Biology subjects

Denes, A. L.

Publications and source records attributed to Denes, A. L..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Method for maintaining translocated wild roses under laboratory conditions for controlled gall induction by Diplolepis rosae and D. mayri

O_LIPlant-gall wasp systems provide unique models for studying multitrophic interactions and unique developmental processes, yet standardized laboratory protocols for maintaining wild rose hosts (Rosa spp.) and sustaining gall inducers (Diplolepis spp.) are lacking. C_LIO_LIWe developed and tested a method for growing and maintaining translocated individuals of Rosa canina, R. rubiginosa, R. spinosissima, R. gallica, R. tomentosa, and R. pendulina under laboratory conditions over three consecutive years (2023-2026) to provide a continuous source of host plant material for experimental gall induction by D. rosae and D. mayri. C_LIO_LIThe protocol integrates soil and substrate composition, photoperiod and humidity regimes, pruning, dormancy management, and controlled exposure to gall-inducing wasps. More than 75% of rose individuals survived the full 3-year period, with consistent annual gall induction achieved in several host species. C_LIO_LIThis work represents the first reproducible laboratory method for long-term maintenance of wild rose hosts and controlled gall induction by Diplolepis species. The framework also provides a broadly applicable approach for maintaining perennial woody hosts and experimentally manipulating specialized plant-insect interactions under laboratory conditions, thereby supporting ecological, physiological, and evolutionary research across comparable systems. C_LI

ecology↗

bioRxiv2026

The lost vultures of Romania: reconstructing two centuries of decline from historical records (Gyps fulvus, Aegypius monachus, Neophron percnopterus, Gypaetus barbatus)

Romania represents one of the few European Union member states in which all four Old World vulture species historically maintained breeding populations: the Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus), Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus), Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) and Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus). Until ongoing reintroduction efforts, Romania remained among the last EU countries whose former vulture guild had not yet been targeted for active recovery. Despite this exceptional significance in a European conservation context, no comprehensive synthesis of the historical and contemporary distribution of these species in Romania has been undertaken. We conducted an extensive review to gather all available vulture occurrence data and present a database of 1,136 occurrence records spanning 1818-2025. We systematically searched museum collections, historical ornithological literature, modern field surveys and citizen-science platforms. The database documents substantial breeding populations across the Carpathian arc and Dobrogea until the early twentieth century, followed by near-total breeding collapse between the 1920s and 1960s driven by persecution, secondary poisoning and agrarian transformation. In total, 148 confirmed or probable breeding records have been documented for the four species combined, with the most recent confirmed breeding records dating to 1929 (Gyps fulvus and Gypaetus barbatus), 1942 (Aegypius monachus) and 1966 (Neophron percnopterus). Non-breeding occurrences increase markedly after 2010, consistent with dispersal from expanding Balkan source populations. The F[a]g[a]ras and Retezat Mountains emerge as the historically most important breeding strongholds for three of the four species (all except the Egyptian Vulture). This dataset highlights the value of reconstructing historical baselines where functional extinction preceded modern monitoring, and provides an empirical foundation for reassembling a keystone scavenger guild in the Carpathian-Danube region.

zoology↗

bioRxiv2021

Cryptic survival and an unexpected recovery of the long-tailed mayfly Palingenia longicauda (Olivier, 1791) (Ephemeroptera: Palingeniidae) in Southeastern Europe.

O_LIOnce widespread in the large European rivers, Palingenia longicauda underwent a drastic range contraction as a result of the intense pollution and hydromorphological interventions of the 19th and 20th centuries. For the last decades it was considered to be restricted only to the Tisa River and its tributaries, and to the Raba River, but new reports indicated its presence in the Danube River in Hungary, in the Danube Delta in Romania and Ukraine, and in the Prut River in the Republic of Moldova. C_LIO_LIThe objective of this study is to analyze the phylogeographic pattern between the two main eco-regions (Pannon and Pontic) of the species distribution, based on the combined mitochondrial COI (472 bp) and 16S (464 bp) sequences generated for individuals collected in Romania and Ukraine, and from publicly available ones, representing the Tisa catchment populations. C_LIO_LIThe presence of viable populations in the Danube Delta and on the Prut River in Romania is confirmed, and additional presence on the Mure{square} and Bega rivers from Romania, and on the Styr and Horyn rivers in Northern Ukraine is shown. C_LIO_LIThe phylogeographic results indicate that the presence of the analyzed populations are not the result of recent founding events from the Pannon region, confirming the survival and expansion of cryptic local lineages. C_LIO_LIThe recent recovery of the species may be related to the improvement of water quality as a result of the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive and the EU Floods Directive after 2000. C_LI

ecology↗

bioRxiv2020

A new species of Mesopolobus Westwood (Hymenoptera, Pteromalidae) from black locust crops

A new species of the genus Mesopolobus Westwood, Mesopolobus robiniae sp. n., is described and illustrated from east-central Europe (Romania and Hungary). The species was reared from black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) seedpod samples, where it most likely parasitizes the black locust’s seed predator Bruchophagus robiniae Zerova, 1970. Here we present the new species and report on its ecological relationships within the European seed predator community of black locust. We also give details regarding type material and type locality, a detailed description with images, a differential diagnosis of the new species, and a modification to the identification key published by Graham (1969), that distinguishes this new species from closely related species. In addition, we provide information on the distribution, biology and results of barcoding analysis. We also provide the DNA sequence data to complement the morphological taxonomy.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.View Full Text

zoology↗