scholarly journals The loss of woody linear landscape elements in agriculture landscape in Wielkopolska region (Poland) in 21th century

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Kujawa ◽  
Krzysztof Janku ◽  
Mostefa Mana ◽  
Adam Choryński
Keyword(s):  
Western Europe ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Landscape Elements ◽  
Linear Landscape Elements ◽  
Linear Elements ◽  
Water Courses ◽  
Agriculture Management

With the loss of natural and semi-natural habitats, the diversity and the amount of ecosystem services that can be provided in the agricultural landscape are diminishing, and self-regulatory abilities decrease. The aim of the research (72 sample plots – 1 x 1 km squares, mean  time span equal to 8 years) was to recognise the changes in the number and length of woody (tree or shrub) linear landscape elements, and the number of solitary trees in the Wielkopolska region to verify how rapid development of agriculture in Poland in the 21st century affects the landscape structure. The analyses show a decline by 9.3% (from 2.17 to 1.97 km/km2) in length of woody linear elements, 7.4% (from 16.5 to 15.0 per km2) in number of woody linear elements, and 14.6% (from 28.8 to 24.4 per km2) in solitary trees. The loss was significantly faster in the period (2017-2018) of liberalisation of the regulations on tree and shrub removal, mainly due to a high rate of removal in plots located in an urbanized landscape. The decrease in length of woody linear elements occurred in all the categories of their location distinguished in the study (by 9-41% in a category). The highest loss occurred in the woody linear elements located along melioration ditches and water courses, along roads, and in the outskirt of towns. These changes are similar to those occurring in the 20th century in western Europe. The decrease in the number of woody linear landscape elements and solitary trees can be considered an indicator of the unsustainable agriculture management.

scholarly journals Hedgerows Have a Barrier Effect and Channel Pollinator Movement in the Agricultural Landscape

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix Klaus ◽  
Julia Bass ◽  
Lisa Marholt ◽  
Birte Müller ◽  
Björn Klatt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Pollen Dispersal ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Fluorescent Dye ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Pollination Services ◽  
Landscape Elements ◽  
Mobile Species ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Linear Landscape Elements

Abstract Agricultural intensification and the subsequent fragmentation of semi-natural habitats severely restrict pollinator and pollen movement threatening both pollinator and plant species. Linear landscape elements such as hedgerows are planted for agricultural and conservation purposes to increase the resource availability and habitat connectivity supporting populations of beneficial organisms such as pollinators. However, hedgerows may have unexpected effects on plant and pollinator persistence by not just channeling pollinators and pollen along, but also restricting movement across the strip of habitat. Here, we tested how hedgerows influence pollinator movement and pollen flow. We used fluorescent dye particles as pollen analogues to track pollinator movement between potted cornflowers Centaurea cyanus along and across a hedgerow separating two meadows. The deposition of fluorescent dye was significantly higher along the hedgerow than across the hedgerow and into the meadow, despite comparable pollinator abundances. The differences in pollen transfer suggest that hedgerows can affect pollinator and pollen dispersal by channeling their movement and acting as a permeable barrier. We conclude that hedgerows in agricultural landscapes can increase the connectivity between otherwise isolated plant and pollinator populations (corridor function), but can have additional, and so far unknown barrier effects on pollination services. Functioning as a barrier, linear landscape elements can impede pollinator movement and dispersal, even for highly mobile species such as bees. These results should be considered in future management plans aiming to enhance the persistence of threatened pollinator and plant populations by restoring functional connectivity and to ensure sufficient crop pollination in the agricultural landscape.

scholarly journals GIS analysis of change in an agriculture landscape in Central Finland

1996 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 567-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riitta Ruuska ◽  
Juha Helenius
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Landscape Elements ◽  
Average Proportion ◽  
Linear Landscape Elements ◽  
Land Survey ◽  
Ecosystem Level ◽  
Agricultural Use ◽  
Index Value

