Geographical distribution and spatio-temporal changes in the occurrence of invasive plant species in Slovak Republic

Biological systems are subject to a dramatic increase in invading species in the 21st century due to increasing globalization around the world. In the near future, these species will cause more extensive ecological as well as socio-economic damage. Biotic invasions will result not only in a reduction of the original biodiversity, but also total loss, particularly degradation of natural habitats – especially Natura 2000 habitats. This study aims to understand the processes of spread of invasive plant species, their way of life, adaptation to environmental changes and displacement of native species. Without the local level, it is not possible to understand these processes on the regional and continental dimensions and thus implement scientific facts and findings into the prediction of the development of global biosystems. The research was conducted during the vegetation period in the years 2017–2021 in the studied areas of non-forest and forest habitats in the central part of Slovakia. We recorded 242 localities in the area with the occurrence of invasive plant species in an area of 3.057 km2 out of the total mapped area of 169.024 km2. We recorded the highest number of localities and the most expansive distribution for the species Stenactis annua, Robinia pseudoacacia, Solidago canadensis, Impatiens glandulifera and Fallopia japonica

Resistance of plant life forms of native and regenerated alpine plant communities to experimental trampling

Trampling of vegetation as a result of recreation can adversely affect natural habitats, leading to loss of vegetation and degradation of plant communities. Many studies indicated that intrinsic properties of plant communities appear to be the most important factors determining the response of vegetation to trampling disturbance. Specifically, the dominant life-form of a plant community accounts for more variation in the resistance of communities to trampling than the intensity of the trampling experienced, suggesting that simple assessments based on this trait could guide decisions on access to natural sites. We verify these claims in the Belianske Tatry National Nature Reserve in Slovakia, which has been closed since 1978 due to destruction by mass tourism, with the exception of one trail made accessible since 1993. In researching the resistance of communities according to dominant life forms we adjusted the number of passes according to the minimum (75 tourists) and maximum (225 tourists) daily visitation during the tourist season. The studied communities occur in close proximity to the trails on the saddles through which the open trail passes. Available evidence from our studies suggests that vegetation dominated by hemicryptophytes is more resistant to trampling and recovers from trampling to a greater extent than vegetation dominated by other life forms. Therefore, we selected three alpine communities dominated by hemicryptophytes. In the Juncetum trifidi community, they almost completely dominate, they are mainly composed of grasses. Although they dominate the Junco trifidi-Callunetum vulgaris community, the species, Calluna vulgaris has been added to the woody chamephytes, and thus the woody Chamaephytes achieve a higher cover than in the Juncetum trifidi community. Although in the community Seslerietum tatrae biscutelletosum laevigatae hemicryptophytes dominate, it consists of several plant life forms and its grasses reach greater heights than in previous communities. We found that it is not possible to estimate the resilience of communities to trampling by dominant life forms. Life forms within one community react very similarly, but this statement cannot be generalized globally for all communities. At the same time, we found that if we damage the native community, which subsequently regenerates, the life forms of the community behave differently when damaged repeatedly. More detailed research is needed worldwide, which would point out patterns of behaviour of alpine plant vegetation to trampling

The Influence of Copper on the Microtexture of Fe-Si-Al Alloys for Non-Oriented Electrical Sheets

The effect of copper content in the range of 0,01 - 0,6 wt.% on the microtexture of some Fe-Si-Al non-oriented electrical sheets containing several impurity elements was investigated. The sheets were laboratory-manufactured and industrial samples of non-oriented electrical steels, decarburized and recrystallized, before the final annealing. Using the EBSD (electron backscatter diffraction) the microtexture was determined. It was found that the microtexture of the alloys containing more copper had fewer crystal grains with easy direction of magnetization in the sheet rolling plane. It was concluded that copper has a negative influence on the magnetic properties of soft-magnetic steel sheets

