Volume 71, Issue 9

The anionic, water soluble, biodegradable and biocompatible polymer, poly- γ -glutamic acid ( γ -PGA) was produced by a Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain and converted into its nanomeric form for theranostic purpose. In this study, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) modified with γ -PGA was prepared by co-precipitation method, and the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded onto the polymer matrix. This complex assembles as spherical in shape with 82 nm particle size. We hypothesize that SPIONs could deliver the nanoparticle to the target site. The cationic DOX was loaded into the polymer matrix by electrostatic interactions with high loading efficiency and it was confirmed by fluorescence spectroscopy. This multifunctional nanomaterial could be used as the nanomedicine for drug delivery and also for the real time monitoring of the disease progress.

In this study, a bacterium producing solvent-stable protease was isolated from salt-enriched soil after incubation in benzene and toluene enriched-media and identified as Lysinibacillus sphaericus PAP02 by 16S rRNA sequencing. Further, the enzyme was purified by 3.64-fold with yield of 12.07%. The purified protease molecular mass was determined to be 33 kDa by SDS-PAGE and the substrate activity was confirmed by the presence of a protease band. Further, the purified protease was characterized and found to be active at pH 10 and a temperature of 40°C. In addition, metal ions in the form of CoCl 2 and ZnSO 4 slightly upregulated the enzyme activity. The activity was reduced in EDTA, indicating that it was a metallo-type protease. The significant levels of protease were retained after incubation (14 days) in the presence of organic solvents at 25 and 50% concentrations. Activity was induced by hexane at both concentrations, but toluene only induced at 25%. The isolated organic solvent stable protease will be useful as a biocatalyst for many industrial applications, including peptide synthesis in non-aqueous media.

Inland saline habitats of the Pannonian Lowland are highly threatened by drainage and lack of regular management, especially on their northern distribution limit. We studied the impact of abandonment on the dynamics and survival of saline vegetation through a 4-year field experiment on permanent plots in SW Slovakia (the northern part of the Pannonian Lowland). The examined grassland, alliance of Puccinellion limosae was grazed by sheep. Our results unambiguously confirmed that inland saline vegetation responds to the cessation of such natural disturbance very quickly. Species richness and number of halophytes in the scale of 0.01 m 2 decreased by half already two years after the abandonment. The most obliged species to grazing was Hordeum geniculatum . This obligate halophyte dependent on disturbance has markedly disappeared on the non-grazed plots, while Elytrigia repens expanded. Moderate grazing is an important requirement for maintenance of halophytic vegetation.

Biochar application to agricultural soils has a significant potential to influence soil resource availability and thus crop performance. A factorial experiment investigating effects of different biochar application rates combined with nitrogen fertilizer was conducted in field conditions on a Haplic Luvisol. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of biochar and biochar combined with fertilization on soil organic matter and soil structure parameters. The treatments comprised combinations of biochar application of 0, 10 and 20 t ha −1 (B0, B10 and B20) and 0, 40 and 80 kg N ha −1 of nitrogen fertilizer (N0, N40, N80) applied in a full-factorial design. Biochar application rate of 20 t ha −1 significantly increased soil organic carbon content ( SOC ) and non-labile carbon content ( C NL ), but decreased carbon lability ( L C ). The addition of biochar at 10 t ha −1 together with 40 and 80 kg N ha −1 significantly increased the values of SOC and C NL . On the other hand, B10N80 treatment resulted in a considerable decrease of carbon lability ( L C ). Overall, the lowest average content of water-stable micro-aggregates was found in the B20N80 treatment and then with B10N0 < B20N40 < B20N0 < B10N80 < B0N0 < B10N40. Biochar applied at 20 t ha −1 increased the critical level of soil organic matter and decreased the crusting index.

One option that can be used to mitigate the changes in global climate caused by the elevated levels of atmospheric CO 2 is to improve the capacity of soil to act as a carbon (C) sink. Water repellency is known to reduce the mineralization of C, which is considered as a result of the reduced water film thickness and discontinuous water films. The objective of this study was to examine effects of water repellent conditions caused by different manure amendments to an Ultisol on organic matter decomposition, C retention, and respired CO 2 -C through NaOH trapping. The soils used in the laboratory and field experiments are Rhodudults under USDA soil classification. Cattle manure (CM), goat manure (GM), Gliricidia maculata (GL), and Casuarina equisetifolia (CE) were used as the organic amendments. Soil (0–5 cm) collected for the laboratory experiment were air-dried, passed through a 2 mm sieve, and mixed with ground organic amendments in different ratios (5% CM, 5% GM, 5% GL, 5% CE, with and without intermixed 2% CE). Soil-water contact angle, soil organic matter (SOM) content, retained C (field), and respired CO 2 were measured. Laboratory measurements were conducted for a period of 30 d, while field experiments for 9 weeks. Samples with 5% CE showed the highest repellency. Samples with GL, CM, and GM showed slightly higher contact angles when intermixed with 2% CE. The control (mineral soil) showed the lowest contact angle (56.2 ± 3.8°). The SOM contents decreased with time over the 30 d laboratory as well as in the 9-week field experiment. The % depletion of SOM showed a significant difference between the samples with and without intermixed 2% CE only in samples amended with 5% GM. Percentage depletion of SOM content of the samples showed a moderate negative linear correlation with initial soil-water contact angle ( R 2 = 0.53). The retained C% (as a percentage of added C) in the field was highest in the soil with 5% CE (highest repellent). Samples with 5% GL, CM, and GM intermixed with 2% CE showed significantly higher retained C% than those with no intermixed CE. Samples with 5% CE with the highest initial repellency showed the lowest while those with 5% GL with lowest initial repellency showed the highest respired CO 2 –C. Both respired CO 2 –C g in 1 kg of soil and respired CO 2 –C mg per kg of SOC showed a moderate negative linear correlations (significant at 0.05 probability level) with soil-water contact angle ( R 2 = 0.58 and 0.48, respectively). The results clearly showed that the C retention capacity of different organic manure amended soils was positively related with the original hydrophobicity of added manures under the field conditions as well.

