Spatial variability more influential than soil pH and land relief on thermophilous vegetation in overgrown coppice oak forests

The overgrown coppice oak forests that cover the southern slopes beneath the foothills of the Sudetes (Silesia, Central Europe) are considered to be Euro-Siberian steppic woods with a Quercus sp. habitat (91I0): a priority habitat in the European Union, according to the Natura 2000 system. In subcontinental parts of Central Europe, thermophilous oak forest vegetation is found extrazonally; its presence, in the study site, is related to previous coppice management. In this paper we explore the differentiation of the vegetation caused both by land-relief derived variables (potential heat load, slope inclination and exposition, soil depth) and soil pH, as well as spatial processes. The data on the vegetation were collected from 117 regularly arranged sampling plots, located in three mountain ranges. The vegetation consisted of a mixture of species considered as typical for different habitats (mesophilous forests, acidophilous forests, thermophilous oak forests, grassland, thermophilous fringes and mesophilous mantle) and was relatively rich in species. Many of the species found were rare and are protected in Poland. The results of the bioindication, on the basis of Ellenberg indicator values, suggest the pH gradient to be the most important, followed by the insolation/moisture gradient, to the differentiation of the studied vegetation. The thermophilous oak forests seem to occupy the niche between acidophilous and mesophilous forest. However the decomposition of spatial variation, assessed on the basis of semivariance values of the vegetation similarity coefficient (frequency index), emphasizes a strong differentiation of vegetation between sites and mountain ranges. The results of canonical correspondence analysis, performed on a spatially stratified sub-set of the data, revealed a stronger effect caused by spatial variation (32.7% of explained species variation) than environmental variables, such as soil pH and potential heat load (13.1%). Since the shared variation was low (1.8%), it showed a strong influence of spatial processes, revealing the effect of the local species pool

Spatial variability more influential than soil pH and land relief on thermophilous vegetation in overgrown coppice oak forests

The overgrown coppice oak forests that cover the southern slopes beneath the foothills of the Sudetes (Silesia, Central Europe) are considered to be Euro-Siberian steppic woods with a Quercus sp. habitat (91I0): a priority habitat in the European Union, according to the Natura 2000 system. In subcontinental parts of Central Europe, thermophilous oak forest vegetation is found extrazonally; its presence, in the study site, is related to previous coppice management. In this paper we explore the differentiation of the vegetation caused both by land-relief derived variables (potential heat load, slope inclination and exposition, soil depth) and soil pH, as well as spatial processes. The data on the vegetation were collected from 117 regularly arranged sampling plots, located in three mountain ranges. The vegetation consisted of a mixture of species considered as typical for different habitats (mesophilous forests, acidophilous forests, thermophilous oak forests, grassland, thermophilous fringes and mesophilous mantle) and was relatively rich in species. Many of the species found were rare and are protected in Poland. The results of the bioindication, on the basis of Ellenberg indicator values, suggest the pH gradient to be the most important, followed by the insolation/moisture gradient, to the differentiation of the studied vegetation. The thermophilous oak forests seem to occupy the niche between acidophilous and mesophilous forest. However the decomposition of spatial variation, assessed on the basis of semivariance values of the vegetation similarity coefficient (frequency index), emphasizes a strong differentiation of vegetation between sites and mountain ranges.The results of canonical correspondence analysis, performed on a spatially stratified sub-set of the data, revealed a stronger effect caused by spatial variation (32.7% of explained species variation) than environmental variables, such as soil pH and potential heat load (13.1%). Since the shared variation was low (1.8%), it showed a strong influence of spatial processes, revealing the effect of the local species pool

