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Speculative Evolution: Anatomical and Physiological Specifics of Organisms Inhabiting Super-Earths
Šefrna, Radek ; Toman, Jan (advisor) ; Petrásek, Tomáš (referee)
This thesis focuses on super-Earth-like planets, specifically addressing how a larger radius and gravitational attraction, sometimes associated with increased atmospheric density, could affect the direction of anagenesis if other parameters are kept at the terrestrial level. Firstly, super- Earth characteristics are described. Secondly, locomotion and its anatomical and physiological correlates are examined. It concludes that organisms living on the surface would have robust body structure and expects prevalence of the biosphere to exist in the air column on super- Earths with dense atmosphere with organisms resembling ocean life on Earth. Lastly, the thesis investigates life strategies and their potential dependencies on gravitational and surface characteristics, with an emphasis on energy acquisition methods, metabolism, and dispersion. With the existence of complex ecosystem reliant on photosynthesis, existence of ecological niches similar to the ones found on Earth is expected. That could lead to the genesis of symbioses, as they seem to be a universal feature of any biosphere. Due to its speculative nature, the thesis draws conclusions from studies on terrestrial organisms and their environment. It adheres to the phenomenon of convergent evolution to find possible analogies and show potential...
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Evaluace parametrů vnitřního prostředí krav ustájených v odlišných technologických systémech
Vevera, Petr
This diploma thesis that is named “Evaluation of inner environment of cows housed in different technological systems” is focusing on effect of housing technology on inner environment of dairy cows. There were two studied groups of cows that were housed in different technological systems. In three terms the blood samples were taken, that were later evaluated for following parameters: alkaline phosphatase, alanineaminotransferasis, aspartataminotransferasis, gamaglutamyltransferasis, lactate dehydrogenasis, creatin kinasis, calcium, inorganic phosphorus, magnesium, glucose, nonesterified fatty acids, triglycerides, cholesterol, creatinine, betahydroxybutyrate, urea, lactate, total antioxidant status. After statistical evaluation of data following parameters were affected by housing technology: alaninaminotransferasis, aspartateaminotransferasis, gamaglutamyltransferasis, lactate dehydrogenasis, calcium, inorganic phosphorus, glucose, nonesterified fatty acids, triglycerides, cholesterol, creatinine, betahydroxybutyrate, urea and lactate.
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Změny ve vývoji hltanových žláz a obsahu celkového proteinu v hemolymfě dělnic včely medonosné
Babica, Ondřej
This thesis is focused on developmental specifics of honeybees emerged during the season and on monitoring the differences between weak, medium and strong honeybee colonies. The level of the total haemolymph protein appears to be an important indicator of worker bee condition and signals of the occurrence of the winter generation of bees. The level of the total haemolymph protein of bees emerged in August was several times higher than the protein level of bees hatched from May to the end of July. The strong colonies showed the highest values of total haemolymph protein. The size of the hypopharyngeal glands (HPGs) indicates the biological aging of the workers and development of the bee colony during season. Nurses were characterized by the most developed HPGs, and foragers had HPGs atrophied. Bees emerged in the late summer had more developed HPGs. These physiological parameters are influenced by the division of labour in dependence of temporal and biological polyethism.
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Strukturně funkční charakteristika průduchů jmelí bílého (Viscum album L.) a jeho hostitele lípy (Tilia sp.)
Bělíček, Dominik
This thesis deals with a comparison of the morphology of the stomata of the hemiparasite European mistletoe (Viscum album L.) and its host lime tree (Tilia sp.) in the context of physiological parameters such as water potential, stomatal conductance, and photosynthesis, in order to understand the relationship between the two species. The research was carried out at the Ústřední hřbitov in Brno. Here, 10 infested and 10 uninfested lime trees were selected. During the summer of 2022, varnish impressions were taken from the leaves of lime and mistletoe trees and then all physiological parameters were measured. It was found that mistletoe infestation had almost no significant effect on both the morphology and physiology of lime tree leaves. Furthermore, it was shown that mistletoe has more smaller stomata than linden. It has been shown that although mistletoe has a higher stomatal conductance, the photosynthetic rate is the same for both species, thus the water use efficiency of mistletoe is much lower. It was confirmed that mistletoe, as a hemiparasite, has a much lower water potential than the host. Although this information helps to understand this interrelationship, it also results in further uncertainties worth to investigate in future.
