Evaluation of landscape ecological aesthetics of green spaces in Latvian large cities

Recently wide process of urbanisation and migration of inhabitants from rural areas to large cities occurs in Latvia. The proportion of green areas in urban territories is decreasing with time, therefore it is important to maintain the existing greenery system and build a new ecosystem that would connect the existing areas. Currently the principles of landscape ecology and aesthetics are not always included in urban planning or land use plans in Latvia. The aim of the study was to assess landscape ecological aesthetic characteristics of green areas in four Latvian cities – Liepaja, Jelgava, Rezekne and Valmiera. The evaluation matrix contains the following criteria for assessing the landscape aesthetics: the order, accordance to the nearby architecture, visible human intention, particularity, and the following criteria for assessing the landscape ecology: biodiversity, dominance of native species, naturalness and wilderness. In the research, a variety of urban green areas – such as parks, squares and waterfront areas – was evaluated. Article in English. Latvijos didžiųjų miestų žaliųjų erdvių kraštovaizdžio ekologinės estetikos vertinimas Santrauka. Pastaruoju metu Latvijoje vyksta intensyvus urbanizacijos ir gyventojų migracijos iš kaimo vietovių į didžiuosius miestus procesas. Žalieji plotai miestų teritorijose ilgainiui traukiasi, todėl svarbu išlaikyti esamą žaliųjų plotų sistemą ir sukurti naują ekosistemą, kuri sujungtų esamus plotus. Šiuo metu Latvijoje kraštovaizdžio ekologijos ir estetikos principai ne visuo­met įtraukiami į miestų ar kraštovaizdžio planavimo projektus. Studijos tikslas – įvertinti keturių Latvijos miestų – Liepojos, Jelgavos, Rezeknės ir Valmieros žaliųjų plotų kraštovaizdžio ekologines estetines charakteristikas. Vertinta pagal šiuos kraštovaizdžio estetikos kriterijus: tvarka, atitiktis architektūrai, akivaizdus humaniškumas, išskirtinumas; taip pat pagal šiuos kraštovaizdžio ekologijos kriterijus: biologinė įvairovė, vietinių rūšių dominavimas, natūralumas, laisvumas. Tyrime įvertinti įvairūs miesto žalieji plotai: parkai, aikštės ir krantinės. Raktiniai žodžiai: kraštovaizdžio estetika; kraštovaizdžio ekologija; miestų ekosistemos; žalieji plotai; kraštovaizdžio architektūra; Latvij

Diversity of landscape aesthetics in rural, periurban and urban ecosystems

The article presents a research on aesthetical variety in landscapes. The aim of this study was to examine the current situation in different ecosystems by researching the aesthetical variety in three types of landscapes present in the territory of Latvia, namely, in rural, periurban and urban ecosystems. The research was carried out from 2010 to 2012. The ecosystems in four old watermills territories were explored in rural landscapes. The periurban landscapes were investigated according to four areas including ecosystems of private housing villages. Urban landscapes were explored by comparing the ecosystems of four public parks. According to the research approaches and based on previously developed criteria, the research reflected both diverse and similar characteristics of landscape aesthetics in different ecosystems. Article in English. Kaimo, pusiau urbanizuotų vietovių ir miestų ekosistemų kraštovaizdžio estetikos įvairovė Santrauka. Straipsnyje pateikiamas kraštovaizdžio estetinės įvairovės tyrimas. Studijos tikslas – įvertinti esamą situaciją skirtingose ekosistemose, ištiriant trijų kraštovaizdžio tipų: kaimo, pusiau urbanizuotų vietovių ir miesto ekosistemų Latvijos teritorijoje estetinę įvairovę. Tyrimas atliktas 2010–2012 metais. Keturių istorinių vandens malūnų teritorijos tirtos kaimo vietovėse. Pusiau urbanizuotose vietovėse tyrinėtos keturios teritorijos, kuriose išsidės­čiusios privačių kaimų ekosistemos. Miestų vietovėse tyrinėtos keturių viešųjų parkų ekosistemos. Pagal tyrimo metmenis ir remiantis anksčiau suformuluotais kriterijais, tyrimo rezultatai atskleidžia ir skirtingus, ir panašius kraštovaizdžio estetikos požymius skirtingose ekosistemose. Raktiniai žodžiai: Latvijos kraštovaizdis; vandens malūnai; miestų parkai; privatūs kaimai; kraštovaizdžio estetikos vertinima

