Morphometric variation of Abax parallelepipedus (Piller & Mitterpacher, 1783), (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in rural – urban areas

Article Details: Received: 2020-10-14 | Accepted: 2020-02-20 | Available online: 2021-03-31https://doi.org/10.15414/afz.2021.24.01.87-93In the 2015 - 2017 period, we evaluated the morphometric variation of traits and Ellipsoid biovolume (EV) in 478 individuals (226 ♂, 252 ♀) of Abax parallelepipedus (Piller and Mitterpacher, 1783) in forest habitats and riparian stands. We confirmed, lower average of EV values in the rural compared to the urban areas (Kruskal-Wallis test – p = 0.037). The Friedman test showed a shortening of the morphometric features length (p = 0.030), height (p = 0.016), width (p = 0.011) and EV (p = 0.01) in the urban-rural direction. Spatial modeling of dispersion confirmed a significant change between 2016–2017. These changes may be affected by the food supply.Key words: ground beetles, morphometrics, population variability, SlovakiReferencesAngilletta, J. and Dunham, A. E. (2003). 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Zmeny disperzie epigeických skupín živočíchov v rôznych typoch poľnohospodárskych plodín

In the country, agricultural land is an irreplaceable resource for the production of food and raw materials. Changes in the structure of epigeic groups reflect changes in the ecological status of habitats and response to the environmental pressure that affects them (e.g., intensification of cultivation, impact of herbicides and pesticides, agrotechnics, largescale and monoculture areas). The aim of this research is to assess the influence of seven different agricultural crops (Pisum sativum, Triticum aestivum, T. spelta, Hordeum vulgare, Zea mays, Brassica napus, grass mixture) and environmental variables (pH soil, soil moisture, light conditions, soil fertility) on the dispersion of epigeic groups. Between 2018 and 2020, 40,194 individuals belonging to 22 taxonomic groups collected by pitfall traps were recorded in the observed crops. Our results provide new information on the preference of epigeic groups for some agricultural crops such as the grass mixture (P=0.0096), Hordeum vulgare (P=0.0166), Zea mays (P=0.025), and Pisum sativum (P=0.045). The dispersion was also affected by soil fertility (P=0.032), soil humidity (P=0.012), light (P=0.042) and pH soil (P=0.046). In the beetles model group with the highest number of individuals, the trend of increasing number of individuals with increasing values of potassium (r = 0.631), phosphorus (r = 0.566), nitrogen (r = 0.641), soil moisture (r = 0.572), and light (r = 0.9962) using a regression model was recorded. The neutral pH of the soil (r = 0.6212) was optimal for beetle coenoses.Poľnohospodárska pôda predstavuje v krajine nenahraditeľný zdroj, umožňujúci produkciu potravín a surovín. Zmeny v štruktúre epigeických skupín odzrkadľuju zmeny ekologického stavu biotopov a sú odozvou environmentálneho tlaku, ktorý ich ovplyvňuje (napr. intenzifikácia obrábania, vplyv herbicídov a pesticídov, agrotechnika, veľkoplošné a monokultúrne plochy). Cieľom výskumu je posúdiť vplyv siedmich poľnohospodárskych plodín (Pisum sativum, Triticum aestivum, Triticum spelta, Hordeum vulgare, Zea mays, Brassica napus, Grass mixture) a environmentálnych premenných (pH pôdy, pôdna vlhkosť, sveteľné podmienky, úrodnosť pôdy) na disperziu epigeických skupín. V priebehu rokov 2018 - 2020 sme získali a odchytili pomocou zemných pascí 40 194 jedincov patriacich do 22 taxonomických skupín. Naše výsledky priniesli nové informácie o preferencii epigeických skupín na určité poľnohospodárske plodiny, akými sú Grass mixture (P=0.0096), Hordeum vulgare (P=0.0166), Zea mays (P=0.025), Pisum sativum (P=0.045). Na disperziu vplývali aj úrodnosť pôdy (P=0.032), vlhkosť pôdy (P=0.012), svetelné podmienky (P=0.042) a pH pôdy (P=0.046). Modelovú skupinu Coleoptera, ktorá bola zastúpená najvyšším počtom jedincov, sme použili pri regresnom modeli. Potvrdili sme silný vzťah a trend rastu počtu jedincov so stúpajúcimi hodnotami draslíka (r = 0.631), fosforu (r = 0.556), dusíka (r = 0.641), vlhkosti (r = 0.572) a svetla (r = 0.9962). Pre cenózy chrobákov bolo optimálne neutrálne pH pôdy (r = 0.6212)

Adolescents' perspectives on traditional, nontraditional, and direct political activities: The role of identity-processing styles and political beliefs

The study examined whether adolescents’ tendency to employ informational, or normative identity-processing style predicts their perceived effectiveness of different political activities. Data were taken from the broader longitudinal study conducted in the Czech Republic, and included reports from 179 participants (Time 1 = age 17; Time 2 = age 19). Path analyses suggested that adolescents who sought information tended to perceive non-traditional political activity (e.g., in civic organizations) as effective, while participants’ normative conformism predicted disbelief in direct activity (e.g., petitions). Perceived effectiveness of traditional activity (e.g., voting) reflected adolescents’ actual political trust rather than their identity-processing styles. These results complement previous findings on the correlates of identity-processing styles and adolescents’ political thinking

Proposal of a Relational Database (SQL) for Zoological Research of Epigeic Synusion

In recent years, developments in the field of molecular biology and genetics have led to the increase in biological information stored in databases. The same increase in the volume of information occurred in the field of zoology, but the development of databases was not addressed in this area. We prepared a relational database and its diagram in the Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) database program. Our results represent experience with construction of a new database design for the zoology field with a focus on research of epigeic groups. The structure of the database will help with meta-analyzes with the objective to identify zoological and ecological relationships and responses to anthropic intervention