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Impact of Plasmodium relictum infection on the colonization resistance of bird gut microbiota: a preliminary study /
No full textAvian malaria infection has been known to affect host microbiota, but the impact of Plasmodium infection on the colonization resistance in bird gut microbiota remains unexplored. This study investigated the dynamics of Plasmodium relictum infection in canaries, aiming to explore the hypothesis that microbiota modulation by P. relictum would reduce colonization resistance. Canaries were infected with P. relictum, while a control group was maintained. The results revealed the presence of P. relictum in the blood of all infected canaries. Analysis of the host microbiota showed no significant differences in alpha diversity metrics between infected and control groups. However, significant differences in beta diversity indicated alterations in the microbial taxa composition of infected birds. Differential abundance analysis identified specific taxa with varying prevalence between infected and control groups at different time points. Network analysis demonstrated a decrease in correlations and revealed that P. relictum infection compromised the bird microbiota’s ability to resist the removal of taxa but did not affect network robustness with the addition of new nodes. These findings suggest that P. relictum infection reduces gut microbiota stability and has an impact on colonization resistance. Understanding these interactions is crucial for developing strategies to enhance colonization resistance and maintain host health in the face of parasitic infections
The effects of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots on autofluorescence properties and growth of algae Desmodesmus communis: dependence on cultivation medium /
No full textThe discovery and development of quantum dots (QDs), which are tiny luminescent nanoparticles (NPs), was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2023, highlighting the prospects of their technological applications. However, it is still not very well known how such NPs could affect aquatic ecosystems, especially given that natural conditions are varied and unpredictable. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the influence of natural and artificial aqueous media on the interaction of CdSe/ZnS-COOH QDs with Desmodesmus communis algae using fast non-invasive optical methods. The cumulative short-term effects of QDs on algae growth and population structure were evaluated and changes in the photosynthetic activity of green algae were demonstrated using pulse-amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometry. The present study demonstrated that natural and artificial cultivation media had different effects on the growth pattern, physiological processes and photoadaptation properties of algae as well as altering their responses to core/shell QDs. Thus, to fully assess the environmental risk of NPs, it is necessary to evaluate the simultaneous interactions of NPs with abiotic and biotic factors using a combination of physico-optical and ecotoxicological tools
ReSurveyEurope: A database of resurveyed vegetation plots in Europe /
No full textAims: We introduce ReSurveyEurope — a new data source of resurveyed vegetation plots in Europe, compiled by a collaborative network of vegetation scientists. We describe the scope of this initiative, provide an overview of currently available data, governance, data contribution rules, and accessibility. In addition, we outline further steps, including potential research questions. Results: ReSurveyEurope includes resurveyed vegetation plots from all habitats. Version 1.0 of ReSurveyEurope contains 283,135 observations (i.e., individual surveys of each plot) from 79,190 plots sampled in 449 independent resurvey projects. Of these, 62,139 (78%) are permanent plots, that is, marked in situ, or located with GPS, which allow for high spatial accuracy in resurvey. The remaining 17,051 (22%) plots are from studies in which plots from the initial survey could not be exactly relocated. Four data sets, which together account for 28,470 (36%) plots, provide only presence/absence information on plant species, while the remaining 50,720 (64%) plots contain abundance information (e.g., percentage cover or cover–abundance classes such as variants of the Braun-Blanquet scale). The oldest plots were sampled in 1911 in the Swiss Alps, while most plots were sampled between 1950 and 2020. Conclusions: ReSurveyEurope is a new resource to address a wide range of research questions on fine-scale changes in European vegetation. The initiative is devoted to an inclusive and transparent governance and data usage approach, based on slightly adapted rules of the well-established European Vegetation Archive (EVA). ReSurveyEurope data are ready for use, and proposals for analyses of the data set can be submitted at any time to the coordinators. Still, further data contributions are highly welcome
