Earliest world record of green lizards (Lacertilia, Lacertidae) from the Lower Miocene of Central Europe

Biologia ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrej Čerňanský
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Early Miocene ◽  
World Record ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Lower Miocene ◽  
Fossil Material ◽  
Ontogenetic Stages ◽  
Lacerta Viridis ◽  
Stratigraphic Range

AbstractThe earliest world record of the green lizards, Lacerta viridis group, is described from the lower Miocene of Central Europe. The fossils come from greenish, calcareous marls and limnic clayey silts of the Ottnangian zone MN 4 of the Dolnice locality near Cheb in the Czech Republic. Sediments are interpreted as marginal, riparian facies. The material consists of isolated frontal bones of two different ontogenetic stages and one isolated fragment of parietal. Their morphology is identical to that of the extant members of the L. viridis group. However, the fossil material is much older than the previously described specimens of green lizards. Therefore, this finding extends our knowledge about the evolution and stratigraphic range of the group and about composition of the early Miocene herpetofauna in central Europe.

Transitional Justice and Changing Memories of the Past in Central Europe

2013 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-44
Author(s):  
Roman David
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Transitional Justice ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Divided Societies ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Impact

Memories of wrongdoings are often viewed as an obstacle to reconciliation in divided societies. Is it due to the past or the present politics of the past? To examine the dilemma of essentialism versus presentism, this article investigates the impact of transitional justice on memories of wrongdoing. It theorizes that using different transitional justice strategies to deal with the same wrongdoing shapes memories in different ways. The theory is tested via vignette-based surveys in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, which adopted distinct lustration laws. The results show that wrongdoing is viewed through lustration laws, reflecting present power constellations, not history.

scholarly journals The impact of the air temperature on measuring the zenith angle during the year in the ground layer of the atmosphere for the needs of engineering surveying

2021 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 476-488
Author(s):  
Tomáš Suk ◽  
Martin Štroner
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Numerical Model ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Zenith Angle ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Temperature Gradients ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Different Seasons ◽  
The Impact

This paper presents the results of over a year-long experiment dealing with a temperature measurement to calculate the theoretical effect of the atmosphere on the measured zenith angle in engineering surveying. The measurements were performed to determine the accurate and specific temperatures (temperature gradients), which can be recorded in different seasons in the low level of the atmosphere (up to 2 m above the ground, where most Engineering Surveying measurements take place) for the geographical area of Central Europe - specifically the Czech Republic. A numerical model was then applied to the resulting determined temperature gradients to calculate the path of the beam passing through an inhomogeneous atmosphere. From these values, the apparent vertical shifts caused by refraction in a given environment and time were finally determined.

scholarly journals A new specimen of Araucaria fricii from the early Coniacian of the Bohemian Massif, Central Europe

2021 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 282-286
Author(s):  
Jiří Kvaček
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Bohemian Massif ◽  
Type Material ◽  
Massif Central ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
First Occurrence ◽  
Bohemian Cretaceous Basin ◽  
Cone Scale

A specimen of Araucaria fricii is described from the upper part of the Teplice Formation in the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin. It extends the first occurrence of A. fricii from the mid-Coniacian back to the early Coniacian. Found in the Radovesice locality near Kučlín in the northern part of the Czech Republic, it is characterised by a deltoid cone scale complex with a centrally placed seed. It is compared to the type material of A. fricii from the mid-Coniacian Březno Formation and other European Cretaceous species of Araucaria. The taphonomy and palaeoecology of A. fricii is briefly discussed.

scholarly journals Predicted climate change will increase the truffle cultivation potential in central Europe

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomáš Čejka ◽  
Miroslav Trnka ◽  
Paul J. Krusic ◽  
Ulrich Stobbe ◽  
Daniel Oliach ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Truffle Cultivation ◽  
Ecological Requirements ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Future Warming

AbstractClimate change affects the distribution of many species, including Burgundy and Périgord truffles in central and southern Europe, respectively. The cultivation potential of these high-prized cash crops under future warming, however, remains highly uncertain. Here we perform a literature review to define the ecological requirements for the growth of both truffle species. This information is used to develop niche models, and to estimate their cultivation potential in the Czech Republic under current (2020) and future (2050) climate conditions. The Burgundy truffle is already highly suitable for cultivation on ~ 14% of agricultural land in the Czech Republic (8486 km2), whereas only ~ 8% of the warmest part of southern Moravia are currently characterised by a low suitability for Périgord truffles (6418 km2). Though rising temperatures under RCP8.5 will reduce the highly suitable cultivation areas by 7%, the 250 km2 (3%) expansion under low-emission scenarios will stimulate Burgundy truffles to benefit from future warming. Doubling the moderate and expanding the highly suitable land by 352 km2 in 2050, the overall cultivation potential for Périgord truffles will rise substantially. Our findings suggest that Burgundy and Périgord truffles could become important high-value crops for many regions in central Europe with alkaline soils. Although associated with uncertainty, long-term investments in truffle cultivation could generate a wide range of ecological and economic benefits.

