Сheap pasture fodder and a long grazing season are favorable for cattle breeding in the Dagestan Republic of Russia. However, specific natural and geographical conditions including mountain terrain, hypoxia, and high humidity slow down intensification of cattle breeding in this region. Thus, maintenance of genetic diversity of local cattle breeds, which fit well into specific environments, is of special importance for mountain ethnic communities. Dagestan Mountain cattle is local breed developed by improving native cattle with Swiss Brown, Kostroma and Kian breeds. This breed has valuable biological traits including strong hooves, stamina, and adaptability to extreme mountain conditions. Only 650 heads of Dagestan Mountain cattle were registered in 2020 and the “breed-purity” of them is questionable. In this study, we aimed to characterize allele pool and to assess genetic diversity of modern Dagestan mountain cattle using STR-markers. The sample included 32 individuals of Dagestan Mountain cattle collected from private owners in the mountain villages of Dagestan during a scientific expedition. A total of 130 samples from other cattle breeds including Red Steppe, Brown Swiss, Holstein, and Simmental was used as comparison groups. The genotypes for 11 STR loci recommended by ISAG were obtained using a genetic analyzer ABI3130xl (Applied Biosystems, USA). We observed the high level of genetic diversity in Dagestan Mountain cattle as revealed by calculations of the mean number of alleles per locus (6.82 compared to 4.79-5.82 in other breeds) and observed heterozygosity indices (Ho = 0.73, that was higher comparing to the other breeds (Ho = 0.69) excluding Simmentals and Brown Swiss (Ho = 0.74). Based on STRUCTURE results, the individuals with low level of admixture with other breeds were found within Dagestan Mountain cattle, which can be considered as candidates for using in germ plasm conservation programs.

Carrion is more than food for scavengers and decomposers, as many non-trophic ecological functions are associated with this resource. For instance, a growing body of research highlights the important role of carcasses in disease dynamics. However, how carrion may provide other materials such as hair, feathers, bones, and skin for purposes other than food (e.g., nest construction) is greatly unknown. Carcasses of carnivorous animals may represent an outstanding source of these materials, as such carcasses persist longer in ecosystems than herbivore carcasses. In this study, we aimed to characterize the hair-taking behaviour of vertebrate species at carnivore carcasses in south-eastern Spain. Between 2017 and 2021, we deployed c. 100 carcasses of five mammalian carnivore species (mainly red foxes Vulpes vulpes) in three Mediterranean study areas between January and May. We monitored their entire decomposition process by using motion-triggered cameras with video recording. We detected hair-taking behaviour by several bird and mammal species, especially the carrion crow Corvus corone, the common raven Corvus corax, the great tit Parus major, the coal tit Periparus ater and the garden dormouse Eliomys quercinus. Hair was taken from different parts of the carcasses, but mostly from the tail. The peaks for this hair-taking behaviour varied throughout the entire study according to the different visitor species, suggesting a relationship with their breeding phenology. Our findings confirm that carcasses from mammalian carnivores are a highly persistent source of hair that is frequently used by several vertebrate species, probably for nest building. This is an example of the fruitful research avenues that may arise from the non-trophic uses of carrion.

The essential oil composition of fresh flowering heads (capitula) and fresh aerial parts of Centaurea finazzeri Adamović and Centaurea rupestris L. (Asteraceae, Centaurea sect. Acrocentron) from Štip, North Macedonia were analyzed. The essential oils were obtained by simultaneous distillation and extraction using Likens–Nickerson type apparatus and analyzed by GC-FID/GC-MS. In total, 112 compounds were identified representing 97.0-99.2% of the total oil composition. All samples were dominated by aliphatic hydrocarbons (46.3-85.7%). The dominant compounds differed between species. The most abundant compounds of C. rupestris essential oils were hexanal (10.7%, 6.3%) for aerial parts and flowering heads, respectively, (2E)-hexanal (10.6%) and α-pinene (6.0%) for aerial parts, and hexadecanoic acid (7.2%) and 2-methyl hexyl ester Butanoic acid (4.5%) for flowering heads. The main volatile constituents of C. finazzeri oils were acetophenone (13.5%), (2E)-hexanal (12.1%), and hexadecanoic acid (6.9%) for aerial parts, and hexadecanoic acid (21,8%), heptacosane (10.3%), and nonacosane (9.1%) for flowering heads. Taxonomic implications are discussed.

