Zhurnal obshchei biologii最新文献

Phylogenetic analysis of communities is based on the comparison of distances on the phylogenetic tree between species of a community under study and those distances in random samples taken out of local flora. It makes it possible to determine to what extent a community composition is formed by more closely related species (i.e., "clustered") or, on the opposite, it is more even and includes species that are less related with each other. The first case is usually interpreted as a result of strong influence caused by abiotic factors, due to which species with similar ecology, a priori more closely related, would remain: In the second case, biotic factors, such as competition, may come to the fore and lead to forming a community out of distant clades due to divergence of their ecological niches: The aim of this' study Was Ad explore the phylogenetic structure in communities of the northwestern Caucasus at two spatial scales - the scale of area from 4 to 100 m2 and the smaller scale within a community. The list of local flora of the alpine belt has been composed using the database of geobotanic descriptions carried out in Teberda Biosphere Reserve at true altitudes exceeding.1800 m. It includes 585 species of flowering plants belonging to 57 families. Basal groups of flowering plants are.not represented in the list. At the scale of communities of three classes, namely Thlaspietea rotundifolii - commumties formed on screes and pebbles, Calluno-Ulicetea - alpine meadow, and Mulgedio-Aconitetea subalpine meadows, have not demonstrated significant distinction of phylogenetic structure. At intra level, for alpine meadows the larger share of closely related species. (clustered community) is detected. Significantly clustered happen to be those communities developing on rocks (class Asplenietea trichomanis) and alpine (class Juncetea trifidi). At the same time, alpine lichen proved to have even phylogenetic structure at the small scale. Alpine (class Salicetea herbaceae) that develop under conditions of winter snow accumulation were more,even at the both.scale, i.e., contained more diverse and distantly related plant species compared with random samples. (Scheuchzerio-Caricetea fuscae) aquatic communities in cold (Montio-Cardaminetea), sedge meadows (Carici rupestris-Kobresietea bellardii), and communities, in which shrubs and predominated (juniper and rhododendron elfin woods, class Loiseleurio-Vaccinietea), have been studied only at the larger scale and showed significant evenness of species composition, i.e., were phylogenetically more diverse compared with random samples.

There is a plethora of works on the origin and genesis of behavioral traditions in different animal species. Nevertheless, it still remains unclear as for which factors facilitate and which factors hinder the spreading those forms of behavior that are new for a population. Here, we present an analytical review on the topic, considering also the results of studies on 'culture' in animals and analyzing contradictions that arise when attempting to clarify the ethological mechanisms of cultural succession. The hypothesis of 'distributed social learning' is formulated, meaning that for spreading of complex behavioral stereotypes in a population the presence of few carriers of consistent stereotypes is enough under the condition that the rest of animals carry incomplete genetic programmes that start up these stereotypes. Existence of 'dormant' fragments of such programmes determines an inborn predisposition of their bearer to perform a certain sequence of acts. To complete the consistent stereotype, the simplest forms of social learning ('social alleviation') turn to be enough. The hypothesis is examined at the behavioral level and supported by experimental data obtained when studying the scenarios of hunting behavior development in ants Myrmica rubra L. It makes possible to explain the spreading of behavioral models in animal communities in a simpler way than cultural succession.

Modern orders of Neornithine birds are separated by distinct morphological gaps, hampering the development of particular models. of macroevolutionary transformations. However, recent decades have witnessed the discovery and extensive study of many fossil groups of birds, which shed light on the origin of modern higher taxa. These fossils further allow analyzing the whole process of the macroevolutionary change in this group of vertebrates during the Cenozoic. Here, a brief review is presented of the "transitional" taxa with special attention to representative of the clade Galloanseres. Almost all transitional groups of fossil birds do display mosaic morphology. It is noted that many stable morphologies (characters and character complexes) persist in different groups, occurring either as primitive states, or as advanced ones. The stable recurrence of these characters is caused by the persistence of stable ontogenetic pathways. On the other hand, independent evolution of various morphologies can be explained by the modular organization of the development. The modularity in the structure of the foot is used here as an example to show a possible way of the origin of the foot in extant perching birds (Passeriformes). The mosaic morphology of the transitional taxa is seen as the only possible way to overcome the evolutionary constraint of the parallel optimization of numerous organismal systems. It is noted that in course of macroevolutionary change, no complete filling of morphological gaps occur. Transitional forms are separated by additional gaps from their ancestors and descendants. Hence, stem groups are seen as the most probable ancestors of crown taxa. It is further noted that the evolutionary formation of some higher taxa of the living birds was initiated by the evolution of advanced morphology of the feeding apparatus and skull, while change in their. postcranial morphology was delayed.

An ecological scenario is proposed for the origin of causative agent of the plague (the bacterium Yersenia pestis) from the clone of pseudotuberculous microbe of the first serotype Y. pseudotuberculosis O:1b. Disclosed are the conditions of gradual intrusion of psychrophile saprozoonosis ancestor into the blood of the primary host, Mongolian tarbagan marmot Marmota sibirica. As an inductor of speciation acted the Sartan cooling that occurred in the end of late Pleistocene under conditions of arid ultra-continental climate in Central Asia. Soil freezing down to the level of hibernating chambers in marmot burrows initiated the transition of marmot flea, Oropsylla silantiewi, larvae to optional hemophagy on the mucous coat inside the mouth cavity of sleeping marmots. In its turn, this promoted the conditions of mass traumatic intrusion of Y pseudotuberculosis into marmots bloodstream from faecal particles getting in their mouth cavity in course of building up a plug in a burrow for hibernating. In marmot populations, the selection of bacteria underwent under conditions of heterothermy with repeated changes of hibernating marmots body temperature within the range of 5-37 degrees C (torpor-euthermy). During the warm season, when pseudotuberculous microbes are totally eliminated from the bloodstream of healthy marmots with body temperature about 37 degrees C, bacteria could survive in fleas' digestive tract in the form of biofilm developing in proventriculus as a so called blockage. Final isolation between ancestral and daughter species was helped by the development of intrapopulation antagonism related with the beginning of full-scale synthesis of bacteriocin pesticin. Population-genetic processes in the "marmot-flea" system have led to a macroevolutionary event, that is, to passage of bacteria in a new ecological niche and adaptive zone that are principally different from those of the ancestor. All the present intraspecies forms of Y. pestis that appeared due to microevolution, have originated with the subspecies Y. pestis tarbagani that has formed in Central Asia during the Sartan cooling.

