The genus Cornus encompasses a wide range of attractive wild taxa, often used as ornamental plants in landscaping. The aim of this investigation was to highlight the quantitative and qualitative diversity within endocarp morphological traits apparent among 15 Cornus species representing different geographical and phylogenetic groups. Seventeen morphological traits of Cornus endocarps were evaluated in 185 Cornus collections originating from the Northern Hemisphere. To explore structure in our dataset and reduce its complexity, several multivariate statistical analyses (i.e., PCA, MANOVA, ANOVA, and analysis of contingency tables) were employed. Two clearly distinct sample groups were observed after the PCA, reflecting a high level of taxonomic division of analyzed species, i.e., subgenera: Mesomora and Kraniopsis. The study highlights qualitative and/or quantitative characters that partitioned (1) groups of species or some individual species, (2) geographical groups, and (3) cultivated and wild collections. Results of trait validation are presented in identification keys. A partial congruence was detected between our results and a currently available species level phylogeny of the genus Cornus. The morphology of Cornus endocarps is of taxonomic importance and provides a key for species identification. The existence of only subtle morphological differences between some closely related taxa does not sufficiently explain their species status. The applicability of our results to the previously published morphological records is limited, mainly due to vague terminology. Considerably more work will need to be done to determine the effect of cultivation on qualitative reproductive traits of Cornus species.

reflects its extreme isolation. This factor, coupled with inbreeding and genetic drift, are major threats to JW. A neighbor-joining tree based on mtDNA haplotypes shows that JW clusters among samples representing the Central subgroup that is known from central Germany but that has not yet been identified in Poland. Findings presented here improve our understanding of the spread and diversification of the common hamster. We offer the following hypotheses to explain the observed pattern of mtDNA haplotype distribution: JW could be a byproduct of postglacial migrations or back-migrations from eastern refugia to the western part of Europe, or/and be a result of population and habitat fragmentation. We recommend translocation of individuals as an effective management strategy, both at the level of Central phylogeographic group and at the species level, to overcome the negative consequences of inbreeding and geographical isolation of the JW population.

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The is insufficient knowledge of arthropod communities occurring in specific microhabitats. In this study, we characterize the arthropod assemblages inhabiting burrows of the common hamster (Cricetus cricetus L.) and factors that determine their diversity and abundance. We tested the following hypotheses: (1) arthropod assemblages are associated with a particular dominant vegetation occurring in the vicinity of burrows; (2) a correlation exists between fine-scale geographic distances among burrows and assemblage dissimilarity; and (3) the type of trap influences the sampling success of captured arthropods. We found 73 morphospecies belonging to 16 families in 109 burrows, most of which were in the families Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) and Parasitidae (Arachnida: Acari: Mesostigmata). The most abundant families were Staphylinidae, Cryptophagidae (Coleoptera), Parasitidae, and Macrochelidae (Mesostigmata) (78.89%). Among the identified species, we found Aleochara irmgardis (Staphylinidae) and Poecilochirus sexclavatus (Parasitidae) which had not yet been reported in Poland, and several other rare species. Meat-baited traps captured 64.34% more individuals, which were more diverse and species-rich than the non-baited control traps, but the former was more selective for saprophages, necrophages, and coprophages. The burrows located in areas overgrown by triticale (a hybrid of wheat and rye) were inhabited by 69.86% of the identified arthropod species, and these also had the highest abundance (64.07%) in comparison with other habitats. However, differences in sample size biased our results toward and overestimate arthropods associated with this vegetation. This study underlines that the species composition detected in burrows was affected by the methods used and hamster preferences for a specific habitat rather than the geographic proximity of the burrows. More extensive sampling across multiple habitats will be necessary to confirm our findings.

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