scholarly journals Long term changes of the inner-alpine steppe vegetation: the dry grassland communities of the Vinschgau (South Tyrol, Italy) 40–50 years after the first vegetation mapping

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 117-131
Author(s):  
Maximilian Lübben ◽  
Brigitta Erschbamer
Keyword(s):  
Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Detrended Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Bothriochloa Ischaemum ◽  
Dry Grassland ◽  
South Tyrol ◽  
Steppe Vegetation ◽  
Dry Grasslands ◽  
Grassland Communities ◽  
The 1960S

Aims: The Vinschgau is the driest inner-alpine valley in the Eastern Alps and harbours a unique steppe vegetation. We studied these dry grassland communities and aimed to answer the following questions: Which plant communities can be found currently? Do the syntaxa described by Braun-Blanquet in the 1960s still prevail in the area? Has there been any change in species composition over the last 40–50 years? Study area: Along an approximately 40 km transect, the south-facing slopes of the Vinschgau valley (South Tyrol, Italy) from Mals to Plaus were investigated. Methods: For the classification, 92 relevés were sampled in 2019 and compared with 76 relevés from the 1960s and ´70s by means of vegetation tables and ordinations (Detrended Correspondence Analysis). Results: Based on our investigation, the majority of dry grassland communities can be classified as Festuco-Caricetum supinae. Three subassociations were defined by the dominant species Stipa capillata, Bothriochloa ischaemum and Stipa pennataagg. The comparison of new and old relevés shows an increase in species from the class Sedo-Scleranthetea (e.g. Trifolium arvense, Erodium cicutarium) and the association Artemisieto-Agropyretum. In addition, ruderal elements (e.g. Erigeron annuus, Convolvulus arvensis) have also migrated into dry grasslands. A shift in the dominance over time can be recognized as well. In particular, Festuca rupicola and to some extent also Stipa capillata, have increased in abundance and frequency. Conclusions: We suggest to include the investigated closed dry grasslands in the alliance Festucion valesiacae. The rank of the character species at association, alliance and order level should be re-analysed. In order to obtain a better syntaxonomic overview of western and eastern alpine dry grassland communities in relation to Eastern European dry grasslands, a comprehensive study is absolutely necessary. Furthermore, long-term vegetation dynamics and vegetation change need to be studied in more detailed future studies. Taxonomic reference: Fischer et al. (2008). Syntaxonomic references: Mucina et al. (2016) for syntaxa from alliance to class level; Braun-Blanquet (1961) for associations. Abbreviations: agg. = aggregate; cf. = confer (means ‘compare’); DCA = Detrended Correspondence Analysis; s. lat. = sensu lato; s. str. = sensu stricto

scholarly journals Identification of the important environmental factors influencing natural vegetation succession following cropland abandonment on the Loess Plateau, China

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e10349
Author(s):  
Zhenguo Zhang ◽  
Mingming Wang ◽  
Jikai Liu ◽  
Xinwei Li
Keyword(s):  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Classification Tree ◽  
Detrended Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Vegetation Succession ◽  
Natural Vegetation ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Cropland Abandonment

Identification of typical vegetation succession types and their important influencing factors is an important prerequisite to implement differential vegetation and soil management after land abandonment on the Loess Plateau, China. However, there is no reported study specifically on the identification of vegetation types and their important factors as well as the thresholds of the important factors for classification of the vegetation types, based on the medium- to long-term succession of natural vegetation after cropland abandonment. We collected vegetation and soil data on the natural vegetation with the longest 60-year-old forest communities that developed after cropland abandonment and analyzed the data using two-way indicator species analysis, detrended correspondence analysis, direct canonical correspondence analysis and classification tree model. The vegetation communities were classified into five distinct vegetation types, including Artemisia scoparia, Lespedeza davurica and Stipa bungeana, Artemisia giraldii pamp, Sophora viciifolia, Quercus liaotungensis and Biota orientalis. The years after cropland abandonment and soil C/N were further identified as important factors determining the types of vegetation. Likewise, it was observed that most of the investigated soil nutrient variables and soil texture-related variables improved with the vegetation succession while soil water in the surface layers showed a decreasing trend. These findings may provide an ecological basis for site-specific management of vegetation types after cropland abandonment in the medium-long term on the Loess Plateau. Our results encourage further exploration of vegetation succession and their important factors based on longer periods of vegetation succession after cropland abandonment under more soil and climatic conditions on the mountainous areas as the Loess Plateau.

scholarly journals First records of Opetiopalpus sabulosus Motschulsky, 1840 (Coleoptera, Cleridae) for the European Alps

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 119-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Steinwandter ◽  
Manfred Kahlen ◽  
Ulrike Tappeiner ◽  
Julia Seeber
Keyword(s):  
Central Europe ◽  
First Record ◽  
Soil Core ◽  
European Alps ◽  
Additional Specimen ◽  
South Tyrol ◽  
Dry Grasslands ◽  
Grazing Cattle ◽  
The Family

