24 research outputs found
The European union’s 2010 target: Putting rare species in focus
P. 167-185The European Union has adopted the ambitious target of halting the loss of biodiversity by
2010. Several indicators have been proposed to assess progress towards the 2010 target, two
of them addressing directly the issue of species decline. In Europe, the Fauna Europaea
database gives an insight into the patterns of distribution of a total dataset of 130,000 terrestrial
and freshwater species without taxonomic bias, and provide a unique opportunity
to assess the feasibility of the 2010 target. It shows that the vast majority of European species
are rare, in the sense that they have a restricted range. Considering this, the paper discusses
whether the 2010 target indicators really cover the species most at risk of extinction.
The analysis of a list of 62 globally extinct European taxa shows that most contemporary
extinctions have affected narrow-range taxa or taxa with strict ecological requirements.
Indeed, most European species listed as threatened in the IUCN Red List are narrow-range
species. Conversely, there are as many wide-range species as narrow-range endemics in
the list of protected species in Europe (Bird and Habitat Directives). The subset of
biodiversity captured by the 2010 target indicators should be representative of the whole
biodiversity in terms of patterns of distribution and abundance. Indicators should not overlook
a core characteristic of biodiversity, i.e. the large number of narrow-range species and
their intrinsic vulnerability. With ill-selected indicator species, the extinction of narrowrange
endemics would go unnoticedS
Regulation of food intake in the goat: circulating metabolites and hormones in relation to eating
This thesis deals with the question whether blood constituents may act as a satiety signal in the control of food intake in a free-feeding ruminant species, viz. the goat. The emphasis is on the role of volatile fatty acids (VFA), since these agents are major energy sources in the ruminant. ...
Zie: Summary
Characterization of quinolone resistance mechanisms in Enterobacteriaceae isolated from companion animals in Europe (ComPath II study)
International audienc