Artykuły naukowe (WB)

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The appraisal of the scope for the application of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurement methods for the estimation of the biological age in various stages of human ontogeny
(Adam Mickiewicz University, Faculty of Biology, 1999) Czapla, Zbigniew; Fojud, Zbigniew
The main objective of the study is to find a new physical parameter meeting the criterion of the biological age estimation in various stages of human ontogeny, and thus to find a new research methodology for this field of research. For this purpose an NMR Bruker 200 MHz spectrometer was used. Two physical parameters: relaxation time (T1) and spectrum shape were determined. The research material was oral mucosa epithelium sampled in a group of young people of both sexes (31 subjects) and in a group of men (18 subjects). Relaxation time (T1) and spectrum shape were recorded for hydrogen nuclei (H1). The physical phenomena were analysed statistically (regression analysis) and their biological interpretation was attempted.
The phaseness of human biological development assesse with the use of selected physicochemical methods
(Adam Mickiewicz University Faculty of Biology, 2000) Czapla, Zbigniew
The principal idea of the work was to show a new, original method of description of the phenomena of human biological development with the use of nonstandard research methods so far unused in the ontogenetic studies in regard to the stable and involutional phases of ontogenesis. The main purpose of the work was to assess with selected methods individual reactions of a human organism in ontogenesis against the development of the population. Two research methods were selected. They were subsequently used to show individual reactions of a single human organism against the phenotypic variability characterising the population. The research methods employed are based on the physical and chemical properties of biological cells (the Electrophoretic Mobility of Cell Nuclei (EMN) method) as well as on the physical properties of selected physical parameters describing the properties of biological structures (the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy method). One of the objectives of the study was to corroborate the applicability of the EMN index method as an adequate criterion 1 A summary of the thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Sciences in Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznañ 1999. Professor conferring the degree: Joachim Cie lik. The title of the thesis: The phaseness of human biological development assessed with the use of selected physicochemical methods . 136 Z. Czapla of biological age estimation in each phase of ontogenesis. High sensitivity of the EMN index made it possible to check to what extent a reaction of an individual, resulting from the operation of selected factors increasing the risk of premature death (nicotinism, alcoholism), would permit to assess the deviation of this individual organism from the theoretical course of its ontogenesis determined with the EMN method. Another task under the study involved checking to what degree the ontogenetic development curve in selected subject groups (alcoholics, smokers and non-smokers) determined with the EMN method deviated from the control curve. The principal research tasks regarding the methods of the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy involved attempts to find a new physical parameter, which could serve as a measure of the advancement of certain biological processes accompanying human ontogenesis. In other words an attempt was made to find a physical parameter which could become a new criterion of human biological age estimation regardless of the phase of ontogenesis.
New approach to assessment of aging processes at the cellular level by NMR spectroscopy
(Ośrodek Wydawnictw Naukowych Polish Academy of Sciences, 2000) Czapla, Zbigniew; Fojud, Zbigniew; Cieślik, Joachim; Jurga, Stefan
The paper presents results of the proton relaxation time T1 measurements by 1H NMR for oral epithelium samples taken from 320 subjects, men and women, in different age, from 19 to 95 year old. The times of nuclear magnetic relaxation T1 were found to be correlated with the age of the subjects.
