Search results for "ReSTOR"
showing 10 items of 670 documents
Conservation value of forest plantations for bird communities in western Kenya
2008
Tree plantations of native and exotic species are frequently used to compensate for forest loss in the tropics. However, these plantations may support lower species diversity and different communities than natural forest. We therefore investigated bird communities in stands of natural forest, different types of tree plantations and secondary forest in Kakamega Forest, western Kenya. We compared birds differing in habitat specialisation, i.e. forest specialists, generalists, and visitors. We recorded significant differences in mean species richness and number of individuals among the different forest types. Stands of natural forest and plantations of indigenous tree species comprised more sp…
High seedling recruitment of indigenous tree species in forest plantations in Kakamega Forest, western Kenya
2009
Tree plantations are often used to compensate for the destruction and conversion of natural forests in the tropics. An important question is whether these plantations allow for the regeneration of indigenous tree species and are expected to transform into more natural forests in the future. To evaluate the potential of differently managed forest types for seedling recruitment of indigenous tree species we studied structural characteristics as well as tree and seedling communities in stands of natural forest, different types of tree plantations and secondary forest in Kakamega Forest, western Kenya. Forest types differed considerably in structural characteristics and tree composition with st…
Rapid recovery of invertebrate communities after ecological restoration of boreal mires
2015
Mire degradation due to drainage for forestry results in the loss of mire specialist species. To halt the loss in biodiversity, ecological restoration is needed and already implemented. However, a major challenge in ecological restoration is whether actions taken have the desired outcome. Key abiotic and biotic conditions for the successful restoration of invertebrate communities can be identified by testing the “Field of Dreams” hypothesis, which postulates that if a habitat is successfully restored, species will return. This study was conducted in nine boreal mires located in Eastern Finland, 1–3 years after restoration. Parts of each mire were drained for forestry during the 1960s and 19…
Deep controls on foreland basin system evolution along the Sicilian fold and thrust belt
2015
Abstract Neogene-Quaternary wedge-top-basins arose during the Sicilian fold and thrust belt (FTB) build-up. The infilling sedimentary successions are: i) middle-upper Miocene silicoclastics succession, accommodated on top of the accreted Sicilide and Numidian flysch nappes; ii) upper Miocene-lower Pliocene deepening-upwards sediments unconformably overlying the inner Meso-Cenozoic deep-water, Imerese and Sicanian thrust units; iii) Upper Pliocene-Quaternary coastal-open shelf deposits unconformably covering (in the outer sector of the FTB) a tectonic stack (Gela thrust system). These successions are characterized by a basal unconformity on the deformed substrate believed to be the depositio…
Spatial patterns of, and environmental controls on, soil properties at a riparianepaddock interface
2012
Abstract Riparian zones are prominent features of agricultural landscapes because they are the last point to intercept nutrients and sediments before they enter water bodies. We investigated the soil properties, nutrient dynamics and vegetation composition at the riparian–agriculture interface. Soil physicochemical and vegetation properties were spatially heterogeneous along the transition from the grazed paddock into the un-grazed and revegetated riparian zone. Soil C stocks varied considerably across the site, with values ranging from 2% in the paddock to 5% in the riparian zone. Using Bayesian model selection, a predictive model for total soil carbon was developed. By including soil mois…
Exotic Guavas are Foci of Forest Regeneration in Kenyan Farmland
2007
Fruiting trees in degraded areas are attractive for frugivorous birds and may become centers of regeneration. However, a number of tree species in degraded areas are exotic species. Thus, the question arises whether these exotic species can also act as foci for forest regeneration. In the farmland adjacent to Kakamega Forest, Kenya, we investigated the frugivore assemblage in, and seed rain and seedling establishment under, 29 fruiting exotic guava trees (Psidium guajava) at different distances to the forest. The results show that 40 frugivorous bird species visited guava trees. All of the seed and 82 percent of the seedling species found under the treecrowns were animal dispersed, 58 and 5…
The façades along the Cassaro in Palermo: historical-building characterization, degradation, restoration norms for interventions
2009
The good-will to operate in the old town privileging the history and the maintenance of historic buildings, is manifest in this study on the Vittorio Emanuele monumental street, the foundation axis of Palermo, and it’s architectural degraded and disfigured fronts. The search concerning sixty civil buildings is based initially on a cognitive process that includes historical analysis, geometric and dimensional survey, investigation on constituent materials and decay systems, in relation to environmental or anthropic causes. The study includes a design proposal that, according to the individuality of cases, it would represent an intervention code about some recurrent critical aspects on which …
Changes in pore water quality after peatland restoration: Assessment of a large¿scale, replicated Before-After-Control-Impact study in Finland
2017
Drainage is known to affect peatland natural hydrology and water quality, but peatland restoration is considered to ameliorate peatland degradation. Using a replicated BACIPS (Before-After-Control-Impact Paired Series) design, we investigated 24 peatlands, all drained for forestry and subsequently restored, and 19 pristine control boreal peatlands with high temporal and spatial resolution data on hydroclimate and pore water quality. In drained conditions, total nitrogen (Ntot), total phosphorus (Ptot), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in pore water were several-fold higher than observed at pristine control sites, highlighting the impacts of long-term drainage on pore water quality. In gen…
Restoration and Enhancement of Historical Stereo Photos
2021
Restoration of digital visual media acquired from repositories of historical photographic and cinematographic material is of key importance for the preservation, study and transmission of the legacy of past cultures to the coming generations. In this paper, a fully automatic approach to the digital restoration of historical stereo photographs is proposed, referred to as Stacked Median Restoration plus (SMR+). The approach exploits the content redundancy in stereo pairs for detecting and fixing scratches, dust, dirt spots and many other defects in the original images, as well as improving contrast and illumination. This is done by estimating the optical flow between the images, and using it …