New data on the distribution of three species of the genus Catocala Schrank in East Kazakhstan and West Mongolia (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) /
No full textThree Central Asian species of the genus Catocala Schrank, 1802, Catocala neglecta Staudinger, 1888, Catocala repudiata Staudinger, 1888, and Catocala desiderata Staudinger, 1888 are found in the valley of the upper Irtysh River in the east of the Zaisan Depression, East Kazakhstan. Catocala neglecta is also found in the northern spurs of the Saur Mountains. Catocala repudiata Staudinger, 1888 is reported from Mongolia (Khovd Aimak) for the first time. The new distribution data represent the northernmost known localities of all three species. Adults and habitats are illustrated, and distribution maps are provided
Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) as potential spreaders of Sarcocystis species /
No full textBackground: Sarcocystis includes a global group of apicomplexan parasites with two-host life cycle frequently circulating in wildlife and domestic hosts, including humans. Two of the most important wild terrestrial carnivores acting as definitive hosts are the red fox and raccoon dog, due to their wide distribution in Europe and usage of wild and farmed animals as prey. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Sarcocystis in hunted red foxes and raccoon dogs from nine regions of the Czech Republic and to identify isolated sporocysts by molecular techniques. Methods: Approximately 5 g of the contents of large intestine from 200 animals (197 red foxes and three raccoon dogs) were examined by flotation centrifugation coprological method. Only samples of 50 red foxes and one raccoon dog positive to Sarcocystis spp. were used for the nested PCR (nPCR) method to amplify a fragment or partial sequence on the cox1 gene. Ten species-specific primer pairs for detection of Sarcocystis spp. using farm animals as intermediate hosts were utilized. Results: In total, 38.1% of the red foxes and 66.7% of the raccoon dogs were positive to Sarcocystis by light microscopy. The molecular characterization resulted in the identification of five species in the red fox: S. arieticanis, S. capracanis, S. cruzi, S. miescheriana, and S. tenella, while the PCR was negative for the sole raccoon dog. The highest intraspecific variation was found for S. miescheriana, while S. tenella was the most prevalent. Co-infections occurred in the large intestine of the red fox. No zoonotic species were found in our samples. Conclusion: This is the first study where the potential role of the red fox and raccoon dogs as spreaders of Sarcocystis to farm animals in the Czech Republic is shown. The use of species-specific primers provides a fast and easy method for screening multiple samples for a particular Sarcocystis species
Association between outlying values in body condition indices in small mammals and their habitats /
No full textHabitat type and habitat change are very important factors in the body condition of small mammals that inhabit them. The response can be positive, increasing, or the opposite, decreasing body condition. We analyzed outliers of the body condition indices (BCIs) of 12 species trapped in nine different habitats during 1980–2023 in Lithuania, a mid-latitude country. Mixed and fragmented habitats, as well as commensal habitats, could be considered the least suitable for small mammals, based on the highest proportions of underfit and low proportions of best-fit individuals. On the contrary, meadows and disturbed habitats (landfills and cormorant colonies) had the highest proportions of best-fit individuals, while the proportion of under-fit individuals was much lower than expected. We found outliers in the BCI in all species, except for the under-fit harvest mice (Micromys minutus), and in all habitats, though not numerous. The presence of the highest BCI in yellow-necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis) and bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) in the disturbed habitats studied and in house mice (Mus musculus) in commensal habitats may be related to the resources provided by these habitats. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of using retrospective small mammal morphometric data to analyze their relationship with habitat
Diversity of ethnomycological knowledge and mushroom foraging culture in a small nation: case of Lithuania /