Il sapere indifeso in "Palomar" di Italo Calvino

Negli anni Settanta e Ottanta, Calvino è convinto sempre di più che non si può spiegare razionalmente il mondo, né si può dargli un modello di conoscenza. L’unica cosa che il letterato può fare è osservare il mondo e tentare di descriverlo senza la speranza dell’ultima parola. Il signor Palomar, protagonista del suo ultimo libro, “personificazione di un mai domo pensiero interpretante”47, è un uomo che riflette su tutto e che si interroga sul senso dell’esistenza, ponendosi delle domande cosmiche cui non può dare risposta perché non ne è semplicemente capace. Secondo la Serra l’uso delle domande retoriche così frequente nel testo del libro non deve tuttavia essere inteso come la testimonianza di vacuità e pessimismo di fronte alla complessità del mondo e della generale crisi epistemologica. Nelle considerazioni della studiosa italiana questa è un’attenta operazione di scrittura che mira a rinnovare una consuetudine di ricerca, di prova, di sfida cognitiva ed esistenziale. È l’invito mandato da Calvino al lettore a svolgere la propria ricerca e prova sperimentale. È il modo dello scrittore di coinvolgere il suo pubblico e incalzarlo nell’esperienza e riflessione individuale. “[…] il laborioso andamento indagativo, interlocutorio, che ha la funzione di mettere tutto instabile, mai definitivo, per cui ogni nuova domanda, ogni nuova ipotesi può far precipitare tutte le acquisizioni precedenti, come azzerandole nel contraddirle, va in direzione non di una iterata resa alla negazione, allo scacco, ma piuttosto di una metodica e didattica pratica di ricominciare, della mobilità intellettuale contro l’atrofia, spesso sterile e semplicistica, di ogni radicale nichilismo votato alla rassegnazione”48. Il mondo esterno si presenta come una moltitudine inesauribile dei fenomeni e degli esistenti e l’intento dell’autore pare quello di proporre una discussione sulla capacità di leggere ed interpretare filosoficamente il reale, senza troppe ambizioni dogmatiche. L’attenzione di Palomar si pone sulle cose che gli capitano sotto gli occhi, nella vita quotidiana, scrutate nei minimi dettagli. Lo sguardo da vicino e l’analisi scrupolosa di ogni fenomeno nei suoi particolari, vengono effettuati in cerca delle conclusioni generali, magari poi universalizzabili. Nonostante l’uso degli strumenti conoscitivi considerati dall’umanità come migliori, cioè la ragione e la logica, essi appaiono insufficienti per strutturare la realtà. Il protagonista di Palomar, deluso e frustrato nelle sue tentazioni di conoscerla, non ci rinuncia, elaborando, comunque, una sua visione del mondo dai dati minimi dell’esperienza e dai semplicissimi fenomeni che sta osservando49. “Palomar è una specie di diario su problemi di conoscenza minimali, vie per stabilire relazioni col mondo, gratificazioni e frustrazioni nell’uso del silenzio e della parola”50. Il personaggio creato da Calvino è un uomo puntiglioso, preciso e attento, per cui non esistono verità assolute, che non si accontenta mai dei primi risultati delle sue ricerche, mette sempre in discussione tutto ciò che crede di aver scoperto, cercando di raggiungere la piena conoscenza del mondo e di se stesso, nonostante le sue prove risultino fallite. Il suo scopo è infatti quello di trovare un ordine nel caos, anche a livello esistenziale, e le sue meditazioni riguardano problemi conoscitivi reali e concreti, che risultano però insolubili e costantemente frustranti

Spatial structure of grassland patches in Poland: implications for nature conservation

Grasslands provide wide range of ecosystem services, however, their area and quality are still diminishing in Europe. Nowadays, they often create isolated patches inside “sea” of other habitats. We have examined basic structural landscape metrics of grasslands in Poland using CORINE land use database. Characteristics for both all individual patches as well as average values for 10 × 10-km grid covering Poland were examined. We also assessed the percentage of grasslands within protected areas and ecological corridors. We found that in Poland rather small patches (0.3–1 km2) dominate, usually located 200–500 m away from each other. The grasslands had clumped distribution, thus in Poland exist large areas where grasslands patches are separated kilometers from each other. Almost all indices calculated for 10 × 10-km2 were correlated, i.e., in regions with high percentage of grasslands, the patches were large, more numerous, placed close to each other, and had more irregular shapes. Our results revealed that the percentage of grasslands within protected areas and ecological corridors did not differ from the average value for Poland. On the other hand, forests were significantly over-represented in protected areas and ecological corridors. These findings suggest that there is no planned scheme for grassland protection at the landscape scale in Poland. Development the scheme is urgent and needs high-quality data regarding distribution of seminatural grasslands patches. In practice, nature conservationists and managers should consider spatial processes in their plans in order to maintain grassland biodiversity

Effect of litter decomposition on mowing and plant composition change during Solidago stand restoration

