Differential Responses of Bilberry () Phenology and Density to a Changing Environment: A Study from Western Carpathians.

Environmental factors regulate the regeneration of mountain spruce forests, with drought, wind, and bark beetles causing the maximum damage. How these factors minimise spruce regeneration is still poorly understood. We conducted this study to investigate how the phenology and population dynamics of bilberry ( L.

Modulation of Neural Spiking in Motor Cortex-Cerebellar Networks during Sleep Spindles.

Sleep spindles appear to play an important role in learning new motor skills. Motor skill learning engages several brain regions with two important areas being the motor cortex (M1) and the cerebellum (CB). However, the neurophysiological processes in these areas during sleep, especially how spindle oscillations affect local and cross-region spiking, are not fully understood.

Characterization of Isolated from Pathological Processes in Domestic Mammals and Birds in the Czech Republic.

, recognized as a resident and opportunistic pathogen primarily in poultry, underwent investigation in unwell domestic mammals and birds. The study encompassed the mapping and comparison of isolates, evaluation of their genetic diversity, and determination of their susceptibility to antimicrobials. A total of 11,908 clinical samples were analyzed using cultivation methods and MALDI-TOF.

Can seedlings of Norway spruce ( L. H. Karst.) populations withstand changed climate conditions?

A manipulative experiment with two different water regimes was established to identify the variability of physiological responses to environmental changes in 5-year-old Norway spruce provenances in the Western Carpathians. While variations in the growth responses were detected only between treatments, photosynthetic and biochemical parameters were also differently influenced among provenances. Following drought treatment, an obvious shrinkage of tree stems was observed.

Empirical and process-based models predict enhanced beech growth in European mountains under climate change scenarios: A multimodel approach.

Process-based models and empirical modelling techniques are frequently used to (i) explore the sensitivity of tree growth to environmental variables, and (ii) predict the future growth of trees and forest stands under climate change scenarios. However, modelling approaches substantially influence predictions of the sensitivity of trees to environmental factors. Here, we used tree-ring width (TRW) data from 1630 beech trees from a network of 70 plots established across European mountains to build empirical predictive growth models using various modelling approaches.

Emergent Low-Frequency Activity in Cortico-Cerebellar Networks with Motor Skill Learning.

The motor cortex controls skilled arm movement by recruiting a variety of targets in the nervous system, and it is important to understand the emergent activity in these regions as refinement of a motor skill occurs. One fundamental projection of the motor cortex (M1) is to the cerebellum. However, the emergent activity in the motor cortex and the cerebellum that appears as a dexterous motor skill is consolidated is incompletely understood.

Interrelationships among mountain relief, surface organic layer, soil organic carbon, and its mineral association under subarctic forest tundra.

Efforts to estimate the impact of climate change-induced forest expansion on soil carbon stocks in cold regions are hindered by the lack of soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration data. The presented study addressed the information gap by establishing SOC concentration and its variability in two catchments inside the vast, remote, and rugged Putorana Plateau. Additionally, it explored interrelationships among the terrain relief, vegetation cover, surface organic layer, SOC and its mineral association on the northernmost boundary of the forest-tundra biome traversing the northwestern part of the Central Siberian Tableland.

Dynamics of internal isoprenoid metabolites in young Picea abies (Norway spruce) shoots during drought stress conditions in springtime.

Currently, large areas of Picea abies (Norway spruce) stands in Europe are increasingly affected by drought and heat waves. Moreover, early spring drought has occurred with much higher frequency. Our work focuses on physiological changes induced by drought in four-year-old spruce seedlings during shoot elongation.

Gordonia species as a rare pathogen isolated from milk of dairy cows with mastitis.

While Gordonia species have long been known to cause severe inflammation in humans, the pathogenic effects of Gordonia species in veterinary medicine have rarely been described. Between 2010 and 2019, we collected microorganisms of the genus Gordonia isolated from milk samples from dairy cows with mastitis. We describe the growth properties of these microorganisms and their prevalence, virulence factors and susceptibility to antimicrobial agents.

Modelling Impact of Site and Terrain Morphological Characteristics on Biomass of Tree Species in Putorana Region.

(1) Background: Boreal forests influence global carbon balance and fulfil multiple ecosystem services. Their vegetation growth and biomass are significantly affected by environmental conditions. In the present study we focused on one of the least accessible and least studied parts of the boreal region situated in the western part of Putorana plateau, Central Siberia (Lama and Keta lakes, Krasnoyarsk region), northern Russia.

Effects of Inoculations on Photosynthetic Behaviour and Induced Defence Responses of Plant Volatiles in Field-Grown Hybrid Poplar Tolerant to Bark Canker Disease.

Bark cankers accompanied by symptoms of decline and dieback are the result of a destructive disease caused by infections in woody plants. Pathogenicity, gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, and volatile responses to and inoculations were studied in field-grown 10-year-old hybrid poplar plants. The most stressful effects of on photosynthetic behaviour were found at days 30 and 38 post-inoculation (p.

Isolates-Serotypes and Susceptibility to Antimicrobials in Terms of Their Use on Selected Repopulated Czech Pig Farms.

represents a primary health problem (such as meningitis, septicemia and arthritis in piglets and fatteners) in the swine industry worldwide and also an emerging zoonotic pathogen. In the Czech Republic, many pig farms repopulated their herds over the past decades to reduce morbidity and minimize treatment. The study analysed serotypes, sequence types and antimicrobial susceptibility in 39 isolates obtained from organs of diseased pigs from selected 16 repopulated farms with a history of -associated diseases and routine antimicrobial treatment with tulathromycin and/or amoxicillin.

