scholarly journals Relict populations of Lyonetia ledi Wocke, 1859 (Lepidoptera, Lyonetiidae) from the Alps indicate postglacial host-plant shift to the famous Alpenrose (Rhododendron ferrugineum L.)

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 101-106
Author(s):  
Peter Huemer ◽  
Jürg Schmid
Keyword(s):  
Host Plant ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Leaf Miner ◽  
Coi Gene ◽  
Peat Bogs ◽  
Primary Host ◽  
North East ◽  
Rhododendron Ferrugineum ◽  
Relict Populations ◽  
The Alps

Lyonetia ledi Wocke, 1859 (Lyonetiidae), was hitherto considered as a boreal species with a circumpolar distribution pattern and relict populations in isolated peat bogs north-east of the Alps (Austria, Czech Republic, Germany). In Europe it is known as a leaf-miner on Rhododendron tomentosum Stokes ex Harmaja (Ericaceae) as the primary host-plant and also Myrica gale L. (Myricaceae). The first record of L. ledi from the Swiss Alps on Rhododendron ferrugineum L., the famous Alpenrose, indicates an ancient host-plant switch during postglacial periods when R. tomentosum and R. ferrugineum shared habitat in the prealps. Conspecificity with northern populations is supported by the adult morphology and supplementing DNA barcodes (mtDNA COI gene). L. ledi is the first obligatory leaf-mining species on R. ferrugineum. Details of the life-history and habitat are described and figured. The record finally substantiates the probability of an autochthonous population in Carinthia (Austria), from where the species was recently published as new to the Alps.

Benefits of Fragmentation in a Traditional Society: A Case from the Swiss Alps

1973 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Friedl
Keyword(s):  
Second World War ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Traditional Society ◽  
Agricultural Labor ◽  
World War ◽  
The Alps ◽  
Second World

Fragmentation of land and buildings was common in the Alps due to the nature of the interplay between economy and ecology. A fragmented holding allowed a farmer to spread his agricultural labor evenly throughout the season, while at the same time protecting him against the everpresent dangers of avalanche and flooding. Following the second world war, with a shift from agriculture to industry as the basis of the rural alpine economy, fragmentation came to be more of a nuisance than a necessity. Finally, with the introduction of tourism, new uses for land, particularly for house sites, rendered fragmentation totally useless. Yet the practice continues, deeply ingrained in the conservative rural tradition.

The shape and infill of the Basadingen overdeepened glacial valley from P-wave seismic reflections

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna-Catharina Brandt ◽  
David C. Tanner ◽  
Hermann Buness ◽  
Thomas Burschil ◽  
Gerald Gabriel
Keyword(s):  
P Wave ◽  
Borehole Data ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Glacier Valley ◽  
Sedimentary System ◽  
Climatic History ◽  
The Alps ◽  
Seismic Reflections ◽  
Seismic Images

<p><span>Overdeepened valleys in the Alps allow to probe the glacial sedimentation record, which in turn can illuminate the climatic history. In particular, seismic reflections can be used to extend punctual borehole data (for instance a number of boreholes are to be drilled into Alpine glacial overdeepened valleys as part of the DOVE ICDP project) in the second dimension or even survey a region before drilling begins. Thus, we use detailed, 2-D seismic P-wave profiles to reveal the shape and infill of an overdeepened Rhine glacier valley in the area of Basadingen, near to the German/Swiss border. We acquired two profiles nearly perpendicular to the valley strike, approximately 500 m apart. The first profile was 1246 m long, and consisted of a single spread of 624 geophones. The second profile was 1120 m long and was acquired using 200 3-component geophones using a roll-along method. For both profiles we used a vibro-source with a 12 s linear sweep of 20-240 Hz at every second geophone (two metre spacing), which produced a high fold.</span></p><p><span>Both seismic images reveal that the overdeepened basin at this location is asymmetrical and circa 260 m deep, although the deepest part (220</span><span> </span><span>m wide) covers only a small portion of the broader main valley. The infill is characterised by at least three unconformities and distinct onlap and erosive boundaries between the sedimentary units. We interpret the infill to represent a highly dynamic sedimentary system. The lower part, within the deepest part of the basin is filled with chaotic sediments and slumping. Above a major unconformity, the upper part contains strongly-dipping reflectors that probably represent a prograding point-bar in a glacio-fluviatile environment that migrated toward the north-east. Beneath the deepest part of the basin we see evidence for faults in the Tertiary Molasse basement, which correlate with known faults at the surface. The faults most likely caused the valley to be sited at this location and they were probably also the cause of the ‘valley in valley’ shape.</span></p><p><span>A new DOVE research borehole will be drilled in the centre of the valley in 2021. This will bring more light on the sedimentary history and OSL-dating of the material will bracket the timing of the infill. </span></p>

