15, 495 s. : il., tab.
Traditional woodland management created a mosaic of differently aged patches providing favorable conditions for a variety of arthropods. After abandonment of historical ownership patterns and traditional management and the deliberate transformation to high forest after World War II, large forest areas became darker and more homogeneous. This had significant negative consequences for biodiversity. An important question is whether even small-scale habitat structures maintained by different levels of canopy openness in abandoned coppiced forest may constitute conditions suitable for forest as well as open habitat specialists. We investigated the effect of canopy openness in former traditionally coppiced woodlands on the species richness, functional diversity, activity density, conservation value, and degree of rareness of epigeic spiders. In each of the eight studied locations, 60-m-long transect was established consisting of five pitfall traps placed at regular 15 m intervals along the gradient. Spiders were collected from May to July 2012. We recorded 90 spider species, including high proportions of xeric specialists (40%) and red-listed threatened species (26%). The peaks of conservation indicators, as well as spider community abundance, were shifted toward more open canopies. On the other hand, functional diversity peaked at more closed canopies followed by a rapid decrease with increasing canopy openness. Species richness was highest in the middle of the canopy openness gradient, suggesting an ecotone effect. Ordinations revealed that species of conservation concern tended to be associated with sparse and partly opened canopy. The results show that the various components of biodiversity peaked at different levels of canopy openness. Therefore, the restoration and suitable forest management of such conditions will retain important diversification of habitats in formerly coppiced oak forest stands. We indicate that permanent presence of small-scale improvements could be suitable conservation tools to prevent the general decline of woodland biodiversity in the intensified landscape of Central Europe.
- MeSH
- biodiverzita * MeSH
- dub (rod) * MeSH
- lesy * MeSH
- pavouci * MeSH
- zachování přírodních zdrojů * MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
Léčba pokročilého nebo metastazujícího nemalobuněčného karcinomu plic se rozšířila o další molekulu z řady imunoterapie, která byla registrována Evropskou lékovou agenturou (EMA) a od 1. března 2020 je i hrazena v ČR. Jedná se o atezolizumab humanizovanou monoklonální protilátku IgG1 namířenou proti PD-L1 (ligand 1 programované buněčné smrti), čímž blokuje vazbu PD-L1 na receptory PD-1 a vede k obnovení protinádorové imunity. Studie III. fáze OAK srovnávala atezolizumab s docetaxelem u pacientů s lokálně pokročilým či generalizovaným nemalobuněčným plicním karcinomem (NSCLC) a prokázala jeho účinnost bez ohledu na expresi PD-L1 a zároveň dobrý bezpečnostní profil. V rámci studie byli pacienti randomizováni v poměru 1 : 1. Celkové přežití (OS) po minimálně 26měsíčním sledování bylo signifikantně prodlouženo v rameni s atezolizumabem 13,8 měsíce vs. 9,6 měsíce (HR: 0,73; p = 0,0003). Nejdelšího přežití bylo dosaženo ve skupině pacientů s vysokou expresí PD-L1, nicméně i ve skupině nemocných s negativní expresí PD-L1 bylo dosaženo prodloužení přežití (HR pro OS: 0,77; četnost dvouletého OS 30 % vs. 18,3 %).
- Klíčová slova
- atezolizumab, studie OAK,
- MeSH
- imunoterapie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- monoklonální protilátky MeSH
- nemalobuněčný karcinom plic MeSH
- protinádorové látky terapeutické užití MeSH
- výsledek terapie MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- klinická studie MeSH
The globally observed trend of changing intensity of tropical cyclones over the past few decades emphasizes the need for a better understanding of the effects of such disturbance events in natural and inhabited areas. On the Korean Peninsula, typhoon intensity has increased over the past 100 years as evidenced by instrumental data recorded from 1904 until present. We examined how the increase in three weather characteristics (maximum hourly and daily precipitation, and maximum wind speed) during the typhoon activity affected old-growth oak forests. Quercus mongolica is a dominant species in the Korean mountains and the growth releases from 220 individuals from three sites along a latitudinal gradient (33-38°N) of decreasing typhoon activity were studied. Growth releases indicate tree-stand disturbance and improved light conditions for surviving trees. The trends in release events corresponded to spatiotemporal gradients in maximum wind speed and precipitation. A high positive correlation was found between the maximum values of typhoon characteristics and the proportion of trees showing release. A higher proportion of disturbed trees was found in the middle and southern parts of the Korean peninsula where typhoons are most intense. This shows that the releases are associated with typhoons and also indicates the differential impact of typhoons on the forests. Finally, we present a record of the changing proportion of trees showing release based on tree-rings for the period 1770-1979. The reconstruction revealed no trend during the period 1770-1879, while the rate of forest disturbances increased rapidly from 1880 to 1979. Our results suggest that if typhoon intensity rises, as is projected by some climatic models, the number of forest disturbance events will increase thus altering the disturbance regime and ecosystem processes.
