Mutualistic mimicry and filtering by altitude shape the structure of Andean butterfly communities.

Both the abiotic environment and abiotic interactions among species contribute to shaping species assemblages. While the roles of habitat filtering and competitive interactions are clearly established, less is known about how positive interactions, whereby species benefit from the presence of one another, affect community structure. Here we assess the importance of positive interactions by studying Andean communities of butterflies that interact mutualistically via Müllerian mimicry.

[Relation of the outcome of disk epiphysectomy in dysplastic scoliosis and the biochemical composition of the vertebral body].

Pronounced changes in the content of collagen, non-collagen proteins and the activity of a number of lysosomic enzymes have been established in the bone tissue of the vertebral bodies obtained on diskepiphysectomy in the patients with dysplastic scoliosis. Numerous correlation links between the metabolic parameters and the spinal deformation a year after diskepiphysectomy have been determined.