Chromosomal and mitochondrial diversity in complex (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae): eleven deeply diverged DNA barcode groups in one non-monophyletic species?

It is generally accepted that cases of species' polyphyly in trees arising as a result of deep intraspecific divergence are negligible, and the detected cases reflect misidentifications or/and methodological errors. Here we studied the problem of species' non-monophyly through chromosomal and molecular analysis of butterfly taxa close to (Esper, 1779) (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae). We found absence or low interspecific chromosome number variation and presence of intraspecific variation, therefore we conclude that in this group, chromosome numbers have relatively low value as taxonomic markers.

Mitochondrial chromosome as a marker of animal migratory routes: DNA barcoding revealed Asian (non-African) origin of a tropical migrant butterfly in south Israel.

The blue pansy Linnaeus, 1758 (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) is widely distributed along the tropical areas of Africa, Asia and Australia. It is also known as a migrant species in the Levant. Here we record in south Israel and provide a DNA-barcode-based evidence for its Asian (non-African) origin.

The first fossil parrot (Aves, Psittaciformes) from Siberia and its implications for the historical biogeography of Psittaciformes.

Modern parrots (crown Psittaciformes) are a species-rich group of mostly tropical and subtropical birds with a very limited fossil record. A partial tarsometatarsus from the late Early Miocene of Siberia (Baikal Lake) is the first pre-Quaternary find of crown Psittaciformes in Asia (and Siberia in particular) and is also the northern-most find of this bird order worldwide. This find documents a broad geographical distribution of parrots during the warmest phase of the Miocene (the so-called 'Miocene Climatic Optimum'), which has implications for the historical biogeography of Psittaciformes.

Karyosystematics and molecular taxonomy of the anomalous blue butterflies (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) from the Balkan Peninsula.

The Balkan Peninsula represents one of the hottest biodiversity spots in Europe. However, the invertebrate fauna of this region is still insufficiently investigated, even in respect of such well-studied organisms as Lepidoptera. Here we use a combination of chromosomal, molecular and morphological markers to rearrange the group of so-called anomalous blue butterflies (also known as 'brown complex' of the subgenus Agrodiaetus Hübner, [1822] and as the Polyommatus (Agrodiaetus) admetus (Esper, 1783) species group) and to reveal its cryptic taxonomic structure.

[Preparation and physicalchemical characteristics of functional food ingredient - zinc complex with egg protein fermentolisate].

The use of biotechnological approach, including obtaining of food protein fermentative hydrolysates, following their combination with essential microelements (ЕМ), allows to obtain new nutritional sources of these EM-obligate antioxidants (zinc, copper, manganese) in organic high-bioavailable form. In this research new nutritional source of zinc organic form as a complex with peptide fractions of fermentolysate of coagulated egg protein was obtained and was characterized by physical-chemical methods. Inhibitory activity of native egg protein lowered by 2 fold under coagulation with one-stage thermal processing (t = +88 °C).

[Antibiotic-free poultry production based on innovative nutritional programs with the involvement of probiotics].

EU banned antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) for farm animals and poultry since 2006 in relation to the problem of drug resistance. This requires alternative products for equally efficient prevention and treatment of certain alimentary poultry diseases. One of the most actual trends is the development of innovative nutritional strategies for poultry providing an effective symbiosis between the host and its intestinal microbiota.

Genetic diversity and connectivity within spp. in the subarctic and Arctic.

Climate changes in the Arctic are predicted to alter distributions of marine species. However, such changes are difficult to quantify because information on present species distribution and the genetic variation within species is lacking or poorly examined. Blue mussels, spp.

Molecular phylogeny and forms of photosynthesis in tribe Salsoleae (Chenopodiaceae).

While many C lineages have Kranz anatomy around individual veins, Salsoleae have evolved the Salsoloid Kranz anatomy where a continuous dual layer of chlorenchyma cells encloses the vascular and water-storage tissue. With the aim of elucidating the evolution of C photosynthesis in Salsoleae, a broadly sampled molecular phylogeny and anatomical survey was conducted, together with biochemical, microscopic, and physiological analyses of selected photosynthetic types. From analyses of photosynthetic phenotypes, a model for evolution of this form of C was compared with models for evolution of Kranz anatomy around individual veins.

New Species and New Records of Mites of the Family Myocoptidae (Acariformes: Sarcoptoidea) From African Rodents.

