scholarly journals Grasslands of Navarre (Spain), focusing on the Festuco-Brometea: classification, hierarchical expert system and characterisation

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 195-231
Author(s):  
Itziar García-Mijangos ◽  
Asun Berastegi ◽  
Idoia Biurrun ◽  
Iwona Dembicz ◽  
Monika Janišová ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Expert System ◽  
Numerical Methods ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Northern Spain ◽  
Diagnostic Species ◽  
Species Analysis ◽  
Core Elements ◽  
Objective Classification ◽  
Hierarchical Manner

Aims: To clarify the syntaxonomic position of the grasslands in Navarre, with special focus on the dry grasslands, and to characterise the resulting syntaxonomic units in terms of diagnostic species and ecological conditions. Study area: Navarre (northern Spain). Methods: We sampled 119 plots of 10 m2 following the standardised EDGG methodology and analysed them together with 839 plots of similar size recorded in the 1990. For the classification, we used the modified TWINSPAN algorithm, complemented by the determination of diagnostic species with phi coefficients of association, which led to the creation of an expert system. We conducted these steps in a hierarchical manner for each syntaxonomic rank. We visualised the position of the syntaxa along environmental gradients by means of NMDS. Species richness, and structural and ecological characteristics of the syntaxa were compared by ANOVAs. Results: We could clearly identify five phytosociological classes: Lygeo-Stipetea, Festuco-Brometea, Molinio-Arrhenatheretea, Nardetea strictae, and Elyno-Seslerietea. Within the Festuco-Brometea a xeric and a meso-xeric order could be distinguished, with two alliances each, and eight associations in total: Thymelaeo-Aphyllanthetum, Jurineo-Festucetum, Helianthemo-Koelerietum, Prunello-Plantaginetum, Carduncello-Brachypodietum, Helictotricho-Seslerietum, Calamintho-Seselietum and Carici-Teucrietum.Conclusions: The combination of numerical methods allowed a consistent and more objective classification of grassland types in Navarre than previous approaches. At the association level, we could largely reproduce the units previously described with traditional phytosociological methods. By contrast, at higher syntaxonomic level, our analyses suggest significant modifications. Most importantly, a major part of the units traditionally included in the Festuco-Ononidetea seem to fall within the Festuco-Brometea. We could show that bryophytes and lichens are core elements of these grasslands and particularly the Mediterranean ones of Lygeo-Stipetea, both in terms of biodiversity and of diagnostic species. We conclude that the combination of our different numerical methods is promising for deriving more objective and reproducible delimitations of syntaxa in a hierarchical manner. Taxonomic references: Euro+Med (2006–2021) for vascular plants, Hodges et al. (2020) for bryophytes and The British Lichen Society (2021) for lichens, except for Endocarpon loscosii, Heppia lutosa, Psora saviczii and P. vallesiaca, which follow Nimis and Martellos (2021), and Buellia zoharyi, Fulgensia poeltii, Lichenochora clauzadei and Toninia massata, which follow Llimona et al. (2001). Syntaxonomic reference: Mucina et al. (2016), except for those syntaxa specifically treated here and given with authorities. Abbreviations: ANOVA = analysis of variance; EDGG = Eurasian Dry Grassland Group; NMDS: non-metric multidimensional scaling; TWINSPAN = Two-Way Indicator Species Analysis.

Why are companies still struggling to reach higher continuous improvement maturity levels? Empirical evidence from high performance companies

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 316-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Jurburg ◽  
Elisabeth Viles ◽  
Carmen Jaca ◽  
Martin Tanco
Keyword(s):  
Continuous Improvement ◽  
Measurement System ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Basque Country ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Northern Spain ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Performing

Purpose – Continuous improvement (CI) is regarded as a powerful approach to achieve business excellence. However, the implementation is not simple as it involves managing a considerable amount of tangible and intangible factors throughout the whole organization. The purpose of this paper is to fill the gap by presenting first-hand information about how companies really implement and organize their CI processes. Design/methodology/approach – The study was based on semi-structured interviews in ten high performing companies in the Basque Country, a region in northern Spain well known for its business quality. The objective was to analyze the state of their CI processes, putting special focus on how the organizational structure integrates with the CI processes and what are the characteristics of the corresponding measurement system. Findings – The study shows a lack of company-wide focus on CI, little written evidence of previous improvement activities, unclear improvement process owner, and poor use of adequate measurement systems to monitor CI. Practical implications – Managers should understand that is not enough to guarantee their own commitment and provide the structure, since in order to become learning organization, a different holistic approach towards the CI process must be adopted. Originality/value – While most previous work on this field have focused primarily on how to implement different techniques in order to achieve better productive performance, this study presents empirical research from a more holistic approach, assessing the characteristics affecting CI by considering strategy, structure, and the measurement system.

