Search results for "Site selection"

Transient and Permanent Experience with Fatty Acids Changes Drosophila melanogaster Preference and Fitness

2013

Food and host-preference relies on genetic adaptation and sensory experience. In vertebrates, experience with food-related cues during early development can change adult preference. This is also true in holometabolous insects, which undergo a drastic nervous system remodelling during their complete metamorphosis, but remains uncertain in Drosophila melanogaster. We have conditioned D. melanogaster with oleic (C18:1) and stearic (C18:0) acids, two common dietary fatty acids, respectively preferred by larvae and adult. Wild-type individuals exposed either during a transient period of development-from embryo to adult-or more permanently-during one to ten generation cycles-were affected by such…

Site selection for the new generation of giant neutrino detectors

2012

The main findings of the LAGUNA Design Study are briefly discussed. Construction of giant underground detectors is technically feasible at several sites. Physics factors will dominate in the site selection.

Interspecific attraction between ground-nesting songbirds and ants: the role of nest-site selection

2021

Abstract Background Interspecific interactions within ecological networks can influence animal fitness and behaviour, including nest-site selection of birds and ants. Previous studies revealed that nesting birds and ants may benefit from cohabitation, with interspecific attraction through their nest-site choice, but mutual interactions have not yet been tested. We explored a previously undescribed ecological link between ground-nesting birds and ants raising their own broods (larvae and pupae) within the birds’ nests in a temperate primeval forest of lowland Europe. We tested whether the occurrence of ant broods within bird nests resulted from a mutual or one-sided interspecific attraction …

Transplantation assessment of degraded Posidonia oceanica habitats: site selection and long-term monitoring

2014

A model developed for Zostera marina was adapted and used to select suitable areas for Posidonia oceanica transplantation in the Gulf of Palermo, where recent rehabilitation programmes have reduced human pressure. This model consists of three steps: (1) habitat selection, by calculation of the Preliminary Transplant Suitability Index (PTSI); (2) field assessments and test-transplanting, to evaluate the site suitability and to estimate the effects of tearing on transplant units (about 50%); (3) identification of suitable restoration sites, by calculation of the Transplant Suitability Index (TSI). A new parameter was added to the literature model: the number of grids detached, which is linked…

The socio-economic and communication challenges of spent nuclear fuel management in Finland

2010

Abstract One of the key factors behind the expansion of nuclear energy policy in Finland is nuclear waste management. As in many countries, nuclear waste management agencies are still struggling with the siting of intermediate and low level nuclear waste management facilities, in Finland Posiva, the nuclear waste company owned by the two nuclear power utilities Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) and Fortum Power and Heat (FPH), has been excavating a underground characterization facility since 2004 in the Olkiluoto site in the municipality of Eurajoki. The facility under construction is meant to be for a part of the final repository for disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF). The site selection process …

Predicting valuable forest habitats using an indicator species for biodiversity

2020

Intensive management of boreal forests impairs forest biodiversity and species of old-growth forest. Effective measures to support biodiversity require detection of locations valuable for conservation. We applied species distribution models (SDMs) to a species of mature forest, the northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis, goshawk), that is often associated with hotspots of forest biodiversity. We located optimal sites for the goshawk on a landscape scale, assessed their state under intensified logging operations and identified characteristics of goshawks' nesting sites in boreal forests. Optimal sites for the goshawk covered only 3.4% of the boreal landscape and were mostly located outside pro…

Cultural approach to the perception of risk: analysing concern about the siting of a high-level nuclear waste facility in Finland

1999

A study of local residents' attitudes toward the siting of a high-level nuclear waste facility in Finland was undertaken in three municipalities (Eurajoki, Kuhmo and Aänekoski) that are being considered possible host communities for the facility. The results of the survey show that opposition to the facility is quite strong in two of the three municipalities, while in the third a polarization of opinions into two opposing camps is evident. The size, social structure and substance of the local opposition and support are analysed. The thesis of the paper is that in order to understand different opinions about the facility, one must understand the cultural logic of risk perception. People eva…

Effects of microclimate on nest site selection and breeding success of lesser kestrel Falco naumanni in the Gela Plain (Sicily)

2013

Ecological and social impacts of photovoltaic solar power plants and optimization of their locations in northern Chile

2017

Large scale photovoltaic (PV) solar power plants are gaining popularity in Chile. Solar energy potential in northern Chile is one of the best worldwide and true deserts are considered ideal environments for solar power plant projects. Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on earth. Nevertheless, northern Chile is home for many endemic species with 40 different vegetation types. The thesis presents studies of ecological effects (I-II) and location optimization of PV solar power plants in northern Chile (III). For ecological impacts two types of PV solar power plant technologies were studied: fixed mount solar plant and solar- tracking mounts. Study units were placed below the mounts or …