In our paper we deal with the changes in the rainfall interception process of a climax spruce forest in the growing season (approximately from May to October) during its die-back. Experimental data were collected at the research plot of Červenec situated in the West Tatras at an elevation of 1,420 m a.s.l. in the years from 2013 to 2015. Net precipitation was monitored at three localities in both living and dead forests: canopy gap, dripping zone at crown periphery and central zone of a crown. Gross precipitation was recorded at an open forest area (with a diameter of 1–2 tree heights). The comparison of net precipitation in the stands revealed the highest values in the dripping zone at crown periphery of the living forest due to its increase by occult (horizontal) precipitation and transport of rainfall captured in the crown to its periphery. The values in the growing season of 2014 exceeded also gross precipitation. The total interception loss (total gross – net precipitation in % of gross precipitation) the canopy gap during the monitored period was 10.1% in the living and 18.3% in the dead stand, in the dripping zone at crown periphery it was 1.7% in the living and 20.5% in the dead stand, and in the central zone of a crown it was 70.6% in the living and 59.9% in the dead stand. Forest die-back had an effect on the distribution of precipitation under canopy. The comparison of mean interception values at three localities of the living and dead stands revealed significant differences between the stands in all cases ( α < 0.001).

ASYMMETRIC LEAVES2-LIKE16 gene of Arabidopsis is a member of the ASYMMETRIC LEAVES2 (AS2)/LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES (LOB) domain gene family. Current reports have indicated that overexpression of ASL16 induces lateral root formation in the absence of ARF7 and ARF19; whereas lateral root formation is severely reduced in the arf 7 and arf 19 double knockout mutants. Antisense mRNA has testified to be a useful tool to inhibit the expression of specific genes in plants; more significantly, it is specific in the sense that only the mRNA level of the desired protein being changed, while other members of the gene family remain unaffected. To further explore ASL16 function in lateral root growth and development, we introduced an antisense-expression construct of the ASL16 gene to Arabidopsis (Col-0); and acquired some 35S:ASL16 Arabidopsis plants. With 11 day after germination (DAG), many lateral roots in wild-type seedlings were well developed, whereas a few lateral roots in these antisense 35S:ASL16 seedlings were produced. However, with 5, 8 and 16 DAG, the lateral roots in these transgenic seedlings were not distinct with those of wild-type plants. A series of data indicate that primary root formation of these antisense 35S:ASL16 plants was not affected; whereas their lateral root formation was severely inhibited.

Meiobenthic organisms were sampled for the first time from İğneada coasts, Turkey (Western Black Sea) in order to provide a base-line study on the meiobenthic community structure of the sampling area. Meiobenthos was found to be composed of 12 higher taxonomical groups: Nematoda, Harpacticoida, Polychaeta, recent hard-shelled Foraminifera, soft-shelled Foraminifera, Bivalvia, Gastropoda, Ostracoda, Turbellaria, Oligochaeta, Nemertea and Acari. Meiobenthic community was dominated by nematodes, harpacticoid copepods and hard-shelled foraminifera in the study area. Fifty two species of Nematoda, fifteen species of Harpacticoida and twelve species of living hard-shelled Foraminifera were identified. Six nematode species ( Bathylaimus australis, Bolbolaimus murinae, Neochromadora poecilosomoides, Neochromadora sabulicola , Oncholaimellus mediterraneus and Onyx perfectus ) are reported for the first time from Turkey although they are known to occur at the central Turkish Black Sea. Total density of the meiobenthos ranged between 67–757 ind. 10 cm −2 at stations. Nematodes showed densities ranging from 61 to 350 ind. 10 cm −2 which represented 25–92% of the total meiobenthos. Since the terrestrial part of the region is protected as a National Park and the coastal part has been proposed as a marine protected area, research should be intensified on the fauna of İğneada coastal waters to clarify the biodiversity of the area.