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Implementing modern species delimitation techniques into fungal taxonomy: Aspergillus charting the course
Sklenář, František ; Hubka, Vít (advisor) ; Haelewaters, Danny (referee) ; Janko, Karel (referee)
This thesis focuses on the implementation of modern methods and approaches for species delimitation in the genus Aspergillus, an economically important fungal genus and model organism. So far, taxonomic studies in Aspergillus regularly included multiple DNA loci (typically four), and the phylogenetic analysis itself mostly consisted of calculating a phylogenetic tree based on individual loci and the concatenated dataset, or less commonly on genealogical concordance principles. Additionally, the datasets usually contained only a limited number of strains per species. The inclusion of more sophisticated phylogenetic species delimitation methods (mostly based on Multispecies coalescent model) in Aspergillus taxonomy adds a whole new layer to the analysis that ensures much higher objectivity of taxonomic decisions. Each of the eight presented papers contains a taxonomic treatment of a particular part of the genus with phylogenetic analyses based on datasets containing DNA sequences from three to six loci or whole genome data (series Nigri). The available molecular data are analyzed by a gradually refined set of phylogenetic species delimitation methods reflecting progress made between years 2017 and 2022. The individual papers also examine some specific characteristics that suitably complement the...
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Physiological response of a cyclist when using various components of a mountain bike.
Bížová, Michaela ; Brtník, Tomáš (advisor) ; Turčová, Ivana (referee)
Title: Physiological response of the cyclist's organism when using different mountain bike components. Objectives: The goal of this final thesis was to assess the different influence of bicycle components on the physiological response of the cyclists' organism using a systematic research. Methods: The main sources were searched in the scientific databases Taylor and Francis, Researchgate, ScienceDirect. In the included studies, individual researches were searched that were focused on the physiology of the body of the tested cyclists. These were experiments. These investigations investigated the overall performance using different cycling components. From the compared results of all researches, possible moderating factors of the influence of these components on the energy demand during driving were determined. Results:A total of 18 studies were used in this work, focusing on the physiological response of cyclists when using different components of a mountain bike and comparing somatic characteristics, including those of road cycling. Full-suspension mountain bikes provide greater comfort and shock absorption in off-road terrain, resulting in reduced physical exertion and energy demands during riding. Riding a bike with only front suspension was found to be more efficient and faster than using both...
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The effect of altitude on the regeneration in alpine skiing - a review study
Štanglerová, Magdaléna ; Šteffl, Michal (advisor) ; Brtník, Tomáš (referee)
Background Training at high altitude, historically in natural conditions and now in created artificially hypoxic environments, has been used to enhance physical performance in a wide range of endurance sports for many years. For alpine skiing, which takes place naturally at higher altitudes, prolonged exposure to altitude hypoxia and low ambient temperature is specific. However, even here, some effects of this specific load on the athletes are still unclear. Objectives The aim of this thesis is to summarize the results of studies dealing with the topic of hypoxic training in alpine skiers and its effect on selected physiological parameters. Methods The thesis is conducted as a systematic review in accordance with the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Four electronic databases were used to obtain relevant sources - Web of Science (WoS), PubMed, Scopus and SPORTDiscus using the EBSCO database. Results A total of 234 potential publications were retrieved, of which 15 studies including data from a total of 294 probands, mostly elite alpine skiers, were used in the final systematic review. Seven studies used the normobaric hypoxia method and eight studies were conducted under natural conditions. Five studies looked at the acute effect,...
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Risks related to open water diving and their prevention
OBORNÁ, Veronika
This bachelor's thesis focuses on the risks associated with open water diving and their prevention. Three objectives were determined to elaborate this thesis. The first objective was to find out what kind of knowledge professional and recreational divers have about the risks related to open water diving. The second objective was to examine what knowledge divers have about preventive measures related to open water diving. Last but not least, the third objective was to determine what barriers regarding the open water diving are perceived by divers. The bachelor's thesis consists of a theoretical and a practical part. The theoretical part is divided into chapters and subchapters describing the history of diving, fundamental diving equipment, basics of physics for divers and physiology related to diving. The heoretical part also describes the most common injuries and diseases occurring during diving, proper first aid as a reaction to them as well as their treatment. Finally, a part of the theory is devoted to the prevention of undesirable situations during open water diving. In the practical part of this thesis a qualitative research was applied. Data collection was conducted through semi-structured interviews. The research sample consisted of ten divers of different ages and different lengths of experience. Five informants were professional divers and five informants were recreational divers. The data obtained from the interviews were processed into four categories, which were further subdivided into subcategories. Using the qualitative research, it was found out that both professional and recreational divers have the necessary knowledge regarding the risks associated with open water diving. Despite essential knowledge and efforts to follow preventive measures, all but one informant experienced a crisis situation during a practice dive, which always turned out well due to proper theoretical preparation for these risk situations. All informants are aware that the biggest risk is the diver himself and overestimation of his own abilities. Regarding the knowledge of preventive measures related to the open water diving, there were differences between the knowledge of professional and recreational divers. All informants had the necessary awareness of the discussed topic, however it was clear that professional divers were more familiar with this issue. All informants were knowledgeable about the necessity of diving training, proper diving equipment, preventive measures and first aid procedures including cardiopulmonary resuscitation in case of an emergency situation. Moreover, it has been found out that divers perceive certain obstacles when diving in open water. In addition to poor health or psychological conditions being a barrier to diving, informants also determined low quality natural conditions as a barrier too. Deteriorated natural conditions were seen as a barrier mostly by recreational divers, whereas professional divers dive all year round and in all kinds of conditions. From the results of the research, it was ascertained that divers have sufficient knowledge of the risks associated with open water diving. Furthermore, informants have sufficient knowledge of preventive measures, which enables them to correctly assess certain situations. The fact that the informants consider the deteriorated natural conditions as a barrier to open water diving indicates that they are concerned about the prevention of risks associated with open water diving. This thesis highlights the importance of knowledge of the risks associated with open water diving and their prevention. The results of this bachelor's thesis can be used to supplement the knowledge of some divers, as a teaching material for novice divers or for health professionals who want to be aware of diving-related diseases and acute conditions related to diving itself.
