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Speciation of the genus Lethrus (Coleoptera: Geotrupidae) of the eastern mediterranean
Drožová, Dana ; Janšta, Petr (advisor) ; Bezděk, Aleš (referee)
Earth-boring dung beetles of the genus Lethrus Scopoli, 1777 belong to the family Geotrupidae, classified into three subfamilies (Geotrupinae, Lethrinae a Taurocerastinae). The description of about 120 species, divided into nine subgenera, is based on morphology and geographic distribution. Shape of mandibles, ventral mandible processes, pronotum and structure of external male genitalia are used as diagnostic morphological characters for taxa. The richest species diversity is known from Central Asia. The distribution area reaches, in the east, up to Mongolia and China, and in the west, up to Southeast Europe. All species are robust, relatively large flightless beetles with low dispersial ability. They feed on parts of fresh plants instead of feces like other dung beetles. Master thesis is focused on the species distributed in the Eastern Mediterranean and Central Europe. This area is inhabited only by nominotypical subgenus Lethrus. The main goal of thesis is to clear up phylogenetic relationships between species of subgenus and speciation events using molecular genetic methods. We have examined 91 samples of the genus Lethrus using two mitochondrial genes - cytochrome b (382 bp, 80 sequences), cytochrome oxidase I (815 bp, 87 sequences) and nuclear gene 28S rDNA (D2-D5) (1100 bp, 11 sequences)....
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Behavioral ecology of reproduction of a bat, Myotis myotis.
Porteš, Michal ; Horáček, Ivan (advisor) ; Benda, Petr (referee)
Order Chiroptera is characterized by great variability in foraging, roost and social strategies. Polygamy is the most common mating system in this order and resource-defence polygyny is a typical strategy used by most of bats. The source which male defends is represented by roost and territory or by females in case of harems. Another strategy is represented by multi-male and multi-female autumn meeting at so-called swarming sites. With relatively non-specialized forms, the genus Myotis is widespread all over the world except arctic regions and is found in great number of biotops including tropical mountain forests and subarid regions. M. myotis and M. blythii/oxygnathus are two cryptic species which can be distinguished in morphological, biogeographical and ecological parameters. In central Europe, M. myotis uses synantropic roosts and recently started to use a highway bridges, mainly in autumn. Seasonal organization of population represents typical temperate cycle. The organization of maternity colonies reacts on different thermal conditions by changing aggregation in order to stay in thermal optimum. There is an intensive communication between females and juveniles in maternity colonies as well as between males and females in mating sites. Although that M.myotis is intensively studied in Europe,...
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Relative pollen productivity estimates of main tree taxa of Central Europe - assumptions for data collection.
Šourková, Pavlína ; Abraham, Vojtěch (advisor) ; Kuneš, Petr (referee)
Quantitative reconstruction of vegetation from fossil pollen data makes is possible to learn about historical development of the flora of a particular area and, thus, to a certain degree about the climate changes as well. Parameters (the so-called pollen productivities) needed in order to convert the pollen data into the vegetation data can be acquired by calibration from modern samples. The constancy of these parameters in time is assumed on the basis of the principle of uniformitarianism. Due to climatic conditions, however, pollen productivities are not constant in space and must be estimated for each region separately. The pollen and vegetation percentage data can be used to carry out relative pollen productivity estimates (PPE). The relative pollen productivities are related to a reference taxon, which has a value of 1 and vegetation abundance expressed by content units. Relative pollen productivities are estimated by means of the so-called ERV models. Before entering the ERV models, the vegetation data must be weighed by the distance in order to take into account the fact that the more remote plants contribute to the sample with a smaller quantity of pollen than the nearer ones. It is the Prentice-Sugita model of pollen dispersion ant disposition that is currently the most appropriate...
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Epiphytic species of Lecanora subfusca group in the Czech Republic
Malíček, Jiří ; Vondrák, Jan (referee) ; Palice, Zdeněk (advisor)
The main aim of this bachelor work is to summarize knowledges on species of the Lecanora subfusca group growing in the Czech Republic, eventually taxa their occurence may be expected in our area. Only epiphytic and/or epixylic species are included in this study because of a large diversity of the group. Ten taxa have been published from the country. This group is poorly explored in Central Europe because of difficult determination of single species. A comprehensive treatment is lacking in this area. For most taxa of this group only limited information on ecology, distribution, chemistry and taxonomic concepts exists. The present work is reviewing up-to-date knowledge of this group. Historical sources were based mainly on morphological and anatomical data. These were evaluated and excerpted. The bachelor work should serve as a basement for the following diploma thesis.