The Collapse of Thermal Contraction

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi Oreskes
Keyword(s):  
Field Work ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Lower Limbs ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Late Nineteenth Century ◽  
Thermal Contraction ◽  
Thrust Faults ◽  
The Alps ◽  
Academy Of Sciences ◽  
Contraction Theory

In 1901, Karl Zittel, president of the Bavarian Royal Academy of Sciences, declared that “Suess has secured almost general recognition for the contraction theory” of mountain-building. This was wishful thinking. Suess’s Das Antlitz der Erde was indeed an influential work, but by the time Suess finished the final volume (1904), the thermal contraction theory was under serious attack. Problems were evident from three different but equally important quarters. The most obvious problem for contraction theory arose from field studies of mountains themselves. As early as the 1840s, it had been recognized that the Swiss Alps contained large slabs of rock that appeared to have been transported laterally over enormous distances. These slabs consisted of nearly flat-lying rocks that might be construed as undisplaced, except that they lay on top of younger rocks. In the late nineteenth century, several prominent geologists, most notably Albert Heim (1849 –1937), undertook extensive field work in the Alps to attempt to resolve their structure. Heim’s detailed field work, beautiful maps, and elegant prose convinced geological colleagues that the Alpine strata had been displaced horizontally over enormous distances. In some cases, the rocks had been accordioned so tightly that layers that previously extended horizontally for hundreds of kilometers were now reduced to distances of a few kilometers. But in even more startling cases, the rocks were scarcely folded at all, as if huge slabs of rocks had been simply lifted up from one area of the crust and laid down in another. Heim interpreted the slabs of displaced rock in his own Glarus district as a huge double fold with missing lower limbs, but in 1884 the French geologist Marcel Bertrand (1847–1907) argued that these displacements were not folds but faults. Large segments of the Alps were the result of huge faults that had thrust strata from south to north, over and on top of younger rocks. August Rothpletz (1853–1918), an Austrian geologist, realized that the Alpine thrust faults were similar to those that had been earlier described by the Rogers brothers in the Appalachians. By the late 1880s, thrust faults had been mapped in detail in North America, Scotland, and Scandinavia.

scholarly journals Changing Host Plants Causes Structural Differences in the Parasitoid Complex of the Monophagous Moth Yponomeuta evonymella, but Does Not Improve Survival Rate

Insects ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Łukowski ◽  
Janek ◽  
Baraniak ◽  
Walczak ◽  
Karolewski
Keyword(s):  
Survival Rate ◽  
Host Plant ◽  
Free Space ◽  
Total Mortality ◽  
Larval Rearing ◽  
Primary Host ◽  
New Host ◽  
Parasitoid Complex ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Enemy Free Space

Recently in Poland, cases of host expansion have frequently been observed in the typically monophagous bird-cherry ermine moth (Yponomeuta evonymella), which has moved from its native host plant, bird cherry (Prunus padus), to a new, widely distributed plant that is invasive in Europe, black cherry (P. serotina). We attempted to verify the reasons behind this host change in the context of the enemy-free space hypothesis by focusing on parasitoids attacking larval Y. evonymella on one of three host plant variants: The primary host, P. padus; initially P. padus and later P. serotina (P. padus/P. serotina); or the new host, P. serotina. This experiment investigated if changing the host plant could be beneficial to Y. evonymella in terms of escaping from harmful parasitoids and improving survival rate. We identified nine species of parasitoids that attack larval Y. evonymella, and we found that the number of parasitoid species showed a downward trend from the primary host plant to the P. padus/P. serotina combination to the new host plant alone. We observed a significant difference among variants in relation to the percentage of cocoons killed by specific parasitoids, but no effects of non-specific parasitoids or other factors. Total mortality did not significantly differ (ca. 37%) among larval rearing variants. Changing the host plant caused differences in the structure of the parasitoid complex of Y. evonymella but did not improve its survival rate. This study does not indicate that the host expansion of Y. evonymella is associated with the enemy-free space hypothesis; we therefore discuss alternative scenarios that may be more likely.

scholarly journals Identification of Planococcus ficus and Planococcus citri (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) by PCR-RFLP of COI gene

