Search results for "SPECIES"

2019

Abstract Salvage logging after disturbances in forests substantially modifies vegetation structure and dead wood availability, but empirical evidence on its impact on biodiversity, especially in European boreal forest, is sparse. In this study we investigated the short-term effect of post-fire salvage logging on species richness and abundance of birds in recently burned mixed coniferous forest. Using point counts we estimated local species composition at 49 salvaged sites and 55 non-intervention sites (burnt forest left for natural regeneration) that were not logged after a fire in south-central Sweden. Local species richness, abundance and Simpson's species diversity index were significant…

2018

Odonate (damselfly and dragonfly) species richness and species occupancy frequency distributions (SOFDs) were analyzed in relation to geographical location in standing waters (lakes and ponds) in Fennoscandia, from southern Sweden to central Finland. In total, 46 dragonfly and damselfly species were recorded from 292 waterbodies. Species richness decreased to the north and increased with waterbody area in central Finland, but not in southern Finland or in Sweden. Species occupancy ranged from 1 up to 209 lakes and ponds. Over 50% of the species occurred in <10% of the waterbodies, although this proportion decreased to the north. In the southern lakes and ponds, none of the species occurred …

2021

Despite the wide recognition that strongly interacting species can influence distributions of other species, species interactions are often disregarded when assessing or projecting biodiversity distributions. In particular, it remains largely uncharted the extent to which the disappearance of a keystone species cast repercussions in the species composition of future communities. We tested whether an avian top predator can exert both positive and negative effects on spatial distribution of other species, and if these effects persist even after the predator disappeared. We acquired bird count data at different distances from occupied and non-occupied nests of Northern goshawks Accipiter genti…

Afforested fields benefit nutrient-demanding fungi

2015

Impaired ecosystems are converted back to natural ecosystems or some other target stage by means of restoration and management. Due to their agricultural legacy, afforested fields might be valuable compensatory habitats for rare fungal species that require nutrient-rich forest soils. Using a large-scale field experiment in Finland, we studied community composition of macrofungi (agarics and boletes) on former fields, which had been afforested as monocultures 20 years ago using native spruce Picea abies, pine Pinus sylvestris, and birch Betula pendula. We studied the effect of soil quality, tree species, and site on community composition and structure. Many nutrient-demanding as well as rare…

Nectar robbing does not affect female reproductive success of an endangered Antirrhinum species, Plantaginaceae

2019

ABSTRACTBackground: Nectar robbers in many plant species affect female reproductive success, usually decreasing the amount of seed produced by plants, which can affect populations persistence.Aims:...

2020

Abstract Facing the loss of biodiversity caused by landscape fragmentation, implementation of ecological networks to connect habitats is an important biodiversity conservation issue. It is necessary to develop easily reproducible methods to identify and prioritize actions to maintain or restore ecological corridors. To date, several competing methods are used with recurrent debate on which is best and if expert-based approaches can replace data-driven models. We compared three methods: knowledge-driven (expert based), data-driven (based on species distribution model), and a mixed approach. We quantified their differences in habitat and corridor mapping, and prioritizations of landscape elem…

Assessing multiple sources of data to detect illegal fishing, trade and mislabelling of elasmobranchs in Greek markets

2020

Abstract Elasmobranchs, extremely charismatic and threatened animals, still are an important economic source for fishers in many parts of the world, providing significant income through trade. Even though Greek seas host at least 67 elasmobranch species, our knowledge about their biology and ecology is to a large extent unknown. In the present study the integration of conventional (legislation, official data from fisheries landings and fish market value and import/export data) and unconventional (social media) sources of data, accompanied with the use of genetics, aim at outlining the elasmobranch fisheries and trade in Greece and identifying “weak spots” that sabotage their conservation. R…

Integrating fishing spatial patterns and strategies to improve high sea fisheries management

2018

Fishing activity in waters beyond national jurisdiction generates multiple management issues, such as data poor fisheries, management of straddling fish stocks and lack of impact assessments on deep-sea Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs). Fishing strategy is the key to understanding and managing high seas fisheries, targeting highly migratory resources that are widely distributed. An international fleet, including Spanish flag bottom trawlers, operates along the Patagonian shelf in Southwest Atlantic waters, which includes an unregulated strip of continental shelf beyond national jurisdiction. The Spanish fleet’s fishing strategy was analyzed, and based on on-board observer data collected …

Is in vitro micrografting a possible valid alternative to traditional micropropagation in Cactaceae? Pelecyphora aselliformis as a case study

2016

Several taxa of Cactaceae are endangered by overcollection for commercial purposes, and most of the family is included in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES). Micropropagation may play a key role to keep the pressure off wild populations and contribute to ex situ conservation of endangered taxa. One of the limits of micropropagation is the species-specific requirement of plant regulators for each taxon and sometimes even for different genotypes. With the micrografting technique the rootstock directly provides the scion with the necessary hormonal requirements. In this paper we present data on in vitro grafting of Pelecyphora aselliformis Eh…

An updated checklist of the vascular flora native to Italy

2018

AbstractAn updated inventory of the vascular flora alien to Italy, providing details on the occurrence at regional level, is presented. The checklist includes 1597 species, subspecies, and hybrids, distributed in 725 genera and 152 families; 2 taxa are lycophytes, 11 ferns and fern allies, 33 gymnosperms, and 1551 angiosperms. 157 taxa are archaeophytes and 1440 neophytes. The alien taxa currently established in Italy are 791 (570 naturalized and 221 invasive), while 705 taxa are casual aliens, 4 are not assessed, 7 are of unknown regional distribution, 47 have not been confirmed in recent times, 3 are considered extinct or possibly extinct in the country, and 40 are doubtfully occurring in…