Determining transition reaches between torrents and downstream rivers using a valley morphology index in a mountainous landscape

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng‐Wei Kuo ◽  
Samkele Tfwala ◽  
Su‐Chin Chen ◽  
Hsuan‐Pei An ◽  
Fang‐Yi Chu
Keyword(s):  
Mountainous Landscape

A new bent-toed gecko (Squamata: Gekkonidae: Cyrtodactylus) from the Western Himalayas, Himachal Pradesh, India

Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4446 (4) ◽  
pp. 442
Author(s):  
ISHAN AGARWAL ◽  
AKSHAY KHANDEKAR ◽  
AARON M. BAUER
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Himachal Pradesh ◽  
Colour Pattern ◽  
Continuous Series ◽  
Western Himalayas ◽  
Basic Field ◽  
Jammu And Kashmir ◽  
True Diversity ◽  
Mountainous Landscape

We describe a new species of the gekkonid genus Cyrtodactylus based on a series of six specimens from the Chamba Valley in the Western Himalayas, Himachal Pradesh state, India. Cyrtodactylus chamba sp. nov. is a member of the subgenus Siwaligekko and can be diagnosed from congeners in the Western Himalayas by a combination of its small size (snout to vent length up to 63 mm), a continuous series of five precloacal pores on males, 13–15 rows of dorsal tubercles, 33–43 scales across the belly, no regular series of enlarged subcaudals, and a dorsal colour pattern of 5–7 irregular, broad, dark bands with much narrower, light interspaces. The new species is 14% divergent in ND2 sequence from the most similar sampled congener, Cyrtodactylus (Siwaligekko) himalayanus from Jammu and Kashmir, and is 0.5–1.1% divergent in nuclear sequence data from sampled Siwaligekko species. Many more undiscovered Cyrtodactylus species probably exist across the Himalayas at elevations below ~2000 m; basic field surveys for reptiles and other poorly known groups and examination of existing material should be a priority if we are to appreciate the true diversity of this spectacular mountainous landscape. 

scholarly journals The Influence of Different Type of Management upon the Floristic Structure of Grasslands Systems, with Special Attention on Arnica montana L.

2013 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-46
Author(s):  
Adriana MOREA ◽  
Ioan ROTAR ◽  
Roxana VIDICAN ◽  
Florin PÄ‚CURAR ◽  
Anamaria MÄ‚LINAȘ
Keyword(s):  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Soil Type ◽  
Mineral Fertilizers ◽  
Apuseni Mountains ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Organic And Mineral Fertilizers ◽  
Natural Grasslands ◽  
Mountainous Landscape ◽  
Floristic Structure ◽  
Future Management

The maintenance of semi-natural grasslands within the mountainous landscape is deeply influenced by fertilization. Application of fertilizer will cause changes in the chemical composition of the plant and will increase the palatability, decreasing the denials. One should apply fertilizers taking into account the way of exploitation of the grassland. If the grasslands are grazed, much of the nutrients return into the meadow by manure, fattening being more important than on mowed lawns where all the nutrients taken from plants are exported. The aim of this paper was to assess the influence of organic and mineral fertilizers upon semi-natural grassland’s plant diversity on different soil types. The research was carried out in Apuseni Mountains, in an experimental field with one experience with organic fertilizers  ( T1 control, T2 10 t ha-1manure, T3 20 t ha-1 manure, T4 30 t ha-1 manure ) . Mineral fertilizers complex NPK 20:10:10 ratio was applied in three quantities: 50N 25P 25 K, 100N 50P 50K, and 150N 75P 75 K. The results showed that the largest quantities of mineral fertilizers generated a considerable decrease of plant diversity. For future management actions that are meant to maintain plant diversity in Apuseni Mountains, the organic fertilization with 10 t ha-1 manure quantities administrated annually or once on two years. In conclusion is justified to make organic treatments on Preluvosol Rodic soil type and mineral treatments on Eutricambosol Rendzinic soil type.

scholarly journals Geoheritage Meaning of Artificial Objects: Reporting Two New Examples from Russia

