Changes in the distribution of mechanically dependent plants along a gradient of past hurricane impact

The severity of the effects that large disturbance events such as hurricanes can have on the forest canopy and the associated mechanically dependent plant community (epiphytes, climbers, etc.) is dependent on the frequency and intensity of the disturbance events. Here we investigate the effects of different structural and environmental properties of the host trees and previously modelled past hurricanes on dependent plants in Cusuco National Park, Honduras. Tree-climbing methods were employed to sample different dependent life-forms in ten 150 × 150 m plots. We identified 7094 individuals of dependent plants from 214 different species. For holo- and hemi-epiphytes, we found that diversity was significantly negatively related to past hurricane impact. The abundance of dependent plants was greatly influenced by their position in tree canopy and hurricane disturbance regimes. The relationship between abundance and mean branch height shifts across a gradient of hurricane impact (from negative to positive), which might result from a combination of changes in abundance of individual species and composition of the dependent flora across sites. Mechanically dependent plants also responded to different structural and environmental conditions along individual branches. The variables that explained much of the community differences of life-forms and families among branches were branch surface area and bryophyte cover. The factors that explained most variation at a plot level were mean vapour pressure deficit and elevation. At the level of the individual tree, the most important factors were canopy openness and past hurricane impact. We believe that more emphasis needs to be placed on the effects that past disturbance events have on mechanically dependent plant communities, particularly in areas that are prone to catastrophic perturbations

Plant responses to decadal scale increments in atmospheric CO2 concentration: comparing two stomatal conductance sampling methods

There are several lines of evidence suggesting that the vast majority of C3 plants respond to elevated atmospheric CO2 by decreasing their stomatal conductance (gs). However, in the majority of CO2 enrichment studies, the response to elevated CO2 are tested between plants grown under ambient (380–420 ppm) and high (538–680 ppm) CO2 concentrations and measured usually at single time points in a diurnal cycle. We investigated gs responses to simulated decadal increments in CO2 predicted over the next 4 decades and tested how measurements of gs may differ when two alternative sampling methods are employed (infrared gas analyzer [IRGA] vs. leaf porometer). We exposed Populus tremula, Popolus tremuloides and Sambucus racemosa to four different CO2 concentrations over 126 days in experimental growth chambers at 350, 420, 490 and 560 ppm CO2; representing the years 1987, 2025, 2051, and 2070, respectively (RCP4.5 scenario). Our study demonstrated that the species respond non-linearly to increases in CO2 concentration when exposed to decadal changes in CO2. Under natural conditions, maximum operational gs is often reached in the late morning to early afternoon, with a mid-day depression around noon. However, we showed that the daily maximum gs can, in some species, shift later into the day when plants are exposed to only small increases (70 ppm) in CO2. A non-linear decreases in gs and a shifting diurnal stomatal behavior under elevated CO2, could affect the long-term daily water and carbon budget of many plants in the future, and therefore alter soil–plant–atmospheric processes.Irish Research CouncilScience Foundation Irelan

Epiphytes: a study of the history of forest canopy research

The development of new and more versatile access techniques is a major contributor to the continuously growing field of canopy research. Methods such as cranes, canopy walkways, hot-air balloons, ladders and rope access techniques enabled scientist for the first time to conduct proximate studies of canopy organisms. One of the most studied groups of canopy dwellers are epiphytes. With their versatile adaptations to a life above ground level and their vast abundance, epiphytes contribute profoundly to the forest diversity and ecosystem processes. Most epiphytes have species-specific habitat preference within individual phorophytes. However these preferences are limited by biotic and abiotic factors. As a result epiphytes are threatened by forest degradation and climate change. More research is necessary to assess their importance within and between ecosystems and their role in direct and indirect forest processes. Furthermore future research on epiphytic plants needs to focus more on biotic interactions such as herbivory, pathogens and competition

