Assessing Grey Squirrel Dispersal Patterns within the Landscape Using Sequence Variation

Abstract

The grey squirrel Sciurus carolinensis is thought to have contributed to the decline of red squirrel S. vulgaris populations in the UK through resource competition and disease spread. This study used mtDNA sequencing to assess patterns of grey squirrel dispersal in the UK. Patterns of genetic variation within the dloop sequence were characterised for seven grey squirrel populations. Infiltration directions and potential barriers to dispersal are identified and discussed, with a focus on Cumbria, a county at the forefront of grey squirrel expansion. Understanding the dynamics of grey squirrel dispersal will aid their management at a landscape scale and enhance the conservation of red squirrels.     

Renewable materials to reduce building heat loss: Characterization of date palm wood

This paper reports the results of an experimental investigation on the thermophysical, chemical and dielectric properties of three varieties of date palm wood (Phoenix dactylifera L.) from Biskra oasis in Algeria. The goal is to use this natural material in the manufacture of thermal insulation for buildings. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis of the date palm wood were investigated to characterize the microstructure and the chemical composition of the samples. A simultaneous determination of the thermal conductivity and the diffusivity was achieved using a periodic method. The relative permittivity was obtained from capacitance measurements performed at room temperature. The results have shown that the surfaces of the samples are irregular with many filaments, impurities, cells and pores. The effect of the fibers orientation was significant on the relative permittivity when compared to the thermal conductivity of the date palm wood. Furthermore, the thermal conductivity measured in vacuum and at atmospheric pressure showed that the material remains, in both cases, with good properties. This result was confirmed comparing to the thermal conductivity of other natural insulating materials. Hence the date palm wood is a good candidate for the development of efficient and safe insulating materials.     

Screening wheat and other small grains for acid soil tolerance

Aluminum (Al) toxicity in acid soils is a major growth-limiting factor for cereal crops in many parts of the world. The most striking effect of high Al concentration in acid soils is stunting of the root system. Liming reduces Al toxicity in surface soils; however, cereal breeders must be prepared to develop cultivars that have tolerance to soil acidity. A 4 day root bioassay, originally used to identify Al toxics soils, was adapted to evaluate tolerance to soil acidity of cereal species and genotypes. Acid soil tolerance was related to the extent of inhibition of root elongation in an Al-toxic soil (pH 4.2) relative to root elongation in the same soil treated with lime (pH5.2). Of the entries, 18% were tolerant or moderately tolerant, and 48% were susceptible or moderately susceptible when 75 bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes were tested. None of the 22 entries of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) were tolerant or moderately tolerant, indicating much lower adaptability to soil acidity than bread wheat. The following ranking of acid soil tolerance of cereal species was obtained: rye (Secale cereale L.) #62;oats (Avena sativa L.) #62;millet(Panicum miliaceum L.) #62;bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) #62;barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) #62;durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.). Variation in tolerance within the other cereal species was much lower than within bread wheat species. The root bioassay method is relatively quick, simple and inexpensive. The method can also be used to screen early-generation populations because assayed seedlings are still viable and can be transplanted for growing until harvest.     

The diversity and distribution of freshwater macrophytes in the wedian of the mountainous northern Oman

The paper reports the first study of diversity and distribution of freshwater macrophytes in the wedian (plural of wadi = seasonal river) of the northern Al Hajar Mountain range in Oman. Fifteen lentic habitats in the wedian were surveyed. The number of species, their growth forms and abundance were recorded in the studied habitat of each wadi. In all, 41 species belonging to 14 families and 32 genera were collected. Of these 37 species were emergent and four were submergent. Poaceae was the most diverse emergent family with 17 species. Phragmites australis was the most common emergent followed by Typha domingensis. Among submerged macrophytes, Chara vulgaris had higher frequency of occurrence with low abundance followed by Potamogeton distinctus with relatively high abundance. Floristic diversity was estimated using species richness (Margalef’s D), general diversity (Shannon–Wiener H′), evenness (Pielous’s EH), and dominance (Berger–Parker d) indices for each study habitat. Principal component analysis was used to evaluate the variability using four indices. PC1 and PC2 explained 98.18% of the variability. Some habitats in different watersheds exhibited similar species diversity, but some in the same watershed were different. Baseline data on the freshwater macrophytes in northern Oman are provided here.     

