3D MODELING AND VISUALIZATION OF ARCHITECTURE AND LANDSCAPE

The study presents the results of architectural and vegetation survey missions in the UNESCO site of Quinta da Regaleira in the city of Sintra, Portugal. The different types of connecting elements of the epigean and hypogean architectures in the Park are analysed through the disciplinary tools of architectural design. Surveys and models of some of the connecting elements are proposed for an understanding of the site and its subsequent protection and valorisation through digital documentation. Of great interest is the architectural and social relationship that the site establishes with the city of Sintra.The survey of epigean architecture considered the following: the Casa da Renasceça, the Capela, the Cocheiras, the Estufa, the Oficina das Artes, the Loggia dos Pisoes, the Casa dos Ibis, the Torre da Regaleira the Terraço dos Mundos Celestes and the Fonte da Abundância.The survey of underground architecture considered the following architectures: the Gruta do Labirinto, the Gruta da Leda, the Lago da Cascata, the Gruta do Aquario, the Gruta do Oriente, the Portal dos Guardiães, the Poço Imperfeito and the Poço Iniziático.The work constitutes a complete and accurate analysis, represented through technical drawings, in different scales, digital point clouds and 3D modelling for the visualisation of the architecture in the Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra.

Comparison of visual estimation and line point intercept vegetation survey methods on annual grass-invaded rangelands of Wyoming

Scientists and natural resource managers require suitable vegetation survey methods to assess the success of rangeland restoration projects. Visual estimation and point intercept methods are commonly used to evaluate vegetation cover. This study compared the performance of one visual (quadrat-based) and two line point intercept (LPI – canopy and basal) methods to assess biodiversity, cover, and to estimate biomass production on sites invaded by introduced annual grasses across Wyoming, USA. Greater species richness and higher Shannon index values were measured in quadrats, while introduced annual and native perennial graminoid cover values were higher in LPI canopy in general. Overall, these outcomes indicate quadrats as the most suitable survey method when biodiversity monitoring is the primary objective, while suggesting LPI canopy when monitoring vegetation cover is prioritized. Finally, our regression models indicated quadrat-based estimates as the most reliable to predict introduced annual and native perennial graminoid biomass.

First vegetation-plot database of woody species from Huíla province, SW Angola

Angola is a country in south-central Africa, particularly rich in biodiversity. Despite the efforts recently made to document its biodiversity, there is a need for standardized sampling methods to document and compare the variety of ecosystems and plants occurring in the country. With this database report we aim to document the abundance and diversity of woody species in the woodlands of Huíla province. The database hosts the results of a standardised plot-based vegetation survey, consisting of 448 vegetation plots distributed throughout the 14 municipalities and Bicuar National Park. In total, 40,009 individuals belonging to 44 plant families were recorded and measured, belonging to 193 woody species. Species richness per municipality ranged from 32 to 126. The mean stem diameter (DBH) was 10.9 cm ± 7.5 cm. Small-size classes are increasingly dominated by few species, while the largest trees come from a wider range of species; miombo key-species dominated almost all size classes. Our study represents the first plot-based vegetation survey of any Angolan province and constitutes a useful source of information for conservation and management. Additionally, may constitute a powerful dataset to support future studies on biodiversity patterns and vegetation change over time and facilitate the elaboration of vegetation maps. Taxonomic reference: Checklist of Angolan Plants (Figueiredo and Smith 2008), The African Plant Database (version 3.4.0) and A new classification of Leguminosae (LPWG 2017). Abbreviations: DBH = Diameter at Breast Height; GIVD = Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases; LUBA = Acronym of the Herbarium of Lubango

Metal Accumulation and Tolerance in Artemisia indica var. maximowiczii (Nakai) H. Hara. and Fallopia sachalinensis (F.Schmidt) Ronse Decr., A Naturally Growing Plant Species at Mine Site

For growing plants at mine sites, plant species that accumulate metals in tissues and are tolerant to high metal concentrations should be selected from the perspective of phytostabilization. However, the eco-chemical or elemental information of the plant species at the mine sites is limited. The purpose of this study was to identify plants that can adapt to natural growth at mine sites, via: (1) vegetation survey, (2) elemental analysis in soil and plants, and (3) detoxicant detection in plant cells. Our vegetation survey indicated that plants growing at our study site are consistent with plant species confirmed at other mine sites in previous reports. A. indica var. maximowiczii and F. sachalinensis, present at the mine site, highly accumulated Fe, Al, and Cu in the roots, indicating their metal tolerance. Furthermore, A. indica var. maximowiczii produced detoxicants such as chlorogenic acid and 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid in the roots, which exhibited high antioxidative activity that would play an important role in metal tolerance in A. indica var. maximowiczii. This study will be effective in providing fundamental information on phytostabilization at mine sites.

Vegetation survey of the Khomas Hochland in central-western Namibia: syntaxonomical descriptions

Background: The Great Escarpment of southern Africa takes the form of an extended mountainous highland in central-western Namibia, commonly referred to as the ‘Khomas Hochland’. It is regarded as an area of high botanical diversity. Yet only few localised studies on the vegetation composition are available. The Khomas Hochland is formed on the southern part of the Damara Orogen and dominated by metamorphosed sediments. Climatically it forms a transition between the hot desert of the Namib and the slightly cooler hot steppe in the inland.Objectives: To classify and provide syntaxonomical descriptions of the vegetation of the Khomas Hochland.Methods: A dataset comprising 1151 relevés and 914 species was compiled from various surveys, mostly collected under, and to the standards of, the umbrella project ‘Vegetation Survey of Namibia’. For first classifications, the data set was reduced to a synusial set consisting of trees, shrubs, dwarf shrubs and grasses only.Results: The classification resulted in four major landscape units, being the Pre-Namib and Escarpment zone, the Khomas Hochland proper, riverine habitats as well as surrounding lowlands. The classification was further refined using Cocktail procedures to produce 30 associations, one with four sub-associations. These are described in this paper.Conclusion: A classification of synoptic data grouped the associations into five orders and one undefined cluster of associations on specialised desert habitats. Four of these orders correspond to the habitat types identified in the first classification. The fifth order, the Senegalio hereroensis–Tarchonanthoetalia camphorathi, represents high mountains of the central Khomas Hochland, which link biogeographically to the grassland biome in South Africa.