- MeSH
- cyklonové bouře * MeSH
- dub (rod) * MeSH
- stromy * MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Korejská republika MeSH
Phytophthora plurivora and other Phytophthora species are known to be serious pathogens of forest trees. Little is known, however, about the presence of P. plurivora in Polish oak forests and their role in oak decline. The aims of this study were to identify P. plurivora in healthy and declining Quercus robur stands in southern Poland and to demonstrate the relationship between different site factors and the occurrence of P. plurivora. In addition, the virulence of P. plurivora and other Phytophthora species was evaluated through inoculations using 2-year-old oak seedlings. Rhizosphere soil was investigated from 39 oak stands representing different healthy tree statuses. The morphology and DNA sequences of the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS) of the ribosomal DNA and the mitochondrial cox1 gene were used for identifications. P. plurivora, an oak fine root pathogen, was isolated from rhizosphere soil samples in 6 out of 39 stands. Additionally, Phytophthora cambivora, Phytophthora polonica and Phytophthora rosacearum-like were also obtained from several stands. The results showed a significant association between the presence of P. plurivora and the health status of oak trees. Similar relationships were also observed for all identified Phytophthora species. In addition, there was evidence for a connection between the presence of all identified Phytophthora species and some site conditions. Phytophthora spp. occurred more frequently in declining stands and in silt loam and sandy loam soils with pH ≥ 3.66. P. plurivora and P. cambivora were the only species capable of killing whole plants, producing extensive necrosis on seedling stems.
- MeSH
- dub (rod) parazitologie MeSH
- fylogeneze MeSH
- kořeny rostlin parazitologie MeSH
- lesy MeSH
- molekulární sekvence - údaje MeSH
- nemoci rostlin parazitologie MeSH
- Phytophthora klasifikace genetika izolace a purifikace MeSH
- stromy parazitologie MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Polsko MeSH
We investigated lichen diversity in temperate oak forests using standardized protocols. Forty-eight sites were sampled in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. The effects of natural environmental predictors and human influences on lichen diversity (lichen diversity value, species richness) were analysed by means of correlation tests. We found that lichen diversity responded differently to environmental predictors between two regions with different human impact. In the industrial region, air pollution was the strongest factor. In the agricultural to highly forested regions, lichen diversity was strongly influenced by forest age and forest fragmentation. We found that several natural factors can in some cases obscure the effect of human influences. Thus, factors of natural gradient must be considered (both statistically and interpretively) when studying human impact on lichen diversity.
- MeSH
- biodiverzita MeSH
- dub (rod) MeSH
- ekosystém MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- lišejníky klasifikace izolace a purifikace fyziologie MeSH
- monitorování životního prostředí MeSH
- stromy MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Evropa MeSH
Nest architecture is a fundamental character shaping immune strategies of social insects. The arboreal ant Temnothorax unifasciatus nests in cavities such as oak galls where the entire colony lives in a unique small chamber. In these conditions, physiological and behavioural strategies likely prevail over compartmentalisation and are presumably tuned with colony size. We designed two experiments to study chemical and behavioural immune strategies against the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae in colonies of different sizes. First, we compared spore germination and length of germinal tubes inside artificial nests, designed to impede the contact between the ants and the fungus, in colonies of different size. In the absence of direct contact, Temnothorax unifasciatus colonies inhibit fungal growth inside their nests, presumably through volatile compounds. The analysis revealed a positive correlation between fungistatic activity and colony size, indicating that workers of smaller colonies do not invest a higher per capita effort in producing such substances compared to larger colonies. Second, we performed a removal experiment of contaminated and non-contaminated items introduced inside the nests of colonies of different size. Small colonies challenged with contaminated fibres showed an increased removal of all the items (both contaminated and non-contaminated) compared to small colonies challenged with non-contaminated fibres only. Conversely, larger colonies moved items regardless of the presence of the spores inside the nest. Colony size qualitatively affected removal of waste items showing a pathogen elicited reaction in small colonies to optimise the reduced workforce, while the removal behaviour in larger colonies revealed to be expressed constitutively.
Cork oak (Quercus suber L.) is a research priority in the Mediterranean area and because of cork oaks' distribution these stands are experiencing daily stress. Based on projections of intensifying climate change and considering the key role of exploring the recovery abilities, cork oak seedlings were subjected to a cumulative temperature increase from 25°C to 55°C and subsequent recovery. CO2 assimilation rate, chlorophyll fluorescence, anthocyanins, proline and lipid peroxidation were used to evaluate plant performance, while the relative abundance of seven genes encoding for proteins of cork oak with a putative role in thermal/stress regulation (POX1, POX2, HSP10.4, HSP17a.22, CHS, MTL and RBC) was analyzed by qPCR (quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction). A temperature change to 35°C showed abundance alterations in the tested genes; at 45°C, the molecular changes were associated with an antioxidant response, possibly modulated by anthocyanins. At 55°C, HSP17a.22, MTL and proline accumulation were evident. After recovery, physiological balance was restored, whereas POX1, HSP10.4 and MTL abundances were suggested to be involved in increased thermotolerance. The data presented here are expected to pinpoint some pathways changes occurring during such stress and further recovery in this particular Mediterranean species.