Prey size, prey nutrition, and food handling by shrews of different body sizes
(2002) Rychlik, Leszek; Jancewicz, Elżbieta
Some predictions relating metabolic constraints of foraging behavior and prey selection were tested by comparison of food handling and utilization in four sympatric shrew species: Sorex minutus (mean body mass=3.0 g), S. araneus (8.0 g), Neomys anomalus (10.0 g), and N. fodiens (14.4 g). Live fly larvae, mealworm larvae and aquatic arthropods were offered to shrews as small prey (body mass <0.1 g). Live earthworms, snails and small fish were large prey (>0.3 g). The larvae were the highly nutritious food (>8 kJ/g) and the other prey were the low nutritious food (<4 kJ/g). The smallest S. minutus utilized (ate+hoarded) <30% of offered food, and the other species utilized >48% of food. The larger the shrew, the more prey it ate per capita. However, highly energetic insect larvae composed 75% of food utilized by S. minutus and only >40% by the other species. Thus, inverse relationships appeared between shrew body mass and mass-specific food mass utilization and between shrew body mass and mass-specific food energy utilization: the largest N. fodiens utilized the least food mass and the least energy quantity per 1 g of its body. Also, the proportion of food hoarded by shrews decreased with an increase in size. With the exception of S. araneus, the size of prey hoarded by the shrews was significantly larger than the size of prey eaten. Tiny S. minutus hoarded and ate smaller prey items than the other shrews, and large N. fodiens hoarded larger prey than the other shrews.
Zróżnicowanie zgrupowań Uropodina (Acari: Mesostigmata) wybranych rezerwatów Wielkopolski
(Parki Narodowe i Rezerwaty Przyrody, 2003) Błoszyk, Jerzy; Napierała, Agnieszka; Markowicz-Rucińska, Monika
The studies have been carried out in three selected forest reserves: “Bytyńskie Brzęki”, “Brzęki przy Starej Gajówce” and “Huby Grzebieniskie” (western Wielkopolska). Material consists of the qualitative and quantitative soil samples collected during the period of study in each of reserves. Assessments of frequency, structure of dominance in Uropodina community on studied areas and similarity of their uropodid mites communities have been made. The highest number of Uropodina (15 species) has been noticed in “Huby Grzebieniskie” reserve with domination of Oodinychus ovalis. The community of uropodid mites in “Bytyńskie Brzęki” consisted of 13 species. One rare interesting species – Cilliba sp. 2 and merocenotic species like Apionoseius infirmus and Polyaspis sansonei were also found. “Brzęki przy Starej Gajówce” reserve appeared to be the poorest in uropodid fauna(only eight species was found).
Natural infections of small mammals with blood parasites on the borderland of boreal and temperate forest zones
(2005) Karbowiak, Grzegorz; Rychlik, Leszek; Nowakowski, Wojciech; Wita, Irena
Blood parasites of small mammals living in Białowieża Forest (eastern Poland) were investigated between 1996 and 2002. The following haemoparasite species were found: Trypanosoma (Herpetosoma) evotomys in bank vole Clethrionomys glareolus and root vole Microtus oeconomus; Babesia microti in root vole; Hepatozoon erhardovae in bank vole and Hepatozoon sp. in root vole. Some non-identified Bartonella species were found in bank vole, root vole, field vole Microtus agrestis, yellow-necked mouse Apodemus flavicollis, common shrew Sorex araneus, Eurasian water shrew Neomys fodiens, and Mediterranean water shrew N. anomalus. The prevalence and diversity of blood parasites were lower in shrews than small rodents. Totally, 52.0% of bank voles, 50.0% of root voles, 32.5% of common shrews, and 41.2% of Eurasian water shrews were infected with any of the blood parasites. Mixed infections were seldom observed in bank vole (17.3% of investigated individuals) and root vole (14.7%). No animals were infected with three or four parasites simultaneously. Infection of Białowieża small mammals with haemoparasites seemed to be similar to those described in other temperate forest regions rather than boreal ones. Infection rates of rodent species seem to be higher in their typical habitats: for bank vole it was the highest in mixed forest, whereas for root vole in sedge swamp. The results suggest that Microtidae play a greater role than Muridae or Soricidae in maintenance of Babesia and Hepatozoon foci in natural environments of central Europe.
