A NEW RESIDENT OF BELGRADE (SERBIA), THE MEDITERRANEAN SPIDER ZOROPSIS SPINIMANA (DUFOUR, 1820)

A Mediterranean synanthropic spider species, Zoropsis spinimana (Dufour, 1820), was recently found in Belgrade and recorded as a new member of Serbian fauna. Several individuals of both sexes and juveniles were caught or observed. Pregnant females and their cocoons were also observed. According to our findings, this spider has established a small population in the city. Considering that this species has been recognized as a successful colonizer and could be identified by the general public, the first “Citizen Science” approach in Serbia was applied. An invitation to participate was made via social media. The manuscript includes photos contributed from other parts of the country. This confirmed our suspicion that Z. spinimana is to be found in more than one place in Serbia, which requires further investigation. This paper aims to report this species as a new member of the national and synanthropic fauna and to present the benefit of using “Citizen Science” data

ADDITIONAL SPIDER RECORDS FROM MT. FRUŠKA GORA (SERBIA) WITH A FIRST INSIGHT INTO WINTER SPECIES

Monitoring spiders with pitfall traps often only includes data collected during the vegetation period. Herein, we present the results of long-term sampling at Erdelj, Fruška Gora Mountain, over 19 months in 2011/2012. Special emphasis was placed on the winter period. At three sampling sites, a meadow, an area of shrubs and a deciduous forest, 1113 adult spiders of 116 species were identified. Thirty-four species are new records for the mountain; six of them are new to Serbia. The meadow yielded the highest number of species (59), with a high proportion (40%) of species collected only in this habitat type. Eleven species were found to be active mostly or exclusively in winter. Four of them were so-called rare spiders and two of them are new records for Serbia. Of all recorded species, five are on the list of strictly protected spiders in Serbia and could be used as an additional argument for environmental protection

Spiders of the Subotica Sandland (Arachnida, Araneae) - faunistical and ecological aspects in environmental protection

Paukovi su veoma raznovrsna i široko rasprostranjena grupa beskičmenjaka, ali bez obzira gde dospeli, njihov opstanak vezan je za karakteristične komplekse odredjenih abiotičkih i biotičkih faktora koji na tom prostoru vladaju. Iz tih razloga, u nekim evropskim zemljama postoji praksa korišćenja paukova kao ekoloških indikatora promena u životnoj sredini.To znači da je potvrdjeno da postoji veza izmedju odredjene promene u kvalitetu staništa i promene u sastavu vrsta paukova, a vidljiva promena u specijskoj strukturi zajednice ukazuje na kvalitet tog staništa. Takodje,u nekim slučajevima, na osnovu prisustva ili odsustva usko specijalizovanih vrsta sa nekog staništa može da se donese zaključak o stepenu poremećaja i predlože mere zaštite. Fauna paukova u Srbiji je neistražena i podaci su siromašni. Uglavnom se sprovode faunistička istraživanja, postoji lista zaštićenih vrsta, ali se i dalje vlada slaba zainteresovanost za njih. Takodje, jоš uvek nije uradjena ni jedna prоcena stanja kvaliteta staništa na оsnоvu paukоva kaо indikatоrske grupe beskičmenjaka. Eksperiment pоstavljen na prostoru Subotičke peščare, osmišljen je tako da da jedinstven dоprinоs pоznavanju faune paukоva Subоtičke peščare i Srbije, da pоveže paukоve kaо indikatоrsku grupu beskičmenjaka sa aktivnоstima оdržavanja kоja se sprоvоde u оkviru prоgrama zaštite i razvоja zaštićenоg pоdručja Subоtička peščara, da ih predstavi kaо dоdatni argument u zaštiti živоtne sredine i da jedinstveni dоprinоs razvоju оblasti mоnitоringa živоtne sredine u Srbiji

CONTRIBUTION TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SPIDER FAUNA (ARACHNIDA, ARANEAE) ON THE FRUŠKA GORA MT.