The genus Opetiopalpus from the family of checkered beetles (Coleoptera: Cleridae) is represented by 28 species worldwide, with 11 species found in the Palearctic and only four sparsely in Europe prior to 1998. One species, Opetiopalpussabulosus Motschulsky, 1840, was recently found in Eastern Europe (i.e. Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Moldavia), with the most recent record in 2015 in Eastern Romania; no data are available for Central Europe. During a comprehensive sampling survey in 2016 in the dry inner-Alpine Vinschgau Valley (South Tyrol, Italy), one individual of O.sabulosus was recorded from soil core samples on an extensively managed steppe-like dry pasture at 2000 m a.s.l. This was the first record of O.sabulosus for the European Alps and Central Europe. Further intensive samplings were conducted in 2017 and 2018, in which one additional specimen at a dry pasture at 2500 m confirms the presence of this checkered beetle. Opetiopalpussabulosus seems to have a cryptic lifestyle and therefore a low detection probability. The locations from where the species was recorded, all steppe-like dry grasslands that are part of the LTSER area “Val Mazia/Matschertal” within the LTER-Italia network, are characterized by low precipitation (730 mm at 2000 m a.s.l.) and traditional low input management (grazing cattle, sheep, and horses). Beside O.sabulosus, other rare and new species for South Tyrol and Italy were found at the sampling area. Therefore, our records underline the high biodiversity and the high nature conservational value of these steppe-like dry grasslands and the importance of long-term research to monitor such species.

scholarly journals High Mountain Asian glacier response to climate revealed by multi-temporal satellite observations since the 1960s

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Atanu Bhattacharya ◽  
Tobias Bolch ◽  
Kriti Mukherjee ◽  
Owen King ◽  
Brian Menounos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
River Flow ◽  
Tien Shan ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Multi Temporal ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Northern Tien Shan

AbstractKnowledge about the long-term response of High Mountain Asian glaciers to climatic variations is paramount because of their important role in sustaining Asian river flow. Here, a satellite-based time series of glacier mass balance for seven climatically different regions across High Mountain Asia since the 1960s shows that glacier mass loss rates have persistently increased at most sites. Regional glacier mass budgets ranged from −0.40 ± 0.07 m w.e.a−1 in Central and Northern Tien Shan to −0.06 ± 0.07 m w.e.a−1 in Eastern Pamir, with considerable temporal and spatial variability. Highest rates of mass loss occurred in Central Himalaya and Northern Tien Shan after 2015 and even in regions where glaciers were previously in balance with climate, such as Eastern Pamir, mass losses prevailed in recent years. An increase in summer temperature explains the long-term trend in mass loss and now appears to drive mass loss even in regions formerly sensitive to both temperature and precipitation.

How the Desert got a Past: A History of Quaternary Research in Australia’s Deserts

2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Smith
Keyword(s):  
Climate Changes ◽  
Conceptual Space ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Of ◽  
The 1960S

This paper examines how the past of desert landscapes has been interpreted since European explorers and scientists first encountered them. It charts the research that created the conceptual space within which archaeologists and Quaternarists now work. Studies from the 1840s–1960s created the notion of a ‘Great Australian Arid Period'. The 1960s studies of Lake Mungo and the Willandra Lakes by Jim Bowler revealed the cyclical nature of palaeolakes, that changed with climate changes in the Pleistocene, and the complexity of desert pasts. SLEADS and other researchers in the 1980s used thermoluminescence techniques that showed further complexities in desert lands beyond the Willandra particularly through new studies in the Strzelecki and Simpson Dunefields, Lake Eyre, Lake Woods and Lake Gregory. Australian deserts are varied and have very different histories. Far from ‘timeless lands', they have carried detailed information about long-term climate changes on continental scales.

Islamophobia

2019 ◽  
pp. 244-271
Author(s):  
Martin Pugh
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Islamic State ◽  
Islamic Fundamentalism ◽  
The West ◽  
Small Minority ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Proximate Causes ◽  
To Come ◽  
The 1960S

This chapter discusses how, misled by Islamophobic propaganda, Britain and America were unable to come to terms with what they called ‘Islamism’. The origins of what is variously known as Islamism, Islamic fundamentalism, and radical Islamism lie in the 1960s, in the ideas of a handful of Muslims in Pakistan, Egypt, and Iran who believed that Muslims had been led astray from their religion by nationalist movements. Although some Muslims were critical of Western morality and politics, Islamism was not primarily anti-Western: it was essentially a reaction against what were widely seen as the corrupt, authoritarian, and secular regimes that controlled much of the Muslim world. The aim was to evict them, return to a purer form of Islam and re-create an Islamic state. In view of the exaggerated reputation it enjoys in the West, it is worth remembering that this movement has largely been a failure. Yet while fundamentalism appeals to only a small minority, it is also the case that large numbers of Muslims have become aggrieved by the policies of the Western powers. The explanation for this can be found in long-term frustration with the consistently pro-Israeli policy of Britain and the United States over Palestine, in addition to the proximate causes in the shape of two Afghan wars, the genocide in Bosnia, the Rushdie affair, and the first Gulf War in 1990, which made many Muslims see themselves as the victims of Western aggression and interventionism.

