Effects of land abandonment on bird communities in agricultural systems

Ptice poljoprivrednih staništa čine jednu od najugroženijih skupina ptica u Europi. Intenzivna poljoprivreda poticana Zajedničkom poljoprivrednom politikom Europske unije (EU) s jedne strane te napuštanje zemljišta zbog depopulacije ruralnih krajeva s druge strane vode do homogenizacije staništa, što se negativno odražava na brojnost i raznolikost ptica poljoprivrednih staništa. Napuštanje zemljišta vodi do sukcesije vegetacije. Takva u ekološkoj ravnoteži narušena staništa podložna su širenju invazivnih biljnih vrsta poput čivitnjače Amorpha fruticosa (L.) koja u kratkom razdoblju mijenja vegetacijsku strukturu u aluvijalnim nizinama Hrvatske. Utjecaj napuštanja zemljišta na zajednice ptica istražen je u dvije studije slučaja: „Lonjsko polje“ i „Agrale“. U Lonjskom polju istražen je utjecaj napuštanja zemljišta na pašnjacima i na oranicama na kojima se djelomično proširila čivitnjača. U studiji slučaja Agrale zajednice ptica istražene su na gradijentu sukcesijskih staništa podijeljenim u četiri klase na području središnje Hrvatske i Like. Ptice su uzorkovane metodom prebrojavanja u točki koje su bile raspoređene na ukupno 29 ploha istraživanja dimenzija 1 x 1 km. Rezultati upućuju na to da se konzervacijska vrijednost sukcesijskih staništa razlikuje duž gradijenta zaraštenosti. Broj vrsta ptica poljoprivrednih staništa opada, dok broj vrsta ptica šumskih staništa raste. Najbrojnije i najraširenije su nespecijalizirane vrste.Farmland birds are one of the most threatened bird guilds in Europe. Intense agricultural practices subsidised through the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union (EU) on the one hand, and land abandonment caused by depopulation of rural areas on the other hand lead to vegetation homogenisation that negatively affects the abundance and diversity of farmland birds. Land abandonment leads to vegetation succession and such disturbed habitats are prone to invasion of alien plant species. Due to low densities of livestock or insufficient mowing grassland encroachment takes place in lowland Croatia by the false indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa which rapidly alters the vegetation structure. The effects of land abandonment have been examined in two case studies: “Lonjsko polje“ and “Agrale“. In Lonjsko polje the effect of land abandonment has been examined on pastures and arable land that were in part overgrown by the false indigo bush. The case study Agrale examined bird communities along a succession gradient divided into four classes in Central Croatia and Lika area. Birds were sampled by point counts placed in grids in 29 quadrants of 1 x 1 km. Effect of land abandonment has been studied on the point, grid cell and landscape level. Results indicate that the conservation values of the succession classes are different along the abandonment gradient. The abundance of farmland birds decreases, whereas of the forest birds increased. The most abundant and widespread were unspecialized bird species

Effects of land abandonment on bird communities in agricultural systems

Ptice poljoprivrednih staništa čine jednu od najugroženijih skupina ptica u Europi. Intenzivna poljoprivreda poticana Zajedničkom poljoprivrednom politikom Europske unije (EU) s jedne strane te napuštanje zemljišta zbog depopulacije ruralnih krajeva s druge strane vode do homogenizacije staništa, što se negativno odražava na brojnost i raznolikost ptica poljoprivrednih staništa. Napuštanje zemljišta vodi do sukcesije vegetacije. Takva u ekološkoj ravnoteži narušena staništa podložna su širenju invazivnih biljnih vrsta poput čivitnjače Amorpha fruticosa (L.) koja u kratkom razdoblju mijenja vegetacijsku strukturu u aluvijalnim nizinama Hrvatske. Utjecaj napuštanja zemljišta na zajednice ptica istražen je u dvije studije slučaja: „Lonjsko polje“ i „Agrale“. U Lonjskom polju istražen je utjecaj napuštanja zemljišta na pašnjacima i na oranicama na kojima se djelomično proširila čivitnjača. U studiji slučaja Agrale zajednice ptica istražene su na gradijentu sukcesijskih staništa podijeljenim u četiri klase na području središnje Hrvatske i Like. Ptice su uzorkovane metodom prebrojavanja u točki koje su bile raspoređene na ukupno 29 ploha istraživanja dimenzija 1 x 1 km. Rezultati upućuju na to da se konzervacijska vrijednost sukcesijskih staništa razlikuje duž gradijenta zaraštenosti. Broj vrsta ptica poljoprivrednih staništa opada, dok broj vrsta ptica šumskih staništa raste. Najbrojnije i najraširenije su nespecijalizirane vrste.Farmland birds are one of the most threatened bird guilds in Europe. Intense agricultural practices subsidised through the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union (EU) on the one hand, and land abandonment caused by depopulation of rural areas on the other hand lead to vegetation homogenisation that negatively affects the abundance and diversity of farmland birds. Land abandonment leads to vegetation succession and such disturbed habitats are prone to invasion of alien plant species. Due to low densities of livestock or insufficient mowing grassland encroachment takes place in lowland Croatia by the false indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa which rapidly alters the vegetation structure. The effects of land abandonment have been examined in two case studies: “Lonjsko polje“ and “Agrale“. In Lonjsko polje the effect of land abandonment has been examined on pastures and arable land that were in part overgrown by the false indigo bush. The case study Agrale examined bird communities along a succession gradient divided into four classes in Central Croatia and Lika area. Birds were sampled by point counts placed in grids in 29 quadrants of 1 x 1 km. Effect of land abandonment has been studied on the point, grid cell and landscape level. Results indicate that the conservation values of the succession classes are different along the abandonment gradient. The abundance of farmland birds decreases, whereas of the forest birds increased. The most abundant and widespread were unspecialized bird species

