3,211 research outputs found
An integrated analysis of micro- and macro-habitat features as a tool to detect weather-driven constraints: a case study with cavity nesters
The effects of climate change on animal populations may be shaped by habitat characteristics at both micro- and macro-habitat level, however, empirical studies integrating these two scales of observation are lacking. As analyses of the effects of climate change commonly rely on data from a much larger scale than the microhabitat level organisms are affected at, this mismatch risks hampering progress in developing understanding of the details of the ecological and evolutionary responses of organisms and, ultimately, effective actions to preserve their populations. Cavity nesters, often with a conservation status of concern, are an ideal model because the cavity is a microenvironment potentially different from the macroenvironment but nonetheless inevitably interacting with it. The lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni) is a cavity nester which was until recently classified by as Vulnerable species. Since 2004, for nine years, we collected detailed biotic and abiotic data at both micro- and macro-scales of observation in a kestrel population breeding in the Gela Plain (Italy), a Mediterranean area where high temperatures may reach lethal values for the nest content. We show that macroclimatic features needed to be integrated with both abiotic and biotic factors recorded at a microscale before reliably predicting nest temperatures. Among the nest types used by lesser kestrels, we detected a preferential occupation of the cooler nest types, roof tiles, by early breeders whereas, paradoxically, late breeders nesting with hotter temperatures occupied the overheated nest holes. Not consistent with such a suggested nest selection, the coolest nest type did not host a higher reproductive success than the overheated nests. We discussed our findings in the light of cavity temperatures and nest types deployed within conservation actions assessed by integrating selected factors at different observation scales
FUV variability of HD 189733. Is the star accreting material from its hot Jupiter?
Hot Jupiters are subject to strong irradiation from the host stars and, as a
consequence, they do evaporate. They can also interact with the parent stars by
means of tides and magnetic fields. Both phenomena have strong implications for
the evolution of these systems. Here we present time resolved spectroscopy of
HD~189733 observed with the Cosmic Origin Spectrograph (COS) on board to HST.
The star has been observed during five consecutive HST orbits, starting at a
secondary transit of the planet ( ~0.50-0.63). Two main episodes of
variability of ion lines of Si, C, N and O are detected, with an increase of
line fluxes. Si IV lines show the highest degree of variability. The FUV
variability is a signature of enhanced activity in phase with the planet
motion, occurring after the planet egress, as already observed three times in
X-rays. With the support of MHD simulations, we propose the following
interpretation: a stream of gas evaporating from the planet is actively and
almost steadily accreting onto the stellar surface, impacting at
ahead of the sub-planetary point.Comment: 35 pages, 19 Figures. Accepted for publication to Ap
Local quasiparticle density of states of superconducting SmFeAsOF single crystals: Evidence for spin-mediated pairing
We probe the local quasiparticles density-of-states in micron-sized
SmFeAsOF single-crystals by means of Scanning Tunnelling
Spectroscopy. Spectral features resemble those of cuprates, particularly a
dip-hump-like structure developed at energies larger than the gap that can be
ascribed to the coupling of quasiparticles to a collective mode, quite likely a
resonant spin mode. The energy of the collective mode revealed in our study
decreases when the pairing strength increases. Our findings support
spin-fluctuation-mediated pairing in pnictides.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure
Fifteen years in the high-energy life of the solar-type star HD 81809. XMM-Newton observations of a stellar activity cycle
Aims. The data set of the long-term XMM-Newton monitoring program of HD 81809
is analyzed to study its X-ray cycle, to investigate if the latter is related
to the chromospheric one, to infer the structure of the corona of HD 81809, and
to explore if the coronal activity of HD 81809 can be ascribed to phenomena
similar to the solar ones and, therefore, considered an extension of the solar
case. Methods. We analyze the observations of HD 81809 performed with
XMM-Newton with a regular cadence of 6 months from 2001 to 2016 and
representing one of the longest available observational baseline (~yr)
for a solar-like star with a well-studied chromospheric cycle (with a period of
~yr). We investigate the modulation of coronal luminosity and
temperature and its relation with the chromospheric cycle. We interpret the
data in terms of a mixture of solar-like coronal regions, adopting a
methodology originally proposed to study the Sun as an X-ray star. Results. The
observations show a well-defined regular cyclic modulation of the X-ray
luminosity that reflects the activity level of HD 81809. The data covers
approximately two cycles of coronal activity; the modulation has an amplitude
of a factor of (excluding evident flares, as in the June 2002
observation) and a period of ~yr, consistent with that of the
chromospheric cycle. We demonstrate that the corona of HD 81809 can be
interpreted as an extension of the solar case and it can be modeled with a
mixture of solar-like coronal regions along the whole cycle. The activity level
is mainly determined by a varying coverage of very bright active regions,
similar to cores of active regions observed in the Sun. Evidence of unresolved
significant flaring activity is present especially in proximity of cycle
maxima.Comment: 11 pages, 5 Figures, A&A accepte
- …