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B chromosomes (Bs) are supernumerary to the standard chromosome set, from which they prevalently derive. Variation in numbers both among individuals or populations and among cells within individuals is their constant feature. Leisler's bat Nyctalus leisleri (Kuhl, 1817) is one of only four species of Chiroptera with detected Bs. Four males of N. leisleri were collected from two localities on the territory of Serbia and cytogenetically analysed. All animals had Bs with interindividual variability ranging from two to five heterochromatic micro Bs. The highest number of Bs was detected in this species. Among mammals, Rodentia and Chiroptera are orders with the largest number of species, but Bs frequently appear in rodents and rarely in chiropterans. Possible explanations for this difference are offered.

Additional file 3. Table S3 Procrustes ANOVAs of shape. % total—percentage of the total shape variation. Age categories: A1—first age category, A2—second age category, A3—third age category

Additional file 1. Table S1 Anatomical definitions of landmarks recorded on the labial view of the mandible and the ventral surface of the cranium of the yellow-necked field mouse (Apodemus flavicollis)

Additional file 2. Table S2 ANOVAs of centroid size (CS). % total—percentage of the total size variation. Age categories: A1—first age category, A2—second age category, A3—third age category

Additional file 4. Table S4 ANOVAs of centroid size (CS). % total—percentage of the total size variation. Categories regarding parasitism: P0—non-parasitized animals, P1—animals parasitized by one nematode species, P2—animals parasitized by two nematode species, P3—animals parasitized by three to five nematode species

This research studies the antioxidant activity and efficacy of the ethanolic extract of the plant species Onosma aucheriana DC. This plant growing wild in Serbia, in inhibiting the development of selected fungi and bacteria. The most sensitive to the ethanolic extracts were bacteria B. subtilis and S. aureus (MIC = 15.62 mg/mL), while the fungi, A. niger (MIC = 15.62 mg/mL) showed the highest susceptibility. Total phenolic, flavonoid, condensed tannin and gallotannin contents were 90.26 mg GA/g, 35.24 mg RU/g, 74.65 mg GA/g and 31.74 mg GA/g, respectively. Phenolic compounds are found as dominant in the extract of rosmarinic acid. Total antioxidant capacity was 78.45 mg AA/g. IC50 values were determined for each measurement: 21.45 mg/mL for DPPH free radical scavenging activity, 36.46 mg/mL for inhibitory activity against lipid peroxidation, 99.11 mg/mL for hydroxyl radical scavenging activity and 45.91 mg/mL for chelating ability. A potent inhibitor of cell growth to all three cell lines (Hep2c, RD, L2OB) is the ethanol extract of plant species O. aucheriana . Results of Allium anaphase-telophase genotoxicity assay revealed that the ethanolic extract of O. aucheriana at concentrations of 62.5 mg/mL does not produce toxic or genotoxic effects. Revista de Chimie (2016), 67(12): 2511-2518

We report the first evaluation of mandibular and cranial modularity in the greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum). Although some authors found no modular pattern of these morphological structures in mammals, we discovered that traits integration in R. ferrumequinum is not uniform throughout the mandible and cranium, but structured into two distinct modules. Allometry does not affect mandibular and cranial modularity in R. ferrumequinum probably as a result of the low fraction of shape variation explained by size. Observed at the static level, mandible and cranium modularity in this species could be either functional or developmental or both, but we cannot rule out a genetic nature for underlying mandibular and cranial trait interactions. Evolutionary modularity among related taxa is influenced by genetic and functional modularity. Therefore, future studies on cranial integration and modularity at multiple levels of variation may shed more light on these important features of morphological variability in bats, including R. ferrumequinum. Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Serbia {[}173003]

Marsh marigold, Caltha palustris is distributed in the moist, temperate and cold regions of the Northern Hemisphere. This species exhibits considerable amount of intraspecific chromosomal diversity involving hybridization, polyploidy, aneuploidy and B chromosomes. Karyotype analyses of three mountain populations from Serbia were done for the first time. All samples were tetraploid (based number x=8) with 2n=32. In population from mountain Tara presence of one B chromosomes was detected. Tetraploid karyotype consists of 17 median-centromeric (m), 8 submedian-centromeric (sm), 7 subterminal-centromeric (st) chromosomes and one terminal-centromeric (t) B chromosome (2n= 17m+8sm+7st+1B). Studied populations in Serbia belong to the most common cytotype for this species in Europe. Kaljužnica, Caltha palustris, naseljava vlažne, umerene i hladne predele severne hemisfere. Ovu vrstu karakteriše znatna količina intraspecijske hromozomske varijabilnosti uključujući hibridizaciju, poliploidiju, aneuploidiju i B hromozome. Po prvi put je urađena kariotipska analiza tri planinske populacije iz Srbije. Svi analizirani uzorci su bili tetraploidi (osnovni broj n=8) sa 2n=32. U populaciji sa planine Tare detektovano je prisustvo jednog B hromozoma. Tetraploidni kariotip se sastojao od 17 metacentričnih (m), 8 submetacentričnih (sm), 7 subtelocentričnih (st) i jednog telocentričnog (t) B hromozoma (2n=17m+8sm+7st+1B). Analizirane populacije iz Srbije pripadaju citotipu koji je najčešći za ovu vrstu u Evropi. Projekat ministarstva br. 173003