Effects of land abandonment on bird communities in agricultural systems

Ptice poljoprivrednih staništa čine jednu od najugroženijih skupina ptica u Europi. Intenzivna poljoprivreda poticana Zajedničkom poljoprivrednom politikom Europske unije (EU) s jedne strane te napuštanje zemljišta zbog depopulacije ruralnih krajeva s druge strane vode do homogenizacije staništa, što se negativno odražava na brojnost i raznolikost ptica poljoprivrednih staništa. Napuštanje zemljišta vodi do sukcesije vegetacije. Takva u ekološkoj ravnoteži narušena staništa podložna su širenju invazivnih biljnih vrsta poput čivitnjače Amorpha fruticosa (L.) koja u kratkom razdoblju mijenja vegetacijsku strukturu u aluvijalnim nizinama Hrvatske. Utjecaj napuštanja zemljišta na zajednice ptica istražen je u dvije studije slučaja: „Lonjsko polje“ i „Agrale“. U Lonjskom polju istražen je utjecaj napuštanja zemljišta na pašnjacima i na oranicama na kojima se djelomično proširila čivitnjača. U studiji slučaja Agrale zajednice ptica istražene su na gradijentu sukcesijskih staništa podijeljenim u četiri klase na području središnje Hrvatske i Like. Ptice su uzorkovane metodom prebrojavanja u točki koje su bile raspoređene na ukupno 29 ploha istraživanja dimenzija 1 x 1 km. Rezultati upućuju na to da se konzervacijska vrijednost sukcesijskih staništa razlikuje duž gradijenta zaraštenosti. Broj vrsta ptica poljoprivrednih staništa opada, dok broj vrsta ptica šumskih staništa raste. Najbrojnije i najraširenije su nespecijalizirane vrste.Farmland birds are one of the most threatened bird guilds in Europe. Intense agricultural practices subsidised through the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union (EU) on the one hand, and land abandonment caused by depopulation of rural areas on the other hand lead to vegetation homogenisation that negatively affects the abundance and diversity of farmland birds. Land abandonment leads to vegetation succession and such disturbed habitats are prone to invasion of alien plant species. Due to low densities of livestock or insufficient mowing grassland encroachment takes place in lowland Croatia by the false indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa which rapidly alters the vegetation structure. The effects of land abandonment have been examined in two case studies: “Lonjsko polje“ and “Agrale“. In Lonjsko polje the effect of land abandonment has been examined on pastures and arable land that were in part overgrown by the false indigo bush. The case study Agrale examined bird communities along a succession gradient divided into four classes in Central Croatia and Lika area. Birds were sampled by point counts placed in grids in 29 quadrants of 1 x 1 km. Effect of land abandonment has been studied on the point, grid cell and landscape level. Results indicate that the conservation values of the succession classes are different along the abandonment gradient. The abundance of farmland birds decreases, whereas of the forest birds increased. The most abundant and widespread were unspecialized bird species

The Role of Endothelin-1 and Nitric Oxide in the Pathogenesis of Hypertension in Diabetic Patients

The pathogenesis of renal hypertension has not yet been fully clarified. As the potential role of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and nitric oxide (NO) has been postulated, their concentrations were determined in plasma and urine of diabetic patients. The study included 30 diabetic patients (both IDDM and NIDDM) with initial or advanced diabetic nephropathy (decreased endogenous creatinine clearance, proteinuria) and 20 healthy control subjects. The correlation with blood pressure and other renal function parameters was monitored and compared with the control group. Also, the effect of ACE inhibitors (ACEI) on ET-1 and NO patterns was monitored in correlation with arterial hypertension. In diabetic patients that did not receive ACEI therapy, the increase in plasma ET-1 was associated with both systolic and diastolic blood pressure elevation, whereas in those administered ACEI the increase in plasma ET-1 was associated with a systolic blood pressure decline. In addition, the increase in plasma NO was accompanied by a statistically significant decline of both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in diabetic patients receiving ACEI

Stradavanje prvog surog orla Aquila chrysaetos obilježenog satelitskim odašiljačem u Hrvatskoj