Calcium and strontium isotope dynamics in three polluted forest ecosystems of the Czech Republic, Central Europe

2020 ◽  
Vol 536 ◽  
pp. 119472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Novak ◽  
Chris Holmden ◽  
Juraj Farkaš ◽  
Pavel Kram ◽  
Jakub Hruska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Strontium Isotope ◽  
The Czech Republic

scholarly journals Relation of genetic phylogeny and geographical distance of tick-borne encephalitis virus in central Europe

2011 ◽  
Vol 92 (8) ◽  
pp. 1906-1916 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Weidmann ◽  
D. Růžek ◽  
K. Křivanec ◽  
G. Zöller ◽  
S. Essbauer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Encephalitis Virus ◽  
Natural Focus ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis ◽  
Disease Pattern ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis Virus ◽  
First Time

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is the most important arboviral agent causing disease of the central nervous system in central Europe. In this study, 61 TBEV E gene sequences derived from 48 isolates from the Czech Republic, and four isolates and nine TBEV strains detected in ticks from Germany, covering more than half a century from 1954 to 2009, were sequenced and subjected to phylogenetic and Bayesian phylodynamic analysis to determine the phylogeography of TBEV in central Europe. The general Eurasian continental east-to-west pattern of the spread of TBEV was confirmed at the regional level but is interlaced with spreading that arises because of local geography and anthropogenic influence. This spread is reflected by the disease pattern in the Czech Republic that has been observed since 1991. The overall evolutionary rate was estimated to be approximately 8×10−4 substitutions per nucleotide per year. The analysis of the TBEV E genes of 11 strains isolated at one natural focus in Žďár Kaplice proved for the first time that TBEV is indeed subject to local evolution.

Pupilla pratensis (Gastropoda: Pupillidae) in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and its distinction from P. muscorum and P. alpicola based on multidimensional analysis of shell measurements

Biologia ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Horsák ◽  
Jana Škodová ◽  
Jan Myšák ◽  
Tomáš Čejka ◽  
Vojen Ložek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Distinct Species ◽  
Multidimensional Analysis ◽  
Molecular Evidence ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Central European ◽  
Measurement Variation ◽  
Fossil Material ◽  
Site Characteristics ◽  
Components Analysis

AbstractPupilla pratensis (Clessin, 1871) was recently confirmed as a distinct species based on morphological, ecological and molecular evidence. The main purpose of this study is to publish the first reliable data on the occurrence of P. pratensis in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The second goal is to analyse conchometry of P. pratensis, P. muscorum (L., 1758), and P. alpicola (Charpentier, 1837) to find out whether it is possible to reliably distinguish these species solely based on shell measurements. For multidimensional analysis of shell measurement variation we used principal components analysis (PCA). We documented six populations of P. pratensis in the Czech Republic and one in SW Slovakia. The revision of voucher material showed that all previously reported records of P. alpicola from the Czech Republic belonged in fact to P. pratensis. This requires the exclusion of P. alpicola from the list of Czech molluscs. Based on multidimensional analysis of shell measurements it was possible to distinguish P. pratensis from P. muscorum with no overlapping specimens. Pupilla alpicola was almost completely different from P. muscorum with only few overlapping specimens, contrary to P. pratensis which was mostly impossible to distinguish from P. alpicola based on analysed shell measurements. Shell width was the best single shell measurement for distinguishing P. pratensis and P. muscorum. Shell measurements of two Swedish populations of P. pratensis did not differ from shell variation of Czech and Slovak populations. However, Scandinavian populations displayed some differences from central European populations in apertural barriers which are discussed in detail. Czech and Slovak populations of P. pratensis occurred in calcium-rich fen meadows which perfectly matches with site characteristics reported from Scandinavia. We assume that the observed morphometric differences between P. pratensis and P. muscorum can be useful for distinguishing the species also outside the Czech territory and for palaeoecological studies where only empty shells are available. Since these species occupy ecologically different habitats their reliable identification in fossil material can improve the reconstructions of past environments.

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