Temporal trends in the timing of autumn migration, changes in body mass, wing and 3rd primary lengths were analysed based on 23,141 Eurasian Blue Tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) and 20,757 Great Tits (Parus major) captured in three Hungarian ringing stations in the post-fledging period, between 2004 to 2024. The results showed that the timing of the autumn migration of tits in Hungary was stable in the long term for both age and sex groups. Usually, migration of the Eurasian Blue Tit starts in early September followed by some lower peaks in the number of migrating birds in the course of this month and early October, and a very clear maximum after the 20th of October. The Great Tit migration began at the beginning of September, followed by two peaks in the first and second half of October. In both species the average body mass and wing length decreased during the dispersion season (August) between 2004 and 2024. We hypothesized that the warming climate of the Carpathian Basin has increased the fitness of individuals with smaller body sizes in the Hungarian nesting populations of both species. The results of the migration period (September–October) showed a more complex picture, which did not allow a clear interpretation of the mass and size changes according to Bergmann's rule. The decrease in average wing length and the increase in the average length of the 3rd primaries, i.e. change in the wing morphology to a rounder shape might suggest an increased number of shorter- and rounder-winged individuals, and possibly, a shortening of migration distances in both species.

ABSTRACT The effect of artificial light at night (ALAN) on plants is a less explored area within light pollution research. This is especially true for the physiological parameters of photosynthesis of woody plants. The physiological and morphological values of nineteen deciduous urban tree species illuminated by street lamps with a color temperature of 3000 K were examined for light‐polluted and non‐light‐polluted leaves. The morphological studies covered leaf macromorphology (leaf length, leaf width, and biomass production) and histological development (height of the dorsal epidermis and palisade parenchyma, width of photosynthesizing ground tissue and the leaf). The fluorescence yield of the photochemical system II and the net photosynthesis and transpiration of the leaves exposed to different light conditions were determined in the photosynthetic physiology studies. The species included in the research react differently to artificial light, some are able to utilize the extra lighting at night, while others are negatively affected. In this way, the species can be grouped according to their sensitivity to light pollution. The impact of street lights on vegetation can be easily detected by the combined treatment of micromorphological and photosynthetic physiology tests, macromorphological values are not suitable parameters.

In this study, we detected and compared changes in the annual and daily captures of the Eurasian (Certhia familiaris) and Short-toed Treecreeper (C. brachydactyla) in the timing of their post-breeding movements, in the length of minimum stopover duration (MSD) in the area, and also in biometrics in western Hungary. The birds were captured and ringed, or recaptured from the end of July to the first weekend of November in all years from 2001 to 2023. The annual captures of both species indicated stable populations in this period, with milder February months having a positive effect on annual captures. There were similarities and differences in the movement strategies and habitat selection of the species. During the post-breeding season, the Eurasian Treecreeper was more strongly associated with the scrubland and forest edge than the Short-toed Treecreeper. There were two autumn capture waves in September and October for the Eurasian Treecreepers and just one in September for the Short-toed Treecreepers, which were primarily consisted of birds captured only once. There were no significant differences in wing length of the three capture intervals (July-August, September, October-November) in either species, which suggests that the dynamics of post-breeding movements cannot be explained on the bases of possible differences in the behavior of sexes, ages, or populations. The proportion of birds captured only once was about double of that of stopovers in both species each year. The average real length of stopover duration in the area for Eurasian Treecreepers was 94.25 days, and 84.31 days for Short-toed Treecreepers. The length of MSD in the area was not significantly associated with wing length and body mass in either species. Individuals of both species did not gain fat stores significantly during post-breeding season.