Microbial contamination of harvested colostrum on Czech dairy farms.

The objective of this study was to perform a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of microbial contamination of harvested colostrum on 39 Czech dairy farms. The study identified the proportion of colostrum samples that met the recommended goals for total plate count (TPC), total coliform count (TCC), and gram-negative noncoliform count (NCC), and evaluated the effect of the farm, breed, parity, season of the year, time of calving, and colostrum volume on these 3 microbiological parameters. Colostrum samples from cows (n = 1,241; 57.

Management After Windstorm Affects the Composition of Ectomycorrhizal Symbionts of Regenerating Trees but Not Their Mycorrhizal Networks.

Due to ongoing climate change, forests are expected to face significant disturbances more frequently than in the past. Appropriate management is intended to facilitate forest regeneration. Because European temperate forests mostly consist of trees associated with ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi, understanding their role in these disturbances is important to develop strategies to minimize their consequences and effectively restore forests.

Photosynthetic performance of silver fir (Abies alba) of different origins under suboptimal growing conditions.

Understanding of the intraspecific variability in the physiological stress response of trees may enable to mitigate the impact of climate change on forest ecosystems in the future. We studied the photosynthetic performance of five silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) provenances originating from climatically distinct localities.

Evaluation of the Carbon Dioxide Production by Fungi Under Different Growing Conditions.

Production of carbon dioxide, as one of the ultimate products of fungal metabolism, can be used to quantify and measure their metabolic rate under different conditions, thus aiding in finding the optimal substrate and environment for cultivation of wood-destroying fungi. This study is focused on species Pleurotus ostreatus and Ganoderma lucidum,. These species are also cultivated for mycorestoration as well as their medicinal and nutritional value.

A unified model of rule-set learning and selection.

The ability to focus on relevant information and ignore irrelevant information is a fundamental part of intelligent behavior. It not only allows faster acquisition of new tasks by reducing the size of the problem space but also allows for generalizations to novel stimuli. Task-switching, task-sets, and rule-set learning are all intertwined with this ability.

New sequence type ST3756 of Staphylococcus aureus subspecies anaerobius as the causative agent of abscessing lymphadenitis in sheep.

Morel's disease is a form of abscessing lymphadenitis of sheep and goats caused by Staphylococcus aureus subspecies anaerobius. In Europe and Africa, the disease is linked to S. aureus of multilocus sequence type 1464.

Management regime is the most important factor influencing ectomycorrhizal species community in Norway spruce forests after windthrow.

Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi, as symbionts of many tree species in temperate forests, are thought to play an important role in forest regeneration processes after large disturbances. Their reaction to different disturbance and management regimes was studied in spruce forests (Lariceto-Piceetum) 10 years after a severe windthrow in the Tatra National Park (Slovak Republic). ECM community structure was compared between different "management types″-cleared area (EXT), area affected by wildfire (FIRE), uncleared area left for natural development (NEX), and mature forest as a control (REF).

Simulating the Effect of Reinforcement Learning on Neuronal Synchrony and Periodicity in the Striatum.

The study of rhythms and oscillations in the brain is gaining attention. While it is unclear exactly what the role of oscillation, synchrony, and rhythm is, it appears increasingly likely that synchrony is related to normal and abnormal brain states and possibly cognition. In this article, we explore the relationship between basal ganglia (BG) synchrony and reinforcement learning.

Soil microbial characteristics at the monitoring plots on windthrow areas of the Tatra National Park (Slovakia): their assessment as environmental indicators.

This study focused on the responses of soil microorganisms to different management regimes on disturbed windthrow areas. Microbial parameters potentially serving as indicators of environmental changes within a long-term monitoring of forest development after large-scale disturbance events were assessed. Basal and substrate-induced respiration, N mineralisation, catalase activity, microbial biomass as well as functional diversity based on Biolog assay were determined in soil samples from three disturbed plots and an undisturbed reference plot in the Tatra National Park (Slovakia) since 2006.

Ambient ozone in forests of the Central and Eastern European mountains.

Ambient ozone (O(3)) concentrations in the forested areas of the Central and Eastern European (CEE) mountains measured on passive sampler networks and in several locations equipped with active monitors are reviewed. Some areas of the Carpathian Mountains, especially in Romania and parts of Poland, as well as the Sumava and Brdy Mountains in the Czech Republic are characterized by low European background concentrations of the pollutant (summer season means approximately 30 ppb). Other parts of the Carpathians, especially the western part of the range (Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland), some of the Eastern (Ukraine) and Southern (Romania) Carpathians and the Jizerske Mountains have high O(3) levels with peak values >100 ppb and seasonal means approximately 50 ppb.

New international long-term ecological research on air pollution effects on the Carpathian Mountain forests, Central Europe.

An international cooperative project on distribution of ozone in the Carpathian Mountains, Central Europe was conducted from 1997 to 1999. Results of that project indicated that in large parts of the Carpathian Mountains, concentrations of ozone were elevated and potentially phytotoxic to forest vegetation. That study led to the establishment of new long-term studies on ecological changes in forests and other ecosystems caused by air pollution in the Retezat Mountains, Southern Carpathians, Romania and in the Tatra Mountains, Western Carpathians on the Polish-Slovak border.

The relationship between milk yield and the incidence of some diseases in dairy cows.

Logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between milk yield and incidence of certain disorders. Lactations (n = 2197) of 1074 Holstein-Friesian cows from 10 dairies (25 to 146 cows per dairy) in Lower Saxony were studied. The 305-d yield from the previous and current lactations served as the standards for milk yield.