University of Belgrade - Faculty of Biology: Open Journal Systems
Not a member yet
270 research outputs found
Sort by
TWO DIFFERENT COLOUR MORPHS OF STIRETRUS DECEMGUTTATUS (LEPELETIER & SERVILLE, 1828) (HEMIPTERA: HETEROPTERA: PENTATOMIDAE: ASOPINAE) FEEDING AND MATING AT THE SAME TIME
Get PDFOn 02.12.2017, Oscar C. B. Neto was able to make an interesting observation in his backyard in Benedito Novo, Santa Catarina, Brazil: Two different colour morphs of Stiretrus decemguttatus could be photographed while they were mating and feeding at the same time (Fig. 1). One specimen was feeding on a larva, while the other one was feeding on an Asopine, probably another colour morph of S. decemguttatus or a specimen of S. erythrocephalus. Both species have similar blue colour patterns which differ in tibial expansions and median abdominal spine (Thomas, 1992), characters which are not visible in Figure 1
CHALCIDOIDEA SPECIES (INSECTA: HYMENOPTERA) ON THE WOODY VINE CAMPSIS RADICANS (L.) SEEM. EX BUREAU
Get PDFThe woody vine Campsis radicans has extrafloral nectaries on the sepal, pedicel and green fruits. Its nectar attracts abundant Hymenoptera and especially representatives of the Chalcidoidea superfamily. During a six-year study (2012-2017) in the period from July to mid-October, 2117, specimens of Chalcidoidea from 13 families were collected. A total of 116 species were determined, of which 63 were new species to the Serbian fauna, and 11 to the fauna of the Balkan Peninsula. Campsis radicans can be considered as a “bait plant” that attracts many groups of Hymenoptera, which is very important for the study of their fauna, and in particular, for almost all the families of the Chalcidoidea superfamily. Campsis radicans is also significant since its extrafloral nectar is food to many Chalcidoidea species in periods when no other food is available. Given that almost all of the identified Chalcidoidea species are natural enemies of other insects (most commonly of phytophagous insects), C. radicans indirectly provides a natural balance in different terrestrial ecosystems
In memoriam: PROF. DR. DUŠKA SIMOVA-TOŠIĆ (1934–2018)
Get PDFProfessor Dr Duška Simova-Tošić, retired full-professor of entomology at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, died on 19 June 2018.
In 1956, she graduated from the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Department of Biology, in Skopje. After completing her studies, she worked for one year as a curator-entomologist at the Natural History Museum in Skopje, and from 1958 to 1962 as an assistant at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Skopje. From 1962, she was employed as an assistant at the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Belgrade, where, after moving up through all academic teaching levels, she worked as an entomologist until her retirement on October 1, 1999. At the same faculty, she obtained her MSc, and subsequently PhD. She defended her master’s thesis, “Contribution to knowledge of the harmful fauna of Cecidomyiidae of Serbia”, in 1964, and in 1969, she defended her doctoral dissertation entitled “Cecidomyiidae of Serbia and the importance of some morphological characters for its determination”. She was elected assistant professor in 1971, associate professor in 1977, and full professor in 1982. In 1968, she specialized in nematology at the Nematology Laboratory in Wageningen in the Netherlands, and on study tours in the USSR (1972) and the Netherlands (1973 and 1976).
During her time at the Faculty of Agriculture in Belgrade she lectured on the subject of Special Entomology and Insect Ecology at the Department for the Protection of Plants and Food Products, and Entomology at the Department of Farming. During her postgraduate studies in entomology, she gave lectures in the fields of Insect Physiology, Insect Systems and Entomology. She also taught Entomology at the Faculties of Agriculture in Skopje and Novi Sad, and in high schools in Vršac and Zrenjanin. She had a reputation as a strict teacher, but one that was respected by her students. In 1999, she was awarded an honorary professorship of the University “Saints Cyril and Methodius” in Skopje.
She mentored dozens of master’s theses and doctoral dissertations at the Faculties of Agriculture at the universities of Belgrade, Novi Sad, Skopje and Zagreb.
