Strošek polopásý (Lappula semicincta) v České republice

Lappula semicincta (Boraginaceae), kriticky ohrožený druh české květeny, se podle literárních údajů vyskytuje v České republice na malém území na jihozápadní Moravě. Poslední nálezy pocházejí z roku 1980. Během terénního průzkumu a pátrání v regionálních herbářích jsme našli dvě existující populace a herbářové doklady ze tří dalších lokalit, kde byl druh v minulosti sbírán. Všechna naleziště se nacházejí na jihozápadní Moravě mezi údolím řeky Oslavy jihozápadně od Brna na severu a moravsko-dolnorakouskou hranicí na jihu. Strošek se vyskytuje na teplých nelesních stanovištích na svazích hlubokých říčních údolí nebo v jejich blízkosti, a to na bázemi bohatých půdách. Na stanovištích obvykle převládají polopřirozené suché trávníky, druh však roste na narušených místech, která jsou dotčena minulými nebo současnými lidskými zásahy.Lappula semicincta (Boraginaceae), a critically threatened species of the Czech flora, has been reported to occur in the Czech Republic in just a small area in south-western Moravia. The last record dates from 1980. During a field survey and a search in four regional herbaria, we recorded two extant populations of the species and found specimens from another three sites where the species had been collected in the past. All the sites are located in south-western Moravia between the Oslava River valley south-west of Brno city in the north and the Dyje River valley near the border with Austria in the south. The species inhabits warm and dry non-forest habitats in or near deep river valleys with base-rich skeletal soils. Semi-natural dry grasslands often prevail at these sites; however, L. semicincta usually occurs in disturbed places, often influenced by past or recent human activities

GrassPlot v. 2.00 – first update on the database of multi-scale plant diversity in Palaearctic grasslands

Abstract: GrassPlot is a collaborative vegetation-plot database organised by the Eurasian Dry Grassland Group (EDGG) and listed in the Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases (GIVD ID EU-00-003). Following a previous Long Database Report (Dengler et al. 2018, Phyto- coenologia 48, 331–347), we provide here the first update on content and functionality of GrassPlot. The current version (GrassPlot v. 2.00) contains a total of 190,673 plots of different grain sizes across 28,171 independent plots, with 4,654 nested-plot series including at least four grain sizes. The database has improved its content as well as its functionality, including addition and harmonization of header data (land use, information on nestedness, structure and ecology) and preparation of species composition data. Currently, GrassPlot data are intensively used for broad-scale analyses of different aspects of alpha and beta diversity in grassland ecosystems

GrassPlot - a database of multi-scale plant diversity in Palaearctic grasslands

GrassPlot is a collaborative vegetation-plot database organised by the Eurasian Dry Grassland Group (EDGG) and listed in the Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases (GIVD ID EU-00-003). GrassPlot collects plot records (releves) from grasslands and other open habitats of the Palaearctic biogeographic realm. It focuses on precisely delimited plots of eight standard grain sizes (0.0001; 0.001;... 1,000 m(2)) and on nested-plot series with at least four different grain sizes. The usage of GrassPlot is regulated through Bylaws that intend to balance the interests of data contributors and data users. The current version (v. 1.00) contains data for approximately 170,000 plots of different sizes and 2,800 nested-plot series. The key components are richness data and metadata. However, most included datasets also encompass compositional data. About 14,000 plots have near-complete records of terricolous bryophytes and lichens in addition to vascular plants. At present, GrassPlot contains data from 36 countries throughout the Palaearctic, spread across elevational gradients and major grassland types. GrassPlot with its multi-scale and multi-taxon focus complements the larger international vegetationplot databases, such as the European Vegetation Archive (EVA) and the global database " sPlot". Its main aim is to facilitate studies on the scale-and taxon-dependency of biodiversity patterns and drivers along macroecological gradients. GrassPlot is a dynamic database and will expand through new data collection coordinated by the elected Governing Board. We invite researchers with suitable data to join GrassPlot. Researchers with project ideas addressable with GrassPlot data are welcome to submit proposals to the Governing Board