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Srdeční a pohybová aktivita raků jako nástroj ke studiu vlivu farmaceuticky aktivních látek
LOŽEK, Filip
Aquatic ecosystems face to anthropogenic pollution worldwide. One of the currently investigated pollutants entering the aquatic environment due to the insufficient efficiency of wastewater treatment plants are pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs), such as psychoactive pharmaceuticals or illegal drugs. Although the target organism is human, PhACs target evolutionarily old receptors, so their presence in the environment affects organisms across the animal kingdom. The first part of the dissertation summarizes the current knowledge about the impact of psychoactive substances on the biological parameters of aquatic invertebrates including mollusc and arthropods. Some animals, such as crayfish, are sensitive indicators of the quality of the water to which they respond by ethophysiological changes. Consecutive parts of thesis are composite from scientific publications starting with subscription of novel robust method of non-invasive measuring of crayfish cardiac activity. The method was validated in second publication where the natural (scent of food, predator, conspecific and injured conspecific) and chemical (water disinfectant chloramineT) stimuli were distinguished by crayfish in order to be able to study changes in responses to stress when exposed to environmentally relevant concentration of PhACs i.e. analgesic tramadol what is covered in the third paper. Fourth and final publication describes the alterations in the heart rate and behaviour while stress response of crayfish during long term exposure to 1 ?g.l-1 of illicit drug methamphetamine. The discussion critically compares the advantages and disadvantages of individual approaches used in the detection of changes in biological parameters of organisms exposed to psychoactive substances and suggested future ways of progress in study area. From the results obtained we concluded that the crayfish organism with its biological functions is sensitive to detect selected psychoactive compounds in the relatively low concentrations that were found in the aquatic environment. In addition, ethophysiological alterations highlight possible impacts of these compounds on the ecology of aquatic invertebrates. The recorded effects on crayfish cardiac physiology could present a new area of research in relation not only to residual PhACs, but to a wide range of contaminants with possible impacts on the aquatic environment.
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Non-coding RNAs in oocyte and early embryo
Aleshkina, Daria ; Šušor, Andrej (advisor) ; Staněk, David (referee) ; Krylov, Vladimír (referee)
Once considered as 'transcriptional noise' noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) nowadays are known to be key molecules in major cellular processes. NcRNAs are expressed at very high levels as only 2% of transcribed genome corresponds to protein-coding RNAs in higher eukaryotes. Various ncRNAs are known to have structural, functional, or regulatory roles, but the influence of the majority of non-coding transcripts is still unclear. Among ncRNAs, long ncRNAs (lncRNAs, longer than 200 bp) are of particular interest. LncRNAs do not have a uniform function but many studies observed lncRNA-based regulations at the transcriptional and translational levels. Therefore, novel lncRNAs could specifically fine-tune protein synthesis in the highly differentiated cell types. Particularly, fully-grown mammalian oocyte and early embryo require precisely controlled translation of maternal transcripts to coordinate meiotic progression and early embryo development while transcription is silent. We aimed to study the involvement of ncRNAs in protein synthesis and consequent influence on the oocyte and early embryo physiology. For the first time, we analysed the expression and distribution of several ncRNAs, namely Brain cytoplasmic RNA 1 (BC1), lncRNA in Oocyte Specifically Expressed (Rose), RNA Component of 7SK Nuclear...
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