New Zealand: land or marine island?

Područje Novog Zelanda iznimno je zanimljivo područje za biogeografska istraživanja jer nam daje uvid u procese širenja biljnih i životinjskih vrsta koji bi, osim lokalnog, mogli biti primjer globalnog naseljavanja tijekom geološke povijesti Zemlje, odvajanja, izolacije i daljnje specijacije organizama. Zbog specifičnih geoloških procesa Novi Zeland ima karakteristike kopnenog, ali i morskog otoka što je biljnim i životinjskim organizmima dalo mogućnost dvojakog načina nastanjivanja. Dio arhaičnih rodova otoke je naselio prije odvajanja dijelova Gondvane, dok su recentne vrste otoke nastanile putem disperzije. Drevna izolacija i ponovno izdizanje dijelova kontinentalnog fragmenta nakon razdoblja transgresije su glavni uzroci visokog stupnja endemizma otoka.New Zealand is an extremely interesting area for biogeographical studies because it gives us an insight into the processes of the spread of plant and animal species which, except for local, could be an example of global settlement of species during the geological history of Earth, separation, isolation and further speciation of organisms. Due to the specific geological processes New Zealand has the characteristics of both land and marine islands and these characteristics have given plant and animal organisms the possibility of dual modes of settlement. Part of the archaic genera on the islands was settled before the separation of Gondwana, while the recent species islands inhabited by dispersion. Ancient isolation and heaving of the continental fragments after a period of transgression are the main causes of the high degree of endemicity that exists on the islands

New Zealand: land or marine island?

Područje Novog Zelanda iznimno je zanimljivo područje za biogeografska istraživanja jer nam daje uvid u procese širenja biljnih i životinjskih vrsta koji bi, osim lokalnog, mogli biti primjer globalnog naseljavanja tijekom geološke povijesti Zemlje, odvajanja, izolacije i daljnje specijacije organizama. Zbog specifičnih geoloških procesa Novi Zeland ima karakteristike kopnenog, ali i morskog otoka što je biljnim i životinjskim organizmima dalo mogućnost dvojakog načina nastanjivanja. Dio arhaičnih rodova otoke je naselio prije odvajanja dijelova Gondvane, dok su recentne vrste otoke nastanile putem disperzije. Drevna izolacija i ponovno izdizanje dijelova kontinentalnog fragmenta nakon razdoblja transgresije su glavni uzroci visokog stupnja endemizma otoka.New Zealand is an extremely interesting area for biogeographical studies because it gives us an insight into the processes of the spread of plant and animal species which, except for local, could be an example of global settlement of species during the geological history of Earth, separation, isolation and further speciation of organisms. Due to the specific geological processes New Zealand has the characteristics of both land and marine islands and these characteristics have given plant and animal organisms the possibility of dual modes of settlement. Part of the archaic genera on the islands was settled before the separation of Gondwana, while the recent species islands inhabited by dispersion. Ancient isolation and heaving of the continental fragments after a period of transgression are the main causes of the high degree of endemicity that exists on the islands

New Zealand: land or marine island?

Područje Novog Zelanda iznimno je zanimljivo područje za biogeografska istraživanja jer nam daje uvid u procese širenja biljnih i životinjskih vrsta koji bi, osim lokalnog, mogli biti primjer globalnog naseljavanja tijekom geološke povijesti Zemlje, odvajanja, izolacije i daljnje specijacije organizama. Zbog specifičnih geoloških procesa Novi Zeland ima karakteristike kopnenog, ali i morskog otoka što je biljnim i životinjskim organizmima dalo mogućnost dvojakog načina nastanjivanja. Dio arhaičnih rodova otoke je naselio prije odvajanja dijelova Gondvane, dok su recentne vrste otoke nastanile putem disperzije. Drevna izolacija i ponovno izdizanje dijelova kontinentalnog fragmenta nakon razdoblja transgresije su glavni uzroci visokog stupnja endemizma otoka.New Zealand is an extremely interesting area for biogeographical studies because it gives us an insight into the processes of the spread of plant and animal species which, except for local, could be an example of global settlement of species during the geological history of Earth, separation, isolation and further speciation of organisms. Due to the specific geological processes New Zealand has the characteristics of both land and marine islands and these characteristics have given plant and animal organisms the possibility of dual modes of settlement. Part of the archaic genera on the islands was settled before the separation of Gondwana, while the recent species islands inhabited by dispersion. Ancient isolation and heaving of the continental fragments after a period of transgression are the main causes of the high degree of endemicity that exists on the islands

