Search results for "forest"
showing 10 items of 3780 documents
Pesticides and conservation of large ungulates: Health risk to European bison from plant protection products as a result of crop depredation.
2020
The coexistence of large mammals and humans in the contemporary landscape is a big challenge for conservationists. Wild ungulates that forage on arable fields are exposed to the negative effects of pesticides, and this problem also applies to protected species for which intoxication by pesticides may pose a health risk and directly affect the effectiveness of conservation efforts. In this paper we assessed the threat posed by pesticides to the European bison Bison bonasus, a species successfully restituted after being extinct in the wild. We studied samples of B. bonasus liver from three free-living populations in Poland (Białowieska, Knyszyńska, and Borecka forests) and captive individuals…
Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence varies by cat breed.
2017
Toxoplasma gondii is a widespread zoonotic parasite that is relevant for veterinary and public health. The domestic cat, the definitive host species with the largest worldwide population, has become evolutionarily and epidemiologically the most important host of T. gondii. The outcome of T. gondii infection is influenced by congenital and acquired host characteristics. We detected differences in T. gondii seroprevalence by cat breed in our previous studies. The aims of this study were to estimate T. gondii seroprevalence in selected domestic cat breeds, and to evaluate whether being of a certain breed is associated with T. gondii seropositivity, when the age and lifestyle of the cat are tak…
Limiting immunopathology: Interaction between carotenoids and enzymatic antioxidant defences.
2015
The release of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS) during the inflammatory response generates damages to host tissues, referred to as immunopathology, and is an important factor in ecological immunology. The integrated antioxidant system, comprising endogenous antioxidant enzymes (e.g. superoxide dismutase SOD, and catalase CAT) and dietary antioxidants (e.g. carotenoids), helps to cope with immune-mediated oxidative stress. Crustaceans store large amounts of dietary carotenoids for yet unclear reasons. While being immunostimulants and antioxidants, the interaction of these pigments with antioxidant enzymes remains unclear. Here, we tested the interaction between dietary supp…
Impact of Busy Roads on Breeding Success in Pied Flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca
2002
The impact of dense traffic on the breeding success in pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) was studied using roadside nest-boxes. Nest site selection and breeding success of flycatchers were observed in relation to the distance from the road. The number of occupied territories was no higher closer to the road than it was deeper inside the forest. The distance to the road had no effect on the laying date, clutch size, or brood size. However, nests closer to the road were more likely to fail at the chick stage. The number of broods that were closer to roads and were lost completely was significantly higher than those further away. As a consequence, the number of fledglings per breeding atte…
Ethnobotanical study in the Madonie Regional Park (Central Sicily, Italy)—Medicinal use of wild shrub and herbaceous plant species
2013
Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance This paper illustrates the results of an ethnobotanical study carried out in the Madonie Regional Park (Central Sicily, Italy). It specifies the medicinal uses of plants in the study area and contains the results of a quantitative analysis carried out for the first time in an area noted for its high degree of biodiversity. It also introduces 28 species not previously accounted for in the area of study for their medicinal uses, highlighting Silene flos-cuculi L. Greuter & Burdet, little known as medicinal in the Mediterranean area. Aim of the study To understand to what extent current knowledge on medicinal-use plants is still an element of the culture…
Orthoptera Tettigoniidae as indicators of biodiversity hotspots in the Guinean Forests of Central and West Tropical Africa
2021
The present paper has two aims: 1) to present the results of the study of selected species of Orthoptera Tettigoniidae collected in the Guinean forests of West Africa and in the important hotspot of Dzanga-Ndoki National Park (Central African Republic); 2) to carry out a check-list of six subfamilies of Tettigoniidae (Pseudophyllinae, Conocephalinae, Hexacentrinae, Phaneropterinae, Mecopodinae and Hetrodinae) living in Central-West tropical Africa, in particular in two main tropical forests, in the subregion of upper Guinea, and in the subregion Nigeria-Cameroon plus the biodiversity hotspots of Central African Republic and Gabon. Many new records are reported and the following new species …
Quantitative parameters and ecological implications of a specialized tritrophic interaction involving a seed-feeding tortricid, Pseudargyrotoza conwa…
2014
Producción Científica
Helminth communities of two green frogs (Rana perezi and Rana saharica) from both shores of the Alboran Sea.
2006
Les communautes d'helminthes de deux populations de grenouilles vertes des rivages de la mer d'Alboran (mediterraneen occidental) ont ete etudiees. Des 79 grenouilles examinees pour etudier les helminthes, 39 exemplaires de Rana saharica ont ete captures a Bab-Taza (Maroc), et 40 de l'espece Rana perezi dans le Parc Naturel Sierra de Grazalema (Espagne). Bien que la richesse des especes d'helminthes soient identique dans les deux secteurs d'echantillonnage, les differences observees dans la structure des infracommunautes d'helminthes sont assez importantes. Statistiquement, des differences significatives ont ete trouvees entre la richesse en especes et la diversite des infracommunautes chez…
Urban green and grey space in relation to respiratory health in children
2017
We assessed the effect of three different indices of urban built environment on allergic and respiratory conditions.This study involved 2472 children participating in the ongoing INMA birth cohort located in two bio-geographic regions (Euro-Siberian and Mediterranean) in Spain. Residential surrounding built environment was characterised as 1) residential surrounding greenness based on satellite-derived normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), 2) residential proximity to green spaces and 3) residential surrounding greyness based on urban land use patterns. Information on wheezing, bronchitis, asthma and allergic rhinitis up to age 4 years was obtained from parent-completed questionnair…
Popular uses of wild plant species for medicinal purposes in the Nebrodi Regional Park (North-Eastern Sicily, Italy)
2014
Ethnopharmacological relevance: The area of the Nebrodi Regional Park (North-Eastern Sicily, Italy) has Q3 been quantitatively investigated in an ethnobotanical study for the first time. A total of 90 wild species are used for medicinal purposes and the uses of 5 species have not previously been reported in ethnobotanical studies in Italy (e.g., the use of Arisarum vulgare O. Targ. Tozz. for the treatment of rheumatic pains, the use of Silene vulgaris (Moench) Garcke for the treatment of liver diseases). Aim of the study: The aim of this paper was to understand to what extent current knowledge on the medicinal use of plants is still an element of the culture within the rural populations of …