Trypanosoma (Megatrypanum) ornata sp. n., a Parasite of the Eurasian Water Shrew Neomys fodiens (Pennant, 1771)
(2005) Karbowiak, Grzegorz; Wita, Irena; Rychlik, Leszek
Infection with the new trypanosome species Trypanosoma ornata sp. n. was detected in water shrews Neomys fodiens examined for presence of blood parasites in September 2003 and 2004 in Białowieża Forest (eastern Poland). The prevalence of infection was about 36.3%. The trypanosomes occurred as trypomastigote forms only, the epimastigote, dividing forms or other developmental stages were not observed. The morphological features of the species (big body size, small kinetoplast located close to the cell margin, the presence of vermiform posterior end, the surface of the cell markedly striated with longitudinal ‘myonemes”, short free flagellum) support its affiliation to Megatrypanum subgenus. The detail morphometric characterization is given.
Overlap of temporal niches among four sympatric species of shrews
(2005) Rychlik, Leszek
Hypotheses about the dependence of circadian activity from metabolic rate and the segregation of temporal niches among competing species were verified by the study of activity patterns in a shrew community of two semiaquatic species, Neomys anomalus Cabrera, 1907 and N. fodiens (Pennant, 1771), and two terrestrial species, Sorex araneus Linnaeus, 1758 and S. minutus Linnaeus, 1766, co-existing in wet habitats of Białowieża Forest (E Poland). In ten trapping sessions, performed in early summer between 1991 and 2000, traps were open 24 hours continuously and patrolled at 1:00, 5:00, 10:00, 15:00, and 20:00. All the shrew species were most active between 20:00 and 1:00, and least active around mid-day (10:00-15:00). However, activity of the two Sorex species was lower than that of the two Neomys species in the period 20:00-1:00, but higher in the period 15:00-20:00. Both Neomys species displayed clearly nocturnal, unimodal patterns of activity. In contrast, activity of both Sorex species was relatively evenly distributed over 24 hours and they increased their activity earlier (ie after 15:00) than both Neomys species (after 20:00). These results confirm the idea that small shrew species with higher metabolic rate have more frequent and more equally distributed activity bouts than large species. Overlap of temporal niches was the highest within genera (99.29% between both Neomys species and 98.36% between both Sorex species), the lowest between N. fodiens and S. araneus (88.26%) and S. minutus (89.34%), and intermediate between N. anomalus and both Sorex species (91.78 and 93.34%, respectively). Such high interspecific overlaps suggest a joint-action of other mechanisms that separate ecological niches of these species also in other dimensions (eg food, microhabitat).
Interspecific aggression and behavioural domination among four sympatric species of shrews
(2006) Rychlik, Leszek; Zwolak, Rafał
Level of interspecific aggressiveness should reflect intensity of interference competition, and large-dominant and small-subordinate species should evolve aggressive and passive agonistic behaviours, respectively, to achieve stable co-existence. We tested these ideas investigating interspecific behavioural dominance in a four-species community of shrews differing in body size (Sorex minutus Linnaeus, 1766; Sorex araneus Linnaeus, 1758; Neomys anomalus Cabrera, 1907; Neomys fodiens (Pennant, 1771)), by placing interspecific pairs in a neutral field. The order of dominance (determined on the basis of duration of offensive and defensive behaviours, total time spent in the shelter, and ‘final shelter resident’ index) corresponded to the order of body size: N. fodiens > N. anomalus > S. araneus > S. minutus. The highest number of conflicts and least pronounced dominance of N. anomalus over S. araneus suggest the strongest interference competition between these species. The different social organization of N. anomalus (tolerant and gregarious versus intolerant and solitary in the other three species) did not decrease its aggressiveness and dominance rank. The larger Neomys species were more aggressive and initiated relatively more offensive behaviours, whereas the smaller Sorex species initiated more defensive behaviours. The presence of food and shelter did not intensify conflicts. Nevertheless, dominating species restricted the access of subordinate species to the shelter.