Novi podatci o fauni danjih i noćnih leptira Kornatskog otočja, Hrvatska

In this paper the data about 45 species of butterflies and moths found on Kornati Islands during April, May and September 2009 are presented. All of the already known five butterfly species that were recorded in the past on Kornati were found during this research. In addition to those already known, 18 butterfly and 22 moth species are first records for the Kornati Islands. These results are preliminary and further studies regarding both butterfly and moth fauna of Kornati Islands still need to be done.Ovaj rad donosi podatke o 45 vrsta danjih i noćnih leptira pronađenih na Kornatskom otočju u travnju, svibnju i rujnu 2009. godine. Svih 5 vrsta leptira koje su u prošlosti pronađene na Kornatima zabilježene su tijekom ovog istraživanja. Osim njih, zabilježeno je i ukupno 18 vrsta danjih i 22 vrste noćnih leptira po prvi puta za Kornatsko otočje. Ovi su rezultati tek preliminarni te su potrebna daljnja istraživanja danjih i noćnih leptira Kornata

Bacillus strains as potential agents for the biocontrol of phytopathogenic fungi Alternaria spp.

Plant diseases caused by fungal pathogens can lead to major economic losses in agriculture. Th e genus Alternaria includes saprobic, endophytic and pathogenic species that may cause various plant diseases such as blight disease. Symptoms of Alternaria blight include the presence of irregular, oft en circular, brown to dark brown coloured leaf spots. Alternaria spp. also cause collar rots, stem lesions, tuber and fruit rots of their respective hosts. In addition, bacteria are one of the most frequently biocontrol agents used to protect plants from diseases. Bacillus species control disease through a variety of mechanisms. Bacterial antagonists might act as inhibitors of growth, development and reproduction of pathogen, or as inducers of host resistance in plant. Th e objective of this study was to examine in vitro antifungal activity of ten antagonistic Bacillus strains from collection of Department for Microbiology of Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Novi Sad. Strains were originally isolated from the soil samples collected from several localities of Vojvodina Province. Antifungal activity of Bacillus strains against Alternaria padwickii, A. dauci and A. linicola, obtained from rice, carrot and linseed, respectively was tested using a dual plate assay. Th e results confi rmed that all tested Bacillus strains showed antifungal acivity against Alternaria spp. Th e highest antagonistic activity was exhibited by B. pumilus B11 (45.71% to 51.25%), B. subtilis B13 (45.71% to 49.37%) and B. subtilis B32 (45.71% to 52.08%), while B. pumilus B23 had the weakest antifungal activity. B. safensis B2 (35.24% to 48.33%), B. pumilus B21 (40.95% to 48.75%) and B. pumilus B22 (33.50% to 49.17%) also demonstrated good antifungal potential. A. dauci was the most sensitive fungus, while the most resistant was A. linicola. Obtained results indicate the possibility of usage of the most eff ective Bacillus strains as potential biocontrol agents of plant diseases caused by Alternaria sp

Pregled faune danjih leptira (Hesperioidea i Papilionoidea) planinskog masiva Dinare

During a butterfly inventory from 2005 to 2012 on Mt Dinara along the transect from Knin to the Sinjal peak (1831 m a.s.l.), 116 species were found. There are 23 newly-found species for the Mt Dinara area, and 7 species have not been confirmed. With 130 registered species this area is a hot spot of butterfly diversity. 15 species belong to Alpine elements, but in comparison with other better investigated Dinaric mountains, Ponto-Mediterranean oreal species are more numerous than Euro/Alpine species.Tijekom istraživanja danjih leptira na planini Dinari na transektu od Knina do vrha Sinjal (1831 m n/m) u razdoblju od 2005. do 2012. godine prikupljeni su podaci o 116 vrsta od kojih je po prvi puta nađeno njih 23, dok 7 od prije poznatih vrsta nije ponovo zabilježeno. S ukupno 130 vrsta Dinara predstavlja područje sa značajnom raznolikošću danjih leptira. Među nađenim vrstama je 15 planinskih, ali za razliku od drugih bolje proučenih planina Dinarida tu su brojnije pontomediteranske orealne vrste od onih euroalpskih