Návrh inteligentního vodoměru pro detekci náhodného úniku vody

This article deals with a proposal of a smart water meter for monitoring water consumption and for accidental leakage detection. The hardware part of the smart water meter consists of a mini-computer and a pulse water meter. Application logic is then in the hands of the original software that evaluates water consumption patterns. If a water leak is detected, the smart water meter uses a ball valve to close the inlet. The meter also has a self-learning mode that can recommend set limits within the reference period. A separate application interface is designed for communication between the meter and the user. Various computer simulations were used to test and initiate different water consumption scenarios.Tento článek se zabývá návrhem chytrého vodoměru pro monitorování spotřeby vody a pro detekci náhodného úniku. Hardwarová část měření chytrého vodoměru se skládá z minipočítač a pulzní vodoměr. Aplikační logika je pak v gesci původního softwaru, který vyhodnocuje průběhy odběru. V případě detekce úniku vody chytrý vodoměr využívá kulového ventilu pro uzavření přívodu. Vodoměr rovněž disponuje samoučícím se režimem, který je schopen v rámci sledovaného období uživateli doporučit nastavované limity. Pro komunikaci mezi vodoměrem a uživatelem je navrženo samostatné aplikační rozhraní. V rámci testování a navození různých scénářů odběru vody bylo využito počítačové simulace

Soil erosion rates during the Holocene continuity in a forest‐steppe landscape

Despite a long-term human impact, Central and Eastern Europe exhibit patches of steppe ecosystems having the highest plant species diversity worldwide. These unique ecosystems have persisted over millennia even though the local climatic conditions would support the formation of a closed forest. Several sources of disturbances have contributed to the persistence of the forest-steppe landscape such as grazing, fire events and human impact. These disturbances have been recorded in local erosion rates. To gain a deeper understanding of the soil dynamics we aimed at deciphering the long- and short-term erosion rates and the age of the soil mantle. The steppes in Transylvania, Romania, were studied to find evidence of a Holocene continuity of grasslands. Long-term (millennia) average erosion rates were determined using meteoric 10Be in soils and in situ 10Be of rock outcrops (scarp). Long-term rates were also estimated by the percolation theory. Short-term (last few decades) erosion rates were obtained from 239+240Pu in soils. The soils started to form prior to the Last Glacial Maximum, probably during the Eemian Interglacial. The average, long-term erosion rates varied between 0.18 and 0.63 t ha−1 yr−1. These rates are slightly elevated compared to expected soil erosion rates. The soils of the Transylvanian Plain formed over a long period and reached a quasi-steady state (soil production equals denudation) that contributed to the maintenance of a biodiversity-rich forest-steppe landscape. The slightly elevated erosion rates are an effect of factors that contributed to the Holocene continuity (fire, grazing) and indicate open rather than a forested character of the landscape during soil development. During the last few decades, the erosion rates increased by a factor of 5–10, with values in the range of 1.31–4.05 t ha−1 yr−1. These large differences are caused by changes in human management of the soils. The biodiversity-rich forest-steppe landscapes are now under threat

Long-term continuity of steppe grasslands in eastern Central Europe: Evidence from species distribution patterns and chloroplast haplotypes

The steppe grasslands of eastern Central Europe are exceptionally species rich and valuable from a nature conservation point of view. However, their historical biogeography is still poorly understood. Here we use the regional diversity of habitat specialists and chloroplast DNA data to investigate potential long-term refugia of steppe species in this region. Location: Pannonian Basin and adjacent regions; SW Russia. Taxon: Vascular plants. Methods: After identifying habitat specialists of the three main steppe types (meadow steppes, grass steppes and rocky steppes), we compiled their regional presence–absence in grid cells of 75 km × 75 km. We analysed the dependency of habitat specialist diversity to climate, topographic heterogeneity and geographical distance to potential refugia. For genetic analysis, we sampled three or four habitat specialists of each steppe type and used cpDNA markers to investigate intraspecific diversity and geographical distribution of haplotypes. We also tested for correspondence between the number of habitat specialists and haplotype diversity. Results: Climate and topography explained between 40% and 63% of the variance in habitat specialist diversity. Adding geographical distance to potential refugia increased the explained variance in the models for all steppe types. Chloroplast haplotypes featured a complex pattern across the study area. Several species showed a strong geographical differentiation, suggesting migration waves from multiple refugia with only limited subsequent genetic intermixture. Maximum haplotype diversity in a region showed a better correlation with the number of habitat specialists per steppe type than mean haplotype diversity. Main conclusions: We can clearly reject the scenario of a late-Holocene immigration of steppe species from areas outside the Pannonian Basin. Most species must have been present in the region since at least the early Holocene, highlighting the importance of the lower mountain ranges surrounding the Pannonian Basin as long-term refugia for European steppe species. Dispersal limitation and resulting migration lags seem to have a strong influence on the distribution of steppe species in Central Europe