Search results for "Rope"
showing 10 items of 10402 documents
The interplay of landscape composition and configuration: new pathways to manage functional biodiversity and agroecosystem services across Europe
2019
Managing agricultural landscapes to support biodiversity and ecosystem services is a key aim of a sustainable agriculture. However, how the spatial arrangement of crop fields and other habitats in landscapes impacts arthropods and their functions is poorly known. Synthesising data from 49 studies (1515 landscapes) across Europe, we examined effects of landscape composition (% habitats) and configuration (edge density) on arthropods in fields and their margins, pest control, pollination and yields. Configuration effects interacted with the proportions of crop and non-crop habitats, and species’ dietary, dispersal and overwintering traits led to contrasting responses to landscape variables. O…
Effects of 1-Methylcyclopropene on postharvest quality traits, antioxidant activity and ascorbic acid content of mature-ripe mango fruits
2017
Introduction - Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is a climacteric fruit, very sensitive to prolonged storage with a relatively short postharvest life. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of 1-MCP treatment on the pomological and sensory traits, antioxidant capacity and ascorbic acid content in late ripening mature-ripe mango fruits submitted to a simulated shelf life at 20 degrees C. Materials and methods - Mango late ripening fruits (cv. Keitt) were harvested from a commercial orchard, located at Furiano, province of Messina (Sicily, Italy; 38 degrees 3'N, 14 degrees 33'E; 5 m a.s.l.). Fruits were treated with 1-MCP (0.005 kg m(-3)) for 20 h in 1 m(3) closed containers and then …
One taxon does not fit all: Herb-layer diversity and stand structural complexity are weak predictors of biodiversity in Fagus sylvatica forests
2016
Abstract Since adequate information on the distribution of biodiversity is hardly achievable, biodiversity indicators are necessary to support the management of ecosystems. These surrogates assume that either some habitat features, or the biodiversity patterns observed in a well-known taxon, can be used as a proxy of the diversity of one or more target taxa. Nevertheless, at least for certain taxa, the validity of this assumption has not yet been sufficiently demonstrated. We investigated the effectiveness of both a habitat- and a taxa-based surrogate in six European beech forests in the Apennines. Particularly, we tested: (1) whether the stand structural complexity and the herb-layer speci…
Variability in δ13C values between individual Daphnia ephippia: Implications for palaeo-studies
2018
The stable carbon isotope ratio (δ13 C value) of Daphnia spp. resting egg shells (ephippia) provides information on past changes in Daphnia diet. Measurements are typically performed on samples of _20 ephippia, which obscures the range of values associated with individual ephippia. Using a recently developed laser ablation-based technique, we perform multiple δ13 C analyses on individual ephippia, which show a high degree of reproducibility (standard deviations 0.1e0.5‰). We further measured δ13 C values of 13 ephippia from surface sediments of three Swiss lakes. In the well-oxygenated lake with low methane concentrations, δ13 C values are close to values typical for algae (_31.4‰) and the …
The Leiobunum rupestre species group: resolving the taxonomy of four widespread European taxa (Opiliones: Sclerosomatidae)
2016
Within the central European opilionid fauna the widely used species names Leiobunum rupestre Herbst, 1799 and Leiobunum tisciae Avram, 1968 pose taxonomic and distributional problems. In addition, Nelima apenninica Martens, 1969 is close to L. tisciae in terms of external and genital morphology, but is specifically distinct. While coxal denticulation is largely lacking in N. apenninica, the validity of the genus Nelima Roewer, 1910 is questioned again. In addition, Leiobunum subalpinum Komposch, 1998, a recently described novelty from the eastern Alps, is closely related to L. rupestre. The four species are combined as the morphologically defined Leiobunum rupestre species group. Except for…
Another alien bug in Europe: the first case of transcontinental introduction <br />of the Asiatic burrower bug Macroscytus subaeneus (Dallas, 1…
2019
The Oriental burrower bug Macroscytus subaeneus (Dallas, 1851) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Cydnidae: Cydninae), presently known only from single localities in Flores (Indonesia), the Philippines and Thailand, is recorded from the United Kingdom (hereafter U.K.). A single female specimen was collected on the semi-rural edge of Bath city by a Starling (Sturnus vulgaris L.) and taken to its nest from which it was retrieved during 2015. The specimen is illustrated and its diagnostic characters are provided. We hypothesize that this specimen could have been imported with a shipping container from Thailand.
Contribution to the flora of Asian and European countries: new national and regional vascular plant records, 7
2018
The paper presents new records for 29 vascular plant species from 12 Eurasian countries. Seven taxa (Agave sisalana, Austrocylindropuntia subulata, Lagurus ovatus subsp. nanus, Opuntia stricta, Orobanche serbica, Oxalis articulata, Vitis Ã instabilis) are reported from Albania, one (Allium carinatum) from the Europaean part of Russia, six (Dipsacus fullonum, Gagea shmakoviana, Mentha Ã dalmatica, Thymus indigirkensis, Thymus sergievskajae, Viola Ã sukaczewii) from the Asian part of Russia, two (Agrostis sozanensis, Poa mustangensis) from China, two (Carex muskingumensis, Sedum rubens) from Poland, two (Crataegus macrocarpa, Dactylorhiza lapponica) from Romania, two (Oxygraphis dela…
Contribution to the flora of Asian and European countries: new national and regional vascular plant records, 6
2017
The paper presents new records for 10 vascular plant species from three Asian and four European countries. Of this number, three species (Panicum capillare, Stipa macroglossa, Tribulus longipetalus) are reported from Tajikistan, two (Calamagrostis emodensis, Calamagrostis lahulensis) from Myanmar, two (Euphorbia taurinensis, Origanum vulgare var. megastachyum) from Poland, one (Sagina apetala) from Uzbekistan, one (Orobanche ritro) from Ukraine and Russia, and one (Leontodon saxatilis) from the Czech Republic. Eight of these taxa are new to the flora of different Asian and European countries; and two, very rare but recently spreading species, namely Leontodon saxatilis and Euphorbia taurine…
Synthesis of habitat restoration impacts on young-of-the-year salmonids in boreal rivers
2019
River restoration offers the potential to enhance biological integrity, often measured as fish population changes. We used a meta-analytical approach to synthesize density responses to in-stream habitat restoration by young-of-the year (YOY) brown trout and Atlantic salmon in 28 rivers (overall 32 restoration projects) in Finland. We also examined which local and watershed-scale factors most influenced restoration success. Finally, we conducted an expert survey to obtain an independent estimate of a sufficient density enhancement for restoration to be considered successful. Despite strong context-dependency, habitat restoration had an overall positive effect on YOY salmonid density. When co…
An integrated analysis of micro- and macro-habitat features as a tool to detect weather-driven constraints: A case study with cavity nesters.
2017
The effects of climate change on animal populations may be shaped by habitat characteristics at both micro- and macro-habitat level, however, empirical studies integrating these two scales of observation are lacking. As analyses of the effects of climate change commonly rely on data from a much larger scale than the microhabitat level organisms are affected at, this mismatch risks hampering progress in developing understanding of the details of the ecological and evolutionary responses of organisms and, ultimately, effective actions to preserve their populations. Cavity nesters, often with a conservation status of concern, are an ideal model because the cavity is a microenvironment potentia…