scholarly journals The Eurasian Dry Grassland Group – conserving grassland habitats in the Palaearctic region

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Venn ◽  
Alla Aleksanyan ◽  
Didem Ambarlı ◽  
Idoia Biurrun ◽  
Iwona Dembicz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Research ◽  
Scientific Conference ◽  
Plant Species Composition ◽  
Tropical Rain Forests ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Dry Grassland ◽  
Grassland Ecosystems ◽  
Grassland Habitats ◽  
Different Parts ◽  
Traditional Land Use

Grassland ecosystems of Europe comprise a variety of mostly semi-natural habitats, which have developed over long periods of traditional land-use regimes, such as grazing and mowing, and they support a remarkable level of biodiversity. At some scales, the species diversity of these habitats is greater than that of tropical rain forests. Such valuable habitats are currently facing several threats, some natural but mostly anthropogenic, and many of them are threatened with extinction. The Eurasian Dry Grassland Group (EDGG, www.eddg.org) was established in 2008 by scientists, conservationists and others who are involved in the study and conservation of grassland habitats. The organization currently has 1299 members from a total of 64 countries. Since 2004, the EDGG has organized an annual scientific conference in different parts of Europe. Since 2009, the EDGG has also organized international field workshops to collect diversity data on the plant species composition of dry grasslands and related communities in understudied regions of the Palaearctic. These data are collated in the GrassPlot database and used as a resource for collaborative research. We hope to expand this initiative to also include data on arthropod taxa. The next EDGG conference will be held in Bilbao in 2020.

scholarly journals Assessment of the conservation value of dry grassland habitats in the Inhulets River basin (Central Ukraine) based on vegetation and spider research

Hacquetia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 225-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Polchaninova ◽  
Olga Krasova ◽  
Liudmyla Lysohor ◽  
Tatiana Atemasova
Keyword(s):  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Dry Grassland ◽  
Spider Species ◽  
Grassland Ecosystems ◽  
Botanical Research ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Grassland Habitats ◽  
First Time ◽  
Selection Of

Abstract Dry grassland ecosystems are highly fragmented in Ukraine and increasingly threatened from intensification of farming practices. Evaluation of the habitat conservation importance based on multitaxon studies allows for optimizing selection of priority sites. Botanical research of xerothermic habitats in the Kryvorizkyi Iron Ore Basin has been conducted since 2012, while spiders were investigated for the first time in 2017. In the four study sites, we recorded 265 vascular plant species (23 under protection) and 95 spider species (19 are rare). Both vegetation and spider communities of the site Zelena Gully are well preserved and rich in rare and threatened species (18 plant and 11 spider species), which confirms its value as a priority site of the Emerald Network. Chervona Gully and the Slate Rocks should be included in the network. Frequent fires and intensive grazing in Khrystoforova Gully affect the spider diversity, decreasing the number of specialist and rare species, while early flowering plants benefit from this disturbance. Nevertheless, its vegetation is poorer than in Zelena and Chervona gullies. Inclusion in the Emerald Network is critically important to the investigated sites, since expansion of mining activities is constantly threatening natural habitats in industrial regions.

scholarly journals Impact of Dominant Shrub Species on Soil Organic Matter Content in Dry Grassland Habitats

Ecopersia ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 1379-1393
Author(s):  
Reza Erfanzadeh ◽  
◽  
Behnam Bahrami ◽  
Javad Motamedi ◽  
Ghasem Ali Dianati Tilaki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Shrub Species ◽  
Soil Organic Matter Content ◽  
Dry Grassland ◽  
Grassland Habitats

Grazing animals as habitat engineers for ground-nesting birds – a review of the issues

2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 ◽  
pp. 68-68
Author(s):  
K. Norris
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Vegetation Structure ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Plant Species Composition ◽  
Integral Role ◽  
Avian Biodiversity ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Grassland Habitats ◽  
Ground Nesting

Habitats associated with livestock production systems are important in terms of avian biodiversity in the UK and across Europe. Livestock play an integral role in structuring grassland habitats, which in turn affects their suitability for different ground-nesting bird species. Such habitat engineering is driven mainly by the effect of grazing on plant species composition and vegetation structure. However, ground-nesting birds are also negatively affected by the presence of grazing animals since livestock destroy nests mainly through trampling.

