Ecological Interactions of the Sexually Deceptive Orchid Orchis Galilaea

Plant species dependent on highly specific interactions with pollinators are vulnerable to environmental change. Conservation strategies therefore require a detailed understanding of pollination ecology. This two-year study examined the interactions between the sexually deceptive orchid, Orchis galilaea, and its pollinator Lasioglossum marginatum. Relationships were investigated across three different habitats known to support O. galilaea (garrigue, oak woodland, and mixed oak/pine woodland) in Lebanon. Visitation rates to flowers were extremely low and restricted to male bees. The reproductive success of O. galilaea under ambient conditions was 29.3% (±2.4), compared to 89.0% (±2.1) in plants receiving cross-pollination by hand. No difference in reproductive success was found between habitat types, but values of reproductive success were positively correlated to the abundance of male bees. Pollination limitation can have negative impacts on the population growth of orchids, and this study provides clear evidence for more holistic approaches to habitat conservation to support specific interactions

Clinical characteristics of Polish patients with ANCA-associated vasculitides-retrospective analysis of POLVAS registry

Objective Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitides (AAV) are rare small to medium-size vessel systemic diseases. As their clinical picture, organ involvement, and factors influencing outcome may differ between countries and geographical areas, we decided to describe a large cohort of Polish AAV patients coming from several referral centers-members of the Scientific Consortium of the Polish Vasculitis Registry (POLVAS). Methods We conducted a systematic multicenter retrospective study of adult patients diagnosed with AAV between Jan 1990 and Dec 2016 to analyze their clinical picture, organ involvement, and factors influencing outcome. Patients were enrolled to the study by nine centers (14 clinical wards) from seven Voivodeships populated by 22.3 mln inhabitants (58.2% of the Polish population). Results Participating centers included 625 AAV patients into the registry. Their distribution was as follows: 417 patients (66.7%) with GPA, 106 (17.0%) with MPA, and 102 (16.3%) with EGPA. Male-to-female ratios were almost 1:1 for GPA (210/207) and MPA (54/52), but EGPA was twice more frequent among women (34/68). Clinical manifestations and organ involvement were analyzed by clinical phenotype. Their clinical manifestations seem very similar to other European countries, but interestingly, men with GPA appeared to follow a more severe course than the women. Fifty five patients died. In GPA, two variables were significantly associated with death: permanent renal replacement therapy (PRRT) and respiratory involvement (univariate analysis). In multivariate analysis, PRRT (OR = 5.3; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.3–12.2), respiratory involvement (OR = 3.2; 95% CI = 1.06–9.7), and, in addition, age > 65 (OR = 2.6; 95% CI = 1.05–6.6) were independently associated with death. In MPA, also three variables were observed to be independent predictors of death: PRRT (OR = 5.7; 95% CI = 1.3–25.5), skin involvement (OR = 4.4; 95% CI = 1.02– 19.6), and age > 65 (OR = 6.3; 95% CI = 1.18–33.7). Conclusions In this first multicenter retrospective study of the Polish AAV patients, we have shown that their demographic characteristics, disease manifestations, and predictors of fatal outcome follow the same pattern as those from other European countries, with men possibly suffering from more severe course of the disease

Factors associated with quality of life in systemic sclerosis: a cross-sectional study

© 2019, The Author(s). Introduction: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disease characterized by progressive fibrosis of the skin and internal organs, leading to their failure and disturbances in the morphology and function of blood vessels. The disease affects people in different ways, and identifying how the difficulties and limitations are related to quality of life may contribute to designing helpful interventions. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with quality of life in people with SSc. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in 11 rheumatic centres in Poland. Patients diagnosed with SSc were included. Quality of life was measured using the SSc Quality of Life Questionnaire (SScQoL). The following candidate factors were entered in preliminary multivariable analysis: age, place of residence, marital status, occupational status, disease type, disease duration, pain, fatigue, intestinal problems, breathing problems, Raynaud’s symptoms, finger ulcerations, disease severity, functional disability, anxiety and depression. Factors that achieved statistical significance at the 10% level were then entered into a final multivariable model. Factors achieving statistical significance at the 5% level in the final model were considered to be associated with quality of life in SSc. Results: In total, 231 participants were included. Mean age (SD) was 55.82 (12.55) years, disease duration 8.39 (8.18) years and 198 (85.7%) were women. Factors associated with quality of life in SSc were functional disability (β = 2.854, p < 0.001) and anxiety (β = 0.404, p < 0.001). This model with two factors (functional disability and anxiety) explained 56.7% of the variance in patients with diffuse SSc and 73.2% in those with localized SSc. Conclusions: Functional disability and anxiety are significantly associated with quality of life in SSc. Interventions aimed at improving either of these factors may contribute towards improving the quality of life of people with SSc

