The ecological context and consequences of colonisation of a site by bell miners (Manorina melanophrys)

2007 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda J. Dare ◽  
Paul G. McDonald ◽  
Michael F. Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Control Site ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Ecological Context ◽  
Limited Effect ◽  
Avian Abundance ◽  
Tree Dieback ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
Surrounding Areas ◽  
A Site ◽  
Causative Link

Bell miner (Manorina melanophrys) colonies are closely associated with decreased avian abundance and diversity and an apparently associated increase in psyllid abundance. However, a causative link between the presence of bell miners and increased psyllid abundance has yet to be established. We took advantage of the movement of bell miners into two new areas to investigate the ecological consequences of bell miner occupation on both avian and psyllid abundance. We monitored the number of bell miners and other avian species, using area searches, and psyllid abundance by monthly counts of lerp on leaves. Bell miner presence alone had limited effect on either bird diversity or abundance. However, when miners were also giving their distinctive ‘tink’ vocalisation, a significant decrease in avian abundance and diversity was observed. This evidence supports the hypothesis that ‘tink’ vocalisations are used by interspecific competitors to detect bell miner colonies. At the time of initial occupation, new sites did not have significantly elevated levels of psyllids compared with surrounding areas unoccupied by bell miners. Six months later one of the two newly occupied sites had significantly more Cardiaspina spp. than either the long-established colony or an unoccupied control site. In contrast, infestations of Glycaspis spp. remained significantly lower at both new sites when compared with the long-established colony, but equivalent to unoccupied areas. Given this, we conclude that bell miner occupation does not necessarily lead to an increase in psyllid abundance, characteristic of tree dieback in some colonies, and that a causative link between bell miner presence and declining tree health remains to be demonstrated.

Use of mineral mix supplements to modify the grazing patterns by cattle for the restoration of sub-alpine and alpine shrub-encroached grasslands

2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Massimiliano Probo ◽  
Alessandro Massolo ◽  
Michele Lonati ◽  
Derek W. Bailey ◽  
Alessandra Gorlier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Beef Cows ◽  
Control Site ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Gps Collars ◽  
Common System ◽  
Natural Grasslands ◽  
Vegetation Surveys ◽  
Alpine Shrub ◽  
Cattle Herds ◽  
Surrounding Areas

Throughout the last decades, agricultural abandonment in European mountain areas has caused changes in traditional livestock management with consequences for semi-natural grassland use and vegetation. In the Western Italian Alps, continuous extensive grazing has become the simplest and the most common system for managing large cattle herds. As a result, limited grazing in many rugged locations has led to an extensive shrub-encroachment of semi-natural grasslands in the sub-alpine and alpine belts. A study was conducted to assess if the provision of mineral mix supplements (MMS): (1) increases the use of steep and shrub-encroached locations by beef cows, and (2) helps restore meso-eutrophic grassland vegetation around supplement-deployment sites. During the summer grazing season, MMS were placed within 10 steep and shrub-encroached areas in two adjacent pastures (364 and 366 ha), and 12 cows were tracked with GPS collars. For each supplement site, a paired control site was identified, and vegetation surveys were performed in the surrounding areas of both sites. Placement of MMS increased the use of areas within 12 m of supplement locations compared with corresponding control areas. Cattle use of areas within 100 m of the MMS sites was also greater than expected by chance. The use by cattle, associated with trampling, grazing and faecal deposition, reduced the cover of shrubs and oligotrophic herbaceous species and increased the average nutrient N-value and forage pastoral value of the new vegetation types established around MMS sites 2 years after their use by cattle. Strategic placement of MMS appears to be a sustainable practice to restore sub-alpine and alpine shrub-encroached grasslands. Nevertheless these results must be considered preliminary as a longer period is needed to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of this practice for the restoration of semi-natural grasslands.

scholarly journals Bone Regeneration in Iliac Crestal Defects: An Experimental Study on Sheep

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Scarano ◽  
Felice Lorusso ◽  
Lorenzo Ravera ◽  
Carmen Mortellaro ◽  
Adriano Piattelli
Keyword(s):  
Bone Regeneration ◽  
Dental Implants ◽  
Bone Defect ◽  
Iliac Crest ◽  
Statistical Evaluation ◽  
Control Site ◽  
Routine Procedure ◽  
Oral Rehabilitation ◽  
Edentulous Patients ◽  
A Site