Innovative and Applied Research in Biology: Proceedings, Vol. 3/2021

The collection contains SCIENTIFIC articles on the topics of the LU 79 conference reports. The main focus is on innovative and applied research in biology and interdisciplinary fields.The project “Evaluation of the cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus L.) genetic resources of Latvia and Belarus as a background for the breeding program and conservation” (2019–2021) (project No. in Latvia LV-BY/2020/4, project No. in Belarus B19LATG004). Project No. 19-00-A01612-000004 “Obtaining of bio-degradable polymers from renewable resources for the production of protective coatings and packaging materials for fruits” is co-financed by the European agricultural fund for rural development (EAFRD) and supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Support Service of the Republic of Latvia. The Landscape area “Augšdaugava” protection and management plan for period 2022–2034 is financed by the project ‘Preconditions for better biodiversity preservation and ecosystem protection in Latvia’, and co-funded by the European Union Cohesion Fund. UL research project “Biological diversity – impacts, functions and protection”, subproject “Biological research of living organisms in urban, rural and aquatic ecosystems”, No ZD2016/AZ81

Environmental risk assessment studies on new plant protection products which have been elaborated from coniferous tree bark

ArticleNowadays there are still various chemical pesticides being applied in the course of ensuring plant protection. Since 2010, we have been working on the development of new, environmentally-friendly plant protection products which will provide an effective tool against pathogenic fungi and bacteria which cause disease in crop plants. The specific aim of this study was to evaluate a risk assessment for new plant protection products that have been elaborated on the basis of coniferous tree bark. Various products were tested which are extracted during the processing of wood bark from pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.). Ethanol extracts were formulated and applied during these experiments. Two formulations, which showed anti-fungal activity in vitro and in field trials on fruit crops (involving strawberries and raspberries) were selected for the risk assessment studies. The impact was studied of formulation treatment on crop plants and soil biological activity, and the accumulation of residues of active substances in crop plants and soil. The application of new formulations did not show any negative effect on the chlorophyll content and the chlorophyll fluorescence of plant leaves. The results showed that pine and spruce bark extract formulations contain active compounds (coumaric acid, quercetin, epicatechin, and ferulic acid) within the range of 5.1–5.9 mg kg-1 and 11.1– 443.9 mg kg-1 respectively. The amount of active substances which were determined in most cases was higher in the spruce bark extract formulation when compared to the pine bark extract formulation. Our results confirmed the presence of active compounds – epicatechin, quercetin, and coumaric acid – in strawberry fruits which remained untreated and in those that were treated with spruce ethanol extract formulation. Untreated raspberry fruits contained all four active substances within the range of 81–5,300 µg kg-1. We observed a significant increase of coumaric acid and quercetin in raspberries after their having been treated with spruce bark extract formulation in a 2% concentration, P < 0.05, and did not find any negative impact for spruce bark extract formulations when used on soil microbial biomass

The microbiome of pest insects:It is not just bacteria

Insects are associated with multiple microbes that have been reported to influence various aspects of their biology. Most studies in insects, including pest species, focus on the bacterial communities of the microbiome even though the microbiome consists of members of many more kingdoms, which can also have large influence on the life history of insects. In this review, we present some key examples of how the different members of the microbiome, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, archaea, and protozoa, affect the fitness and behavior of pest insects. Moreover, we argue that interactions within and among microbial groups are abundant and of great importance, necessitating the use of a community approach to study microbial-host interactions. We propose that the restricted focus on bacteria very likely hampers our understanding of the functioning and impact of the microbiome on the biology of pest insects. We close our review by highlighting a few open questions that can provide an in-depth understanding of how other components of the microbiome, in addition to bacteria, might influence host performance, thus contributing to pest insect ecology

The Importance and Potential Value of a Regional Midsize Arthropod Collection: An Example of IBULC

During the last three centuries, people involved in natural history sciences have produced thousands of natural history collections worldwide. Specimens have been used for scientific proof of various discoveries and for gaining new knowledge in many disciplines of science not only in the area of biodiversity but also in taxonomy, species biology and ecology, parasitology, evolution, organisms’ responses to climate change, nature conservation and many other biological sub-disciplines. Despite never-ending financial struggles, the world’s largest collections as well as many regional midsize collections contain billions of specimens. This provides an enormous database for present and future studies. This article presents a critical description of the material of the Institute of Biology, University of Latvia collection (IBULC) containing roughly 59,000 identified arthropod individuals of about 3,700 species, including twenty-eight primary types as a part of around ninety type specimens, to illustrate the importance of midsize regional natural history collections in detail.Some Rights Reserved. Public Licensed Material: Available under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). The use of this material is permitted for non-commercial use provided the creator(s) and publisher receive attribution. No derivatives of this version are permitted. Official terms of this public license apply as indicated here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcod