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Mutational analysis of manumycin antibiotics biosynthetic routes
Kolek, Jan ; Petříček, Miroslav (advisor) ; Zikánová, Blanka (referee)
Mutational analysis of manumycin antibiotics biosynthetic routes The manumycin antibiotics are secondary metabolites, which come from a big group of polyketide metabolites. They are produced by bacteria from genus Streptomyces. Manumycin antibiotics are characterized by two linear polyketide chains, which are connected to a central mC7N moiety. The lower chain is often terminated by the C5N moiety. Manumycin metabolites show many biological activities. They have antimicrobial activity, especially against gram-positive bacteria. Next, they posses antifungal, insecticidal or antiinflamatory activities. Manumycins are also potentional anticancer agents. In order to prepare these compounds by the fermentation, the detailed knowledge of their biosynthetic routes is required. Mutational analysis is based on techniques of genetic engineering. Mutational analysis is a useful pool for analysis of biosynthetic pathways of secondary metabolites and the genes, which are involved in these pathways. This knowledge is essential for application of combinatorial biosynthesis for the design of new metabolites. The new hybrid compound could be used in future as new antibiotics or anticancer drugs. Keywords: manumycin, polyketide, streptomyces, asukamycin
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Phylogeny and biogeography of Neotropical and African riverine cichlids: multilocus phylogenetic methods in the evolutionary studies
Musilová, Zuzana ; Novák, Jindřich (advisor) ; Bryja, Josef (referee) ; Reichard, Martin (referee)
Summary: The thesis comprises from the introduction and five main parts: three of them are published papers, the rest two are manuscripts prepared for submitting to the scientific journals. The first two are published phylogenetic studies of the cichlasomatine cichlids based on (1) molecular characters, and (2) both morphological and molecular data with the description of a new genus Andinoacara. The third (3) is the already published description of the new species Andinoacara stalsbergi from Peru combining both morphological and phylogenetic approaches and including the detailed phylogeny of the genus Andinoacara. The next unpublished manuscript (4) is the more detailed comprehensive phylogeography of the two non-relative genera (including Andinoacaras) of the trans-Andean cichlids. Including all valid species from the majority of their distribution areas it was reconstructed the ancestral area of both genera in the Choco region, Colombia, and revealed the directions of their distribution spreading. The last (5) unpublished manuscript is the phylogeographical study of the cichlid genus Serranochromis from the headwaters of the totally unknown Central Angola. It showed several evidences of the faunal exchange among the adjacent river systems. Lastly, the thesis is supplemented by several appendices...
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Population structure of flower chafer Oxythyrea funesta (Poda, 1761) and phylogeny of the genus Oxythyrea Mulsant, 1842
Vondráček, Dominik ; Šípek, Petr (advisor) ; Bezděk, Aleš (referee)
Eleven species are distinguished in the genus Oxythyrea Mulsant, 1842 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) nowadays. They are not divided into subspecies. Diversity of the genus is concentrated in the Mediterranean and Oxythyrea funesta (Poda, 1761) inhabit a wide area in the western Palearctic Region. It was observed in last decades, that O. funesta retreated from central Europe to south and then recolonized it back including new areas in northern regions. Master thesis is focused on resolving population structure of O. funesta and partial phylogeny of the genus Oxythyrea using molecular genetic methods. 145 individuals of O. funesta and 15 individuals of five other species of the genus Oxythyrea appear in analysis. We acquired sequences of mitochondrial genes cytochrome oxidase I (807 bp), cytochrome b (381 bp) and nuclear gene internal transcribed spacer 1 (946 bp) from these specimens. The results of phylogenetic analysis confirmed so far the only one existing interpretation of relationships within the genus Oxythyrea based on morphological data. We also confirmed complicated relationships between O. funesta and O. pantherina, which also appear in the historical development of their taxonomy. We detected different genetic lineage in Sicily, southern Italy and Tunisia using phylogenetic trees and haplotype...
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Analysis of the Role of Social Activities in Local Development of Central Bohemia Region
Kuncová, Tereza ; Pělucha, Martin (advisor) ; Kadeřábková, Jaroslava (referee)
The thesis deals with a separate analysis of the local development and the state of social activities. Closer examination focuses on the method of financing and support of local development and civil society initiatives in the Central Bohemian Region. In the Czech Republic are these initiatives defined best by the competition "Village of the Year" since 1995. The aim of this work is to assess the impact of civic initiatives in the local development and quality of life in selected communities. The results of the competition in the field of communities' social life are represented by both the current state and the information from directed interviews and surveys. These interviews were conducted with the representatives of the communities awarded for a community life. Contribution of the thesis will be to provide partial conclusions and recommendations concerning the potential development of rural communities with regard to the existence of civil initiatives, primarily in the Central Bohemian Region. Some general or cross-sectional findings can be applied to other regions in the Czech Republic.
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The Family Chotek and Sophie Chotek
Tyrnerová, Lucie ; Županič, Jan (advisor) ; Valkoun, Jaroslav (referee)
The diploma thesis "The Chotek Family and Sophie Chotek" deals with the development of a traditional Czech noble family from the first historical record to the last members of the family who died in 70's of 20th century. Central person of the thesis is Sophie Chotek, the best known woman of the family, who lived from 1868 to 1914. We can read about her life of a single young noblewoman during her service in Bratislava, where she was as a maid-of-honour and where she met her future husband archduke Francis Ferdinand d'Este. They got married on 1st July 1900. The last part of the thesis speaks about fourteen years of marriage. The greater part of this happy time they spent in the Konopiště Castle in Central Bohemia. Sophie and Francis Ferdinand also had three children Sophie, Maxmilian and Ernst of Hohenberg, whose life stories are included, too.
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