Overall and repeated floral visitation by insects suggests flower flies (Syrphidae) as the major pollinator group of Alaska Wild Rhubarb (Koenigia alaskana var. glabrescens; Polygonaceae) in Northwest Territories, Canada

Alaska Wild Rhubarb (Koenigia alaskana var. glabrescens; Polygonaceae) is a native Arctic, subarctic, and alpine plant of northwestern North America. Although the plant has some economic and ecological importance, its biology is poorly known. At 11 sites in the northeast corner of its range in Northwest Territories, we found that 87% of its floral visitors were flies, mostly Syrphidae, a diverse family known to be important pollinators. Insects visiting consecutive flowers on different plants and, thus, likely effecting pollination were also flies (78.6%) and also mostly Syrphidae (72.7%) followed by Hymenoptera (20%). Although syrphids were the dominant potential pollinators at most sites, there was some variation among sites. Our results provide quantitative support for pollinator diversity and the major role of Syrphidae in pollination of Alaska Wild Rhubarb. We suggest that pollination is not a limiting factor in this plant’s spread, nor its rare and local occurrence and restricted distribution, because the majority of its pollinators are widespread.

The Syro-Anatolian City-States

This book presents a new model for the kingdoms that clustered around the northeast corner of the Mediterranean Sea during the Iron Age, ca. 1200–600 BCE. Rather than presenting them as an ancient version of the modern nation-state, characterized by homogenous ethnolinguistic communities like “the Aramaeans” or “the Luwians” living in neatly bounded territories, this book presents these polities as being fundamentally diverse and variable, distinguished by demographic fluidity and cultural mobility. This conclusion is reached via an examination of a host of evidentiary sources, including site plans, settlement patterns, visual arts, and historical sources. Together, these lines of evidence lead to the awareness that this time and place consisted of a complex fusion of cultural traditions that is nevertheless distinctly recognizable unto itself. This book thus proposes a new term to encapsulate that diversity: the Syro-Anatolian Culture Complex.

WHEN ROMAN ANTIQUITY AND RENAISSANCE CAME TOGETHER IN VIRTUAL 3D ENVIRONMENT: 3D MODELLING CONSIDERATIONS

This paper is a review of the modelling of two edifices located in a city which developed on the vestiges of a Roman city during antiquity endowed in the 4th century with a military camp. The term castellum is used for the first structure. A second structure concerns the remains of a castle dismantled at the end of the 17th century, which was generally known only by an engraving in perspective made shortly before its demolition, and the cadastral matrix that had preserved the traces of its right-of-way. It is a Renaissance castle built in the 16th century by the Württemberg family in the northeast corner of the ruins of the castellum. The projects contain a first part of data analysis and interpretation based on available documents. Similar sites close in terms of architecture, geographical location and construction period were also visited to get inspiration from them and to be able to make proposals for restitution. Despite the lack of data available, the multidisciplinary aspect of these projects is very important. In fact, the experience of archaeologists and the monitoring of modelling throughout its progress is essential to work out models that are both justifiable, at the level of the proposals made and sufficiently complete to be able to be highlighted. Once the models validated, they are integrated in a virtual way into the contemporary urban environment, through an interactive virtual tour. This paper reviews the principles implemented during the modelling, the rendering and the valorisation of the models thru virtual tours and AR/VR implementation.

Approach to the mycological catalogue of the Dehesa of Somosierra and new records for the Community of Madrid (Spain)

An approach to the mycological catalogue of the Dehesa of Somosierra, in the northeast corner of the Community of Madrid, has been carried out. The expeditions were accomplished from April 2013 to October 2015. A total of 96 species were identified belonging to 45 families and 18 orders. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time that the species as Hyalorbilia inflatula, Panellus serotinus and Vibrissea filisporia f. boudieri have been cited in the Community of Madrid.

Where, When, and Why Did It Rain during PECAN?

The overarching goal of the Plains Elevated Convection At Night (PECAN) field campaign was to improve understanding of the processes contributing to the nocturnal precipitation maximum in the U.S. Great Plains. This study presents the precipitation pattern surrounding PECAN and addresses the origin, timing, duration, and potential causes contributing to that pattern. It is shown that the precipitation occurs most frequently at night, as expected. The maximum in the precipitation pattern occurred in the northeastern portion of the PECAN radar domain. The source of the rainfall was attributed to mountain-initiated precipitation, plains-initiated precipitation, precipitation advecting over the border of the radar domain, and episodes in which different initiation categories merged together. Through the combination of mountain-initiated, border, and merged episodes, 70% of the Great Plains precipitation was caused by episodes that formed outside of the PECAN domain and propagated into the region. The remaining 30% of the precipitation was attributed to plains-initiated storms. The mountain-initiated storms formed primarily in the afternoon and typically dissipated near the mountains. For those that survived, they propagated eastward, grew upscale, and contributed 27% of the precipitation in the plains. The plains-initiated precipitation fell mostly during the afternoon but also contributed to overnight rainfall and those locally triggered systems tended to be relatively smaller and shorter lived. For the top 10% rain-producing events, composite reanalysis fields showed that synoptic-scale features influenced the precipitation pattern and timing: an approaching trough established southwesterly moist flow throughout the region and a nocturnal low-level jet transported moisture to its terminus in the northeast corner of the PECAN domain.

Phoenicia in the Later Iron Age

A coherent history of Phoenicia between 1000 and 550 bce is difficult to write. The internal development of individual city-states is almost completely unknown. We can only get a glimpse of their foreign relations. Owing to geographical constraints, Phoenician cities were split into a northern group, from Arwad to Byblos, and a southern one, essentially Tyre and Sidon. These two cities may have been associated in one political unit from the ninth to the late eighth–early seventh centuries bce. A Phoenician presence is noticeable in the northeast corner of the Mediterranean, with political control of Tyre on part of Cyprus. Tyrians and Sidonians also had interests in North Syria and in the Euphrates River valley. All Phoenician city-states adopted an accommodating policy toward foreign powers, especially Assyria, and, despite violent clashes from the mid-eighth century bce onward, they could manage to preserve their role as middlemen in the trade relations of the ancient world.

DOCUMENTACION DIGITAL APLICADA A LA VILLA ROMANA DE SANT GREGORI (BURRIANA, ESPAÑA)

In this paper we aim at presenting the digitalization process done on the archaeological site at San Gregori a villa a mare from the Early Roman Empire found in Burriana, a Mediterranean coastal village of Spain. The archaeological work is part of a joint research project carried out by Universitat Jaume I in Castellón and the Archaeological Museum of Burriana. To date, the residential part of the villa in the northeast corner of the settlement has been excavated; this area is situated about 100 meters from the waterfront. The villa has been dated around the change of Era and IV c. A. D.; however, some Roman republican and Iberian materials have also been registered. The last phase of the work consisted on the development of a 3D laser scanning to complete the graphical work for the archaeological documentation of the site.