scholarly journals Stability of the southern European border of Echinococcus multilocularis in the Alps: evidence that Microtus arvalis is a limiting factor

Parasitology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 141 (12) ◽  
pp. 1593-1602 ◽  
Author(s):  
DIOGO GUERRA ◽  
DANIEL HEGGLIN ◽  
LUCA BACCIARINI ◽  
MANUELA SCHNYDER ◽  
PETER DEPLAZES
Keyword(s):  
Echinococcus Multilocularis ◽  
The Other ◽  
Limiting Factor ◽  
Microtus Arvalis ◽  
Heterogeneous Distribution ◽  
The North ◽  
Endemic Focus ◽  
Faecal Samples ◽  
The Alps ◽  
Vole Species

SUMMARYThe known range of the zoonotic fox tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis has expanded since the 1990s, and today this parasite is recorded in higher abundances throughout large parts of Europe. This phenomenon is mostly attributed to the increasing European fox populations and their invasion of urban habitats. However, these factors alone are insufficient to explain the heterogeneous distribution of the parasite in Europe. Here, we analysed the spatial interrelationship of E. multilocularis with the known distribution of seven vole species in Ticino, southern Switzerland. Among 404 necropsied foxes (1990–2006) and 79 fox faecal samples (2010–2012), E. multilocularis was consistently found in the north of the investigated area. No expansion of this endemic focus was recorded during the 22 years of the study period. This stable endemic focus is coincident with the known distribution of the vole species Microtus arvalis but not, or only partly, with the distribution of the other autochthonous vole species. Our results give evidence that this vole species plays a crucial role in the maintenance of the parasite's life cycle and that its absence could be a limiting factor for the spread of E. multilocularis in this region.

Diradamenti di cedui castanili invecchiati - risultati di due parcelle sperimentali (1975–1997) a Novaggio, Ticino | Study of the Problem of Thinning Ageing Chestnut Coppice Forest over 25-Years-Old: Findings from Two Study Areas near Novaggio, in the Canton of Ticino (1975–1997)

2000 ◽  
Vol 151 (2) ◽  
pp. 43-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernst Ott ◽  
Fabrizio Conceprio ◽  
Andrea Pedrini
Keyword(s):  
Practical Experience ◽  
The Other ◽  
Pedunculate Oak ◽  
The South ◽  
Central Plateau ◽  
The North ◽  
The Alps ◽  
Chestnut Coppice ◽  
Scientific Results ◽  
Coppice Forest

A study was undertaken to determine the extent to which practical and scientific results of a study in the Swiss Central plateau can be applied to the chestnut coppice to the south of the Alps in Switzerland. The Central plateau study was carried out using selective thinning in former coppice with standards and seedling forests. The neglect of the chestnut coppices which occurred during the early 1970s made this a topical issue at the time. With this in mind, our experiment was primarily aimed at answering the following question: Can selective thinning contribute to the long-term transformation of these chestnut coppices, and eventually bring about natural regeneration through seedlings? Particular interest was paid to the effect it has on improving timber production,timber quality, vitality, and species mixture. Two stands were selected for the study: these were sufficiently large to produce valid results, and had as homogeneous a structure as possible. One was a typical stand of chestnut coppice forest; the other contained chestnut coppice but also had a high proportion of Turkey oak and pedunculate oak. Two sub-plots of 50 ares were marked out on each stand; selective thinning was carried out on one sub-plot, the other was left untouched. In 1975, the condition of the four sub-plots was surveyed in great detail. All trees with a DBH of over 8 cm were permanently numbered, measured with calipers, and classified on the basis of the IUFRO system. The trees selected for culling in the two relevant sub-plots were then marked. In 1976, these trees were felled as planned. A second survey was conducted in 1980 and a final one carried out in 1996/97. Our findings largely match and confirm the practical experience gained over the last 20 years when thinning ageing chestnut coppice on dry sites, including those with an intermixture of Turkey and pedunculate oak. Coppice forests over the age of 25 were unable to replenish the loss of timber reserves by thinning. Both their growth and ability to react diminish greatly with age. As strongly light-demanding trees, the chestnuts and oaks in the saw-timber stage are unable to sufficiently regenerate their crowns once these are reduced by too great an extent through pressure from competing trees. Altogether, these findings match our practical observations and experiences. Thinning techniques used on sites to the north of the Alps cannot be applied to the chestnut coppice forests in dry sites to the south. We can conclude that the technique used in this study will not significantly improve the condition of chestnut coppice forests in dry sites to the south of the Alps.

