Habitat selection by Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) in Siran and Kaghan Valleys, Pakistan

Asiatic black bear is present in variety of habitats like broad-leaves and coniferous forests, extending form sea level to 4300m elevation and change their habitat for food purpose seasonally. The present study was conducted at Kaghan and Siran Valleys, District Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan to assess habitat of black bear. Line transect method was used for observation of bear signs. Twelve meter circular radius plots were selected for the concern vegetation’s i.e. (trees, shrubs and herbs) and three to six plots were placed in each transect. At the result of sign survey, thirteen different categories of bear signs were recorded and encounter rate was calculated for each sign. A total of 1858 signs were observed during field surveys. Total (81%) coniferous species were recoded among trees, with the highest appearance of Pinus wallichiana (34.22%) and Spruce spp (27.76%), similarly broad leaves trees (18.56%) were also recoded from habitat plots. Most of the signs were encountered in bushy areas, whereas high number of Viburnum Spp (60.29%) was present. It is indicated that black bear prefers blend of Coniferous Trees, Viburnum and Ferns Species; probably because these plants provide enough food, protection, and meticulous shelter because more than 80% of habitat composed of these three species. Currently habitat destruction and increase in human population are the up-growing issues for wild animals (especially Asiatic black bear), which is highly sensitive to such problems. High levels of conservation efforts are recommended for the protection of black bear habitat and to avoid human interference in their territory.

Automation of tree-ring detection and measurements using deep learning

We present an implementable neural network-based automated detection and measurement of tree-ring boundaries from coniferous species. We trained our Mask R-CNN extensively on over 8,000 manually annotated rings. We assessed the performance of the trained model from our core processing pipeline on real world data. The CNN performed well, recognizing over 99% of ring boundaries (precision) and a recall value of 95% when tested on real world data. Additionally, we have implemented automatic measurements based on minimum distance between rings. With minimal editing for missed ring detections, these measurements were a 99% match with human measurements of the same samples. Our CNN is readily deployable through a Docker container and requires only basic command line skills. Application outputs include editable annotations which facilitate the efficient generation of ring-width measurements from tree-ring samples, an important source of environmental data.

Is Biodiversity of Uropodina Mites (Acari: Parasitiformes) Inhabiting Dead Wood Dependent on the Tree Species?

The article presented here is the continuation of a study on the importance of dead wood for the biodiversity of the Uropodina (Acari: Parasitiformes) communities inhabiting dead wood. The major aim of this study is to check whether the species of tree can have any impact on the species composition and abundance of uropodine mite communities inhabiting dead wood. The next aim of the study is to test the following hypotheses: (1) Uropodina exhibit preferences for certain tree species; and (2) communities differ depending on the region and time of the samples collection. The material for the analysis consists of samples from different types of dead wood merocenoses and 37 species of trees, and were collected across the whole area of Poland. More Uropodina species were collected from the dead wood of broadleaved species than from coniferous species. The tree species in which communities of the studied mites were the richest were beech, oak, pine, spruce, linden, and hornbeam. The analysis of habitat preferences of Uropodina mites for particular tree species has revealed that none of the analyzed mite species did not occur in the dead wood samples from all tree species. Another important result is that the mite communities found in the samples from the same tree species remained similar in each decade of the research. The results also show that the communities of Uropodina inhabiting dead wood of the same tree species in different regions of Poland had different species composition, which stems from differences in the range of occurrence of these mites species.

Original Contributions to the Chemical Composition, Microbicidal, Virulence-Arresting and Antibiotic-Enhancing Activity of Essential Oils from Four Coniferous Species

This study aimed to establish the essential oil (EO) composition from young shoots of Picea abies, Larix decidua, Pseudotsuga menziesii, and Pinus nigra harvested from Romania and evaluate their antimicrobial and anti-virulence activity, as well as potential synergies with currently used antibiotics. The samples’ EO average content varied between 0.62% and 1.02% (mL/100 g plant). The mono- and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons were dominant in the composition of the studied EOs. The antimicrobial activity revealed that the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values for the tested EOs and some pure compounds known for their antimicrobial activity ranged from 6.25 to 100 µL/mL. The most intensive antimicrobial effect was obtained for the Pinus nigra EO, which exhibited the best synergistic effect with some antibiotics against Staphylococcus aureus strains (i.e., oxacillin, tetracycline, erythromycin and gentamycin). The subinhibitory concentrations (sMIC) of the coniferous EOs inhibited the expression of soluble virulence factors (DN-ase, lipase, lecithinase, hemolysins, caseinase and siderophore-like), their efficiency being similar to that of the tested pure compounds, and inhibited the rhl gene expression in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, suggesting their virulence-arresting drug potential.

SHRUBS AS AN ELEMENT OF THE PARK ENVIRONMENT

Ornamental shrubs are one of the elements of the formation of the park environment and an integral part of urban landscaping. The paper presents the results of studying the species diversity of shrubs in park plantations in the city of Voronezh. The range includes more than 30 species, decorative forms and varieties of plants. Deciduous species are predominant, while coniferous species account for not much more than 10 %. Deciduous shrubs growing in the parks of the city of Voronezh belong to 14 families. Among them, there are beautiful flowering and decorative deciduous species, as well as plants with attractive fruits. Coniferous species belong to two families-pine and cypress. The cypress family is characterized by the greatest species (form, variety) diversity. The most popular types and varieties of coniferous trees are Western thuja "Smaragd", Western thuja "Danika", Cossack juniper, Cossack juniper"Tamariscifolia". The main types of shrub plantings in park stands are hedges and row plantings. The most common hedges are made of brilliant dogwood and Wanguttaspirea. Less often, groups and tapeworms are used in park plantings. The analysis of the geographical origin of shrubs showed that the largest number of species are introduced − their participation is more than 90%, the share of local species is less than 10%.