Findings and expansion of rare adventive species of plants in the Altai Territory

This paper contains previously unknown information about the appearance and expansion of a number of adventive species of plants new for the Altai Territory. They were discovered in 2008–2012 during the fieldwork tasks of the herbarium Altai State University, Barnaul. One of the species is invasive (quarantine plant for the Russian Federation) – Acroptilon repens (L.) DC. The range was about 10?ha. One of the species was listed as adventive for the first time – Briza maxima L. The species is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental plant. New locations were identified for three species previously found only in one area of the Altai Territory: (1) Scleranthus annuus L. – an agrophyte, a weed that spreads with cultivated crops; (2) Onopordon acanthium L. – a species that spreads in flood plains, along the highways, railways and pastures; and (3) Xanthium albinum (Widd.) H. Schulz – a plant, often seen along roadsides, wastelands and sandy riverbanks; only one reliable location within the Altai Territory was known for S. annuus and O. acanthium. Based on the classification of adventive elements of flora, A. repens was specified as agrophyte and xenophyte; B. maxima as horthophyte and ergasiofigophyte; S. annuus as agrophyte and xenophyte; O. acanthium; and X. albinum as dromophyte and acolucophyte.     

Contamination assessment of heavy metals in the soils of an abandoned copper mine in Lasail,Northern Oman

ABSTRACT

Abandoned mine areas exhibit heavy metal contamination. This severely reduces the soil quality. This paper concerns the assessment of soils near an abandoned copper mine in Lasail, northern Oman. Seventy-two soil samples were collected and analysed for heavy metals using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The extent of heavy metal pollution was evaluated based on the geo-accumulation index (Igeo), enrichment factor (EF), and pollution index (PI). According to these indices, Copper (Cu), Mercury (Hg), Zinc (Zn), Arsenic (As) and Iron (Fe) are impacting the soils. Of these, Cu and Hg concentrations are 50 and 300 times more than the permissible limits set by the World Health Organization (WHO). There is an urgent need for the remediation and restoration of the soils in this area and a proposal is presented here.     

Kinetic study for phosphate removal from water by recycled date-palm wastes as agricultural by-products

The presence of excessive amounts of nutrients including phosphates in water is undesirable. They cause the deterioration of water quality and problems in many natural and engineering systems. The recycling of agricultural waste materials as biosorbents for contaminants removal provides a cheap and ecological means to reduce wastes. This study explored the use of date palm wastes for the effective removal of phosphate from aqueous solutions. Granular date stones (GDS) and palm surface fibres (PSF) as raw abundant waste materials were examined for PO₄ ^-3 removal from aqueous solution. The experimental work was performed in a batch mode to investigate the influence of initial phosphate concentration, contact time, and pH of solution on phosphate biosorption. The FT-IR spectra for the waste materials display many adsorption peaks, confirming the complex nature of the GDS and PSF. Phosphate percentage removal up to 87 and 85% were obtained at initial PO₄ ^-3 concentration of 50 mg as P/L using GDS and PSF, respectively. Due to their low cost and high capability, these types of waste can be used for cost-effective removal of phosphate from wastewater.     

Host records of five species of Platygastrinae (Hymenoptera,Platygastroidea: Platygastridae) from the United States,with the description of two new species of Platygaster

Platygaster tephrosiae sp. nov and P. vaccinii sp. nov. are described, with host information for these and for three further species of Platygastrinae: Metanopedias eupatorii Buhl, Platygaster munita Walker, and Trichacis virginiensis Ashmead. Hitherto undocumented galls on Galium circaezans Michx., Tephrosia virginiana (L.) Pers., and Vaccinium angustifolium Ait. are illustrated.     