Numerical classification of French vegetation of Carici caryophylleae – Genistetea lobelii J.-C. Klein 1972

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. e68062
Author(s):  
Pauline Delbosc ◽  
Mathieu Le Dez ◽  
Jean-Bernard Bouzillé ◽  
Kevin Cianfaglione ◽  
Frédéric Bioret
Keyword(s):  
Expert System ◽  
Dominant Species ◽  
Numerical Classification ◽  
Distribution Map ◽  
Diagnostic Species ◽  
Plant Associations ◽  
Formal Definitions ◽  
Twinspan Classification ◽  
New Association

Carici-Genistetea lobelii Klein 1972 corresponds to cyrno-sardinian oromediterranean cushion scrub and related grasslands. In France, this class is only present in Corsica and the syntaxonomic scheme is debated among phytosociologists. The aim of this paper is to highlight the main plant associations of Carici-Genistetea lobelii Klein 1972 and to define the diagnostic species for each phytosociological unit. We compiled 519 vegetation plots and we applied EuropeanVegetationChecklist expert system for the classes of European vegetation to retain only vegetation plots belonging to Carici-Genistetea lobelii. We obtained a dataset with 189 vegetation plots and we classified them with Modified TWINSPAN classification. Our analyses recognized 6 plant associations and 3 sub-associations already described in the literature; and to describe a new alliance corresponding to the supra-mediterranean vegetations (Genistion salzmannii), a new association (Brimeuro fastigiatae-Juniperetum nanae) and its sub-association (alnetosum suaveolentis). For each of them, we identified diagnostic, constant and dominant species and produced their distribution map. Formal definitions were then written for each phytosociological unit (from subassociation to class) and grouped in an expert system to automatically classify the vegetations of Carici-Genistetea lobelii.

scholarly journals Corporate social responsibility review

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 715-723 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edmundo R. Lizarzaburu ◽  
Jesús del Brío
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Significant Role ◽  
Research Paper ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Substantial Evidence ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Core Elements ◽  
Corporate Social

This research paper represents a literature review of corporate social responsibility (CSR), as it has evolved and their use and impact in several countries. As a consequence of competitive markets, several entities must endeavor to reveal a picture of themselves as highly socially responsible enterprises. The increment in academic and practitioner interest in “Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has led the development of a set of definitions regarding the concept and their application” (Jamali and Mirshak 2007). The term is not a new concept (Taneja, Taneja and Gupta, 2011) it was developed since 1950´s. Nowadays, several literature presents substantial evidence that CSR activities can play a significant role in enhancing a firm’s value (Mahfuja, 2013). In this scenario, the following paper examines the broad progress of the ideas behind the concept though its origins and evolution in a country focus approach, practices implementation and literature available from different authors over the time. Also, we outline a set of core elements that many scholars associate this term with and finally we develop a special focus towards the stakeholders approach among all theories available on this matter.

scholarly journals Niche Characterization of Shrub Functional Groups along an Atlantic-Mediterranean Gradient

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 982
Author(s):  
Adriana E. Olthoff ◽  
Carolina Martínez-Ruiz ◽  
Josu G. Alday
Keyword(s):  
Functional Groups ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
National Forest Inventory ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Natural Forests ◽  
Northern Spain ◽  
Response Curves ◽  
The North

The identification of the factors controlling the understory species distribution and abundance is essential to understand the ecology and dynamics of natural forests and their management response. We assess the relationships between environmental gradients and shrub functional groups distribution patterns and niche characteristics in a transitional area between the Eurosiberian and Mediterranean biogeographic regions in Northern Spain. Here, 772 plots from the 3rd Spanish National Forest Inventory were used. Shrub functional groups respond to the same complex environmental gradients as trees, i.e., the north-south climatic gradient and a slope gradient. Unimodal response curves of shrub functional groups and families dominate along both gradients, providing evidence of successful functional turnover. Similar to tree species, the niche location of functionally related shrubs is close. Functional groups occupying environments with sharp contrast or transitional environments have the broadest niches, whereas those specialized functional groups occupying localized habitats showed the narrowest niches. The knowledge of shrub species distributions and niche characteristics along complex environmental gradients will improve our ability to discuss potential conservation management goals or threats due to land-use changes and future climate change.