Changes in landscape over a period of 50 years were analysed in a rural area of 324 ha in Central Finland. The data were digitized from aerial photographs of the National Land Survey taken in 1944, 1959, 1979 and 1991, and analysed with the IDRISI™ geographic information system (GIS). The average proportion of land in agricultural use in the sample area was 17.4%. The arable area declined from the maximum of 62.3 ha (1959) to 47.6 ha. The total length of linear landscape elements, predominantly ditch bank habitats, halved, from 876 m/ha of field (1944) to 449 m/ha by the end of the period. The average rate of loss of field boundary habitat was 9.1 m/ha/ year. At the same time, the Shannon-Weaver index of diversity of agricultural landscape elements dropped from 0.37 to 0.24. The number of field parcels declined by 29%, and the mean parcel size increased by 45%, from 1.2 ha to 1.7 ha. The index value of the fractal dimension measuring the complexity of parcel shapes also fell, from 1.88 (1959) to 1.86 (1991). The change in spatial structure reflects the intensification of farming in Finland. Biodiversity at ecosystem level has clearly declined. However, the implications for the agroecosystem and its sustainability are still unknown.

scholarly journals Building walls around open wells prevent Asiatic Lion Panthera leo persica (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) mortality in the Gir Lion Landscape, Gujarat, India

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 15301-15310
Author(s):  
Tithi Kagathara ◽  
Erach Bharucha
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Landscape Elements ◽  
Human Interactions ◽  
Asiatic Lion ◽  
Dug Wells ◽  
Peripheral Areas ◽  
Building Walls ◽  
Agricultural Areas

The Asiatic Lion population has increased in the last three decades, which now occupies a large regional spread with six or more identified satellite populations in eight districts of Gujarat.  An overlap of lion habitat with human-dominated landscape elements leads to an increase in lion-human interactions in these growing satellite populations.  A high rate of lion mortality has been observed in the periphery of Gir in the last decade due to falls into open dug wells.  These wells have been excavated for irrigation in the agricultural landscape of Gir.  About 145 wild animals including lions have died due to accidental falls into open wells in past 10 years.  It has been observed that construction of parapet walls around wells in some of the peripheral areas of Gir Sanctuary have prevented this accidental mortality at very low cost.  To assess the efficiency of these measures we did a survey of 20 random villages in the Gir Lion Landscape to collect data on the types of wells that cause this uncalled-for mortality.  The paper explores the reasons for the lions falling into wells in the agricultural areas outside the Gir Sanctuary.  The survey has shown that the corridors used by lions and in the satellite population areas are high risk sites where more parapet walls should be built on a priority basis.  From the year 2007 to 2018 more than 48,000 parapet walls have already been randomly built in the periphery of the Gir Sanctuary.  Out of 130 identified wells, 90 were protected with parapet wall or iron net while, 32 were without parapet wall and rest eight were with unfinished parapet wall.  Providing a scheme for building more parapet walls around prioritized open wells would be an effective step towards Asiatic Lion conservation in the Gir Lion Landscape.  Our survey indicates that there has been no mortality of lions in those wells where parapet walls have been built.

scholarly journals More pests but less pesticide applications: Ambivalent effect of landscape complexity on conservation biological control

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. e1009559
Author(s):  
Patrizia Zamberletti ◽  
Khadija Sabir ◽  
Thomas Opitz ◽  
Olivier Bonnefon ◽  
Edith Gabriel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Landscape Structure ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Conservation Biological Control ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Dispersal Ability ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Linear Elements ◽  
Pest Density

In agricultural landscapes, the amount and organization of crops and semi-natural habitats (SNH) have the potential to promote a bundle of ecosystem services due to their influence on ecological community at multiple spatio-temporal scales. SNH are relatively undisturbed and are often source of complementary resources and refuges, therefore supporting more diverse and abundant natural pest enemies. However, the nexus of SNH proportion and organization with pest suppression is not trivial. It is thus crucial to understand how the behavior of pest and natural enemy species, the underlying landscape structure, and their interaction, may influence conservation biological control (CBC). Here, we develop a generative stochastic landscape model to simulate realistic agricultural landscape compositions and configurations of fields and linear elements. Generated landscapes are used as spatial support over which we simulate a spatially explicit predator-prey dynamic model. We find that increased SNH presence boosts predator populations by sustaining high predator density that regulates and keeps pest density below the pesticide application threshold. However, predator presence over all the landscape helps to stabilize the pest population by keeping it under this threshold, which tends to increase pest density at the landscape scale. In addition, the joint effect of SNH presence and predator dispersal ability among hedge and field interface results in a stronger pest regulation, which also limits pest growth. Considering properties of both fields and linear elements, such as local structure and geometric features, provides deeper insights for pest regulation; for example, hedge presence at crop field boundaries clearly strengthens CBC. Our results highlight that the integration of species behaviors and traits with landscape structure at multiple scales is necessary to provide useful insights for CBC.