The crania from modern cemeteries in Jaksice (Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province, Poland) and craniometric relationships among medieval and modern Central European populations
(2006) Piontek, Janusz; Iwanek, Beata; Czapla, Zbigniew
The paper presents the anthropometric characteristics of the crania from church cemeteries in Jaksice (Kujawy, Poland). The archaeological excavations in Jaksice were carried out in 1968 and 1969. The crania found were dated to the 15th and 17th centuries. For each cranium 10 anthropometric measurements were taken according to R. Martin’s (1928) technique. Their sex and age were estimated according to the methods recommended by European anthropologists. Data on craniological traits for 21 populations from Poland were collected from literature. Using principal components analysis differentiation of the Late Middle Ages and modern populations from Poland was analysed. The analysis was performed also with the use of the biological distance and the cluster analysis methods. High degree of resemblance of the studied crania to the crania of Central Poland (Kujawy, Wielkopolska) populations was revealed.
First results on the feeding ecology of the Transcaucasian water shrew Neomys teres (Soricomorpha: Soricidae) from Armenia
(2006) Churchfield, Sara; Rychlik, Leszek; Yavrouyan, Eduard; Turlejski, Kris
Microscopic examination of alimentary tracts of fourteen Neomys teres (Miller, 1908) from a mountainous region in northern Armenia produced the first data on the diet of this almost unknown species of conservation concern. Twenty-three different prey types were distinguished in summer-caught shrews, all invertebrates (14 terrestrial and 9 aquatic in origin). The dominant dietary items were Coleoptera and Diptera adults, Araneae, Opiliones and Lumbricidae plus freshwater crustaceans and Trichoptera larvae. Prey ranged from <3 to >16 mm in length but those eaten most frequently were 6-10 mm in length. Although it was captured beside streams and rivers, aquatic prey comprised only 27% of dietary composition. Despite its morphological similarity to N. fodiens, its foraging niche more closely resembles that of upland populations of N. anomalus and its reliance on aquatic habitats remains equivocal.
Food niche overlap of three sympatric raptors breeding in agricultural landscape in Western Pomerania region of Poland
(2006) Skierczyński, Michał
Diet of Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo), Eurasian Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) and Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) were investigated using a pellet analysis method in the Gryfice Plain in Western Pomerania region of Poland. Data on food composition were obtained from 26 nest localities. Using a pellet analysis, 470 individuals of insectivores, rodents, birds and insects were identified. Microtinae, especially The Common Vole (Microtus arvalis), were the most important prey of all studied raptor species in this region of Poland. Common Buzzard had the broadest food niche comparing to other studied predators. The niche overlap index was greater when compared Buzzard vs. Kestrel (0.87) and Kestrel vs. Long-eared Owl (0.85), than Buzzard vs. Long-eared Owl (0.74)
Diets and coexistence in Neomys and Sorex shrews in Białowieża Forest, eastern Poland
(2006) Churchfield, Sara; Rychlik, Leszek
Prey selection, food niche overlap and resource partitioning were investigated in semi-aquatic Neomys fodiens and N. anomalus and terrestrial Sorex araneus and S. minutus coexisting in marshland in Białowieża Forest, eastern Poland. Evidence of prey selectivity was found but high levels of overlap, particularly in prey size, reflected the abundance of invertebrates in field samples. Despite similarities in diets between all four species, evidence of niche differentiation was found in terms of foraging mode and prey composition. Neomys took predominantly terrestrial prey but 20% of prey of N. fodiens was aquatic (compared with 11% in N. anomalus) with Asellus being the dominant aquatic prey. Sorex shrews were exclusively terrestrial in foraging mode. All species ate predominantly small prey (<5 mm) and these were most abundant in field samples, but small prey were most important for S. minutus. Pair-wise comparisons suggested that the most important promoter of resource partitioning was body size, indicating different foraging modes. Food niche overlap was least between species most dissimilar in size. The tiny S. minutus was predominately an epigeal forager on small Araneae, Opiliones and Coleoptera; the medium-sized S. araneus fed extensively on Lumbricidae and Coleoptera; and the large, semi-aquatic Neomys fed on different amounts of freshwater prey in addition to terrestrial prey. Our results support the prediction that microhabitat selection among these species indicates differentiation in foraging mode.