Production and characterisation of bio-ethanol from various Nigerian feedstocks

Bio-ethanol fuel was synthesised from various Nigerian feedstocks (palm (Elaeis guineensis) wine, raffia (Raphia vinifera) trunk and sugarcane (Saccharum L.)) to serve as alternative fuels for internal combustion engines. Bio-ethanol was obtained through fermentation and distillation from these selected Nigerian crops and was then purified. Physical properties of the bio-ethanol such as vapour pressure, octane number, flash point, heating values, auto ignition temperature and density were evaluated using the American Society for Testing and Materials methods. Sugarcane gave the highest yield of alcohol, 72.7 cl/L of juice produced while palm wine and sap from raffia trunk gave 4.0?cl/L and 2.03?cl/L, respectively. The calorific value, research octane number and the flash point of the produced ethanol (E₁₀₀) are 29.78?MJ/kg, 114 and 12.5?°C, respectively. The results of the characterisation showed that the produced fuels are alternative fuels that can be used on modern petrol engines with little or no engine modifications.     

Distribution and habitat selection of wintering birds in urban environments

Habitat selection of wintering land-birds was studied in 31 human settlements in Finland. A total of 26 wintering bird species representing 5155 individuals were observed. Between-year variation (CV_B%) and short-term fluctuation within one winter (CV_W%) in species richness (CV_B=10% CV_W=15%) were low, as were total numbers of birds (CV_B=22% CV_W=24%) and populations of the most common bird species (CV_B=20–40% CV_W=15–47%). The most abundant bird species (e.g., Passer domesticus, Parus major and Pica pica) occurred in most of the study sites. The total densities of omnivorous birds, sedentary birds and bird species that commonly use feeding tables were higher in a heavily urbanized areas than in moderately or less urbanized areas. According to the Canonical Correspondence Analysis, three corvid species populations, P. domesticus and Columba livia domestica were positively related to human population density. Corvus corone cornix and P. domesticus populations correlated positively with the proportion of the built-up areas in the study plots. The omnivorous diet of these species was a possible reason for their success in urban environments. Dendrocopus major, Parus montanus, Parus cristatus, Parus ater and Certhia familiaris were negatively related to the urbanization axis. These species live mainly in coniferous forest habitats and are probably unable to use deciduous-dominated urban parks in winter time. To attract these species, coniferous trees and shrubs should also be used in park management and planning in northern latitudes. Many species, like Pic. pica, Carduelis chloris and Parus caeruleus, were located at an intermediate place on an urban–forest gradient axis. We suppose that these species are the most probable candidates for colonizing or increasing their abundances in European towns and cities in near the future. All of these species use feeding tables, which help them to adapt to urban environments.     

Phytocoenotic biodiversity of the planned national nature park ‘Foothills of Altai’

Abstract

The planned national nature park is situated in the northern part of the Altai foothills within the Belokurihinskiy granite massif. The flora includes 11 species of vascular plants listed in the Red Books of the Russian Federation (2008) and the Altai Territory (2006). Two species are endemics of Altai-Sayan mountainous country: Silene turgida and Dentaria sibirica. More than half of the territory (52.8%) is covered with forests. The fir taiga with the abundance of relict forms is the most extensive in terms of the area. Thus, the territory of the nature park features the following vegetation types: forests (small-leaved forests and conifer forests), meadows (steppe meadows, real (present), lowland meadows), meadow steppes, brakes, rocky vegetation, water vegetation and anthropogenic vegetation.     

Differential response of selected taxa to landscape context and agricultural intensification

