51 research outputs found
Oil palm monoculture induces drastic erosion of an Amazonian forest mammal fauna
Oil palm monoculture comprises one of the most financially attractive land-use options in tropical forests, but cropland suitability overlaps the distribution of many highly threatened vertebrate species. We investigated how forest mammals respond to a landscape mosaic, including mature oil palm plantations and primary forest patches in Eastern Amazonia. Using both line-transect censuses (LTC) and camera-trapping (CT), we quantified the general patterns of mammal community structure and attempted to identify both species life-history traits and the environmental and spatial covariates that govern species intolerance to oil palm monoculture. Considering mammal species richness, abundance, and species composition, oil palm plantations were consistently depauperate compared to the adjacent primary forest, but responses differed between functional groups. The degree of forest habitat dependency was a leading trait, determining compositional dissimilarities across habitats. Considering both the LTC and CT data, distance from the forest-plantation interface had a significant effect on mammal assemblages within each habitat type. Approximately 87% of all species detected within oil palm were never farther than 1300 m from the forest edge. Our study clearly reinforces the notion that conventional oil palm plantations are extremely hostile to native tropical forest biodiversity, which does not bode well given prospects for oil palm expansion in both aging and new Amazonian deforestation frontiers
Boom and bust of a moose population â a call for integrated forest management
This is the postprint version of the article. The published article can be located at www.springerlink.comThere is increasing pressure to manage forests
for multiple objectives, including ecosystem services and
biodiversity, alongside timber production. However, few
forests are currently co-managed for timber and wildlife,
despite potential economic and conservation benefits. We
present empirical data from a commercial Norway spruce
(
Picea abies
) and Scots pine (
Pinus sylvestris
) production
system in southern Norway in which moose (
Alces alces
)
are an important secondary product. Combining long-term
hunting and forestry records, we identified temporal vari-
ation in clear-felling over the past five decades, peaking in
the 1970s. Herbicide treatment of regenerating stands and a
fivefold increase in moose harvest has lead to a reduction in
availability of successional forest per moose of
[
90 %
since the 1960s. Field estimates showed that spraying with
the herbicide glyphosate reduced forage availability by 60
and 96 % in summer and winter, respectively, 4 years after
treatment. It also reduced moose use and habitat selection
of young spruce stands compared with unsprayed stands.
Together these lines of evidence suggest that forest man-
agement led to an increase in moose carrying capacity
during the 1970s and a subsequent decline thereafter. This
is likely to have contributed to observed reductions in moose population productivity in southern Norway and is
counter to sustainable resource management. We therefore
call for better integration and long-term planning between
forestry and wildlife management to minimise forest
damage and the development of large fluctuations in
ungulate populations
Poor prospects for avian biodiversity in amazonian oil palm
Expansion of oil palm plantations across the humid tropics has precipitated massive loss of tropical forest habitats and their associated speciose biotas. Oil palm plantation monocultures have been identified as an emerging threat to Amazonian biodiversity, but there are no quantitative studies exploring the impact of these plantations on the biomeâs biota. Understanding these impacts is extremely important given the rapid projected expansion of oil palm cultivation in the basin. Here we investigate the biodiversity value of oil palm plantations in comparison with other dominant regional land-uses in Eastern Amazonia. We carried out bird surveys in oil palm plantations of varying ages, primary and secondary forests, and cattle pastures. We found that oil palm plantations retained impoverished avian communities with a similar species composition to pastures and agrarian land-uses and did not offer habitat for most forest-associated species, including restricted range species and species of conservation concern. On the other hand, the forests that the oil palm companies are legally obliged to protect hosted a relatively species-rich community including several globally-threatened bird species. We consider oil palm to be no less detrimental to regional biodiversity than other agricultural land-uses and that political pressure exerted by large landowners to allow oil palm to count as a substitute for native forest vegetation in private landholdings with forest restoration deficits would have dire consequences for regional biodiversity
International Consensus Statement on Rhinology and Allergy: Rhinosinusitis
Background: The 5 years since the publication of the first International Consensus Statement on Allergy and Rhinology: Rhinosinusitis (ICARâRS) has witnessed foundational progress in our understanding and treatment of rhinologic disease. These advances are reflected within the more than 40 new topics covered within the ICARâRSâ2021 as well as updates to the original 140 topics. This executive summary consolidates the evidenceâbased findings of the document. Methods: ICARâRS presents over 180 topics in the forms of evidenceâbased reviews with recommendations (EBRRs), evidenceâbased reviews, and literature reviews. The highest grade structured recommendations of the EBRR sections are summarized in this executive summary. Results: ICARâRSâ2021 covers 22 topics regarding the medical management of RS, which are grade A/B and are presented in the executive summary. Additionally, 4 topics regarding the surgical management of RS are grade A/B and are presented in the executive summary. Finally, a comprehensive evidenceâbased management algorithm is provided. Conclusion: This ICARâRSâ2021 executive summary provides a compilation of the evidenceâbased recommendations for medical and surgical treatment of the most common forms of RS
Synchrotron X-ray measurement of residual strain within the nose of a worn manganese steel railway crossing
Switches and crossings are an integral part of any railway network. Plastic deformation associated with wear and rolling contact fatigue due to repeated passage of trains cause severe damage leading to the formation of surface and sub-surface cracks which ultimately may result in rail failure. Knowledge of the internal stress distribution adds to the understanding of crack propagation and may thus help to prevent catastrophic rail failures. In this work, the residual strains inside the bulk of a damaged nose of a manganese railway crossing that was in service for five years has been investigated by using differential aperture synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The main purpose of this paper is to describe how this method allows non-destructive measurement of residual strains in selected local volumes in the bulk of the rail. Measurements were conducted on the transverse surface at a position about 6.5 mm from the rail running surface of a crossing nose. The results revealed the presence of significant compressive residual strains along the running direction of the rail
Formation of the Z-phase and prospects of martensitic steels with 11% Cr for operation above 590°c
Homogenizing Advanced Alloys: Thermodynamic and Kinetic Simulations Followed by Experimental Results
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