A new species of Rubus L. (Rosaceae) from NE Scotland

A distinctive bramble, whose identity has puzzled experts, is described as a new microspecies, Rubus longiflorus D. Welch. It is characterised by large showy white flowers, deeply grooved, glabrous, few-prickled stems, and leaves that have grey-felted undersides. It is considered intermediate between the Discolores series and Corylifolian section of brambles, and is tentatively assigned to the Rhamnifolii series. The new taxon occurs along an 80 km stretch of coastal lowlands in the Kincardineshire and Angus vice-counties.

MAIN STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE LATE CARBONIFEROUS FLORA AND VEGETATION IN THE DONETS BASIN AS THE BASIS OF JUSTIFICATION OF REGIONAL STRATIGRAPHIC UNITS AT THE PALAEOECOSYSTEM LEVEL

Four stages of development of the late Carboniferous vegetation cover have been established that correspond to the time intervals of four regional subdivisions of the Donets Basin − the Toretsian and Kalynovian Regional Stages, the Luganskian and Vyskrivskian Horizons of the Myronivskian Regional Stage. The analysis of phytostratigraphic and paleophytocenological data showed that the stages of vegetation development are characterized by the dominant plant communities in rank of orders of widespread landscapes. Сhanges from one stage to another are considered as the paleophytocenotic events, which are expressed by the changes of dominant communities of certain landscape types. The levels of paleophytocenotic events coincid with the bases of regional subdivisions The bases of the Toretsian and Kalynovian correspond to the levels of paleophytocenotic events, which were manifested by the formation of new communities types as a result of the evolutionary renewal of composition of wetland calamitean-fern and fern-pteridosperm forests of coastal lowlands as well as lycopsid and calamitean-fern forests of deltaic plains. The base of the Myronivskian (Luganskian Horizon) corresponds to the level of the paleophytocenotic event that was expressed by, firstly, the appearance of new communities types of seasonally dry pteridosperm woodlands of river valleys as a result of the evolutionary renewal of their composition, secondly, the appearance of new communities types of wetland calamitean-fern woodlands of coastal lowlands and calamitean-fern and pteridosperm woodlands of deltaic plains, the formation of which were due to the reduction of species compositions and the changes of dominants. The lower boundary of the Vyskrivskian Horizon corresponds to the level of the paleophytocenotic event that was expressed by the appearance of new communities types of wetland calamitean-fern and fern-pteridosperm woodlands of coastal lowlands and seasonally dry fern-pteridosperm woodlands of lacustrine-lagoon plains, the formation of which were associated with plant migrations and the appearance of new dominants. The considered paleophytocenotic events are manifestations of phytocoenogenetic processes, which led to paleophytocenotic changes, and mark main palaeoecosystem transformations in view of vegetation development stages.

Hydrodynamic model of the formation of horizontal drainage runoff on drainless and slightly drained irrigated lands in the dry steppe zone of Ukraine

The article presents the results of the research, which are the basis of making a hydrodynamic model of the formation of drainage runoff of closed horizontal drainage on drainless and slightly drained irrigated lands in the dry steppe zone of Ukraine. The relevance of the research is in their need when designing the systems of horizontal drainage, determining drain spacing, modes of operation and the evaluation of drainage efficiency during its operation when irrigating with the use of modern sprinklers from a closed farm network. The objective of the research is to develop a generalized hydrodynamic model of formation of closed horizontal drainage runoff when irrigating from a closed farm network on drainless and slightly drained lands, which are typical for the watershed plains and coastal lowlands of the dry steppe zone of Ukraine. The task of the research to determine the basic conditions and factors of formation of horizontal drainage runoff, to specify the structure of groundwater inflow to the drains when having optimal drain spacing in the closed farm network and to define the prospects and areas of further research. Research methods and techniques: long-term (1975-2020) field experiments on drained areas with different drain spacing in typical hydrogeological conditions for watersheds and coastal lowlands; water balance studies; theoretical research methods (analysis and synthesis, comparison, generalization, zoning); to determine the structure of groundwater inflow to the drains, the method of electrohydrodynamic analogies when using the laboratory integrator EGDA 9/60 was applied. As a result of the research it was determined that in the conditions of a closed water farm network it is possible to increase drain spacing from 120-220 m to 240-400 m. When studying all the conditions of drainless and slightly drained watershed plains and coastal lowlands, the main sources forming the regime of groundwater and drainage runoff are the precipitation of 420 mm or 55.0% of water input, irrigation water - 340 mm or 45.0%, including 266 mm or 35,0% from irrigation and 75 mm or 10,0% from filtration from the canals. The analysis of the hydrodynamic model of drainage runoff formation shows that when having drain spacing as 240-400 m, the inflow from the zone located above the bottom of the drain is 2.6-4.8% of the total inflow to the drain. The ascending flow under the bottom of the drain enters it at an average angle of 600 and in all variants of drain spacing is 95.2-97.2% of the total inflow. When drain spacing increases from 240 to 300-400 m, the horizontal inflow from the area located below the bottom of the drain decreases with a corresponding increase in the ascending flow under the bottom of the drain. The average width of the ascending flow to the drain at the edge of the active zone of groundwater (9.0-10.0 m below the drain) is 13.0-20.0 m. The resulting model complements the existing theoretical and methodological knowledge base for designing horizontal drainage and is necessary in perspective researches on the formation of expert systems for optimization of the parameters and modes of irrigation and drainage functioning when applying modern broadcast sprinkler equipment irrigating from the closed farm network.