Suri je orao gnjezdarica priobalne i gorske Hrvatske. Zbog općenite malobrojne nacionalne populacije i sve većeg pritiska, prije svega vjetroelektrana u Dalmaciji, ova je vrsta ugrožena i potrebno je pratiti sudbine surog orla na razini jedinke. Razvojem satelitske telemetrije omogućena su praćenja mladih ptica čija je disperzija bila dosad slabo istražena. 29.4.2017. počelo je praćenje prve jedinke surog orla obilježene u Hrvatskoj. GPS-GSM uređajem obilježen je mladi mužjak porijeklom s Promine oporavljen od posljedica prostrjeljivanja koji je pušten u prirodu u Parku prirode Krka. Praćenje orla trajalo je malo više od dva mjeseca kad su uređaj i ostaci ptice pronađeni u blizini vjetroagregata kod Bruške. Gotovo je sigurno stradao od sudara s elisom vjetroagregata. Nakon prvotnog istraživanja većeg područja, većinu vremena suri se orao zadržavao u okolici Gornjih Biljana i Gornjeg Karina. S obzirom na to da se suri orao zadržavao gotovo osam mjeseci na tom područja, smatramo da se radi o teritoriju nedorasle jedinke i upućuje na važnost identifikacije takvih područja za učinkovitu zaštitu surog orla

Prvo zabilježeno gniježđenje crnoglavog galeba Larus melanocephalus u Hrvatskoj

Prvo gniježđenje crnoglavog galeba Larus melanocephalus u Hrvatskoj zabilježeno je tijekom proljeća 2023. godine u Slavoniji (istočna Hrvatska). Najmanje dva aktivna gnijezda zabilježena su dron letjelicom u miješanoj koloniji riječnih galebova Larus ridibundus, vlastelica Himantopus himantopus i modronogih sabljarki Recurvirostra avosetta na malenom otočiću na šaranskim ribnjacima Našice. Tijekom naknadnog obilaska otočića s ciljem prstenovanja ptići crnoglavog galeba nisu zabilježeni

Successful separation of xypho-omphalopagus conjoined twins with extrauterine twin-twin transfusion syndrome: a case report

Conjoined twining is a rare medical phenomenon, with an overall prevalence of 1.47 per 100 000 births. This report describes a successful separation of xypho-omphalopagus conjoined twins complicated by unbalanced blood shunting through the porto-systemic anastomoses within the shared liver parenchyma. Significant extrauterine twin-twin transfusion syndrome caused by unbalanced shunting is an extremely rare, and probably under-recognized, hemodynamic complication in conjoined twins necessitating urgent separation. Progressive deterioration with a poor outcome can be prevented if the condition is recognized in a timely manner

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PERFORMANCE TEST FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF SIRES GENETIC BASE (the results of the 20-years test station work)

1. The establishment of the Station for Testing Cattle Production Properties is the result of the application of a Cattle breeding Programe in Croatia. 2. The Station for Performance testing deals with breeding and testing of Simmental breeding bulls as needed by the Artificial Insemination Centre of the Republic of Croatia by testing the growth and development capacities in the same keeping and feeding conditions. 3. In the last twenty years the Station has justified itself and fulfilled its tasks. By applying the breeding development programme between 20 March, 1975 and 20 March, 1995, 1044 bulls from 1,098 calves meant for testing completed the tests or were excluded from further testing. 4. Of all the bulls tested in the Testing station, 945 or 86.044 percent (Table 2), were then duly examined having first reached an average test weight (120-365) of 390,352 kilos. Daily growth was, accordingly, 1,586,978 g, and the life growth 534,615 kg, or 1,464,747 g. Other values were: withers height (VG) =128.418 cm, body length (DT) = 156,604 cm, sides width (ŠB) = 50,648 cm, breast width (ŠP) = 50,234 cm, breast depth (DP) = 65,099 cm, Pelvis depth (DZ) = 50,505 cm, breast volume (OG) = 195,758 cm, and tibia volume (OC) = 23,011cm. 5. The values of the bulls selected to be used in the Artificial Insemination Centre (n = 353) are ABOVE AVERAGE (Table 5). Thus, the weight on 120th day + 10.41 kilos, 365th day + 23.28 kg, showing a daily growth during tests of + 79,33 g, life growth + 64.41 g, withers height (VG) = + 1.37 cm, body length (DT) = +2.37 cm, breast depth (DP) = +0.80 cm, breast volume (OP) = +2.83 cm. 6. The inclusion of a larger number of bulls for planned artificial insemination is one of the most important tasks of the Selection and Reproduction Unit. Since only a large number of calves in private farms and in the Station would make better selection of bulls for the use by the Artificial Insemination Centre possible. 7. Since the work of the Station is in the function of the national cattle production, PERMANENT FINANCING FROM THE NATIONAL STIMULATION FUNDS is needed in order to continue with the work of this important segment of breeding and selection so that the Station could justifiy its work and fulfil its tasks properly in the future as well