scholarly journals Phyto-ecological studies and distribution pattern of plant species and communities of Dhirkot, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. e0257493
Author(s):  
Mevish Mumshad ◽  
Israr Ahmad ◽  
Shujaul Mulk Khan ◽  
Abdullah ◽  
Khadija Rehman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Distribution Pattern ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Jammu And Kashmir ◽  
Species Analysis ◽  
Distribution Composition

Plant species represent the hierarchical expression of vegetation as it is affected by various environmental gradients. We explored the plant species composition, distribution pattern, communities formation and their respective indicators under the influence of various environmental factors in the Dhirkot region, Azad Jammu and Kashmir. It was hypothesized that different environmental factors were responsible for the formation of various plant communities each with a distinct indicator. Quantitative ecological techniques were used for the sampling of vegetation. A total of 114 quadrats were established in 13 selected sampling sites. Phytosociological attributes were calculated for each plant species at each quadrat. Soil samples were collected and analyzed using different standard protocols. All the collected data were analyzed using Cluster Analysis, Indicator Species Analysis and Canonical Correspondence Analysis of PCORD and CANOCO software, respectively. A total of 145 plant species were recorded belong to 62 different families. Asteraceae and Lamiaceae were the dominant families, represented by 12 species each (8.27%). Cluster Analysis classify all the stations and plants into four major plant communities as 1) Olea-Desmodium-Prunilla community. 2) Abies-Zanthoxylum-Pteracanthus community 3) Cedrus-Elaeagnus-Hypericum community 4) Alnus-Myrsine–Ranunculus community. Soil pH, electrical conductivity, soil saturation, organic matter and altitude were the significant environmental factors that play its essential role in the plant species distribution, composition, formation of major plant communities and their respective indicators in the region. It is recommended that the identified indicator and rare plant species of the investigated area can further be grown for conservation and management purposes in in-situ environment.

scholarly journals Geographic Variation in the Petiole–Lamina Relationship of 325 Eastern Qinghai–Tibetan Woody Species: Analysis in Three Dimensions

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanan Li ◽  
Xiaomei Kang ◽  
Jieyang Zhou ◽  
Zhigang Zhao ◽  
Shiting Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Light Interception ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Drag Forces ◽  
Species Analysis ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Relationship Of

The petiole–lamina relationship is central to the functional tradeoff between photosynthetic efficiency and the support/protection cost. Understanding environmental gradients in the relationship and its underlying mechanisms remains a critical challenge for ecologists. We investigated the possible scaling of the petiole–lamina relationships in three dimensions, i.e., petiole length (PL) vs. lamina length (LL), petiole cross sectional area (PCA) vs. lamina area (LA), and petiole mass (PM) vs. lamina mass (LM), for 325 Qinghai–Tibetan woody species, and examined their relation to leaf form, altitude, climate, and vegetation types. Both crossspecies analysis and meta-analysis showed significantly isometric, negatively allometric, and positively allometric scaling of the petiole–lamina relationships in the length, area, and mass dimensions, respectively, reflecting an equal, slower, and faster variation in the petiole than in the lamina in these trait dimensions. Along altitudinal gradients, the effect size of the petiole–lamina relationship decreased in the length and mass dimensions but increased in the area dimension, suggesting the importance of enhancing leaf light-interception and nutrient transport efficiency in the warm zones in petiole development, but enhancing leaf support/protection in the cold zones. The significant additional influences of LA, LM, and LA were observed on the PL–LL, PCA–LA, and PM–LM relationships, respectively, implying that the single-dimension petiole trait is affected simultaneously by multidimensional lamina traits. Relative to simple-leaved species, the presence of petiolule in compound-leaved species can increase both leaf light interception and static gravity loads or dynamic drag forces on the petiole, leading to lower dependence of PL variation on LL variation, but higher biomass allocation to the petiole. Our study highlights the need for multidimension analyses of the petiole–lamina relationships and illustrates the importance of plant functional tradeoffs and the change in the tradeoffs along environmental gradients in determining the relationships.

scholarly journals Ekspertni pristup poboljšanju sigurnosti u zonama radova na cesti

