Andrea Harnos

Different habitat selection by two sympatric Maculinea butterflies at small spatial scale

Abstract.  1. Worldwide extinction of species due to habitat loss and habitat degradation can be recognised among butterflies pronouncedly. Therefore, conservation biologists devote special attention to identify the most important ecological factors affecting distribution and survival of butterflies. These efforts have been dominated by landscape‐scale studies, although variation in habitat quality at smaller spatial scales may be of crucial importance. This applies for the highly specialised Maculinea species, which usually do not form classic metapopulations.

Associations of novel genetic variations in the folate-related and ARID5B genes with the pharmacokinetics and toxicity of high-dose methotrexate in paediatric acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

High‐dose methotrexate (HD‐MTX) plays an important role in the consolidation therapy of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in many treatment regimens worldwide. However, there is a large interpatient variability in the pharmacokinetics and toxicity of the drug. We investigated the influence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes of the folate metabolic pathway, transporter molecules and transcription proteins on the pharmacokinetics and toxicity of MTX and 7‐hydroxy‐methotrexate (7‐OH‐MTX). 63 SNPs of 14 genes were genotyped and a total of 463 HD‐MTX courses (administered according to the ALL‐BFM 95 and ALL IC‐BFM 2002 protocols) were analysed. Haematological, hepatic and renal toxicities, estimated by routine laboratory parameters were evaluated. Random forest and regression trees were used for variable selection and model building. Linear mixed models were established to prove the significance of the selected variables. SNPs (rs4948502, rs4948496, rs4948487) of the ARID5B gene were associated with the serum levels of MTX (P < 0·02), serum levels and area under the curve of 7‐OH‐MTX (P < 0·02) and with hypoproteinaemia (P = 0·004). SLCO1B1 rs4149056 also showed a significant association with serum MTX levels (P < 0·001). Our findings confirm the association of novel genetic variations in folate‐related and ARID5B genes with the serum MTX levels and acute toxicity.

Measuring floral resource availability for insect pollinators in temperate grasslands – a review

1. The relationship between pollinators and flowering plants plays a crucial role in the function of terrestrial ecosystems. Although pollinators use floral nectar and pollen as food resources, no general methodology for floral resource availability estimates exists.

Detailed description of the Ócsa Bird Ringing Station, Hungary

Abstract The present paper acts as an introduction to a series that will describe the exploratory analyses of migration phenology and morphometrics of the most common passerine species at the Ócsa Bird Ringing Station. This station is situated in the Ócsa Landscape Protection Area that belongs to the Duna–Ipoly National Park, Hungary. The area is somewhat cooler and more humid than the surrounding agricultural fields and tree plantations, covered by a mosaic of diverse hygrophilous vegetation patches. Bird trapping is mostly based on Japanese mist-net lines crossing different plant communities. During the period of 1984–2015, a total of 422,862 birds were trapped and ringed here, while 202,739 local, 1,235 within country, and 443 foreign recaptures were also recorded. Each bird is characterized by the following data: location and time of capture, species, age, sex, scores of fat, pectoral muscle, wing tip abrasion, and moult, length of wing, 3rd primary, and tail, and body mass. After subjected to a rigorous quality check, digital data are deposited in the archive of the Hungarian Bird Ringing Centre, and the EURING data base. From time to time, other research projects also utilized the accessibility of wild birds captured here, thus collection of blood samples, ecto- and endoparasites was carried out at the station. The relatively long time span, large number of species and individuals, and the readily available environmental (weather, vegetation, etc.) data makes the avian data collected here a suitable base for studies of various disciplines like capture methodology, habitat preferences, breeding, migration, and wintering, effects of weather and climate change, and epidemiology of viruses and parasites.