scholarly journals Effects of long-term repeated chemical disinfection treatment on the surface hardness self-polymerizing reline resins

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 55
Author(s):  
Luciana de Rezende Pinto ◽  
Paulo Maurício Batista Silva ◽  
Vinicius Carvalho Porto
Keyword(s):  
Surface Hardness ◽  
Knoop Hardness ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Tukey Test ◽  
Acrylic Resins ◽  
Biofilm Removal ◽  
Chemical Solutions ◽  
1960S And 1970S ◽  
The 1960S

Denture hygiene techniques and procedures were developed in the 1960s and 1970s and most studies indicate the importance of mechanical biofilm removal by denture brushing associated with disinfection with chemical solutions. Studies in the literature show many chemical procedures that may be used for denture biofilm control. When the immersion procedure is used, the disinfectant should be selected with regard to its effectiveness in inactivating microorganisms without any adverse effects on the denture materials. PURPOSE: This study investigated the hardness of three self-polymerizing reline resins after long-term repeated chemical disinfections. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty round specimens (30 x 6mm) were made from each material: Jet, Kooliner and Tokuyama Rebase II Fast, and divided in 6 groups (n=10). The control group was stored in water and the others were disinfected with 1%, 2%, 5.25% sodium hypochlorite, 2% glutaraldehyde, and 4% chlorhexidine gluconate, respectively. The specimens were tested for knoop hardness (KHN) before disinfection and after 30, 90 and 180 disinfection cycles. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance followed by the Tukey test at 5%. RESULTS: The hardness of Jet resin varied from 18.74 ± 0.47 to 13.75 ± 0.95 KHN, Kooliner varied from 14.09 ± 1.63 to 7.52 ± 0.88 KHN, and Tokuyama Rebase II Fast from 12.57 ± 0.94 to 8.28 ± 0.39 KHN. Statistically significant decrease in hardness of the three reline acrylic resins was observed early after the first 30 disinfection cycles. CONCLUSION: The hardness of the tested materials decreased after immersion in water and after long-term repeated chemical disinfections.

scholarly journals Linking floral biodiversity with nitrogen and carbon translocations in semi-natural grasslands in Lithuani

2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-146
Author(s):  
Saulius Marcinkonis ◽  
Birutė Karpavičienė ◽  
Michael A. Fullen
Keyword(s):  
Plant Cover ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Above Ground Biomass ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Specific System ◽  
Ground Biomass ◽  
Natural Grasslands ◽  
Below Ground ◽  
Grassland Communities

AbstractThe aim of the present study is to evaluate the long-term effects of long-term piggery effluent application on semi-natural grassland ecotop-phytotop changes (above- and below-ground phytomass production, and carbon and nitrogen allocation in grassland communities) in relation to changes (or variability) in topsoil properties. Analysis of phytomass distribution in piggery effluent irrigated grassland communities showed that dry biomass yield varied from 1.7−5.3 t ha-1. Variability in soil and plant cover created a unique and highly unpredictable site specific system, where long-term anthropogenic influences established successor communities with specific characteristics of above- and below-ground biomass distribution. These characteristics depend more on grassland communities than on soil chemical properties. Families of grasses (Poaceae) dominated the surveyed communities and accumulated most carbon and least nitrogen, while legumes accumulated most nitrogen and lignin and least carbon. Carbon concentrations in above-ground biomass had minor variations, while accumulation of nitrogen was strongly influenced by species diversity (r = 0.94, n = 10, p <0.001) and production of above-ground biomass

scholarly journals Terrestrial Molluscs in the Dry Grasslands of the DNIPRO Upland (Central Ukraine): New Records, Rare Species and Conservation Potential

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Balashov ◽  
O. Vasyliuk ◽  
D. Shyriaieva ◽  
Z. Shvydka ◽  
O. Oskyrko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rare Species ◽  
New Records ◽  
National Level ◽  
Red List ◽  
The Other ◽  
Rock Outcrops ◽  
Dry Grassland ◽  
Dry Grasslands ◽  
First Time ◽  
High Diversity

Abstract Thirty-six species of terrestrial molluscs were found in the dry grasslands and rock outcrops of the study area, including three that were not previously known for Central Ukraine: Granaria frumentum, Pupilla bigranata and Mediterranea inopinata. These species are relics related to dry open habitats and require conservation in Ukraine on the national level, G. frumentum is already listed in the Red Book of Ukraine, and the other two should be listed in its next edition. It is proposed to create the new protected areas in the most important newly revealed locations of these species. These rocky areas also retain the high diversity of land molluscs in the region. The invasive snail Xeropicta derbentina was found for the first time on the DNIPRO Upland, on the edge of natural dry grassland. The rare native snail Morlina glabra was recorded for the first time in Kyiv Region, it is proposed to be included into the regional red list.

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