The influence of synthetic foaming agents on seed germination of coniferous species

Water is the most frequently used substance for extinguishing of wildfires. Ones of the most commonly used additives enhancing the extinguishing efficiency are foaming agents. This article deals with the influence of foaming agents on germination of coniferous species. Foaming agents Moussol-APS F-15 and Sthamex F-15, foaming solutions of various concentrations were used for the tests. Germination of seeds of Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) was observed. The percentage of germinating seeds was recorded every 7 days. The results were evaluated in the form of graphs. When the concentration levels of foaming solutions ranged from 0.1 vol% to 0.25 vol%, their influence on germination of both coniferous species seeds varied from negligible to slightly positive. Subsequently, the negative effect increased considerably and with concentrations exceeding 1 vol% - 1.5 vol% the germination of samples reached zero values. While foaming solutions of Sthamex F-15 showed less significant influence on germination of the Scots pine seeds, seeds of the Norway spruce were less influenced by foaming agent Moussol-APS F-15. Based on obtained results it is possible to recommend minimisation of foaming agents amounts, eventually application of substances with less negative effect on plants germination for extinguishing of wildland fires, in order to gain restoration of affected area as fast as possible. Key words: foaming agent, germination, wildfire (wildland fire), foaming solution

Quantitative and qualitative characteristics of forests in the Baikal Mountain Forest region

The article considers modern approaches to the study of the state of forests of the Baikal Mountain Forest region. All the obtained results of field studies are confirmed by a 13-year period of observations of the changes in the quantitative and qualitative indicators of growth and development of forests, the selected object. During the research, about 17 thousand ha of forest area were surveyed, 1570 permanent test areas were laid. According to the sanitary condition, the share of healthy plantings (class 1) accounts for 76.5%, the 2nd class of resistance (with the presence of small damage and signs of weakening) – 11.1% the indicators of other classes of resistance of plantings vary from 0.5% to 2.6%. The main sign of damage and weakening of forests are grass-roots fires – 60.3%. The total stock of wood according to the GIL is 2568.9 million m3. Coniferous species have the largest share of the stock of business trees – 94.3%, a smaller share of the stock – soft-leaved – 5.6%. The obtained data allow us to develop measures for rational forest management for part of the forests of the Republic of Buryatia, the Trans-Baikal Territory and the Irkutsk Region.

Epiphytic lichen cover of collection trees of arboretum of the Botanical Garden of Petrozavodsk State University

At present, 264 species of lichens and allied fungi have been recorded for the territory of the BotanicalGarden of Petrozavodsk State University (Republic of Karelia) and 112 species have been found in its arboretum, wheremore than 200 species of introduced trees grow. The paper presents the results of studying the features of the epiphyticlichen cover of the collection trees of the arboretum of the Botanical Garden of PetrSU (Republic of Karelia). Results of thestudy are based on 1662 descriptions of the epiphytic lichen cover on 209 trees of coniferous species and 1150 descriptions –on 143 deciduous introduced species.The average total projective cover of lichens on the trunks of the studied coniferous introduced species reaches 18 % atthe trunk base, and 19 % – at a height of 130 cm above the ground. The number of species in the descriptions of epiphyticlichen cover varies from 0 to 12 (0.8 in average). The highest values of the projective cover of lichens and the numberof species in the descriptions were observed on the trunks of conifers of the genus Pinus, the lowest – on the trunks oftrees of the genus Thuja. The average total projective cover of lichens on the trunks of the studied deciduous introducedspecies was 8 % at the base, and 25 % – at a height of 130 cm above the ground. The number of species in the descriptionvaries from 0 to 9 (1.0 in average). The highest values of the projective cover of lichens and the number of species in thedescription are noted on the trunks of the genus Quercus, the lowest – on the trunks of trees of the genus Ulmus. Collectiontrees of arboretum tree represent a model object for observing the features of the formation of the epiphytic lichen cover

Reproduction of red-book introduced plants of arboretum (on the example of Eastern Transbaikalia)

The paper presents the results of seed and vegetative reproduction of woody and shrubby introduced plantsincluded in the List of Objects of the plant world listed in the Red Book of the Trans-Baikal Territory. The objects of thestudy are red-book woody and shrubby plants growing on the territory of the arboretum: Picea obovata var. coeruleaMalyschev; Euonymus maackii Rupr.; Corylus heterophylla Fisch. ex Trautv.; Armeniaca sibirica (L.) Lam. The aim of thestudy is to preserve the gene pool of red-book woody and shrubby plants-introduced by seed and vegetative reproduction;to study the timing of cuttings, the effect of various root formation stimulators on the rooting process. Special attentionis paid to the development of methods of vegetative reproduction with the use of various growth stimulators, taking intoaccount the weather conditions of the Trans-Baikal Territory on coniferous and deciduous species. The features and termsof harvesting cuttings are studied. As a result, a favorable period for the process of rooting of coniferous species wasnoted – the phenophase “bud swelling”. The greatest number of roots was formed in cuttings harvested with a “heel”, nottreated with root formation stimulators (“control”). The greatest rooting of green cuttings of shrub species was observed inexperiments with the use of “Kornevin”. Propagation of Armeniaca sibirica showed good results by seed method.

Genetic Resources and Adaptive Management of Conifers in a Changing World

Human activities have widely exploited and transformed the resources of coniferous species and ecosystems [...]