Heritage ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 2721-2731
Author(s):  
Anna V. Mikhailenko ◽  
Dmitry A. Ruban ◽  
Vladimir A. Ermolaev
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Coal Waste ◽  
Rapakivi Granite ◽  
Saint Petersburg ◽  
Geological Processes ◽  
Urban Heritage ◽  
Geosite Assessment ◽  
Mountainous Landscape

Geoheritage is not necessarily linked genetically to “purely” geological processes. Investigations in two urban areas of Russia allowed us to find essentially artificial objects demonstrating certain geological uniqueness. The huge balls sculptured from rapakivi granite and installed in Saint Petersburg represent cultural, historical, and stone heritage. These are also artificial megaclasts with perfect sphericity. The coal waste heaps situated in Shakhty and its vicinity represent industrial, historical, and urban heritage. These are also artificial landforms creating a kind of pseudo-mountainous landscape. These examples permit us to question the importance of the co-occurrence of heritage categories for geosite assessment.

New exploration in Koryakia – the lichens of the Cape Goven, Bering Sea coast (Northern Kamchatka, Russia)

2021 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-162
Author(s):  
D. E. Himelbrant ◽  
I. S. Stepanchikova ◽  
T. Ahti ◽  
V. Yu. Neshataeva
Keyword(s):  
Bering Sea ◽  
Russian Far East ◽  
Far East ◽  
Saprobic Fungi ◽  
Lichen Diversity ◽  
The Far East ◽  
Mountainous Landscape ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Russian Far East ◽  
Lichen Flora

The lichen diversity of the Cape Goven within the Koryak State Reserve counts 394 species: 373 lichens, 18 lichenicolous fungi and 3 non-lichenized saprobic fungi related to lichens. Altogether 4 species are new to Russia (Miriquidica pulvinatula, Myriolecis andrewii, Ochrolechia alaskana, Rhizocarpon sublavatum), 1 – to Asiatic Russia (Collemopsidium foveolatum), 29 other species are new to the Russian Far East, 4 – to the northern part of the Far East. Additionally, 51 other species are new to Kamchatka Territory, and 92 more are new to Koryakia. Among the new species to Russia or Russian Far East, 11 are also reported for the first time for Beringia. A total of 500 species of lichens and allied fungi are known from Koryakia now. The richest habitats in Cape Goven are rocky outcrops and tundras; unlike in the earlier explored Parapolsky Dale, shrublands, floodplain stands and bogs play relatively insignificant role in the lichen diversity. The lichens of seashore communities enrich the lichen flora of Cape Goven compared to inland areas. The lichen diversity of Cape Goven is significantly higher than in Parapolsky Dale due to its mountainous landscape and coastal position.

Santa Fe, New Mexico's creative tourism initiative.

2021 ◽  
pp. 165-171
Author(s):  
Sabrina V. Pratt
Keyword(s):  
Native American ◽  
Census Bureau ◽  
Santa Fe ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Creative Cities ◽  
European Culture ◽  
American Spanish ◽  
Mountainous Landscape ◽  
Us Census ◽  
The City

Abstract The City of Santa Fe, New Mexico's Creative Tourism Initiative ran from 2009 to 2015. It began as a result of Santa Fe's membership in the United Nations Educational and Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Creative Cities Network. Santa Fe joined the network in 2005, and that same year a UNESCO representative involved in forming the Creative Cities Network brought up the concept of creative tourism as an economic development tool. Santa Fe, population 84,683 (US Census Bureau, 2019), is known for its history, arts, and culture in a southwestern US state that shares a border with Mexico. As a crossroads for Native American, Spanish, Mexican, and European culture, plus a beautiful desert and mountainous landscape, tourism is one of New Mexico's primary industries. The Creative Tourism Initiative, led by the City of Santa Fe, developed a robust selection of creative tourism experiences and promoted them. The City assigned staff members of its Arts Commission, the city's arts agency, to design and implement the programme. This study tackles how CTI promotes Santa Fe, in terms of training, their website, and other marketing channels.

