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Monitoring ohrožených druhů v přírodní rezervaci Uhliska a využití lokality pro vzdělávání a cestovní ruch
Holčík, Tomáš
The diploma thesis is devoted to the mapping of endangered animal species in the Uhliska nature reserve. The theoretical part deals with the description of plant and animal species from the point of view of taxonomy and bionomy. In the practical part, I focus on monitoring the occurrence of endangered species of spotted bluebird and marsh bluebird. The result of the monitoring will be graphs with the occurrence of individual species, the representation of the sexes of butterflies and the occurrence of the host plant of the bloodsucker toten. In the second part, the questionnaire examines public awareness of this area, attendance and satisfaction with information about this area. In the second part of the questionnaire, the thesis examines the satisfaction of the respondents with the cooperation of the municipality and the Department of the Environment, or a potential agreement with the introduction of hypotourism in the area.
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Butterfly thermoregulation across habitats and climates
LAIRD-HOPKINS, Benita Carmen
Global warming, through rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns, is placing major stress on species and ecosystems. Understanding how species respond to temperature and the mechanisms underpinning thermoregulation can help us predict which species are most vulnerable in the face of warming. In this thesis, I explore how butterflies across different habitats and climates thermoregulate and the mechanisms, including morphology and behaviour, underlaying thermoregulatory ability. Firstly, when comparing the buffering ability of neotropical and temperate butterflies I found that tropical butterflies were able to maintain more stable body temperatures than temperate butterflies, and this was likely driven by their morphology. I also found that temperate butterflies used postural means to raise their body temperature more than neotropical species, likely an adaptation to the cooler air temperatures they experience. Secondly, I showed the importance of butterflies' thermoregulatory abilities at the community level, by comparing thermoregulation of European butterflies across geographic regions and climatic zones. This study highlighted that behavioural thermoregulation, including the use of microclimates and postural means, drives regional differences in butterflies' thermoregulatory abilities. Finally, I utilised the Müllerian mimicry exhibited in Heliconius butterflies to untangle the contributions of morphology and phylogeny in butterfly thermoregulation, investigating thermal traits, including buffering ability, take-off temperature and heating rate. I found that morphology, not phylogeny, was the main driver of thermoregulation in these butterflies. Further, I investigated differences in the thermoregulatory ability of Heliconius butterflies from different habitats. I found that species from colder habitats were able to maintain a more stable body temperature and took off at a lower temperature than those from hotter habitats, suggesting there is local adaptation or acclimation in thermal traits. Overall, this work highlights that species have their own unique thermoregulatory abilities, as a result of the thermal environment they experience, and that thermoregulation is driven by morphology, behaviour and physiology. My findings have important consequences for predicting the impacts of climate change on ectotherms, by highlighting variation in thermal ability which makes some populations and species more vulnerable, while others more resilient. This thesis lays the groundwork for future studies comparing species' thermal traits across climates and habitats, increasing our understanding of how species cope with climate and land-use change.
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An educational program focused on the butterflies and an importance of meadow ecosystems
KYTLEROVÁ, Petra
The objective of this bachelor thesis is to design an educational program based on butterflies and the importance of meadow ecosystems. The theoretical part is dedicated to the importance of meadow ecosystems, the body of butterflies and their other stages of life and to the characteristic of the selected kinds of butterflies. The Practical part contains the design of the educational program for pupils at the second level of primary schools or for free-time educational organizations. The educational program contains detailed instructions for all activities and educational sample texts for teachers. This thesis also contains worksheets, flashcards and sample texts which are important for the activities.
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Barcoding of Czech butterflies
ŠKOPEK, Patrik
The aim of this thesis was to extract DNA of Czech butterflies and sequence their mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (i.e., the barcode), in order to uncover their genetic and intraspecific relationships and geographical differences. Moreover, I compared the sequences with data from other European countries. I extracted DNA from butterfly legs, amplified the target DNA fragment with PCR (polymerase chain reaction), and check the PCR product quality on an agarose gel. PCR products were sequenced. In total, I collated 500 sequences from 87 species (61.7% of the Czech fauna). Phylogenetic trees were built by maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods. To reveal the potential cryptic diversity and lineages, I used GMYC analysis. The results of GMYC were distributed into four groups: 71 species (81.6%) contained a single entity, two species pairs (4.6%) were merged into two entities, 10 species (11.5%) were split into more entities (potential cryptic diversity) and two species (2.3%) were both split and merged with a different species. To Czech samples of 33 Lycaenid species, I added database samples from Romania and Germany. Their relationships were compared based on a phylogenetic tree. In the case of 10 species (30.3%), data from one country was missing. In 19 species (57.7%), the Czech samples were related to both Romanian and German samples. One species (3%) was related to Romanian samples and one species to German samples. Two Czech species (6%) formed a separate branch in the tree. This work served as a preliminary study into the Czech butterfly mitochondrial diversity and barcoding efficacy, but more data is needed to complete the study.