scholarly journals Abundance and diversity of edaphic mites (Arachnida, Acari) under different forest management systems in Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Ihsan ◽  
Retno Dyah Puspitarini ◽  
Aminudin Afandhi ◽  
Ito Fernando
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Secondary Forest ◽  
Agroforestry Systems ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Secondary Forests ◽  
Managed Forests ◽  
Tropical Rain Forests ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Human Needs ◽  
Abundance And Diversity

Abstract. Ihsan M, Puspitarini RD, Afandhi A, Fernando I. 2021. Abundance and diversity of edaphic mites (Arachnida, Acari) under different forest management systems in Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 3685-3692. Edaphic mites play crucial roles in maintaining ecosystem services that are essential to human needs. However, the conversion of natural habitats followed by agricultural intensification may adversely affect edaphic mites. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of different management systems on edaphic mite abundance, richness, and diversity in tropical rain forests in Indonesia. There were five forest management systems, which were as follows: secondary forest, production forest (pine monoculture), and three agroforestry systems (pine + coffee, mahogany + coffee, and mahogany + new cocoyam). We established a transect containing five research plots for each forest management system. Litter and soil from each plot were collected from December to March 2021. Temperature, relative humidity, and pH of litter and soil, as well as litter thickness, were measured. We found that edaphic mite abundance, richness, and diversity in the secondary forest were similar to managed forests. However, the aforementioned variables were significantly higher in “pine” systems than in “mahogany” systems. Our analysis evidenced positive correlations between litter thickness and edaphic mite abundance, richness, and diversity. Our findings may assist in selecting the appropriate forest management systems to rationalize the conversion of secondary forests to production forests and agroforestry.

scholarly journals Conservation, restoration and biodiversity of Palaearctic grasslands – Editorial to the 6th EDGG special issue in Hacquetia

Hacquetia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 167-170
Author(s):  
Orsolya Valkó ◽  
Rocco Labadessa ◽  
Stephen Venn
Keyword(s):  
Special Issue ◽  
Dry Grassland ◽  
Dry Grasslands ◽  
Grassland Habitats ◽  
Effective Conservation ◽  
Sandy Grasslands

Abstract This special issue is a collection of articles about the conservation, restoration and biodiversity of Palaearctic grasslands and was initiated by the Eurasian Dry Grassland Group at the 15th Eurasian Dry Grassland Conference (EDGC), held at Graz, Austria in 2019. The papers in this special issue cover a range of grassland habitats from montane dry grasslands to lowland sandy grasslands, feathergrass steppes and meadow steppes, and focus on the biodiversity values, conservation issues and restoration prospects of Palaearctic grasslands. We hope that the articles in this special issue will contribute to a better understanding of the ecology of grasslands and support their more effective conservation.

scholarly journals PERSONAL PERSPECTIVES THAT MATTER

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Kamai ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Preservice Teacher ◽  
Lesson Study ◽  
Collaborative Research ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
Development Model ◽  
The World ◽  
Professional Development Model ◽  
Different Parts

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the existing literature about the theoretical and practical aspects of lesson study and its usefulness in preservice teacher reflectivity. Lesson study is a professional development model that began in Japan and is used in schools and universities among educators in many different parts of the world. Collaborative research lesson study, a variation of lesson study that maintains essential elements of lesson study used in Japan, has been used with preservice teachers at a small university in Hawaiʻi. This paper seeks to highlight the differences and suggests areas of study for further consideration.

scholarly journals Diversity of the Seed Material of Selected Plant Species of Naturally Valuable Grassland Habitats in Terms of the Prognosis of Introduction Success

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 13979
Author(s):  
Maria Janicka ◽  
Bogumiła Pawluśkiewicz ◽  
Elżbieta Małuszyńska ◽  
Tomasz Gnatowski
Keyword(s):  
Seed Germination ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plantago Lanceolata ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Germination Capacity ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Current Conservation ◽  
Seed Material ◽  
Grassland Habitats

