Dealing With the Complexity of Effective Population Size in Conservation Practice.

Effective population size () is one of the most important parameters in evolutionary biology, as it is linked to the long-term survival capability of species. Therefore, greatly interests conservation geneticists, but it is also very relevant to policymakers, managers, and conservation practitioners. Molecular methods to estimate rely on various assumptions, including no immigration, panmixia, random sampling, absence of spatial genetic structure, and/or mutation-drift equilibrium.

New faunistic records of chironomids and phantom midges (Diptera, Chironomidae and Chaoboridae) from Ukraine indicate recent climatic refugia in the Eastern Carpathians.

The aquatic insect fauna of the Eastern Carpathians is poorly known, especially in Ukraine. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted faunistic surveys of Chironomidae and Chaoboridae in 2018 and 2021. The study involved sampling of 11 watercourses and 10 mountain lakes situated in the Ukrainian part of the Eastern Carpathians.

Diversity and distribution of chironomids in Central European ponds.

Ponds are common freshwater habitats in the European landscape that substantially contribute to local and regional biodiversity. Chironomids often dominate invertebrate communities in ponds but are usually disregarded in ecological studies due to relatively complicated taxonomy and identification issues. We present a comprehensive overview of the chironomid diversity in 246 ponds spanning a wide range of conditions extending from the Pannonian Plain to the Carpathians.

Checklist, distribution, diversity, and rarity of mayflies (Ephemeroptera) in Slovakia.

Despite the essential role of mayflies (Ephemeroptera) in freshwater ecosystems and their long-term use in research and routine biomonitoring in the Carpathian and Pannonian ecoregions, their distribution data are fragmentary and outdated. All published and unpublished data on mayflies from Slovakia was gathered and a database of > 15,000 species records from 2206 localities built with the aims (i) to critically revise available data and assess the completeness of the species inventory, (ii) to identify hotspots of species diversity, and (iii) to provide a benchmark for assessment of species rarity and conservation status in the region. After the critical revision of the data covering more than 100 years, the occurrence of 109 mayfly species in Slovakia was confirmed.

Plot size matters: Toward comparable species richness estimates across plot-based inventories.

To understand the state and trends in biodiversity beyond the scope of monitoring programs, biodiversity indicators must be comparable across inventories. Species richness (SR) is one of the most widely used biodiversity indicators. However, as SR increases with the size of the area sampled, inventories using different plot sizes are hardly comparable.

Assessment of drivers of spatial genetic variation of a ground-dwelling bird species and its implications for conservation.

In modern wildlife ecology, spatial population genetic methods are becoming increasingly applied. Especially for animal species in fragmented landscapes, preservation of gene flow becomes a high priority target in order to restore genetic diversity and prevent local extinction. Within Central Europe, the Alps represent the core distribution area of the black grouse, .

Pitfall trap design affects the capture efficiency of harvestmen (Opiliones) and millipedes (Diplopoda).

Pitfall trapping is one of the standard methods used for the capture of ground-active arthropod groups. Despite being frequently used, the standardization of this method is problematic due to the large range of combinations of the individual parameters of pitfall traps with varying efficacy under different environmental conditions. We evaluated the effects of the trap diameter, the fixing fluid, and their combination on the capture efficacy for harvestmen (Opiliones) and millipedes (Diplopoda).

Chironomids (Insecta, Diptera, Chironomidae) from alpine lakes in the Eastern Carpathians with comments on newly-recorded species from Ukraine.

Background: The first summarising checklist of Ukrainian Chironomidae (Insecta, Diptera) consisted of 302 species. Compared to other European countries, it is obvious that the real chironomid diversity of Ukraine has not been fully documented and greater effort is needed to discover the actual richness of this family. Thus, our survey focused on the chironomid fauna of some alpine lakes situated above the treeline in the Ukrainian Carpathians (a part of the Eastern Carpathians) aiming to contribute to the knowledge of the Ukrainian chironomid fauna and create the basis for more comprehensive neo- and palaeolimnological studies of these, regionally, little-known ecosystems.

Vegetation affinity of species in the western part of the Carpathians, with as a new association to Slovakia.

(Shuttleworth's bulrush) is a rare species throughout its distribution range including Carpathians. However, a substantial increase in its finds has been noticed in the last twenty years. This study summarises the present knowledge and brings new data on vegetation with occurrence from the western part of the Carpathians (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Ukraine) with the aims of evaluating the phytosociological affinity of this species and providing new information about the ecology of the relevant plant communities.

The mosaic distribution pattern of two sister bush-cricket species and the possible role of reproductive interference.

Reproductive interference can shape regional distribution patterns in closely related species, if prezygotic isolation barriers are weak. The study of such interaction could be more challenging in nuptial gift-giving species due to the direct nutritional effects on both sexes of both species during copulation. We mapped the distribution of two sister bush-cricket species, and , at the northern margin of their overlapping ranges in Europe, and with a behavioral experiment, we tested the possibility of heterospecific mating.

Nomenclatural changes in Braasch & Soldán, 1980 (Ephemeroptera, Baetidae).

The genus Braasch & Soldán, 1980 is accepted here in a wide sense, i.e., including Waltz & McCafferty, 1987.

Seasonal drivers of understorey temperature buffering in temperate deciduous forests across Europe.

Aim: Forest understorey microclimates are often buffered against extreme heat or cold, with important implications for the organisms living in these environments. We quantified seasonal effects of understorey microclimate predictors describing canopy structure, canopy composition and topography (i.e.

Maternal genomic variability of the wild boar () reveals the uniqueness of East-Caucasian and Central Italian populations.

The phylogeography of the European wild boar was mainly determined by postglacial recolonization patterns from Mediterranean refugia after the last ice age. Here we present the first analysis of SNP polymorphism within the complete mtDNA genome of West Russian ( = 8), European ( = 64), and North African ( = 5) wild boar. Our analyses provided evidence of unique lineages in the East-Caucasian (Dagestan) region and in Central Italy.

Null model analyses of temporal patterns of bird assemblages and their foraging guilds revealed the predominance of positive and random associations.

Patterns of species associations have been commonly used to infer interactions among species. If species positively co-occur, they may form predominantly neutral assemblages, and such patterns suggest a relatively weak role for compensatory dynamics. The main objective of this study was to test this prediction on temporal samples of bird assemblages ( = 19, 10-57 years) by the presence/absence and quantitative null models on assemblage and guild levels.

Size-dependent mating pattern in a nuptial gift-giving insect.

The reproductive interests of females and males often diverge in terms of the number of mating partners, an individual's phenotype, origin, genes, and parental investment. This conflict may lead to a variety of sex-specific adaptations and also affect mate choice in both sexes. We conducted an experiment with the bush-cricket (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae), a species in which females receive direct nutritional benefits during mating.

Genetic variation in Tertiary relics: The case of eastern-Mediterranean (Pinaceae).

The eastern-Mediterranean taxa, which include both widely distributed species and taxa with minuscule ranges, represent a good model to study the impacts of range size and fragmentation on the levels of genetic diversity and differentiation. To assess the patterns of genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships among eastern-Mediterranean taxa, genetic variation was assessed by eight nuclear microsatellite loci in 52 populations of taxa with a focus on those distributed in Turkey and the Caucasus. Both at the population and the taxon level, the subspecies or regional populations of s.