Hitchhikers’ guide to analysing bird ringing data

Abstract Bird ringing datasets constitute possibly the largest source of temporal and spatial information on vertebrate taxa available on the globe. Initially, the method was invented to understand avian migration patterns. However, data deriving from bird ringing has been used in an array of other disciplines including population monitoring, changes in demography, conservation management and to study the effects of climate change to name a few. Despite the widespread usage and importance, there are no guidelines available specifically describing the practice of data management, preparation and analyses of ringing datasets. Here, we present the first of a series of comprehensive tutorials that may help fill this gap. We describe in detail and through a real-life example the intricacies of data cleaning and how to create a data table ready for analyses from raw ringing data in the R software environment. Moreover, we created and present here the R package; ringR, designed to carry out various specific tasks and plots related to bird ringing data. Most methods described here can also be applied to a wide range of capture-recapture type data based on individual marking, regardless to taxa or research question.

Pre-Migration Roost Site use and Timing of Postnuptial Migration of Red-Footed Falcons (Falco Vespertinus) Revealed by Satellite Tracking

Abstract Red-footed Falcons are gregarious trans-equatorial migrants, forming up to several thousand strong roost sites after the breeding season and before commencing migration. This pre-migration period is presumed to play a major role in defining the survival of long-range migrants. Here we investigate the autumn movements of 8 individuals caught and satellite-tagged within the Carpathian Basin. We found that birds may use multiple roost sites that can be separated by large distances. A single individual’s home range was 88 km2 (80% kernel home range) and was near concentrical to the roost site. Two individuals travelled to southern Ukraine soon after tag-deployment. Our results demonstrate that even a small number of satellite tagged birds show behavioural plasticity in terms of roost site selection indicating that post-breeding foraging habitat choice decisions may have substantial variability. The night localization points of birds marked out 2 and 5 yet unknown potential roost sites in Hungary and in the Ukraine, respectively. Using the data of an international weekly survey (2006-2011) carried out in the Carpathian Basin, we cross-referenced the departure dates of tagged individuals with the 6 year means of counted individuals. The tagged birds initiated migration with the first 25% percent of the surveyed population. Összefoglalás A transzekvatoriális vonuló kék vércsék a fészkelési időszak után, a vonulást megelőző időszakban csoportos éjszakázó, úgynevezett gyülekezőhelyet alakítanak ki. Ez a periódus feltehetően igen fontos a hosszú távú vonulók túlélése szempontjából. Ebben az időszakban a Kárpát-medence különböző területein 8, műholdas nyomkövetővel felszerelt madár őszi mozgásmintázatát vizsgáltuk. Eredményeink szerint a madarak akár több, egymástól nagy távolságra lévő gyülekezőhelyet is használhatnak. Az egyik egyed mozgáskörzete 88 km2 volt (80% Kernel home range becslés), és közel koncentrikusan helyezkedett el a gyülekezőhelyhez viszonyítva. Két egyed Dél-Ukrajnába repült nem sokkal a jeladó felhelyezése után. Eredményeink azt mutatják, hogy még a kisszámú, műholdas jeladóval felszerelt madár viselkedése is nagyban különbözött. Az éjszakai adatok alapján 2 magyarországi, valamint 6 dél-ukrajnai lehetséges új gyülekezőhelyet határoltunk be. A Kárpát-medencében 2006 és 2011 között hetenként végzett nemzetközi felmérés adatait felhasználva összevetettük a jelölt madarak indulási adatait a populáció 6 éves átlagaival. A jelölt madarak a felmért populáció első 25%-ával együtt kezdték a vonulást.

Changes in migration phenology and biometrical traits of Reed, Marsh and Sedge Warblers

Global environmental processes like climate change could severely affect population level migratory behaviour of long range migrant birds. We analyzed changes in migration phenology and biometrics of three closely-related long-distance migrant Acrocephalus species. We used the records of 12 063 Sedge, 12 913 Reed, and 5 409 Marsh Warblers caught and ringed between 1989–2009, at a Hungarian stopover site. Quantile regressions were used to analyse the changes in spring and autumn migration phenology. Median spring arrival date of Sedge and Reed Warblers shifted 6.5 and 7.5 days earlier, respectively. Autumn arrival of all species shifted one (Reed and Marsh Warblers) or two (Sedge Warbler) weeks later. Mean body mass of adult Reed and Marsh Warblers decreased in spring (by 0.3 and 0.2 grams, respectively) and in autumn (by 0.8 and 0.2 grams, respectively) while body mass of adult Sedge Warblers decreased only in autumn (by 0.4 grams). Mean wing length of all species increased significantly (range of change: 0.6–1 mm). Despite the fact that the studied species are closely related, all three have remarkably different migration strategies. However, similar patterns can be observed in the studied parameters, indicating that global processes may have general effects on these species, albeit through markedly different mechanisms.

The effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains on the rumen fermentation in sheep fed with diets of different forage to concentrate ratios

The objective of this study was to compare the effects of two different Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strains on the rumen fermentation of sheep fed with two different total mixed rations. Three rumen-cannulated Merino wethers were used in a pilot study in which a phase of feeding a higher proportion of concentrate in the diet (HC; forage to concentrate ratio 40:60, as fed) was followed by a phase of lower proportion of concentrate in the diet (LC; forage to concentrate ratio 49:51, as fed). Both phases consisted of three 3-week periods as follows: no yeast supplementation, trehalose non-producing and trehalose-producing S. cerevisiae supplementations, respectively. Rumen fluid samples taken in the last days of each period were measured for pH, short chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations and ammonia content. The degradability of neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and starch was estimated by the in sacco method. Supplementation with the trehalose non-producing strain did not alter any variables tested in the HC phase. In the LC phase, though degradability was not altered, total SCFA concentration increased, resulting in a decrease of rumen fluid pH. The trehalose-producing strain increased total SCFA content and effectively prevented the consequent decrease in pH in both phases. These effects were more pronounced in the high-concentrate phase, as shown by higher molar proportion of propionate, increased level of ammonia content, and higher ruminal degradability of NDF and starch compared to control and the trehalose non-producing yeast strain.

Exploratory analyses of migration timing and morphometrics of the Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca)

Abstract Ornithological studies often rely on large temporal scale ringing datasets as source of information. However, basic descriptive statistics of collected data are rarely provided. In order to fill this gap, here we present the first item of a series of exploratory analyses of migration timing and body size measurements of the most frequent Passerine species at a ringing station located in Central Hungary (1984–2015). First, we give a concise description of foreign ring recoveries of the Pied Flycatcher in relation to Hungary. We then shift focus to data of 2860 individuals deriving from the ringing station, where birds have been trapped, handled and ringed with standardized methodology since 1984. Timing is described through annual and daily capture and recapture frequencies and their descriptive statistics. We show annual mean arrival dates within the study period and we present the cumulative distribution of first captures with stopover durations. We present the distributions of wing, third primary, tail length and body mass, and the annual means of these variables. Furthermore, we show the distribution of individual fat and muscle scores, and the distribution of body mass within each fat score category. We distinguish migration periods (spring and autumn), age (i.e. juveniles and adults) and sex groups. Our aim is to provide a comprehensive overview of the analysed variables. However, we do not aim to interpret the obtained results, merely draw attention to interesting patterns, that may be worth exploring in detail. Data used here are available upon request for further analyses.

Sex and age dependent migration phenology of the Pied Flycatcher in a stopover site in the Carpathian Basin

Abstract Very little is known about Pied Flycatchers crossing the Carpathian Basin. We give a comprehensive picture about its migration based on the data collected during the past 26 years (1989–2014) at a stopover site in Hungary: (1) sex and age related phenological changes over the years, (2) sex, age and size dependent migration patterns during and (3) between migration periods, (4) sex and age composition in spring and in autumn and their change over years. The timing of spring migration shifted to earlier dates in the case of males, while that of females did not change implying an increasing rate of protandry. In autumn the timing did not change, but juveniles leave the area earlier than adults. The average wing length increased during the past decades in spring in the case of both sexes. In autumn, wing length did not change significantly during the years, but it increased during the seasons in all age and gender groups. The proportion of males is about 60% in spring and among juveniles in autumn, and it is around 39% in the adult group in autumn. The male ratio diminishes during spring, but it does not change during the autumn season. The average wing of adults is shorter in spring than in autumn. Based on this fact and the different sex ratios in the two seasons we may hypothesize that Pied Flycatchers are loop migrants on this area, and even the sexes of the same population take different routes.