Enteromorpha (Chlorophyta) populations in the Nielba River and Lake Laskownickie
(University of Gdańsk, 2006-08-17) Messyasz, Beata
Enteromorpha intestinalis (4 forms) and E. compressa (2 forms) were identified in Lake Laskownickie, while only E. intestinalis (2 forms) was identified in the Nielba River. The massive appearance of both species of Enteromorpha in the lake was occurred mostly during early summer (June) with the position of the population in the water column ranged from benthic to floating. In the Nielba River E. intestinalis developed in May or June with maximum coverage in July or in the beginning of August. In both cases Enteromorpha preferred sunny places and well oxygenated waters. Additionally, it was found that in both habitats thallus was significantly higher at the end of the summer than at the beginning.
Kompleks TOB/SAM: kluczowa rola w biogenezie mitochondriów
(2007) Kmita, Hanna; Wojtkowska, Małgorzata
Białka tworzące strukturę beczułki b występują w błonie zewnętrznej bakterii Gramujemnych oraz w błonie zewnętrznej organelli pochodzenia endosymbiotycznego, tj. mitochondriów i chloroplastów, gdzie mogą pełnić różne funkcje. Mitochondrialne białka o strukturze beczułki b biorą udział w imporcie białka, transporcie metabolitów oraz w regulacji morfologii i dystrybucji mitochondriów. Białka te uznaje siê takze za istotny element ewolucji mitochondriów. Mechanizm wbudowywania białek tworzących strukturę beczułki b w błone zewnętrzną mitochondriów i bakterii Gram-ujemnych został niedawno opisany. Co więcej, wykazano, iż uległ on utrwaleniu w toku ewolucji. W przypadku mitochondriów w procesie tym uczestniczy kompleks TOB/SAM (topogeneza białek zewnętrznej błony mitochondrialnej tworzących strukturę beczułki b/maszyneria sortowania i składania białek), tworzony przez trzy podstawowe białka: Tob55 (Sam50), Tob38 (Sam35) and Mas 37 (Sam37). Wyniki analizy filogenetycznej wskazują, iż białko Tob55 pochodzi od bakteryjnego białka Omp85, podczas gdy inne mitochondrialne białka o strukturze beczułki b nie mają homologów wśród białek bakteryjnych.
Macroalga Ulva intestinalis (L.) Occurrence in freshwater ecosystems of Poland: a new locality in Wielkopolska
(Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Przyrdniczego w Lublinie, 2008) Messyasz, Beata; Rybak, Andrzej
A new locality of Ulva intestinalis was found near Krąplewo in the River Samica Stęszewska located in the Wielkopolski National Park region (Wielkopolska). On the basis of Carlson's index ranges, waters of the Samica Stęszewska river were qualified as eutrophic. In the river single thalluses of U. intestinalis which appeared by its banks were observed. The presence of this Ulva species thalluses in the Samica Stęszewska river confirmed the results of trophy examinations of this river. U. intestinalis is a species attached to eutrophic waters – both salty, slightly salty and inland. This next found site of this Ulva species is the 35th site on the inland area of Poland and the third in the Wielkopolska region. Altogether 59 localities of Ulva genera representatives, including U. intestinalis and 4 other species (U. compressa, U. flexuosa, U. paradoxa, U. prolifera) and one subspecies (U. flexuosa subsp. pilifera), were noted in limnic waters of Poland. The new locality of U. intestinalis in freshwaters of Wielkopolska contributes new and essential information about the distribution of this originally marine species on the inland area of Poland. The authors indicated the lack of studies in the scope of the mass thalluses influence from the Ulva genera on inland ecosystems and on water organisms inhabiting them.
