Concert recording 2022-04-03

[Track 1]. D\u27un matin de printemps / Lili Boulanger -- [Track 2]. Sonata in C# Minor for Alto Saxophone and Piano. I. Tres modéré expressif ; II. Nocturne et final / Fernande Decruck -- [Track 3]. Hush / Gilda Lyon -- [Track 4]. BIG talk / Shelley Washington -- [Track 5]. Two preludes. I. Adagio e exxpressive ; II. Prestissimo / Dorothy Chang

Concert recording 2022-04-03

[Track 1]. D\u27un matin de printemps / Lili Boulanger -- [Track 2]. Sonata in C# Minor for Alto Saxophone and Piano. I. Tres modéré expressif ; II. Nocturne et final / Fernande Decruck -- [Track 3]. Hush / Gilda Lyon -- [Track 4]. BIG talk / Shelley Washington -- [Track 5]. Two preludes. I. Adagio e exxpressive ; II. Prestissimo / Dorothy Chang

Negative impacts of felling in exotic spruce plantations on moth diversity mitigated by remnants of deciduous tree cover

Moths are a vital ecosystem component and are currently undergoing extensive and severe declines across multiple species, partly attributed to habitat alteration. Although most remaining forest cover in Europe consists of intensively managed plantation woodlands, no studies have examined the influence of management practices on moth communities within plantations. Here, we aimed to determine: (1) how species richness, abundance, diversity of macro and micro moths in commercial conifer plantations respond to management at multiple spatial scales; (2) what the impacts of forest management practices on moth diversity are, and (3) how priority Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species respond to management. BAP species were selected as they represent formerly widespread and common species, which have undergone substantial declines in the UK and Europe. We assessed moth communities in three conifer plantations in Northern England and Scotland by light trapping, combining local (e.g. age of planting) and landscape level (e.g. proximity to felled areas) characteristics to evaluate the impacts of forest management on moths. We found no relationship between local factors and moth richness, abundance and diversity but the amount of clear felling in the surrounding landscape had a strongly negative correlation. In contrast, the amount and proximity of broadleaf cover in the surrounding landscape positively influenced macro moth richness and abundance. For six BAP species, abundances were lower close to felled areas but increased with the size of adjacent broadleaf patches. We conclude that clear felling negatively affects moths, probably through alteration of habitats, the loss of larval host plants, and by limiting dispersal. A shift to continuous cover and maintaining broadleaf tree cover within plantations will greatly enhance their value for moth communities

Using GPS telemetry to validate least-cost modeling of gray squirrel ( Sciurus carolinensis) movement within a fragmented landscape

In Britain, the population of native red squirrels Sciurus vulgaris has suffered population declines and local extinctions. Interspecific resource competition and disease spread by the invasive gray squirrel Sciurus carolinensis are the main factors behind the decline. Gray squirrels have adapted to the British landscape so efficiently that they are widely distributed. Knowledge on how gray squirrels are using the landscape matrix and being able to predict their movements will aid management. This study is the first to use global positioning system (GPS) collars on wild gray squirrels to accurately record movements and land cover use within the landscape matrix. This data were used to validate Geographical Information System (GIS) least-cost model predictions of movements and provided much needed information on gray squirrel movement pathways and network use. Buffered least-cost paths and least-cost corridors provide predictions of the most probable movements through the landscape and are seen to perform better than the more expansive least-cost networks which include all possible movements. Applying the knowledge and methodologies gained to current gray squirrel expansion areas, such as Scotland and in Italy, will aid in the prediction of potential movement areas and therefore management of the invasive gray squirrel. The methodologies presented in this study could potentially be used in any landscape and on numerous species

