Search results for " conservation."

Interactions between ecological traits and host plant type explain distribution change in noctuid moths.

2009

The ecological traits of species determine how well a species can withstand threats to which it is exposed. If these predisposing traits can be identified, species that are most at risk of decline can be identified and an understanding of the processes behind the declines can be gained. We sought to determine how body size, specificity of larval host plant, overwintering stage, type of host plant, and the interactions of these traits are related to the distribution change in noctuid moths. We used data derived from the literature and analyzed the effects of traits both separately and simultaneously in the same model. When we analyzed the traits separately, it seemed the most important deter…

Possible effects of global environmental changes on Antarctic benthos: a synthesis across five major taxa

2012

Because of the unique conditions that exist around the Antarctic continent, Southern Ocean (SO) ecosystems are very susceptible to the growing impact of global climate change and other anthropogenic influences. Consequently, there is an urgent need to understand how SO marine life will cope with expected future changes in the environment. Studies of Antarctic organisms have shown that individual species and higher taxa display different degrees of sensitivity to environmental shifts, making it difficult to predict overall community or ecosystem responses. This emphasizes the need for an improved understanding of the Antarctic benthic ecosystem response to global climate change using a multi…

2019

Local support is important for the longevity of conservation initiatives. The literature suggests that perceptions of ecological effectiveness, social impacts, and good governance will influence levels of local support for conservation. This paper examines these relationships using data from a survey of small‐scale fishermen in 11 marine protected areas from six countries in the Mediterranean Sea. The survey queried small‐scale fishermen regarding perceptions and support for conservation. We constructed composite scores for three categories of perceptions—ecological effectiveness, social impacts, and good governance—and tested the relationship with levels of support using ordinal regression…

Relative Efficiency of Two Models of Ugglan Special Live-Traps for Capturing Small Rodents in Boreo-Nemoral Forest

2018

Live trapping is an invaluable and commonly used technique for studying small mammal populations. There are several types of commercially available live-traps, but some models have been shown to differ in terms of species-specific efficiency. Such differences could lead to biased results, and knowledge of such bias is important when comparing results of different studies. The Ugglan Special live-trap is one commonly used type, and it is available in several different models. I studied performance of the two most common models (No. 1 and No. 2) to find out whether they differ in terms of overall efficiency and body-mass-dependent efficiency, when trapping small rodents. I used 48 traps of ea…

An alien fish threatens an endangered parasitic bivalve: the relationship between brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and freshwater pearl mussel (Ma…

2016

Host–parasite interactions may play a significant role in biological invasions: for example, an invader may benefit from lower infectivity by native parasites in competition against the native hosts (‘enemy release hypothesis’). The invasive North American brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) is replacing the native salmonid hosts of the freshwater pearl mussel (FPM, Margaritifera margaritifera) in northern Europe, but the suitability of brook trout as a host for FPM is poorly known. In this study its suitability was investigated using an array of laboratory and field experiments, and several FPM populations from a catchment in northern Finland. The occurrence of brook trout in FPM rivers in…

2020

Abstract Facing the loss of biodiversity caused by landscape fragmentation, implementation of ecological networks to connect habitats is an important biodiversity conservation issue. It is necessary to develop easily reproducible methods to identify and prioritize actions to maintain or restore ecological corridors. To date, several competing methods are used with recurrent debate on which is best and if expert-based approaches can replace data-driven models. We compared three methods: knowledge-driven (expert based), data-driven (based on species distribution model), and a mixed approach. We quantified their differences in habitat and corridor mapping, and prioritizations of landscape elem…

Proposing a Technical Solution for Restoring Longitudinal Connectivity in the Brădeni/Retiş Accumulation Area on Hârtibaciu River

2016

Abstract The fish fauna of the Hârtibaciu River has experienced a disrupted connectivity due to the hydrotechnical works and the Brădeni/Retiş Dam located across the Hârtibaciu watercourse being one of this significant obstacles. The newly proposed constructed wetlands can improve the habitat quality for the fish species of conservative interest sampled in the Brădeni/Retiş Dam proximity Rhodeus amarus, and can increase the individuals’ number of this population. Also can benefit the local populations of Phoxinus phoxinus and Gobio obtusirostris. Using gravitational force and also the underground layout, a proposed technical solution gives maximum safety regarding the water supply for the n…

New national and regional Annex I Habitat records: from #21 to #25

2021

New Italian data on the distribution of the Annex I Habitats 3170*, 6110*, 91E0*, 9320, 9330 are reported in this contribution. Specifically, one new occurrence in Natura 2000 sites is presented and six new cells are added in the European Environment Agency 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Sardinia, Sicily and Umbria.

Is in vitro micrografting a possible valid alternative to traditional micropropagation in Cactaceae? Pelecyphora aselliformis as a case study

2016

Several taxa of Cactaceae are endangered by overcollection for commercial purposes, and most of the family is included in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES). Micropropagation may play a key role to keep the pressure off wild populations and contribute to ex situ conservation of endangered taxa. One of the limits of micropropagation is the species-specific requirement of plant regulators for each taxon and sometimes even for different genotypes. With the micrografting technique the rootstock directly provides the scion with the necessary hormonal requirements. In this paper we present data on in vitro grafting of Pelecyphora aselliformis Eh…

Behavior of mixed Chlorophyceae cultures under prolonged dark exposure. Respiration rate modeling

2016

[EN] The behavior of three different microalgal cultures, when exposed for a long period (>48 h) to dark conditions, was studied with a methodology based on respirometry. The cultures were transferred to darkness and the oxygen evolution in the reactors was monitored after successive air injections. Several sequential oxygen uptake rates were thus calculated and a respiration constant, assuming a first order decay of a fraction of the biomass, was obtained by calibration. Initial specific oxygen uptake rates were in the range of 0.9 5.1 mg O2 g TSS−1 h−1 and dark respiration constants in the range of 0.005 0.018 h−1.