Effects of fertilization on Picea abies stands situated on drained peat soils

ArticleNorway spruce used for afforestation of drained peat soils frequently has low productivity and decay in a long - term, which could be related to soil chemical composition and nutrient status. The research aim was to elucidate the effect of PSM on new Norway spruce plantings (1st experiment) and 20 - year - old spruce stands (2nd experiment) on drained peat soils by evaluating: (1) nutrient accumulation in soil - plant system, (2) soil microbiological activity, (3) health status of spruce individuals, (4) growth int ensity and productivity of spruce, (5) changes in composition of vascular plant and moss species. The study was conducted at two forest ( Myrtillosa turf.mel .) sites in Latvia, each consisting of two plots: control and treated with PMS (100 g m - 2 in Septemb er 2007, 50 g m - 2 in April 2008). During 2008 – 2016, regular analysis of soil, spruce needles, soil microbiology, assessment of tree crown vitality, stand productivity, inventory of vascular plant and moss species were done. The results showed that the fert ilization with PMS resulted in a significantly improved K, Ca, Zn, and N status of trees, crown vitality and up to three times increased tree growth parameters at both experiments during the study period. The average count of bacteria and fungi in soil of fertilized plots, accompanied by a remarkable variability in the study years, was significantly higher only for the 1 st experiment. Fungi : bacteria ratio for the fertilized and control plots differed significantly only for the 1 st experiment. Significant i ncrease of cover with nitrophilic plant ( Urtica dioica, Antriscus sylvestris, Rubus idaeus ) and moss ( Plagiomnium cuspidatum , P. ellipticum ) species at both fertilized sites were stated

Food quality affects the expression of antimicrobial peptide genes upon simulated parasite attack in the larvae of greater wax moth

Predator-prey interactions are an important evolutionary force affecting the immunity of the prey. Parasitoids and mites pierce the cuticle of their prey, which respond by activating their immune system against predatory attacks. Immunity is a costly function for the organism, as it often competes with other life-history traits for limited nutrients. We tested whether the expression of antimicrobial peptides (AMP) of the larvae of the greater wax moth Galleria mellonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) changes as a consequence of insertion of a nylon monofilament, which acts like a synthetic parasite. The treatment was done for larvae grown on a high-quality vs. a low-quality diet. The expression of Gloverin and 6-tox were upregulated in response to the insertion of the nylon monofilament. The expression of 6-tox, Cecropin-D, and Gallerimycin were significantly higher in the low-quality diet' group than in the high-quality diet' group. As food quality seems to affect AMP gene expression in G. mellonella larvae, it should always be controlled for in studies on bacterial and fungal infections in G. mellonella

Adaptation of expatriates to different cultures

Bakalaura darbā tiek aprakstīta ekspatriātu adaptācija dažādas kultūrvidēs. Vadītāji ekspatriāti ir ļoti būtiska sastāvdaļa starptautiskajos uzņēmumos, līdz ar to jāpievērš viņu apmācībām un attīstībai liela uzmanība, lai tie varētu veiksmīgi veikt konkrētu uzdevumu ārvalstīs. Darba mērķis ir noskaidrot ekspatriātu adaptācijas iespējamās problēmas un to risinājumus dažādās kultūrvides. Darba gaitā var secināt, ka ekspatriātu adaptēšanās ir sarežģīts process, lai tas būtu veiksmīgāks liela uzmanība ir jāpievērš pirms-aizbraukšanas sagatavošanai. Atslēgas vārdi: kultūra, ekspatriāti, adaptēšanās, starpkultūru pielāgošanās, kultūršoks.This paper describes the adaptation of expatriates to different cultures. Manager expatriate is an essential component of international companies, so company should pay attention to their training and development, so that they can successfully carry out specific tasks abroad. The objective of this paper is to find out potential problems of adaption of expatriates in different cultural environment and find the solutions. As work progresses, it can be concluded that adaptation of expatriates is a complex process in order to be successful have to pay attention to pre-departure preparation. Keywords: culture, expatriate, adaptation, cross-cultural adjustment, culture shock