Background. Oral rehabilitation of partially fully edentulous patients with dental implants has become a routine procedure in clinical practice. In a site with a lack of bone GBR is a surgical procedure that provides an augmentation in terms of volume for the insertion of dental implants.Materials and Methods. In the iliac crest of six sheep 4 defects were created where an implant was inserted, three of them with different biomaterials and a control site. All animals were sacrificed after a 4-month healing period. All specimens were processed and analyzed with histomorphometry. Statistical evaluation was done to evaluate percentage of bone defect filled by new bone.Results. All experimental groups showed an increase of the new bone. Higher and highly statistically significant differences were found in the percentages of bone defect filled by new bone in group filled with corticocancellous 250–1000 microns particulate porcine bone mix.Conclusions. This study demonstrates that particulate porcine bone mix and porcine corticocancellous collagenate prehydrated bone mix when used as scaffold are able to induce bone regeneration. Moreover, these data suggest that these biomaterials have higher biocompatibility and are capable of inducing faster and greater bone formation.

scholarly journals Bird diversity and abundance on two different shade coffee plantations in Guatemala

1998 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 297-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorena Calvo ◽  
John Blake
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Structure ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Bird Abundance ◽  
Shade Coffee ◽  
Coffee Plantations ◽  
Bird Populations ◽  
Migrant Birds ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
Fertilizer Regimes

SummaryMany studies have examined differences in bird communities between shade and sun coffee plantations but less is known about how different management practices within shade coffee plantations affect bird populations. This study compares diversity and abundance of resident and migrant birds in two shade coffee plantations located in Palajunoj, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, that differ in their farming practices (e.g. pruning schedules and fertilizer regimes) and, consequently, in vegetation structure. One plantation represents a traditional, polyculture shade system whereas the second represents a more modernized, monoculture shade system. Both plantations supported many resident and migrant birds. Bird abundance and diversity were significantly greater during both wet and dry seasons on the traditional farm, due largely to the vegetation structure resulting from the different management practices. All plantations typically classified as ‘shade coffee’ are not equivalent, much of their conservation value coming from the more diverse and structurally complex traditional polycultures rather than from the newer, monocultural systems. Coffee production techniques that affect the structural and floristic diversity of the vegetation (e.g. pruning, application of chemicals) have important consequences for birds.

scholarly journals Ethanol-driven building fungus colonisation: “Whisky Black” in urban built environments

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigel Craig ◽  
Nick Pilcher ◽  
Alan M. Forster ◽  
Craig Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Building Materials ◽  
Fungal Growth ◽  
Built Environments ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Release ◽  
Carbon Nutrition ◽  
Surrounding Areas ◽  
A Site ◽  
Production Areas ◽  
Corporate Social

PurposeThe spirits industry is a major economic contributor worldwide, often requiring years of maturation in barrels that is associated with significant release of ethanol into the surrounding environment. This provides carbon nutrition for colonisation of black fungal growths, one type being Baudoinia compniacensis, or Whisky Black. Although growth is localised in production areas, numerous sites exist globally, and this paper's purpose is to investigate the extent and implications of colonisation.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents and discusses the results of a visual survey of the area surrounding a site where whisky is maturing in nearby bonded warehouses. The evaluation considers radial zoning distance from the ethanol source and material substrate types and surface textures. Classical key stages of Building Pathology, namely manifestation, diagnosis, prognosis and therapy, are considered.FindingsKey findings are that the colonisation of the fungus is non-uniform and dependent on the substrate building material. Additionally, rougher-textured building materials displayed heavier levels of fungal manifestation than smooth materials. Aspects such as distance, wind direction and moisture are considered relative to the extent and level of fungal growth.Originality/valueThis investigation provides the first assessment of the extent and nature of the fungal growth in properties built in surrounding areas to bonded warehouses. Such information can facilitate open dialogue between stakeholders that recognise the aspirations of values of corporate social responsibility, whilst balancing the economic importance of distilling with recognition of the fungus's impact on property values and appropriate recurring remedial treatments.

scholarly journals Polychaete fauna from the intertidal zone of the Kneiss Islands (central Mediterranean Sea)

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 215
Author(s):  
N. MOSBAHI ◽  
J.C. DAUVIN ◽  
L. NEIFAR
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Seasonal Variations ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Community Patterns ◽  
Central Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
A Site