Colorado 14ers, Pixel by Pixel

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 17-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon J. Vogt
Keyword(s):  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Computer Skills ◽  
Interesting Case ◽  
Learning Objectives ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Geospatial Tools ◽  
Upper Level ◽  
Mountainous Landscape ◽  
Mountain Geography

This document describes a capstone learning exercise designed for undergraduates enrolled in an introductory geospatial tools course. The overarching theme of the exercise, Colorado 14ers, Pixel by Pixel, is mountain geography. While immersed in a digital mountainous landscape, students explore topics of geomorphology and geomorphometry and discover how it is possible for a summit that rises well above 14,000 feet not to qualify as a true Colorado ‘14er’. To address these topics, students examine freely-available digital elevation models (DEMs) using common geospatial analysis tools. The exercise was developed with five purposes in mind: (1) students should be introduced gently to geospatial software; (2) students should enter upper-level geography courses armed with basic computer skills and a diverse geospatial toolkit; (3) students should internalize the fact that invariably digital geographic explorations are influenced by scale; (4) students of geography should be able to identify natural and anthropogenic impacts to a landscape, and; (5) to help students conceptualize what geographers do, learning exercises should include local and interesting case studies. As an exercise intended to synthesize geographic concepts covered throughout a course, the learning objectives range from grasping broad theoretical concepts related to scale and measurement to learning specific computer skills related to directory structures and file naming conventions. Deliverables of the exercise include posting four maps and answers to nine questions to a website. The outcome of the exercise is a confident, geospatial toolsavvy student who is eager to further investigate the field of geography.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Sentinel-1 and 2 Time Series for Land Cover Classification of Forest–Agriculture Mosaics in Temperate and Tropical Landscapes

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 979 ◽  
Author(s):  
Audrey Mercier ◽  
Julie Betbeder ◽  
Florent Rumiano ◽  
Jacques Baudry ◽  
Valéry Gond ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Landscape Heterogeneity ◽  
Short Wave ◽  
Kappa Index ◽  
Great Opportunity ◽  
Combined Use ◽  
Cantabrian Range ◽  
Forested Areas ◽  
Mountainous Landscape

Monitoring forest–agriculture mosaics is crucial for understanding landscape heterogeneity and managing biodiversity. Mapping these mosaics from remotely sensed imagery remains challenging, since ecological gradients from forested to agricultural areas make characterizing vegetation more difficult. The recent synthetic aperture radar (SAR) Sentinel-1 (S-1) and optical Sentinel-2 (S-2) time series provide a great opportunity to monitor forest–agriculture mosaics due to their high spatial and temporal resolutions. However, while a few studies have used the temporal resolution of S-2 time series alone to map land cover and land use in cropland and/or forested areas, S-1 time series have not yet been investigated alone for this purpose. The combined use of S-1 & S-2 time series has been assessed for only one or a few land cover classes. In this study, we assessed the potential of S-1 data alone, S-2 data alone, and their combined use for mapping forest–agriculture mosaics over two study areas: a temperate mountainous landscape in the Cantabrian Range (Spain) and a tropical forested landscape in Paragominas (Brazil). Satellite images were classified using an incremental procedure based on an importance rank of the input features. The classifications obtained with S-2 data alone (mean kappa index = 0.59–0.83) were more accurate than those obtained with S-1 data alone (mean kappa index = 0.28–0.72). Accuracy increased when combining S-1 and 2 data (mean kappa index = 0.55–0.85). The method enables defining the number and type of features that discriminate land cover classes in an optimal manner according to the type of landscape considered. The best configuration for the Spanish and Brazilian study areas included 5 and 10 features, respectively, for S-2 data alone and 10 and 20 features, respectively, for S-1 data alone. Short-wave infrared and VV and VH polarizations were key features of S-2 and S-1 data, respectively. In addition, the method enables defining key periods that discriminate land cover classes according to the type of images used. For example, in the Cantabrian Range, winter and summer were key for S-2 time series, while spring and winter were key for S-1 time series.

scholarly journals Influence of a Major Mountainous Landscape Barrier (Mount Cameroon) on the Spread of Metabolic (GSTe2) and Target-Site (Rdl) Resistance Alleles in the African Malaria Vector Anopheles funestus