The utility of the Inter Simple Sequence Repeat-Polymerase Chain Reaction (ISSR-PCR) was explored in order to determine genetic variation in six species of the genus Apodemus (A. flavicollis, A. sylvaticus, A. uralensis, A. agrarius, A. mystacinus and A. epimelas) at the individual level, population level, in separate geographic samples and in the species as a whole. Six optimized primers produced highly reproducible and polymorphic DNA markers with 98.3% polymorphic bands on a total sample of 91 individuals from 32 localities in Europe and Asia. Moreover, each primer allowed for an exact diagnosis of each of the six Apodemus species and thus provides a simple and reliable tool for the hitherto problematic discrimination of species from the subgenus Sylvaemus. Genetic distances between species ranged from 0.079, among the closely related A. flavicollis and A. sylvaticus, to 0.203 between A. mystacinus and A. agrarius. A. flavicollis, A. uralensis and A. sylvaticus display a strong population substructure. The range of genetic distances among geographic samples within last two species reaches the values obtained for closely related species. ISSR markers proved to be a simple and reliable tool for species diagnosis, as well as for estimating genetic diversity below the species level and for closely related species, but they showed questionable reliability for larger genetic distances. Ministry of Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia [173003]

B chromosomes (Bs) are supernumerary elements to the standard chromosome set, characterized by a dispensable nature. They are maintained like parasites if they possess any mechanism of accumulation. Otherwise, they must confer some selective advantage to the carriers. Some evidence for a beneficial effect led to the dominating opinion that Bs are genomic parasites. Populations of the yellow-necked mouse, Apodemus flavicollis, are characterized by a frequent presence of Bs, even though no mechanism for their accumulation has been found. Head morphology was compared in three populations of this species with different frequencies of animals with Bs (fB). Two of the localities (Mt. Avala, fB=0.37 and Mt. Cer, fB=0.31) are typical forest habitats and are about 100 km far from each other, while the third locality (Ada, fB=0.19) is a quite different habitat located less than 5 km from Mt. Cer. Discriminant analysis of morphological traits separated the locality Ada from Mt. Avala, while the population from Mt. Cer, besides its internal variation, included variation from both other localities (Ada-like and Mt. Avala-like). The frequency of animals with Bs in the Ada-like group (in the Mt. Cer population) was significantly different from that in the Ada population (0.19 vs. 0.43). Differences in fB, found in phenotypically/genotypically similar groups in different habitats, point to the existence of adaptive effects of Bs at the level of populations. Ministry of Science of Serbia [143011]

Evaluation of the presence of genotoxic substances is especially important in rivers that serve as a source of drinking water. Nine water samples collected along the river Rasina in Serbia were analyzed for potential toxic and genotoxic effects using the Allium anaphase-telophase test. Inhibition of root growth relative to the negative control ( synthetic water) was observed in all samples. Analysis of the genotoxic potential, through scoring anaphase and telophase aberrations, showed that in seven of the nine samples the level of aberrations was significantly increased relative to the negative control but was lower than that obtained for the positive control ( methyl methanesulfonate). Changes in the relation between spindle and chromosome types of aberrations were found in some samples, indicating differences in the potential genotoxic substances present at the analyzed sites. The data, which were obtained from samples collected at the highest level of river water, warn that during periods of low flow the values could reach genotoxic activity. The Allium anaphase-telophase test can be recommended as an monitoring system, that can serve as the first alert for the presence of genotoxic environmental pollutants. Ministry of Science and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Serbia [143011]

The correlation between frequency of B chromosomes and quality of habitat was analysed in 680 specimens of yellow-necked mice, Apodemus flavicollis, collected at six localities in Serbia. Animals with B chromosomes were present at all localities in frequencies ranging from 0.23 to 0.40. Quality of habitat was judged from an index of overall body size (BSI). At the studied localities, the frequency of animals with Bs was negatively correlated with the index of overall body size (r = -0.93), indicating that B chromosomes in this species are mentioned due to the effects that they exert at the level of populations. This finding supports the heterotic model of maintenance of B chromosomes. null

The karyotypes, C-banding patterns and positions of nucleolus organizer regions (NORs) of two European species of toads, Bufo bufo and Bufo viridis from seven localities in Yugoslavia were investigated. These karyotypes and chromosomal markers were compared with those in other species and subspecies of the Bufo bufo complex. The results suggest that C-banded patterns are characters specific for those species. A marker band on chromosome 5 in the karyotype of B. bufo bufo is shown. Ispitivani su kariotipovi, C-trake i položaj nukleolusnih organizatora (NOR) dve evropske vrste žaba, Bufo bufo i Bufo viridis, sa 7 jugoslovenskih lokaliteta. Kariotipski i hromozomalni markeri ovih vrsta poređeni su sa podacima koji se odnose na druge vrste i podvrste. Rezultati ukazuju da je raspored C-traka specifične za ispitivane vrste. Kod vrste B. bufo bufo nađena je marker traka na petom hromozomu. Projekat ministarstva br. 03E02