Sigurnost ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 247-260
Author(s):  
Joso Vrkljan ◽  
Miljenko Mustapić ◽  
Antun Štimac
Keyword(s):  
Expert System ◽  
Expert Systems ◽  
Traffic Management ◽  
Work Zone ◽  
Road User ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Road Maintenance ◽  
Work Zones ◽  
The Road ◽  
Road Work

SUMMARY: An ever-increasing volume of traffic on Croatian roads increases the volume of maintenance work. Road works negatively impact traffic mobility and road user safety, and also safety of the maintenance workers. Improving traffic mobility and safety is the key issue that all interested parties (planning and managing road works and those executing them) should address. Mitigation of negative effects is possible via certain expert system measures. Presented in the paper are the options provided by expert systems implemented in the road work zones as factors for improving road maintenance and safe traffic flow, as well as road workers safety. Introducing relevant data into the data base, an expert system is created providing the driver approaching a road work zone with a number of alternative routes. Also shown is a driving diagram for road work zones with special focus on slowing down speed upon entering the road work zone. The results show that the implementation of expert systems based on relevant data would significantly facilitate traffic management in road work zones and improve the safety of traffic and road workers, as well as the workers' efficacy.

scholarly journals Komplekse rom og mangeartede steder: Religionsfaglige og interdisiplinære kontekster

2020 ◽  
pp. 9-28
Author(s):  
Knut-Willy Sæther ◽  
Anders Aschim
Keyword(s):  
Critical Realism ◽  
Religious Studies ◽  
Space And Place ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Theory Of Science ◽  
Spatial Turn ◽  
The Social ◽  
Core Elements ◽  
Theology And Philosophy ◽  
Point Of Departure

This article maps out the complexity of the phenomena and concepts space and place, with a special focus on religious studies and related disciplines. We start by identifying core elements in the so-called ‘spatial turn’ within the humanities and the social sciences, originating from developments in the field of geography. Next, we identify ontological and epistemological challenges related to space and place, and argue for constructive-critical realism as a point of departure in theory of science. Further, we advocate interdisciplinarity as a way to address such a topic, followed by a short analysis of the ‘spatial turn’ within the context of religion, theology and philosophy. Finally, we offer a presentation of the remaining articles of the volume.

Vegetation patterns and environmental gradients in coastal meadows on the Yukon–Kuskokwim delta, Alaska

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (7) ◽  
pp. 1616-1627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen L. Kincheloe ◽  
Robert A. Stehn
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Detrended Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Vegetation Patterns ◽  
Intertidal Mudflat ◽  
Tundra Vegetation ◽  
Species Analysis ◽  
Coastal Meadows

Tundra vegetation and environmental variables were sampled on the Yukon–Kuskokwim delta in western Alaska. On transects extending from intertidal mudflat to upland tundra, we estimated cover by vascular plant species, soil moisture, salinity, relative elevation, depth to permafrost, and distance upriver from the coast. Two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN) classified 21 communities. Ordination by detrended correspondence analysis (DECORANA) revealed a gradient correlated with the combination of elevation, permafrost depth, and salinity along the first axis for both upriver and downriver transects. Key words: Alaska, ordination, plant communities, salt marsh, tundra, Yukon–Kuskokwim delta.

scholarly journals Vegetation of the natural monument “Urochishche Kuzilinka” and its surroundings (Orel region)

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 434-449
Author(s):  
Elena A. Averinova ◽  
◽  
Marina V. Kazakova ◽  
Anastasia S. Kugusheva ◽  
Nikolai A. Sobolev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Diagnostic Species ◽  
Species Analysis ◽  
Ordination Analysis ◽  
Steppe Communities ◽  
New Association ◽  
Natural Monument

The article describes the calciphytic steppe communities located in the territory of the natural monument “Urochische Kuzilinka” and its surroundings (Orel region). The communities were assigned to the association Onosmato simplicissimae–Salvietum nutantis Averinova ass. nov. That unit was included in the sub-union Bupleuro falcati–Gypsophilenion altissimae Averinova 2005 (union Festucion valesiacae Klika 1931, order Festucetalia valesiacae Soó 1947, class Festuco–Brometea Br.-Bl. et Tx. ex Soó 1947) on the basis of a diagnostic species analysis. The new association was characterized. Results of the ordination analysis of leading environmental factors for the described communities are provided.

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