Monitoring System of tourist traffic(MSTT) for tourists monitoring in mid-mountain national park,SW Poland

National parks are highly valuable natural areas and have the potential to attract a large number of visitors.The number of visitors at national parks is systematically increasing,often exceeding Tourism Carrying Capacity(TCC) of trails.This situation requires adjusting the number of park visitors to adapt to sustainable management systems of visitor flow,thus preventing or counteracting overtourism.The aim of the study is to propose a comprehensive method for tourists monitoring in mid-mountain national park presented on the example of the Sto?owe Mountains National Park(SMNP) in Poland,called as Monitoring System of tourist traffic(MSTT).The study describes six stages procedure of tourists Monitoring System creation and application as an optimal measurement technique.The MSTT enabled a multidimensional analysis of tourist traffic in SMNP.With the help of 39 pyroelectric sensors and surveys data spatio-temporal characteristic of visitor flow was obtained.The data generated in MSTT included hourly,daily,weekly,monthly,and annual reports,taking into account the direction of traffic measuring both directions:entries(IN),exits(OUT) and passages(IN+OUT).The results from pyroelectric sensors were supplemented with field surveys,where visitor's motivations,preferences,and behaviours were determined.In 2017 a total of 871,344 visitors were recorded in SMNP what causes one of the most popular national parks in Poland.The SMNP is a suitable destination for short breaks leisure visits in wilderness.In order to sustain MSTT methodology in the long-run the set of guidelines together with the workload estimates were presented.In the future,the MSTT can be further developed,including monitoring of climbing,cycling,cross-country skiing,car traffic and illegal tourism assessment.The MSTT can be considered as a useful tool for tourism management in mid-mountain national parks throughout the entire calendar year.     

Granitic inselbergs of Lara(Panafrican Chain,Far-North Cameroon): Assets for the implementation of geotourism in Mountainous region

The locality of Lara(Far-North Region,Cameroon) is made up of a pediplain strewn with coalescent plutons. The interaction of internal and external geological processes has contributed to transform the latter into inselbergs, whose geotouristic values are yet to be studied. Field and laboratory work enabled us to select the geomorphosites through their aesthetic value(particular size and shape) and, geomorphological and geological features. Moreover, it permitted to study and map the geomorphosit...     

Airborne Fungal Spores of Subalpine Zone of the Karkonosze and Izerskie Mountains （Poland）

The incidence of the airborne fungal spores was determined in the air of subalpine zone of the Karkonosze Mountains and of the Izerskie Mountains in the borderland between Poland and the Czech Republic. The experiment was conducted in 2011 and 2012 at three to four week intervals from May to October. Air samples were taken from three locations in the Karkonosze Mts. and one from the Izerskie Mts. To examine the air, the Air Ideal 3P sampler and acidified PDA medium were used. The results show that Cladosporium cladosporioides was the most abundant spore type in all the sampling locations （up to 30%）, followed by Alternaria alternata （16%-20%）, Fusarium （up to 10%） and Sclerotinia sclerotiorium （up to 6%）. The lower spore counts were recorded in May samples, compared to the other months. In this case the snow cover, that was still present in the area at the beginning of May, may be the reason for the lower, compared to June, July and August samplings, CFU （Colony Forming Unit） counts in that month.. The influx of air masses from SE, S and SW sectors in the area under study may affect dissemination of the plant-pathogenic fungi from the Czech Republic and from the South of Europe in general.     

The mycobiota of discoloured needles of the Swiss stone pine(Pinus cembra L.) in the Tatra Mountains(Poland)

The Swiss stone Pine(Pinus cembra L.) is an alpine species, fairly commonly occurring in the Alps and the Carpathians, close to the timberline. Natural sites of the Swiss stone pine in Poland are found exclusively in the Tatra Mountains, within the area of the Tatra National Park(TNP). In 2017, the health status of the needles of P. cembra was determined and their mycological analysis was carried out. As a result, 11 species of fungi were isolated from the needles showing disease symptoms, manifested by various shades of discoloration. The most frequently observed species was Fusarium oxysporum. It probably does not bring on disease symptoms, but may affect the development of other frequently isolated species(such as Sydowia polyspora, Lophodermium sp. and Lophodermium conigenum) that are pathogenic to Pinus spp.     

