Five species of stoneflies (Zapada haysi, Plumiperla diversa, Taenionema pacificum, Isoperla petersoni, Arcynopteryx compacta) from the North Slope and Interior of Alaska were examined for seasonal patterns of emergence of adults and growth of nymphs. Generally growth was retarded during the winter in this region, and all species except I. petersoni completed growth prior to January. The life cycles of six stonefly species (Prostoia besametsa, Triznaka signata, Sweltsa coloradensis. Isoperla fulva, Skwala parallela, Claassenia sabulosa) are described from northern New Mexico. In this region growth was generally less retarded during the winter than in Alaska; P. besametsa completed all nymphal growth during late fall and winter. Drumming behavior of a Colorado population of Pteronarcella badia was described using an evolutionary framework to explain the maintenance of signal variation in this species. Laboratory experiments were used to explore the effect of intraspecific and interspecific interactions on spatial partitioning in P. badia and Claassenia sabulosa. P. badia exhibited clumping and distributed itself as the surface area of substrate in low densities; however, in the presence of C. sabulosa its distribution was random and different from available surface area. A field study was used to examine spatial partitioning by three New Mexico stonefly species (I_. fulva, P. besametsa, T. signata) and to ascertain patterns of microdistribution relating to several abiotic and biotic factors. Generally, there was an interaction of the measured abiotic parameters (current, water temperature, time) with nymphal size. Additionally, void space and sample volume were successfully used to compare biotic densities among leaf and mineral substrates, which were higher in leaf packs than in mineral substrates.

Title of the work : Motivation of the equitation Aim of the work: The goal of this work was to get to know the deep recognition of the motivation of people practising the equitation. We tried to find out not only what kind of people are interested in the equitation but also what are their reasons to take up this activity and finally an answer the question why it became their life philosophy forever. We can ask the question: " What is the real motivation of these people coming back every day to the stable to devote their entire energies to this physically and mentally demanded activity with a very uncertain result?" Methods of processing data : This work is based on the empirical methods of the scientific research as well as the content analysis of the relevant literature together with the officials Internet websites. I have chosen for my work the method of questionnaire investigation/examination/ combined with dialogues. The results were compiled in stats using Excel programme. Key words: Motivation, equitation, interests, needs, interspecies relationship Results: The results of exploration point out that the most important motivation for the horsemen being interviewed is the relationship with a horse, it means with a representative of the different animal species. Apart from this, another...

Humans and animals interaction is showing promise as a way to provide complementary and alternative medicine for humans. Children have an affinity for animals that could be useful therapeutically. Emotional stress and trauma impacts the neurobiology of children, who are vulnerable given the developmental plasticity of the brain. Some research suggests that neuropeptides and neuromodulators in both humans and the animals are mutually altered through human animal interaction, resulting in the attenuation of stressful responses in both (Yorke, in press; McCabe & Albano, 2004; Uvnas-Moberg, 2009). Human or animal touch, proximity and mind body interaction has been found to contribute to trauma recovery (Brooks, 2006; Perry, 2006; Van der Kolk, 2003; Yorke, Adams & Coady, 2008). Trauma results in the release of the peptide glucocortisoid, or cortisol leading to an ongoing over-arousal of the anatomic nervous system (ANS). Kindling (sensitivity) of the brain, a result of stress, ironically makes the brain more receptive to attunement and enriched environments (Francis & Meaney, 1999; Kramer, 1993; Putnam, 2005). Attunement with others as well as enriched environments is prophylactic, contributing to resilience and normal brain development (Caldji, Diorio & Meaney, 2000; Carter, 1998; Lewis & Todd, 2007; Nelson, 2000; Shore, 2003). The empirical evidence indicates that companion animals impact humans in helpful ways (Friedmann, Katcher, Thomas, Lynch & Messent, 1983; Shiloh, S., Sorek, G., & Terkel, J., 2003; Virues-Ortega, & Bruela-Casal, 2006; Wilson, 1991; Uvnas-Moberg, 2009). Equine-human interaction in particular has demonstrated contradictory results (Bass, Duchowny & Llabre, 2009; Davis, 2009; Schultz, Remick-Barlow & Robbins, 2007). Equine-human interaction can be viewed as a kind of ‘mind body experience’ that incorporates the characteristics of affiliation and attunement into a child’s environment (Finger & Arnold, 2002). A pilot study, multiple base line, single case design of four traumatized children, eight to ten years old and four therapeutic riding horses explores the neurobiological interaction between the children and horses. It hypothesizes that there will be physiological resonance and symmetry in the responses. Some trends suggest the need for further research.