Taproot™ Technology: Tree Coring for Fast, Noninvasive Plume Delineations

In Efforts to Evaluate the Use of Plants as a Forensic Tool for Delineating Contaminated Soil and Groundwater, a Laboratory Experiment and a Field Sampling Effort Were Undertaken. Site Assessments Are Often Costly and Inaccurate, Requiring Multiple Mobilizations to Hone in on Source Areas and Getting Accurate Estimates of Contaminant Extent and Distribution. as These Extensive Site Delineations Take Place, Valuable Time and Resources Are Lost. the Findings of This Study Show that Plants Can Be Used as a Tool to Evaluate a Variety of Subsurface Contaminants, Either in the Vadose Zone or in the Saturated Zone. in the First Field Application of Taproot™ Technology, a Large, Heavily Forested Site Was Sampled in One Day and the Contamination On-Site Was More Accurately Delineated Than Had Been Generated at the Site in over a Decade, with More Than 26 Wells Installed. New Source Zones Were Detected on the Site, and the Presence of New Waste Depositions Was Uncovered for the First Time Showing the Great Value of Tree Coring as a Contaminant Detection Tool. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Bat use of commercial coniferous plantations at multiple spatial scales: Management and conservation implications

Commercial plantations are primarily managed for timber production, and are frequently considered poor for biodiversity, particularly for mammalian species. Bats, which constitute one fifth of mammal species worldwide, have undergone large declines throughout Europe, most likely due to widespread habitat loss and degradation. Bat use of modified landscapes such as urban or agricultural environments has been relatively well studied, however, intensively managed plantations have received less attention, particularly in Europe. We assessed three of the largest, most intensively managed plantations in the UK for the occurrence of bats, activity levels and relative abundance in response to environmental characteristics at multiple spatial scales, using an information theoretic approach. We recorded or captured nine species;Pipistrellus pipistrellusandP.pygmaeuswere the most commonly recorded species on acoustic detectors and femaleP.pygmaeuswere the most commonly captured. The influence of environmental characteristics on bat activity varied by species or genus, although all bat species avoided dense stands. Occurrence and activity of clutter and edge adapted species were associated with lower stand densities and more heterogeneous landscapes whereas open adapted bats were more likely to be recorded at felled stands and less likely in areas that were predominantly mature conifer woodland. In addition, despite morphological similarities,P.pipstrellusandP.pygmaeuswere found foraging in different parts of the plantation. This study demonstrates that with sympathetic management, non-native conifer plantations may have an important role in maintaining and supporting bat populations, particularly forPipistrellusspp

Climate, landscape, habitat, and woodland management associations with hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius population status

Although strictly protected, populations of the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius in the UK declined by 72% from 1993 to 2014. Using National Dormouse Monitoring Programme data from 300 sites throughout England and Wales, we investigated variation in hazel dormouse population status (expressed as Indices of Abundance, Breeding, and population Trend) in relation to climate, landscape, habitat, and woodland management. Dormice were more abundant and produced more litters on sites with warmer, sunnier springs, summers, and autumns. Dormouse abundance was also higher on sites with consistently cold local climate in winter. Habitat connectivity, woodland species composition, and active site management were all correlated with greater dormouse abundance and breeding. Abundances were also higher on sites with successional habitats, whereas the abundance of early successional bramble Rubus fruticosus habitat, woodland area, and landscape connectivity were important for population stability. Diversity in the structure of woodlands in Europe has decreased over the last 100 years, and the habitats we found to be associated with more favourable dormouse status have also been in decline. The conservation status of the hazel dormouse, and that of woodland birds and butterflies, may benefit from reinstatement or increased frequency of management practices, such as coppicing and glade management, that maintain successional and diverse habitats within woodland

Concert recording 2022-04-05

[Track 1]. In Bach\u27s studio -- [Track 2]. South Africa -- [Track 3]. The grey convoy -- [Track 4]. Ode for Leo -- [Track 5]. A moody time

Concert recording 2022-04-05

[Track 1]. In Bach\u27s studio -- [Track 2]. South Africa -- [Track 3]. The grey convoy -- [Track 4]. Ode for Leo -- [Track 5]. A moody time