Forest-ecological consequences of fires in light conifer forests of Transbaikalia

Consideration is given to the results of studies on the postfire dynamics of Transbaikal forests, which are formed under conditions of highly arid climate and extreme pyrological regime. Data are presented on tree die-off and recruitment in naturally burned forests and in test stands affected by creeping fires differing in intensity. The hydrothermal regime of soils, precipitation runoff, and its multifactor models are discussed. It is shown that fires aggravate moisture deficiency on mountain slopes, impair the productivity of tree stands, and cause their digression. The statistics of forest fires and the risk of lightning fires are analyzed.     

Ecological and Biological Features of Melic (Melica virgata Turch. ex Trin.) in Transbaikalia

The endangered species Melica virgata was studied with respect to geographic distribution, the recent state of cenopopulations, the characteristics of habitats, phytocenotic relationships, morphology, and specific ecological and physiological features. The data on the introduction, biochemical composition, and economic significance of M. virgata are presented, and measures aimed at species conservation are proposed.     

Altitudinal zonality and diversity of butterflies in the southern Far East and Transbaikalia

Species richness, taxonomic diversity, and qualitative composition of the butterfly fauna (Lepidoptera, Diurna) are discussed in the light of data on the altitudinal zonality of local faunas in the southern Far East and Transbaikalia. It is shown that qualitative elevation-dependent changes in the fauna occur only in the western and northern parts of the region.     

Cyclicity and some characteristics of mass reproduction ofCalliptamus italicus L. in Southern Russia

Analysis of the reproductive dynamics ofCalliptamus italicus during the past 100 years confirmed the dependence of locust invasions on the 11-year cycles of solar activity, which was previously known for other gregarious locusts. Over a considerable part of the species range, the onset of mass reproduction is promoted by a hot and droughty spring and summer. The scale of the outbreak is determined by local conditions in the foci of reproduction. The current global warming is characterized by an unstable, drastically varying climate with a trend toward aridity in many regions. If this trend persists for several decades, we may expect an increase in the periods ofC. talicus mass reproduction and in the persistency and extent of damage inflicted by locusts on vast Palearctic areas.     

Indicators of deforestation in the Southern Brazilian Pre-Amazon

In recent years, Amazonian deforestation has become a question of global concern. Deforestation in Amazon is a complex phenomenon in nature and has been related to traditional agriculture expansion. In this work, land use, socioeconomic and conservation indicators, combined with statistical analysis, were used to understand forces associated with patterns of deforestation. This approach was applied in Southern Brazilian Pre-Amazon in Mato Grosso State, which represents an extensive rain forest-savanna ecotone, located in the south border of Amazon biome. Based on data from the last two agricultural censuses (1995/1996–2006), we compared agricultural expansion in this area and Mato Grosso state. Results have shown that 85 % of state deforestation was concentrated in Southern Pre-Amazon and was closely related to increase in number of cattle and pasture area. PCA results pointed that population (92 %), number of cattle (86.5 %), pastures (84.2 %) and tractors (78.4 %) were variables with highest positive correlation to deforestation. It showed that GDP contributes to an individual axis and has a low correlation to deforestation (37.8 %). Conservation units and indigenous reserves also contribute to a single axis and were negatively correlated to temporary crops area. Results revealed a significant reduction in production and commercialization of extractive products in the region, revealing that the main, almost only conservation policy in Mato Grosso remains the creation of Special Areas. We suggest that further studies are necessary to screen development alternatives to simple cutting trees down. It is important to diversify strategies for deforestation control, and development aspects must be more seriously considered to reach a sustainable deforestation control policy.     

Exploration of the Climate Sensitivity of Xylem Parenchyma in Pinus sylvestris L. in the Forest-steppe of Southern Siberia

Russian Journal of Ecology - The forest-steppe ecotone in southern Siberia is the natural transition zone from the dry steppe in the south to the wetter taiga in the north, where tree growth is...     

Lactational exposure to phthalates in Southern Italy

BackgroundPhthalates, reproductive toxicants in animals, are synthetic chemicals with ubiquitous human exposures because of their extensive use, with potential detrimental health effects. Infants are considered to represent a population at increased risk, as they are exposed early in life to several different sources of exposure to phthalates.Objectives and methodsLittle information exists on phthalate exposure through breast milk from different geographic areas. By means of a LC/LC–MS/MS method we tested the presence of several different phthalate metabolites in breast milk from 62 healthy mothers living in Southern Italy.ResultsThe simple monoesters mono-isobutyl phthalate (MiBP) (median 18.8 μg/l) and mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) (median 8.4 μg/l) were present in all milk samples, whereas mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP) (median 1.5 μg/l) and mono-benzyl phthalate (MBzP) (median < 0.3 μg/l) were found in 64.5% and 43.5% of the samples, respectively. Among the oxidative metabolites of DEHP and DiNP only mono(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl) phthalate (5cx-MEPP) and monoisononyl phthalate with one hydroxyl group (OH-MiNP) were detectable in one and 13 samples (21%), respectively.ConclusionsThese findings indicate that exposure to phthalates through breast milk in Southern Italian infants is comparable to that of other countries, thus confirming that human milk may represent an additional potential source of phthalate exposure in a population at increased risk. However, different milk concentrations of MiBP may suggest a different pattern of usage of di-iso-butyl phthalate in Europe, as compared to USA, whereas for the first time, we detected an oxidative DiNP metabolite, whose significance remains unclear.     