The spatial and temporal distribution, abundance and assemblage structure of polychaete communities in the Kneiss Islands (central Mediterranean Sea) was studied at 42 stations selected among seagrass Zostera (Zosterella) noltei Hornemann meadows and unvegetated habitats sampled from April 2014 to January 2015. The Kneiss Islands represent a site of international interest in terms of their ornithological diversity (Important Bird Area, Ramsar Site and SPAMI). A total of 18,026 individuals and 92 species of polychaetes belonging to 25 families were identified. Analysis of the trophic structure reveals that the majority of stations are strongly dominated by deposit feeders (51.2%), followed by carnivores (34.8%) and suspension feeders (14%). Polychaete diversity and abundance were higher on the vegetated stations. Four polychaete assemblages are identified using MDS analysis. The distribution of polychaete assemblages are influenced by edaphic factors, particularly sediment structure and organic matter content. Seasonal variations of the polychaete community patterns at 20 stations show a maximum abundance and diversity during spring and summer and a minimum during winter. Seasonal fluctuations follow the seasonal variations of the environmental factors such as temperature and salinity, and correspond also to the lifestyle of the dominant species.

scholarly journals Water Loss and Salvage in Saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) Stands on the Pecos River, Texas

2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 309-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
William L. Hatler ◽  
Charles R. Hart
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Water Loss ◽  
Management Strategy ◽  
Control Site ◽  
Ecological Functions ◽  
Pecos River ◽  
Tamarix Spp ◽  
A Site ◽  
Saltcedar Control

AbstractWater use by saltcedar, an invasive phreatophyte, is of significant concern in many riparian zones in the western United States. Diurnal groundwater fluctuations were analyzed to estimate evapotranspiration and water salvage (water available for other ecological functions) in saltcedar stands over a 6-yr period on a site along the Pecos River in Texas. Seasonal stand-level saltcedar water loss at an untreated control site ranged from 0.42 to 1.18 m/yr. Seasonal water salvage following application of imazapyr ranged from 31% 4 yr after treatment to 82% 2 yr after treatment. Significant water savings may be achieved by chemical saltcedar control, dependent upon water use by replacement vegetation and saltcedar regrowth. A regrowth management strategy is essential to maintain long-term water salvage.

Soil selenium in a forested seabird colony: distribution, sources, uptake by plants, and comparison with non-seabird sites

Soil Research ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 50 (7) ◽  
pp. 588 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Hawke ◽  
Jun-Ru Wu
Keyword(s):  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Breeding Site ◽  
Control Site ◽  
Parent Material ◽  
Median Surface ◽  
Breeding Colony ◽  
Model Soil ◽  
Soil Parent Material ◽  
Plant Foliage ◽  
A Site

Seabirds vector selenium (Se) into terrestrial ecosystems in Antarctica and on tropical coral islands, but factors controlling distribution within affected soils are unknown, especially in temperate regions. At a Westland petrel (Procellaria westlandica) breeding colony on mainland New Zealand, the concentration of Se in petrel guano (3.6 mg kg–1) exceeded soil parent material (0.8 mg kg–1) and in all but two soil samples (range 1.2–4.2 mg kg–1; n = 52). External Se (Se not derived from parent material) accounted for 64 ± 9% (mean ± s.d.) of soil Se. Measurements were also made at a former seabird breeding site, and at a site with no Holocene seabird breeding. Median surface-soil Se concentrations (mg kg–1) were in the order burrow soil (2.6) > adjacent forest floor (2.2) > former breeding site (1.0) > control site (0.2), with significant differences between burrow soil and (1) the former breeding site and (2) the control site. In a linear regression model, soil pH, and δ15N were the only significant predictors of external Se in colony soil. The correlations are consistent with seabird input driving both the Se supply and increased sorptive uptake in an environment acidified by seabird guano. Despite the enhanced Se in colony soil, median foliage concentrations (tree fern 0.05 mg kg–1, nikau 0.08 mg kg–1) were close to the accepted minimum for herbivore nutrition. Seabirds therefore contribute significant Se to breeding colony soils in temperate areas, but this is not necessarily transferred to plant foliage.

