![Jak przygotować pracę badawczą na Olimpiadę Biologiczną?](/api/image/getissuecoverimage?id=picture_2017_35045.png)
We kindly inform you that, as long as the subject affiliation of our 300.000+ articles is in progress, you might get unsufficient or no results on your third level or second level search. In this case, please broaden your search criteria.
Flood protection for Leningrad On 19 August 1979, the Soviet newspaper "Izvestia" reported on the front page the decision of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR "On the construction of facilities for the protection of the city of Leningrad from flooding". This decision terminates a decision-making process that has been going on for a long time and implements a potentially vital project for the city from the drafting and preparatory phase.
More...
The paper presents the characteristics of the life cycle of the “Yvette” cyclone and the associated rainfall in Europe. The low originated on May 13th over the Gulf of Genoa. The system moved along Vb route over the Hungarian lowlands, then changed its path to the west. The system was visible on the maps for approx 4.5 days. Heavy rain affected areas of Serbia situated south-west of Belgrade. On May 14th the daily totals reached 112 mm in Belgrade and 130 mm in Loznica. In Bosnia and Herzegovina the rainfall was much lower than in Serbia. In Croatia the precipitation maxima were smaller than in Serbia and BiH. In Poland the highest rainfall occurred between 15 and 17 of May. Record amount of precipitation was measured on May 15th in Zakopane (114 mm). If Yvette trajectory had not been shifted from the Vb pathway toward the west the precipitation and flood risk in Poland would have been higher.
More...
Epidemiological studies clearly indicate that both long- and short-term exposure to several environmental air pollutants cause significant increase in the risk of cardiovascular events, the observed strong relation between particulate matter air level and cardiovascular diseases may be explained by indirect or direct influence of these particles on different biological processes involved in disease development. Improvement of air quality standards and lowering of particulate matter exposure can significantly diminish cardiovascular disease risk and improve public health status.
More...
The paper is devoted to the dynamics of the water vole population in the conditions of total deforestation of valley forests and their subsequent restoration. We analyzed the relative population of small mammals in the typical biotopes in the Tom River basin (Western Siberia) on the border of the forest-steppe and taiga zones. From 1978 to 2019, 1,139 water voles Arvicola amphibius (Linnaeus, 1758) (synonym of A. terrestris) were caught with 50-meter trapping grooves; for 788 individuals we assessed the condition of non-metric features (phenes) of the skull. It was found that changes in the population level are non-cyclical, while against the background of a generally low occurrence of the species in the region, the population level increased tenfold in some years. It was shown that such episodic population surges can significantly impact the structure of the community of small mammals. In the valley of the Tom River, the water vole prefers inhabit wet meadows and ecotone areas between the meadow and the dark coniferous taiga forest. During the years of population surges, the water vole intensely occupies new nesting sites due to the dispersal activity of young animals but at the same time retains the original biotopic preferences. Dispersal of the species takes place in waterlogged wetlands. Most of the animals caught during the peak of their numbers were young animals of late broods born from overwintered individuals. The conducted phenetic analysis revealed the heterogeneity of young animals during the population surge, which allowed us to assume the participation of several populations in the formation of the peak. In the final surge year, the surge was characterized by an extremely low percentage of participation in the breeding of young females and the appearance of a large number of weakened animals, which led to crisis in the species population and the disappearance of the water vole from the captures. The research shows that one cannot predict the success of this process at the current stage; therefore, after flooding, it is necessary to continue monitoring.
More...
The problem of criteria for distinguishing colonies from similar socio-demographic structures (mainly in terms of nesting density) is highly relevant and has remained in the focus of attention of ornithologists for a long time. The synchronization of reproduction in a colony is one of the criteria which require special development. Based on particular works (1972–2005), I present synchronization of the reproduction of gulls in colonies of different sizes. In contrast to previous studies, this paper uses a specially developed Index of Synchronization of Bird Breeding (Isr) to study this phenomenon, making it relatively easy to determine its level. The index distinguishes between different species of birds of this group: 75.7% (white-winged black tern) and 97.6% (black-headed gull) of the total variability of synchronization of breeding birds in colonies. Frequent failure of nesting attempts often causes repeated (compensatory) reproduction, which in the case of a mass manifestation significantly reduces the synchronization of the nesting period in colonies and thus significantly reduces this indicator. It is proved that a higher synchronization of reproduction characterizes small colonies (up to 50 nests). In all species of gulls, the beginning of reproduction in different colonies differs in terms of the appearance of the first eggs by 1–10 days and at the beginning of mass egg-laying – by 1–18 days. To the same extent, they differ in the timing of the hatching of eggs. In small colonies, the total egg-laying period is shorter by 34.9–49.7% compared to larger colonies. My observations show that large colonies are formed by the nesting of several small colonies on one plot. This phenomenon is noticeable during periods of mass re-nesting of birds after a high loss of nests (up to 69.5% or more) because of severe flooding. Differences in the breeding periods of colonies that differ in size appear when several small colonies with different breeding periods of birds are combined into one larger colony. This phenomenon is well detected in the formation of several sub-colonies and in the differences in the timing of reproduction of different parts of a large colony.