济南市南部山区降雨特性分析

通过对济南市南部山区50年降雨资料的分析,得出南部山区年降雨量为648mm,降雨季节性明显,降雨量主要集中在6-8月份的降雨特点;采用皮尔逊Ⅲ型曲线拟合了降雨频率曲线,分析了降雨量与频率之间的关系,得出年降雨量在1000mm以上的频率是2%,年降雨量在640mm以上的频率是50%。最后采用一维坡地径流模型对南部山区内的典型丘陵的产流量进行了模拟计算,模拟结果和实测值吻合较好。     

Dynamics of Yielding Capacity of Small Cranberry in Southern Karelia

The dynamics of yielding capacity of small cranberry (Oxycoccus palustris Pers.) were studied in three permanent sampling plots in a natural bog in southern Karelia for 28 years (1975–2002). The yield of berries varied from year to year from 1 to 179 g/m² depending on phytocenotic and, to a greater extent, climatic factors. The proportion between the number of ripe berries and the number of flowers varied from 10 to 66%. No distinct periodicity in the abundance of fruiting was revealed.__________Translated from Ekologiya, No. 4, 2005, pp. 264–268.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Yudina, Maksimova.     

Social multicriteria evaluation of farming practices in the presence of soil degradation. A case study in Southern Tuscany, Italy

There is growing awareness in today’s society regarding the potential of sustainable farming practices to decrease soil degradation processes. This paper analyses the financial, environmental and social aspects of durum wheat cultivation practices linked to soil degradation processes in Southern Tuscany. The analysis has been conducted within a Social Multi-Criteria Evaluation (SMCE) framework and utilizing NAIADE (Novel Approach to Imprecise Assessment and Decision Environments) as a software tool. Conventional, integrated and organic durum wheat cultivation practices have been compared. One key outcome of the analysis is that organic practices represent a good compromise solution in relation to the environmental and socio-economic evaluation criteria chosen. Finally, the paper also offers some considerations regarding the influence of Agricultural European Policies (such as the CAP-Common Agricultural Policy) on the management of farming systems and as a consequence on the soil degradation phenomena.     

Radioactive contamination of tropical rainforest soils in Southern Costa Rica

Radionuclide content in soils from four locations in a tropical rainforest near Golfito in Southern Costa Rica was investigated. For comparison, two nearby locations in open grassland were also studied. From each site 5 soil cores down to a depth of 15 cm were taken. The median contamination with 137Cs was 584 Bq m-2 (reference date 1 January 1996) and the coefficient of variation (CV) was 50%. This contamination can be attributed to global fallout from atmospheric nuclear weapon tests between 1945 and 1980. The mean contamination is slightly lower than the value expected for the latitude (8 degrees 42': 700 Bq m-2), which may be explained by migration of radiocaesium to subsoil below 15 cm or by uptake into the living biomass. Out of the total variability of 50%, around 20% can be attributed to the sampling and measuring process uncertainties, thus leaving a 45% contribution of spatial variability. A significant difference between forest and meadow sites could be detected: the meadow sites showed lower radiocaesium soil inventories (median: 291 Bq m-2) than the forest sites (643 Bq m-2). This may be explained by the agricultural activities carried out on meadow sites which lead to an increased redistribution of caesium in the soil profile and therefore a larger fraction of the total 137Cs lying below 15 cm. Another reason for higher contamination levels under forest can be attributed to the high interception potential of dense tree canopies for dry deposition. Extrapolating the 137Cs concentration below the sampling horizon, i.e. accounting for the cut-off of the profiles by the sampling technique, results in an estimated mean of 710 Bq m-2 for the forest sites, which is very close to the expected figure. The mainly mineral part of the forest soil profiles was analysed for the 137Cs transport parameters, apparent convection velocity (v = 0.14 +/- 0.09 cm a-1) and apparent diffusion constant (D = 0.79 +/- 0.49 cm2 a-1). The maximum concentration can be found at 5.3 +/- 2.9 cm depth, the half-value depth being 7.4 +/- 1.3 cm. The mean 40K activity concentration was 175 Bq kg-1 dry matter (CV = 69%) and 226Ra and 228Ra concentrations of 9.90 Bq kg-1 (CV = 23%) and 7.93 Bq kg-1 (CV = 20%) have been found, respectively.     

