Search results for "diversity"

Grasslands and Shrublands of Kazakhstan and Middle Asia

2020

Abstract Kazakhstan and Middle Asia comprise 4 million km2 of plains, uplands and tall mountain ranges in the core of the Eurasian continent. The region's semi-arid climate, grazing pressure by wild and domestic ungulates, and long pastoral tradition, have given rise to a variety of open habitat types and a distinct flora and fauna. Grasslands and shrublands are a natural and dominant vegetation type in the forest-steppe and steppe zone of northern and central Kazakhstan, as part of the Eurasian grassland biome. In Middle Asia, grasslands and shrublands are widespread habitat types in the Tian Shan, Pamir-Alai and Pamir—mountain systems that have been recently acknowledged as a global biodi…

A new subspecies of Rosmarinus officinalis (Lamiaceae) from the eastern sector of the Iberian Peninsula

2014

Rosmarinus officinalis subsp. valentinus (Lamiaceae) is described as a new subspecies in the flora of the Iberian Peninsula. The diagnostic characters for the subsp. valentinus include several morphological differences, mainly based on a distinctly prostrate habit, a reduced leaf size, smaller calyx and corolla, and white flower. A comparative table with diagnostic morphological features to distinguish among the three subspecies of the R. officinalis is provided. Habitat, ecology, greenhouse cultivation and phenolic profile are also considered.

Repercussion of anthropogenic landscape changes on pedodiversity and preservation of the pedological heritage

2013

Over a period of time people have lived in and with their surrounding landscapes and for several thousand years transformed the soilscapes and the vegetation into cultural landscape types important for their economy and to meet their needs (Richter 2007, Ellis 2011, Hjelle 2012). The sustainable provision of goods and services depends critically on managing soils without damaging the natural soilscapes and the related natural resources. To support the transition towards sustainable development, science needs to understand how land-use change affects the environment and how this, in turn, feeds back into human livelihood strategies or infl uences the vulnerability of the environment (Rounsev…

Macroinvertebrate communities in sediment and plants in coastal Mediterranean water bodies (Central Iberian Peninsula).

2007

Sediment and plant-associated macroinvertebrates were sampled in six shallow water bodies along the central part of the coast of Mediterranean Spain. The size of ponds, salinity and hydroperiod were highly variable. Seventy-one taxa were recorded, some of them were endemic or uncommon species, evidencing the important contribution of these ponds to biodiversity. Crustaceans and gastropods of biogeographical interest were found in the most primeval site. Correspondence analysis showed that macroinvertebrate assemblages responded to environmental variables such as salinity, temporality and eutrophication. The brackish water fauna was dominated by crustaceans, while oligochaeta and insect larv…

Soil geography and diversity of the European biogeographical regions

2013

For decades, soil geography has beenmainly a qualitative and descriptive discipline. There are nowtechnologies and mathematical tools available that allow formalizing soil geography in more quantitative terms. In this paper, the distribution and diversity of the soils of Europe are analyzed using GIS tools and pedodiversity algorithms. Soil data were taken from the European Soil Database (V2.0) and computed within the spatial framework of the Biogeographical Regions of Europe (BGRE) as defined by the European Environmental Agency (EEA) on the basis of climate and vegetation. The results obtained show the soil assemblages, including dominant soils and endemic and non-endemic soil minorities,…

Methanotrophic activity and bacterial diversity in volcanic-geothermal soils at Pantelleria island (Italy)

2014

Abstract. Volcanic and geothermal systems emit endogenous gases by widespread degassing from soils, including CH4, a greenhouse gas twenty-five times as potent as CO2. Recently, it has been demonstrated that volcanic/geothermal soils are source of methane, but also sites of methanotrophic activity. Methanotrophs are able to consume 10–40 Tg of CH4 a−1 and to trap more than 50% of the methane degassing through the soils. We report on methane microbial oxidation in the geothermally most active site of Pantelleria island (Italy), Favara Grande, whose total methane emission was previously estimated in about 2.5 t a−1. Laboratory incubation experiments with three top-soil samples from Favara Gra…

Benthic hydroids associated with volcanic structures from Bransfield Strait (Antarctica) collected by the Spanish Antarctic expedition GEBRAP96

2006

During the Spanish Antarctic expedition GEBRAP96 a survey to study the benthic fauna associated with deep volcanic structures in the Bransfield Strait was carried out. Amongst the benthic samples, a small collection of hydroids was gathered. A total of 10 species, most of them Leptothecata, was recorded; only two species of anthoathecates were present. Kirchenpaueriidae and Sertulariidae were the dominant families, and Symplectoscyphus and Oswaldella the predominant genera. Oswaldella niobae sp. nov. is described and figured. Since samples were taken at great depth, the lowest limit of the bathymetrical distribution for several species is distinctly increased. None of the samples showed sig…

Heterogenic aquatic vegetation promotes abundance and species richness of Odonata (Insecta) in constructed agricultural wetlands

2019

Rare and threatened pondweed communities in anthropogenic water bodies of Opole Silesia (SW Poland)

2011

The paper presents results of geobotanic studies conducted in anthropogenic water bodies like excavation ponds, fish culture ponds, other ponds, dam reservoirs, ditches, channels and recreational pools incl. watering places in Opole Silesia and surroundings in the years 2002-2005. The research focused on occurrence of threatened and rare pondweed communities. As the result of the investigations of several dozen of water bodies, 28 localities of rare pondweed communities were documented by 75 phytosociological relevés. Associations of <em>Potametum trichoidis</em> J. et R Tx. in R. Tx. 1965, <em>Potametum praelongi</em> Sauer 1937, <em>P. alpini</em> Br.-B…

It’s More Fun in the Philippines? The Challenges of Tourism

2017

The Philippines have been in recent years a minor destination of international tourism flows, especially from Europe. Most visitors are Asians (Korea, Japan), Americans or Australians. This chapter examines some strengths of the Philippines in terms of tourism potentials (landscapes, undersea diving, cultural heritage), then its organizational and infrastructural weaknesses (transportation), as well as the lack of proper maintenance of tourism assets and the overcrowding of Boracay island, before examining the tourism policies of the national government (the successful “Its more fun in the Philippines” campaign, development of gambling, medical tourism and ecotourism). Four case studies in …