Late Holocene Vegetation and Environmental Changes of Coastal Lowlands in Northern Iran: Possible Role of Climate, Human Impact and Caspian Sea Level Fluctuations

Coastal forests and wetlands play an important role in supporting biological diversity, protecting the hinterlands and shorelines along the continental margins from erosion, as well as for contributing to carbon and freshwater storage. To reconstruct late Holocene vegetation and environmental dynamics in the coastal lowlands in northern Iran and detect the possible role of climate, human impact and Caspian Sea (CS) level fluctuation on coastal ecosystems, a multi-proxy analysis including pollen, spores, non-pollen palynomorphs, macro-charcoal and X-ray fluorescence analysis, have been applied on the radiocarbon dated sediment cores from the Eynak (EYK) lagoon further inland and Bibi Heybat (BBH) alder swamp near the coast. Open wetlands covered relatively large areas since the recorded period (1450 cal yr BP). At BBH larger areas of open vegetation occurred and alder forests covered only small areas that expanded during the late Little Ice Age (1650-1850 AD) and were most abundant during the last about 100 years. Further inland at EYK, areas of alder and mixed broad-leaved Hyrcanian forest were larger. Alder forest in general expanded since 600 cal yr BP. In the last 170 years, alder forest areas and wetlands declined strongly, due to deforestation and strong human activities. The intensity of human impact, climatic fluctuations and changes in CS level were the most important factors controlling the dynamics of the northern Iranian coastal vegetation.

Variability of soil physical and hydraulic properties along a toposequence in the coastal lowlands of Rio de Janeiro

Soil physical and hydraulic properties are interdependent, and soil-use planning and management are complicated by the high variability of these attributes. The current study assessed the variability of physical and hydraulic properties of soils along a toposequence located in a forest fragment under spontaneous regeneration in the coastal lowlands of Rio de Janeiro. Four soil profiles were selected, and samples were collected from surface and subsurface horizons for determination of moisture content, bulk density, macroporosity, microporosity, hydraulic conductivity, texture, and soil resistance to penetration (measured using benchtop and field penetrometers). Exploratory and principal component analyses were performed, and descriptive parameters and Pearson’s correlation coefficients were calculated. In A horizons of profiles 3 (Planossolo) and 4 (Gleissolo), clay contents ranged from 59.0 to 577.0 g kg-1, moisture contents from 1.5 to 16.4%, and microporosity from 10.4 to 46.2%, respectively. Field- and laboratory-measured penetration resistances showed a stronger association with profile 1 (Argissolo); however, values were not sufficiently high to limit root development. The variability in soil physical and hydraulic properties in short slopes is high, mainly in terms of hydraulic conductivity, moisture, microporosity, and clay content. The greater variability of soil physical and hydraulic properties in lowland is attributed to clay and silt fractions, microporosity, and moisture content. The increment in clay content with depth increases bulk density and resistance to root penetration.

Horse Agribusiness in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: trade and economic aspects of Mangalarga Marchador farm production

This study aimed to assess the economic and commercial performance of the Mangalarga Marchador horse breeding, and production costs in the Rio de Janeiro. Data was collected from the ABCCMM archives and from associated breeders, selected through stratified sampling by the mesoregions of the State of Rio de Janeiro. The main means of marketing the animals is selling on the farm. The average of horse’s sale per stud farm in the Rio de Janeiro is 14.92/year with the average of R$16,628.46/horse, generating an estimated sale at the farms of around R$192,026,783.88/year. The sale of mating (8.77 mating/year) and weaned foals (5.44 foals/year) contributed to the largest volume of sales at the stud farms. Donor mares (R$57,318,908.50) and mares (R$42,958,357.20) represented the highest in terms of market value throughout the Rio de Janeiro. The Coastal Lowlands mesoregion had the highest average of animals sold per stud farm/year (40.57 animals) and the Central Fluminense mesoregion had the lowest average (25.39 animals). The average commercialization per farm/year corresponds to R$385,667.90 and the average total value traded in the Rio de Janeiro is R$465,880,252.32/year. The average is 6.52 hired employees, which is equivalent to an average monthly labor gross cost of R$11,286.00. Rio de Janeiro employs around 5,584 people directly, the greatest numbers in the Metropolitan mesoregion (1,833 employees), and the lowest concentration in the Northern Fluminense mesoregion (530 employees). Together with the production costs, Mangalarga Marchador horse’s business turns over more than R$650 million per year in the Rio de Janeiro.