Search results for "Monitoring"
showing 10 items of 3614 documents
Behavioural responses of voles to simulated risk of predation by a native and an alien mustelid: an odour manipulation experiment
2010
Context. Potential mammalian prey commonly use the odours of their co-evolved predators to manage their risks of predation. But when the risk comes from an unknown source of predation, odours might not be perceived as dangerous, and anti-predator responses may fail, except possibly if the alien predator is of the same archetype as a native predator. Aims. In the present study we examined anti-predator behavioural responses of voles from the outer archipelagos of the Baltic Sea, south-western Finland, where they have had no resident mammalian predators in recent history. Methods. We investigated responses of field voles (Microtus agrestis) to odours of native least weasels (Mustela nivalis)…
Influence of wood harvest on tree-ring time-series of Picea abies in a temperate forest
2012
Tree-ring width data are the prime source of high-resolution climate reconstructions covering recent mil- lennia. Their variations, from year-to-year, are calibrated against regional instrumental data to evaluate the strength of associations with temperature and precipitation records, though the level of variance explained by climatic variables is frequently less than 50%. Among the remaining factors affecting tree growth, the influence of forest management for tree-ring width time-series used to resolve annual climate reconstructions remains relatively unexplored. We here evaluate the impact of conventional single-tree harvesting on tree-ring data using a compilation of circumstantially ma…
Otter Lutra lutra predation on farmed and free‐living salmonids in boreal freshwater habitats
2002
In this paper we aim to define whether fish farms or stocked trout streams substantially contribute to the diet of otters Lutra lutra living in freshwater habitats of Mid-Finland. Diet was assessed using spraint analysis. We especially focused on areas with fish farms and stocked trout Salmo trutta streams (salmonid-rich habitat) and used ‘normal’ (salmonid-poor) habitats as control. Frequency of salmonid remains in spraints was significantly higher in salmonid-rich habitats than elsewhere in all seasons, the difference increasing from summer to winter. In salmonid-rich habitats, however, salmonid consumption was not strongly seasonal. Data from spraint collection indicated a shift in activ…
Saproxylic beetle assemblages in the Mediterranean region:Impact of forest management on richness and structure
2010
Forests cover almost 30% of the Mediterranean region today, yet forest management activities have influenced structure and composition of both natural and planted forests. To date no study has been conducted to evaluate the impact of forest management on saproxylic beetle assemblages, although it is known that the Mediterranean is a biodiversity hotspot with a long-lasting human pressure on natural habitats. We provide an overview of saproxylic beetle assemblages of three forest types (mature Pinus halepensis forests, mature Pinus brutia forests, young Quercus calliprinos forests) in the East Mediterranean region using a one-year sample from 12 forest plots located in the north of Israel. T…
Responses of soil decomposer animals to wood-ash fertilisation and burning in a coniferous forest stand
2000
Abstract Responses of soil decomposer animals (enchytraeids and microarthropods) to wood-ash fertilisation (1000 and 5000 kg ha−1) and a fire treatment mimicking prescribed burning were studied in a Scots pine stand in central Finland. The experiment was conducted on 30 × 30 m2 plots, each treatment being replicated four times. Soil animals were sampled throughout the growing season in the third year after the treatments. As a rule, numbers of soil animals increased during the study period. Numbers of the only enchytraeid worm species found at the study site, Cognettia sphagnetorum, were lower in the plots with higher ash level and plots which have been burned. In the plots having these tre…
Relationships between economic profitability and habitat quality of Siberian jay in uneven-aged Norway spruce forest
2012
Abstract In the southern and central parts of Finland, Siberian jay (Perisoreus infaustus) lives in large non-fragmented spruce-dominated forests. Due to the reduction of such forests, Siberian jay has disappeared from the southern parts of Finland. This study analyzed continuous-cover uneven-aged forest management as a way to maintain Siberian jay habitats simultaneously with timber production. Continuous cover management is able to provide the necessary spatial and temporal continuity of forest features important to the viability of Siberian jay populations. The study analyzed the relationship between habitat quality of Siberian jay and profitability of uneven-aged management of Norway sp…
Researches on the Advantages for the Environment of Using Bio-Fuels to Vehicles
2011
The paper presents researches on the possibilities and advantages for the environment of using bio-fuels , especially bio-ethanol and bio-gas. The international context is favorable to using bio-fuels, considering that a direction of European Union establishes that in 2020, 20% of the energy consumption of Romania must be provided by rechargeable energy. One source for producing bio-fuels, not so much used until now is sugar beet. Sugar beet wastes are estimated as 1.22 times sugar production, since the total dry matter of processing wastes and field wastes exceed the weight of sugar in the ratio of 55:45. The novelty of the present paper approach is the fact that sugar beet is less used fo…
Trophic Transfer of Trace Elements in an Isotopically Constructed Food Chain From a Semi-enclosed Marine Coastal Area (Stagnone di Marsala, Sicily, M…
2012
Trace element accumulation is particularly important in coastal and transitional environments, which act as contaminant buffers between the continental and marine systems. We compared trace element transfer to the biota in two locations with different open-sea exposures in a semi-enclosed marine coastal area (Stagnone di Marsala, Sicily, Italy) using isotopically reconstructed food chains. Samples of sediment, macroalgae, seagrasses, invertebrates, fish, and bird feathers were sampled in July 2006 and analysed for stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes (δ(13)C, δ(15)N) and trace elements (arsenic [As], cadmium [Cd], total mercury [THg], and lead [Pb]). Trophic magnification factors were calcul…
Dzīvsudraba piesārņojums pelēkā roņa Halichoerus grypus audos Rīgas jūras līcī
2021
Dzīvsudrabs ir viens no toksiskākajiem piesārņojuma veidiem ūdens ekosistēmās un tam ir tendence biomagnificēties. Visvairāk piesārņojuma biomagnifikācijai pakļautas sugas, kas atrodas barības ķēdes augšgalā. Baltijas jūrā šāda suga ir pelēkais ronis, taču pētījumu par dzīvsudraba piesārņojumu Baltijas jūras pelēko roņu populācijā ir ļoti maz. Pētījumā tika analizēts dzīvsudraba daudzums juvenilu pelēkā roņa īpatņu audos, izmantojot “Hydra IIC Mercury Analyzer”. No septiņpadsmit Rīgas jūras līča piekrastē atrastiem roņu mazuļiem tika ievākts akots, muskuļaudi, aknas, nieres, sirds, smadzenes un kauls (astes skriemelis). Akots konstatēts kā reprezentatīvs audu paraugs dzīvsudraba daudzumam j…
Economic and Environmental Assessment of Biomass Power Plants in Southern Italy
2022
In 2019, Europe adopted the New Green Deal as a strategic plan to become a competitive, resource-efficient, and driven economy by reducing its gas emissions and carbon footprint. Due the COVID-19 pandemic, this strategic plan was recently updated to expedite the green transition of European industries. Therefore, the present paper deals with the problem of deciding an appropriate size for a biomass plant that directly produces electric energy by means of two different conversion processes: combustion and gasification. After an initial estimation of the energy potential in western Sicily, GIS data of biomass growth were used to identify the appropriate size for the power plants under investi…