Zootaxa ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 1816 (1) ◽  
pp. 65 ◽  
Author(s):  
VINCENZO CAVALIERI ◽  
GAETANA MAZZEO ◽  
GIOVANNA TROPEA GARZIA ◽  
EMANUELE BUONOCORE ◽  
AGATINO RUSSO
Keyword(s):  
Host Plant ◽  
Coi Gene ◽  
Planococcus Citri ◽  
Severe Damage ◽  
Planococcus Ficus ◽  
Citrus Mealybug ◽  
Virus Vectors ◽  
Pcr Rflp ◽  
Vine Mealybug

The vine mealybug, Planococcus ficus (Signoret), and the citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri (Risso), are currently the most economically important pseudococcids in vineyards in Italy (Dalla Montà et al., 2001).  Pl. ficus is also considered to be a key pest in many other countries (Ben-Dov, 1994).  The two species cause severe damage to the host plant, and significantly reduce the crop due to the production of honeydew, which allows the growth of sooty molds, and to their potential as virus vectors.  The vine mealybug, in particular, is known to transmit grapevine leafroll and corky-bark diseases (Engelbrecht & Kasdorf, 1990; Tanne et al., 1989).

scholarly journals A review of the endemic Hawaiian Drosophilidae and their host plants

Zootaxa ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 1728 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
KARL N. MAGNACCA ◽  
DAVID FOOTE ◽  
PATRICK M. O’GRADY
Keyword(s):  
Host Plant ◽  
Host Plants ◽  
Ecological Specialization ◽  
Primary Host ◽  
Evolutionarily Conserved ◽  
Rare And Endangered ◽  
Species Groups ◽  
Plant Families ◽  
Insight Into

The Hawaiian Drosophilidae is one of the best examples of rapid speciation in nature. Nearly 1,000 species of endemic drosophilids have evolved in situ in Hawaii since a single colonist arrived over 25 million years ago. A number of mechanisms, including ecological adaptation, sexual selection, and geographic isolation, have been proposed to explain the evolution of this hyperdiverse group of species. Here, we examine the known ecological associations of 326 species of endemic Hawaiian Drosophilidae in light of the phylogenetic relationships of these species. Our analysis suggests that the long-accepted belief of strict ecological specialization in this group does not hold for all taxa. While many species have a primary host plant family, females will also oviposit on non-preferred host plant taxa. Host shifting is fairly common in some groups, especially the grimshawi and modified mouthparts species groups of Drosophila, and the Scaptomyza subgenus Elmomyza. Associations with types of substrates (bark, leaves, flowers) are more evolutionarily conserved than associations with host plant families. These data not only give us insight into the role ecology has played in the evolution of this large group, but can help in making decisions about the management of rare and endangered host plants and the insects that rely upon them for survival.

scholarly journals A review of Norwegian streptaster-bearing Astrophorida (Porifera: Demospongiae: Tetractinellida), new records and a new species

Zootaxa ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 3253 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
PACO CÁRDENAS ◽  
HANS TORE RAPP
Keyword(s):  
Cytochrome C ◽  
Coi Gene ◽  
East Atlantic ◽  
North West ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
New Material ◽  
Distinct Morphology ◽  
Partial Fragment ◽  
A New Species