In mammals, the most frequently observed hybrid dysgenesis effects are growth disturbances and male sterility. Profound defects in placental development have been described and our work on hybrids in genus Mus has demonstrated putative hybrid dysgenesis effects that lead to defects in lipid homeostasis and maternal behavior. Interestingly, mammalian interspecies hybrids exhibit strong parent-of-origin effects in that offspring of reciprocal matings, even though genetically identical, frequently exhibit reciprocal phenotypes. Recent studies have provided strong link between epigenetic regulation and growth, behavior and placental development. Widespread disruption of genomic imprinting has been described in hybrids between closely related species of the genus Peromyscus. The studies presented in this thesis aim to investigate the effects of disrupted epigenetics states on altered growth, female infanticide and placental dysplasia observed in Mus hybrids. We showed that loss-of-imprinting (LOI) of a paternally expressed gene, Peg1, was correlated with increased body weight of F1 hybrids. Furthermore, we investigated whether LOI of Peg1 in F1 females would interfere with maternal behavior. A subset of F1 females indeed exhibited highly abnormal maternal behavior in that they rapidly attacked and killed the pups. By microarray hybridization, a large number of differentially expressed genes in the infanticidal females as compared to normally behaving females were identified. In addtion to Peg1 LOI, we studied allelic expression of numerous imprinted genes in adult Mus interspecies hybrids. In contrast to the study from Peromyscus, patterns of LOI were not consistent with a direct influence of altered expression levels of imprinted genes on growth. Finally, we investigated the allelic interaction between an X-linked locus and a paternally expressed gene, Peg3, in placental defects in Mus hybrids. This study further strengthened the notion that divergent genetic and epigenetic mechanisms may be involved in hybrid dysgenesis in diverse groups of mammals.

Research performed at the Division of Environmental Microbiology has over the last years resulted in the isolation of possible bacterial key-organisms with efficient nutrient removal properties (Comamonas denitrificans, Brachymonas denitrificans, Aeromonas hydrophila). Effective use of these organisms for enhanced nutrient removal in wastewater treatment applications requires the strains to be retained, to proliferate and to maintain biological activity within theprocess. This can be achieved by immobilization of the organisms using an appropriate system.Two putative immobilization systems, agar entrapment and biofilm formation, wereassessed. Surface attached biofilm growth provided better results with respect to cell retention,proliferation and microbial activity than immobilization in agar beads. Thus, biofilm physiology was further characterized using simplified systems of single, dual or multi strain bacterial consortia containing the key-organisms as well as other wastewater treatment isolates. Mechanisms for initial adherence, biofilm formation over time, dynamics and characteristics of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and exopolysaccharides, nutrient removal activity as well as the effect of bacterial interactions were investigated. The results showed that all theassessed bacterial strains could form single strain biofilm providing that a suitable nutrientsupply was given. Production of EPS was found to be critical for biofilm development and both EPS and polysaccharide residue composition varied with bacterial strain, culture conditions and biofilm age. Denitrification and phosphorus removal activity of the keyorganisms was maintained in biofilm growth. Co-culturing of two or more strains resulted in both synergistic and antagonistic effects on biofilm formation as well as the microbial activitywithin the biofilm. Bacterial interactions also induced the synthesis of new polysaccharideswhich were not produced in pure strain biofilms.The complexity of single and mixed strain biofilm development and the implications of interactions on biofilm performance were underlined in this study. The data presented can be useful for modeling of biofilm systems, serve as a tool for selection of bacterial strain combinations to use for bioaugmentation/bioremediation or provide a base for further experiment design. / QC 20100622

Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes various infections in humans, animals and plants. Type III secretion system (T3SS) is one of the essential virulence factors used by P. aeruginosa. In this study, a previously uncharacterized gene PA0466 and its role in T3SS regulation have been examined. The results indicate that PA0466 is a novel T3SS regulator. It regulates T3SS directly through an unknown pathway and has a minor effect on the GacA-RsmA pathway. Besides the role in the interaction between the pathogen and the host, T3SS may also play a role in the interspecies interaction. A real-time PCR based Competitive Index (CI) assay was used to compare the wild type and T3SS mutant with and without the presence of Staphylococcus spp.. The results indicate that PAO1 was more competitive than exsA mutant and the difference was even bigger in the presence of Staphylococcus, suggesting T3SS may play a significant role in bacterium-bacterium interaction.

Bacterial endophytes, bacteria residing within plants, play an important role in the growth and development of plants and their ability to thrive under adverse conditions. The endophytes of Acer negundo, Ulmus pumila and Ulmus parvifolia trees sampled from a hydrocarbon-contaminated site were analyzed for variation between seasons and plant species. Branches from the same trees over a span of 3 seasons were collected and analyzed via culture dependent and culture independent methods. Numerous culture independent approaches were tested, culminating in the development of a new method for the amplification of endophytic bacterial ribosomal DNA that excludes plastid DNA. Community analyses using this new method in combination with T-RFLP showed significant differences between the endophytic communities of different plants species and of the same species growing in different seasons. The proposed technique can be used for the future study of endophytic communities of plants.

Bacterial endophytes, bacteria residing within plants, play an important role in the growth and development of plants and their ability to thrive under adverse conditions. The endophytes of Acer negundo, Ulmus pumila and Ulmus parvifolia trees sampled from a hydrocarbon-contaminated site were analyzed for variation between seasons and plant species. Branches from the same trees over a span of 3 seasons were collected and analyzed via culture dependent and culture independent methods. Numerous culture independent approaches were tested, culminating in the development of a new method for the amplification of endophytic bacterial ribosomal DNA that excludes plastid DNA. Community analyses using this new method in combination with T-RFLP showed significant differences between the endophytic communities of different plants species and of the same species growing in different seasons. The proposed technique can be used for the future study of endophytic communities of plants.

Dogs are well adapted to a life close to humans and are capable of understanding several human social cues. Turn-taking is a fundamental phenomenon in human conversations, yet no research of turn-taking in interspecies vocal communication has been done. This pilot study therefore aimed to develop a test method in order to analyze if turn-taking occurs in interspecies vocal communication between dogs and humans and if turn-taking can be correlated with specific behaviors in dogs. By analyzing a vocal conversation between seven dogs and their owners during a request situation in their home environment, this study found support for turn-taking existence in dog-human vocal communications. In general, owner-dog vocal communication could be linked to positive events, such as tail wagging and eye contact. Meanwhile, a lower frequency of vocal turn- taking could be linked to stress related behaviors, such as lip licking. Owner in dyads where more vocal overlap occurred tended to score the owner-dog relationship and communication abilities with lower grades, suggesting the absence of turn-taking was experienced as unpleasant for the owner as well. In conclusion, findings from current study highlight the unique coevolution of dogs and humans and opens up for future research of turn-taking in interspecies vocal communication.

This master thesis examined the scent marking behaviour by urine and faeces in four equid species, African wild ass (Equus africanus), Grevy?s zebra (Equus grevyi), Plain zebra (Equus quagga) and Mountain zebra (Equus zebra), in captivity. Data about scent marking were collected during two five-month seasons of behavioural observation of 15 equid herds in 5 Czech Zoos, Zoo Dvůr Králové, Zoo Liberec, Zoo Brno, Zoo Ostrava and Zoo Ústí nad Labem. The study focused mainly on testing several hypotheses explaining scent marking in stallions, mares and foals and also on interspecies differences in this behaviour.