Importance of tree hollows for biodiversity of mites (Acari) in the forest reserve „Śrubita” (Carpathian Mountains, south Poland)

Tree hollows harbour a specialized fauna, and mites usually are the most numerous arthropods in this microhabitat. Mite fauna in 3 types of tree hollows was studied in the forest reserve “Śrubita” near Żywiec, at an altitude of about 850 m. In total, 2037 individuals of Acari and 1414 of Oribatida, representing 72 species, were collected. Over 1200 individuals per 100 g dry weight of wood dust were collected from tree hollows. The total number of oribatid species in tree hollows was higher than in the forest floor. Most species (also dominants) were obligate members of communities of a certain type of tree hollows

Common Myelin Regulatory Factor Gene Variants Predisposing to Excellence in Sports

In all sport disciplines, excellent coordination of movements is crucial for achieving mastery. The ability to learn new motor skills quickly and effectively is dependent on efficient myelination which varies between individuals. It has been suggested that these differences may play a role in athletic performance. The process of myelination is under transcriptional control by Myelin Regulatory Factor (MYRF) as well as other transcription factors (SOX10 and OLIG2). We analyze a panel of 28 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located within the frequencies of common variants of MYRF, SOX10 and OLIG2 genes in professional athletes compared to non-athletes. No significant differences were detected after correction for multiple testing by false discovery rate (FDR) for any of the models tested. However, some deviations from the expected distribution was found for seven SNPs (rs174528, rs139884, rs149435516 and rs2238001, rs7943728, rs61747222, and rs198459). The MYRF alleles rs7943728 and rs61747222 showed a correlation with the level of sport achievement among the athletes. Even though the athletes did not differ from the non-athlete controls in the distribution of most SNPs analyzed, some interesting differences of several variants were noted. Presented results indicate that genetic variants of MYRF and SOX10 could be genetic factors weakly predisposing for successful athletic performance