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Diaphonization is a technique used in developmental biology, anatomy, and comparative morphology to visualize and study the internal structures of small organisms. In this study, we used diaphonization to visualize the development of chicken embryos (Gallus gallus). Diaphonization was performed on chicken eggs at different stages of development, from 10 to 13 days of incubation, and the resulting specimens were analyzed using microscopy. The results suggest that for embryos older than 14 days, a longer storage time in 1% KOH is recommended (approximately 30% longer incubation time compared to the original protocol). In the case of more developed chicken embryos, it is also recommended to carry out evisceration. These results provide insight into the early stages of avian development and may have applications in the fields of developmental biology and anatomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the dynamic of our ever-evolving society, basically, population is now divided in two categories: one with conservative values (religion) and the other one focused on exploring the unknown (science). The aim of our study is to analyze the proportion of the two types of perspectives in the Romanian social mentality and to evaluate the participants' attitude towards science or religion subjects. In the period between November 2016 and March 2017, questionnaires have been distributed to 400 people from Cluj-Napoca (N-W Romania) and Petroani (S-W Romania). The questionnaire consisted of a field which evaluates personal data and a second part of 21 questions. Some of the most important results of the study included: 56% of those are religious, 71% believe in God, 55% believe that a supernatural force controls the universe, 44% consider it necessary to teach evolution in schools and 57% consider it necessary to teach religion in schools. The percentages for conservative values (religion) is 56% and those who are focused on exploring the unknown (science) is 29%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species-area relationships (SAR) for aquatic invertebrates and phytoplankton were investigated in several shallow lakes from the Fizeș River catchment area. The lakes differed in their morphometric, physical-chemical, biotic and habitat characteristics, with two constant distinctive clusters: the lakes from the main river course, highly exploited for fish farming and generally characterized by higher organic and nutrient loads, and the lakes from the river tributaries, with better environmental conditions, increased depth and lower exploitation intensities. Lake area was a poor predictor of taxon richness for lacustrine invertebrates. Low-intensity exploitation regime, the presence of submerged vegetation, lake depth and natural land use in the catchment area represented the most important independent variables explaining the number of taxa for both planktonic and benthic invertebrates. In case of phytoplankton, however, lake area was an important predictor for taxon richness. Our results represent the first holistic approach to investigating SAR patterns of aquatic biota in natural and man-made lakes from the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water rail, Rallus aquaticus, has no visible sexual dimorphism. In previous studies, where morphometric measurements and molecular data had been used, a sex-discriminating formula was described from a German water rail population. We tested this formula in 21 water rails from a Romanian population and found that 90% of them were correctly sexed. A new formula was calculated specifically for the new population, and this one had a 95 % correct discriminating score in our population and 67.7% in the German population. The data analysis had revealed that these two populations were significantly different in terms of body measurements and the reasons for this difference were discussed. We concluded that the formula calculated in the German population had a higher resolution, being established from a larger number of individuals with a lower degree of variance, and therefore it may have a high validity in sex discrimination in other populations. The formula developed for the Romanian population has a high discriminant level only in a local scale and a low resolution when used on a population with high variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data were collected from Little Bittern, Water Rail and Little Crake nests located in North-Western Romania, between April and July of 2002 - 2006 and 2010 - 2012. The repeatability was calculated as intra-class correlation of length, breadth and egg volume coefficients. The total number of active nests considered for the present study was as follows: 43 for Little Bittern, 25 for Water Rail and 9 for Little Crake. The clutch size in Little Bittern ranged from 4 to 7 eggs, in Water Rail from 4 to 10 and in Little Crake from 4 to 8 eggs. The repeatability values of egg parameters varied between 0.844 to 0.860 in Little Bittern, 0.262 - 0.374 in Water Rail and 0.310 - 0.574 in Little Crake. Short-term environmental impact was strong in case of Water Rail and Little Cracke, while the genetic component had little influence. For these two species, the low repeatability could be explained by larger numbers of eggs in a clutch, reflecting in turn a longer laying period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temporary water bodies, connected or not to permanent wetlands, have a major importance for the regional biodiversity, acting as source of individuals for recolonization, refuge habitats or foraging sites. Colonization of zoobenthos and zooplankton from Lake Sucutardul Mare into its temporary fry pond was investigated in summer and autumn 2015. The instability of the temporary water pool, which dried out in autumn, together with its lower habitat heterogeneity led to decreased numbers of zoobenthic colonizers, that failed to survive in this "sink" habitat. No true colonization occurred in case of zooplankton, since the permanent connection between the two ponds led to similar animal communities in the water column. A rapid shift between the dominant zooplankton groups, rotifers and copepods, was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water rail (Rallus aquaticus) and little crake (Porzana parva) inhabit wetlands habitats which are hard to penetrate, therefore capturing rails is quite difficult. But this method is in some cases necessary for studies on their biology We shall describe and evaluate two types of traps used in capturing little rails: Potter's traps and automatic fall traps. Potter's traps were mounted on both sides of a net wall or in a funnel formed by the nets' walls, while the automatic fall traps were located on flat polyester plates. Calculating the catching rate for water rail we found that the highest number of birds was trapped in April, when the birds return from the wintering grounds and establish their territory. The Potter traps have advantages for long term studies, in areas with constant water level and also pose a lower risk on birds, while the automatic fall traps have advantages in high fluctuating water level areas and require little effort for their installation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temporal pattern of artificial nestboxes use by coexisting dormouse (Gliridae), passerine bird, amphibian and invertebrate species and the interspecific interaction between them were analyzed in a deciduous forest in the Transylvanian Plain. The active and/or breeding season for several species overlap for at least a time period and competition and predation were observed between them. The fat dormouse Glis glis outcompetes and/or predates on bird and other dormouse species, but also peacefully coexists inside the same nestbox with the tree frog Hyla arborea and the Copper Underwing moth Amphipyra pyramidea. The Great Tit Parus major seems to be unaffected by the competition for nest sites or by nest predation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of nest and reproductive characteristics of the Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus) population that breeds solitary in the Câmpeneşti ponds (Cluj County, NW Romania), investigated between 2006 and 2007. We have studied the dimensional parameters of nest (external and internal diameter), water depth at the nesting site, clutch and egg size. The goal of this paper is to provide basic data on the breeding ecology of the Great Crested Grebe in the South-Eastern area of the species' geographic range. Average clutch size was of 3.31 ± 0.48 in 2006 (n=17) and 3.83 ± 1.04 in 2007 (n=28). Water depth at the place of nesting varied between 60-147 cm in 2006 and 79-120 cm in 2007. Repeatability between dimensions of all eggs measured in this study was not very high (0.408 - 0.457). However, we noticed a low within clutch variation of egg traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]