Effects of fire on scuttle flies (Diptera: Phoridae) in a pine forest in Poland

Ecological consequences of fire on the scuttle fly communities were investigated in a pine forest in Poland (Garwolin Forest). Data from 1,243 identifiable individuals, representing 48 species, were used. The scuttle fly communities in fire-affected plots were similar in terms of the number of species but less diverse than those in an undisturbed reference plot. The response of the flies to the fire was species-specific. Four Megaselia species (M. brevicostalis, M. nigriceps, M. elongata and M. obscuripennis) were most numerous in the plot most affected by fire. Approximately three years after the fire the scuttle fly communities were relatively similar to those found in a clear-cut pine plantation (Bialowieza Primeval Forest) as well as to those in post-windthrow habitats (Pisz Forest) in which logs were removed or left. The Megaselia species are the winners in the fire affected habitats and seem to be more stress-tolerant than other genera ofthe scuttle flies

The phenology of dominant scuttle-fly (Diptera: Phoridae) species in the Białowieża Forest

Scuttle flies were collected in different-aged pine stands in 1986 and 1987, using yellow plastic bowls attached to crowns of trees or placed on the ground. The phenology of Megaselia brevicostalis, M. giraudii and M. verralli, the dominant species of moist pine forest in the Białowieża Forest, was characterized by two or more abundance peaks, which indicate a multivoltine life cycle. Megaselia diversa, the autumn eudominant of young-growth phase stands, and Megaselia woodi, the autumn dominant and eudominant of the stands of older age classes, are both univoltine species. Their abundances peaked in September. Along the increasing age of the stands, distinct successional phases of phorid communities were recorded: photophilous species of open sites (M. brevicostalis and M. verralli) were replaced by forest species (M. diversa, M. giraudii and M. woodi)

The scuttle fly (Diptera: Phoridae) assemblages of pine plantations of the Biała Forest (Poland)

Scuttle fly diversity in disturbed habitats was evaluated on plots in pine plantations of Poland’s Biała Forest. The assemblages present in the two years were assessed for the abundance of species, dominance structure, similarity and species richness, as well as in regard to indices of species diversity, evenness and fidelity. Megaselia brevicostalis was the first dominant on each of the three plots and in both study years. The number of species and their abundance was greatest on the turn of August and September. Most of the dominants and characteristic species are multivoltine, showing spring and late summer/autumn activity

The phenology of Triphleba Rondani species (Diptera: Phoridae) in moist pine forests in the Białowieża Forest

The phorid material was collected in 1986 and 1987, using yellow plastic bowls attached to crowns of pines (Pinus silvestris) or placed on the ground in pine plantations, from April to October. Triphleba trinervis occurred only in autumn, while T. opaca, T. nudipalpis and T. minuta occurred both in spring and autumn. Among the latter group of species, T. opaca had its abundance peak in spring, but T. minuta peaked in autumn. T. luteifemorata and T. lugubris were caught from the late summer to the end of October. Only a few specimens of T. crassinervis were observed from May to June. The phenology of eudominant species Triphleba opaca and T. trinervis was characterized by one abundance peak. The majority of the Triphleba species in this study are known to occur during the low-temperature period (November–March). T. trinervis, a late-autumn dominant, clearly preferred temperatures lower than those preferred by T. opaca, a spring dominant

The scuttle fly (Diptera: Phoridae) assemblages of a wildfire-affected hemiboreal old-growth forest in Tyresta (Sweden)

In natural forests, fire is an important disturbance factor and many studies have been carried out concerning its effect on different ecosystems, but no studies have previously been done considering the scuttle flies in hemiboreal forests. Here, we carried out an ecological investigation of the scuttle fly assemblage in a hemiboreal old-growth forest in Tyresta National Park and Nature Reserve (Sweden) from material collected, using Malaise traps, after wildfires in 1997 and 1999. We evaluated abundances of species, dominance structure, species richness (by non-parametric species richness method — Chao 1) as well as phenology. The most abundant species of the dominant group (i.e. Megaselia pleuralis, M. nigriceps, M pulicaria-complex and M. brevicostalis) are multivoltine and saprophagous, displaying spring and late summer/autumn activity

