The reproductive dynamics of temperate amphibians: a review

The annual life cycle of pond breeding amphibians is characterized by periodical migrations between three critical habitats: breeding, post breeding - feeding - and hibernating. The breeding season starts with the migration of the reproductive adults toward the breeding site and is characterized by intense manifestations in behavior and development of secondary sexual characters. Time spent in the water is strongly influenced by the outcome of success in courtship, insemination and/or fertilization. The aim of this review is to summarize some major findings of the main research directions regarding the reproductive dynamics of temperate (and especially European) amphibians. These are presented in detail for the most studied European species: Triturus vulgaris, Bufo bufo, B. calamita and Rana temporaria

A social-ecological analysis of ecosystem services supply and trade-offs in European wood-pastures

Los pastizales de bosques son sistemas socio-ecológicos complejos (SES), que son el producto de la interacción a largo plazo entre la sociedad y el paisaje que la rodea. Tradicionalmente caracterizados por una gestión multifuncional de baja intensidad que mejoraba una amplia gama de servicios de los ecosistemas (SA), la gestión actual de las explotaciones agrícolas ha cambiado hacia modelos de explotación más intensivos. Este estudio evalúa la oferta de SA en cuatro áreas de estudio dominadas por los pastizales de bosques manejados en España, Suecia y Rumania. Sobre la base de 144 encuestas en granjas y el uso de técnicas multivariadas, caracterizamos el manejo y la estructura de las granjas en las áreas de estudio e identificamos las compensaciones en el suministro de SA asociados a este manejo. Vinculamos estas compensaciones a múltiples factores que caracterizan la gestión de la tierra: económicos, sociales, ambientales, tecnológicos y de gobierno. Finalmente, analizamos cómo los valores y perspectivas de los propietarios de la tierra tienen un efecto en las decisiones de gestión. Los resultados muestran un patrón diferenciado de la oferta de SA en las cuatro áreas de estudio. Identificamos cuatro tipos de compensaciones en la oferta de SA que aparecen dependiendo de lo que está siendo promovido por la administración de la finca y que están asociadas con diferentes dimensiones del manejo de los pastizales de bosques: compensaciones relacionadas con la productividad, compensaciones relacionadas con la producción de cultivos, compensaciones relacionadas con la multifuncionalidad y compensaciones relacionadas con la accesibilidad de la finca. Estas compensaciones se ven influidas por complejas interacciones entre las propiedades del CSE, que tienen una influencia directa en las perspectivas y motivaciones de los propietarios de las tierras. Las conclusiones de este documento hacen avanzar la comprensión de la dinámica entre los agro-ecosistemas y la sociedad y pueden servir de base para las políticas agrícolas y de conservación basadas en el sistema.Wood-pastures are complex social-ecological systems (SES), which are the product of long-term interaction between society and its surrounding landscape. Traditionally characterized by multifunctional low-intensity management that enhanced a wide range of ecosystem services (ES), current farm management has shifted toward more intensive farm models. This study assesses the supply of ES in four study areas dominated by managed wood-pastures in Spain, Sweden, and Romania. On the basis of 144 farm surveys and the use of multivariate techniques, we characterize farm management and structure in the study areas and identify the trade-offs in ES supply associated with this management. We link these trade-offs to multiple factors that characterize the landholding: economic, social, environmental, technological, and governance. Finally, we analyze how landholders’ values and perspectives have an effect on management decisions. Results show a differentiated pattern of ES supply in the four study areas. We identified four types of trade-offs in ES supply that appear depending on what is being promoted by the farm management and that are associated with different dimensions of wood-pasture management: productivity-related trade-offs, crop production–related trade-offs, multifunctionality-related trade-offs, and farm accessibility–related trade-offs. These trade-offs are influenced by complex interactions between the properties of the SES, which have a direct influence on landholders’ perspectives and motivations. The findings of this paper advance the understanding of the dynamics between agroecosystems and society and can inform system-based agricultural and conservation policies.• European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme. Grant nº 613520 (Project AGFORWARD)peerReviewe

The importance of ecosystem services for rural inhabitants in a changing cultural landscape in Romania

Many traditional cultural landscapes evolved as coupled social-ecological systems. It is important to understand how such systems navigate novel challenges posed by globalization. To address this issue, we bring together two components of a pilot study carried out in a cultural landscape from Central Romania. The region was affected by major social and economic perturbations in the past century, affecting ethnic composition, community cohesion, land property regimes, and the management of common resources. The first component of our study investigated how rural inhabitants appreciated ecosystem services through questionnaires with 98 people in 30 villages. The second component aimed to assess the perception of people about ongoing changes in their communities through semistructured interviews with 50 people in 5 villages. Rural inhabitants particularly valued provisioning ecosystem services such as firewood, water, and crops, but also healthy soils. Rural communities were characterized by a number of social and economic issues, especially individualism, lack of trust, corruption, and poverty. People from communities with many initiatives, e.g., NGOs, associations, and active individuals, were more optimistic regarding the future of their communities than people from villages with few or no initiatives. A major challenge for cultural landscapes such as those in Central Romania is to find new, meaningful ways to keep the social and ecological systems connected. Otherwise there is a risk that (short-term) socioeconomic interests may impair the provisioning of important ecosystem services

