The distribution pattern of mire specialist butterflies in raised bogs of the northern lowlands of Central Europe

Raised bogs are extreme and azonal ecosystems with a characteristic hydrological balance, microclimatic conditions and a specific flora and fauna. Recently, these ecosystems have increasingly become the focus of scientific and general attention because of their important ecosystem roles in the face of global warming and providing biodiversity refuges. From a biogeographical and evolutionary context, the peat bogs of the European Lowlands serve as palaeorefugia, acting as cold, edaphic island habitats for arcto-alpine or boreo-montane insect species in temperate biomes. Analysing 105 peat bog sites in the northern lowlands of Central Europe, we compare the diversity and geographic distribution pattern of a subset of six butterfly species, which appear to be tyrphobiontic or tyrphophile mire specialists. We demonstrate a decrease in mean species number in the European Lowlands on a gradient from the east (Northern Belarus, about 4 species) to the west (Northern Germany, about 1 species), and suggest that the decreasing species number may be mainly caused by human impact in the past. The individual distribution pattern shows a nearly complete gap in occurrence of the sensitive bog specialist species Colias palaeno and Boloria eunomia in Northern Germany and an increasing presence of those species in peat bogs of eastern Europe. Boloria aquilonaris shows a different pattern, which, in contrast to C. palaeno, is continuously distributed in all sampled regions and seems to be the more tolerant of tyrphobiontic butterflies in the face of human impact on peat bogs. In the light of other recent findings our results also suggest that Boloria aquilonaris and Plebejus optilete may serve as target species reflecting success in ecological restoration of peat bog ecosystems.

A Late Würmian and Holocene pollen profile from Tüttensee, Upper Bavaria, as evidence of 15 Millennia of landscape history in the Chiemsee glacier region

A late Würmian and Holocene pollen profile from Tüttensee near Chiemsee, Bavaria, covering 14 millennia of vegetation history, shows the late Würmian reforestation of the area, Holocene woodland development, and later the human impact on the landscape. In the early Holocene a distinct Ulmus phase preceded the Corylus and Quercus expansion. Afterwards, between 6000 and 4000 BCE, Picea was most common. The expansion of Fagus and Abies started at 4000 BCE, together with the decline of Ulmus. Fagus was more common than Abies. From 500 BCE Abies started to decline, Fagus has also declined from 1000 CE onwards. Before the modern times Picea/Pinus phase Quercus is prevailing. The prehistoric human impact is rather weak. A short reforestation phase at ~ 1 BCE – 1 CE hints at the rather complex migration history in this region with so called Celts, Germanic people and Romans involved. Strong human impact indicated by cereals, Plantago lanceolata, other human indicators and deforestation started at 900 CE.

Przekształcenie obszaru wysoczyzny lessowej pod wpływem gospodarczej działalności człowieka w neoholocenie (na wybranych przykładach z okolic Mozgawy, Ponidzie Pińczowskie)

The Mozgawa area, located in the Ponidzie Pińczowskie Region (SE part of the Nida River Basin), is a very good example of response of the natural environment to the progressive human impact. The research conducted there indicates that before the appearance of the first Neolithic farmers, the relief of the area was different to the modern one. Constant and intensive agricultural use of the loess plateau and the adjacent slopes (started in the Neolithic period some 5890±100 BP) led to the filling of the valley bottoms and local depressions with deluvial deposits, the thickness of which reaches up to 12 m. The deposition of these sediments and elevation of the surface level in the subordinate areas resulted in the creation of the Mozgawka River channel since the begining of the Roman Period. Formerly it was impossible (as it was within the depression) and the runoff was only through the karst system. Since that moment it has also started the accumulation of the alluvial fan, the progradation of which leads to the pushing of the Nida River channel towards the East.

Establishment of Organic Terrace Garden and Cultivation of Nutritious Vegetables

In urban areas garden spaces are reduced in size everyday due to human impact on ecosystem. People living in urban and peri-urban areas don’t have enough space for kitchen gardening or home gardening. The only places that one can grow their own vegetables are terraces and balcony. The main aim of this study is to create awareness on all aspects of growing own organic vegetables and establishment of organic terrace garden. For the establishment of organic terrace garden, space was selected in the department of Botany, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore. The area was covered by using green shade nets. Different sizes of grow bags were selected for the cultivation of vegetables, fruits, greens and medicinal plants. The organic fertilizers and manures like vermicompost, Farm Yard Manure, panchagavya, NPK consortium were used. Neem oil was used to control the pests. Drip irrigation setup was placed in the terrace garden for irrigating the plants. The ornamental plants were planted in the hanging pots and plastic pots to beautify the environment. Students are motivated and trained for the establishment of organic terrace garden and cultivation of vegetables.