Estimating fuel load and potential flight ranges of migrant passerines are basic issues in understanding bird migration strategies. Thirteen sub-Saharan and three pre-Saharan migrant passerine species were analysed in this study. The birds were captured at the Tömörd Bird Ringing Station in the western part of the Carpathian Basin. A general linear model with body mass as the dependent variable and fat score, muscle score and wing length as independent variables were used to estimate lean body mass (body mass without fuel deposits) and fuel load. In ten of the species studied, models considering interactions between factors fit the data better than the main-effect models. Body mass was positively correlated with the fat score in all species, with muscle score in ten species and wing length in 14 species. During autumn, fuel load tended to be larger in the sub-Saharan migrants, especially in four species which pass over the Mediterranean Sea, Common Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos), Icterine Warbler (Hippolais icterina), Garden Warbler (Sylvia borin) and Barred Warbler (Curruca nisoria). Nine sub-Saharan migrants, Marsh Warbler (Acrocephalus palustris), Sedge Warbler (A. schoenobaenus), Eurasian Reed Warbler (A. scirpaceus), European Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca), Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata), Wood Warbler (Phylloscopus sibilatrix), Willow Warbler (Ph. trochilus), Common Whitethroat (C. communis) and Lesser Whitethroat (C. curruca) had estimated flight ranges similar (<1300 km) to two pre-Saharans, European Robin (Erithacus rubecula) and Eurasian Blackap (S. atricapilla). The three short-distance migrants, including the Common Chiffchaff (Ph. collybita) with the shortest distance, had sufficient fuel load to reach their southern European wintering sites without needing to refuel at stopover sites.

Our studies covered the responses of the common hackberry (Celtis occidentalis L.) to artificial lighting at night. We analyzed the effect of three types of lamps used in public lighting: high-pressure sodium lamp (HPS) and two types of LED lamps. Physiological, macro- and micromorphological measurements were carried out during the research. Common hackberry tree was affected by the night light of street lamps, although the tested individuals received natural lighting during the day. Moreover, there were differences observed between the effects of the investigated lamp types. The high-pressure sodium lamp (HPS) resulted in histologically thicker leaves with higher photosynthetic yields, together with more efficient stomatal movements. The LED lamp with a color temperature of 3000 K enhanced the establishment of the photosynthetic apparatus and the growth of the palisade parenchyma. The physiology and histological development of leaves illuminated at night with a narrow-spectrum LED with a color temperature of 1900-2400 K remained inferior compared to those on shoots kept in the dark at night. Our results confirm that the type of the light source is a relevant factor in considering the effects or prevention of light pollution on plant anatomy.

In this long-term study, the timing of autumn migration, stopover duration, wing and third primary length, body mass, fat load, and pectoral muscle of the Common Blackbird (Turdus merula) were studied between 1998 and 2022 in Tomord, Hungary. We found a significant increase in Common Blackbirds passing through the study site. There was no substantial difference between the timings of autumn migration in the two sexes. Still, the adults started their migration slightly later than juveniles. This timing was unchanged between 1998 and 2022, indicating that juveniles and adults of both sexes use the same adaptation strategy to determine the departure time. We found that wing length slightly but significantly decreased in both age and sex groups, whereas there was an increase in the length of the third primary during the study period. In our view, these wing morphology changes cannot be explained by local adaptations but by a change in the population composition: most individuals captured are short-distance migrants. Our results indicated that body mass and condition of all groups increased from September to November within a year, which can be interpreted in two ways: on the one hand, it could be caused by an increase in the proportion of adults, and on the other hand, there could be an increase in the proportion of Common Blackbirds arriving from territories to the north of the Pannonian region as the autumn migration progresses. The similarity in changes in the phenology and morphological traits of the different age and sex groups during the study period emphasizes that environmental change caused no detectable intraspecific selection pressures.

Climate change can influence many aspects of avian phenology and especially migratory shifts receive much research interest in this context. In this long-term study, the timing of autwnn migration and several morphological variables of the common chiffchaffs Phylloscopus collybita were studied between 2000 and 2020. We found a signficant increasing trend in the number of common chiffchaffs passing through the study site. Protogyny is characteristic of the common chiffchaff in Pannonian Basin: females leave the breeding and stopover areas on av. 2-5 days earlier than males. For adult males, a significant forward shift was observed in the timing of migration. We found that the average wing length showed a small but significant decreasing trend in the migrating juvenile population from 2000 to 2020. On a seasonal basis, an increasing trend in average wing length was observed in all age and sex groups from August to November. It can be interpreted in two ways: (1) with an increase in the proportion of males and (2) with an increase in the proportion of common chiffchaffs arriving from territories to the north of the Pannonian Basin as the autumn migration progresses. The dissimilarity in changes in the phenology and morphological traits of the different age and sex groups during the study period emphasize that environmental change may cause intra-specific selection pressures.