We report and describe new material of streptaster-bearing Astrophorida sponges collected in Norway: Characellapachastrelloides, Pachastrella nodulosa sp. nov., Poecillastra compressa, Vulcanella cf. aberrans, Thenea abyssorum,Thenea levis, Thenea muricata and Thenea valdiviae. Because many of these species were described in the end of the 19thcentury their original descriptions are often incomplete. The Norwegian specimens are the basis for a revision of themorphology, taxonomy and distribution of these species. These are the first records of C. pachastrelloides and V. cf.aberrans from the Norwegian coast. Pachastrella nodulosa sp. nov. differs from Pachastrella monilifera by (i) its knobbysurface and (ii) the absence of large oxeas, (iii) its amphiasters have on average less actines and are less spiny, finally (iv)microxeas are rare and with a distinct morphology (although there is some doubt concerning their origin). In the presentstudy, Characella tuberosa (from South Africa), Pachastrella abyssi (from the North-West Atlantic) and Thenea schmidti(from the North-East Atlantic) are resurrected. To help their future identifications, all the Norwegian species describedwere associated with DNA barcodes: a cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene partial fragment and/or a 28S ribosomalgene partial fragment (C1–D2 domains). Furthermore, a key to the streptaster-bearing Astrophorida of the North-East Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea is also given (lithistids not included).Nous signalons la présence et décrivons des spécimens d’Astrophorida à streptasters nouvellement récoltés en Norvège:Characella pachastrelloides, Pachastrella nodulosa sp. nov., Poecillastra compressa, Vulcanella cf. aberrans, Theneaabyssorum, Thenea levis, Thenea muricata et Thenea valdiviae. Plusieurs de ces espèces ont été décrites de manièreincomplète à la fin du 19ème siècle. Les spécimens norvégiens sont l’occasion de réviser la morphologie, la taxonomie etla distribution de ces espèces. C’est la première fois que C. pachastrelloides et V. cf. aberrans sont mentionnés sur la côtenorvégienne. Pachastrella nodulosa sp. nov. se distingue de Pachastrella monilifera par (i) sa surface noduleuse et (ii)l’absence de grands oxes, (iii) ses amphiasters ont en moyenne moins d’actines et sont moins épineux, enfin (iv) lesmicroxes sont rares et ont une morphologie distincte (bien qu’il y ait encore des doutes sur leur origine). Au cours de notreétude, Characella tuberosa (d’Afrique du Sud), Pachastrella abyssi (de l’Atlantique Nord-Ouest) et Thenea schmidti (del’Atlantique Nord-Est) sont ressuscités. Afin d’aider leurs identifications futures, toutes les espèces de Norvège décritesont été associées à des code-barres moléculaires: un fragment partiel du gène de la sous-unité I du cytochrome c oxydase(COI) et/ou un fragment partiel du gène ribosomique 28S (domaines C1-D2). De plus, une clé pour identifier les Astrophorida à streptasters de l’Atlantique Nord-Est et de Méditerrannée est également fournie (lithistides non inclus).

scholarly journals A Comparison between the GPM Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar and Ground-Based Radar Precipitation Rate Estimates in the Swiss Alps and Plateau

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 1247-1269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Speirs ◽  
Marco Gabella ◽  
Alexis Berne
Keyword(s):  
Complex Terrain ◽  
Solid Phase ◽  
Rainfall Rate ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Precipitation Rate ◽  
Dual Frequency ◽  
Precipitation Radar ◽  
Radar Rainfall ◽  
Detection And Estimation ◽  
The Alps

Abstract The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) provides a unique set of three-dimensional radar precipitation estimates across much of the globe. Both terrain and climatic conditions can have a strong influence on the reliability of these estimates. Switzerland provides an ideal testbed to evaluate the performance of the DPR in complex terrain: it consists of a mixture of very complex terrain (the Alps) and the far flatter Swiss Plateau. It is also well instrumented, covered with a dense gauge network as well as a network of four dual-polarization C-band weather radars, with the same instrument network used in both the Plateau and the Alps. Here an evaluation of the GPM DPR rainfall rate products against the MeteoSwiss radar rainfall rate product for the first two years of the GPM DPR’s operation is presented. Errors in both detection and estimation are considered, broken down by terrain complexity, season, precipitation phase, precipitation type, and precipitation rate. Errors are considered both integrated across the entire domain and spatially, and consistent underestimation of precipitation by GPM is found. This rises to −51% in complex terrain in the winter, primarily due to the predominance of DPR measurements wholly in the solid phase, where problems are caused by lower reflectivities. The smaller vertical extent of precipitation in winter is also likely a cause. Both detection and estimation performance are found to be significantly better in summer than in winter, in liquid than in solid precipitation, and in flatter terrain than in complex terrain.

The Mesolithic site Ullafelsen in the Fotsch Valley (Tyrol, Austria) – a biomarker perspective

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Zech ◽  
Marcel Lerch ◽  
Marcel Bliedtner ◽  
Clemens Geitner ◽  
Dieter Schäfer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental History ◽  
Analytical Data ◽  
Late Glacial ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Peat Bogs ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Hunter Gatherers ◽  
Alpine Regions ◽  
Bavarian Alps ◽  
History Of