Topographic seismic effects and avalanche hazard:A case study of Mount Siella(L'Aquila,Central Italy)

In mountainous areas, snow avalanches could be triggered by the shaking produced by earthquakes. The forces induced by the earthquake can cause an irregular increase of shear strength load down the slope, for the presence of complex surface and buried morphologies. Topographic irregularities generate maximum effects of waves amplification linked to wavelengths comparable to the horizontal dimension of the topographic feature. For this reason, the selected time-histories represent an appropriate ...     

Biogeography and Evolutionary Factors Determine Genetic Differentiation of Pinus mugo(Turra) in the Tatra Mountains(Central Europe)

Inter Simple Sequence Repeats(ISSR) markers were used to assess genetic diversity within and among populations of dwarf mountain pine(Pinus mugo Turra) growing in the Tatra National Park(UNESCO Biosphere Reserve) in Southern Poland(Central Europe). The analyzed population belongs to two different geobotanical sub-districts: the Western and High Tatras. The level of genetic diversity assessed in this study for P. mugo is generally comparable to that reported for the other pine species in the Pinaceae family assessed by ISSR markers, especially with respect to Nei’s genetic diversity and the percentage of polymorphic bands. Bayesian analysis clustered the analyzed populations into two groups, corresponding to their geobotanical locations in the Tatras. Significant divergence between the two genetical clusters was supported by the results of Analysis of Molecular Variance(AMOVA). According to the Mantel test, there was no correlation between the genetic distance and the geographical distance. The present study confirms the existence of two genetically distinct clusters of P. mugo populations in the Tatra Mountains. The observed high population-genetic differentiation of P.mugo in the Tatras could be attributed to several genetic, environmental and historical factors occurring in this mountain area.     

The Relationship Between Fat Content and Biological Parameters of Bigeye Tuna(Thunnus obseus) in the Western Central Indian Ocean

Comparing fat content with physiological status can throw light on the reproduction and feeding behavior of the fish. The biological data of 586 bigeye tuna were collected from the longline fishery in the waters of Western Central Indian Ocean from November, 2012 to March, 2013. The spatial or temporal distribution of the fat content, and the relationships of fat content with gender, round weight, gonadal maturity and fork length were analyzed. A generalized additive model(GAM) was used to analyze the relationships between fat content and fork length(FL), gonadosomatic index(GSI), condition factor(K), and somatic index(SI). Results showed that: 1) the fat content of bigeye tuna was in the range of 3.1%–27.1% with the average 12.8%; 2) there were no significant geographical differences of average fat content(P 0.05) among 1? squares in general; 3) there were no significant differences(P 0.05) of the fat content for different genders, months, or gonad maturity stages; 4) there was an extremely significant correlation(P = 0.000) between fat content and FL and GSI. There was no significant correlation(P = 0.051) between fat content and K. There was a significant correlation(P = 0.003) between fat content and SI. The results of this study suggest that the fat content of the matured fish was relatively stable. The survey area was in a spawning region, and the survey period was the spawning season for bigeye tuna.     

Impact of forcing data and land surface properties on snow simulation in a regional climate model:a case study over the Tianshan Mountains,Central Asia

Snow is a key variable that influences hydrological and climatic cycles.Land surface models employing snow physics-modules can simulate the snow accumulation an...     