Adult and juvenile survival are important factors affecting the population dynamics of small passerines. Understanding variation in the population dynamics and survival rates is critical for ecological studies and nature conservation. The aim of this study was to investigate the annual capture-recapture, apparent survival and capture probabilities of the Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus and the Great Tit Parus major occurring in western Hungary. Data from 8,628 Blue Tits and 7,727 Great Tits came from a constant-effort ringing scheme, using three ringing periods, spanning 24 years (1998 to 2021). The annual captures did not show a significant linear trend from 1998 to 2021 in the study site for both tit species. The temporal variation of annual captures and the annual capture-recapture proportions of different ages and sexes of the tit species were similar. This indicated that the migration strategies of these two partial migrant species did not differ significantly. According to the best standard Cormack-Jolly-Seber model, apparent survival of first-year birds was lower than that for adults. The CJS model selection for the dataset indicated that the time and sex had no effect on apparent survival probabilities for both tit species. Capture probability in the juvenile groups was not significantly higher than that in the adult groups for both species.

The natural light conditions and the artificial lighting of the habitats affect the quality of bird territories and the territorial behaviour of birds. However, we know almost nothing about the evolutionary consequences of light on birds. In the biomonitoring part of the project entitled “ Development of international research environment for light pollution studies”, which is carried on in Bárdudvarnok in Somogy county, Hungary, we study the apparent survival probability, adaptive morphological characteristics and area fidelity in Common Blackbird populations living in territories under different light conditions. In this preliminary report, we also describe the methods of our studies - individual marking of birds, capture and recapture, measurement of body weight, wing length and other ecomorphological parameters - and the types of data collected. Based on the outcomes of the data collection planned to continue for several years, we can formulate proposals for the design and application of artificial lighting resulting in the reduction of the adverse effects of light pollution.

Abstract. Changes in biometric characteristics of a migrating bird population at a given capture site could reflect that the migration strategies of the species may be changing. A robust data set (15,520 records) was used to analyse the changes in biometric characteristics of the Eurasian Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla in western Hungary between August and October during the study period (2001–2019). All age and sex classes displayed similar phenology of monthly captures and biometric change: the average wing length, fat score and body mass increased in the migrating population from August to October. This could be explained by changes in the morphometric distribution of different migrating populations, in later months more birds might arrive from a larger distance, primarily from the Baltic regions and the Czech Republic. The biometrics of juvenile birds captured in August did not change significantly from 2001 to 2019, while the wing lengths decreased and fat scores increased significantly between 2001 and 2019 in September and October in both sex classes. This could be explained by a change in the migration distance or different morphology of individuals from the north which stopped over at the study area. Due to the global warming and habitat changes in the last decade, the shorter migration route and favourable conditions at overwintering areas north of the Sahara or around the Mediterranean could favour Blackcaps which migrate a shorter distance.

Plants living near street lights in temperate zones are good examples of the effect of light pollution with a marked shift in leaf fall and bud breaking. Low intensity light (light pollution) is not sufficient for photosynthesis, but can cause changes in many physiological processes, moreover, it can have a disrupting effect on the plant and its connected ecosystem. In this study, physiological effects of light pollution on leaf morphology, leaf anatomy, and photosynthesis were investigated in the herbaceous species Erigeron annuus (L.) Pers. and Fallopia x bohemica (Chrtek et Chrtková) J.P. Bailey under conventional HPS and LED illumination. In our experience, HPS lamps supported the photosynthetic activity of the studied species, the growth of palisade tissue cells. Light pollution of LED lamps reduced net photosynthesis in both species compared to non-light-polluted leaves.