Assessment of Physical Growth in Children with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH)
(2008) Czapla, Zbigniew; Niedziela, Marek; Cieślik, Joachim
The study is an attempt to assess the degree and direction of deviations in two physical development traits: body weight and height in children with congential adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), as compared to the norm. The pattern of growth of the studied traits in children with CAH is significantly different than an average pattern for normal children. A new research approach used to investigate the problem of developmental disorders in children with CAH revealed that both body height and weight - regardless of the sex - in successive stages (prepubertal, pubertal and postpubertal) of ontogenetic development tend to have progressively lower mean values as compared to the norm, and that differences between these values in the analyzed stages are statistically significant (p<0.01).
Sex and age composition during autumn migration of Pygmy Owl Glaucidium passerinum in Central Sweden in 2005
(Sveriges Omitologiska Foerening/Swedish Ornithological Society, 2008) Polakowski, Michał; Broniszewska, Monika; Skierczyński, Michał
During an invasion in 2005, 164 Pygmy Owls were trapped and ringed at Hammarö Bird Observatory on the north coast of lake Vänern between 28 August and 31 October using play-back of territorial male calls. The most intensive migration was recorded in the third decade of September. Eighty percent of the owls were females. There was no difference in the timing of migration of males and females. More than eighty percent were yearlings, and they were migrating earlier than adults. Most Pygmy Owls were trapped at dawn, but some also in the evening, at night and during the day. Two recoveries were received, an immature bird controlled 123 km to the west in the same autumn and another immature individual from Nordre Osen, Hedmark, Norway in March 2008 (247 km to NNW). Twelve re-traps were made at the ringing site, each bird only once and on average one week after ringing with the longest staying bird controlled 22 days after ringing. The paper also shows photographs demonstrating the different wing patterns of yearling and adults.
The spatial structure of zooplankton communities and trophic state of mid-city Strzeszyńskie Lake
(Teka Komisji Ochrony i Kształtowania Środowiska Przyrodniczego, 2008) Kuczyńska-Kippen, Natalia; Świdnicki, Kasper
Studies on Strzeszyńskie Lake were conducted in May and June 2007. The main aim of this study was to compare the composition and dynamics of the zooplankton communities between two different zones: the open water area and the littoral zone (including Chara tomentosa and Typha angustifolia stands). The stand located within Chara tomentosa possessed the highest number of identified species and most abundant zooplankton communities, while the station loc- ated within the pelagic zone was characterised by the poorest taxonomic structure and the lowest mean zooplankton densities for both rotifers and crustaceans. Zooplanktonic organisms moved in a horizontal direction in order to avoid predators. In the littoral zone, markedly high densities of pelagic species were also recorded. Furthermore, in the zone of stoneworts six Chara-associated species were found. The open water zone of Strzeszyńskie Lake was dominated by limnetic spe- cies, while within macrophyte-dominated stands a more diverse dominating structure occurred, representing both limnetic and littoral species. Among dominating species the presence of species indicating low trophic conditions was recorded. The low state of the trophic conditions of the wa- ter of Lake Strzeszyńskie was also confirmed by the participation of mesotrophic species in the total zooplankton abundance which reached between 14 and 72%.
Physical-chemical parameters and zooplankton community structure of the Odra oxbow in the spring season
(Department of Water Protection, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, 2008) Ławniczak, Jacek; Świdnicki, Kasper; Wiśniewska, Małgorzata; Bodzioch, Adam; Kuczyńska-Kippen, Natalia
The examination of the distribution of rotifers and crustaceans between particular stations located within vegetated (zones of helophytes and nymphaeids) and unvegetated (open water area) zones of an oxbow lake situated within the River Odra valley was carried out during the period of high water level in April of 2007. The obtained results revealed a considerable species diversity along with low densities of particular zooplankton species, which are characteristic features for slightly humic waters. The most diverse species composition of rotifers was found in the littoral zone of the studied water body. This was probably due to the heterogeneity of the macrophyte-dominated area. Additionally, the presence of fish in the investigated oxbow lake may have been responsible for finding the greatest abundance of Crustacea in the zones dominated by aquatic vegetation.

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