More...
The helminthofauna of Bombina bombina (Linnaeus, 1761) has been studied to an unequal degree in different parts of the habitat. Thus, it has been studied in more detail in the west of its range (in the countries of central and eastern Europe) and in less detail in the center (in Belarus and Ukraine). There were few data on helminths of this host in the east of its range (in Russia). For the first time, an inventory of the helminthofauna in B. bombina was carried out for populations in the Volga River Basin. The results of our own research are presented and supplemented with information from other authors. We summarized scattered data on helminths from 390 specimens of amphibians collected over more than 40 years in the territory of five regions: Kaluga and Samara regions, the Republics of Mordovia, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan. The helminthofauna includes 21 species from three classes: Trematoda (15), Chromadorea (5) and Clitellata (1). For each species, we give the systematic position, localization, places of detection, geographical distribution and characteristics of the life cycle. The leech Helobdella stagnalis (Linnaeus, 1758) was first recorded in the European fire-bellied toad in Europe. Four species of trematodes are new to this amphibian species in Russia: Haematoloechus abbreviatus (Bychowsky, 1932), Paralepoderma cloacicola (Luhe, 1909), larvae, Tylodelphys excavata (Rudolphi, 1803), larvae and Astiotrema monticelli (Stossich, 1904), larvae. Another species of trematode – Strigea strigis (Schrank, 1788), larvae – was first recorded in this host within the boundaries of the Volga Basin. A specific parasite is the trematode Haematoloechus abbreviatus (Bychowsky, 1932). The number and composition of the species of helminths of the European fire-bellied toad vary in different regions; the structure of the helminth fauna is generally stable and includes three groups of species: adult and larval stages of trematodes, adult nematodes-geohelminths. The results of the study create a database for further population studies and contribute to the development of ideas about the distribution and formation of the amphibian helminth fauna in Europe, Russia and the Volga Basin.
More...
The study examined the possibility of using the phytoindication technique to describe habitat preferences of red deer in a relatively homogeneous area. Two alternative hypotheses were tested. Hypothesis 1 suggests that the relationship between red deer and vegetation is due to a trophic factor, so preferences for individual plant species cause vegetation to influence the distribution of animal numbers. Hypothesis 2 suggests that environmental factors influence vegetation, structuring and determining the productive level of the community as a whole. Therefore, environmental factors, rather than individual plant species, cause vegetation-animal interactions. The research was conducted on Biryuchiy Island Spit, where the Azov-Sivash National Nature Park is located. The geobotanical surveys were performed in three types of ecosystems: sandy steppe (vegetation class Festucetea vaginatae), saline meadows (vegetation class Festuco-Puccinellietea), and artificial forest plantation (vegetation class Robinietea). 250 releves were recorded according to the Brown-Blanquet approach. The number of fecal pellets and the number of groups of pellets of red deer was recorded together with geobotanical surveys in the same sample plots. The pellet groups counted in the field were converted to deer densities in specific vegetation classes taking into account the number of pellet groups on the site and the deca rate of the fecal pellets. The vegetation types were distinguished by the number of deer fecal pellets per unit area. The highest number of fecal pellets was found for the plant class Festucetea vaginatae, somewhat fewer fecal pellets were in the plant class Robinietea, and the lowest number was in the plant class Festuco-Puccinellietea. A geometric distribution model is adequate for explaining the experimental data on the number of fecal pellets. A total of 59 species of flowering plants were found. Based on the species composition and projective cover of species, the ecological regimes of ecotopes were identified by phytoindication. The correspondence analysis of the vegetation revealed two ordination axes. The ordination axis 1 (CA1) was able to explain 11.3% of community inertia, and the ordination axis 2 (CA2) was able to explain 5.2% of community inertia. The maximum excretory activity of animals was recorded for the central part of the ordination space, indicating the presence of an optimum zone in the gradient of environmental factors that structure plant communities. The forward selection procedure allowed the Nutrients Availability variable to be selected as the most important variable to explain variation in the plant community structure. The number of deer fecal pellets exhibited different patterns of response in the Nutrients Availability gradient. The response within the plant class Festucetea vaginatae could best be explained by Model III from the list of HOF-models. The response of the excretory activity of deer within the class Festuco-Puccinellietea could best be fitted by the model IV, which represents a symmetric Gaussian curve. The response of excretory activity in the Robinietea vegetation class was asymmetrical bimodal. The ecological properties of the red deer ecological niche in both the drier and less mineralized part of the range of ecological conditions and the wetter and more mineralized part should be assessed in the context of the prospects for future studies.
