Keanekaragaman tanaman yang berpotensi sebagai sarang semut rangrang (Oecophylla Smaradigna) di Kelurahan Taman, Kota Madiun

Semut Rangrang merupakan serangga eusosial yang mempunyai tugas dan fungsi yang jelas. Koloni semut rangrang terdiri tiga kasta: ratu, jantan dan pekerja. Ratu lebih besar dari pada anggota kasta lainnya, biasanya bersayap, walaupun sayap-sayap yang dijatuhkan setelah penerbangan perkawinan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui keanekaragaman tanaman yang digunakan untuk aktivitas semut rangrang (Oecophylla smaradigna) dan aktivitas semut rangrang (Oecophylla smaradigna) pada berbagai jenis tanaman di Kelurahan Taman, Kota Madiun. Penelitian ini dilaksanakan pada bulan Nopember 2016. Tempat penelitian sepanjang jalur jalan Mangis, jalan Mundu dan jalan Salak Kelurahan Taman, Kota Madiun. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode survey penandaan dan pengamatan langsung. Dengan teknik survey dapat dilihat keanekaragaman tanaman yang di tempati semut rangrang pada tiap jalur. Analisis yang digunakan adalah analisis deskripsi. Dari hasil penelitian keanekaragaman jenis tanaman yang berpotensi sebagi sarang semut rangrang ditemukan 21 jenis tanaman. Terdapat 21 jenis pohon dari 270 tanaman, 39 pohon yang ditemukan sarang dan 231 pohon tidak ditemukan sarang. Pada jalur I ditemukan 51 sarang dengan tinggi rata-rata sarang 6.43 m. Pada jalur II ditemukan 55 sarang dengan tinggi rata-rata sarang 5.89 m. Sedangkan pada jalur III ditemukan 20 sarang dengan tinggi rata-rata sarang 7.02 m

Bepaling bestand op de mosselpercelen in de Waddenzee najaar 2008

A total stock of 30 million kg (net fresh weight) was estimated to be present at the culture plots in the Western part of the Wadden Sea in autumn 2008. The total stock could be divided into 12 million kg seed mussels and 16 million kg consumption mussels. In the same period in 2007 the total stock was 35 million kg. Most of the mussels in 2008 were present near Terschelling at the locations Oosterom, Balgen, Meep and Kabelgat. Seed mussels are mainly present at Meep and Balgen, while consumption mussels are mainly present at, Kabelgat en Oostero

Potassium dynamics of a forest soil developed on a weathered schist regolith

Soils of the humid tropics are poor in available potassium due to intensive weathering and leaching of nutrients. A study was conducted to investigate the mineralogy and potassium supplying capacity of a forest soil developed on a weathered schist regolith. The quantity–intensity (Q/I) approach was used in thisstudy. The schist regolith showed deep weathering and intense leaching throughout the profile, resulting in low cation exchange capacity (CEC) and available K in soil and saprolite layers. The mineralogy of the regolith was dominanted by kaolinite, gibbsite and goethite. Feldspar, mica and mica–smectite minerals were observed in the lower saprolite layers. The Q/I parameters showed that the soils and saprolites were low in K supply power. This observation was attributed to weathering and intense leaching. The free energy values of K replacement (ΔG r°) also suggest that soils and saprolites of the schist regolith were deficient in K. The Q/I parameters significantly correlated with organic carbon and clay content, CEC, pH and exchangeable K

Weathering behaviour of a basaltic regolith from Pahang, Malaysia

The characteristics and degree of weathering in a deep saprolitic regolith developed on basalt were investigated. A 15 m deep regolith of soil-saprolite-rock sequence, located along a new road cut in Pahang, Malaysia, was selected. The intensity of weathering in this regolith was assessed by various weathering indices, as well as by the changes in the physiarchemical properties, clay mineralogy and the microfabric characteristics of the profile. All assessments gave strong evidences of intense weathering, even at the stage of saprock formation. Extreme depletion of major elements such as K, Na, Ga and Mg, and significant enrichment of Fe, Ti, Gu and Nb occurred during saprolitization process, and, these perhaps explain the extreme weathering pattern of this regolith

Ecohydrologically important subsurface structures in peatlands revealed by ground-penetrating radar and complex conductivity surveys.