scholarly journals Stable Isotopes Reveal the Dominant Species to Have the Widest Trophic Niche of Three Syntopic Microtus Voles

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1814
Author(s):  
Linas Balčiauskas ◽  
Raminta Skipitytė ◽  
Andrius Garbaras ◽  
Vitalijus Stirkė ◽  
Laima Balčiauskienė ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dominant Species ◽  
Trophic Ecology ◽  
Common Vole ◽  
Trophic Niche ◽  
The Other ◽  
Microtus Arvalis ◽  
Hair Samples ◽  
Vole Species ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Trophic Niches

Diets and trophic positions of co-occurring animals are fundamental issues in their ecology, and these issues in syntopic rodents have been studied insufficiently. Using carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotope ratios from hair samples, we analysed the trophic niches of common (Microtus arvalis), field (M. agrestis), and root (M. oeconomus) voles co-occurring in orchards, berry plantations, and nearby meadows (as control habitat to orchards and plantations). We tested if the niche of the dominant common vole was the widest, whether its width depended on the presence of other vole species, and whether there were intraspecific differences. Results suggest stability in the trophic niches of all three Microtus species, as season explained only 2% of the variance. The widest trophic niche was a characteristic of the dominant common vole, the range of δ13C values exceeding the other two species by 1.6, the range of δ15N values exceeding the other two species by 1.9, and the total area of niche exceeding that of the other voles by 2.3–3 times. In the meadows and apple orchards, co-occurring vole species were separated according to δ13C (highest values in the dominant common vole), but they maintained similar δ15N values. Results give new insights into the trophic ecology small herbivores, showing the impact of species co-occurrence.

Piemonte. Tra stasi e sperimentazioni, un quadro chiaroscurale / Piedmont. Between stasis and experimentations, a «chiaroscuro» framework

ARCHALP ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 66-75
Author(s):  
Antonio De Rossi ◽  
Roberto Dini
Keyword(s):  
Physical Space ◽  
The Other ◽  
Green Economy ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Architectural Production ◽  
New Meanings ◽  
The Alps ◽  
Contemporary Situation

The contemporary architectural production in the Alps of Piedmont has to be studied taking into consideration the contrasting phenomena of depopulation and tourism that have involved the mountain areas of the region during last century. In the fifties and sixties the percentage of abandonment of the high valleys reaches even 80-90%. Entire communities move to industrial urban centers in the cities on the plain. On the other side we witness to a strong polarization of the winter stations that become real “banlieues blanches” for the free time of the citizens and where the architecture of alpine modernism, with various forms, shapes. The paradox nowadays is that the rarefaction of abandoned and depopulated territories is necessary to force to start and choose new innovative paths. We witness a contemporary situation with different shades: on one side the well-established touristic territories that need projects to promote the redevelopment and diversification, on the other side the marginal places where are rising new visions are practices of reactivation of the territory in which architecture is fundamental. The topic of quality of the construction of the physical space intersects with the regeneration of places on a cultural basis, new agriculture and green economy, innovative development of the patrimony, sustainable tourism, with inclusive and participative paths of nature, by giving new meanings to places and building new economies and identities.

Sphagnum mosses (Sphagnaceae, Bryophyta) of mires Chefandzar and Masota in North Ossetia (Caucasus)

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 455-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Ya. Doroshina ◽  
I. A. Nikolajev
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
The Other ◽  
North Caucasus ◽  
Sphagnum Mosses ◽  
Greater Caucasus ◽  
The North ◽  
First Time ◽  
North Ossetia

Sphagnum mires on the Greater Caucasus are rare, characterized by the presence of relict plant communities of glacial age and are in a stage of degradation. The study of Sphagnum of Chefandzar and Masota mires is carried out for the first time. Seven species of Sphagnum are recorded. Their distribution and frequency within the North Caucasus are analyzed. Sphagnum contortum, S. platyphyllum, S. russowii, S. squarrosum are recorded for the first time for the study area and for the flora of North Ossetia. The other mosses found in the study area are listed.