More...
Taxonomic spectra, i.e. relations between supraspecific taxa by the number of included species, remain poorly understood in aspect of the mathematical properties. We studied taxonomic spectra of plants (Magnoliophyta, Bryophyta), animals (Coleoptera, Aves), fungi (Agaricomycetes) and terrestrial protists (Myxomycetes), found in the Homilsha Forests National Nature Park (North-East of Ukraine), and concluded that they correspond to the hollow-curve distribution at the level of genera, families and orders. The spectra of most taxa, as shown by the Akaike information criterion, are closely approximated by the log-series distribution model at all taxonomic levels. This type of distribution is typical for the species abundance curves, based on collections made from small areas. At the same time, in the genera–families–orders row the similarity to the lognormal distribution increases. The central values and variability vary considerably between different taxonomic groups and ranks, however, without affecting the type of distribution. The number of orders in all taxa except Bryophyta has reached the saturation and coincides with the curve of the estimated number of orders according to the Chao1 coefficient. For families and especially genera the correspondence with estimated number of species is much lower. Our results do not confirm the assumption that hollow-curve distributions of taxonomic spectra result from the artificial fragmentation of taxa. These distributions neither depend on the insufficient knowledge about the species composition at the locality, nor reflect the size of the studied area. The presence of such distributions in both local and global biota of different groups may be explained by the common features of their evolution, especially by the existence of relict orphan groups. The fact that in Homilsha Forests the kurtosis and skewness of distributions decreases in the genera-families-orders row can therefore be explained by the relatively low percentage of the high-rank orphan taxa in the local biota. This may be a common feature of communities studied at small geographical scale, since orphan taxa often demonstrate a high level of endemism. Comparative studies of local communities from different climate zones may help to understand how universal are the patterns, described herein.
More...
A stable group of birds has been formed at water treatment facilities. Sewage treatment sites are a well-known nesting place for long-legged waders. Black-winged stilts are included in the Bonn (Appendix II) and Berne (Appendix II) conventions, the AEWA agreement. Listed in the Red Book of Ukraine (1994, 2009) (status - vulnerable). In Ukraine, it is under protection on the territory of the natural reserve fund. The arrival of black-winged stilts waders at the nesting sites was recorded in the second-third decade of April (April 23, 2020; April 17, 2021). Immediately after returning to the nesting areas, the birds begin to build nests and lay eggs. The first eggs in this population were seen on 01.05.2020, 07.05.2021. The process of laying eggs lasted until the end of the first decade of July (08.07.2020). The average clutch size in the nests of Himantopus himantopus decreased from 3.8 ± 0.1 (2020) to 3.5 ± 0.1 (2021). The average egg sizes and their limits have been determined for long-legged waders. The chicks hatched from late May (30.05.2020), throughout June to the first decade of July (02.07.2020). The chicks were able to fly in a month - 29.06.2020. The muddy site of the wastewater treatment ponds of Kharkiv supported Black-winged Stilts until early August. Later, the birds started post-breeding movements. The last adults with juvenile birds were observed on 13.08.2020. Stilts in some years may stay until early October. The reproductive success of the black-winged stilt increased from 35.6% (2020) to 38.8% (2021). On average, 1.3 ± 0.2 (2020) and 1.4 ± 0.3 (2021) chicks fledged from the nests. In 2021, the number of nesting stilts increased, which is apparently due to rainy weather at the beginning of the reproductive period. For the purpose of more effective protection, the nesting settlements of the stilt should be protected and the appearance of people in the nesting places should be prohibited.
More...
