The oral microbiome plays key roles in human biology, health, and disease, but little is known about the global diversity, variation, or evolution of this microbial community. To better understand the evolution and changing ecology of the human oral microbiome, we analyzed 124 dental biofilm metagenomes from humans, including Neanderthals and Late Pleistocene to present-day modern humans, chimpanzees, and gorillas, as well as New World howler monkeys for comparison. We find that a core microbiome of primarily biofilm structural taxa has been maintained throughout African hominid evolution, and these microbial groups are also shared with howler monkeys, suggesting that they have been important oral members since before the catarrhine-platyrrhine split ca. 40 Mya. However, community structure and individual microbial phylogenies do not closely reflect host relationships, and the dental biofilms of Homo and chimpanzees are distinguished by major taxonomic and functional differences. Reconstructing oral metagenomes from up to 100 thousand years ago, we show that the microbial profiles of both Neanderthals and modern humans are highly similar, sharing functional adaptations in nutrient metabolism. These include an apparent Homo-specific acquisition of salivary amylase-binding capability by oral streptococci, suggesting microbial coadaptation with host diet. We additionally find evidence of shared genetic diversity in the oral bacteria of Neanderthal and Upper Paleolithic modern humans that is not observed in later modern human populations. Differences in the oral microbiomes of African hominids provide insights into human evolution, the ancestral state of the human microbiome, and a temporal framework for understanding microbial health and disease.
- MeSH
- Bacteria klasifikace genetika MeSH
- biofilmy MeSH
- biologická evoluce * MeSH
- ekologie metody MeSH
- fylogeneze MeSH
- Gorilla gorilla mikrobiologie MeSH
- Hominidae klasifikace mikrobiologie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- metagenom genetika MeSH
- mikrobiota genetika MeSH
- Pan troglodytes mikrobiologie MeSH
- ústa mikrobiologie MeSH
- zeměpis MeSH
- zubní plak mikrobiologie MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Afrika MeSH
The effects of habitat loss on the distribution of populations are often linked with species specialization degree. Specialist species can be more affected by changes in landscape structure and local patch characteristics compared to generalist species. Moreover, the spatial scale at which different land covers (eg. habitat, cropland, urban areas) affect specialist species can be smaller. Specialization is usually assumed as a constant trait along the distribution range of species. However, for several taxa, there is evidence of higher specialization degree in peripheral populations compared with populations in the core. Hence, peripheral populations should have a higher sensitivity to habitat loss, and strongest effects should be found at a smaller spatial scale. To test these expectations, we implemented a patch-landscape approach at different spatial scales, and compared effects of landscape structure and patch characteristics on occupancy probability among northern peripheral, more specialized populations (Czech Republic) and core populations (Bulgaria) of the eastern green lizard Lacerta viridis. We found that landscape structure and patch characteristics affect differently the occupancy probability of Lacerta viridis in each region. Strongest effects of habitat loss were found at a spatial scale of 150m around patches in the periphery, but at a scale of 500m in the core. In the periphery occupancy probability of populations was principally affected by landscape composition, and the effect of habitat quality was stronger compared to core populations. In the core, persistence of populations was mainly explained by characteristics of the spatial configuration of habitat patches. We discuss possible ecological mechanisms behind the relationship between sensitivity to habitat loss, populations' specialization degree and position in the distribution range, and suggest conservation measures for L. viridis.
- MeSH
- ekologie metody MeSH
- ekosystém MeSH
- ještěři růst a vývoj MeSH
- pravděpodobnost MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Bulharsko MeSH
- Česká republika MeSH
- MeSH
- Anseriformes klasifikace MeSH
- dravci zranění MeSH
- ekologie metody organizace a řízení zákonodárství a právo MeSH
- husy zranění MeSH
- kachny klasifikace zranění MeSH
- měkkozobí zranění MeSH
- nemocnice veterinární organizace a řízení trendy MeSH
- ohrožené druhy * MeSH
- ptáci klasifikace zranění MeSH
- statistika jako téma MeSH
- veterinární lékařství * metody organizace a řízení MeSH
- zachování přírodních zdrojů * ekonomika metody zákonodárství a právo MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- zvířata MeSH
The higher proportion of males of the invasive round goby Neogobius melanostomus in samples from two activity selective passive fishing gears compared with one activity non-selective fishing gear in three Dutch lakes is related to higher male locomotory activity and is a sex-dependent trait. This difference in activity reflects the different ecology of male and female N. melanostomus.
- MeSH
- ekologie metody MeSH
- fenotyp MeSH
- jezera MeSH
- lokomoce * MeSH
- Perciformes * MeSH
- zavlečené druhy * MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Ticks are vectors of pathogens affecting human and animal health worldwide. Nevertheless, the ecological and evolutionary interactions between ticks, hosts, and pathogens are largely unknown. Here, we integrated a framework to evaluate the associations of the tickIxodes ricinuswith its hosts and environmental niches that impact pathogen circulation. The analysis of tick-hosts association suggested that mammals and lizards were the ancestral hosts of this tick species, and that a leap to Aves occurred around 120 M years ago. The signature of the environmental variables over the host's phylogeny revealed the existence of two clades of vertebrates diverging along a temperature and vegetation split. This is a robust proof that the tick probably experienced a colonization of new niches by adapting to a large set of new hosts, Aves. Interestingly, the colonization of Aves as hosts did not increase significantly the ecological niche ofI. ricinus, but remarkably Aves are super-spreaders of pathogens. The disparate contribution of Aves to the tick-host-pathogen networks revealed thatI. ricinusevolved to maximize habitat overlap with some hosts that are super-spreaders of pathogens. These results supported the hypothesis that large host networks are not a requirement of tick survival but pathogen circulation. The biological cost of tick adaptation to non-optimal environmental conditions might be balanced by molecular mechanisms triggered by the pathogens that we have only begun to understand.