Professor Duška Simova-Tošić was dedicated to the teaching of students, and, as author or co-author, she organized a number of teaching aids: “Insect Determination Charts” (1969), “Insect Collection Handbook” (1969), “Practicum of Special Entomology” (1975 and 1995), scripts and textbooks on General Entomology (1985, 1987) and Special Entomology (1985, 1987). For students of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences in Skopje she wrote the textbook “Environmental Entomology (Part I)”, Skopje (1987).
Her field of scientific interest was the study of gall midges (Cecidomyiidae), crane flies (Tipulidae and Limoniidae), and other species and groups of insects. Her main preoccupations were Cecidomyiidae and Tipulidae, which she studied from the aspect of systematics, taxonomy, development cycle, natural enemies, harmfulness and importance in plant production. Her work of many years within these taxonomic groups, which continued after her retirement, resulted in published monographs: “Crane Flies − Tipulidae (Diptera-Insecta)” in “Fauna of Macedonia III” (1977); “Tipulidae” (Insecta, Diptera) in “Fauna of Durmitor” (1987); “Atlas of Gall Midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae: Cecidomyiinae)” (2014), and as a special edition of the journal Acta entomologica Serbica, “Phytophagous Species of Gall Midges in Serbia, Diptera: Cecidomyiidae, Cecidomyiinae” (2016). Also, in agricultural entomology, she was the author of the chapter “Soybean Pests and Diseases” in the monograph “Soya − Production and Processing” (1995), and one of the authors of the Handbook on Quarantine and Pest Control (1980, Belgrade).
Depending on the subject of interest at a given time during her working life, Prof. Dr. Simova-Tošić took part in the realization of programs in several scientific research projects. She participated in scientific meetings and congresses at home and abroad. She developed strong scientific and professional cooperation with colleagues from all republics of ex-Yugoslavia and from abroad. However, her greatest scientific cooperation was with scientists studying Tipulidae and Cecidomyiidae from the former USSR, especially Ukraine, and from the Netherlands, Germany, England and Romania. Particular mention should be made of her close cooperation with the Czech entomologists Marcela Skuhravá and Václav Skuhravý, with whom she published a number of papers on the topic of Cecidomyiidae. The monograph “Cecidomyiidae Fauna in Europe and Asia 1955-2008” by Skuhravá and Skuhravý cites the results of Prof. Simova’s research on the number of established species of Cecidomyiidae, not only in Serbia, but also in all the republics of former Yugoslavia. Thanks to her dedicated work and exhaustive research, the fauna of Serbia’s gall midges is the best studied when compared to neighboring countries. Before retiring, Prof. Simova had established 283 species of gall midges in Serbia, but this was not the end of her activities and creative opus. After 2000, she published two monographs and eight scientific papers. According to the 2nd Annex to the knowledge of gall midges of Serbia published in 2008 in the journal “Bulletin of the Natural History Museum”, Belgrade, there are 19 species, 17 of which are new to Serbia, 5 to the fauna of gall midges of the Balkan Peninsula, and 4 are for the first time established for the former Yugoslav republics. With this data, and with another 24 species that have not been identified and for which it is reliably believed that they are new to science (as the author herself pointed out in her last paper), the total number of species that she identified during her life and work in Serbia was 326, among which there are invasive species, species that are new to the fauna of Serbia, new for the Balkan Peninsula and for Europe, and new to science. In addition to over a hundred scientific papers published in domestic and foreign journals and at domestic and foreign scientific conferences, Prof. Dr Duška Simova-Tošić has left behind a rich collection of insects and herbarium materials. During her lifetime, Prof. Simova deposited in and formally bequeathed to the Natural History Museum in Belgrade the collection “Diptera: Tipuloidea”, with a total of 146 species and 4143 specimens of Tipulidae, as well as a collection of herbaceous plants with Cecidomyiidae (“Herbarium cecidologicum Duška Simova”). The Limoniidae collection is kept at the Department of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology of the Institute of Phytomedicine at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade.
