028). It can be argued that the existence of the negative size-assortative mating in Gastropoda has not yet been proved. On the other hand, if only statistically significant cases of size-assortative mating are considered (37 cases out of 58, or 63.7%), the average weighted estimate of the strength of assortment between sizes of copulating mollusks is 0.439 ± 0.015 (95% confidence interval: 0.409–0.468). If we consider the mating system and the environment simultaneously, the positive size-assortativity is most pronounced among the gonochoristic snails living in the aquatic environment (0.448 ± 0.021) while among the aquatic hermaphroditic species it is the weakest (0.315 ± 0.028). Terrestrial hermaphrodites (land snails and slugs) take the middle position. The numerous examples of the assortative mating with respect to different morphological traits, either quantitative or qualitative, have been described in various species of aquatic and land snails
Influence of organic acids on locomotor activity of Stratiolaelaps scimitus (Mesostigmata, Laelapidae)
Get PDFIncreasing the activity of zoophage Acari in agrocenoses, for example luring them to concentrations of harmful insects, could be effectively performed using attractants, for example organic acids that people use in households and industry. In our experiment, we studied the influence of organic acids on the locomotor activity of Stratiolaelaps scimitus (Womersley, 1956) (Mesostigmata, Laelapidae). Different organic acids caused certain reactions in those zoophages. Acetic acid encouraged this mite to activity and attracted it, while thioacetic acid inhibited and repelled it. Fatty acids such as tridecylic and oleic acids had an activating effect on the locomotor activity of S. scimitus. Three isomers of valeric acid inhibited locomotor activity, and the mites exerted negative chemostasis to them. Maximum locomotor activity of the mites was observed when using asparagine, ornithine, propionic acid, tridecanoic acid, boric acid, and arginine. Locomotor activity of the mites was inhibited by 3,3-dimethylbutanoic acid, thioacetic acid, pivalic acid, maleic acid, formic acid, succinic acid, 2-methylbutanoic acid, isovaleric acid, 6-aminohexanoic acid, and 2-oxoglutaric acid. We propose using attractiveness coefficient and coefficient of migratory activity, which reflect the effects of aroma compounds on mites. Those coefficients are helpful in identification of a behaviour model for mites exposed to aroma compound: attack, motionless state or escape. High attractiveness and migratory-activity coefficients mean attack on victim; low coefficients indicate motionless mites; high migratory activity and low attractiveness coefficient mean escape reaction. Our results indicate complexity of behaviour reactions of mites, which were sensitive to volatile chemical compounds in the environment. We found a high potential of using those compounds in attracting zoophages during their introduction in agrocenoses of greenhouses and open plots
Effects of biphenyl on Blaberus craniifer (Blattodea, Blaberidae) cockroaches and their parasites – gregarines and nematodes
Get PDFIn natural ecosystems, parasites and their hosts are subject to xenobiotics, which overall weaken either a host or its parasites. There has been no laboratory study of this process on the example of cockroaches and their parasites. In accurately controlled conditions, we examined the influence of a food supplement – biphenyl – on cockroaches and their three parasites. In the conditions of our experiment, Blaberus cranifer (Blattodea, Blaberidae) cockroaches significantly reduced the rates of anabolism even while consuming the lowest biphenyl concentration in their diet. While the control group was observed to have a 59.4 mg/day increase in body mass, the mass of the cockroaches given biphenyl in the dose of 0.5% of diet mass decreased by 3.4 mg/day on average. Subject to high dosages of biphenyl (0.5–16.0% of fodder mass), body mass of the cockroaches decreased on average by 1.1–9.4 mg/day. The insects consumed their diet at the same rate, no matter the biphenyl concentration given. The number of gregarines Blabericola cubensis (Eugregarinorida, Blabericolidae) and Protomagalhaensia granulosae did not change even at the highest concentration (16.0% of fodder mass) added to the B. craniifer cockroaches’ diet. We observed no significant changes in the amount of larvae of the Cranifera cranifera (Oxyurida, Thelastomatidae) nematodes, while the adult nematodes tended to decline in number when subject to increased concentration of the food supplement in the cockroaches’ food. The number of P. granulosae gregarines did not significantly increase with body-mass gains of their hosts – cockroaches, that is despite increase in volume of their living environment (the midgut of cockroaches) and extension of the period during which the cockroaches consumed gregarine oocysts from the environment with food. Similarly, the number of B. cubensis gregarines also did not significantly change with increased food consumption by the cockroaches. However, we observed a tendency towards greater numbers of this gregarine in the cockroach larvae that were losing mass during the experiment. The greatest mass loss during the experiment was observed in the cockroaches that consumed biphenyl in the diet and had the largest number of C. cranifera nematodes in the hindgut. We observed no significant negative correlation between the numbers of B. cubensis and P. granulosae gregarines. A cockroach that was found to have 70 specimens of B. cubensis in the midgut, had no P. granulosae gregarines. In contrast, when the intestines of a cockroach contained over 10–15 specimens of P. granulosae, some B. cubensis were always present. The number of C. cranifera nematodes in the cockroaches’ hindgut did not depend on the number of B. cubensis or P. granulosae gregarines in their hosts’ midgut. Perhaps, this was related to absence of competition for the intestinal section among them. The regularities we found are different from what we expected to see in the parasitic system prior to the experiment. Gregarines did not compete with nematodes. Neither of them died from biphenyl, though the cockroaches ceased to normally gain weigh when eating biphenyl. That is, the host suffered from biphenyl more than the parasites, even when consuming the lowest concentration of the xenobiotic we tested
Ornithogalum boucheanum (Asparagaceae) in Eastern Europe: Native and synanthropic range, habitat conditions and state of population
Get PDFThe geographical distribution, ecological and coenotic features of the place of growth and age structure of Ornithogalum boucheanum populations in Ukraine have been studied. In total, during the entire period of floristic research in Ukraine, 263 native sites of this species were recorded in 13 administrative regions (oblasts). Mostly these sites are concentrated in the Steppe zone, where the main part of the Eastern European fragment of the general natural range of O. boucheanum is represented. For other regions of Ukraine isolated reports of the species are known. It is noted that in addition to reduction in the number of natural habitats of O. boucheanum within the Forest-Steppe and in the southern part of Ukraine Polissya, a secondary adventive natural habitat of the species is formed, where it is part of the immigration group of foreign taxa. It was found that the natural habitats of O. boucheanum are characterized by a certain stenotopy, as the species needs some moisture and is more common in valley and balka landscapes most often in large river basins, which are not prone to drying out and can be favourable ecological corridors for long-distance migration. Favourable conditions for O. boucheanum habitats exist in floodplain and riparian forests, which have sufficient moisture, little competition from other species of grass and a sufficient amount of light in the spring. In addition, O. boucheanum can successfully master artificial and synanthropic groups of tree species, in particular being widespread in the Forest-Steppe and Steppe Robinia plantations. It was found that populations of O. boucheanum in Ukraine have different numbers: with an area of 4–6 hectares, in which there are tens and hundreds of thousands of individuals, to small populations on the northern border of distribution, in Kirovohrad and Kharkiv oblasts, which have a of young invasive character. It is possible that modern conditions have been favourable for the spread of O. boucheanum in the transition zone between the Forest-Steppe and Steppe, and that the process of forming new populations of O. boucheanum is taking place here