- MeSH
- biologická adaptace MeSH
- druhová specificita MeSH
- ekologie metody MeSH
- interakce hostitele a patogenu MeSH
- ještěři parazitologie MeSH
- klíšťata mikrobiologie parazitologie fyziologie MeSH
- klíště klasifikace parazitologie fyziologie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- nemoci přenášené klíšťaty parazitologie přenos MeSH
- obratlovci klasifikace parazitologie MeSH
- ptáci klasifikace parazitologie MeSH
- savci klasifikace parazitologie MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
Ecological studies of peatland testate amoebae are generally based on totals of 150 individuals per sample. However, the suitability of this standard has never been assessed for alkaline habitats such as spring fens. We explored the differences in testate amoeba diversity between Sphagnum and brown-moss microhabitats at a mire site with a highly diversified moss layer which reflects the small-scale heterogeneity in groundwater chemistry. Relationships between sampling efficiency and sample completeness were explored using individual-based species accumulation curves and the effort required to gain an extra species was assessed. Testate amoeba diversity differed substantially between microhabitats, with brown mosses hosting on average twice as many species and requiring greater shell totals to reach comparable sample analysis efficiency as for Sphagnum. Thus, for samples from alkaline conditions an increase in shell totals would be required and even an overall doubling up to 300 individuals might be considered for reliable community description. Our small-scale data are likely not robust enough to provide an ultimate solution for the optimization of shell totals. However, the results proved that testate amoebae communities from acidic and alkaline environments differ sharply in both species richness and composition and they might call for different methodological approaches.
- Klíčová slova
- vzor pedagoga, letní tábory,
- MeSH
- botanika * MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- ekologie * etika metody organizace a řízení pracovní síly trendy výchova MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- osobnost * MeSH
- profesionální etika * MeSH
- vůdcovství MeSH
- vyučování * MeSH
- zoologie * MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- Klíčová slova
- Gerontologie environmentální, Socialistické město ve vzpomínkách seniorů,
- MeSH
- behaviorální výzkum MeSH
- demografie metody trendy využití MeSH
- ekologie * dějiny metody trendy MeSH
- geriatrie * metody trendy MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- senioři nad 80 let MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- stárnutí fyziologie psychologie MeSH
- statistika jako téma MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- senioři nad 80 let MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- Publikační typ
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- přehledy MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Československo MeSH
Citizen science projects store an enormous amount of information about species distribution, diversity and characteristics. Researchers are now beginning to make use of this rich collection of data. However, access to these databases is not always straightforward. Apart from the largest and international projects, citizen science repositories often lack specific Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to connect them to the scientific environments. Thus, it is necessary to develop simple routines to allow researchers to take advantage of the information collected by smaller citizen science projects, for instance, programming specific packages to connect them to popular scientific environments (like R). Here, we present rAvis, an R-package to connect R-users with Proyecto AVIS (http://proyectoavis.com), a Spanish citizen science project with more than 82,000 bird observation records. We develop several functions to explore the database, to plot the geographic distribution of the species occurrences, and to generate personal queries to the database about species occurrences (number of individuals, distribution, etc.) and birdwatcher observations (number of species recorded by each collaborator, UTMs visited, etc.). This new R-package will allow scientists to access this database and to exploit the information generated by Spanish birdwatchers over the last 40 years.
- MeSH
- biodiverzita MeSH
- časové faktory MeSH
- databáze faktografické * MeSH
- dobrovolní pracovníci MeSH
- ekologie metody MeSH
- internet MeSH
- populační dynamika MeSH
- programovací jazyk MeSH
- ptáci * MeSH
- software * MeSH
- výpočetní biologie metody MeSH
- výzkumný projekt MeSH
- zeměpis MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Španělsko MeSH
Risk Assessment: The qualified expert assessment of potential ecological/environmental and health risks rising from the planned industrial, transport and waste treatment facilities and other construction activities becomes indispensable. Whereas the initial phase of risk assessment, its identification or potential human exposure are of pure scientific character, the actual risk assessment increasingly assumes the arbitrary aspects (e.g. safety coefficients), risk communication, its control and management by way of psychological aspects; collective decision making then becomes a hotly debated political issue. Risk Perception: When evaluating perception of environmental risks, psychosocial and psychosomatic factors may be of fundamental importance. This is the case in particular where our knowledge of the true health consequences of exposure to given factor is incomplete or its action is within the range of values where we do not anticipate the measurable biological effect. This applies not only in the case of the indoor environment related complains but also e.g. to that of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation and electro-ionic microclimate. A serious consequence found in the syndrome of mass hysteria is the fact that due to differently motivated disinformation, part of the population can suffer from some psychosomatic symptoms. Those imply objective suffering and deterioration quality of life for those affected. Challenges for Prevention: The prevention of such conditions can either be systematic: early educational or popularisation campaigns, specific health education orientated to the development of industrial, transportation, or other types of constructions, and integration of the local civic activities in the program. The purpose of this should not be a cheap belittling of the risk but reasonable explaining of its acceptable rate, and also the likely advantage to benefit from the realization of the structures. Any later efforts to inform the public about the true state of affairs is usually accepted with distrust and disbelief, in belief this information had been well-paid by the government, industry and market forces, the military or some other institution trying to camouflage the actual condition.
- MeSH
- ekologie * metody MeSH
- hodnocení rizik MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- primární prevence * metody MeSH
- psychosomatické poruchy * etiologie MeSH
- vystavení vlivu životního prostředí prevence a kontrola škodlivé účinky MeSH
- zdraví - znalosti, postoje, praxe * MeSH
- zohlednění rizika MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
