Genetic linkage acting through crossing-over between X and X chromosomes, X and Y chromosomes, and autosomal gene recombination are the most important sources of color pattern polymorphisms in animals. Variability in male color patterns and fin morphologies in the guppy, Poecilia reticulata, a livebearing fish is an example of extreme pattern polymorphism. We explored the possibility that crossing-over between Y chromosomes can also contribute to the high degree of pattern polymorphism in guppies because YY individuals are easily induced in the boratory. However, note that YY individuals are also produced in natural populations. Our results indicated that YY crossing-over was another important source of phenotypic variability - probably because recombination may be possible ver the entire length of Y chromosomes, and at very high frequencies due to high degrees of homology. Thus, crossing-over between Y chromosomes is yet another mechanism that can contribute to extreme pattern polymorphism in the guppy, a popular aquarium and important research model species.

Color pattern polymorphisms --- Genetic linkage --- Genetic recombination --- Guppy --- Variability

In this paper we discuss about the ichthyofauna of seven lakes from Bucharest city. During the research conducted between 2000 and 2006 18 species were found. They belong to 16 genre, seven families and five orders. From the total number of species, 12 are foreign and six native. In case of remarkable foreign species, some comments are made.

Ichthyofauna --- Lake --- Bucharest

A body of evidence is being accumulated on consistent individual differences in behaviour for several animal taxa. Individuals of these species exhibit different levels of risk during competition over limited resources, and the resultant behavioural types perform better under different social and physical environmental conditions. We used approach distance to a model of a piscivore predator the pike cichlid (Crenicichla saxatilis) to categorize male pentamorphic livebearing fish or pentas (Poecilia parae) as bold, intermediate, and shy, and then tested the hypothesis that when behaviours are correlated, individuals express different behaviour types under different contexts. Our results for the most part corroborated the six predictions generated by the aforementioned hypothesis: (1) bold pentas explored a T-maze in the shortest time, and initially approached the chamber with a living pike cichlid instead of the one with the conspecific male; (2) intermediate pentas spent more time exploring the maze and exhibited no initial interest in the predator chamber nor the conspecific one; (3) shy individuals spent the most time exploring the maze, and initially approached the predator chamber, providing only partial support for this prediction because shy males did not initially approach the conspecific chamber; (4) approach distance from the pike cichlid predator model and time to explore the maze was positively correlated; (5) bold pentas exhibit highest levels of aggression toward conspecifics; and (6) bold individuals ingested the most conspecific fry. Our results lead to the conclusion that pentas exhibited a behavioural syndrome with bold fish being more aggressive, faster explorers of novel situations, and more cannibalistic than intermediate and shy individuals of the same population. Thus, penta males fall into a behavioural syndrome formally known as the proactive-reactive axis.

Aggression --- Behavioural type --- Personality --- Poeciliidae --- Proactive-reactive axis --- Shyness

Water resource management can prove to be a very difficult task. It is not an easy job trying to fulfill the current requirements of the Water Framework Directive¹ (WFD 2000/60/EC) especially because it is difficult to estimate what really ?good status? means according with WFD. In order to reach the ?good status? in a particular river basin the water manager needs to propose a so called Program of Measures, which identifies and proposes measures to be taken in order to lower the impact generated by human activities. All these measures are based on an evaluation of the supposed natural status and current status in the river basin. What we try to propose here is a model for an tegrated management plan approach based both on the natural functionality of the river but also on the ecosystem services and social functionalities generated by man made ponds in the river basin.

Management plan --- Ecosystem services --- Ponds --- Program of measures

Education has an important role in the environment protection. The Public Relation strategy of SC Compania de Apă Someş SA has a component related to the water protection. The necessary information to establish the right strategy was obtained by a first survey in 2003 and a second one in 2004 (a third one will be organized in 2009). The most important results related to clean water, wastewater, water protection, consumer?s environment (water) protection behavior are presented in this paper. The general conclusion is that the environmental issues are important for the consumers and, in time and with the right stimulation, they can improve their environment oriented behavior.

Environment protection --- Water protection --- Consumer behavior