At the Faculty of Agriculture in Belgrade, Prof. Simova was an active member of many management boards and she was Head of the Department of Entomology and Director of the Institute for the Protection of Plants and Food Products (today called Phytomedicine). She was a member of the Yugoslav Entomological Society and the Plant Protection Society of Serbia, and a very active member of the Entomological Society of Serbia, which awarded her with a special certificate of thanks as a meritorious member in 2008. She was a member of the editorial board of the journal “Acta entomologica Serbica”.
Prof. Simova was serious, hardworking, systematic, strict, authoritative, committed to her scientific and pedagogical work, recognized and respected by her colleagues and students, and, above all, modest. Despite all her obligations and engagements, Prof. Simova found the time to return to her hometown of Skopje, where she loved going as often as she could.
We who knew Prof. Simova remember working together and socializing, as well as her curiosity and zeal until the last day of her life. All that she gave to science remains as a permanent and valuable legacy for future generations of entomologists
The use of modern sources of information in shaping the geographic literacy of Russian school students
Get PDFThe use of information and interactive technologies in the formation of geographic literacy is discussed in the article. Special attention is paid to the sources of information posted on the Internet with the aim of applying these resources in teaching geography
Concepts of art education curriculum, tendencies and challenges
Get PDFDiscussing the different concepts of teaching Art, one should start from the competences we want to transfer to students. Through different ideas about competences, we can see the wishes of individual countries about what is expected of visual arts education. In this review, we have focused on the thinking of the European countries. All European countries have some variants of learning art in curricula and outcomes that determine what is meant to be achieved by these subjects. Depending on whether these curricula are structured as an integrated whole or as a set of specific subjects, objectives/outcomes are defined more concretely for visual arts, music, theater, dance, media arts or crafts. Learning objectives differ from country to country: in some cases, they are more globally expressed, and in others, it is more specific. The goals to be achieved or the skills to be mastered are defined for each year of learning or schooling periods.There are increasing pressures on the art education to fulfill a number of goals, in addition to learning about art. Educational systems increasingly recognize the importance of developing children’s creativity and contributing to cultural education. Almost all European countries have similar goals for the curriculum of teaching Art, among them: the development of artistic skills, knowledge, and understanding, engagement with various art forms; increasing cultural understanding; exchange of experiences. But in addition to these artistic results, the curriculum includes personal and social/cultural outcomes (such as self-confidence and self-esteem, the individuality of expression, teamwork, intercultural understanding and cultural participation). The focus on creativity (often in relation to its importance in innovation) and cultural education (in relation to individual identity and the promotion of intercultural understanding) is present in these goals.Various studies have recognized the pressure to include in the art curriculum of the 21st century the study of new media (including film, photography and digital arts) and to enable students to use ICT as a part of the creative process. In many, it is also requested for art contents to be connected to other non-artistic subjects and thus deal with creative and cultural themes
Evaluation of Cognitive Complexity of Tasks for the Topic Hydrogen Exponent in the Solutions of Acids and Bases
Get PDFThe aim of this study was evaluation of cognitive complexity of tasks for the topic hydrogen exponent in the solutions of acids and bases and its validation. The created procedure included an assessment of the difficulty of concepts and an assessment of their interactivity. There were 48 freshmen students enrolled in the study program Basic academic studies in chemistry. As a research instrument for assessing performance, test of knowledge was specifically constructed for this research. Each task in the test was followed by a seven-point Likert scale for the evaluation of invested mental effort. The evaluation of cognitive complexity was confirmed by a series of linear regression analysis where high values of correlation coefficients are obtained among the examined variables: student’s performance and invested mental effort (dependent variables) and cognitive complexity (independent variable)
APHICIDAL ACTIVITY OF PLANT EXTRACTS AGAINST APHIS FABAE (SCOPOLI, 1763) (HEMIPTERA : APHIDIDAE)
No full textThe excessive use of pesticides has created many problems for both human health and the environment. Therefore, the search for alternative methods has become a necessity. This study aims to test the effect of aqueous extracts of three plant species (Pistacia atlantica, Marrubium vulgare and Thymus algeriensis) on the larvae of the black bean aphid (Aphis fabae) found on the faba bean (Vicia faba) under laboratory conditions.