Fruška Gora Mountain. In this paper 93 species represent new findings for the investigated area, while 17 of them such as Eresus moravicus Rezač, 2008 , Steatoda paykulliana (Walckenaer, 1805), Heterotheridion nigrovariegatum Simon, 1873, Donacochara speciosa (Thorell 1875), Neottiura suaveolens (Simon, 1879), Saloca diceros (O.P.-Cambridge, 1871), Minicia marginella (Wider, 1834), Tetragnatha striata L. Koch 1862, Larinioides suspicax (O.P.-Cambridge 1876), Dictyna civica (Linnaeus, 1758), Clubiona pseudoneglecta Wunderlich, 1994, Gnaphosa opaca Herman 1879, Philodromus marmoratus Kulczynski 1891, Ozyptila scabricula (Westring 1851), Leptorchestes berolinensis (C.L. Koch, 1846), Pseudeuophrys obsoleta (Simon, 1868) and Synageles hilarulus (C.L. Koch, 1851) represent new records for the Serbian spiders fauna. In the manuscript, some new and previous interesting findings are discussed, and some revision of literature data is done

PRELIMINARY NOTES ON THE SPIDER FAUNA (ARACHNIDA, ARANEAE) OF THE SPECIAL NATURE RESERVE ZASAVICA

Based on literature data and preliminary investigations a total of 104 spider species can be recorded from the Special Nature Reserve (SNR) Zasavica. Five species, Cyclosa oculata (Walckenaer, 1802), Mendoza canestrinii (Ninni, 1868), Philodromus albidus Kulczynski, 1911, Heriaeus graminicola (Doleschall, 1852) and Sibianor aurocinctus (Ohlert, 1865), were not recorded in Serbia until the present study. The rediscovery of the species Dolomedes plantarius (Clerck, 1757), Cresmatoneta mutinensis (Canestrini, 1868), Hypsosinga heri (Hahn, 1831) and Argyroneta aquatica (Clerck, 1757) represents an important result that could possibly be used as a guideline for future faunistic and ecological studies with the purpose of successful protection and conservation measures in the SNR Zasavic

Spiders (Araneae) of Subotica Sandland (Serbia): additional arguments in environmental protection

Good environmental management needs evidence-based conservation measures, and those measures need both faunistical and ecological information. Following this path, for the first time in Serbia, a faunistical research of spiders at Subotica Sandland was organised in 2014 as a base for ecological arguments in landscape management of the area. The spiders were collected at ten different habitats on sandy soil, in the period from 27th April till 30th October by pitfall trapping and sweep netting. A total of 16304 adult and 7246 juvenile individuals were captured, and 225 species from 27 families were determined. Thirty species represent new records for Serbia. Diversity and species compositions provided an insight into the quality of the habitats and the influence of the conservation and development measures that were already applied. The main endangerment factors are outlined. Conclusions and suggestions according to the analysis of the spider fauna, are mostly in correlation with those made earlier based on other groups of organisms. Within the scope of nature protection, wet and sandy meadows are prioritised over the woods. For future monitoring, two flagship and umbrella species are suggested: Argiope lobata (Pallas, 1772) for the sandy area and Dolomedes plantarius (Clerck, 1757) for the wetlands

Biofilm forming cyanobacteria, algae and fungi on two historic monuments in Belgrade, Serbia

Biofilm on the sandstone substrata of the bridge 'Brankov most' and on the granite substrata of the 'Monument of the Unknown Hero' contains a complex consortia of cyanobacteria, algae, and fungi. Coccoid and filamentous cyanobacteria, green algae and diatoms make up the photosynthetic part of the biofilm while hyphal fragments, chlamydospores, fruiting bodies and spores take part as fungal components. These structures make a dense layer by intertwining and overlapping the stone surface. Five cyanobacterial, 11 algal and 23 fungal taxa were found. The interaction of the biofilm's constituents results in the bioweathering of the stone substrata through mechanical penetration, acid corrosion and the production of secondary mycogenic biominerals.