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Reintroduction of butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Štochlová, Tereza ; Sedláček, Ondřej (advisor) ; Straka, Jakub (referee)
The thesis deals with one of the active means of conservation - reintroduction. By this ap- proach, organisms are released in their historical range from which they have disappeared. Re- introductions typically concern vertebrates, that is, however, why this thesis focuses on a group of invertebrates - butterflies (Rhopalocera). The main aim of this work is to carry out a research of previous experiments, evaluate used methods and discover the best way to proceed with reintroduction of butterflies. This process contains many important steps. Firstly, a suitable species must be chosen, that means one that is declining and has limited dispersal abilities. Secondly, an appropriate habitat for releasing organisms must be found - host plants ought to be sufficiently abundant and the area big enough. If the habitat quality is not satisfactory, it can be achieved through management, most commonly by planting host plants, mowing or grazing. Next step is choosing the right donor population. It should be stable, genetically variable, and genetically and ecologically related to the original extinct population. After transfer and release of sufficient number of organisms, it is crucial to carry out a long-term monitoring of the newly formed population and to modify its management when necessary. All methods...
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Comparison of reproductive parameters of Central European populations of the critically endangered Hermit butterfly (Chazara briseis)
Štochlová, Tereza ; Sedláček, Ondřej (advisor) ; Kadlec, Tomáš (referee)
The Hermit butterfly Chazara briseis is a species from the family Nymphalidae, inhabiting mostly short-stemmed dry steppes. In Central Europe, it is critically endangered. It is therefore currently the subject of many conservation activities, including reintroductions. In such translocations of individuals, it is important that the native and source populations be as closely related as possible in all respects. Therefore, individuals of two forms of this species, Ch. briseis pannonica (Austrian population) and Ch. briseis bataia (Czech population) were bred and their reproductive characteristics were recorded and the differences between the two forms were observed. During two seasons 5 Austrian and 8 Czech females were successfully bred. The Austrian and Czech populations differed mainly in the timing of adult hatching and the beginning of the laying of eggs by females - Austrian individuals are phenologically shifted to one week to 14 days earlier. Individual populations of the same species may also differ from each other in the presence of Wolbachia pipientis. This bacterium can affect the sex ratio in a population as well as the reproduction behavior of individuals. There was a suspicion of its presence in the Czech population. Therefore, a part of the Czech population was treated with...
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Biodiversity patterns of butterflies and moths on Mount Cameroon
MAICHER, Vincent
Biodiversity patterns of butterflies and moths are investigated on the southwestern slope of Mount Cameroon, the only continuous elevational gradient of near-pristine forests in the Afrotropics. Three distinct seasons between 2014 and 2017 are sampled by two standardised methodologies (i.e., bait-trapping and manual catching of selected groups of moths at light). First, the effects of seasonality and forest habitat associations on butterflies and moths are investigated in the lowland rainforest. Then, the impacts of elephant-made natural disturbances on tree, butterfly, and moth diversities at mid-elevations is evaluated. The thesis also includes faunistic records of species never reported from the area, combining them with life history notes on selected taxa and species description of nine new species of Alucita. Finally, the last chapter focuses on the biodiversity of birds, trees, and butterflies in the last large patch of coastal forest of the studied area, and discusses its current conservation status.
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Reintroduction of butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Štochlová, Tereza ; Sedláček, Ondřej (advisor) ; Straka, Jakub (referee)
The thesis deals with one of the active means of conservation - reintroduction. By this ap- proach, organisms are released in their historical range from which they have disappeared. Re- introductions typically concern vertebrates, that is, however, why this thesis focuses on a group of invertebrates - butterflies (Rhopalocera). The main aim of this work is to carry out a research of previous experiments, evaluate used methods and discover the best way to proceed with reintroduction of butterflies. This process contains many important steps. Firstly, a suitable species must be chosen, that means one that is declining and has limited dispersal abilities. Secondly, an appropriate habitat for releasing organisms must be found - host plants ought to be sufficiently abundant and the area big enough. If the habitat quality is not satisfactory, it can be achieved through management, most commonly by planting host plants, mowing or grazing. Next step is choosing the right donor population. It should be stable, genetically variable, and genetically and ecologically related to the original extinct population. After transfer and release of sufficient number of organisms, it is crucial to carry out a long-term monitoring of the newly formed population and to modify its management when necessary. All methods...
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Distribution, ecology and conservation of critically endangered Alcon Blue (Phengaris alcon f. alcon) in the Czech Republic
Kupková, Barbora ; Sedláček, Ondřej (advisor) ; Pech, Pavel (referee)
The state of the populations of many insects is critical in the Czech Republic, other species have already extinct. Among the species balancing at the limit of survival is myrmecophilus Alcon Blue (Phengaris alcon), especially its ecological form (P. alcon f. alcon), which is associated with the Marsh Gentian (Gentiana pneumonanthe) during the early larval stages. The general aim of my work was to evaluate the current distribution of the Alcon Blue butterfly (P. alcon f. alcon) in the Czech Republic, to estimate the size of the remaining populations and to propose a practical action plan for conservation of the species in the Czech Republic. The analysis of the databases showed that the species survives theoretically in 11 localities. The field survey in 2016 revealed, however, that at five other sites a species in the recent past was extinct. The remaining 6 localities are concentrated in Southwestern Bohemia on a total area of only 20 hectares. Two population is however close to extinction. The cause of local extinction of Alcon Blues was the extinction of host plants. The main factors influencing the size of butterfly populations in the last localities were the abundace and vitality of host plants (number of fertile shoots, height). Part of my work was an attempt to reintroduce Alcon Blue to a...
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