Abstract Annual captures and biometric parameters of the Goldcrest (Regulus regulus) were studied at Tömörd, western Hungary. We used records of 4,284 individuals trapped and ringed between August and November within the study period (1998–2020). The Goldcrest was determined to be a regular partial migrant species with highly intensive migration in 2000, 2001, 2008, 2014 and 2019. The catching results showed very high number fluctuations at Tömörd, but the smoothed curves were distinctly wave-like in all age and sex classes. There were significant positive correlations between annual captures of age and sex classes. The average proportion of immature Goldcrests was 90%, the average proportion of male individuals was 63% and both proportions were stable between 1998 and 2020. There were similar decreasing trends in the average annual wing length and body mass of males and females from 1998 to 2020. This may indicate that the migration strategies of females may be modified by global climate change.

Annual captures and biometric parameters of the Goldcrest ( Regulus regulus ) were studied at Tömörd, western Hungary. We used records of 4,284 individuals trapped and ringed between August and November within the study period (1998–2020). The Goldcrest was determined to be a regular partial migrant species with highly intensive migration in 2000, 2001, 2008, 2014 and 2019. The catching results showed very high number fluctuations at Tömörd, but the smoothed curves were distinctly wave-like in all age and sex classes. There were significant positive correlations between annual captures of age and sex classes. The average proportion of immature Goldcrests was 90%, the average proportion of male individuals was 63% and both proportions were stable between 1998 and 2020. There were similar decreasing trends in the average annual wing length and body mass of males and females from 1998 to 2020. This may indicate that the migration strategies of females may be modified by global climate change.

Apparent survival rate is an important factor affecting the temporal changes of small passerine species. The aim of this study was to obtain information about the apparent survival and capture probabilities of some passerines breeding in Hungary. Data from 11,327 individuals come from a constant effort ringing scheme, using 12 ringing sites spread over Hungary, spanning 14 years (2004 to 2017). According to the best standard Cormack-Jolly-Seber model, apparent survival of first-year Eurasian Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla and Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita was found to be significantly lower than adult survival, but the apparent survival showed no difference between sexes. Male Eurasian Blackcap and Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio had significantly higher capture probabilities than females in Hungary. The survival and capture probabilities of age and sex groups did not differ significantly for Barred Warbler S. nisoria and Lesser Whitethroat S. curruca. Time-dependent models were included in the analysis in all cases, but they always ranked lower than time-independent models. The capture rates of three species (Eurasian Blackcap, Barred Warbler, Common Chiffchaff) were male-biased in Hungary. Our study supports previous suggestions that female-biased mortality may be the most important explanation for male-biased adult sex ratios in birds.

Stopover strategies of the lesser whitethroat Sylvia curruca during the post-breeding period were studied at Tomord, western Hungary, between 1998 and 2017. Capture data of males and females were pooled for both juveniles and adults. Recapture rate, stopover length and fat deposition patterns were analysed. During stopover, juveniles and adults did not differ significantly either in stopover length, total change in body mass and fat score or in proportion and rate of body mass change. All recaptures showed an overall significant positive correlation between mass deposition rate (g/day) and departure body mass. According to the results, the lesser whitethroats used a time-minimisation migration strategy in autumn. The benefit of this strategy might be that it favoured early arrival in overwintering areas, prior to its competitors. The individuals arriving earlier at wintering sites might obtain higher-quality territories and achieve higher winter survival. This might be particularly important for populations of long-distance migrants such as the lesser whitethroat. The majority of lesser whitcthroats used the site at Tomord as a stopover area and only a part of them used it specifically as a site to fatten up.

