EFFECT OF ABIOTIC FACTORS ON COPEPOD PARASITES FROM BENI-HAROUN DAM (MILA CITY) NORTH- EAST OF ALGERIA.

A comparison is made of sponge diversity and abundance in nine cold-water coral reef locations situated in four regions of the north-east Atlantic, Rockall Bank (two reef locations, both deep, oceanic), Porcupine Bank (two locations, both deep, oceanic), Mingulay (two reef locations, both shallow, near-shore), Skagerrak (three reef locations, all shallow, near-shore). Literature data from two reefs were used to supplement our own data from seven reef locations. Geographical distance between the regions may be summarized as Rockall Bank < Porcupine << Mingulay <<< Skagerrak. The first three regions are all situated west of the British Isles, and prevailing current patterns and bottom conditions would make direct larval transport between all three a distinct possibility. The fourth region, Skagerrak, is situated away from the Atlantic regions, with larval contact hampered by long distances over predominantly shallow sedimented sea bottoms. Accordingly, we expected the largest taxon turnover to be between the three Atlantic regions and the Skagerrak localities. However, cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling clearly show, that shelf reefs at Mingulay were faunistically closer to the geographically- distant shelf reefs at Skagerrak than to the geographically closer bathyal reefs of the Porcupine–Rockall area. Further research is necessary to determine whether depth is a proxy for other abiotic factors such as oceanic circulation or trophic conditions.

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Assessing Restoration Potential of Fragmented and Degraded Fagaceae Forests in Meghalaya, North-East India

10.20944/preprints202008.0136.v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Prem Prakash Singh ◽

Tamalika Chakraborty ◽

Anna Dermann ◽

Florian Dermann ◽

Dibyendu Adhikari ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Abiotic Factors ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Keystone Species ◽

Elevational Gradient ◽

Anthropogenic Disturbances ◽

Northeast India ◽

North East ◽

Adult Trees ◽

Quercus Species ◽

Restoration Potential

The montane subtropical broadleaved humid forests of Meghalaya (Northeast India) are highly diverse and situated at the transition zone between the Eastern Himalayas and Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspots. Fagaceae family are the keystone species forms an important component of these forests. These forests in Meghalaya are highly degraded and fragmented due to anthropogenic disturbances (e.g., mining, unsustainable forest utilization, shifting cultivation, browsing, etc.). In this study, we assessed for the first time, the restoration potential (i.e. capacity to naturally regenerate and sustain desired forest structure) of Fagaceae species (2 Lithocarpus, 4 Castanopsis, and 4 Quercus species) in Meghalaya and how the biotic and abiotic factors, as well as anthropogenic disturbances, influence the restoration potential of these species. We selected fragmented forest patches in six locations on an elevational gradient on south-facing slopes in the Khasi Hills, Meghalaya. Fagaceae was the most dominant family in all sites except one site (Laitkynsew) where Fagaceae was co-dominant with Lauraceae. The family also had high natural regeneration (i.e., a high number of seedlings and saplings) but low recruitment to adult trees (DBH ≥ 10cm) at all sites. This study provides a means for assessing regeneration and a basis for forest management strategies in degraded and fragmented forests of Meghalaya.

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Assessing Restoration Potential of Fragmented and Degraded Fagaceae Forests in Meghalaya, North-East India

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11091008 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 1008

Author(s):

Prem Prakash Singh ◽

Tamalika Chakraborty ◽

Anna Dermann ◽

Florian Dermann ◽

Dibyendu Adhikari ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tree Species ◽

Human Disturbance ◽

Abiotic Factors ◽

Anthropogenic Disturbances ◽

Fuel Wood ◽

Mature Trees ◽

North East ◽

Large Trees ◽

Restoration Potential ◽

The Impact

The montane subtropical broad-leaved humid forests of Meghalaya (Northeast India) are highly diverse and situated at the transition zone between the Eastern Himalayas and Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspots. In this study, we have used inventory data from seedlings to canopy level to assess the impact of both biotic and abiotic disturbances on structure, composition, and regeneration potential of the Fagaceae trees of these forests. Fagaceae trees are considered as the keystone species in these forests due to their regional dominance and their importance as a fuel wood source, and also because they form an important component of climax community in these forests. Unfortunately, these forests are highly degraded and fragmented due to anthropogenic disturbances. We have assessed, for the first time, the restoration potential (i.e., capacity to naturally regenerate and sustain desired forest structure) of Fagaceae species in the genera Lithocarpus Blume, Castanopsis (D. Don) Spach, and Quercus Linn. We also evaluated how biotic and abiotic factors, as well as anthropogenic disturbances, influence the restoration potential of these species in six fragmented forest patches located along an elevational gradient on south-facing slopes in the Khasi Hills, Meghalaya. Fagaceae was the most dominant family at all sites except one site (Laitkynsew), where it was co-dominant with Lauraceae. Fagaceae forests have shown high diversity and community assemblages. Fagaceae species had high levels of natural regeneration (i.e., seedlings and saplings) but low recruitment to large trees (diameter at breast height or DBH ≥ 10 cm) at all sites. The ability to sprout was higher in Fagaceae tree species than non-Fagaceae tree species. We have shown that human disturbance and structural diversity were positively related to regeneration of Fagaceae tree species due to high sprouting. However, with increasing human disturbance, recruitment of saplings and pole-sized trees to mature trees hampered the resulting proportion of mature Fagaceae tree species. This study provides a means for assessing regeneration and a basis for forest management strategies in degraded and fragmented forests of Meghalaya.