<p>The archaeology of high mountain regions got high attention since the discovery of the copper age mummy called "Ötzi" in the Ötztaler Alps in 1991. Results of former archaeological research projects show that mesolithic hunter-gatherers lived in Alpine regions since the beginning of the Holocene, 11,700 years ago (Cornelissen & Reitmaier 2016). Amongst others, the Mesolithic site Ullafelsen (1860 m a.s.l.) and surroundings represent a very important archaeological reference site in the Fotsch Valley (Stubaier Alps, Tyrol) (Schäfer 2011). Many archaeological artifacts and fire places were found at different places in the Fotschertal, which provides evidence for the presence and the way of living of our ancestor. The "Mesolithic project Ullafelsen" includes different scientific disciplines ranging from high mountain archaeology over geology, geomorphology, soil science, sedimentology, petrography to palaeobotany (Schäfer 2011). Within an ongoing DFG project we aim at addressing questions related to past vegetation and climate, human history as well as their influence on pedogenesis from a biomarker and stable isotope perspective (cf. Zech et al. 2011). Our results for instance suggest that (i) the dominant recent and past vegetation can be chemotaxonomically differentiated based on leaf wax-derived <em>n</em>-alkane biomarkers, (ii) there is no evidence for buried Late Glacial topsoils being preserved on the Ullafelsen as argued by Geitner et al. (2014), rather humic-rich subsoils were formed as B<sub>h</sub>-horizons by podsolisation and (iii) marked vegetations changes likely associated with alpine pasture activities since the Bronce Age are documented in Holocene peat bogs in the Fotsch Valley. Nevertheless, there remain some challenges by joining all analytical data in order to get a consistent overall picture of human-environmental history of this high mountain region.</p><p>Cornelissen & Reitmaier (2016): Filling the gap: Recent Mesolithic discoveries in the central and south-eastern Swiss Alps. In: Quaternary International, 423.</p><p>Geitner, C., Schäfer, D., Bertola, S., Bussemer, S., Heinrich, K. und J. Waroszewski (2014): Landscape archaeological results and discussion of Mesolithic research in the Fotsch valley (Tyrol). In: Kerschner, H., Krainer, K. and C. Spötl: From the foreland to the Central Alps – Field trips to selected sites of Quaternary research in the Tyrolean and Bavarian Alps (DEUQUA EXCURSIONS), Berlin, 106-115.</p><p>Schäfer (2011): Das Mesolithikum-Projekt Ullafelsen (Teil 1). Mensch und Umwelt im Holozän Tirols (Band 1). 560 p., Innsbruck: Philipp von Zabern.</p><p>Zech, M., Zech, R., Buggle, B., Zöller, L. (2011): Novel methodological approaches in loess research - interrogating biomarkers and compound-specific stable isotopes. In: E&G Quaternary Science Journal, 60.</p>

scholarly journals The transport history of two Saharan dust events archived in an Alpine ice core

2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 667-688 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Sodemann ◽  
A. S. Palmer ◽  
C. Schwierz ◽  
M. Schwikowski ◽  
H. Wernli
Keyword(s):  
Trajectory Analysis ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Saharan Dust ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Transport Pathway ◽  
Dust Sources ◽  
The Alps ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Dust Events

Abstract. Mineral dust from the Saharan desert can be transported across the Mediterranean towards the Alpine region several times a year. When coinciding with snowfall, the dust can be deposited on Alpine glaciers and then appears as yellow or red layers in ice cores. Two such significant dust events were identified in an ice core drilled at the high-accumulation site Piz Zupó in the Swiss Alps (46°22' N, 9°55' E, 3850 m a.s.l.). From stable oxygen isotopes and major ion concentrations, the events were approximately dated as October and March 2000. In order to link the dust record in the ice core to the meteorological situation that led to the dust events, a novel methodology based on back-trajectory analysis was developed. It allowed the detailed analysis of the specific meteorologic flow evolution that was associated with Saharan dust transport into the Alps, and the identification of dust sources, atmospheric transport paths, and wet deposition periods for both dust events. Differences in the chemical signature of the two dust events were interpreted with respect to contributions from the dust sources and aerosol scavenging during the transport. For the October event, the trajectory analysis indicated that dust deposition took place during 13–15 October 2000. Mobilisation areas of dust were mainly identified in the Algerian and Libyan deserts. A combination of an upper-level potential vorticity streamer and a midlevel jet across Algeria first brought moist Atlantic air and later mixed air from the tropics and Saharan desert across the Mediterranean towards the Alps. The March event consisted of two different deposition phases which took place during 17–19 and 23–25 March 2000. The first phase was associated with an exceptional transport pathway past Iceland and towards the Alps from northerly directions. The second phase was similar to the October event. A significant peak of methanesulphonic acid associated with the March dust event was most likely caused by incorporation of biogenic aerosol while passing through the marine boundary layer of the western Mediterranean during a local phytoplankton bloom. From this study, we conclude that for a detailed understanding of the chemical signal recorded in dust events at Piz Zupó, it is essential to consider the whole transport sequence of mineral aerosol, consisting of dust mobilisation, transport, and deposition at the glacier.

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