Fish introductions, particularly in areas of high biological diversity and endemism, represent a major threat for biodiversity. In the Balkan Peninsula, 60 fish species have been introduced to date, of which 36 have become naturalized in inland waters. Since the Balkans are one of the world's 35 biodiversity hot spots, this large presence of alien fish species poses a serious threat for the stability of freshwater ecosystems and the survival of the native ichthyofauna and of aquatic biodiversity in general. The motivation for the introductions, and the historical timeline, varies among the Balkan states. Despite recent attempts to implement and align legislation aimed at preventing the introduction of potentially invasive species, and the implementation of rigorous controls of introductions and increased protection of open waters, the majority of current introductions remain intentional, primarily via aquaculture. This review article provides a historical overview of freshwater fish introductions, the motivation behind them and the current distribution of alien freshwater fishes in the Balkans. The ecological implications and future perspectives concerning alien fish species in the region are also discussed.
SummarySerum samples collected from 167 equines of 12 districts in Albania were tested for West Nile virus-specific antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and virus neutralization assay, using WNV lineage 1 and 2. In addition, 95 bird serum samples from Albania and 29 horse samples from Kosovo were tested in ELISA. An overall seroprevalence rate of 22% was found in horses from Albania, whereas no specific antibodies were found in the equine samples from Kosovo and the bird samples. This is the first report indicating WNV infections in animals in Albania, and the first reported seroprevalence study conducted for Kosovo. These results provide evidence for widespread infections of WNV in Albania.
Orphan receptor GPR103, a pyroglutamylated RFamide peptide receptor (QRFPR), is a class A G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) and it is coupled to a Gi alpha subunit (Gi/0) and/or to a Gq protein. Synteny analysis revealed the existence of paralogous genes of QRFPR in mouse, zebrafish and coelacanth. These paralogous genes emerged along with speciesspecific gene or genome duplications that occurred during vertebrate evolution. 26RFa/QRFP is the high-affinity endogenous ligand for QRFPR and in fish it has been suggested as an orexigenic action of 26RFa/QRFP. The structure, tissuespecific expression and biochemical activity of the 26RFa/QRFP-QRFPR system are conserved across the Chordata phylum, from fish to mammals. In order to study the molecular evolution of mammal QRFPR, we searched for the presence of natural selection on the qrfpr genes using a bioinformatic approach. Overall, the results clearly indicate that mammal QRFPRs are under positive selection, but the majority of positively selected amino acids did not alter the biochemical properties of these proteins.
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