Ecology of lizards, Lacerta agilis and Zootoca vivipara: parasites load and predator pressure as a main factors affected bahaviour and population structure

Celem pracy było określenie zależności pomiędzy drapieżnikami i ofiarami oraz pasożytami (patogenami) i ich gospodarzami. W wyniku przeprowadzonych badań określono rolę jaszczurek (Zootoca vivipara i Lacerta agilis) w przenoszeniu odkleszczowych patogenów (Anaplasmataceae oraz Borrelia burgdorferi s.l.). Mikroorganizmy te jeszcze do niedawna uznawane były za niewystępujące w organizmach gadów. W niniejszych badaniach opisano również mieszaną infekcję obu analizowanych bakterii w kleszczach, żerujących na L. agilis. Wykazano, że dorosłe samce jaszczurki żyworodnej były znacznie bardziej narażone na ryzyko drapieżnictwa wywieranego przez dzierzbę srokosz (Lanius excubitor), niż samice oraz pozostałe klasy wiekowe. Ponadto, ptak ten może oddziaływać na strukturę płciową populacji jaszczurek. Dzięki uzyskaniu korelacji pomiędzy różnymi cechami morfometrycznymi jaszczurek, możliwe stało się oszacowanie masy upolowanego osobnika na podstawie wymiarów poszczególnych części ciała niekompletnej lub wyschniętej ofiary, znalezionej w wypluwkach lub spiżarniach dzierzb. Zauważono również, że presja drapieżnicza, oszacowana na podstawie śladów pozostawionych po przebytej autotomii istotnie wpływała na średnią prędkość biegu jaszczurki zwinki. Natomiast obecność pasożytów nie oddziaływała na zdolności lokomotoryczne gadów. W niniejszej pracy wykazano również, że liczba i ułożenie tarczek zanozdrzowych oraz policzkowej cechuje się dużą zmiennością i nie może być brane pod uwagę jako cecha taksonomiczna używana podczas oznaczania badanych gatunków jaszczurek.The aim of the study was to investigate relation between predators and prey, as well as parasites (pathogens) and hosts. As a result of the research it was determined the role of the lizards (Zootoca vivipara i Lacerta agilis) in transmission of tick-borne pathogens (Anaplasmataceae oraz Borrelia burgdorferi s.l.). Until recently these microorganisms were not found in the reptile tissues. In presented study it was described a co-infection between both analized bacteria in ticks (Ixodes ricinus), parasiting on L. agilis. It was demonstrated that adult males of common lizards were more vulnerably to predation risk, caused by great grey shrikes (Lanius excubitor), than females and the rest of the age classes of lizards. Moreover, the birds might affects demographic structure of lizard's population. Thanks to correlation, obtained during a comparison of individual morphological traits of the lizards, it becomes possible to estimate a mass of hunted prey on the basis of measurements of particular parts of incomplete or dried lizard's body, found in pellets or larder. It was turned out that predator pressure, estimated on the basis of autotomy experienced have significant impact on speed mean of sand lizard. However, parasites load did not influence on locomotor performance of the study reptiles. Moreover, presented study indicated that a difference in arrangement of postnasalia and frenale scales are frequently deviated from the typical arrangement and can not be taken into acount as a taxonomical trait, during determination of both analysed lizards.Wydział Biologii: Instytut Biologii Środowisk

Influence of GdVO4:Eu3+ Nanocrystals on Growth, Germination, Root Cell Viability and Oxidative Stress of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Seedlings

The increasing application of lanthanide-doped nanocrystals (LDNCs) entails the risk of a harmful impact on the natural environment. Therefore, in the presented study the influence of gadolinium orthovanadates doped with Eu3+ (GdVO4:Eu3) nanocrystals on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), chosen as a model plant species, was investigated. The seeds were grown in Petri dishes filled with colloids of LDNCs at the concentrations of 0, 10, 50 and 100 µg/mL. The plants’ growth endpoints (number of roots, roots length, roots mass, hypocotyl length and hypocotyl mass) and germination rate were not significantly changed after the exposure to GdVO4:Eu3+ nanocrystals at all used concentrations. The presence of LDNCs also had no effect on oxidative stress intensity, which was determined on the basis of the amount of lipid peroxidation product (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances; TBARS) in the roots. Similarly, TTC (tetrazolium chloride) assay did not show any differences in cells’ viability. However, root cells of the treated seedlings contained less Evans Blue (EB) when compared to the control. The obtained results, on the one hand, suggest that GdVO4:Eu3+ nanocrystals are safe for plants in the tested concentrations, while on the other hand they indicate that LDNCs may interfere with the functioning of the root cell membrane

Cadmium Stress Leads to Rapid Increase in RNA Oxidative Modifications in Soybean Seedlings

