Soil and changes in vegetation may affect ant assemblages, but the relative importance of each in different habitats is not well characterized. In particular, information on the effects of ecological restoration on arthropods is scarce. It was decided, therefore, to study how reforestation may affect an ant assemblage. Ants were sampled in area that had been reforested and adjacent grassland using pitfall traps. Soil surface and vegetation were characterized. The disturbance of the vegetation caused by reforestation resulted in a decrease in the cover of Stipa tenacissima and Cistaceae and an increase in the cover of pine. The mechanical preparation of the site also resulted in changes in the soil surface, with an increase in the cover of stones and rocks. Ant species richness and abundance were greater at the reforested site than in the grassland and more species showed a positive than a negative response to reforestation. The underlying causes of this pattern are mainly related to changes in vegetation and structure of the soil surface and are associated with the increase in the cover of pine, which most probably provided additional food resources, and the greater cover of stones and rocks that provided more shelter for the ant assemblage., Chema Catarineu, Joaquín Reyes-López, Joan A. Herraiz, Gonzalo G. Barberá., and Obsahuje bibliografii
During the breeding period, I analysed bird community-habitat relationships in a managed broad-leaved forest of north-western Italy (a newly established nature reserve). Species richness, diversity, biomass and abundance of some ecological groups of birds were analysed with respect to habitat variables, summarising habitat structure, canopy and understorey floral composition. Two major patterns of relationships among bird and habitat were traced: the first involved changes in tree structure during their growth (canopy height and diameter of the dominant tree), the second was related to characteristics associated with floral richness. Bird diversity, species richness, the amount of hole nesters, of trunk and ground feeders were positively associated with stands age. The abundance of some groups of birds was positively related to plant species richness: understorey species richness influenced shrub feeders, shrub nesters and edge species; canopy species richness affected trunk feeders. Canopy species richness also affected bird diversity, richness, biomass, abundance of hole nesters, trunk feeders and forest interior species.
Small mammals are just as likely to become extinct as larger species, although the latter receive disproportionate attention with respect to conservation activity and research. We focused on rarity, vulnerability to extinction and conservation status for small terrestrial mammals from the orders Soricomorpha and Rodentia occurring in the Balkans and Anatolia. Although these two regions have fewer mammalian species than Central Europe in very small biota areas (surface areas 4 km2), they accumulate species at a much faster rate with increases in surface area. The distribution ranges of fifteen species from a total of 88 (= 17%) are confined to this studied area, with eight species being endemic to Anatolia and six to the Balkans. High endemism is indicative of small ranges, i.e. of one form of rarity of Rabinowitz’s ‘seven forms of rarity’ model. The ranges of at least three species (Talpa davidiana, Myomimus roachi and Dinaromys bogdanovi) have declined since the Last Glacial Maximum. Although numbers of extinctions correlates strongly with the number of endemics, and species displaying both restricted distribution and low density are those most at risk of extinction, very little conservation activity and research is focused on small-range endemics.
Non-native species are known to escape their parasites following introduction into a new range, but they also often acquire local parasites as a function of time since establishment. We compared the parasite faunas of five non-native Ponto-Caspian gobies (Gobiidae) and local fish species (Perca fluviatilis, Gymnocephalus cernua, Gobio gobio) in three European river systems; the Rivers Rhine, Vistula and Morava, where Ponto-Caspian gobies were introduced 4-13 years prior to the study. Overall parasite species richness was considerably lower in non-native gobies compared to local fish species, and the same result was found at the component and infra-community levels. Both parasite abundance and diversity greatly varied among the regions, with the highest values found in the River Vistula (Wloclawski Reservoir), compared to a relatively impoverished parasite fauna in the River Morava (Danube basin). While only half of parasite species found in local hosts were acquired by non-native gobies, most of the parasites found in gobies were shared with local fish species related either phylogenetically (percids) or ecologically (benthic gudgeon), including the co-introduced monogenean Gyrodactylus proterorhini. As a result, similarity in parasite communities strongly reflected regional affiliation, while phylogenetic distances between fish host species did not play a significant role in parasite community composition. In accordance with other studies, all parasites acquired by gobies in their new range were generalists, all of them infecting fish at the larval/subadult stage, indicating the possible importance of gobies in the life cycle of euryxenous parasites. The absence of adult generalists, particularly ectoparasites with low host specificity, in non-native fish may reflect their generally low abundance in the environment, while an absence of adult endoparasitic generalists was probably related to other factors.