Eleven species of myocoptid mites (Acariformes: Myocoptidae) are recorded from African rodents. Among them, three species are described as new for science: Myocoptes lophuromys sp. nov.

Unique photosynthetic phenotypes in Portulaca (Portulacaceae): C3-C4 intermediates and NAD-ME C4 species with Pilosoid-type Kranz anatomy.

Portulacaceae is a family that has considerable diversity in photosynthetic phenotypes. It is one of 19 families of terrestrial plants where species having C photosynthesis have been found. Most species in Portulaca are in the alternate-leaved (AL) lineage, which includes one clade (Cryptopetala) with taxa lacking C photosynthesis and three clades having C species (Oleracea, Umbraticola and Pilosa).

Ten genes and two topologies: an exploration of higher relationships in skipper butterflies (Hesperiidae).

Despite multiple attempts to infer the higher-level phylogenetic relationships of skipper butterflies (Family Hesperiidae), uncertainties in the deep clade relationships persist. The most recent phylogenetic analysis included fewer than 30% of known genera and data from three gene markers. Here we reconstruct the higher-level relationships with a rich sampling of ten nuclear and mitochondrial markers (7,726 bp) from 270 genera and find two distinct but equally plausible topologies among subfamilies at the base of the tree.

[The role of ATP-dependent potassium channels and nitric oxide system in the neuroprotective effect of preconditioning].

Aim: To study a role of ATP-dependent potassium channels (K+ATP) in the neuroprotective effect of ischemic (IP) and pharmacological (PP) preconditioning and evaluate the dynamics of blood nitric oxide (NO) metabolites in cerebral ischemia.

Material And Methods: A model of ischemic stroke induced by the electrocoagulation of a middle cerebral artery (MCA) branch was used in male rats (n=86). Glibenclamide, a selective inhibitor of ATP-sensitive K+ channels, and diazoxide, a potassium channel activator, were used.

On Blaps Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) from Western Kazakhstan with description of a new species from Tyuleniy Archipelago (Caspian Sea).

A new species of darkling beetles Blaps caspica sp. n. from Western Kazakhstan Kulaly Island (Tyuleniy Archipelago, Caspian Sea) is described.

Hiding in the Shadows: CPOX Expression and 5-ALA Induced Fluorescence in Human Glioma Cells.

Protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) is widely used in photodynamic diagnosis. To date, the details of molecular mechanisms underlying PpIX accumulation in malignant cells after 5-ALA administration remain unclear. The fluorescence of PpIX was studied in human glioma cells.

Divergence within and among Seaweed Siblings (Fucus vesiculosus and F. radicans) in the Baltic Sea.

Closely related taxa provide significant case studies for understanding evolution of new species but may simultaneously challenge species identification and definition. In the Baltic Sea, two dominant and perennial brown algae share a very recent ancestry. Fucus vesiculosus invaded this recently formed postglacial sea 8000 years ago and shortly thereafter Fucus radicans diverged from this lineage as an endemic species.

Integrative analyses unveil speciation linked to host plant shift in Spialia butterflies.

Discovering cryptic species in well-studied areas and taxonomic groups can have profound implications in understanding eco-evolutionary processes and in nature conservation because such groups often involve research models and act as flagship taxa for nature management. In this study, we use an array of techniques to study the butterflies in the Spialia sertorius species group (Lepidoptera, Hesperiidae). The integration of genetic, chemical, cytogenetic, morphological, ecological and microbiological data indicates that the sertorius species complex includes at least five species that differentiated during the last three million years.

Glandular trichomes of Tussilago Farfara (Senecioneae, Asteraceae).

The glandular trichomes are developed on the aerial organs of Tussilago farfara ; they produce phenols and terpenoids. Smooth endoplasmic reticulum and leucoplasts are the main organelles of the trichome secretory cells. The aim of this study was to characterise the morphology, anatomy, histochemistry and ultrastructure of the trichomes in Tussilago farfara as well as to identify composition of the secretory products.

The unique structural and biochemical development of single cell C4 photosynthesis along longitudinal leaf gradients in Bienertia sinuspersici and Suaeda aralocaspica (Chenopodiaceae).

Temporal and spatial patterns of photosynthetic enzyme expression and structural maturation of chlorenchyma cells along longitudinal developmental gradients were characterized in young leaves of two single cell C4 species, Bienertia sinuspersici and Suaeda aralocaspica Both species partition photosynthetic functions between distinct intracellular domains. In the C4-C domain, C4 acids are formed in the C4 cycle during capture of atmospheric CO2 by phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase. In the C4-D domain, CO2 released in the C4 cycle via mitochondrial NAD-malic enzyme is refixed by Rubisco.

