Search results for "CAP"
showing 10 items of 8832 documents
Persistence of remnant boreal plants in the Chiricahua Mountains, southern Arizona
2020
Abstract Boreal plants growing along the southern edge of their range on isolated mountains in a hot desert matrix live near the extreme of their physiological tolerance. Such plants are considered sensitive to small changes in climate. We coupled field observations (1974, 1993, 2019) about the abundance and vigor of small populations of ten remnant boreal plant species persisting in the uppermost elevations of spruce-fir forests of the Chiricahua Mountains, together with modeling of the species sensitivities to three stress factors associated with climatic change: warming, drought, and forest fire, in order to explore the persistence of frontier boreal plant species during climate change. …
Stand out from the Crowd: Small-Scale Genetic Structuring in the Endemic Sicilian Pond Turtle
2020
The geographical pattern of genetic diversity was investigated in the endemic Sicilian pond turtle Emys trinacris across its entire distribution range, using 16 microsatellite loci. Overall, 245 specimens of E. trinacris were studied, showing high polymorphic microsatellite loci, with allele numbers ranging from 7 to 30. STRUCTURE and GENELAND analyses showed a noteworthy, geographically based structuring of the studied populations in five well-characterized clusters, supported by a moderate degree of genetic diversity (FST values between 0.075 and 0.160). Possible explanations for the genetic fragmentation observed are provided, where both natural and human-mediated habitat fragmentation o…
A comparative study of Ural Owl Strix uralensis breeding season diet within its European breeding range, derived from nest box monitoring schemes
2018
Capsule: Voles are the main prey of the Ural Owl Strix uralensis in Europe, with larger prey and higher prey diversity being positively associated with owl breeding performance. Aims: To assess the breeding diet and its influence on the breeding performance of the Ural Owl across a north–south gradient of its European range using nest box monitoring data. Methods: Comparable monitoring of nest boxes in different biogeographical regions of Europe (Finland, Latvia, Slovenia) and diet analysis from nest samples to assess the taxonomic and trait influence of prey on owl breeding performance in different environments. Results: High plasticity in the Ural Owl hunting behaviour under different pre…
Post-fire beetle succession in a biodiversity hotspot: Białowieża Primeval Forest
2020
Abstract Fires can heavily impact forest ecosystems but fire consequences for animal communities at burned and control sites are rarely investigated in natural forests. Here we present a 10-year study of post-fire beetle succession in natural ecosystem of Bialowieza Primeval Forest, Poland, being a hotspot for beetle fauna. We sampled beetles at burned and unburned (control) sites and compared local alpha and regional gamma diversity between treatments and over time. In total, 27,958 individuals belonging to 630 beetle species were recorded. Average species richness (alpha diversity) and density per sample was higher in burned forest than in control sites, and this difference was especially…
Predation and resource fluctuations drive eco-evolutionary dynamics of a bacterial community
2012
Predation and temporal resource availability are among the most important factors determining prey community dynamics and composition. Both factors have been shown to affect prey diversity, but less is known about their interactive effects, especially in rapidly evolving prey communities. In a laboratory microcosm experiment, we manipulated the presence of the predatory protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila and the temporal patterns in the availability of resources for a bacterial prey community. We found that both predation and temporal fluctuations in prey resources resulted in a more even prey community, and these factors also interacted so that the effect of predation was only seen in a flu…
The use of ecological traits in extinction risk assessments: A case study on geometrid moths
2008
Identifying ecological traits that make some species more vulnerable than others is vital for predictive conservation science. By identifying these predisposing traits we can predict which species are most prone to decline and gain an understanding of the reasons behind the decline. The aim of this study was to determine the ecological traits that best predict extinction risk and distribution change in Finnish geometrid moths and to develop an understanding of the biological connections between these traits and threats. We found that larval specificity, overwintering stage and flight period length predicted distribution change and extinction risk. There was also an interaction effect betwee…
Monitoring the reproductive activity in captive bred female ball pythons (P. regius) by ultrasound evaluation and noninvasive analysis of faecal repr…
2018
The royal python (Python regius) is commonly bred in captivity. To have a successful breeding season, accurate monitoring of the reproductive activity is necessary. The use of non-invasive monitoring methods in exotics is important in order to minimize stress. For this purpose ultrasound has been anecdotally used to monitor royal python reproductive activity. However, there is limited information regarding the reproductive cycle of this species. The aim of the present study is to monitor the female reproductive cycle of the royal python using ultrasonography and gonadal steroid metabolite measurements in the faeces. The reproductive activity of one hundred twenty-nine adult female P. regius…
Farm Productions and Rural Landscapes
2017
Farm landscapes in the Philippines are dominated by rice and coconuts in most provinces. In a country of generally small farm holdings, rice, the staple food, is cultivated across the archipelago, even if corn plays a bigger role in the southern part of the country. In the mountains of northern Luzon, the Ifugao tribe have developed over several centuries a remarkable landscape of rice terraces on steep slopes, but most of the rice is grown in the plains of Central Luzon around Manila. The coconut “tree of life”, most abundant in Quezon and Bicol, is used in many different ways, from food to construction materials. Bananas and pineapple are the leading export productions, mostly grown on la…
Rediscovery of Riella alatospora (Riellaceae, Sphaerocarpales), an aquatic, South African endemic liverwort previously known from a now largely trans…
2012
7 páginas, 4 figuras.
A Mediterranean Monk Seal Pup on the Apulia coast (Southern Italy): sign of an ongoing recolonisation?
2020
The Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) is one of the most endangered marine mammals in the world. This species has been threatened since ancient times by human activities and currently amounts to approximately 700 individuals distributed in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (Aegean and Ionian Sea) and Eastern Atlantic Ocean (Cabo Blanco and Madeira). In other areas, where the species is considered “probably extinct”, an increase in sporadic sightings has been recorded during recent years. Sightings and accidental catches of Mediterranean monk seals have become more frequent in the Adriatic Sea, mainly in Croatia but also along the coasts of Montenegro, Albania and Southern Italy. A Med…