scholarly journals Predation on Drosophila suzukii within Hedges in the Agricultural Landscape

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 305
Author(s):  
Alexandra Siffert ◽  
Fabian Cahenzli ◽  
Patrik Kehrli ◽  
Claudia Daniel ◽  
Virginie Dekumbis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Gut Content ◽  
Drosophila Suzukii ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Host Fruit ◽  
Molecular Gut Content Analysis ◽  
Wild Fruits ◽  
Diverse Community

The invasive Drosophila suzukii feeds and reproduces on various cultivated and wild fruits and moves between agricultural and semi-natural habitats. Hedges in agricultural landscapes play a vital role in the population development of D. suzukii, but also harbor a diverse community of natural enemies. We investigated predation by repeatedly exposing cohorts of D. suzukii pupae between June and October in dry and humid hedges at five different locations in Switzerland. We sampled predator communities and analyzed their gut content for the presence of D. suzukii DNA based on the COI marker. On average, 44% of the exposed pupae were predated. Predation was higher in dry than humid hedges, but did not differ significantly between pupae exposed on the ground or on branches and among sampling periods. Earwigs, spiders, and ants were the dominant predators. Predator communities did not vary significantly between hedge types or sampling periods. DNA of D. suzukii was detected in 3.4% of the earwigs, 1.8% of the spiders, and in one predatory bug (1.6%). While the molecular gut content analysis detected only a small proportion of predators that had fed on D. suzukii, overall predation seemed sufficient to reduce D. suzukii populations, in particular in hedges that provide few host fruit resources.

scholarly journals High-Rate Transition Metal-based Cathode Materials for Battery-Supercapacitor Hybrid Devices

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cong Wang ◽  
Zehao Song ◽  
Pei Shi ◽  
Lin Lv ◽  
Houzhao Wan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Electronic Devices ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Specific Power ◽  
Energy Storage Devices ◽  
Storage Devices ◽  
Electrochemical Devices ◽  
Hybrid Devices ◽  
Scale Grid

With the rapid development of portable electronic devices, electric vehicles and large-scale grid energy storage devices, it needs to reinforce specific energy and specific power of related electrochemical devices meeting...

scholarly journals Landscape structure affects the sunflower visiting frequency of insect pollinators

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Károly Lajos ◽  
Ferenc Samu ◽  
Áron Domonkos Bihaly ◽  
Dávid Fülöp ◽  
Miklós Sárospataki
Keyword(s):  
Landscape Structure ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Edge Density ◽  
Wild Bees ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Mass Flowering ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Pollinator Community ◽  
Foraging Ranges

AbstractMass-flowering crop monocultures, like sunflower, cannot harbour a permanent pollinator community. Their pollination is best secured if both managed honey bees and wild pollinators are present in the agricultural landscape. Semi-natural habitats are known to be the main foraging and nesting areas of wild pollinators, thus benefiting their populations, whereas crops flowering simultaneously may competitively dilute pollinator densities. In our study we asked how landscape structure affects major pollinator groups’ visiting frequency on 36 focal sunflower fields, hypothesising that herbaceous semi-natural (hSNH) and sunflower patches in the landscape neighbourhood will have a scale-dependent effect. We found that an increasing area and/or dispersion of hSNH areas enhanced the visitation of all pollinator groups. These positive effects were scale-dependent and corresponded well with the foraging ranges of the observed bee pollinators. In contrast, an increasing edge density of neighbouring sunflower fields resulted in considerably lower visiting frequencies of wild bees. Our results clearly indicate that the pollination of sunflower is dependent on the composition and configuration of the agricultural landscape. We conclude that an optimization of the pollination can be achieved if sufficient amount of hSNH areas with good dispersion are provided and mass flowering crops do not over-dominate the agricultural landscape.

Habitats for large branchiopods in the agricultural landscape of the Mureş Floodplain Natural Park: how long will they last?