Presidential villa Slavin

Predmetom bakalárskej práce je vypracovanie projektovej dokumentácie pre výstavbu vily prezidenta Slovenskej republiky. Vila bude slúžiť ako sídlo prezidenta SR, ktorého účelom je riešenie bytovej otázky počas výkonu mandátu a zároveň vykonávanie čiastočných reprezentatívnych úkonov. Objekt prezidentskej vily je rozdelený na dve časti: reprezentačnú časť, ktorá je riešená ako podpivničená s dvoma nadzemnými podlažiami a rezidenčnú časť, ktorá je riešená ako podpivničená s dvoma nadzemnými podlažiami. V suteréne je navrhnuté garážové státie pre 3 vozidlá a na pozemku sa bude nachádzať nekrytá parkovacia plocha pre 3 vozidlá. Pôdorysne je vila zložená z troch obdĺžnikových tvarov s plochou vegetačnou strechou. Vodorovné a zvislé nosné konštrukcie sú navrhnuté z monolitického železobetónu.The subject of the bachelor's thesis is the elaboration of project documentation for the construction of a villa of the President of the Slovak Republic. The villa will serve as a residence during the discharge of an office of Slovak president and at the same time it will serve as a place for partial representative acts. The building of the presidential villa is divided into two parts: the representative part, which is designed as two-storey with basement, and the residential part, which is designed as two-storey without basement. In the basement there is a garage for 3 vehicles and on the plot, there will be an uncovered parking area for 3 vehicles. The floor plan of the villa consists of three rectangular shapes with a flat vegetated roof. Horizontal and vertical load-bearing structures are designed from monolithic reinforced concrete.

Extension and Retrofit of the Healthcare Centre

Diplomová práca je projektom zameraným na prestavbu administratívnej budovy na zdravotné stredisko. V minulosti budova slúžila ako administratívna budova a sídlo obvodného oddelenia Policajného zboru SR. Existujúca budova bude po stavebných úpravách zahrňujúcich nadstavbu, prístavbu a modernizáciu slúžiť obyvateľom mesta ako zdravotnícke zariadenie. Rozšírenie o prístavbu a nadstavbu je nevyhnutné, kvôli nedostatočnej kapacite existujúcej budovy. Nadstavba a prístavba bude mať murovaný zvislý nosný systém z pórobetónových tvárnic. Stropy budú z predpätých železobetónových dutinových panelov. Projekt výrazne mení pôvodný stav vzhľadom na funkčnosť objektu, v ktorom vznikne 17 ambulancií a pracovisko rádiológie. Dispozícia spolu s materiálmi je detailne opísaná v projektovej dokumentácii a aj v textovej časti práce. Diplomová práca tiež uvádza spôsob nutných úprav blízkeho okolia. Pôvodná projektová dokumentácia objektu nebola k dispozícii, všetky informácie boli získané zameraním a obhliadkou stavby vo februári 2021.The diploma thesis is a project focused on the conversion of an administrative building into a healthcare centre. In the past, the building served as an administrative building and the headquarters of the district department of the Slovak Police Force. The existing building will serve the residents of the town as a healthcare facility after construction modifications including an extension and modernization. Extension is necessary due to the insufficient capacity of the existing building. Extension will have a masonry vertical support system made of aerated concrete blocks. The floor structures will be made of prestressed hollow core slabs. The project significantly changes the original state regarding the functionality of the building, in which 17 outpatient clinics and a radiology workplace will be created. The layout together with the materials is described in detail in the project documentation and in the text part of the work. The diploma thesis also presents the method of necessary adjustments to the immediate surroundings. The original project documentation of the object was not available, all information was obtained by measuring and inspecting the building in February 2021.

Absence of botanical European Palaeolithic cave art – what can it tell us about plant awareness disparity?

Cave art has been an integral part of human history, providing a glimpse into the lives and cultures of our ancestors. Prehistoric botanical art is an important medium that can help us to redefine our intimate relationship with plants. The findings from our work provide some evidence from the European Palaeolithic period that modern plant awareness disparity (PAD) might be more deeply rooted in our past. By inspiring a deeper appreciation and understanding of the natural world, cave art can help people to reconnect with plants, thus tackling PAD

Climate change might lead to substantial niche displacement in one of the most biodiverse regions in the world

Climatic niches are key factors driving global and regional species distributions. The Atlantic Forest domain is considered one of the most threatened biomes in the world, and one of the main centres of plant diversity and endemism in the Neotropics. Of the over 13,000 species of vascular plants, nearly 15% are vascular epiphytes. Here we analysed for the first time how current epiphyte niches will be affected under future climate projections (SSP126 and SSP585) within 1.5 million km2 of Atlantic Forest in South America. Using the largest database of vascular epiphytes to date (n = 1521 species; n = 75599 occurrence records) and ordination models, we found that the Atlantic Forest is expected to become warmer and drier and that up to 304 epiphyte species (20%) will have their average niche positions displaced outside the available climate space by the years 2040–2100. The findings from this study can help to inform ongoing legislative conservation efforts in one of the world’s most biodiverse regions