Root lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus spp.) in soybean

Soju parazitira više od 100 vrsta nematoda, a ekonomski značajna oštećenja u svijetu bilježe se u svakoj vegetacijskoj godini. Nematode smeđe pjegavosti korijena (Pratylenchus spp.) migratorni su endoparaziti korijena, a visoka populacija tog štetnika ima potencijal uzrokovati značajna oštećenja u prinosu. Cilj je ovog istraživanja odrediti vrste, dinamiku populacije i reprodukcijski indeks (RI) nematoda roda Pratylenchus u soji. Istraživanja su provedena na sedam sorti soje, od 2005. do 2007. godine, na području Osijeka. Brojnost nematoda povećavala se tijekom vegetacije. Obzirom na to da je vrijednost RI indeksa bila pozitivna, sve sorte soje dobri su domaćini jer podržavaju razvoj populacije nematoda roda Pratylenchus. U uzorcima tla utvrđene su dvije vrste nematoda smeđe pjegavosti korijena P. thornei i P. scribneri. Rezultati ukazuju na potrebu kontinuiranog praćenja pojave nematoda roda Pratylenchus u soji.More than 100 species of nematodes are parasites of soybeans. Economically significant damages are encountered in each vegetation period worldwide. Root lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus spp.) are migratory endoparasites. High population of this pest can significantly reduce soybean yields. The aim of this study is to determine the species, population dynamics and reproductive index (RI) of root lesion nematodes in soybean. The study was carried out in Osijek area, from 2005 to 2007, on seven soybean cultivars. Population of root lesion nematodes was increasing during the vegetation. Since RI was positive, all cultivars proved to be good hosts. Two root lesion nematodes were determined: P. thornei and P. scribneri. The results indicate the need for continuous monitoring of root lesion nematodes in soybean

The role of general public and key interest groups attitudes in management and conservation of large carnivore populations

Varstvo velikih zveri je vpeto v širše socioekonomske, čustvene in politične kontekste. Vračanje teh vrst na območja, iz katerih so v preteklosti izginile prinaša s sabo precejšnje družbene izzive, saj temeljni konflikti, ki so v preteklosti povzročili preganjanje, niso izginili. Kot alternativo pristopom upravljanja »od zgoraj navzdol« predlagamo uporabo sodelujočih pristopov, ki pomagajo graditi zaupanje in vzpostaviti trajnostno sobivanje z velikimi zvermi. Ti pristopi so tudi inherentno bolj demokratični. Rezultati javnomnenjskih raziskav lahko pri teh pristopih predstavljajo glas »tihe večine« in upravljavcem omogočijo učinkovitejše oblikovanje rešitev. Na Hrvaškem smo pri volku v letih 1999 in 2003 dokumentirali premik stališč iz ekstremnih (pozitivnih in negativnih) proti bolj nevtralnim. Negativna stališča, ki so se razvila zlasti pri starejših kohortah ob popolni zaščiti volka proti koncu devetdesetih let prejšnjega stoletja so se do druge raziskave nekoliko umirila kljub naraščanju populacije volka. Pri rjavem medvedu smo v letih 2002 in 2008 in dokumentirali stališča javnosti in nekaterih pomembnejših interesnih skupin. Orientacije vrednot in naklonjenost ohranjanju vrste se nista spremenili, se pa je zmanjšala kapaciteta za sprejemanje rjavega medveda, verjetno zaradi rasti populacije in bolj centraliziranega upravljanja. V Albaniji in Severni Makedoniji smo raziskali odnos javnosti do vseh treh velikih zveri. Podpora varstvu volka je v obeh državah znatno nižja kot podpora varstvu rjavega medveda in evrazijskega risa. To kaže, da je potrebno vrste pri varstvu in upravljanju obravnavati ločeno, saj bi lahko skupni ukrepi za vse tri vrste povzročili, da bi se negativen odnos do volka »prelil« tudi na drugi dve vrsti.Conservation of large carnivores is entwined into wider socioeconomic, emotional and political contexts. Return of these species to the areas from which they disappeared in the past also brings considerable social challenges since the fundamental conflicts that caused persecution in the past never went away. As an alternative to top-down management, we are suggesting the use of collaborative approaches that help build trust and establish sustainable coexistence with large carnivores and are also inherently more democratic. For these approaches, results of public attitudes surveys can provide the voice of the “silent majority” and help the managers in more efficient forming of solutions. In Croatia, for wolf we documented a shift in attitudes between 1999 and 2003 from extremes (positive and negative) towards more neutral. Negative attitudes, which developed particularly in older cohorts primarily because of a top-down total protection of the wolf at the end of the 1990s, started to wind down by the second survey despite the wolf population increase. Fort the brown bear we documented the attitudes of the general public and key interest groups in 2002 and 2008. While value orientations and support for species conservation remained the same, there was a decrease in brown bear acceptance capacity, probably because of a population increase and more centralized management. In Albania and Northern Macedonia, we explored public attitudes towards all three large carnivores. Support for wolf conservation is in both countries much lower than support for conservation of brown bear and Eurasian lynx. This indicates that the species need to be treated separately in conservation and management since common measures for all three species could cause the negative attitudes towards wolves to transfer also to the other two species

Factors affecting zoo visitors’ conservation beliefs and knowledge of large carnivores in 2009 and a dozen years later

Teaching in a formal learning environment mainly focuses on gaining knowledge, and scarcely on the development of pro-environmental attitudes. Knowledge can also be gained in informal learning institutions, such as zoos, and their potential use in general public education should not be neglected. This paper explores factors influencing the conservation beliefs of zoo visitors about brown bears, grey wolves, and Eurasian lynx. The study undertaken in Zoo Ljubljana (Slovenia) consisted of surveys performed in 2009 (n = 613) and in 2021 (n = 257). The levels of knowledge and education influenced both supporting and opposing beliefs about the three large carnivore species. The gender factor was less uniform: both supporting and opposing beliefs about lynx were demonstrated, but only opposing beliefs about brown bear and wolf. The study indicates that knowledge has the most significant influence on conservation beliefs, thus highlighting the importance of educational and communication activities in management and conservation actions regarding large carnivore species. The varied gender influence suggests that species-specific educational activities should be encouraged

Recovery of large carnivores in Europe\u27s modern human-dominated landscapes

The conservation of large carnivores represents a formidable challenge for biodiversity conservation. Using a dataset on the past and current status of brown bears (Ursus arctos), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), grey wolves (Canis lupus), and wolverines (Gulo gulo) in European countries, we show that roughly one-third of mainland Europe hosts at least one large carnivore species, with stable or increasing abundance in most cases in 21st-century records. The reasons for this overall conservation success include protective legislations, supportive public opinion as well as a variety of practices making coexistence between large carnivores and people possible. The European situation reveals that large carnivores and people can successfully share the same landscape