Search results for "ECOLOGY"
showing 10 items of 15385 documents
Farming intensity indirectly reduces crop yield through negative effects on agrobiodiversity and key ecological functions
2022
International audience; Farming intensity and landscape heterogeneity influence agrobiodiversity and associated ecological functions. The relative contributions of these agroecosystem components to agricultural production remain unclear because of inter-relations and weather-dependant variations. Using a structural equation modelling approach, we estimated direct and indirect contributions of farming intensity (soil management, pesticide use and fertilisation) and landscape heterogeneity (of semi-natural covers and crop mosaic) to cereal crop production, in 54 fields (mostly wheat), in two years (24 and 30 fields). Indirect effects were evaluated through agrobiodiversity (carabid and plant …
Ecology of Vastedda della valle del Belìce cheeses: A review and recent findings to stabilize the traditional production
2018
The increasing request for classic foods has led to a higher demand for cheeses enjoying a “recognition of quality” status. This phenomenon has also affected Sicilian dairy products, in particular protected designation of origin (PDO) “Vastedda della valle del Belìce” (VdB), a cheese traditionally available only during the summer season, but requested year round. The variations of the microbial populations of raw milk among the seasons influence the microbiological quality of the cheeses produced. This review article reports the historical importance of cheeses and the traditional equipment used for dairy productions in Sicily with a specific focus on VdB. The microbial ecology of this chee…
Experimental Evolution Reveals a Genetic Basis for Membrane-Associated Virus Release
2021
Many animal viruses replicate and are released from cells in close association to membranes. However, whether this is a passive process or is controlled by the virus remains poorly understood. Importantly, the genetic basis and evolvability of membrane-associated viral shedding have not been investigated. To address this, we performed a directed evolution experiment using coxsackievirus B3, a model enterovirus, in which we repeatedly selected the free-virion or the fast-sedimenting membrane-associated viral subpopulations. The virus responded to this selection regime by reproducibly fixing a series of mutations that altered the extent of membrane-associated viral shedding, as revealed by fu…
Structural Composition of Protozooplankton Communities in Relation to Environmental Factors in Shallow Lakes and Reservoirs of Rīga, Latvia
2015
Abstract Protozooplankton are dominant grazers of phytoplankton and an important component of the microbial food web, as a link between pico and nanoplankton to higher trophic levels. Their fast growing rate, relative abundance, biomass and diversity are used as indicators of organic and toxic pollution. The impact of urbanisation on ecosystems and their sustainability and biodiversity have recently been much studied. We studied the protozooplankton ciliate communities during the vegetation period from April to October in two small lakes (Bābelītis, Gaiļezers) and two reservoirs (Bolderāja, Saurieši). The largest peak of biomass (15.7 × 102 mg/l) was found in Gaiļezers Lake in August and of…
More nature in the city
2020
According to projects and practices that the Italian botanists and ecologists are carrying out for bringing “more nature in the city”, new insights for a factual integration between ecological perspectives and more consolidated aesthetic and agronomic approaches to the sustainable planning and management of urban green areas are provided.
Pathways for the amplification of agroecology in African sustainable urban agriculture
2020
A growing awareness that highly intensified agricultural systems have made a substantial worldwide contribution to the worsening of the resilience capacity of natural ecosystems has, over the last twenty years, brought general attention to agroecological management models. This aspect is even more evident in industrial agriculture, which is based on the use of multiple chemical products derived from non-natural synthesis. In more developed countries, a new idea of ecology linked to agricultural production has been increasingly developed and, for this reason, there has been a greater diffusion of differentiated agricultural models taking into consideration the environmental impact of product…
MR Imaging of Uterus Didelphys Transverse Vaginal Septum Causing Hematometrocolpos and Renal Agenesis
2002
The association of uterus didelphys and unilateral blind vagina with ipsilateral renal agenesis is an infrequent urogenital malformation distinguished by a lesion of the mesonephric duct. In most patients, symptoms are present at the beginning of the menstrual cycle because a transverse vaginal septum on one side obstructs the flow of menses, which consequently collect. Magnetic resonance imaging allows a precise delineation of this congenital abnormality, clearly demonstrating the transverse vaginal septum with hematometrocolpos and uterus didelphys. Extending the magnetic resonance study to the abdomen and employing coronal sections with a wide field of view is important to search for ass…
Alarmist by bad design: Strongly popularized unsubstantiated claims undermine credibility of conservation science
2019
“Unless we change our ways of producing food, insects as a whole will go down the path of extinction in a few decades.” or “Our work reveals dramatic rates of decline that may lead to the extinction of 40% of the world's insect species over the next few decades.” These are verbatim conclusions of the recent paper by Sánchez-Bayoa and Wyckhuys (2019) in Biological Conservation. Because of fundamental methodological flaws, their conclusions are unsubstantiated. Like noted by The Guardian, the conclusions of the paper were set out in unusually forceful terms for a peer-reviewed scientific paper. The current case…
Roczna wydajność instalacji PV zamontowanej na dachu budynku dydaktycznego Uniwersytetu Opolskiego
2018
Celem badań była analiza i ocena sprawności pracy instalacji fotowoltaicznej zamontowanej na dachu budynku dydaktycznego Uniwersytetu Opolskiego mieszczącego się przy ul. Kominka 6 w Opolu. Zakres pracy obejmował ocenę: energetyczną - uzysku energetycznego (ilość wyprodukowanego prądu a położenie geograficzne paneli fotowoltaicznych) i ekologiczną - redukcja emisji szkodliwych substancji niewyemitowanych do aerozolu atmosferycznego z powodu produkcji prądu przez instalację PV, a niedostarczonej przez elektrownię opalaną węglem. Badania wykazały dobry wynik uzysku energetycznego w ciągu roku - 5,30 MWh energii z tego systemu oraz znaczną redukcję emisji CO2 do atmosfery - 4,27 Mg/rok, co pot…
Female reproductive factors are associated with objectively measured physical activity in middle-aged women
2017
Physical activity improves health and may delay the onset of several chronic diseases. For women in particular, the rate of these diseases accelerates at middle age; therefore it is important to identify the determinants of health-enhancing physical activity during midlife in this population. In this study, we focused on determinants that are unique to the female sex, such as childbearing and menopause. The main objective was to characterize the level of physical activity and differences between active and inactive middle-aged Finnish women. In addition, we examined the association of physical activity with female reproductive factors at midlife. The study population consisted of 647 women …