Use of chemical markers in antartic ecosystem studies of Demaria mount

Research is devoted to using chemical markers for studying and description of ecosystems. Photosynthetic pigments – carotenoids and chlorophylls, and soil polymers – humic, fulvic acids and their salts, were used as chemical markers. Correlations between concentrations of these markers in samples and parameters of “total nitrogen” and ash were studied. Complex chemical analysis for nine samples collected on a Demaria hill in the altitude range from 47 m to 408 m above see level was carried. It was concluded that in meager antarcticlike ecosystems the content of carotenoids and chlorophylls adequately reflects the quantity of a whole phytomass and of biomass. Total content humic and fulvic acids can be used to estimate quantity of organic substances in soils. Comparison of photosynthetic pigment concentrations with “total nitrogen” parameter allows to separate biogenic phytomass nitrogen and animal waste products

Полиморфизм окраски медицинской пиявки Hirudo medicinalis (Clitellata, Hirudinida)

Individual elements of the coloration pattern of Hirudo medicinalis are described and analyzed. Longitudinal stripes on the dorsum and the distribution of dark pigment on the venter are used as the basis for the investigation. A frequency distribution of different variations of the pattern in natural populations is revealed. Frequencies of certain variations of the coloration are more similar in geographically approximate populations in comparison with distant populations. Therefore, such elements can be useful for phylogeographic analysis. There is a weak statistical association between some elements of the dorsal coloration. No reliable dependences between variants of the dorsal and ventral patterns are found. By and large the high variability of the coloration pattern of H. medicinalis is recorded. The variability is a result both of numerous variations of each element and nearly free combinations of the elements.Описаны и изучены отдельные элементы рисунка покровов Hirudo medicinalis: продольные полосы на спинной стороне и распределение темного пигмента на брюшной стороне тела. Установлено частотное распределение различных вариантов рисунка в природных популяциях. Частоты различных вариантов окраски более сходны у географически близких популяций по сравнению с удаленными популяциями, поэтому выделенные элементы окраски могут использоваться в филогеографическом анализе. Обнаружена слабая статистическая связь между некоторыми элементами окраски спинной стороны. Между вариантами окраски спинной и брюшной сторон тела зависимостей не выявлено. В целом отмечена высокая изменчивость окраски H. medicinalis, которая достигается не только существованием разнообразных вариантов каждого элемента окраски, но и их почти независимым комбинированием

Processing of false belief passages during natural story comprehension: An fMRI study

The neural correlates of theory of mind (ToM) are typically studied using paradigms which require participants to draw explicit, task-related inferences (e.g., in the false belief task). In a natural setup, such as listening to stories, false belief mentalizing occurs incidentally as part of narrative processing. In our experiment, participants listened to auditorily presented stories with false belief passages (implicit false belief processing) and immediately after each story answered comprehension questions (explicit false belief processing), while neural responses were measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). All stories included (among other situations) one false belief condition and one closely matched control condition. For the implicit ToM processing, we modeled the hemodynamic response during the false belief passages in the story and compared it to the hemodynamic response during the closely matched control passages. For implicit mentalizing, we found activation in typical ToM processing regions, that is the angular gyrus (AG), superior medial frontal gyrus (SmFG), precuneus (PCUN), middle temporal gyrus (MTG) as well as in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) billaterally. For explicit ToM, we only found AG activation. The conjunction analysis highlighted the left AG and MTG as well as the bilateral IFG as overlapping ToM processing regions for both implicit and explicit modes. Implicit ToM processing during listening to false belief passages, recruits the left SmFG and billateral PCUN in addition to the “mentalizing network” known form explicit processing tasks

First record of the hematophagous leech Limnatis paluda (Hirudinea: Praobdellidae) in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Azerbaijan, with comments on its geographic distribution and environmental preferences

This research provides a detailed report on a new record of Limnatis paluda (Tennent, 1859) from the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Azerbaijan, emphasising its significance and the morphological features that confirm its identification. This finding is particularly significant as it fills a geographical gap, provides insights into the distribution patterns of Limnatis leeches and underscores their reliance on water bodies frequented by livestock. The new record corroborates the previously hypothesised distribution range of the species extending from Central Asia to the South Caucasus and the Middle East

Predictive Distribution Modeling of the Medicinal Leech Hirudo verbana Carena, 1820 (Hirudinea, Hirudinidae) in Sicily: Implications for Conservation

Hirudo verbana, a medicinal leech species of conservation concern, has long been considered rare and fragmented across its distribution range due to overexploitation and habitat alteration. In this study, we present the first predictive distribution model for H. verbana in Sicily, combining field occurrence data (time: 1980–2024) with environmental variables using an ensemble species distribution modeling (SDM) framework. Unlike its typical occurrence in temperate lowland wetlands of central-eastern Europe, the species in Sicily shows a marked shift toward upper hill and montane zones. Species presence was strongly associated with high NDVI values, reflecting a preference for areas with dense and structurally complex vegetation. In contrast, presence probability declined sharply with increasing terrestrial human footprint (THF), indicating a notable sensitivity to anthropogenic disturbance. Aquatic habitat type also emerged as a key predictor: the species was most likely to occur in lentic environments such as standing water bodies, and least likely in lotic systems or areas lacking aquatic habitats. Notably, most high-suitability areas overlapped with sites in the Natura 2000 network, emphasizing the importance of existing protected areas as refugia for the species. Moreover, some previously undocumented areas of high habitat suitability were identified, providing a spatially basis for refining monitoring strategies and informing conservation planning for this ecologically sensitive freshwater invertebrate