Search results for "VEGETATION"
showing 10 items of 1069 documents
An overview of the Italian forest biodiversity and its conservation level, based on the first outcomes of the 4th Habitat Report ex-Art. 17
2019
In 2019 the 4th Report ex-Art. 17 on the conservation status (CS) of Annex I Habitats of the 92/43/EEC Directive was expected by every EU/28 country, with reference to the period 2013-18. In Italy, the process was in charge to the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), on behalf of the Ministry for Environment, Land and Sea Protection (MATTM), with the scientific support of the Italian Botanical Society (SBI). A large group of thematic and territorial experts elaborated the available data concerning the 124 types of terrestrial and inland water Habitats present in Italy, 39 of which are represented by Forest Habitats (Group 9),. The main aim of the work was the…
Influence of the Urban Exposome on Birth Weight
2019
Background: The exposome is defined as the totality of environmental exposures from conception onwards. It calls for providing a holistic view of environmental exposures and their effects on human health by evaluating multiple environmental exposures simultaneously during critical periods of life. Objective: We evaluated the association of the urban exposome with birth weight. Methods: We estimated exposure to the urban exposome, including the built environment, air pollution, road traffic noise, meteorology, natural space, and road traffic (corresponding to 24 environmental indicators and 60 exposures) for nearly 32,000 pregnant women from six European birth cohorts. To evaluate associatio…
Modeling the hydrological and mechanical effect of roots on shallow landslides
2016
This study proposes a new methodology for estimating the additional shear strength (or cohesion) exerted by vegetation roots on slope stability analysis within a coupled hydrological-stability model. The mechanical root cohesion is estimated within a Fiber Bundle Model framework that allows for the evaluation of the root strength as a function of stress-strain relationships of populations of fibers. The use of such model requires the knowledge of the root architecture. A branching topology model based on Leonardo's rule is developed, providing an estimation of the amount of roots and the distribution of diameters with depth. The proposed methodology has been implemented into an existing dis…
Investigation of European shot-hole borer, Xyleborus dispar (Coleoptera, Scolytidae), in apple orchards of Latvia
2015
European shot-hole borer is known to occur on a wide range of deciduous trees and frequently found on fruit trees in most of the Holarctic. During the last years increased activity of this beetle<em> </em>contributed necessity for investigation of it in apple orchards of Latvia. Because of the latent behavior it is difficult to control distribution of <em>Xyleborus dispar</em>. Often insecticides are not effective, especially if not used in an appropriate time and methods of integrated or biological plant protection are needed. In the current study, results of two year monitoring of <em>X. dispar</em> flying activity and effectiveness of two types of stic…
Comparative Investigation on the Nutrient Composition of Healthy and Injured Spruces of Different Locations
1988
Investigations on the content of cations (Ca2+, K+, Mg2+ and Mn2+) were carried out in spruce trees at two exemplary locations in the Taunus montains (Konigstein) and in the Hunsruck mountains (Hattgenstein) in the course of the vegetation period in 1985 and 1986.
Geobotany Revisited – A Glimpse at the Blooming and Influential Discipline With Its Strong Roots in the Beauty of Nature and the Pragmatic Need of It…
2022
AbstractThe dreams of Humboldt and many of his successors have not yet come true. Despite the great achievements of the last century, we still do not know the total number of vegetation types or the difference in the patterns of the distribution of diversity above and below the ground, we cannot predict all the effects of climate change on vegetation at the regional and global scale, we do not know the hidden and dark parts of species diversity in most ecosystems, nor are we able to make historical vegetation maps for many areas of the Earth. We also do not know the cultural contribution of many plant communities for the development of human populations and civilization, nor do we know the …
Effects of climate, land cover and topography on soil erosion risk in a semiarid basin of the Andes
2016
Understanding soil erosion processes in the Ecuadorian Andes with a tropical wet-dry climate and a variable topography, is fundamental for research on agriculture sustainable, environmental management, as well as for a stable water supply for the local populations. This work proposes method to estimate soil erosion risk in the semiarid Catamayo basin with limited data. The results show that the rainfall distribution and the erosivity along with the rugged topography, followed by the land cover (C-factor), are the most important factors to estimate soil erosion risk. The soil erodibility is the most important factor in the dry season for agricultural areas and where the ground cover is spars…
Vegetation as a tool in the interpretation of fluvial geomorphic processes and landforms
2016
ON THE USE OF SATELLITE THERMAL DATA FOR DETERMINING EVAPOTRANSPIRATION IN PARTIALLY VEGETATED AREAS
1992
Abstract The use of satellite data for determining daily evapotranspiration over completely vegetated areas has been analysed by different authors. However, if the soil surface is partially covered by vegetation the problem becomes more complicated, because in this case the value of the temperature measured by the satellite varies with the viewing geometry. In this work we have studied the influence of the satellite observation angle for crops with different cover degree, field geometry and ground emissivity. For this purpose we have used the simplified relation proposed by Jackson et al.LET d=Rnd−B(T3−T a)iwhere ET 4 and R nd are the daily values of evapotranspiration and net radiation res…
Biohydrology: coupling biology and soil hydrology from pores to landscapes
2010
The articles in this issue are a selection of the presentations made at the 2nd International Conference of Biohydrology. This special issue ‘Biohydrology—coupling biology and soil hydrology from pores to landscapes’ contains a range of articles on biological and hydrological interactions in soil, including large-scale systems research on the influence of forests on catchments and small-scale reductionist research on processes operating at the scale of soil pores. Copyright 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.