With regard to extraction, two methods were adopted for the three plants: maceration and infusion. Each mixture of plant powder and distilled water was filtered and then diluted to obtain three concentrations (5, 15 and 25%). Three replications of 18 aqueous extracts and a control (distilled water) were tested for their insecticidal effect on the aphid mortalities by counting the dead larvae 6, 12 and 24 h after their placement on treated bean leaflets. In addition, phytochemical screening was carried out to detect the presence of saponins and polyphenols in the studied extracts.
Through our study, the maceration extract from T. algeriensis at a concentration of 25% was the most effective, with a 70% of larval mortality rate after 24 h. With respect to phytochemical screening, differences in chemical composition were observed between the analyzed extracts (such as the absence of saponins in P. atlantica and its presence in T. algeriensis), which may have a role in the efficacy of the examined treatments.
T. algeriensis extracts may be considered among the tools of integrated pest management (IPM) to minimize the use of synthetic pesticides
Explaining the entropy concept and entropy components
Get PDFTotal entropy of a thermodynamic system consists of two components: thermal entropy due to energy, and residual entropy due to molecular orientation. In this article, a three-step method for explaining entropy is suggested. Step one is to use a classical method to introduce thermal entropy STM as a function of temperature T and heat capacity at constant pressure Cp: STM = ∫(Cp/T) dT. Thermal entropy is the entropy due to uncertainty in motion of molecules and vanishes at absolute zero (zero-point energy state). It is also the measure of useless thermal energy that cannot be converted into useful work. The next step is to introduce residual entropy S0 as a function of the number of molecules N and the number of distinct orientations available to them in a crystal m: S0 = N kB ln m, where kB is the Boltzmann constant. Residual entropy quantifies the uncertainty in molecular orientation. Residual entropy, unlike thermal entropy, is independent of temperature and remains present at absolute zero. The third step is to show that thermal entropy and residual entropy add up to the total entropy of a thermodynamic system S: S = S0 + STM. This method of explanation should result in a better comprehension of residual entropy and thermal entropy, as well as of their similarities and differences. The new method was tested in teaching at Faculty of Chemistry University of Belgrade, Serbia. The results of the test show that the new method has a potential to improve the quality of teaching
SPECIES OF THE FAMILY LEPTOPODIDAE (HETEROPTERA) IN SERBIA
Get PDFErianotus lanosus (Dufour, 1834) was collected for the first time in Serbia. Leptopus marmoratus (Goeze, 1778) is the other species from the Leptopodidae family that has been found in Serbia to date. In Europe, four species of the family Leptopodidae are distributed: Erianotus lanosus (Dufour), Leptopus hispanus Rambur and Leptopus marmoratus (Goeze) and Patapius spinosus (Rossi)
The probable causes for the espoused inadequacies in science student teachers’ practice teaching in schools at the National University of Lesotho
Get PDFThe observed and reported pervasive inadequacy with both pre-service and in-service teachers in classroom teaching still abounds despite the various efforts made in many countries to improve teacher education and teacher preparation programs. This study has been conducted in Lesotho, a small mountainous landlocked country in the Republic of South Africa with a population of about 2 million. In Lesotho there are currently only two teacher training institutions, the National University of Lesotho and the Lesotho College of Education. The purpose of this study was to explore where the shortfall might lie in the pre-service teacher training that led to science student teachers’ reported inadequacies in classroom teaching. The data were collected through the semi-structured interviews of the directly involved people comprising 20 student teachers 20 teaching practice tutors, 2 teacher educators and 2 regular practicing teachers. The Data from the interviews were complemented with the analysis of the documents using template analysis strategy and constant comparison method. The main findings of the study revealed that the courses and the procedures for teacher preparation embraced the development of the pre-service teachers’ professional knowledge and qualities. However, the major constraints for attainment of the aspired teacher product were time and procedures. It was hoped that the context in which it was conducted would inform and influence policy and practice in education at various levels, extending into the general field of research