The current conservation status of semi-natural grassland habitats in Poland indicates that actions for their restoration are necessary. Many of the degraded sites require the introduction of diaspores of representative species because other methods of improving their condition are not sufficiently effective. Meanwhile, little is known about the diaspores of native wild-flower species and the biology of their seeds. The aim of the present study was to find an answer to the question of which features of the seed material can guarantee the success of the introduction. The study covered 28 plant species of 4 non-forest natural habitats (codes: 6440, 6410, 6510, 6210) occurring in river valleys. Diaspores were collected in 2015–2017. Morphometric measurements of diaspores were performed, the weight of 1000 diaspores was determined and the germination capacity analysis was carried out in accordance with ISTA Rules. The analysis was made with the division into normal seedlings, abnormal seedlings, dead seeds and fresh ungerminated seeds. Species with similar parameters of seed material were selected using the method of hierarchical clustering and PCA analysis. Three groups of species were distinguished: (1) with good seed germination capacity (above 65%), which, regardless of weather conditions during the generative development, and despite the small size of diaspores, can guarantee successful introductions (Verbascum thapsus, Veronica longifolia, Daucus carota, Plantago lanceolata); (2) species of little suitability for introduction, due to the large proportion (over 50%) of dead seeds (Armeria maritima, Linaria vulgaris, Potentilla erecta, Centaurea stoebe, Sanguisorba officinalis, Cnidium dubium); (3) species with relatively large size of diaspores and low seed germination capacity, due to the high proportion of fresh ungerminated seeds which means dormant seeds (Lathyrus pratensis, Geranium pratense).

scholarly journals Summer fire in steppe habitats: long-term effects on vegetation and autumnal assemblages of cursorial arthropods

Hacquetia ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Polchaninova ◽  
Galina Savchenko ◽  
Vladimir Ronkin ◽  
Aleksandr Drogvalenko ◽  
Alexandr Putchkov
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Pattern ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Trophic Guild ◽  
Entire Study ◽  
Dry Grassland ◽  
Burnt Site ◽  
Grassland Ecosystems ◽  
Beetle Assemblages

Abstract Being an essential driving factor in dry grassland ecosystems, uncontrolled fires can cause damage to isolated natural areas. We investigated a case of a small-scale mid-summer fire in an abandoned steppe pasture in northeastern Ukraine and focused on the post-fire recovery of arthropod assemblages (mainly spiders and beetles) and vegetation pattern. The living cover of vascular plants recovered in a year, while the cover of mosses and litter remained sparse for four years. The burnt site was colonised by mobile arthropods occurring in surrounding grasslands. The fire had no significant impact on arthropod diversity or abundance, but changed their assemblage structure, namely dominant complexes and trophic guild ratio. The proportion of phytophages reduced, while that of omnivores increased. The fire destroyed the variety of the arthropod assemblages created by the patchiness of vegetation cover. In the post-fire stage they were more similar to each other than at the burnt plot in the pre- and post-fire period. Spider assemblages tended to recover their pre-fire state, while beetle assemblages retained significant differences during the entire study period.

scholarly journals Recent historical land use change on the South Downs, United Kingdom

2003 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niall G. Burnside ◽  
Roger F. Smith ◽  
Stephen Waite
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Transition Probabilities ◽  
Temporal Analysis ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
The South ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Grassland Habitats ◽  
Natural Grassland ◽  
Clear Description

There is considerable interest in the fragmentation and loss of natural and semi-natural habitats, but few studies have examined the dynamics and mechanisms of change. A temporal analysis of landscape change on the South Downs in Sussex, UK, provides a clear description of the process of change over the 20 years 1971–1991. Transition probabilities were calculated from digital interpretations of an aerial photography time series of West Sussex. The analysis enabled quantitative comparison of landscape mosaics within different landscape ecoregions and under different management regimes to be made. Past changes in land use have produced a fragmented downland landscape. The key land conversion sequences identified show a substantial transition towards arable production, often at the expense of the internationally and nationally important unimproved grassland systems. A geographical information system facilitated greater understanding of the environmental and topographical characteristics of land converted to arable and other uses, and highlighted areas for protection and potential restoration. The patterns of land-use conversion observed in the study provide a landscape-scale planning tool for assessing the potential impact of agri-environmental policies, plans, and programmes in semi-natural grassland habitats.

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