HPLC Screening of Bioactives Compounds and Antioxidant Capacity of Different Hypericum Species

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 305-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Gitea ◽  
Simona Vicas ◽  
Manuel Alexandru Gitea ◽  
Sebastian Nemeth ◽  
Delia Mirela Tit ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antioxidant Capacity ◽  
Methanol Extract ◽  
Antioxidant Properties ◽  
Polyphenolic Compounds ◽  
The Other ◽  
The North ◽  
Western Area ◽  
North Western ◽  
Hypericum Species ◽  
Biological Actions

Our study compares the content in polyphenolic compounds and hypericin, in four species of Hypericum - H. perforatum L., H. maculatum Cr., H. hirsutum L., H. tetrapterum Fr. (syn. Hypericumacutum Mnch.) harvested from spontaneous flora in the north-western area of Transylvania, Romania. These species represent an important source of such compounds with different biological actions. After making the extracts, they were subjected to HPLC-SM analysis. The presence of rutoside in the largest amount (462.82 mg %) in the H. perforatum extract was observed, this containing most of the flavonoid heterosides. For the species H. maculatum, the presence in a much higher amount of the hyperoside (976.36 mg %) is characteristic compared to the other species. Quercetol is the best represented of the flavonoid aglycons, its concentration being the highest in H. hirsutum (659.66 mg %). The hypericin content ranges from 0.2171 g % in the H. tetrapterum extract, to 0.0314 g % in the methanol extract of H. maculatum.The highest antioxidant properties measured by FRAP method were recorded in the case of H. perforatum and H. maculatum.

Human density, economic level and frequency of canine helminths in Buenos Aires

2021 ◽  
Vol 95 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Rubel ◽  
N. Flaibani
Keyword(s):  
Linear Models ◽  
Buenos Aires ◽  
Toxocara Canis ◽  
The Other ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Economic Level ◽  
Faecal Samples ◽  
Human Density

Abstract The aim of this study was to explore through cross-sectional study the variation in the prevalence of parasitic helminths in canine faeces collected from green spaces of Buenos Aires according to the human density (HD) and economic level (EL) in the surroundings. HD and EL were considered as independent variables with three categories each. Twenty public squares (one hectare of surface) were randomly selected for each existing combination of the two independent variables. Ten random samples of fresh canine faeces were obtained in each square and analysed for helminths by the sedimentation and flotation techniques. The prevalence for each of the species was analysed using generalized linear models (GLM). The prevalence was modelled with a binomial error distribution and a logit link function. Helminth eggs were detected in 45 out of the 200 (22.5%) faecal samples collected and in 18 of the 20 green spaces sampled. The species observed were Ancylostoma caninum (13% of samples), Trichuris vulpis (8%) and Toxocara canis (4.5%). The GLM indicated that the prevalence of A. caninum in the slum areas (very high HD and very low EL) was higher than that in the other areas studied. However, the HD seemed to contribute more than the EL to the variations in the prevalence of A. caninum in faecal samples. The GLM showed no differences in the prevalence of the other parasite species for the different levels of the independent variables.

scholarly journals Volcanism and Volcanogenic Submarine Sedimentation in the Paleogene Foreland Basins of the Alps: Reassessing the Source-to-Sink Systems with an Actualist View

Geosciences ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Andrea Di Capua ◽  
Federica Barilaro ◽  
Gianluca Groppelli
Keyword(s):  
Foreland Basin ◽  
Fault System ◽  
Foreland Basins ◽  
The North ◽  
Source To Sink ◽  
The Alps ◽  
Alpine Foreland ◽  
Alpine Foreland Basin ◽  
Tectonic Lineament ◽  
First Time