Land use change in Southern Romania after the collapse of socialism

The drastic socio-economic and political changes that occurred after the breakdown of socialism in Eastern Europe triggered widespread land use change, including cropland abandonment and forest cover changes. Yet the rates and spatial patterns of post-socialist land use change remain largely unclear. We used Landsat TM/ETM+ images to classify land cover maps and assess landscape pattern changes from 1990 to 2005 in Argeş County, Southern Romania. Cropland abandonment was the most widespread change (21.1% abandonment rate), likely due to declining returns from farming, tenure insecurity, and demographic developments during transition. Forest cover and forest fragmentation remained remarkably stable during transition, despite widespread ownership transfers. Cropland abandonment provides opportunities for increased carbon sequestration, but threatens cultural landscapes and biodiversity. Continued monitoring is important for assessing whether abandoned croplands will eventually reforest or be put back into production and to better understand the consequences of post-socialist land use change for ecosystems and biodiversity.     

Gamma-ray activity in the volcanic islands of the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea

Field gamma-ray spectrometry was used for the quantitative assessment of U, Th and K of rocks of Stromboli, Salina, Filicuidi and Panarea (Aeolian arc of the Southern Tyrrhenian, Italy). The air absorbed dose rate was calculated from radioelement concentrations. For some rocks the gamma-ray spectra were analysed with the three photo-peak methods and the response matrix method, which converts the pulse height distribution into the true incident gamma-ray energy spectrum. The higher values of U (8.2-9.8 ppm) coincide with higher Th (20.6-27.8 ppm) concentrations associated with rocks of shoshonitic composition. The spatial variation in radioelement concentration reflects the geochemical differences among the rocks. The air absorbed dose rate varies from 25 to 215 nGy h(-1). The highest values correspond to outcrops located in the eastern part of Stromboli, where the annual effective dose equivalent reaches a value of 264 microSv.     

Population structure of the Colorado potato beetle in the Southern Urals

The population structure of the Colorado potato beetle in the Southern Urals is discussed. This population is shown to be divided into two groups of local populations, in central and in peripheral parts of the study area, which differ in degree of intrapopulation diversity. The founder effect and insecticide pressure are regarded as probable factors that have contributed to this division.     

Barriers to plantation activities in different agro-ecological zones of Southern India

This paper analyses environmental and socio-economic barriers for plantation activities on local and regional level and investigates the potential for carbon finance to stimulate the increased rates of forest plantation on wasteland, i.e., degraded lands, in southern India. Building on multidisciplinary field work and results from the model GCOMAP, the aim is to (1) identify and characterize the barriers to plantation activities in four agro-ecological zones in the state of Karnataka and (2) investigate what would be required to overcome these barriers and enhance the plantation rate and productivity. The results show that a rehabilitation of the wasteland based on plantation activities is not only possible but also anticipated by the local population and would lead to positive environmental and socio-economic effects at a local level. However, in many cases, the establishment of plantation activities is hindered by a lack of financial resources, low land productivity and water scarcity. Based on the model used and the results from the field work, it can be concluded that certified emission reductions such as carbon credits or other compensatory systems may help to overcome the financial barrier; however, the price needs to be significantly increased if these measures are to have any large-scale impact.     

The krill-dominated pelagic system of the Southern Ocean

The krill-dominated pelagic system of the seasonal pack-ice zone of the Antarctic Eastwind Drift and the Weddell Gyre is characterized by high concentrations of phytoplankton and krill (amongst other zooplankton) and warm-blooded top consumers. Krill, birds, and mammals are “giants” with high mobility and energy demands, slow growth, low reproduction, and a long life span. The high standing stock of krill and its consumers and their localised dense concentrations attract exploitation by man, but the low net production makes the system susceptible to overfishing. The system appears to be food limited at the adult stage of krill and its consumers. Fluctuations in abundance occur particularly at the larval phase of krill. The juvenile and adult phases are also subject to substantial spatial variations in abundance which affect any kind of harvesting by top consumers, including man.     

苏南地区转型发展中的人口问题研究

本文利用三普、四普、五普和最新的人口抽样调查资料,运用历史分析法和对比分析法,首先对苏南地区20世纪80年代以来的人口增长、人口城市化、人口结构演变等进行了回顾,评述了人口发展在苏南经济高速增长中所发挥的重要作用,并总结了苏南地区人口发展中的新特征;然后,提出苏南人口发展现状对苏南地区未来的进一步提升发展可能造成的主要制约与矛盾;最后,从政策调控的角度,分区、分类提出了人口优化发展的措施。