The effect of reed burning on the habitat occupancy of passerine species

Abstract. This paper describes observed patterns of habitat occupancy in breeding passerines in burned and unburned reed-beds during two periods of their reproductive season (May and June). In burned areas only two species, Acrocephalus palustris and Saxicola torquata, exhibited differences in habitat occupancy between the two study periods. The differences regarding average number of singing males per observation plot were significant only in the case of Acrocephalus palustris. In unburned areas, for all species we recorded the same average number of males per observation plot in the two study periods. We also compared the number of singing males of A. palustris and of S. torquata observed in burned and unburned areas in the second study period. In this period (June) the reed was grown, and the habitats were occupied by both species. The average number of A. palustris recorded in the observation plots located in unburned areas was lower than in burned areas, but the difference was not statistically significant. The average number of S. torquata males observed in the unburned areas was also lower than in the burned areas, again without statistical significance

Differences in the progress of the biopesticide revolution between the EU and other major crop-growing regions

The five-year value in the compound annual growth rate of the biopesticides sector is predicted to be 16% by 2017 and to produce a global market worth $US 10 billion. Despite this, several impediments occur within the EU that negatively affect biopesticide research and innovation. At present, there are fewer biopesticide-active substances registered in the EU compared with the United States, India, Brazil and China. The relatively low level of biopesticide research in the EU (6880 ISI papers) versus the United States (18839), India (9501) and China (7875) relates to the greater complexity of EU-based biopesticide regulations compared with these other countries. In this light, it is worth noting that tensions may exist between regulators that emphasise the beneficial nature of biopesticides in environmentally friendly crop management and those that adopt a more technologically based approach dependent on a chemical-pesticide-driven model. Compared with the other aforementioned countries, far fewer biopesticide products are available in the EU market, mainly as a direct result of the severe regulatory factors present there. The extent to which this trend will continue depends largely on a range of interacting political and/or regulatory decisions that influence environmentally friendly agricultural industries. (c) 2017 Society of Chemical Industr

Mapping biodiversity and cultural values complemented with understanding of social dynamics provides effective means for addressing opportunities for nature conservation in a cultural landscape

The ecosystem services framework can usefully complement biodiversity assessments in developing socially robust nature conservation strategies in protected areas and beyond. However, there is still little research, especially in Eastern Europe, which links biodiversity assessment and nature related values to the deeper social-economic dynamics and aspirations existing in the local communities. Here we address this knowledge gap with a study case from Romania. We used data from a thorough biodiversity survey to map the protected species and habitats in a Natura 2000 area. Then we used participatory mapping with key local community representatives to understand the type of values linking the local community with the protected area, distinguishing between the past (1960’s-1989 period) and present. We identified that socio-economic and cultural values were strong and synergistically manifested in the past but not in the present. A dramatic abandonment of land use practices was reported. The current distribution of protected species and habitats does not overlap with the farmed areas in the past and present. Interviewees report that the local community went through dramatic changes from the past to present: increased individualism weakened or lost local rules, diversifying individual aspirations, low level of collective actions and weak alignment between knowledge and aspirations and the protected area. New socio-cultural values are represented by educational activities, however, with a lack of genuine local community engagement. Key directions identified by participants for the future of the site were nature friendly activities such as tourism, biking trails, forestry, and the renewal of viticulture

ELEMENTAL PROFILE OF NON-COMMERCIAL WINES IN CHANGING TRADITIONAL RURAL REGIONS FROM EASTERN EUROPE

Traditional winemaking for subsistence is at the heart of rural households in traditional cultural landscapes where the bioclimatic conditions allow wine production. As these wines are typically not assessed for their elemental content, their consumers could be exposed to various contaminants Our goals were the followings: (i) to understand the elemental composition of non-commercial traditional wines from three cultural regions of Eastern Europe (Romania) and (ii) to find the main chemical factors which contribute to the differentiation of the wines produced in these regions. Our assessment was based on 62 homemade white and red wines. We used the ICP-OES technique to analyze 21 elements. We found that the wines contained low levels of elemental pollutants. The differentiation of the wines by geographic regions using multivariate pattern recognition analysis was efficient based on magnesium (Mg), strontium (Sr), iron (Fe). Our study shows that the non-commercial wines from the traditional cultural landscapes such as those from Eastern Europe are of good quality with regard to the metallic components. Monitoring these wines will reveal important changes in the quality of these wines as the rural landscapes undergo massive social-ecological changes