This work critically reviews the Eocene–Oligocene source-to-sink systems accumulating volcanogenic sequences in the basins around the Alps. Through the years, these volcanogenic sequences have been correlated to the plutonic bodies along the Periadriatic Fault System, the main tectonic lineament running from West to East within the axis of the belt. Starting from the large amounts of data present in literature, for the first time we present an integrated 4D model on the evolution of the sediment pathways that once connected the magmatic sources to the basins. The magmatic systems started to develop during the Eocene in the Alps, supplying detritus to the Adriatic Foredeep. The progradation of volcanogenic sequences in the Northern Alpine Foreland Basin is subsequent and probably was favoured by the migration of the magmatic systems to the North and to the West. At around 30 Ma, the Northern Apennine Foredeep also was fed by large volcanogenic inputs, but the palinspastic reconstruction of the Adriatic Foredeep, together with stratigraphic and petrographic data, allows us to safely exclude the Alps as volcanogenic sources. Beyond the regional case, this review underlines the importance of a solid stratigraphic approach in the reconstruction of the source-to-sink system evolution of any basin.

scholarly journals Effects of the Tibetan High and the North Pacific High on the Occurrence of Hot or Cool Summers in Japan

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 307
Author(s):  
Makoto Inoue ◽  
Atsushi Ugajin ◽  
Osamu Kiguchi ◽  
Yousuke Yamashita ◽  
Masashi Komine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Lower Stratosphere ◽  
The Other ◽  
Summer Climate ◽  
The North ◽  
Several Variables ◽  
Western Japan ◽  
Cool Summer ◽  
The North Pacific

In this study, we investigated the effects of the Tibetan High near the tropopause and the North Pacific High in the troposphere on occurrences of hot or cool summers in Japan. We first classified Japan into six regions and identified hot and cool summer years in these regions from a 38-year sample (1980–2017) based on the monthly air temperature. To investigate the features of circulation fields over Asia during hot and cool summers in Japan, we calculated the composite differences (hot summer years minus cool summer years) of several variables such as geopotential height, which indicated significant high-pressure anomalies in the troposphere and lower stratosphere. These results suggest that both the North Pacific and the Tibetan Highs tend to extend to Japan during hot summer years, while cool summers seem to be associated with the weakening of these highs. We found that extension of the Tibetan High to the Japanese mainland can lead to hot summers in Northern, Eastern, and Western Japan. On the other hand, hot summers in the Southwestern Islands may be due to extension of the Tibetan High to the south. Similarly, the latitudinal direction of extension of the North Pacific High is profoundly connected with the summer climate in respective regions.

scholarly journals Atmospheric circulation over Europe during the Younger Dryas

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (50) ◽  
pp. eaba4844
Author(s):  
Brice R. Rea ◽  
Ramón Pellitero ◽  
Matteo Spagnolo ◽  
Philip Hughes ◽  
Susan Ivy-Ochs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Storm Track ◽  
Younger Dryas ◽  
Jet Stream ◽  
The North ◽  
Blocking High ◽  
Last Glaciation ◽  
The Alps ◽  
Precipitation Anomalies ◽  
Climate Cooling

The Younger Dryas (YD) was a period of rapid climate cooling that occurred at the end of the last glaciation. Here, we present the first palaeoglacier-derived reconstruction of YD precipitation across Europe, determined from 122 reconstructed glaciers and proxy atmospheric temperatures. Positive precipitation anomalies (YD versus modern) are found along much of the western seaboard of Europe and across the Mediterranean. Negative precipitation anomalies occur over the Fennoscandian ice sheet, the North European Plain, and as far south as the Alps. This is consistent with a more southerly and zonal storm track, which is linked to a concomitant southern location of the Polar Frontal Jet Stream, generating cold air outbreaks and enhanced cyclogenesis, especially over the eastern Mediterranean. This atmospheric configuration resembles the modern Scandinavian (SCAND) circulation over Europe (a blocking high pressure over Scandinavia pushing storm tracks south and east), and by analogy, a seasonally varying palaeoprecipitation pattern is interpreted.

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