Understanding the dynamics of biodiversity in changing agricultural landscapes is a goal for nature conservation and agricultural policies. Agriculture operates at several spatio-temporal levels from field to landscape, and induces differential response of communities according to their ecological traits. Reactions of several taxa to landscape and agricultural changes was conducted along landscape gradients in northern Brittany (France) gathering 14 sites. Landscapes ranged from fine grained areas, with a large proportion of permanent grasslands, wood and hedgerows, to coarse grained ones dominated by crops. Response of communities were either loss of species along the gradient (as for Diptera Chironomidae and Empididae), replacement (Coleoptera Carabidae) and no change in species composition (small mammals). In this paper, we present why these taxa react in such different ways according to their life history traits, their mobility patterns and to which parameters of landscape structure or agriculture intensification they are sensitive. Density of hedgerow networks, and permeability of individual hedgerows determine the spatial distribution of adults Diptera according to their flying ability. Mean body size of carabid beetles significantly decreases along the gradient of agricultural intensification, small species adapted to disturbance replacing large ones that are characteristic of stable habitats. The same small mammal species are found all along the two gradients, but their relative abundance is linked to the importance of crops versus more stable habitats in the landscape.We concluded that species survival in those fine grained agricultural landscapes depends on processes operating at the site scale and defining habitat quality, and processes operating at the landscape and/or metapopulation scale such as landscape modifications in connectivity and habitat availability.     

TheAmmophila problem on the Northwest coast of North America

In the 125 years since its introduction Ammophila arenaria (L.) Link has spread along the entire west coast of North America. This has resulted in the development of a high, wide foredune dominated exclusively by Ammophila. On the central Oregon coast there is no evidence of a foredune existing prior to the introduction of this species. Because this large foredune blocks virtually all inland movement of beach sand, it is thought that the spectacular winter transverse dunes of the central Oregon coast will rapidly deteriorate and stabilise, resulting in the loss of their scenic and recreational values. There is much evidence that the dune landscape of this coast has gone through several major cycles of stabilisation and rejuvenation since sea level reached maximum elevation after the last glaciation. Since there are several native plant species capable of building a well-developed foredune, the absence of a foredune might be explained by this local coastline history. At present the highly invasive and aggressive Ammophila has out-competed the native species and has drastically reduced their habitat. The biology of Ammophila is reviewed and the efforts to control or eradicate the species are discussed. It is suggested, for management purposes, that Ammophila will not significantly alter the natural stabilisation-rejuvenation cycles. On the other hand, native foredune plant communities will become increasingly uncommon, and efforts should be made to preserve examples of these diverse and highly specialised communities.     

The microbial domes of Wadi Muqshin pools,Sultanate of Oman

The paper reports studies on benthic microbial dome‐shaped mats found in hypersaline desert pools in Wadi Muqshin, southern Oman, and details the hydrogeological conditions of the pools, including water quality and recharge features. The upper 1 cm layers of these microbial mats are dominated by cyanobacteria, a phototrophic purple sulphur bacterium and diatoms. The dominant cyanobacterium is Microcoleus chthonoplastes and the purple layer below the upper layer is dominated by the photosynthetic sulphur bacterium Chromatium okenii. It is unusual to find standing water containing microbial domes in such a hyper‐arid, inland site which borders the Rub’ Al Khali (Empty Quarter). The flooding regime here depends largely on ‘fossil’ groundwater (Zone C, L.UER aquifer) mostly derived from the Pleistocene. Attempts to carry out desert agriculture with abstraction of this ‘fossil’ groundwater might cause the extinction of the Muqshin pools.     

Morphological changes in the gill of carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) exposed to acutely toxic concentrations of methyl bromide

The acute toxicity of methyl bromide (CH₃Br) to carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) was determined in experiments with a 4 h exposure period. The 4 h-LC₅₀ was calculated at approx. 17 mg 1⁻¹, i.e. the order of magnitude of actually encountered peak concentrations in surface water. The concentration-effect curve was found to be very steep and the response was somewhat delayed. Morphological damage to the gill epithelium, indicative of alkylation of cell membranes, was the most pronounced effect of CH₃Br. It consisted of initial swelling of the lymphatic space and vacuolization of the epithelial cells, followed by disintegration of the epithelium and invasion of leucocytes. Death of the fish was probably caused by suffocation.     