No full textBackground. Even in mycophilic nations, mushroom foraging and use traditions may vary from region to region, making it part of cultural diversity and a source of traditional knowledge even in modern and changing societies. The main objective of our study was to investigate mushroom foraging and use traditions in major ethno-regions of Lithuania, to record and analyse whether and how biogeographical and ethno-cultural features infuence these traditions, what is their biocultural signifcance, and whether they persist in the face of societal and environmental change. Methods.The study conducted a survey among 106 respondents from eleven administrative units of Lithuania, representing four ethno-regions (Žemaitija, Suvalkija, Dzūkija and Aukštaitija, the latter divided into North and East). The age of the respondents ranged from 32 to 97 years (mean 70 years, median 68 years). Each respondent was asked six questions about mushroom species and mushroom foraging. The interviews were accompanied by 50 photographs of diferent mushroom species. The similarity between mushroom foragers’ preferences in ethno-regions and the sets of mushroom species used for food and medicine was tested using cluster analysis. Clustering was carried out using Sørensen distances and the method of cluster mean linkage method. Results. The number of mushroom species recognised per respondent was quite similar, with the lowest number of mushroom species recognised in Žemaitija and the highest in Eastern Aukštaitija. Species of no economic or other importance were not well recognised in any of the regions. The number of names applied to mushroom species varied from region to region and did not coincide with the popularity of mushrooms among mushroom pickers. The number of mushroom species used for food was also similar between regions, except for Dzūkija, which had the lowest number of species collected. Nine mushroom species were identifed by respondents as medicinal mushrooms, the most popular being Amanita muscaria and Inonotus obliquus. When analysing the similarity of mushroom species collected for food and medicine, it was found that ethno-regions clustered into three distinct groups. Two groups depended on the prevailing forest types, while Žemaitija formed a separate cluster defned only by local traditions. Conclusions. The work represents the largest study of ethnomycological tradition in Lithuania, covering major ethno-regions. We have found that ethnomycological knowledge and tradition are not infuenced by any long-term historical events, ethnicity or religion, but rather by the prevailing forest types and regional ethno-culture. Knowledge of edible mushrooms is considered to be inherited from the older generation and is conservative regarding the changes in the set of species consumed and mushroom-related gastronomy. This is also refected in the safety of mushroom consumption, as mushroom poisoning was very rare among the respondents. Economically insignifcant mushrooms are not distinguished and overlooked by traditional mushroom pickers who are not a good source of information on rare or otherwise noteworthy species. However, from a biocultural point of view, mushrooms and mushroom-related traditions remain important for linguistic diversity, traditional knowledge systems and their transmission
Checklist of lichens and allied fungi.
No full textThe article contains a list of all lichen and allied fungus (lichenicolous and some saprotrophic) species recorded so far in Lithuania, which includes 775 species belonging to 262 genera. One species, namely Scytinium gelatinosum, is reported here for the first time in Lithuania. All species are provided with Lithuanian names. The history of lichen research and the development of Lithuanian names for lichens is briefly discussed
New approach to the tendencies of coastal dynamics of the Curonian Spit based on wave reanalysis data /
No full textApplication of fucoidan for the encapsulation of yeast K2 toxin /
No full textFucoidan is an anionic polysaccharide derived from brown algae and is composed of l-fucose residues linked by alternating α-(1→3) with α-(1→4) linkages or by either α-(1→3) or α-(1→4) linkages alone. Fucoidan is known for its pharmacological, antibacterial, and antifungal properties and is used in the food industry. The aim of the study was to apply fucoidan to the formulation of the yeast killer toxin K2 produced by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. K2 toxin-loaded fucoidan particles were formed by a low-cost complexation method. They were characterised by dynamic light scattering, FT-IR spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy methods. The particles ranged in size from 180 to 280 nm and were stable for at least one month at 4°C. The encapsulated K2 toxin retained its antimicrobial activity. In addition, complexation with fucoidan increased the stability of the K2 toxin at room temperature. Fucoidan could serve as a carrier for K2 toxin and enhance the biotechnological potential of antimicrobial agents produced by S. cerevisiae. Encapsulation of K2 toxin opens up opportunities for its use in the food and beverage industry for biopreservation