Scuttle flies (Diptera: Phoridae) of saline habitats of the Gulf of Gdańsk, Poland

Results ofa survey ofthe scuttle flies (Diptera: Phoridae) of saline habitats ofthe Gulf of Gdańsk are reported. Within three study seasons (1999—2001), at ten 10 localities representing coastal brackish and maritime habitats, 39 phorid species were collected. Among these, 36 were new to these areas, and Xenotriphleba dentistylata Buck was the first record for Poland. The dominance structure, phenology and abundance ofphorids of saline habitats are described

Usefulness of MLPA technique for rapid prenatal detection of aneuploidy. Results of 409 diagnostic studies

Abstract Objectives: The study was aimed to determine diagnostic application of MLPA for rapid prenatal identification of chromosome 13, 18, 21 and X and Y aneuploidies. Material and methods: 409 amniotic fluid samples from amniocentesis for fetal karyotyping were studied. DNA was isolated using the QIAmp DNA Blood Midi Kit (348 samples) or through proteinase K treatment (61 samples). SALSA MLPA P095 probes (mrc-Holland) were used to detect aneuploidy. Results: In 324 studies (79.2%) diagnostic results were obtained. Chromosomal aberrations were found in 16 cases (4.9%). These results were concordant with standard karyotype. In 3 cases (0.92%) false negative results were found but all abnormalities were undetectable with MLPA. Conclusions: MLPA is a reliable method of rapid prenatal detection of aneuploidy

Paleocene methane seep and wood-fall marine environments from Spitsbergen, Svalbard

A recently discovered Paleocene seep locality from Fossildalen on Spitsbergen, Svalbard, is described. This is one of a very few seep communities of the latest Cretaceous–earliest Palaeogene age, and the best preserved Paleocene seep community known so far. The seep carbonates and associated fossils have been first identified in museum collections, and subsequently sampled in the field. The carbonates are exclusively ex-situ and come from the offshore siltstones of the Basilika Formation. Isotopically light composition (δ13C values approaching -50‰ V-PDB), and characteristic petrographic textures of the carbonates combined with the isotopically light archaeal lipid are consistent with the formation at fossil hydrocarbon seep. The invertebrate fauna associated with the carbonates is of moderate diversity (16 species) and has a shallow water affinity. It contains a species of the thyasirid genus Conchocele, common in other seeps of that age. The finding sheds new light onto the history of seepage on Svalbard, and onto the evolution and ecology of seep faunas during the latest Cretaceous–earliest Palaeogene time interval

Depositional environment of the Owadów-Brzezinki conservation Lagerstätte (uppermost Jurassic, central Poland) : evidence from microfacies analysis, microfossils and geochemical proxies

The Owadów-Brzezinki quarry is one of the most important paleontological sites in Poland, known for its exceptionally well-preserved Upper Jurassic (Middle Volgian = uppermost Lower Tithonian) fossils. Carbonate deposits of the section record a transition from an offshore to coastal and lagoonal settings and have been studied based on microfacies, micropalaeontological, isotope and chemical proxies. The obtained data point to normal marine conditions during the deposition of the older part of the quarry section in an offshore setting and a gradual transition into lagoonal environment characterized by high-amplitude variations in seawater salinity and oxygenation level of bottom waters, both of which resulted in considerable changes in benthic fauna assemblages or in the total lack of the fauna at some intervals. Above-mentioned conditions during the deposition of the middle part of the quarry section have probably allowed the preservation of diversified fauna with soft tissues. The microfacies and chemical data indicate that dysoxic/anoxic episodes may have occurred not only during the deposition of known fauna-rich beds but also during the deposition of poorly studied, so far, younger part of the section. The uppermost part of the carbonates exposed in the Owadów-Brzezinki quarry originated during the re-appearance of normal marine chemistry mostly in the intertidal-subtidal settings. The depositional conditions of the Owadów-Brzezinki site are non- typical, among famous conservation Lagerstätten, owing to the rapid fluctuations in the oxygenation and salinity of bottom waters