Research on water mites has mainly focused on their ecology, taxonomy and faunistics. Studies on the biology of particular species and their fecundity have been conducted much less often, and there is very little such information from the Balkan Peninsula. The present study attempts to fill in some of the gaps in the existing knowledge upon reproduction of water mites. Female individuals were collected from Lake Skadar and its catchment in Montenegro, in May and October 2014. Then they were placed in 40 ml beakers until eggs were laid and observed until the larvae were hatched. The eggs were laid by females representing 15 species. The numbers of egg-laying females of a given species ranged from 1 to 124. The average number of eggs laid by a female ranged from 1 to 60. The number of eggs laid in May was much higher than in October. Females which lays the most eggs (representing 9 species) were collected in springs, followed by Lake Skadar (7 species) and in rivers (4 species). Only one species, Hygrobates setosus , was encountered in all types of waters studied, two species were encountered in the lake and in springs ( Lebertia ineaqualis and Piona disparilis ), and one ( Hygrobates fluviatilis ) in springs and in rivers. In general, the highest numbers of eggs were laid by females from rivers, followed by those from springs and from the lake. The average time of embryonic development ranged from 9 days ( Hydrochoreutes krameri ) to 20 days ( Atractides fonticulus and Protzia eximia ), while the total incubation period ranged from 9 to 30 days. It seems that the water mites laid higher number of eggs in the spring than in the autumn. Hatching time depends on the temperature. The number of eggs laid by one female is characteristic of the species or genus.

In this study we investigated the mesostigmatid mite communities of starling ( Sturnus vulgaris ) nest boxes. We analysed material from 69 nest boxes collected from a park in Warsaw (Poland). Berlese funnels were used to extract the mites, which were subsequently sorted manually under a binocular microscope and preserved in ethanol. Mites were mounted on glass slides and identified under a microscope. Three species of mites were recorded, namely L. orbicularis (50), which is a granary mite and two parasite mites – Dermanyssus gallinae (3975 specimens) and Androlaelaps casalis (610). In conclusion, the high abundance of the parasites justifies the need to regularly clean the nest boxes.

The influences of river regulations on aquatic biota are insufficiently investigated. We assessed the level of ecological disturbance of the mayfly assemblages through the damming and flow alterations at two highly regulated Mediterranean rivers in Croatia: the Cetina River and its tributary, the Ruda. Contrary to our hypotheses, species richness, abundance and diversity of mayflies increased along the river’s course. At the sites directly influenced by the river regulations, mayfly assemblage changed: it was less diverse and less abundant. However, no obvious influence of the river regulation on the mayfly assemblages was detected for the sites that were indirectly influenced by these alterations. This was most likely due to specific karst hydrology, i.e., the presence of lateral springs along the course of the river. Multidimensional scaling analysis (MDS) revealed grouping of sites according to the similarity in physico-chemical water properties. The pH and water temperature were the most important environmental variables influencing mayfly assemblages. The data on ecology and distribution of mayflies presented in the current study represent a valuable background for further research and conservation practices in the Mediterranean region.

The distributional patterns and ecology of the ponto-mediterranean species Poecilimon schmidtii were only insufficiently known until now, despite assumed to be one of the northernmost distributed species of the genus. Based on the review of all available published and own field data, we improved the distribution map of the species and recorded it for the first time from Poland. The distribution survey was carried at 1,208 sites in Slovakia, 39 sites in SE Poland and 26 sites in W Ukraine between 1994 and 2015. P. schmidtii was found at 59 sites and the habitat requirements were analysed. The results show a clear preference of the species for broadleaved forest ecotones with hazel and Rubus spp. shrubs being the main host plants. The species was present in grid cells with a lower mean altitude, a higher annual mean temperature and a lower annual precipitation compared to those available within the northern species’ range. Its altitudinal distribution was between 105 and 950 m a.s.l. Altogether, 70 Orthoptera and one mantid species were recorded and assemblages of Orthoptera and Mantodea were described for 49 sites with P. schmidtii in Slovakia and Poland. On average 18.9 ± 7.5 (SD) species were found per site, ranging from 7 to 37. Using detrended correspondence analysis it was not possible to distinguish between the orthopteran assemblages with and without ( n = 94) P. schmidtii . In the assemblages, P. schmidtii was more often present with mountainous species.

Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) of the fat dormouse Glis glis was evaluated on five somatic variables (head-and-body length, tail length, hind foot length, ear length and body weight) in 40 specimens. The overlap of values of the measured traits between the sexes was high, and females seemed to exhibit slightly higher mean values than males. However, these differences were non-significant, and together with the results of discriminant function analysis they supported monomorphism in the evaluated species. Positive correlation analyses, together with PCA values, confirmed that tail length and hind foot length are traits which play a significant role in overall variability. We speculated that this relationship could explain their mutual importance in locomotion in the three-dimensional space of tree canopies. Our results suggest that the non-significant results regarding SSD provide the benefit of the same size for both sexes in inter- and intra-sexual interaction and may be connected with passive mate-guarding.