The hemiparasitic European mistletoe, Viscum album L. (Viscaceae), displays a rapid and remarkable expansion into natural and urban ecosystems in Ukraine. The monitoring and management of this rapidly spreading species is increasingly difficult as new plant species become hosts. Unlike other local mistletoe species, the European mistletoe has a broad distribution and thus requires a countrywide pest status assessment for control. This review outlines the major taxonomic and evolutionary issues pertinent to V. album with an emphasis on the characters used to distinguish its five currently recognized subspecies. The review also provides an updated distribution map and host range for the three V. album subspecies in Ukraine (V. album subsp. album, V. album subsp. abietis (Wiesb.) Janch. and V. album subsp. austriacum (Wiesb.) Vollm.), addressing the current knowledge of their biology and ecology. A significant portion of the paper is devoted to the diversity of V. album associated organisms including herbivores, endophytes, and parasites, drawing particular attention to major pollination and dispersal vectors as well as potential biocontrol agents of this mistletoe species.

thrush, Turdus philomelos (Passeriformes, Turdidae): a Multivariate Approach. Peskov, V. N., Franchuk, M. V., Atamas', N. S. -Th e paper explores the possibility of implementing the methods of multivariate statistics into studying the growth processes on the example of song thrushes, Turdus philomelos, Brehm, 1831, during their postnatal development as nestlings. Th e developmental trends in 12 morphometric traits in T. philomelos in the course of postembryogenesis is shown to be explained for 99.3 % by the fi rst two principal components (PC). Th e major developmental trend (PC 1 -95.1 %) is defi ned by a highly correlative though irregular growth of linear forms of nestlings' body parts, the two other trends relate to the body proportion formation (PC 2 -4.2 %). Th ere have been discovered the two growth stages: (1) of fast growth: from birth up to the 8th day with relative increment in growth of traits equal in average to 91.9 %, and (2) of slow growth: from the 8th to the 14th day, characterized by a reduction of an average growth increment being fi ve times lower, and by intense feather cover development. Th ere have been demonstrated that all the variables can be structured into the four groups or growth correlation pleiads (groups comprising similarly growing traits). Th e growth is shown to be most specifi c for the song thrush's body, head and bill, being a part of a singl e pleiad. While still forming the three diff erent growth pleiads the properties of the bird's wing, leg, the 3rd and the 4th toes diff er signifi cantly less in respect to their growth characteristics. K e y w o r d s: song thrush, postembryonic growth, growth phases, developmental trends, multivariate analysis.Ростовые процессы в постэмбриональном развитии птенцовых птиц на примере певчего дрозда, Turdus philomelos (Passeriformes, Turdidae): многомерный подход. Песков В. Н., Франчук М. В., Атамась Н. С. -На примере певчего дрозда, Turdus phillomelos, Brehm, 1831, анализируются возможности изучения ростовых процессов в постэмбриональном развитии птенцовых птиц с использованием методов многомерной статистики. Показано, что изменчивость 12 морфометрических признаков в постэмбриогенезе T. phillomelos на 99,3 % описывается первыми двумя главными компонентами (ГК). Основной тренд изменчивости признаков (ГК 1 -95,1 %) определяется высоко согласованным, но неравномерным увеличением линейных размеров частей тела птенцов, два других тренда связаны с формированием его пропорций (ГК 2 -4,2 %). Выявлены фаза интенсивного роста (с 0 до 8 суток, относительный прирост признаков в среднем составляет 91,9 %) и фаза замедленного роста (8-14 суток, характерно уменьшение величины среднего относительного прироста в 5 раз, интенсивное развитие перьевого покрова). Показано, что по величине суточного прироста и характеру динамики ростовых процессов все признаки объединяются в 4 группы или ростовые плеяды (группы одинаково растущих признаков). Наиболее специфично растут тело, голова и клюв, образующие единую плеяду. Признаки крыла, ноги, третьего и четвертого...

Mistletoes, as perennial hemiparasitic angiosperms that parasitize woody plants, are an important component of the highly diverse, endemically rich and mosaic African flora, which is attributed to the Holarctic, Paleotropical, and Cape Floristic kingdoms.The richness of African mistletoes from the Loranthaceae and Viscaceae, along with many aspects of their biology and ecology, was covered in the comprehensive monograph of Polhill and Wiens (1998, Mistletoes of Africa, Royal Botanic Gardens). The present review is devoted to the taxonomic and functional diversity of symbionts associated with mistletoes in Africa and adjacent islands that contribute to the major biological functions of mistletoes, such as establishment and growth, nutrition and fitness, resistance to external stresses, as well as pollination and dispersal. These functions are favored by more or less distinct sets of associated bionts, including host plants, animal herbivores, frugivorous birds, nectar-and pollen-feeding insects, and endophytic microorganisms. A separate section is devoted to mistletoe epiparasitism as a special case of host selection. All these organisms, which are components of the mistletoe-associated community and multitrophic network, define the role of mistletoes as keystone species. Some aspects of the symbiont communities are compared here with patterns reported for mistletoes from other continents, particularly to identify potential relationships that remain to be explored for the African species. In addition, properties of endophytic mistletoe associates that contribute to the plant's communication with coexisting organisms are considered. We also highlight the important gaps of knowledge of the functioning of mistletoe-associated communities in Africa and indicate some applied issues that need future attention.

The forest canopy, as a biodiversity hotspot with many wildlife habitats, remains a difficult site to access for researchers and forest managers. Here, we present a novel, small, unmanned aerial vehicle, called the Druid Drone (DD), equipped with a multifunctional manipulator designed for tree crown management and biodiversity research. Its use is demonstrated by studies and the control of the widespread, obligatory hemiparasitic European mistletoe (Viscum album L.). The DD provides integrated pest management by canopy surveying, spraying and sampling of leaves/branches for further studies. The pilot and operator, using first person view goggles, handle the lightweight backpack‐sized drone (DJI Mavic 2 Pro, Air 2, Phantom 3 or custom Rotorama quadcopter) equipped with a manipulator and five replaceable 3D‐printed functional modules. These include the peripheral high‐resolution Observer camera for close, non‐invasive inspection of tree crowns, the entomological Collector unit for arthropod trapping, the forceps arm Sampler for soft plant tissue collection, the terminal Secator saw for cutting harder tree tissues such as twigs and the Green Doctor precision sprayer, which disperses growth regulators or other compounds for targeted tree and mistletoe management. This method offers a potential solution for safe, precise and minimally invasive research on forest canopy biodiversity in different forest types across the globe, tree health care and mistletoe management as compared to the manual work of arborists or the use of canopy cranes, forest helicopters and firearms.

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