Crustaceana ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 94 (7) ◽  
pp. 775-795
Author(s):  
Alfred-Ştefan Cicort-Lucaciu ◽  
Gabriel-Lucian Herlo
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Natural Landscape ◽  
Large Branchiopods ◽  
Natural Park ◽  
Black Spots ◽  
Chirocephalus Diaphanus ◽  
Floodplain Area ◽  
Large Branchiopod

Abstract In the last two hundred years, the Mureş River Floodplain has suffered major changes caused by dike constructions, meander cutting, and by the transformation of the natural landscape into an agricultural one. In this environmental context, we wanted to find out the degree to which large branchiopod species still survive in the Mureş Floodplain area. Every stagnant aquatic habitat encountered in 2019 in the Mureş Floodplain Natural Park was sampled. For the habitats where more species co-occur, urgent preservation actions must be taken. Most of the species prefer open habitats and have survived in the wheel ruts on agricultural lands. In the absence of natural habitats, the importance of this habitat type becomes a major one. The forest advantages species related to shady habitats, such as Chirocephalus diaphanus. We have found several individuals in the park that showed black spots on their bodies, characteristic of the black disease of fairy shrimp. The presence of the disease only in the populations from wheel ruts suggests that vehicles which make these ruts, could be the carriers of the disease.

scholarly journals Perioperative complications of esophagectomy - prevention, diagnosis and management

2017 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-38
Author(s):  
Dejan Stojakov ◽  
Predrag Sabljak ◽  
Bratislav Spica ◽  
Dejan Velickovic ◽  
Vladimir Sljukic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Perioperative Complications ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Postoperative Mortality ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Esophageal Resection ◽  
Vocal Cord Palsy ◽  
Pulmonary Complications ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Septic Complications

Esophageal resection with reconstruction is complex surgical procedure with high rate of postoperative morbidity, with decreasing mortality rate during last decades, particularly in high-volume hospitals. Numerous preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative factors have contribute to incidence and type of complications. Intraoperative haemorrhage and tracheobronchial lesions could be avoid by good surgical judgement and operative technique. Pulmonary complications are often, with multifactorial etiology, and they are the main cause of postoperative mortality after esophagectomy. Dehiscence of esophageal anastomosis could be fatal, and only high index of suspicion and early diagnosis lead to successful treatment. In majority of such cases conservative measures are successful, however, conduit necrosis is indication for surgical reoperation. Vocal cord palsy due to intraoperative injury of recurrent laryngeal nerves is not rare and increases pulmonary complications rate. New onset of arrhythmia could be associate with other surgical complications. Postesophagectomy chylothorax is life-threatening complication due to rapid development of immunosuppression and septic complications, and early ligation of thoracic duct is often mandatory. Intrathoracic herniation of intrabdominal viscera is rare, and ischemic spinal cord lesions are very rare after esophagectomy. Majority of perioperative complications could be prevented or solved, decreasing mortality rate of esophagectomy.

scholarly journals Local changes in communities of wild bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea, Apiformes): 30 years later

2014 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 325-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Józef Banaszak ◽  
Halina Ratyńska
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Plant Succession ◽  
Permanent Plots ◽  
Wild Bees ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Increasing Trend ◽  
Quantitative Changes ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
Bee Communities ◽  
Forest Habitats

ABSTRACT Changes in communities of wild bees (Apiformes) were studied in relation to changes in vegetation in six permanent plots (natural forest habitats in the Wielkopolska National Park, and semi-natural habitats in the agricultural landscape near Turew) at the end of four decades (starting from the late 1970s). In 2008-2010, as many as 100 species of Apiformes were recorded there, which is more than reported in earlier decades. The most stable bee communities were those in forest habitats (oak-hornbeam forest, oak forest). Substantial qualitative and quantitative changes in vegetation and bee communities were recorded only after the renaturalisation of a former xerothermic grassland, which had become overgrown with shrubs and trees as a result of plant succession. Human interference (e.g. the felling of some trees growing along a road, clearance of understorey shrubs, ploughing of roadside margins) at selected refuge habitats in the agricultural landscape led to short-term fluctuations in bee abundance and diversity, but an increasing trend in abundance was noted.

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