During the last few decades the tree line has shifted upward on Mediterranean mountains. This has resulted in a decrease in the area of the sub-alpine prairie habitat and an increase in the threat to strictly orophilous moths that occur there. This also occurred on the Pollino Massif due to the increase in temperature and decrease in rainfall in Southern Italy. We found that a number of moths present in the alpine prairie at 2000 m appear to be absent from similar habitats at 1500-1700 m. Some of these species are thought to be at the lower latitude margin of their range. Among them, Pareulype berberata and Entephria flavicinctata are estimated to be the most threatened because their populations are isolated and seem to be small in size. The tops of these mountains are inhabited by specialized moth communities, which are strikingly different from those at lower altitudes on the same massif further south. The majority of the species recorded in the sub-alpine prairies studied occur most frequently and abundantly in the core area of the Pollino Massif. Species and, as a consequence, communities found at high altitudes are highly vulnerable to climate warming, and need further monitoring.
Ninety-five eels from one marine and three freshwater localities in Iceland were examined for parasites. Twenty species were found, 12 from marine habitat, 12 from freshwater and 4 species were found in both habitats. These are: Eimeria anguillae, Chilodonella hexasticha, Trichodina fultoni, T. jadranica, Myxidium giardi, Myxobolus kotlani, two Zschokkella spp., Derogenes varicus, Deropristis inflata, Diplostomum sp., Plagioporus angulatus, Podocotyle atomon, Anisakis simplex (larva), Eustrongylides sp. (larva), Hysterothylacium aduncum (larva), Raphidascaris acus (larval and adult stages), Bothriocephalus claviceps, Proteocephalus macrocephalus, and a pseudophyllidean larva. Thirteen of these species are new parasite records from Icelandic waters. The component community of marine eels was characterized by low diversity and a high dominance of a single species. Overall, seven species of helminths were observed, up to five different species occurring in an individual fish. The component community of the freshwater eels was species-poor with low diversity and relatively high dominance of single species. A between-sites difference in the freshwater eels was considerable; only Diplostomum sp. was found at more then one sampling site. Similar to previous studies, there is a total replacement of freshwater macroparasite species by marine ones in saline waters. But unlike research abroad in which species richness decreases with higher salinity, the marine eels in Iceland have considerably higher richness than the freshwater ones. The parasite communities of freshwater eels in Iceland are, in general species-poorer, less diverse and having higher Berger Parker (BP) dominance than other eel communities in Europe. Marine eels have on the other hand comparable species richness, are less diverse and with a high BP dominance.
1_Urbanisation is an important cause of species extinctions. Although urban water systems are also highly modified, studies on aquatic or semi-aquatic organisms are rare. The aim of this study is to identify the factors that determine species richness of Odonata in 22 Central European cities and along an urban-rural gradient within six of them. With 64 indigenous species in total and an average of 33 species per city, the species richness of Odonata in Central European cities is comparatively high. A generalised linear model indicates that species richness is positively related to city area. Additional predictors are climatic variables (temperature amplitude, sunshine duration and July temperature) and the year last studied. Since most cities are usually located in areas with naturally high habitat heterogeneity, we assume that cities should be naturally rich in dragonflies. The role of city area as a surrogate for habitat and structural richness most likely explains why it is strongly associated with Odonata species richness. The relationship between species richness and the climatic variables probably reflects that Odonata species richness in Central Europe is limited by warm and sunny conditions more than by availability of water. The temporal effect (the year last studied) on species richness is likely to be a consequence of the recent increase in Mediterranean species associated with global warming. Urbanisation clearly has an adverse effect on the species diversity of Odonata. Species richness increases along a gradient from the centre of a city to the rural area and is significantly highest in rural areas. This pattern probably reflects a gradient of increasing habitat quality from the centre of cities to rural areas. Moreover, the number of water bodies is generally very low in the city centres., 2_Based on our results, we make recommendations for increasing the abundance and number of species of dragonflies in cities., Christoph