Weak itinerant ferromagnetism in Heusler type Fe2VAl0.95

We report measurements of the magnetic, transport and thermal properties of the Heusler type compound Fe2VAl0.95. We show that while stoichiometric Fe2VAl is a non-magnetic semi-metal a 5% substitution on the Al-site with the 3d elements Fe and V atoms leads to a ferromagnetic ground state with a Curie temperature TC = 33+-3 K and a small ordered moment ms = 0.12 mB/Fe in Fe2VAl0.95. The reduced value of the ratio ms/mp = 0.08, where mp = 1.4 mB/Fe is the effective Curie-Weiss moment, together with the analysis of the magnetization data M(H,T), show magnetism is of itinerant nature. The specific heat shows an unusual temperature variation at low temperatures with an enhanced Sommerfeld coefficient, g = 12 mJK-2mol-1. The resistivity, r(T), is metallic and follows a power law behavior r(T) = r0+AT^n with n = 1.5 below TC. With applying pressure, TC decreases with the rate of (1/TC)(dTC /dP) = -0.061 GPa-1. We conclude substitution on the Al-site with Fe and V atoms results in itinerant ferromagnetism with a low carrier density.Comment: 27 pages, 9 figure

Genetic interactions between a phospholipase A2 and the Rim101 pathway components in S. cerevisiae reveal a role for this pathway in response to changes in membrane composition and shape

Modulating composition and shape of biological membranes is an emerging mode of regulation of cellular processes. We investigated the global effects that such perturbations have on a model eukaryotic cell. Phospholipases A2 (PLA2s), enzymes that cleave one fatty acid molecule from membrane phospholipids, exert their biological activities through affecting both membrane composition and shape. We have conducted a genome-wide analysis of cellular effects of a PLA2 in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model system. We demonstrate functional genetic and biochemical interactions between PLA2 activity and the Rim101 signaling pathway in S. cerevisiae. Our results suggest that the composition and/or the shape of the endosomal membrane affect the Rim101 pathway. We describe a genetically and functionally related network, consisting of components of the Rim101 pathway and the prefoldin, retromer and SWR1 complexes, and predict its functional relation to PLA2 activity in a model eukaryotic cell. This study provides a list of the players involved in the global response to changes in membrane composition and shape in a model eukaryotic cell, and further studies are needed to understand the precise molecular mechanisms connecting them

Happiness in Czechia during the COVID-19 pandemic

The unprecedented growth of prosperity in developed countries, including the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, interrupted by the economic crisis in 2008–2009, came to a halt at the beginning of 2020. This was due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 respiratory disease pandemic, for which no cure was known in June 2020. The response of governments in the form of declaring a state of emergency and closing national and regional borders for several months had serious economic and, above all, psychological consequences. Anxiety, depression, and possibly suicides were expected to increase. In this paper, we focused on the experience of happiness, understood as positive emotion, expressing the highest degree of well-being. The conceptualization of happiness is based on the analysis of six indicators. The aim of the paper was to explore the experience of happiness during the COVID-19 pandemic in Czechia. Two hypotheses were formulated in terms of the expected effects of this pandemic on the experience of happiness. Measuring happiness in one re-gion of the Czechia on a scale of 0–10 using both face-to-face methods and social networks yielded different results from those expected. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Changes of vegetation and soil cover in alpine zone due to anthropogenic and geomorphological processes

The paper presents the results of studies of geomorphological processes in the surroundings of tourist paths with an effect on vegetation and soil conditions in the subalpine and alpine zones of the Tatra Mts. Hiking paths at the local level represent a significant factor for increasing efficiency of sheet wash and concentrated runoff and subsequent intensive deep erosion. They can interrupt continuous surface runoff and operate as the local base of erosion base for a part of the slope over them, with gravitational effect of surface runoff from rainfall and melting snow water, which increases the effect of slope denudation. The base of erosion of the paths increases the potential of gravitational failures and decreases the soil-debris cover stability. In these conditions, the development of slope movements accelerated evidently. Morphologically, hiking path can influence the accumulation of snow layers and creates the conditions for persistent snowfields. Blocking effect of the paths is also reflected in a slowdown and the subsequent accumulation of snow mass by snow creep, snow sliding and snow mass gliding. Hiking paths may be a part of areas with development of aeolian-deflational processes and associated destructions of the soil-debris cover