Search results for "microclimate"
showing 10 items of 54 documents
Effects of temperature and moisture fluctuations on an experimental soil microarthropod community
2001
Summary We established an experiment in microcosms with coniferous forest humus and birch leaf litter for testing the effects of constant vs. diurnally fluctuating temperature and uniform vs. varying moisture, on the population densities and species richness of Collembola and Mestostigmata. These parameters and the vertical distribution of populations were analysed by layers (top, centre, bottom) at two samplings (weeks 10 and 27). The hypotheses were that populations of at least some species benefit from fluctuating microclimate, and that varying conditions permit more species to coexist than uniform conditions. At fluctuating temperature regime, four species and total Collembola were more…
Position of Blackbird (Turdus Merula) Nests in Orange Trees
2012
Nest placement affects the risk of predation and determines the microclimate for incubation. We have analysed the nest placement of the blackbird nests and the temperatures at which they are exposed in an orange plantation from Eastern Spain. The data come from a 16.9 ha of an orange plantation. In this plot, nest searching techniques were applied. Nest placement and the temperatures at midday were recorded from a sample of 84 nests. Furthermore, a sample of 16 nests was used to determine the daily variation between 8:00 and 20:00 hours. We measured the nest height, tree height, and distance from the tree centre to the nest, and the length of the longest branch. The temperatures inside the…
Assessing the Effect of Microclimate on Building Energy Performance by Co-Simulation
2011
To provide a more accurate prediction of building energy consumption, it is necessary to take into account the influence of the microclimate around a building establishing through the interaction with other buildings or the natural environment. This paper presents a method for the quantitative assessment of building performance under any given urban context by linking the urban microclimate model ENVI-met to the building energy simulation (BES) program EnergyPlus. The full microclimatic factors such as solar radiation, thermal radiation, outdoor air temperature, humidity, and wind speed have been considered in the proposed scheme. The method outlined in this paper could be useful for urban …
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 …
A very simple model for computing global solar radiation
1990
Abstract In this paper a very simple model for predicting the daily global solar radiation at any Italian location using as input of a few extensively measured meterological parameters is proposed. In fact the daily radiation G (MJ m−2) is here correlated only with the sunshine duration s (h) and the noon altitude of the sun on the 15th of the month h n (degrees) by the following equation: G= Ks 0.5 (sin h n ) 1.15 where only one value of the factor K is used. The validity of this formula is verified fixing K = 7.8 and using the data from 34 Italian stations displaced at various latitudes, altitudes or geographical situations (inland or coastal site). The test results show that the deviatio…
Setting up of a protocol of environmental research for preservation and right exploitation of the cultural heritage
2007
The research aims at collecting information on the state of preservation of the cultural heritage in Palermo, and deals more precisely with Vittorio Emanuele avenue, itself bounded by two city gates called Porta Felice (northern gate facing the Mediterranean sea) and Porta Nuova (southern gate) that both give access to the historic centre of the city. Another important purpose is the assessment of livability level, be it for workers, residents, cultural operators, or else visitors, with a particular interest in traffic noise. The research has been conducted by means of miscellaneous scientific duties; however we shall only refer here to two types of practice : the monitoring of environmenta…
The Plant as a Habitat for Entomophagous Insects
2016
Populations of herbivorous insects are naturally consumed by other predacious or predatory insect species. These entomophagous insects are thus plant-dwelling organisms that use the plant for several vital functions and are affected by plant traits at the evolutionary, organism and population levels. Many entomophagous species are used for the biological control of insect pests worldwide. The aim of this chapter is to provide an exhaustive review of mechanisms underlying the interactions between plants and entomophagous insects, including those governing life history traits at the individual level, as well as those acting on population and community structure and dynamics. We detail how pro…
Microclimate and microbial monitoring, a case study: the Oratorio dei Falegnami in Palermo
2016
The following study has been carried out during the restoration work of the polymateric sculpture “Immacolata Concezione” located inside the chapel of the Oratorio dei Falegnami in Palermo. The manufact, a typical example of Trapanese (Sicily) craftsmanship (18th century) made by pieces of fabric, soaked in animal glue, applied to an inner structure, finished with plaster and painted. The main damages were paint losses and flaking all over the surface on textile backing, due to the indoor microclimatic conditions. After the conservative restoration, in order to prevent such damages, the microclimate monitoring was performed in two steps. First, the presence of temporal and spatial gradients…
The use of vegetation for social housing renovations: A case study in the City of Palermo
2013
The paper shows the first results of a research carried out at the University of Palermo, which aims to indentify sustainable strategies for the renovation of social housing in the Mediterranean Basin, with focus on the use of vegetation as strategy for the enhancement of urban microclimate and thermal comfort. To achieve these goals the social housing complex of Medaglie d’Oro in the city of Palermo was chosen as case study in order to carry out some analyses for the assessment of outdoor comfort parameters of the area. By means of numerical simulations performed with the software ENVI-met, the actual state of the area was evaluated and four scenarios of renovation strategies through the i…
RESEARCH ON MICROCLIMATE LIGHT CONDITIONS IN A SCHOLASTIC ENVIRONMENT, BASED ON ADAPTIVE MODEL
2010
This paper shows the results of a deep research, carried out on a scholastic setting and based on a questionnaire, to evaluate the light microclimate and the satisfaction degree of the users. Through simulations, we have previously identified a number of classrooms where the conditions could be critical, both in terms of over-lightning, glare and disrespected values (suggested by the current normative). The proposed method consist in using device-made-surveys, a simulation software and questionnaires submission to users of the studied rooms. The questionnaires, based on an adaptive model, has been developed to detect subjective data (place, visus…) and other information about the setting an…