Search results for "conservation"
showing 10 items of 2328 documents
Influence of wood harvest on tree-ring time-series of Picea abies in a temperate forest
2012
Tree-ring width data are the prime source of high-resolution climate reconstructions covering recent mil- lennia. Their variations, from year-to-year, are calibrated against regional instrumental data to evaluate the strength of associations with temperature and precipitation records, though the level of variance explained by climatic variables is frequently less than 50%. Among the remaining factors affecting tree growth, the influence of forest management for tree-ring width time-series used to resolve annual climate reconstructions remains relatively unexplored. We here evaluate the impact of conventional single-tree harvesting on tree-ring data using a compilation of circumstantially ma…
Limonium poimenum (Plumbaginaceae), a new chasmophyte species from Sicily
2014
Limonium poimenum is here proposed as a new species for Science. It is a very peculiar and extremely localized species, growing on a calcareous mountain of NW Sicily (southern Italy), where it grows on rupestrian places together with many other rare chasmophytic endemics. Iconography, morphological features, ecology and conservation status are provided, as well as a morphological comparison with L. todaroanum.
A new look atOrthotrichum scanicumGrönvall (Orthotrichaceae, Bryophyta)
2009
Abstract Orthotrichum scanicum Gronvall has been considered a European endemic whose main range corresponded to the central and northern region of the continent, and it is currently included in the 2007 IUCN World Red List as Vulnerable. However, a large number of recent reports and the examination of herbarium specimens have remarkably expanded the limits of its area in the Mediterranean and Caucasian regions. Additionally, the revision of the original collections of Orthotrichum holmenii from Kazakhstan shows that this taxon is conspecific with O. scanicum. An updated description of the species comprising the known range of its morphological variability is provided, and its exclusion from…
Allium therinanthum (Amaryllidaceae), a new species from Israel
2014
Allium therinanthum, a new species of A. sect. Codonoprasum, is described and illustrated from southern Mt. Hermon (Israel). It is a late-flowering diploid species (2n = 16), growing on calcareous substrates of the mountain belt. It is a narrowly distributed geophyte, showing morphological relationships mainly with A. tardiflorum, a typical autumnal species also occurring in Israel within the pinewoods of Mt. Carmel. The morphology, karyology, leaf anatomy, ecology, conservation status and taxonomical relations are examined for both species. A taxonomic comparison with the most allied late flowering species of the sect. Codonoprasum is provided.
Sex ratio and spatial distribution of male and female Antennaria dioica (Asteraceae) plants
2011
Sex ratio, sex spatial distribution and sexual dimorphism in reproduction and arbuscular mycorrhizal colonisation were investigated in the dioecious clonal plant Antennaria dioica (Asteraceae). Plants were monitored for five consecutive years in six study plots in Oulanka, northern Finland. Sex ratio, spatial distribution of sexes, flowering frequency, number of floral shoots and the number and weight of inflorescences were recorded. In addition, intensity of mycorrhizal fungi in the roots was assessed. Both sexes flowered each year with a similar frequency, but the overall genet sex ratio was strongly female-biased. The bivariate Ripley’s analysis of the sex distribution showed that within…
Where are you from, stranger? The enigmatic biogeography of North African pond turtles (Emys orbicularis)
2014
Abstract The European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) is a Nearctic element in the African fauna and thought to have invaded North Africa from the Iberian Peninsula. All North African populations are currently identified with the subspecies E. o. occidentalis. However, a nearly range-wide sampling in North Africa used for analyses of mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA provides evidence that only Moroccan populations belong to this taxon, while eastern Algerian and Tunisian pond turtles represent an undescribed distinct subspecies. These two taxa are most closely related to E. o. galloitalica with a native distribution along the Mediterranean coast of northern Spain through southern France …
Otter Lutra lutra predation on farmed and free‐living salmonids in boreal freshwater habitats
2002
In this paper we aim to define whether fish farms or stocked trout streams substantially contribute to the diet of otters Lutra lutra living in freshwater habitats of Mid-Finland. Diet was assessed using spraint analysis. We especially focused on areas with fish farms and stocked trout Salmo trutta streams (salmonid-rich habitat) and used ‘normal’ (salmonid-poor) habitats as control. Frequency of salmonid remains in spraints was significantly higher in salmonid-rich habitats than elsewhere in all seasons, the difference increasing from summer to winter. In salmonid-rich habitats, however, salmonid consumption was not strongly seasonal. Data from spraint collection indicated a shift in activ…
Thresholds in selection of breeding habitat by the Eurasian treecreeper (Certhia familiaris)
2005
Abstract Assessment of habitat thresholds is a topical issue in ecology, both from theoretical and applied perspectives. We examined how forest structure influences selection of breeding habitat in the Eurasian treecreeper (Certhia familiaris). It is an old-growth forest passerine, which can be considered an umbrella species. Habitat selection data, covering five breeding seasons, were collected from a study area across three spatial scales: (a) territory core scale (a radius of 30 m), (b) territory scale (a radius of 200 m) and (c) large scale (a radius of 500 m). Logistic regression analyses revealed that the radii of 30 and 200 m from the nest were the most important spatial scales for t…
Effects of harvesting timber stands on goshawk nesting in two European areas
2001
We evaluated the effects of harvesting timber stands on goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) nesting in two European areas (central Italy and eastern France), by studying their occupancy and reproductive performance. We found no difference in the productivity of goshawk pairs reproducing in unlogged vs. logged stands. When considering the same nesting stand, before and after timber harvesting, we noted no differences in the number of young per breeding pair nora year effect. We observed that 87.5% of goshawk pairs nesting in logged stands moved away only when the original stand structure was altered by > 30%, and then only to the nearest neighbouring mature stand (maximum distance ca. 1.5 km). The …
Saproxylic beetle assemblages in the Mediterranean region:Impact of forest management on richness and structure
2010
Forests cover almost 30% of the Mediterranean region today, yet forest management activities have influenced structure and composition of both natural and planted forests. To date no study has been conducted to evaluate the impact of forest management on saproxylic beetle assemblages, although it is known that the Mediterranean is a biodiversity hotspot with a long-lasting human pressure on natural habitats. We provide an overview of saproxylic beetle assemblages of three forest types (mature Pinus halepensis forests, mature Pinus brutia forests, young Quercus calliprinos forests) in the East Mediterranean region using a one-year sample from 12 forest plots located in the north of Israel. T…