Good water quality is important for the human health, energy and development. However, it is not available to millions of people throughout the world. In the Casamance region, the climatic situation has been characterised for the last thirty years by a drop in rainfall, combined with a demographic explosion which has led to an intensive exploitation of available water resources. Ziguinchor, the main city of Casamance, although located in a humid region rich in rainwater, does not guarantee continuous access to drinking water for all its inhabitants, especially those living in the outlying districts. The aim of this article is to show that the difficulties of access to drinking water in the outskirts of Ziguinchor are closely related to the inadequacy of the infrastructure for water supply. The methodology adopted revolves around three main axes: documentary research, data collection and data processing. The results of this study reveal that the water production capacity in Ziguinchor, of 9,500 m3 per day (i.e. 400 m3/h), in fact presents a production deficit in relation to demand from population estimated at 583,528 inhabitants, mainly noted in the peripheral zone such as Néma 2. The causes of this mismatch between supply and demand are due to inadequate infrastructure, but also to the pollution and salinity of water resources, in addition to poor governance of the supply sector. Faced with this situation, there is an imperative to mobilise water resources in the commune in a properly rational manner and to ensure more sustainable management.
More...
Taking into consideration resources of anthropogenic motive-related potential, the urban municipality of Lazarevac has favorable predispositions for the development of tourism economy. There is a significant cultural heritage in this area with distinct attributes of tourist attractions that are beneficial for the development of tourist activities. For this to be scientifically proven, artistic, environmental, and event tourist values that are significant for the enlargement and raising the appeal of offers made to tourists were highlighted, followed by conducting tourist valorization using Hilary du Cros method (artistic and environmental values) and its modified version for events by author Tomic et al. According to the tourist valorization of anthropogenic values of the municipality of Lazarevac, it can be seen that event tourist values have the highest tourist value (cell M (1.3) in market appeal/robustness). They are followed by environmental tourist values (also cell M (1.3)), while in last place there are artistic tourist values (cell M (2.2)), which include sacred architecture, archaeological sites, characteristic examples of architecture and monuments. Inbound bases of the municipality, but also a lack of cooperation with the relevant institutions at the promotion of tourist potential, impose themselves to be the main cause of the insufficient use of potential and the current state.
More...
This research is focused on the evaluation of lithological units of the Kazaure area, north western Nigeria. The geological mapping was carried out using topographical sheet on a scale of 1:50,000. The methodology adopted for the study involved Field studies and petrographic analysis, which included close observation of outcrops and their exposures, their mineralogy and structures as well as recording of their geographical locations and strike/dips of foliations. The analysis revealed that, the area is underlain by three (3) major rock units: muscovite schist, porphyritic granite and sandstone (Chad Formation) with quartzite occurring as a minor lithology. The trend of lineaments shows a predominating NE-SW direction in the rocks. The cations and anions analyzed revealed that they are within the range of acceptable standard, except the higher concentration of and which might have formed from acidic water of the area. The dominant water facies in the study area is -. These facies might have taken their sources from rock-water interaction of silicate minerals (Plagioclase feldspar). Wilcox plot of salinity hazard of the water samples indicated that, the water of the area is good for irrigation. It can be classified, the value of electrical conductivity of 0 – 250 excellent, 250 – 750 good, 750 – 2250 doubtful and > 2250 μS/cm unsuitable. It is strongly recommended that the stake holders and governments at all levels enforce further studies of adjacent sheets for sustainable groundwater exploration and exploitation for better human and other domestic use.
More...
The aim of this research is the analysis of the length-weight relationships and the condition factor of chub (Squalius cephalus L.) from certain rivers in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina that belong to the Black Sea basin. The research was conducted on 200 specimens of chub (Squalius cephalus L.) during 2019. The estimated values of the total body length ranged from 10.06 cm to 29.33 cm, with the mean body length of 15.97 cm in the total sample. The fish weight ranged from 8.0 g to 264.5 g, with the mean value of 46.8 g. The length-weight relationships of chub were determined in relation to their age classes. The fish in age classes 1+, 4+ and 5+ indicate a positive allometric growth (b > 3), while the fish in age classes 2+ and 3+ have a negative allometric growth (b < 3). The analysis of the coefficient of determination, R2, shows that the fish in age classes 1+ i 4+ have the highest values of this coefficient (> 0,9). ANOVA analysis of the condition factor of chub based on age classes indicates that there are no statistically significant differences in the distribution of this factor between the fish of the same age classes from different localities (P < 0.05).
More...
The process of analyzing and proposing insertions in the Calea Moșilor protected area draws attention to the role that the urban block has or can have in urban development: is it a passive element or an active tool? Commenting on two projects carried out in the fourth year of studies under the framework theme “Conversion: expansion, rehabilitation, sustainable construction”, we will refer to the identity of this morphological element in terms of understanding the city as a body. To this purpose, the course of analysis will be considered as a study of process-based typology (the concept of Caniggia and Maffei) and the course of design as being oriented towards the integral object, rather than towards an integrated object (Ellin's concept of integral urbanism). These observations, which emphasize the importance of stages, reveal the need to define the term used for the urban block as a morpheme and not just as a constituent element, thus reaffirming its active role and creative potential in urban development.