Demographic responses of boreal-montane orchid Malaxis monophyllos (L.) Sw. populations to contrasting environmental conditions

In an age of changes in species’ geographical ranges, compounded by climatic and anthropogenic impacts, it become important to know which processes and factors influence plant populations and their persistence in the long term. Here we investigated dynamic and fitness components in twelve populations of Malaxis monophyllos (L.) Sw., situated in different geographical (regions) and ecological (type of habitat) units. Although M. monophyllos is a rare species, characterized by highly fragmented, boreal-montane distribution range, in last few decades it successfully colonized secondary habitats in Polish uplands. Our results indicate that M. monophyllos is represented mainly by small populations, which annual spatial and temporal changes might be very high, what affects the ephemeral character of these populations, regardless of the region and type of habitat. This dynamic structure, in turn, is caused by intensive exchange of individuals in populations, as well as by their short above-ground life span. Despite the large range of variation in size and reproductive traits, we can distinguish some regional patterns, which indicate boreal region as the most optimal for M. monophyllos growth and persistence in the long term, and with montane and upland/anthropogenic populations, due to lower reproductive parameters, as the most threatened. Although it should be considered that anthropogenic populations, despite their lower reproductive parameters and instability in the long term, present an intermediate, geographical and ecological character, therefore they may be valuable in shaping, both M. monophyllos’ future range, as well as its potential for response on ongoing and future changes. In general, reproduction is the main factor differentiating of M. monophyllos populations in regions, and we can suspect that it may become the cause of the future differentiation and isolation of these populations, occurring with progressive range fragmentation

ВОЗМОЖНОСТИ РЕПРОДУКТИВНЫХ СИСТЕМ У ТРЕХ ВИДОВ РОДА EPIPACTIS

Возможности репродукции Epipactis helleborine, E. palustris и E. atrorubens были изучены в ходе пятилетних исследований с использованием экспериментов по искусственному опылению, наблюдения за поведением опылителей и анализа морфологии цветков от фазы их полного раскрытия до увядания. Установлено, что все изученные виды способны образовывать плоды в результате самоопыления, однако в природе спонтанное самоопыление происходит только у E. palustris, что обусловлено структурой цветка, а также продолжительной жизнеспособностью пыльцы и восприимчивостью рыльца вплоть до стадии завядания цветка. Однако у данного вида ведущим способом самоопыления является перенос пыльцы при помощи насекомых даже в пределах одного цветка. E. helleborine, E. palustris и E. atrorubens являются факультативно-автогамными видами, способными также к перекрестному опылению, что подтверждается высоким естественным плодообразованием

Are hermaphrodites better adapted to the colonization process in trioecious populations of Salix myrsinifolia?

In trioecious plant populations, the role of hermaphroditism is often uncertain. We investigated the advantages of hermaphroditism in the dioecious shrub Salix myrsinifolia. The sex ratio of 30 S. myrsinifolia populations in northeastern Poland (secondary range) and Lithuania (primary range) was investigated in 2010-2011. Measures of reproductive (number of catkins, number of flowers in catkins) and vegetative traits (height, diameter, number of shoots, vitality) were taken and compared among sexual morphs. In two populations, measurements collected 14 years prior on marked individuals were used to determine the rate of changes in height, crown diameter and survivorship rates. We found trioecy mostly in the secondary part of the range with an average share of hermaphrodites reaching 21% in the trioecious populations. The sex ratio varied between populations, but tended mostly towards female domination. Several traits differed significantly among sexes. The characteristics of hermaphrodites were often intermediate between males and females and provided no evidence for the higher competitive abilities of hermaphrodites. We concluded that the possible gain of hermaphroditism in the colonization process is restricted to reproduction. We consider hermaphroditism in S. myrsinifolia as an equilibrium between the allocation of resources for growth and reproduction in unstable conditions on the margins of the range