The surface pattern of vegetation influences the composition and humification of peat laid down during the development of a bog, producing a subsurface hydrological structure that is expected to affect both the rate and pattern of water flow. Subsurface peat structures are routinely derived from the inspection of peat cores. However, logistical limits on the number of cores that can be collected means that the horizontal extent of these structures must be inferred. We consider whether subsurface patterns in peat physical properties can be mapped in detail over large areas with ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and complex conductivity by comparing geophysical measurements with peat core data along a 36 m transect through different microhabitats at Caribou Bog, Maine. The geophysical methods show promise. Peat horizons produced radar reflections because of changes in the volumetric moisture content. Although these reflections could not be directly correlated with the peat core data, they were related to the depth-averaged peat properties which varied markedly between the microhabitats. Well-decomposed peat below a hollow was characterized by a discontinuous sequence of chaotic wavy reflections, while distinct layering of the peat below an area of hummocks coincided with a pattern of parallel planar reflections. The complex conductivity survey showed spatial variation in the real and imaginary conductivities which resulted from changes in the pore water conductivity; peat structures may also have influenced the spatial pattern in the complex conductivity. The GPR and complex conductivity surveys enabled the developmental history of the different microhabitats along the studied transect to be inferred

Digital transformation and middle managers’ leadership skills and behavior: a group concept mapping approach

This study, with the aim to test theory in practice, used group concept mapping to develop a comprehensive conceptualization of middle managers’ leadership behaviors concerning digital transformation as a form of radical change. Participants were professionals in the largest public organization in the Netherlands (a police organization) who were dealing with digital transformation in their own practice and who enrolled in an education program on leadership and intelligence. Based on 94 unique statements, the participant-driven results revealed six thematically coherent clusters representing leadership skills and behaviors regarding improvement and results, digital technologies, cooperation, the self, change and ambivalence, and others. The stress value of 0.2234 indicated a good fit. Further analysis showed that clusters containing soft skills and people-oriented behaviors were considered the most important. These results can serve as input to support leadership development programs for middle managers to develop themselves into people-oriented, empowering leaders who can adapt their leadership approaches to fit and support change in general and technology-driven change in particular. Ultimately this will benefit their and their employees’ overall well-being at work. This study is the first to investigate middle managers’ leadership skills and behaviors in a large public organization that is entirely participant-driven

Physico-Chemical Characteristics of Exposed Saprolites and Their Suitability for Oil Palm Cultivation

The reviews on the management of upland soils for oil palm cultivation have indicated that these soils are poor in fertility and classified as marginal to unsuitable. Our study aimed at investigating the problem, found that saprolites laying below the soil layers are either exposed directly or near to the surface as the result of unavoidable terracing of slopes to enable cropping, rendering poor crop suitability. Samples from three different saprolitic profiles of varying depth and geology were collected and analyzed for their physico-chemical properties and chemical fertility characteristics. Besides variability in characteristics of different geological origin, the saprolites have poor fertility and physical properties, suggesting that they are poor substrate for crop growth. The fertility status of the saprolites, despite less weathered, were poorer than their soils. Comparatively, they have higher phosphorus retention capacity, lower net negative charge, and thus lower cation retention capacity. The Al phytotoxic effect, however, was lower in the saprolites than in their soils. The saprolites physical properties were characterized by massiveness and lacking of structural development, which enables high water retention but may not be available to plants. The isovolumetric transformation analysis of rock into saprolites showed a significant depletion of base cations from the Profiles, instituting poor fertility status of saprolites in comparison to their respective soil layers.The suitability assessment of saprolite materials of varying geological origin indicates that saprolites are unsuitable for oil palm cultivation, with shallowness, fertility and poor drainage conditions being the major constraints

Deliverable 2: Report on the production of GIF by turbot, the effects on growth performance of turbot of local GIF production within RAS and the presence of GIF at commercial farm level

One of the working hypotheses of this project is that growth retardation of turbot cultured in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) is caused by the accumulation of growth inhibiting factors (GIF) produced by the turbot themselves in the culture water. Our first goal was to demonstrate the production of growth inhibiting factors by turbot following the methodology of Yurl and Perlmutter. A series of successive experiments was performed. Extracts from turbot culture water were tested for GIF presence in early life stage tests using eggs and larvae and small scale growth trials with juveniles. Our second goal was to demonstrate the transfer of GIF between tanks. Four experiments involving the integration of experimental tanks in a farm scale setting were performed. Our third goal was to demonstrate the presence of GIF at commercial farms. Two juvenile growth trials were performed