Carbon accumulation rates of Holocene peatlands in central–eastern Europe document the driving role of human impact over the past 4000 years

Peatlands are one of the largest terrestrial carbon sinks on the planet, yet little is known about the carbon accumulation rates (CARs) of mountainous peatlands. The long-term variability in the size of the associated carbon sink and its drivers remain largely unconstrained, especially when the long-term anthropogenic impact is also considered. Here, we present a composite CAR record of nine peatlands from central–eastern Europe (Romania and Serbia) detailing variability in the rates of carbon accumulation during the Holocene. We show examples of extremely high long-term rates of carbon accumulation (LORCA>120 gCm-2yr-1), indicating that mountain peatlands constitute an efficient regional carbon sink at times. By comparing our data to modelled palaeoclimatic indices and to measures of anthropogenic impact we disentangle the drivers of peat carbon accumulation in the area. Variability in early- and mid-Holocene CARs is linked to hydroclimatic controls, with high CARs occurring during the early Holocene and lower CARs associated with the transition to cooler and moister mid-Holocene conditions. By contrast, after 4000 years (calibrated) before present (years BP), the trends in CARs indicate a divergence from hydroclimate proxies, suggesting that other processes became the dominant drivers of peat CARs. We propose that enhanced erosion following tree cover reduction as well as increased rates of long-distance atmospheric dust fallout might have played a role, as both processes would result in enhanced mineral and nutrient supply to bog surfaces, stimulating peatland productivity. Surprisingly though, for the last 1000 years, reconstructed temperature is significantly correlated with CARs, with rising temperatures linked to higher CARs. Under future climate conditions, which are predicted to be warmer in the region, we predict that peat growth may expand but that this is entirely dependent upon the scale of human impact directly affecting the sensitive hydrological budget of these peatlands.

The Contribution of Kurī (Polynesian Dog) to the Ecological Impacts of the Human Settlement of Aotearoa New Zealand

The pre-human Aotearoa New Zealand fauna was dominated by avian and reptilian species. Prior to first human settlement by East Polynesian colonists, the top predators were two giant raptorial birds. Aside from humans themselves, colonisation also resulted in the simultaneous introduction of two novel mammalian predators into this naive ecosystem, the kiore (Pacific rat) and kurī (Polynesian dog). While the ecological impacts of kiore are relatively well understood, those of kurī are difficult to assess, and as such kurī have frequently been disregarded as having any meaningful impact on New Zealand’s biodiversity. Here we use the archaeological and palaeoecological record to reassess the potential impacts of kurī on this ecosystem. We argue that far from being confined to villages, kurī could have had a significant widespread but relatively localised impact on New Zealand’s avian, reptilian and marine mammal (seals and sea lions) fauna as a novel predator of medium-sized species. In this way, kurī potentially amplified the already significant impacts of Polynesian colonists and their descendants on New Zealand’s ecosystem, prior to European arrival. As such, kurī should be included in models of human impact in addition to over-hunting, environmental modification and predation by kiore.

Pack for Sustainability: Navigating through Uncharted Educational Landscapes

The worlds of education and learning have for the last few decades been characterized by reactions to the detrimental human impact on the environment, which is measured on such a scale that scholars now refer to the present epoch as the Anthropocene. In order to develop ideas and practices that could guide us into place-based research and an emancipatory relationship between pedagogy and knowledge, the focus needs to shift from what to teach and why (Knowledge and Curriculum) and concern over how learning is evaluated (Assessment) to how we should teach (Pedagogy). The acronym PACK (Pedagogy, Assessment, Curriculum, and Knowledge) turned into the idea of packing for a trip into uncharted educational territory, taking with us several gadgets that might be useful. Our own journey emerged as a dialogue between a philosopher and a science educator. Building on experiences from global work to regional research and a university chairmanship for sustainability, we tried to pack some big ideas for educators to take along, helping them navigate the educational landscapes ahead.