Epipelic algal communities in a eutrophic northern lake contaminated with mine wastes

The effects of contaminated bottom sediments on the species composition, growth cycles and diversity of epipelic algal communities were determined between April and November 1978 in a shallow, eutrophic lake (Thompson Lake) situated in the Canadian subarctic. The sediments had become contaminated by gold mining wastes, deposited in the lake between 1941 and 1949. Although the concentrations of total mercury, copper, lead and zinc were high near the mine, averaging 440 μg kg⁻¹, and 85, 30 and 115 mg kg⁻¹, respectively, they decreased rapidly beyond this distance and were near background levels 2.1–3.0 km from the mine. The algal communities in the zone of heaviest contamination consisted of 63 species, the most common of which were Anomoeoneis vitrea, Pinnularia brebissonii and Cymbella species. There were more taxa (111–132) at stations situated 1.1–3.0 km from the mine and the main species included several forms of Achnanthes, Fragilaria and Navicula. Although epipelic densities in the zone of heaviest contamination were only about 50% of those recorded at the other stations, the seasonal growth patterns of the flora were generally similar throughout the lake. Based on these data, it is concluded that: (1) Mine wastes may have a long-term impact on epipelic algae in northern environments; (2) The effects of heavy metal pollution on the epipelon in subarctic lakes are similar to those in temperate zone systems; and (3) No species or group of species could be designated as indicators of heavy metal contamination.     

Conflicts between Perception and Reality in the Management of Alien Species in Forest Ecosystems: A Norwegian Case Study

The vegetation dynamics and landscape management during 20 years of a temperate deciduous forest protected as a nature reserve in western Norway are analysed. Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus), an alien species in northern Europe, has become abundant in parts of the forest and the paper discusses how nature management has formulated and interpreted the introduction of sycamore. Scientists and nature managers regard the species as aggressive and a threat to the local natural biodiversity, but in this respect empirical evidence has been replaced by assumption and prejudice, and this is critically reviewed in the paper. The development of the forest has been monitored annually since 1988 and the long-term forest dynamics and behaviour of sycamore are discussed in relation to the attitudes of nature managers. The views held by nature managers are based on their own values and ideas regarding what is valuable nature, and alien species are often assumed to be invasive and aggressive, yet with no reference being made to site ecology and human local history. As an alternative to an a priori understanding of the role of alien species, the paper suggests that proper knowledge of ecosystem dynamics can only be achieved through analysis of ecological variation in space and time. The management of any species should not be according to its status as native or alien, but according to a judgment of its role and long-term behaviour. The values of nature conservationists should not be confused with the intrinsic values of nature.     

New species of Platygastrinae and Sceliotrachelinae (Hymenoptera,Platygastroidea: Platygastridae) from Australia

The following 20 species and one new subgenus are described as new to science: Acerotella australica, Amblyaspis canberrensis, Amitus teres, Leptacis australica, L. gloriosa, L. piliclava, L. powerae, Metanopedias australicus, Platygaster amblyaspoides, P. (Austroplatygaster subgen. n.) breviclava, P. gibsoni, P. mediolobata, P. pilosithorax, Synopeas alternatum, S. bangmadseni, S. carlseni, S. eucalypti, S. salicorniae, S. striolagaster and S. triangulatum.     

A next step for sustainable urban design in the Netherlands

The Dutch Working Group on Sustainable Urban Development has recently delivered its publication Sustainable Urban Design, The Next Step (Meijer & Dubbeling, 2010). The book (to be referred to here as The Next Step) includes six examples of sustainable urban design and three major essays. The Working Group is a broad group of experts from the Dutch professional societies for urban designers and planners (BNSP) and landscape architects (NVTL). (The working group consists of urban designers, urban planers and landscape architects from the Netherlands.) It seeks to take the thinking and practice of sustainable urban design a step further: from sustainable urban design to sustainable spatial development. This paper explains this next stage which has been developed through a review of the literature, the inputs of the Working Group and the lessons learned from the case studies described in the book. Although the case study projects are sometimes more than 12 years old and are rooted in a specific Dutch societal and spatial context, they provide interesting, even up to date, insights for the planning of sustainable and durable cities. They are also compared to some projects in other European countries.This paper looks at why a renewed approach to sustainable urban design is both necessary and rewarding. It then turns to the renewed approach and putting it into practice. Based upon the case studies, new possibilities for the design of sustainable and durable cities are highlighted.