Increase in the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a common response to stress factors, including exposure to metals. ROS over-production is associated with oxidation of lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. It is suggested that the products of oxidation are not solely the markers of oxidative stress but also signaling elements. For instance, it has been shown in animal models that mRNA oxidation is a selective process engaged in post-transcriptional regulation of genes expression and that it is associated with the development of symptoms of several neurodegenerative disorders. In the present study, we examined the impact of short-term cadmium (Cd) stress on the level of two RNA oxidation markers: 8-hydroxyguanosine (8-OHG) and apurinic/apyrimidinic sites (AP-sites, abasic sites). In the case of 8-OHG, a significant increase was observed after 3 h of exposure to moderate Cd concentration (10 mg/l). In turn, high level of AP-sites, accompanied by strong ROS accumulation and lipid peroxidation, was noted only after 24 h of treatment with higher Cd concentration (25 mg/l). This is the first report showing induction of RNA oxidations in plants response to stress factors. The possible signaling and gene regulatory role of oxidatively modified transcripts is discussed

Cadmium Stress Leads to Rapid Increase in RNA Oxidative Modifications in Soybean Seedlings

Increase in the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a common response to stress factors, including exposure to metals. ROS over-production is associated with oxidation of lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. It is suggested that the products of oxidation are not solely the markers of oxidative stress but also signaling elements. For instance, it has been shown in animal models that mRNA oxidation is a selective process engaged in post-transcriptional regulation of genes expression and that it is associated with the development of symptoms of several neurodegenerative disorders. In the present study, we examined the impact of short-term cadmium (Cd) stress on the level of two RNA oxidation markers: 8-hydroxyguanosine (8-OHG) and apurinic/apyrimidinic sites (AP-sites, abasic sites). In the case of 8-OHG, a significant increase was observed after 3 h of exposure to moderate Cd concentration (10 mg/l). In turn, high level of AP-sites, accompanied by strong ROS accumulation and lipid peroxidation, was noted only after 24 h of treatment with higher Cd concentration (25 mg/l). This is the first report showing induction of RNA oxidations in plants response to stress factors. The possible signaling and gene regulatory role of oxidatively modified transcripts is discussed

Data from: Villages and their old farmsteads are hot spots of bird diversity in agricultural landscapes

To counteract the decline of farmland biodiversity in Europe, it is crucial to recognize habitats that are hot spots. Old rural settlements (e.g. villages) may be such important habitats, although these presumably biodiversity-rich habitats have received little attention. Socio-economic changes in central-eastern Europe since 1989 mean that old homesteads and farmsteads are being replaced by new ones. We investigated bird species composition, richness and abundance at three spatial scales (single rural property, village and landscape) in the farmland of Poland to test: (i) their association with age (built before vs. after 1989) and type of property (farmstead vs. homestead), (ii) their relationship with the increasing share of new homesteads at the village scale and (iii) the difference in diversity between the village environment and four other environments (open fields, forest–field ecotones, forests and towns) at the landscape scale. At the single property scale, 15 out of 33 species preferred old farmsteads, while only one species preferred new homesteads. Old properties hosted a higher number of species and individuals than new ones, and farmsteads hosted a higher number of species than homesteads. At the village scale, bird species richness and abundance were markedly negatively associated with the proportion of new homesteads. At the landscape scale, species composition differed between villages and the other environments, and villages had the highest average bird abundance. Synthesis and applications. Rural villages and old farmsteads are important habitats for many farmland birds; thus, the increasing number of new homesteads not associated with farmland production will likely lead to a substantial further decline of farmland bird numbers and biodiversity. To counteract this process, we recommend (i) implementing educational programmes to develop rural residents’ awareness about the importance of farmsteads and homesteads for biodiversity, (ii) including villages and farmsteads and consideration of bird-friendly habitats within these as part of EU conservation policies and (iii) compensating for changes in the structure of rural villages by increasing the amount of similar alternative habitats in the surrounding landscape

Data exploration on diet, and composition, energy value and functional division of prey items ingested by White Storks Ciconia ciconia in south-western Poland: Dietary variation due to land cover, reproductive output and colonial breeding

The dataset presented in this data paper supports ''Linking land cover satellite data with dietary variation and reproductive output in an opportunistic forager: Arable land use can boost an ontogenetic trophic bottleneck in the White Stork Ciconia ciconia'' (Orłowski et al. 2019) [1]. Analysis of data on diet and prey composition based on an investigation of 165 pellets of White Storks Ciconia ciconia sampled from 52 nests showed that their diet was based primarily on ‘eurytopic prey’ (embracing taxa from grassland and a variety of non-cropped habitats), the biomass contribution of which in the diet was disproportionately (3–4–fold) higher than the percentage of available corresponding habitats. Similarly, prey items from water/wetland sites prevailed over the availability of corresponding habitats. The opposite pattern characterized prey taxa from arable habitats and forests, the contribution of which was lower than the availability of the corresponding habitats. The total energy content per pellet (calculated by summing the energy content of all individual prey items across one specific prey group) was the most strongly correlated with the biomass of Orthoptera, thereafter with that of mammals, other vertebrates, earthworms and other invertebrates, but not with the biomass of Coleoptera. White Storks from nests of low productivity pairs (i.e. with 1–2 fledglings) consumed a significantly (up to two-fold) higher biomass of Coleoptera, Orthoptera and all invertebrates, which also translated into a higher total biomass and a higher total energy content compared to the diet of high-productivity pairs (i.e. with 3–4 fledglings). Our data, in particular those relating to energy content in a variety of invertebrate taxa, and their body mass and functional division in terms of habitat preferences should be useful for other researchers to calculate energy budgets of predatory animals living in agricultural landscapes in Europe

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