Search results for "Life on Land"
showing 10 items of 1478 documents
Using genetic markers to unravel the origin of birds converging towards pre-migratory sites
2018
AbstractIdentifying patterns of individual movements in spatial and temporal scales can provide valuable insight into the structure of populations and the dynamics of communities and ecosystems. Especially for migrating birds, that can face a variety of unfavorable conditions along their journey, resolving movements of individuals across their annual cycle is necessary in order to design better targeted conservation strategies. Here, we studied the movements of a small migratory falcon, the Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni), by genetically assigning feathers from individuals of unknown origin that concentrate in large roosts during the pre-migratory period. Our findings suggest that birds fro…
DNA barcode reference library for Iberian butterflies enables a continental-scale preview of potential cryptic diversity
2015
How common are cryptic species - those overlooked because of their morphological similarity? Despite its wide-ranging implications for biology and conservation, the answer remains open to debate. Butterflies constitute the best-studied invertebrates, playing a similar role as birds do in providing models for vertebrate biology. An accurate assessment of cryptic diversity in this emblematic group requires meticulous case-by-case assessments, but a preview to highlight cases of particular interest will help to direct future studies. We present a survey of mitochondrial genetic diversity for the butterfly fauna of the Iberian Peninsula with unprecedented resolution (3502 DNA barcodes for all 2…
Insensitivity of Tree-Ring Growth to Temperature and Precipitation Sharpens the Puzzle of Enhanced Pre-Eruption NDVI on Mt. Etna (Italy)
2017
On Mt. Etna (Italy), an enhanced Normalized Difference in Vegetation Index (NDVI) signature was detected in the summers of 2001 and 2002 along a distinct line where, in November 2002, a flank eruption subsequently occurred. These observations suggest that pre-eruptive volcanic activity may have enhanced photosynthesis along the future eruptive fissure. If a direct relation between NDVI and future volcanic eruptions could be established, it would provide a straightforward and low-cost method for early detection of upcoming eruptions. However, it is unclear if, or to what extent, the observed enhancement of NDVI can be attributed to volcanic activity prior to the subsequent eruption. We conse…
Epigenetic Diversity of Clonal White Poplar (Populus alba L.) Populations: Could Methylation Support the Success of Vegetative Reproduction Strategy?
2015
The widespread poplar populations of Sardinia are vegetatively propagated and live in different natural environments forming large monoclonal stands. The main goals of the present study were: i) to investigate/measure the epigenetic diversity of the poplar populations by determining their DNA methylation status; ii) to assess if and how methylation status influences population clustering; iii) to shed light on the changes that occur in the epigenome of ramets of the same poplar clone. To these purposes, 83 white poplar trees were sampled at different locations on the island of Sardinia. Methylation sensitive amplified polymorphism analysis was carried out on the genomic DNA extracted from l…
New national and regional bryophyte records, 40
2014
1. Aneura pseudopinguis (Herzog) PocsContributor: K. HylanderEthiopia: Kaffa, Bonga, Gimbo, Meligawa, Barta forest, 3 km ENE of Bonga, moist Afromontane forest, among other bryophytes on dead wood,...
New national and regional bryophyte records, 39
2014
1. Andreaea alpestris (Thed.) Schimp.Contributor: L. ThouvenotAndorra: Encamp, Ensagents, 42°31′07″N, 1°38′41″E, 2520 m a.s.l., on the top of granitic rock in alpine meadow, 17 July 2006, leg. L. T...
Spatiotemporal Variations in the Abundance and Structure of Denitrifier Communities in Sediments Differing in Nitrate Content
2017
Spatial and temporal variations related to hydric seasonality in abundance and diversity of denitrifier communities were examined in sediments taken from two sites differing in nitrate concentration along a stream Doñ
The impact of arthropods on fungal community structure in Lascaux Cave
2009
Aims: To determine the major components of the fungal population present in Lascaux Cave, France. The ceiling, walls, sediments and soil were colonized by Fusarium solani in 2001 and later, in 2006, black stains appeared. However, the origin of the successive fungal invasions is unknown as well as the ecology of the cave. Methods and Results: The primers nu-SSU-0817F and nu-SSU-1536R were used for the direct amplification of fungal 18S-rDNA sequences from 11 samples. A total of 607 clones were retrieved. Eight out of the ten most abundant phylotypes corresponded to fungi associated with arthropods and represented about 50% of the clones. Conclusions: Entomophilous fungi play an important ro…
The Bossons glacier protects Europe's summit from erosion
2013
13 pages; International audience; The contrasting efficiency of erosion beneath cold glacier ice, beneath temperate glacier ice, and on ice-free mountain slopes is one of the key parameters in the development of relief during glacial periods. Detrital geochronology has been applied to the subglacial streams of the north face of the Mont-Blanc massif in order to estimate the efficiency of erosional processes there. Lithologically this area is composed of granite intruded at ~303 Ma within an older polymetamorphic complex. We use macroscopic features (on ~10,000 clasts) and U-Pb dating of zircon (~500 grains) to establish the provenance of the sediment transported by the glacier and its subgl…
Estimation of leaf area index using PROSAIL based LUT inversion, MLRA-GPR and empirical models: Case study of tropical deciduous forest plantation, N…
2020
Abstract Forests play a vital role in biological cycles and environmental regulation. To understand the key processes of forest canopies (e.g., photosynthesis, respiration and transpiration), reliable and accurate information on spatial variability of Leaf Area Index (LAI), and its seasonal dynamics is essential. In the present study, we assessed the performance of biophysical parameter (LAI) retrieval methods viz. Look-Up Table (LUT)-inversion, MLRA-GPR (Machine Learning Regression Algorithm- Gaussian Processes Regression) and empirical models, for estimating the LAI of tropical deciduous plantation using ARTMO (Automated Radiative Transfer Models Operator) tool and Sentinel-2 satellite im…