- MeSH
- anthokyaniny metabolismus MeSH
- antioxidancia metabolismus MeSH
- chlorofyl metabolismus MeSH
- dub (rod) genetika fyziologie MeSH
- fotosyntéza MeSH
- fyziologický stres * MeSH
- komplementární DNA genetika MeSH
- oxid uhličitý analýza metabolismus MeSH
- peroxidace lipidů MeSH
- prolin metabolismus MeSH
- regulace genové exprese u rostlin * MeSH
- RNA rostlin genetika MeSH
- rostlinné proteiny genetika MeSH
- vysoká teplota MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
Host size and distance from an infected plant have been previously found to affect mistletoe occurrence in woody vegetation but the effect of host plant competition on mistletoe infection has not been empirically tested. For an individual tree, increasing competition from neighbouring trees decreases its resource availability, and resource availability is also known to affect the establishment of mistletoes on host trees. Therefore, competition is likely to affect mistletoe infection but evidence for such a mechanism is lacking. Based on this, we hypothesised that the probability of occurrence as well as the abundance of mistletoes on a tree would increase not only with increasing host size and decreasing distance from an infected tree but also with decreasing competition by neighbouring trees. Our hypothesis was tested using generalized linear models (GLMs) with data on Loranthus europaeus Jacq., one of the two most common mistletoes in Europe, on 1015 potential host stems collected in a large fully mapped plot in the Czech Republic. Because many trees were multi-stemmed, we ran the analyses for both individual stems and whole trees. We found that the probability of mistletoe occurrence on individual stems was affected mostly by stem size, whereas competition had the most important effects on the probability of mistletoe occurrence on whole trees as well as on mistletoe abundance. Therefore, we confirmed our hypothesis that competition among trees has a negative effect on mistletoe occurrence.
- MeSH
- dub (rod) * MeSH
- ekosystém * MeSH
- lesy * MeSH
- Santalaceae, Loranthaceae * MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
Článek prezentuje výsledky farmakodynamické studie nového gelu obsahujícího extrakt z Aloe vera a extrakt z dubové kůry v podmínkách destruktivního zánětlivého onemocnění parodontu. Farmakodynamika nového gelu byla studována následujícími metodami: antimikrobiální účinek – difuzní metodou v agarovém gelu (srovnávaný produkt – Metrogyl denta® gel); reparativní účinek – na modelu lineárních řezných ran (srovnávaný produkt – měsíčková mast); protizánětlivá aktivita – na modelu akutního zánětu vyvolaného karagenanem (srovnávaný produkt – 5% gel sodné soli diklofenaku). V rámci studie bylo zjištěno, že antimikrobiální aktivita nového gelu proti Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633, Pseu-domonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Candida albicansNCTC 885-653, Escherichia faecalis ATCC 29212. Staphylococcus mutans ATCC 35668 byla mírně nižší ve srovnání s gelem Metrogyl denta®, který vykazuje silnou antimikrobiální aktivitu. Podle reparativního účinku na modelu lineárních řezných ran vykazoval nový gel vyšší účinek (o 24 %, p < 0.001) ve srovnání s přípravkem na bázi léčivého rostlinného materiálu měsíčkovou mastí. Za podmínek akutního zánětu vyvolaného karagenanem byla prokázána významná protizánětlivá aktivita nového gelu. Přípravek překonal gel sodné soli diklofanaku v prvních hodinách experimentu, což ukazuje na anti lipooxygenázovou aktivitu nového gelu. Zjištěná antimikrobiální, reparativní a protizánětlivá aktivita nového gelu obsahujícího extrakty z Aloe vera a dubové kůry potvrdila možnost jeho použití při léčbě destruktivních zánětlivých onemocnění parodontu.
The article presents the results of a pharmacodynamic study of a new gel containing an extract of Aloe vera and an extract of oak bark under the condition of destructive inflammatory periodontal diseases. Pharmacodynamics of the new gel was studied by the following methods: antimicrobial effect – by diffusion method in agar gel (compared product – Metrogyl denta® gel); reparative effect – on the model of linear cut wounds (compared product – Calendula ointment); anti-inflammatory activity – on the model of acute carrageenan-induced inflammation (compared product – Diclofenac natrium gel5%). It has been established that the antimicrobial activity of the new gel against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Bacillus subtilisATCC 6633, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Candida albicans NCTC 885-653, Escherichia faecalisATCC 29212, and Staphylococcus mutans ATCC 35668 is slightly lower in comparison with Metrogyl denta® gel exhibiting a powerful antimicrobial activity. According to the reparative effect on the model of linear cut wounds, the new gel exceeded the effectiveness (by 24%, p < 0.001) of the compared drug based on the medicinal plant material – Calendula ointment. A significant anti-inflammatory activity of the new gel has been revealed under the conditions of acute carrageenan inflammation. It exceeded the Diclofenac natrium gel in the first hours of the experiment, indicating an anti-lipoxygenase activity of the new gel. The established antimicrobial, reparative and anti-inflammatory activity of a new gel containing aloe vera and oak bark extracts confirmed its potential use in the treatment of destructive inflammatory periodontal diseases.