Comparative cytogenetics of Auchenorrhyncha (Hemiptera, Homoptera): a review.

A comprehensive review of cytogenetic features is provided for the large hemipteran suborder Auchenorrhyncha, which currently contains approximately 42,000 valid species. This review is based on the analysis of 819 species, 483 genera, and 31 families representing all presently recognized Auchenorrhyncha superfamilies, e.i.

Taxonomic interpretation of chromosomal and mitochondrial DNA variability in the species complex close to Polyommatus (Agrodiaetus) dama (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae).

In this paper, by using combination of molecular and chromosomal markers, populations of Polyommatus (Agrodiaetus) karindus (Riley, 1921) from north-west and central Iran are analyzed. It has been found that taxon usually identified as Polyommatus (Agrodiaetus) karindus is represented in Iran by two geographically separated groups of individuals, strongly differentiated by their karyotypes and mitochondrial haplotypes. It is demonstrated that populations from NW Iran have the haploid chromosome number n = 68, while the haploid chromosome number of Polyommatus (Agrodiaetus) karindus from central Iran is found to be n = 73.

The blue butterfly Polyommatus (Plebicula) atlanticus (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) holds the record of the highest number of chromosomes in the non-polyploid eukaryotic organisms.

The blue butterfly species Polyommatus (Plebicula) atlanticus (Elwes, 1906) (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) is known to have a very high haploid number of chromosomes (n= circa 223). However, this approximate count made by Hugo de Lesse 45 years ago was based on analysis of a single meiotic I metaphase plate, not confirmed by study of diploid chromosome set and not documented by microphotographs. Here I demonstrate that (1) Polyommatus atlanticus is a diploid (non-polyploid) species, (2) its meiotic I chromosome complement includes at least 224-226 countable chromosome bodies, and (3) all (or nearly all) chromosome elements in meiotic I karyotype are represented by bivalents.

Intragenomic variations of multicopy ITS2 marker in Agrodiaetus blue butterflies (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae).

The eukaryotic ribosomal DNA cluster consists of multiple copies of three genes, 18S, 5. 8S and 28S rRNAs, separated by multiple copies of two internal transcribed spacers, ITS1 and ITS2. It is an important, frequently used marker in both molecular cytogenetic and molecular phylogenetic studies.

Lymphotropic administration of photosensitizer as a model of target therapy of testicle inflammation: Experimental and clinical data.

Background: The existence of zones of humoral skin-subskin tissue linkage with internal organs as well as the possibility of targeted administration of preparation into the affected organs were studied.

Methods: An experimental study of preparation and distribution in the bodies of mice was held by both intravenous and lymphotropic methods of administration. By means of detection with a photosensitizer (as a marker), the study was conducted on healthy mice and mice with testicle inflammation.

Deep-sea serpulids (Annelida: Polychaeta) in tetragonal tubes: on a tube convergence path from the Mesozoic to Recent.

Serpulids typically build cylindrical calcareous tubes attached to hard substrates. Until now, only three serpulid species inhabiting free-lying polygonal tubes were reported from the deep sea: Spirodiscus grimaldii Fauvel, 1909 with quadrangular spirally coiled tubes, Bathyditrupa hovei Kupriyanova, 1993a with quadrangular tusk-shaped tubes, and Ditrupa groenlandica McIntosh, 1877 with octagonal tusk-shaped tubes. Similar free-lying tubes with tetragonal cross-section, both coiled and tusk-shaped, are described from shallow-water Mesozoic deposits as Nogrobs de Montfort, 1808, Tetraserpula Parsch, 1956, Tetraditrupa Regenhardt, 1961, Glandifera Regenhardt, 1961 and Tubulostium Stoliczka, 1868.

Tracking the origins of Yakutian horses and the genetic basis for their fast adaptation to subarctic environments.

Yakutia, Sakha Republic, in the Siberian Far East, represents one of the coldest places on Earth, with winter record temperatures dropping below -70 °C. Nevertheless, Yakutian horses survive all year round in the open air due to striking phenotypic adaptations, including compact body conformations, extremely hairy winter coats, and acute seasonal differences in metabolic activities. The evolutionary origins of Yakutian horses and the genetic basis of their adaptations remain, however, contentious.