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Body surfaces of reptiles as projection screens of evolution
Abramjan, Andran ; Frynta, Daniel (advisor) ; Rehák, Ivan (referee) ; Šulc, Michal (referee)
The PhD thesis deals mainly with the coloration (and also scalation) of selected reptile species and explores evolutionary or ecological contexts indicated by these traits. The main topics can be roughly divided into two groups: 'antipredation signals' and 'effects of parthenogenesis'. The dominant method used in most studies is visual modelling. The work consists of the following case studies. 1) Blue-tongue skinks use their conspicuous blue tongues to threaten potential predators. We found that the tongue has a relatively high UV reflectance, a typical feature of intraspecific communication in lizards. Using visual models, we investigated how the blue tongue is perceived by the conspecifics and predators (birds of prey). In both visual models, the UV-blue tongue appears more conspicuous against the natural background than a pink tongue. In addition, in the conspecifics model, its hue partially overlaps with hues of UV-blue spots, which are sexually selected traits in various species of lizards. Thus, the UV-blue tongue seems to contribute to the effectiveness of the deimatic display and its possible role in intraspecific communication cannot be ruled out either. 2) We detected UV reflectance in non-pigmented areas of the skin in the Leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius). These form white patches...
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Mechanisms of asexual reproduction in reptiles
Augstenová, Barbora ; Kratochvíl, Lukáš (advisor) ; Abramjan, Andran (referee)
In the case of reptiles, there has been described an occurrence of an asexual reproduction, especially in the case of a group Squamata; the asexual reproduction of birds (Aves) has been observed, too. Multiple times the asexuality of reptiles has been originated. Occurrences of obligate and facultative asexual species have been described. Most obligate asexual species have theirs origin in one or more hybridization events between closely related species. However, within the family Xantusiidae two exceptions where asexuality apparently originated without hybridization were discovered. Facultative parthenogenesis was originally expected only among reptiles kept in captivity, where the females were separated from males for a long time. However, this assumption was later disproved. The majority of the specimens formed by facultative parthenogenesis has reduced viability, which can be caused by the imperfect mechanism of the formation of parthenogenetic offspring. The terminal fusion is considered to be the probable mechanism of creation of diploid oocytes in the case of facultative parthenogenesis reptiles. The cytological mechanism of the parthenogenetic offspring's genesis was described for the obligate parthenogenetic species just for genus Aspidoscelis. During oogenesis in this case is ploidy...
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Body surfaces of reptiles as projection screens of evolution
Abramjan, Andran ; Frynta, Daniel (advisor) ; Rehák, Ivan (referee) ; Šulc, Michal (referee)
The PhD thesis deals mainly with the coloration (and also scalation) of selected reptile species and explores evolutionary or ecological contexts indicated by these traits. The main topics can be roughly divided into two groups: 'antipredation signals' and 'effects of parthenogenesis'. The dominant method used in most studies is visual modelling. The work consists of the following case studies. 1) Blue-tongue skinks use their conspicuous blue tongues to threaten potential predators. We found that the tongue has a relatively high UV reflectance, a typical feature of intraspecific communication in lizards. Using visual models, we investigated how the blue tongue is perceived by the conspecifics and predators (birds of prey). In both visual models, the UV-blue tongue appears more conspicuous against the natural background than a pink tongue. In addition, in the conspecifics model, its hue partially overlaps with hues of UV-blue spots, which are sexually selected traits in various species of lizards. Thus, the UV-blue tongue seems to contribute to the effectiveness of the deimatic display and its possible role in intraspecific communication cannot be ruled out either. 2) We detected UV reflectance in non-pigmented areas of the skin in the Leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius). These form white patches...
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Right now is now!
Abramjan, Andran ; GOGOLA, Jan (advisor) ; VACHEK, Karel (referee)
The thesis deals with the use of absurdity in documentary cinema and its role in our understanding of the world. It defines the absurdity as an illusion of nonsense (or sense) which arises from removing various phenomena from their usual contexts and putting them together while forming a new, unusual context. These new contexts may not be entirely random and often have a specific function in a number of artistic works. By dissolving the illusion of the non/sense we can acquire a deeper insight into certain matters. But even if the illusion remains, the absurdity itself stimulates our imagination by questioning our patterns of perceiving the world. The author discusses various cases of absurdity that arise from ideologies, inventions, encounters of remote paradigms or contradictory information in the human mind and their use in documentary films, including his own works.
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Mechanisms of asexual reproduction in reptiles
Augstenová, Barbora ; Kratochvíl, Lukáš (advisor) ; Abramjan, Andran (referee)
In the case of reptiles, there has been described an occurrence of an asexual reproduction, especially in the case of a group Squamata; the asexual reproduction of birds (Aves) has been observed, too. Multiple times the asexuality of reptiles has been originated. Occurrences of obligate and facultative asexual species have been described. Most obligate asexual species have theirs origin in one or more hybridization events between closely related species. However, within the family Xantusiidae two exceptions where asexuality apparently originated without hybridization were discovered. Facultative parthenogenesis was originally expected only among reptiles kept in captivity, where the females were separated from males for a long time. However, this assumption was later disproved. The majority of the specimens formed by facultative parthenogenesis has reduced viability, which can be caused by the imperfect mechanism of the formation of parthenogenetic offspring. The terminal fusion is considered to be the probable mechanism of creation of diploid oocytes in the case of facultative parthenogenesis reptiles. The cytological mechanism of the parthenogenetic offspring's genesis was described for the obligate parthenogenetic species just for genus Aspidoscelis. During oogenesis in this case is ploidy...
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Parthenogenetic lizards of the genus Darevskia as an evolutionary model
Abramjan, Andran ; Frynta, Daniel (advisor) ; Janko, Karel (referee)
Several parthenogenetic lineages occur within the lizards of the genus Darevskia (Sauria: Lacertidae) which are endemic to southern Transcaucasus. High level of heterozygosity, cause by thein hybrid origin, is one of the crucial aspects of thein evolutionary potential, as well as the asexual reproduction. Heterosis on one side is in the opposition to the outbreeding depression and genetic uniformity of the clones on the other side. Aim of this work is to evaluace if these aspects influence viability of parthenogenetic species and differ them from the sexual ones. We chose the amount of asymmetries as a measure of developmental instability, which we studied on three meristic characters. We also evaluated the pattern of asymmetries in lateral blue spots, which are of signaling importace in lacertid lizards. Our results suggest that there isn't significant difference between parthenogenetic and sexual species in developmental stability, but the sexual ones are more sensitive to population changes. Absence of males may have perhaps the greatest influence on coloration, resulting in loss of symmetry in the blue spots.
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Deception of people who appear in documentary films
Abramjan, Andran ; RŮŽIČKOVÁ, Alice (advisor) ; KLUSÁK, Vít (referee)
The thesis aims on how deception of people, who appear in documentaries, helps to reveal knowledge and issues, and how epistemic and dramatic potential of deception is handled by filmmakers. The epistemic aspect is discussed on the case of Milgram Obedience experiment and the dramatic one on the case of television entertainment (Candid Camera, Derren Brown: The Experiments). Four feature-length documentaries (The Advertisement, Czech Dream, The Yes Men Fix the World, The Ambassador) are then analysed, regarding the relation of both of the aspects of deception, as well as the information value of the films, language of film and limits caused by individual approaches. The question of ethics is discussed in the end.
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