Genes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 1492
Author(s):  
Nathalie Amvongo-Adjia ◽  
Jacob M. Riveron ◽  
Flobert Njiokou ◽  
Samuel Wanji ◽  
Charles S. Wondji
Keyword(s):  
Control Strategies ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Resistance Management ◽  
Anopheles Funestus ◽  
Target Site ◽  
Malaria Vectors ◽  
Mount Cameroon ◽  
Parity Rate ◽  
Control Programmes ◽  
Mountainous Landscape

Increased levels of insecticide resistance in major malaria vectors such as Anopheles funestus threaten the effectiveness of insecticide-based control programmes. Understanding the landscape features impacting the spread of resistance makers is necessary to design suitable resistance management strategies. Here, we examined the influence of the highest mountain in West Africa (Mount Cameroon; 4095 m elevation) on the spread of metabolic and target-site resistance alleles in An. funestus populations. Vector composition varied across the four localities surveyed along the altitudinal cline with major vectors exhibiting high parity rate (80.5%). Plasmodium infection rates ranged from 0.79% (An. melas) to 4.67% (An. funestus). High frequencies of GSTe2R (67–81%) and RdlR (49–90%) resistance alleles were observed in An. funestus throughout the study area, with GSTe2R frequency increasing with altitude, whereas the opposite is observed for RdlR. Patterns of genetic diversity and population structure analyses revealed high levels of polymorphisms with 12 and 16 haplotypes respectively for GSTe2 and Rdl. However, the reduced diversity patterns of resistance allele carriers revealed signatures of positive selection on the two genes across the study area irrespective of the altitude. Despite slight variations associated with the altitude, the spread of resistance alleles suggest that control strategies could be implemented against malaria vectors across mountainous landscapes.

scholarly journals Spatio-temporal analysis of the urban-rural gradient structure: an application in a Mediterranean mountainous landscape (Serra San Bruno, Italy)

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 827-870 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Modica ◽  
M. Vizzari ◽  
M. Pollino ◽  
C. R. Fichera ◽  
P. Zoccali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Landscape Planning ◽  
Temporal Analysis ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Gradient Structure ◽  
Lulc Changes ◽  
Window Method ◽  
Urban Rural ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Mountainous Landscape

Abstract. The most recent and significant transformations of European landscapes have occurred as a consequence of a series of diffused, varied and often connected phenomena: urban growth and sprawl, agricultural intensification in the most suitable areas and agricultural abandonment in marginal areas. These phenomena can affect dramatically ecosystems' structure and functioning, since certain modifications cause landscape fragmentation while others tend to increase homogeneity. Thus, a thorough comprehension of the evolution trends of landscapes, in particular those linked to urban-rural relations, is crucial for a sustainable landscape planning. In this framework, the main objectives of the present paper are: (a) to investigate Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) transformations and dynamics occurred over the period 1955–2006 in the municipality of Serra San Bruno (Calabria, Italy), an area particularly representative of the Mediterranean mountainous landscape; (b) to compare the settlement growth with the urban planning tools in charge in the study area; (c) to examine the relationship between urban-rural gradient, landscape metrics, demographic and physical variables; (d) to investigate the evolution of urban-rural gradient composition and configuration along significant axes of landscape changes. Data with a high level of detail (minimum mapping unit 0.2 ha) were obtained through the digitisation of historical aerial photographs and digital orthophotos identifying LULC classes according to the Corine Land Cover legend. The investigated period was divided into four significant time intervals, which were specifically analysed to detect LULC changes. Differently from previous studies, in the present research the spatio-temporal analysis of urban-rural gradient was performed through three subsequent steps: (1) kernel density analysis of settlements; (2) analysis of landscape structure by means of metrics calculated using a moving window method; (3) analysis of composition and configuration of the urban-rural gradient within three landscape profiles located along significant axes of LULC change. The use of thematic overlays and transition matrices enabled a precise identification of the LULC changes that had taken place over the examined period. As a result, a detailed description and mapping of the landscape dynamics were obtained. Furthermore, landscape profiling technique, using continuous data, allowed an innovative and valuable approach for analysing and interpreting urban-rural gradient structure over space and time.

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