Bacillus isolates as potential biocontrol agents of Fusarium clove rot of garlic

Clove rot caused by Fusarium spp. is a very important disease of common garlic (Allium sativum L.) occuring in many areas of the world. However, there is a lack of data about biocontrol of these pathogens. Bacillus species are attractive for research due to their potential use in the biological control of fungal diseases. The aim of this study was to select effective biocontrol agents from a series of indigenous Bacillus spp. isolated from soil. Bacterial isolates positive for hydrolytic enzymes production were screened for antifungal activity against Fusarium spp. isolated from infected garlic cloves. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses were used for molecular identification of bacterial (16S rDNA gene) and fungal (EF-1 alpha gene) isolates, and detection of biosynthetic genes for antimicrobial lipopeptides (surfactin, iturin, bacillomycin D and fengycin) in Bacillus spp. The obtained results confirmed the presence of Fusarium tricinctum, F. oxysporum f. sp. cepae, F. proliferatum, F. acuminatum and F. verticillioides as the causal agents of garlic clove rot. Four bacterial isolates identified as Bacillus subtilis exhibited the highest antagonistic effect during in vitro testing of antifungal activity (up to 71% reduction in fungal growth), and caused a significant suppression of garlic clove infection (up to 58% reduction in rot symptoms) in situ. Analysis of the antifungal compounds involved in the antagonistic activity of the examined isolates revealed their ability to produce the antibiotic lipopeptide surfactin. The most effective isolates of B. subtilis could be used as potential biocontrol agents of garlic clove rot

Antifungalna aktivnost prirodnih Bacillus spp. izolata iz zemljišta

Biocontrol using plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) represents an alternative approach to disease management, since PGPR are known to promote growth and reduce diseases in various crops. Among the different PGPR, members of the genus Bacillus are prefered for most biotechnological uses due to their capability to form extremely resistant spores and produce a wide variety of metabolites with antimicrobial activity. The objective of this research was to identify antagonistic bacteria for management of the plant diseases. Eleven isolates of Bacillus spp. were obtained from the soil samples collected from different localities in the Province of Vojvodina. The antifungal activity of bacterial isolates against five fungal species was examined using a dual plate assay. Bacillus isolates exhibited the highest antifungal activity against Fusarium proliferatum, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cepae and Alternaria padwickii, while they had the least antagonistic effect on Fusarium verticillioides and Fusarium graminearum. Molecular identification showed that effective bacterial isolates were identified as Bacillus safensis (B2), Bacillus pumilus (B3, B11), Bacillus subtilis (B5, B7) and Bacillus megaterium (B8, B9). The highest antagonistic activity was exhibited by isolates B5 (from 39% to 62% reduction in fungal growth) and B7 (from 40% to 71% reduction in fungal growth). These isolates of B. subtilis could be used as potential biocontrol agents of plant diseases.Biokontrola fitopatogena predstavlja alternativu primeni pesticida, s obzirom da bakterije označene terminom PGPR (Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria) stimulišu biljni rast i štite biljke od bolesti. Zahvaljujući sposobnosti da formiraju veoma rezistentne endospore i produkuju širok spektar antimikrobnih supstanci, vrste roda Bacillus su veoma zastupljene u zemljištu i pogodne za primenu u biotehnologiji. Cilj istraživanja bio je da se utvrdi antifungalna aktivnost jedanaest Bacillus spp. izolata iz zemljišta s različitih lokaliteta u Vojvodini. Sposobnost bakterijskih izolata da inhibiraju rast pet izolata gljiva ispitana je metodom dvojne kultivacije. Izolati Bacillus spp. ispoljili su najveću antifungalnu aktivnost prema Fusarium proliferatum, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cepae, i Alternaria padwickii, dok je najmanji antagonistički efekat utvrđen prema Fusarium verticillioides i Fusarium graminearum. Efektivni izolati identifikovani su kao Bacillus safensis (B2), Bacillus pumilus (B3, B11), Bacillus subtilis (B5, B7) i Bacillus megaterium (B8, B9). Najveću antifungalnu aktivnost ispoljili su izolati B. subtilis B5 (39-62%) i B7 (40-71%). Ovi izolati mogu se koristiti kao potencijalni agensi za biološku kontrolu biljnih bolesti