The study of microclimatic patterns is a key element in improving our understanding of the physiological and ecological responses of different groups of organisms. In this regard, the structural complexity of forest ecosystems influences the thermal characteristics at the macro- but also at the microscale. At this level, non-vascular epiphytes, such as lichens and bryophytes, through chemical-physical processes, constitute the ecosystem component capable of regulating the climate, having for example significant effects on the microbiome and on microfauna and, consequently, carrying out apparently hidden ecosystem functions.

In this work, we aim to investigate the thermal heterogeneity at the microscale of epiphytic communities under varying water availability. We hypothesize that thermal heterogeneity at tree scale, in terms of abundance, distribution and connectivity of hot and cold spots, depends on the taxonomic and functional diversity of epiphytic communities.

For achieving this goal, we assessed the epiphytic diversity on 50 sycamore trees (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) in a forest site of the Ligurian Apennine (Northern Italy) and calculated a set of functional diversity indices. On the same trees, by means of a FLIR thermal camera that provides fine-scale surface temperature patterns, we captured thermal images under contrasting humidity conditions (dry vs. wet).

The results support the vision that understanding the relationship between the thermal model of the microclimate and the traits of epiphytic community could be a key to identify ecosystem functions throughout the landscape.

Ethnobotanical research is increasingly widespread in different parts of the world. This makes the study of medicinal plants a fundamental part to investigate to solve the medical needs in rural communities. Therefore, the objective of this review provided a general description of the Amazonian plant species that are native to the eastern Ecuadorian region to which some medicinal property is attributed. As for the Amazon region of Ecuador, it has a varied climate, average annual precipitation 3500 mm with an average annual temperature of 24 ° C, relative humidity close to 100% evapotranspiration 952 mm and heliophany 1200 h. Seven types of soils located geographically in the eastern region reported in the bibliography were identified, where inceptisols predominated, being present in the 6 provinces of the Amazon. For the bibliographic survey of medicinal plants reported in the Amazon of Ecuador, 42 families and 93 different species distributed throughout the territory were collected. The piperácea family was attributed the largest number of predominant native species in the Amazon. These 10 species have various medicinal uses to which anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and healing properties are attributed. It is followed in greater number by 9 species belonging to the solanaceous family that have been reported with antimicrobial characteristics used as antibiotics and antihistamines by various rural communities.

Rye (Secale cereal L., 1753) of the «Marusenka» variety is one of the most stable and high-yielding zoned objects. A comprehensive study of the species composition of microorganisms was conducted using standard microbiological techniques. 120 samples of stems, leaves and soil collected during such phenological phases of plant development as tillering, stalking, grain filling and ripeness were examined. We isolated 23 strains of bacteria that were assigned to 6 genera (Bacillus, Erwinia, Staphylococcus, Kurthia, Microbacterium and Psychrobacillus) and 15 species, of which 2 are gram–negative rods, 4 are gram–positive rods, 16 are gram–positive spore rods and 1 is gram–positive cocci. Based on the data obtained, it can be concluded that in various phenological phases, the greatest contamination of the rye plants of the «Marusenka» variety is observed by such bacterial species as: Bacillus halodurans, Erwinia carotovora and Psychrobacillus psychrodurans (with an occurrence index from 70 to 90 %). 9 strains of fungi were also isolated, which were assigned to 4 genera (Alternaria, Fusarium, Ramichloridium, Rhizopus) and 4 species. At various phenological phases, only one species of Alternaria alternata prevails with an occurrence index from 70 to 100%.