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Heterogeneity in microclimate and soil parameters support diverse and unique vegetation on small natural features

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-598 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Balázs Deák ◽

Bence Kovács ◽

Zoltán Rádai ◽

Iva Apostolova ◽

András Kelemen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Plant Species ◽

Abiotic Factors ◽

Chemical Properties ◽

Vapour Pressure Deficit ◽

Soil Parameters ◽

Diurnal Changes ◽

North East ◽

Natural Grasslands ◽

Burial Mounds ◽

Small Natural Features

<p>Small natural features (SNFs) are small landmarks that differ in their abiotic characteristics from the surrounding landscape. SNFs, such as road verges, midfield islets, rocky outcrops and ancient burial mounds, provide safe havens for grassland specialist species in human-modified landscapes; therefore, their great ecological importance is in contrast to their small size. SNFs often have a high topographical heterogeneity and a related high variability in abiotic conditions; therefore, they provide a unique opportunity for establishing links between environmental heterogeneity (EH) and biodiversity. We investigated the EH components of topographically heterogeneous SNFs in a comprehensive framework, by linking environmental and biotic parameters. We studied ancient millennia-old burial mounds built by nomadic steppic tribes that are covered by semi-natural grasslands in the Pannonian (Hungary) and Continental (Bulgaria) biogeographical regions. We designated 16 study sites, each containing a few-metre-high mound with five microsites (top, north-, east-, south- and west-facing slopes) and a nearby plain grassland. At each microsite, we measured soil moisture, soil chemical properties, solar radiation and microclimate; and recorded the list and cover of vascular plants in a total of 480 plots. On the mounds, topographical heterogeneity was associated with sharp differences in microclimate and soil properties. Besides the contrast between mild north-facing and harsh south-facing slopes, east- and west-facing slopes also sustained unique microsites characterised by dynamic diurnal changes in air temperature and vapour pressure deficit. Various combinations of the EH components resulted in unique plant species compositions within the microsites, and supported the co-occurrence of species typical of contrasting habitat types, even within a couple of metres. By combining high-resolution measurements of abiotic factors with fine-scale vegetation sampling, our study provides evidence that widespread SNFs with complex topography harbour several grassland-specialist plant species and introduce a high level of EH to otherwise homogeneous plain landscapes, which cover one third of the global land area.</p>

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Incidence and Management of Bamboo Diseases in North East India

International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ◽

10.20546/ijcmas.2021.1011.031 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 266-276

Author(s):

Gurpreet Kaur Bhamra Rajib Kumar Borah

Keyword(s):

Cultural Practices ◽

Control Measure ◽

Abiotic Factors ◽

Severe Disease ◽

Foliar Spray ◽

Northeast India ◽

Emerging Diseases ◽

Effective Control ◽

North East ◽

Blight Disease

Bamboo is an indispensable plant resource for the rural people of Northeast India due to its diverse use in everyday life. In India, there are about 136 species of bamboo belonging to 23 genera, covering an area of about 14 million hectares. Of these, the Northeastern region has 15 genera and 90 species covering 29,396 sq. km, which comprises of about 28% of the total bamboo growing area in the country. However, the production potential of bamboo is greatly affected by various biotic and abiotic factors viz., erratic rainfall, fire, grazing, unscientific harvesting and pests and diseases. A total 437 microbes, belonging to 12 phyla and 46 orders have been reported to affect bamboos in India. However, only 37 fungal diseases have been reported to affect bamboos in Northeast India of which, 6 are nursery diseases and 31 are plantation diseases. Among these, web blight disease of bamboo caused by Rhizoctonia solani in Bambusa bambos is one of the most serious emerging diseases of bamboo nurseries. The fungus grows in a very rapid manner which can eventually destroy the whole nursery bed within a few days of infection. Foliar spray of Validamycin (0.1%) or Propiconazole (0.1%) at an interval of 15 days after emergence of seedlings proved to be an effective control measure for the disease. Among the diseases in plantations, culm rot and bamboo blight disease caused by Fusarium udum, is the most severe disease affecting economically important bamboo plantations viz., Bambusa balcooa, B. tulda and B. nutans in Assam. The disease is most common in the flood affected areas and could be managed by adopting routine cultural practices followed by soil drenching with Carbendazim @ 0.1% twice (once before and once after the emergence of new shoots).

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Ras al Khaimah: further archaeological discoveries

Antiquity ◽

10.1017/s0003598x00150070 ◽

1976 ◽

Vol 50 (200) ◽

pp. 216-222

Author(s):

Beatrice De Cardi

Keyword(s):

United Arab Emirates ◽

The State ◽

Focused Attention ◽

North East ◽

The North ◽

History Of ◽

The City

Ras a1 Khaimah is the most northerly of the seven states comprising the United Arab Emirates and its Ruler, H. H. Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammad al-Qasimi, is keenly interested in the history of the state and its people. Survey carried out there jointly with Dr D. B. Doe in 1968 had focused attention on the site of JuIfar which lies just north of the present town of Ras a1 Khaimah (de Cardi, 1971, 230-2). Julfar was in existence in Abbasid times and its importance as an entrep6t during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries-the Portuguese Period-is reflected by the quantity and variety of imported wares to be found among the ruins of the city. Most of the sites discovered during the survey dated from that period but a group of cairns near Ghalilah and some long gabled graves in the Shimal area to the north-east of the date-groves behind Ras a1 Khaimah (map, FIG. I) clearly represented a more distant past.

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