The control of polarized human neurite/axon development at the single neuron level is critical in geographically directing signal propagation in engineered neural networks, for both in vitro and in vivo applications. While there is an increasing need to exert control over axonal growth for the successful development and establishment of integrative and functional in vitro systems, controlled, polarized distribution of either human-derived neurons or motoneurons in vitro has yet to be reported. In this study, we established the polarized distribution of stem cell derived human motoneurons, using a patterned surface, and maintained the cells in a serum-free system. A surface pattern with defined polarity was developed using self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). A cell permissive SAM, DETA (trimethoxysilyl propyldiethylenetri-amine), combined with photolithography and a nonpermissive fluorinated silane, 13F (tridecafluoro-1,1,2,2-tetrahydroctyl-1-dimethylchloro-silane), generated a surface where neurons only adhered to the designed attachment sites and did so with preferred orientation. In addition, 75% of the cells attached to the patterns were motoneurons compared to their percentage in the standard unpatterned surface which was used as a control condition (20%), demonstrating the preference of these human motoneurons in adhering to the patterns. The ability to dictate the distribution and polarity of human motoneurons will be essential to the engineering of human-based functional in vitro systems in which the control of signal propagation is necessary but more importantly for cell implantation studies. Such systems will greatly benefit the study of motor function as well as aid the development of high throughput systems for drug screening and test beds for use in preclinical studies related to conditions such as spinal cord injury, ALS, and muscular dystrophy.

Directed control of neuronal migration, facilitating the correct spatial positioning of neurons, is crucial to the development of a functional nervous system. An understanding of neuronal migration and positioning on patterned surfaces in vitro would also be beneficial for investigators seeking to design culture platforms capable of mimicking the complex functional architectures of neuronal tissues for drug development as well as basic biomedical research applications. This study used coplanar self-assembled monolayer patterns of cytophilic, N-1[3-(trimethoxysilyly)propyl] diethylenetriamine (DETA) and cytophobic, tridecafluoro-1,1,2,2-tetrahydrooctyl-1-trichlorosilane (13F) to assess the migratory behavior and physiological characteristics of cultured neurons. Analysis of time-lapse microscopy data revealed a dynamic procedure underlying the controlled migration of neurons, in response to extrinsic geometric and chemical cues, to promote the formation of distinct two-neuron circuits. Immunocytochemical characterization of the neurons highlights the organization of actin filaments (phalloidin) and microtubules (β-tubulin) at each migration stage. These data have applications in the development of precise artificial neuronal networks and provide a platform for investigating neuronal migration as well as neurite identification in differentiating cultured neurons. Importantly, the cytoskeletal arrangement of these cells identifies a specific mode of neuronal migration on these in vitro surfaces characterized by a single process determining the direction of cell migration and mimicking somal translocation behavior in vivo. Such information provides valuable additional insight into the mechanisms controlling neuronal development and maturation in vitro and validates the biochemical mechanisms underlying this behavior as representative of neuronal positioning phenomena in vivo.

Drought is one of the major abiotic stresses that frequently causes severe loss in crop yield worldwide. Laboratory predictors of field drought tolerance could significantly increase the effectiveness of existing plant breeding programs. In earlier field experiments, drought tolerance of 22 cultivated barley varieties has already been quantified. In order to develop laboratory markers of drought sensitivity, field drought tolerance data were correlated with parameters obtained in laboratory tests. Root and shoot length and weight were measured on control and PEG-treated (a simple laboratory drought model) seedlings. Significant correlations were found among root growth, shoot weight in laboratory stress conditions and field drought tolerance. Interestingly, a negative correlation was found between root length of the untreated seedlings and drought tolerance. Laboratory Drought Tolerance Index (DTI) was introduced as the linear combination of those laboratory parameters which were correlated with field drought tolerance. DTI showed good predictive value (r = 0.57, p < 0.05) for drought tolerance in field experiments and we suggest it for preselection of drought tolerant barley breeding lines and for the characterization of drought tolerance in general.

Recent work has shown that the resonate-and-fire neuronal model is both computationally efficient and suitable for large network simulations. In this paper, we examine the estimation problem of a resonate-and-fire neuronal model with stochastic firing threshold. The model parameters are divided into two sets. The first set is associated with the subthreshold behaviour and can be estimated by a least squares algorithm, while the second set includes parameters associated with the firing threshold and its identification is formulated as a maximum likelihood estimation problem. The latter is in turn solved by a simulated annealing approach that avoids local optima. The proposed identification approach is evaluated using both simulated and in-vitro data, which shows a good match between prediction by identified model and the actual data, concluding the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed approach.