More...
The systematic development of biosphere reserves belongs to the challenges of Agenda 2030 and is crucial to eliminate the consequences of climate changes and support the sustainability and resilience of territory. The aim of the paper is to define the fundamentals of the biosphere reserves in the Slovak Republic and to characterize the problem areas of their operating. Based on the theoretical definition of biosphere reserves the paper discusses the main challenges and obstacles in management of four biosphere reserves in Slovak Republic – the Slovak Karst, Poľana, Eastern Carpathians a Tatras. The information and data were collected by the interviews with the representatives of biosphere reserves and the Head of Slovak Committee for MAB.
More...
This study presents the results of dosimetry radiation measurement performed in the Antarctic region at the surface of the sea which was conducted between January and March 2018. Over 2 200 records were collected using a portable Gamma Scout Online radiometer during a 72-day voyage circumnavigating the continent of Antarctica. The mean average of the measured radiation dose rate was 0.091 μSvh-1 and varied from 0.052 to 0.193 μSvh-1. These result are above global average dose rate of radiation at sea level (0.031 μSvh-1) and often higher than those recorded on the Antarctic continent. Yet generally our records fall within well recognized latitudinal trend of radiation being higher toward poles. This is results of troposphere begins at lower altitude in Antarctic in comparison to lower latitudes. The origin of this radiation is natural and results from the presence of higher cosmic rays and secondary radiation induced in the atmosphere. The presence of terrestrial radionuclides in the Antarctic environment has a local, secondary influence on the measured values of radiation. The theoretical calculated annual dose equivalent for humans present in Antarctica could often exceed the limit of 1 mSv as recorded for other Antarctic locations yet our results (0.772 mSv per year) do not confirm that.
More...
The purpose of our work is to highlight the warm character of winter 2019-2020, from the perspective of the spatial area of the Bâc river basin. The data regarding the temperature for the winter months (2019- 2020) were extracted from the official website of the State Hydrometeorological Service. In order to determine the thermal characteristics, the daily temperatures of December (2019), January and February (2020) were analyzed from the four basin weather stations. The average air temperature for the winter season 2019-2020 constituted in the basin +1.6 - +3.3°С, being 4.3 - 5.4°С higher than the multiannual average and is reported for the first time during the entire observation period. According to the data of the Chişinău weather station (125 years observation period), the average air temperature for the winter 2019-2020 was +3.1°С (5.2°С higher than the norm) and placed on the 1st place in the range of years with high average temperatures for the respective season. In December 2019, the maximum air temperature rose in the basin to +18°С (December 18, Codrii Meteorological Station, Strășeni district), which in this decade is reported on average every 30 years. Very hot weather was reported in January and February (2020). Analogous winter after the thermal regime was 2006-07.
More...
This paper investigated the effect of water features on thermal comfort in a central open space of a residential project in a hot-arid climate. A crowded urbanized area in Baghdad was chosen as a case study a city. The methodology relied on a simulation method using ENVI-met 4.4.5 software to create a model of a residential project and obtain the levels of the predicted mean vote as well as four parameters associated with it. These parameters included, air temperature, mean radiant temperature, horizontal wind speed, and relative humidity. For the purpose of comparative analysis, four types of surfaces were modelled, a surface with a water feature, a vegetated surface, a concrete surface, and a combination of green and blue surfaces. The simulation results showed that a water feature can significantly decrease the levels of the predicted mean vote (PMV) index. It was even more effective than a vegetated surface in increasing thermal comfort levels in the microclimate of a residential project in a hot-arid climate.
More...
Street (urban) art is an art form that consists of graffiti, murals, mosaics in urban space. As the process of globalization increasingly affects the form of the city, urban identities have become less noticeable. At the same time, different social forces are trying to create an urban space. In the formation of urban identity, the appearance of the city plays a key role in creating specific spaces inscribed in material artifacts. One of these practices of creating, defending and expanding the free space of social everyday life are works of street art. As a symbolic and moral challenge to the dominant role of the city government, works of street art can be an indicator of changing urban space, as they represent a conflict over the use of public space. Placing art in a public urban space can serve as a means of separating the physical and social characteristics of a place. Street art participates in creating the uniqueness of the location and thus the identity of the city.
More...