Decomposition of organic matter supports important soil ecosystem services. The rate of decomposition depends mostly on the type of plant material being decomposed and the abundance and diversity of organisms that process the organic matter. Consequently, any disturbance to the soil ecosystem will affect the decomposition process. Invasive plants, such as Solidago species, pose a serious ecological threat to natural habitats, so effective and environmentally safe methods of controlling their occurrence should be developed. In this study, decomposition rates were used as indicators of soil health during grassland restoration after Solidago invasion. Different seed mixtures (grasses, grasses with legumes, seeds collected from a seminatural meadow; use of fresh hay and no seeds) were sown during a field experiment and different mowing frequencies (1, 2 and 3 times per year) were established. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) plant species composition used in the restoration process affects litter decomposition rates, and (2) mowing regimes affect litter decomposition rates. It was found that decomposition rates were higher in plots with the highest species diversity. This indicates that an increase in species diversity has a positive effect on soil processes. Secondly, mowing two and three times per season has a positive effect on the decomposition process. In conclusion, decomposition rates can be used as a tool to identify adequate grassland management

The immunomodulary effects of systematic exercise in older adults and people with parkinsons disease

We sought to investigate whether regular balance training of moderate intensity (BT) has an effect on changes in selected cytokines, neurotrophic factors, CD200 and fractalkine in healthy older adults and participants with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Sixty-two subjects were divided into groups depending on experimental intervention: (1) group of people with PD participating in BT (PDBT), (2) group of healthy older people participating in BT (HBT), (3,4) control groups including healthy individuals (HNT) and people with PD (PDNT). Blood samples were collected twice: before and after 12 weeks of balance exercise (PDBT, HBT), or 12 weeks apart (PDNT, HNT). The study revealed significant increase of interleukin10 (PDBT, p = 0.026; HBT, p = 0.011), β-nerve growth factor (HBT, p = 0.002; PDBT, p = 0.016), transforming growth factor-β1 (PDBT, p = 0.018; HBT, p < 0.004), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (PDBT, p = 0.011; HBT, p < 0.001) and fractalkine (PDBT, p = 0.045; HBT, p < 0.003) concentration only in training groups. In PDBT, we have found a significant decrease of tumor necrosis factor alpha. No training effect on concentration of interleukin6, insulin-like growth factor 1 and CD200 was observed in both training and control groups. Regular training can modulate level of inflammatory markers and induce neuroprotective mechanism to reduce the inflammatory response

Urban Ecosystem: An Interaction of Biological and Physical Components

Urban ecosystems are composed of biological components (plants, animals, microorganisms, and other forms of life) and physical components (soil, water, air, climate, and topography) which interact together. In terms of “Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI)”, these components are in a combination of natural and constructed materials of urban space that have an important role in metabolic processes, biodiversity, and ecosystem resiliency underlying valuable ecosystem services. The increase in the world’s population in urban areas is a driving force to threat the environmental resources and public health in cities; thus, the necessity to adopt sustainable practices for communities is crucial for improving and maintaining urban environmental health. This chapter emphasizes the most important issues associated with the urban ecosystem, highlighting the recent findings as a guide for future UGI management, which can support city planners, public health officials, and architectural designers to quantify cities more responsive, safer places for people

Effects of eccentric exercise on anaerobic power, starting speed and anaerobic endurance

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of eccentric exercise on anaerobic power, starting speed and anaerobic endurance. The participants performed the maximum cycling sprint test (MCST) prior to eccentric exercise (ECC), 10 minutes after, as well as one hour, 24 hours, 48 hours, and one week after ECC. The peak and mean power, time to attain peak power, time of maintaining peak power and power decrease were measured in the MCST. Before and after ECC, the myoglobin concentration (Mb) in the blood plasma was measured. After ECC, a significant (p<.05) increase in Mb was observed. A significant (p<.05) decrease was noted in peak (-.92±0.42 W.kg-1) as well as in mean power (-.57±0.36 W.kg-1) immediately after ECC. A significant (p<.05) decrement of these indicators lasted for at least 24 hours after ECC. Eccentric exercise did not affect starting speed (time to attain peak power) and anaerobic endurance (time of maintaining peak power and power decrease during MCST)

Proposed physiotherapeutic procedure in the treatment of breast cancer

Breast cancer is a global problem, causes many deaths worldwide, and the emergence of disability resulting from treatment. Physiotherapy is a 24/7 process. It is very often limited to just a few minutes of exercise a day, which is not enough. The aim of the work is to propose physiotherapeutic treatment in women after radical mastectomy and to present diagnostic problems caused by SARS-CoV-2 pandemics, which negatively affect cancer prevention