Global Cityscapes of Modernity and Post Modernity: Vienna and Berlin 1900-2000

2005 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Jeffrey M. Peck
Keyword(s):  
Transfer Of Knowledge ◽  
Point Of Entry ◽  
European Culture ◽  
Culture History ◽  
Intellectual Traditions ◽  
Growth And Change ◽  
Surrounding Areas ◽  
A Site ◽  
The University ◽  
The Relationship

The focus of this volume is broad, both historically and topically.Berlin and Vienna, modernity and postmodernity, the twentieth centuryand two incisive Wenden of a tumultuous millennium offer anopportunity to examine central issues in the relationship amongEuropean culture, history, and politics. Cities provide a rich locationto examine expressions of creativity, growth, and change over thecourse of one hundred years. As a transit point of entry and exit, thecity becomes a site for exchange and cross-fertilization of peoples,ideas, and commodities. Cities are nodes in a network whose spokesextend beyond their metropolitan borders and bring intellectual andphysical nourishment to surrounding areas. This European centurywill be known for its great cities and the production of culturalobjects that spread around the globe. Less dramatically, neverthelesssignificant for the transfer of knowledge, academic figures will alsobe remembered for the dissemination of these intellectual traditionsto generations of students who were fortunate to cross their paths.Hinrich C. Seeba, professor of German at the University of California,Berkeley, from 1967 to the present, is one such person.

scholarly journals The effects of aquaculture activities on species composition and diversity of native freshwater fish populations

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Selin Ertürk Gürkan ◽  
Şükran Yalçin Özdilek
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Relative Proportion ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Control Site ◽  
Fish Farm ◽  
Fish Populations ◽  
Fish Diversity ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Abundance And Diversity

The rapid development of the aquaculture industry in recent years and the increase in the intensity of production has raised questions regarding potential environmental impacts. Understanding intra- and interspecific relationships between native and cultured species is important for sustainable use of natural resources. This study investigated the spatial and temporal effects of a fish farm constructed next to a river on the relative abundance and diversity of natural fish populations. Sampling was conducted at three stations, upstream and down stream from a trout farm and at a control site, on Kocabas stream in Çanakkale (Turkey) monthly between August 2015 and July 2016. There was no significant difference among the three stations in fish diversity. However, a remarkable seasonal and spatial variation in the composition and relative proportion of the indigenous fish assemblage were observed among the three stations. In conclusion, the fish farm might have influenced species composition and relative abundances particularly at the downstream station.

scholarly journals Canopy Accumulation: Are Seagrass Meadows a Sink of Microplastics?

Oceans ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 162-178
Author(s):  
Richard K. F. Unsworth ◽  
Alex Higgs ◽  
Bettina Walter ◽  
Leanne C. Cullen-Unsworth ◽  
Isabella Inman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Sediment Type ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Seagrass Meadows ◽  
High Dependency ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
The Uk ◽  
A Site

A growing body of research is documenting the accumulation of microplastics within marine sediments around the world. The hydrodynamic influences of seagrasses in coastal environments are shown to increase sedimentation of finer particles and as a result there has been speculation that this attribute will lead to seagrass meadows acting as a site of elevated microplastic contamination. To date a range of localised studies have provided conflicting answers to this hypothesis. Seagrass meadows provide multiple ecosystem services including vital support roles for a range of fisheries; therefore, there are considerable human health implications for understanding their role as sinks of microplastics. This research investigated the abundance and diversity of microplastics present in temperate North Atlantic seagrass meadow sediments relative to unvegetated sediments and examined how they correlate with the meadow structure and the sediment type. We also placed this data in the context of the current knowledge of microplastics in seagrass sediments through a global meta-analysis of published data. Eight seagrass meadows and adjacent unvegetated sites around the UK were sampled to test for the abundance of microplastic particles in the sediment. Microplastics were found in 98% of the samples, with fibres making up 91.8% of all microplastics identified. Abundance was recorded to overall be 215 ± 163 microplastic particles (MP) kg−1 Dry Weight (DW) of sediment in seagrass and 221 ± 236 MP kg−1 DW of sediment in unvegetated habitats. There were no significant differences found between the number of MP with respect to vegetation. We report evidence of the almost ubiquitous contamination of seagrass sediments with microplastics both in the UK and globally but find that the contamination reflects a general build-up of microplastics in the wider environment rather than becoming concentrated within seagrass as an enhanced sink. Microplastic build up in sediments is hypothesised to be the result of local hydrodynamics and plastic sources rather than the result of elevated habitat level concentration. Although not of a higher abundance in seagrass, such contamination in seagrass is of cause for concern given the high dependency of many species of fish on these habitat types and the potential for plastics to move up the food chain.

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