Willigalla, Thomas Farmann., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Thirty-two specimens of the Nile crocodile, Crocodylus niloticus Laurenti (Reptilia: Crocodylidae), from the Kruger National Park, South Africa, and its vicinity were examined for pentastomid parasites during 1995 to 1999 and 2010 to 2011. Pentastomid parasites occurred throughout the year and were widespread in the study area with an overall prevalence of 97% and an overall mean abundance of 23.4 (0-81). Pentastome assemblages comprised six species in three sebekid genera: Alofia nilotici Riley et Huchzermeyer, 1995, A. simpsoni Riley, 1994, Leiperia cincinnalis Sambon, 1922, Sebekia cesarisi Giglioli in Sambon, 1922, S. minor (Wedl, 1861) and S. okavangoensis Riley et Huchzermeyer, 1995. The possible influence of host age, gender and geographic location (river system) on pentastome prevalence, abundance and species richness was investigated. Generally, neither host age, gender nor locality did affect infracommunities, likely because all hosts examined were adult or subadult and displayed comparable foraging behaviour, resulting in similar exposure pathways to fish intermediate hosts. Additionally, the longevity of pentastomids would contribute to accumulative infections as hosts mature. Structuring of pentastome assemblages was observed in as far as S. minor was the dominant species based on overall prevalence and abundance, followed by the equally common species S. cesarisi and L. cincinnalis. With an overall prevalence ranging from 34% to 41% and relatively low abundances, A. nilotici, A. simpsoni and S. okavangoensis form the rarer component of pentastome communities., Kerstin Junker, Frikkie Calitz, Danny Govender, Boris R. Krasnov, Joop Boomker., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Reforestation of ex-arable land in temperate regions increases the area of potential habitat for forest plants. However, the herbaceous plant layer of these plantations contains fewer forest species than comparable plantations at continuously forested sites. One of the reasons for this might be differences in recruitment. The present study addresses post-dispersal seed predation, mainly of woody plants, as the factor limiting the recolonization of young oak plantations in southern Sweden. Our objectives were to investigate differences in dispersal and post-dispersal seed predation between first-generation forest plantations on ex-arable land and re-planted clear-cuts on continuously forested land. Therewas no recruitment following the experimental sowing of six commonwoody species (Alnus glutinosa, Betula pendula, Frangula alnus, Sambucus nigra, Sorbus aucuparia and Sorbus intermedia). Thus, the colonization of forest plantations by native shrubs and trees appears to be habitat-limited; the only exception being Rhamnus catharticus, for which poor dispersal ability may be more important. Post-dispersal seed predation of forest shrubs and trees was marked, especially in relatively small and isolated plantations on ex-arable land. There was a high seed predation of Crataegus monogyna, Sorbus aucuparia and Viburnum opulus on ex-arable land, while that of Frangula alnus and Sambucus racemosa was not associated with site placement and landuse history. Seed predation is probably a more important factor limiting restoration of near-natural forests than previously thought.
Bílé Karpaty Mts harbour some of the most species-rich managed grasslands in Europe, which contain a number of rare and disjunctly distributed species. Besides specific local environmental factors, the long Holocene history may explain the uniqueness of these grasslands. However, historical interpretations of the palaeoecological evidence from the region are far from unequivocal. While palaeomalacological data indicate persistence of open habitats throughout the entire Holocene, fragmentary pollen data support the hypothesis of a medieval origin of the grasslands. This paper reviews the available phytogeographical, archaeological and palaeoecological knowledge that provides indirect evidence for a prehistoric origin of the grasslands in the Bílé Karpaty Mts. High concentration of rare heliophilous species with a disjunct distribution in the south-western part of the Bílé Karpaty Mts suggest their long-term persistence. The archaeological findings provide evidence for the existence of prehistoric human settlement in this region since the Neolithic (Middle Holocene). Direct evidence for the existence of open human-influenced habitats before medieval times, based on the results of a multi-proxy analysis (macrofossils, molluscs and pollen) of an organic sediment dated back to Roman Age, is also provided. The results indicate the existence of an ancient cultural landscape with a mosaic of open grasslands, natural forests and fields. It is concluded that the evidence presented in this paper supports the hypothesis of prehistoric, rather than a medieval origin of the species-rich grasslands in the Bílé Karpaty Mts.