Extrapolation of results of investigations of a model object is justified only within the limits of a set of objects that have essential properties in common with the modal object. Which properties are essential depends on the aim of a study. Similarity of objects emerged in the process of their independent evolution does not prove similarity of ways and mechanisms of their evolution. If the objects differ in their essential properties then extrapolation of results of investigation of an object on another one is risky because it may lead to wrong decisions and, moreover, to the loss of interest to alternative hypotheses. Positions formulated above are considered with the reference to species flocks of fishes, large African Barbus in particular.

Although diverse complexes of chromosome races are of rather rare occurrence in mammals, that does not reduce its importance to insignificant phenomenon not worthy of studying as some unique case without direct analogy. Moreover, these complexes present virtually ideal models for estimation of the impact of hybridization on the process of microevolution. The chromosome races are characterized by almost zero level of genetic differentiation and well-defined distinctions, usually induced by chromosome rearrangements only. The presented review shows the valuable contribution of the studies on Sorex araneus and Mus domesticus chromosome Robertsonian systems into our understanding of varied impacts of hybridization on the speciation process. Particularly, it promotes better understanding of such evolutionary phenomena as "reinforcement" of reproductive isolation in secondary contact zones between divergent populations, speciation without geographic separation ("divergence with gene flow"), and "zonal raciation".

The problem of species and speciation is considered using as a model the cryptic species of rodents inhabiting the Caucasus, the mountain chain with prominent altitude environmental gradient and insular pattern of mountain habitats. These circumstances open additional possibilities for the choice of species conception (biological or phylogenetic), exploration of ancestry pathways (sympatric or allopatric speciation) of model cryptic species groups, and testing the 'refuge' hypothesis. As model species, sibling-species Sicista from the group 'caucasica' (a group of unstriped birch mice) and representatives of the vole subspecies Terricola (Microtus, Arvicolinae) were used. Based on the new data on karyology, nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial gene cytb, multivariate statistical analysis of odontologic traits, and biogeography of sibling-species Sicista from the group 'caucasica' and voles from subspecies Terricola (Microtus, Arvicolinae), their evolutionary history is reconstructed and applicable species concepts are examined. For the present sibling-species Sicista from the group 'caucasica' the allopatric dispersion is typical, which agrees with the hypothesis of speciation in refuges. The sympatry of Terricola sibling-species in the Caucasus is considered as being secondary, and their phenotypic likeness--as an adaptation to similar environmental conditions. Affirmed coexistence of sibling-species Microtus (Terricola) majori and Microtus (Terricola) daghestanicus in the Caucasus (without their hybridization) supports the biological conception of species. The existence of Sicista allospecies from the group of Caucasian unstriped birch mice is best conformed to the phylogenetic conception. However, the high level of chromosomal differences between sibling-species and, in particular, between extreme variants of common evolutionary line (Sicista kazbegica, Sicista kluchorica) does not contradict the biological conception of species.

The effect of feeding and defensive motivations evoked by natural olfactory signals (the food odor, the alarm pheromone) on choice and consumption of food items different in color and taste, and the manifestation of foraging behavior were examined in fish (koi Cyprinus carpio, roach Rutilus rutilus). The agar-agar pellets of red and green color having one of the amino acids (glycine, L-proline, L-alanine; all in concentration of 0.1 M) were simultaneously offered to single fishes in pure water, and in water extract of Chironomidae larvae or in water extract of fish skin. It was found out that odors used have different effects on fish foraging activity and on pellet selection for both pellet choice and consumption. On background of food odor, fish grasped pellets more often than in pure water. The equal choice of red and green pellets in pure water shifted to the preference of red ones in the presence of food odor. Despite the increase in the absolute number of pellets grasped, the relative consumption reduced and was replaced by selective consumption of pellets with glycine regardless of their color. Increasing demand for the food quality, due to the increased feeding motivation in response to food odor, is an important adaptation enhancing selection and consumption of food with more appropriate sensory qualities for fish. Defensive motivation caused by alarm pheromone suppressed predisposition. of fish to feed. Fish grasped pellets several times less often than in pure water and refused most of them. Any changes in the color or taste preferences were absent. Feeding behavior of fish of both species was characterized by repeated intraoral pellet testing, but in koi handling was less typical than in roach. In both species, handling activity was higher in those cases when the pellet was finally rejected. This activity was enhanced also on the background of food odor.

The analysis is conducted on population dynamics of gypsy moth from different habitats of the South Urals. The pattern of cyclic changes in population density is examined, the assessment of temporal conjugation in time series of gypsy moth population dynamics from separate habitats of the South Urals is carried out, the relationships between population density and weather conditions are studied. Based on the results obtained, a statistical model of gypsy moth population dynamics in the South Urals is designed, and estimations are given of regulatory and modifying factors effects on the population dynamics.