Cave biofilms: Characterization of phototrophic cyanobacteria and algae and chemotrophic fungi from three caves in Serbia

Cyanobacteria, algae (Chlorophyta and Bacillariophyta), and fungi were identified from biofilm samples from three caves in western Serbia: Ribnička, Hadž i Prodanova, and Rćanska. Temperature, light intensity, and relative humidity varied from 16.9 8C to 24.9 8C, 61% to 87%, and 215 Lux to 4400 Lux, respectively. In general, the highest number of documented taxa belonged to Cyanobacteria, with chroococcalean taxa prevailing and Gloeocapsa species as the most diverse. A large percentage of observed fungi were Ascomycetes or Zygomycetes, while the only representative of Basidiomycetes was Rhizoctonia s. lat. However, a redundancy analysis revealed that different taxonomic groups were dominant at different localities: cyanobacteria and fungi in Ribnička and Hadž i Prodanova, and Chlorophyta and Bacillariophyta in Rćanska. The statistical analysis showed that relative humidity is an important physical parameter influencing the development of various microbial communities in different caves. Cyanobacteria were mostly found in places with lower relative humidity, while Chlorophyta and Bacillariophyta were found in places with higher humidity. The documented physical parameters did not have a significant impact on the distribution of fungi. Measured chlorophyll-a content was highest on horizontal surfaces, where the highest content of organic/inorganic matter were also recorded. The highest water content was observed in biofilm samples from which many cyanobacteria taxa were identified

Mikroorganizmi u sastavu biofilma s različitih supstrata staklenika Botaničke bašte “Jevremovac”

Diversity of subaerial biofilm forming cyanobacteria, algae and fungi was investigated on 10 different substrata from greenhouse of Botanical Garden “Jevremovac”. Out of 37 documented taxa, 16 cyanobacterial and 10 algal taxa were identified. Remaining 11 taxa belong to the Kingdom of Fungi. The highest diversity of biofilm forming microorganisms, a total of 24 taxa, was detected on the corroded metal surface, while significantly lower number of taxa was recorded on other examined substrata. Cyanobacterium Porphyrosiphon sp., diatom Achnanthes sp. and green algae Chlorella sp. and Chlorococcum minutum were the most frequently encountered photosynthetic components of biofilms. In all analyzed samples, Trichoderma sp., followed by Cladosporium sp. and Rhizopus stolonifer, were the most frequently identified fungi.Испитиван је диверзитет цијанобактерија, алги и гљива у биофилму с 10 различитих супстрата из стакленика Ботаничке баште „Јевремовац“. Од 37 документованих таксона, идентификовано је 16 цијанобактерија и 10 алги. Преосталих 11 таксона припадају „Петом царству“. Највећа разноврсност микроорганизама, укупно 24 таксона, забележена је у биофилму на кородираној металној површини, док је значајно нижи број таксона регистрован на осталим испитиваним супстратима. Цијанобактерија Porphyrosiphon sp., дијатома Achnanthes sp. и зелене алге Chlorella sp. и Chlorococcum minutum су најчешће фотосинтетичке компоненте биофилма. У свим испитиваним узорцима Trichoderma sp., заједно са Cladosporium sp. и Rhizopus stolonifer су најчешће идентификоване гљиве

Age-related changes in the content of insulin: Like growth factor-l in rat brain

Although there has been extensive research on the effect of IGF-I on muscles and bone tissue, the effect on brain aging has received little attention. We investigated the IGF-I content in brains of differently aged rats. The IGF-I contents in cerebellar and cerebral cortex were found to be higher in immature rats (4-5 days old) compared to young adult (2.5 months old) and middle-aged (7.5-9 months old) rats. However, the decrease of mean IGF-I in middle-aged rats compared to immature animals was statistically significant only in the cerebellar codex. Our results indicate that IGF-I content decreases through the lifespan and maybe selectively in some brain regions.Vršena su istraživanja insulinu sličnog faktora rasta (IGF-I) na mišićno i koštano tkivo, ali je posvećena mala pažnja efektu na mozak u toku starenja. Mi smo ispitivali sadržaj IGF-I u moždanom tkivu pacova različite starosti. Nađeno je da su IGF-I koncentracije u kori malog mozga kao i velikog mozga mladih pacova (4-5 dana starih) više u poređenju sa sadržajima grupe tek-odraslih pacova starosti 2,5 meseca i grupe nešto starijih odraslih pacova (7,5-9 meseci starih). Međutim, smanjenje koncentracije IGF-I sadržaja samo u kori malog mozga nešto starijih pacova (7,5-9 meseci) bilo je značajno u odnosu na vrednosti u novorođenih (4-5 dana starih pacova). Naši rezultati ukazuju da IGF-I opada tokom života i moguće - selektivno u određenim moždanim regionima.nul