Sparta und Olympia im Nationalsozialismus

Sparta und Olympia waren zwei „Topoi“ des nationalsozialistischen Griechenlandbildes, die nicht nur ideologisch resp. politisch instrumentalisiert, sondern vom NS-Staat auch ganz real als Grabungsstätten usurpiert wurden. Sparta als Archetypus eines völkisch-totalitären Rassenstaates konnte einerseits das vermeintliche Entwicklungsgesetz der Geschichte als Abfolge von „Artentfaltung“ und „Entartung“ verifizieren, andererseits als Leitbild eines artgerechten Staatswesens und damit als politisches Vorbild für einen nationalsozialistischen Staat dienen. Vor Ort wurden nach der Besetzung Griechenlands 1941 die SS-Forschungs- und Lehrgemeinschaft Das Ahnenerbe und das Amt Rosenberg archäologisch tätig. Olympia wurde ideologisch-politisch erst aus Anlass der XI. Olympischen Spiele 1936 entdeckt; die olympische Idee wurde zur Demonstration eigener Friedfertigkeit missbraucht und die Spiele gelangten als völkisches Fest der Wehrertüchtigung in das nationalsozialistische Geschichtsbild. Der politische An-spruch wurde in der 1937 mit Mitteln aus Hitlers persönlichen Verfügungsmitteln wieder aufgenommenen „Führergrabung“ vor Ort manifest

CityScapeLab Berlin: A Research Platform for Untangling Urbanization Effects on Biodiversity

Urban biodiversity conservation requires an understanding of how urbanization modulates biodiversity patterns and the associated ecosystem services. While important advances have been made in the conceptual development of urban biodiversity research over the last decades, challenges remain in understanding the interactions between different groups of taxa and the spatiotemporal complexity of urbanization processes. The CityScapeLab Berlin is a novel experimental research platform that allows the testing of theories on how urbanization affects biodiversity patterns and biotic interactions in general and the responses of species of conservation interest in particular. We chose dry grassland patches as the backbone of the research platform because dry grasslands are common in many urban regions, extend over a wide urbanization gradient, and usually harbor diverse and self-assembled communities. Focusing on a standardized type of model ecosystem allowed the urbanization effects on biodiversity to be unraveled from effects that would otherwise be masked by habitat- and land-use effects. The CityScapeLab combines different types of spatiotemporal data on (i) various groups of taxa from different trophic levels, (ii) environmental parameters on different spatial scales, and (iii) on land-use history. This allows for the unraveling of the effects of current and historical urban conditions on urban biodiversity patterns and the related ecological functions.BMBF, 01LC1501, BIBS-Verbund: Bridging in Biodiversity Science (BIBS

Emerging Urban Forests: Opportunities for Promoting the Wild Side of the Urban Green Infrastructure

Many cities aim to increase urban forest cover to benefit residents through the provision of ecosystem services and to promote biodiversity. As a complement to traditional forest plantings, we address opportunities associated with “emerging urban forests” (i.e., spontaneously developing forests in cities) for urban biodiversity conservation. We quantified the area of successional forests and analyzed the species richness of native and alien plants and of invertebrates (carabid beetles, spiders) in emerging forests dominated by alien or native trees, including Robinia pseudoacacia, Acer platanoides, and Betula pendula. Emerging urban forests were revealed as shared habitats of native and alien species. Native species richness was not profoundly affected by the alien (co-)dominance of the canopy. Instead, native and alien plant species richnesses were positively related. Numbers of endangered plants and invertebrates did not differ between native- and alien-dominated forest patches. Patterns of tree regeneration indicate different successional trajectories for novel forest types. We conclude that these forests (i) provide habitats for native and alien species, including some endangered species, (ii) allow city dwellers to experience wild urban nature, and (iii) support arguments for adapting forests to dynamic urban environments. Integrating emerging urban forests into the urban green infrastructure is a promising pathway to sustainable cities and can complement traditional restoration or greening approaches.BMBF, 01LC1501, Bridging in Biodiversity Science (BIBS

The Wondrous Bird\u27s Nest I

Translated and annotated by Robert L. Hiller and John C. Osbornehttps://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_newfound-ebooks/1011/thumbnail.jp

Die archaische Kultur der Insel Thera : Vortrag gehalten am 30. September 1897 auf der 44. Versammlung deutscher Philologen und Schulmänner zu Dresden.

Mode of access: Internet

Phenology of grassland plants responds to urbanization

Understanding phenological responses of plants to changing temperatures is important because of multiple associated ecological consequences. Cities with their urban heat island can be used as laboratories to study phenological adaptation to climate change. However, previous phenology studies focused on trees and did not disentangle the role of micro-climate and urban structures. We studied reproductive phenology of dry grassland species in response to micro-climate and urbanization in Berlin, Germany. Phenological stages were recorded weekly at the individual plant level for five native grassland species across 30 dry grassland sites along an urbanization and temperature gradient. We estimated 50% onset probabilities for flowering and seed maturation of populations, and analysed variation in onset dates using regression models. Early flowering species significantly advanced flowering phenology with increasing mean air temperature but were little influenced by urbanization. By contrast, late-flowering species showed significant phenological responses to both air temperature and urbanization, possibly because micro-climate was most affected by urbanization in late summer. Surprisingly, not all grassland species showed an advanced phenology with increasing intensity of urbanization. This contradicts observed patterns for urban trees, indicating that phenological shifts in urban areas cannot be generalized from the observation of one growth form or taxonomic group. Growth form appears as a possible determinant of phenological responses. Results suggest that the phenology of dry grassland species may directly respond to the urban heat island, albeit with variable direction and magnitude. This has implications for ecosystem services, shifted allergy seasons, changes of biogeochemical cycles and potential ecological mismatches