BALLCOURT REPRESENTATIONS IN QUIECHAPA, OAXACA, MEXICO: RITUAL OFFERING, FERTILITY, AND LIFE

During an archaeological survey in the municipality of San Pedro Mártir Quiechapa, Oaxaca, Mexico, archaeologists from the Proyecto Arqueológico de Quiechapa (PAQuie) encountered and documented a number of carved stone elements. Of particular interest are the 30 representations of ballcourts carved into natural rock outcrops at two sites in the region. This is the highest density in which this type of ballcourt representation occurs throughout Mesoamerica. After their initial discovery, members of PAQuie documented the carved stone ballcourts using structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry, a quick and affordable technique to collect 3D spatial, quantitative, and visual data of stone carvings. In this article, I report on the carved stone ballcourt representations documented in the Quiechapa region and offer some preliminary interpretations. I first provide some description of the broader archaeological context in which the carvings were found. Then I describe the methods used to record the stone carvings, followed by a presentation of the data. Finally, in dialogue with extant literature, I explore some possibilities as to why these carved stone ballcourt representations were created, how they may have been used, and what they may symbolize.

Nephroma orvoi (Nephromatoideae, Peltigeraceae) – a new lichen species for Russia

The lichen species Nephroma orvoi is reported as new to Russia from two localities in Murmansk Region. Description and colour illustrations of the material studied are provided. The species was previously known from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Canada (Alberta and British Columbia), USA (Washington), and Greenland. In Russia, it grows on rock outcrops in open habitat along the shore of a Paz River (Pasvik Nature Reserve) and in the bed of a small unnamed stream (neighborhood of Fedorova Tundra Mt.). The specimens were identified by the morphology (mostly laminal, brown, corticate soredia; faveolate, wrinkle-ridged lobes; lower side with short pseudotomentum in middle and inner part) and the identification was confirmed by lichen substances (a series of specific triterpenoids).

Socioecology of the Australian Tree Skink (Egernia striolata)

There is great diversity in social behavior across the animal kingdom. Understanding the factors responsible for this diversity can help inform theory about how sociality evolves and is maintained. The Australian Tree Skink (Egernia striolata) exhibits inter- and intra-population variability in sociality and is therefore a good system for informing models of social evolution. Here, we conducted a multi-year study of a Tree Skink population to describe intra-population variation in the social organization and mating system of this species. Skinks aggregated in small groups of 2–5 individuals, and these aggregations were typically associated with shared shelter sites (crevices and hollows within rocks and trees). Aggregations were typically made up of one or more adult females and, often, one male and/or juvenile(s). Social network and spatial overlap analyses showed that social associations were strongly biased toward kin. Tree skinks also exhibited high site fidelity regardless of age or sex. There were high levels of genetic monogamy observed with most females (87%) and males (68%) only breeding with a single partner. Our results indicate that Tree Skinks reside in small family groups and are monogamous, which corresponds with existing research across populations. Similar to previous work, our study area consisted of discrete habitat patches (i.e., rock outcrops, trees, or both), which likely limits offspring dispersal and promotes social tolerance between parents and their offspring. Our study clearly demonstrates that there is intra-population variability in Tree Skink social behavior, but it also provides evidence that there is a high degree of inter-population consistency in sociality across their geographic range. We also highlight promising possible avenues for future research, specifically discussing the importance of studying the nature and extent of Tree Skink parental care and quantifying the fitness outcomes of kin-based sociality in this species, which are topics that will further our understanding of the mechanisms underlying variation in vertebrate social behavior.

Study of Flash Flood in the Rishiganga and Dhauliganga Catchment in Chamoli District of Uttarakhand, India

The present study is an attempt to investigate a flash flood that occurred on the morning of 7th February 2021 in the Rishiganga and Dhauliganga Catchments in Chamoli District of Uttarakhand. A catastrophic flood was triggered due to a massive rock-cum-snow avalanche caused by Antecedent Snow falls in the region. A huge flash flood was generated as a tremendous quantity of rockslide, comprising deposited ice and snowmelt, rolled down the Ronthi Glacier and flowed downstream into the glacier valley. This massive flash flood hit the NTPC's Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project and the Rishiganga Hydel Project, bridges, roads, and communities in and around Raini, Tapovan and Joshimath regions in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. The mud and slush-inducing elements resulted in the development of a dammed lake, which momentarily blocked one of the Rishiganga's tributaries. Temporal satellite image has been used to access the information of disaster damage assessment in the region. The high-resolution satellite image clearly showing flash flood watermarks in the region and on the avalanches site rock outcrops reaching up to 50–130m height on the way to Raini Gaon. As part of our analysis, we have also looked at the valley's slope profile, which clearly shows the valley's height following the destruction. It is estimated that more than Rs 4,000 crore infrastructures loss due to this flash flood in the region. Besides, two bridges have also been lost. Hydometeriological analysis was also carried out in order to obtain the trend of rapid increase in temperature in the valley where disaster occurred. Using remote sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques, thematic layers were generated for obtaining information on the flash flood.

Ramalina arsenii, an additional new species in the R. pollinaria group in Western Europe

Ramalina arsenii sp. nov. belongs to the R. pollinaria group and is easily recognized by its ITS barcode and several micro-morphological characters that are diagnostic in a European context: small size, less than 3 cm long; soralia developing on the underside of lobe apices; absence of excavate depressions on the lower side. Its ecological niche (i.e. rock outcrops and especially underhangs of slightly calcareous rocks, at low and mid altitudes) is also unique. Ramalina arsenii is frequent and locally abundant in France (Alps, Cantal) and Switzerland (western Alps), and is also known from Germany and the Spanish side of the Pyrenees.

Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) Assisted Detection of Rock Outcrops in Appalachian Hardwood Forests

The identification of small habitat features embedded within forest ecosystems is a challenge for many wildlife inventory and monitoring programs, especially for those involving rock outcrop specialist taxa. Rock outcrops are often difficult to remotely detect in dense Appalachian hardwood forests, as most outcrops remain hidden under the forest canopy and therefore invisible when relying on aerial orthoimagery to pinpoint habitat features. We investigated the ability for light detection and ranging (LiDAR) point cloud data to identify small rock outcrops during the environmental assessment phase of a proposed management project on the Jefferson National Forest in Virginia, USA. We specifically compared this approach to the visual identification of rock outcrops across the same area using aerial orthoimagery. Our LiDAR-based approach identified three times as many rock outcrop sites as aerial orthoimagery, resulting in the field-verification of four times as many previously-unknown populations of green salamanders Aneides aeneus, a rock outcrop specialist amphibian of high conservation concern, than would have been possible if relying on aerial orthoimagery alone to guide surveys. Our results indicate that LiDAR-based methods may provide an effective, efficient, and low-error approach that can remotely identify below-canopy rock outcrops embedded within Appalachian forests, especially when researchers lack pre-existing knowledge of local terrain and the location of habitat features.

Urban Growth and Its Impact on Urban Land Cover Change in Akure South Local Government, Ondo State, Nigeria

Urban Growth and its Impact on Urban land cover change in Akure South Local Government area was investigated to bridge the knowledge gap created by data deficiency on the nature, scope, and magnitude of urban threat on the land use/land cover type, most especially the agricultural land in the area. This was done through the analysis of Landsat images of three epochs from 2000 through 2010 to 2020. The processing of the satellite images was done in ArcGIS 10.8, while the analysis and 2030 projection were done in Microsoft office excel using the result from the analysis. QGIS was used to remove the scan lines error on the 2010 image. The result showed increasing urban growth (built-up area), reducing vegetation and farmlands, and increasing rock outcrops. The changes vary among the different classification characteristics. Both farmlands and vegetation increased in the first epoch and reduced in the second epoch due to man's urbanization and other socio-economic activities. The increasing change in the second epoch was higher in built-up areas while rock outcrops increased throughout the study period. The research was able to assess the magnitude of farmland and vegetation that have been converted for urban uses over time. It also proved the efficiency of Remote Sensing and GIS technology in urban growth studies.

A checklist of vascular plants in limestone areas on the Korean Peninsula

Limestone areas are sedimentary rock outcrops consisting of calcium carbonate created several hundreds of millions of years ago by calcium-secreting marine organisms and subsequently lifted above sea level by tectonic movement. Limestone areas support very high levels of endemic species of plants and are recognized as biodiversity areas with much biological information. The purpose of this study is to devise a strategy for the comprehensive conservation of the vegetation of limestone areas through analyses of the floristics and plant species compositions in ten limestone areas on the Korean Peninsula. The results of 153 field surveys from April of 2010 to October of 2016 identified 1,202 taxa in total, representing 1,096 species, 18 subspecies, 84 varieties, 2 forms, and 2 hybrids in 530 genera and 133 families. Among them, 55 taxa were endemic plants to Korea, and 38 taxa were red data plants. The floristic target plants amounted to 102 taxa, specifically 27 taxa of grade V and 75 taxa of grade IV. In all, 121 alien plants were recorded in the investigated area. Calciphilous plants amounted to 102 taxa, specifically 14 taxa of calciphilous indicator plants, 30 taxa of superlative most calciphilous plants, and 58 taxa of comparative more calciphilous plants. A cluster analysis showed a high degree of similarity between sites that are geographically adjacent with similar habitat environments. Limestone areas also supported groups distinct from those in non-limestone areas, demonstrating the specificity of limestone flora. Plant geography approaches therefore appear to be crucial to gain a better understanding of the level of biodiversity in limestone areas, not only at the interspecific but also at the intraspecific level. These results highlight the importance of protecting limestone habitats to preserve not only their interspecific but also the intraspecific diversity, which is highly threatened.

Geo-spatial Assessment of Land Use/Land Cover (LU/LC) Dynamics in Akoko South West Local Government, Ondo State, Nigeria

Geo-spatial assessment of land use/cover dynamics in Akoko South West Local Government was instigated to bridge the knowledge gap created by data deficiency on the nature, scope and magnitude of land use/cover change in the area. This was done through the analysis of Landsat images of three epochs from 2000 through 2010 to 2020. The processing of the satellite images was done in ArcGIS 10.8 while the analysis and 2030 projection was done in Microsoft office excel using the result from the analysis. QGIS was used to remove the scan lines error on the 2010 image. The result showed increasing built-up area, reducing vegetation and farmlands and diminishing rock outcrops. The changes vary among the different classification characteristics. The increasing change in the second epoch was higher in built up areas while rock outcrops increased in the first epoch. Farmland and vegetation were on reducing trend throughout the study period. However, the moderate change observed in the second epoch for the two land cover classes were not as significant as the first epoch. Government policies on forest reserve should strictly be adhered to in order to preserve the vegetation in the area. People of the area should be advised to diversify their economy in order to avoid total dependence on the forest reserve.