Effect of weather conditions on the incidence of Lophodermium yellow needle blight in the dwarf mountain pine in the Karkonosze and Izerskie Mountains (Poland)

The study aimed to determine, by using a statistical model, the effect of weather conditions on the incidence of Lophodermium yellow needle blight causing by new species for science- Lophodermium corconticum, in the mountain dwarf pine growing in the subalpine Karkonosze Mountains and the Izerskie Mountains(Poland). Needles showed symptoms of yellow spots, gradual discolouration and premature fall in July. The assessment of healthiness of infected mountain dwarf pine needles spanned three years(2011- 2013) and was conducted in several test sites in the Karkonosze and Izerskie Mountains. The results were analyzed by taking into account the meteorological conditions. Field observations seem to indicate that the highest infestation of mountain dwarf pine occurs in June and July, while September and October see a significantly lower disease index in the Karkonosze Mountains. The lower indices of the infestation of mountain dwarf pine are characteristic for the vegetation in the Hala Izerska high mountain pasture; whereas the environmental conditions prevailing in the Kocio? Ma?ego Stawu cirque and above the Samotnia hostel are conducive to the development of Lophodermium yellow needle blight.     

Source of and potential bio-indicator for the heavy metal pollution in Ny-(A)lesund, Arctic

Three kinds of tundra plant samples including Dicranum angnstum(a type of boreal bryophyte) , PuccineUia phryganodes (a type of fringy p/ant),Salix polaris (a type of vascular plant) and surface soil were samples in 200 at Ny-Alesund of the Arctic.The levels of eight heavy metal elements (Hg, Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, Ni, Fe and Mn) and three metal-like dements (As, Se, Sr) in the plant and soil samples of the areas within previous coal mining activities are significantly higher than those of other areas.The relative accumulation of these elements in these tundra plant samples is consistent with the one in the soft samples, especially in the areas affected by previous coal-mining activities.Thus, the pollution is apparently from local coal mining activity.Dicranum angustum has the highest concentrations among those elements, and it can be a good bio-indicator for heavy metal pollution in Ny(A)lesund.Though Ny(A)lesund is less polluted by heavy metal than nearby Northern European human living areas, but much more than the tundras of the Alaska, Greenland and the Antarctic.     

Influence of human pressure on forest resources and productivity at stand and tree scales: The case study of Yunnan pine in SW China

This paper examines human impact on stands and individual trees of Pinus yunnanensis growing near the small mountain villages of Pianshui and Yangjuan in southwestern Sichuan Province,China.In an effort to assess whether use of these forests was sustainable,we examined the effects of human use in two ways.First,we directly measured the effect of cutting branches,for fuel and fodder,on tree growth.We hypothesized that branch cutting would negatively impact tree growth.We established 12 plots on four hills and compared 14 pairs of trees,one tree in each pair with an apparently full crown and the other with a considerable portion of the crown removed.Second,we assessed stand and tree properties over a 500 m elevation gradient above the villages where we hypothesized that as elevation increases,stand and tree properties should show fewer human impacts.Although extensive branch cutting reduced the live crown,tree height and diameter,compensatory processes likely enabled trees to recover and to add basal area increments(BAIs) similar to those added by trees with full crowns.Trees and stands close to villages showed less growth and lower basal areas,respectively,than stands and trees at intermediate or distant elevations from villages.Areas relatively close to the villages showed considerable effects of human-related disturbances such as branch cutting,grazing,tree and shrub removal,losses of litter,and human and animal trails.Such areas had increased soil erosion and often loss of the ‘A’ horizon.Stands close to villages had younger trees,lower stand basal areas,smaller basal area increments,and more stumps.Our results suggest an increasingly vulnerable interface between occupants of these two villages and their surrounding forests.     

Paradigm and ecological implication of changing agricultural land-use: A case study from Govind Wildlife Sanctuary, Central Himalaya, India

The paper scrutinizes that the changes in any sub-system(i.e.agriculture,livestock and forest) have direct impact on biophysical and social processes in village ecosystem of the central Himalayan region.In view of this,we studied the changes in spatial patterns of agricultural land use and dependency of agroecosystem on forest and animal husbandry over a period of two decades.Based on data analysis it was found that the cultivation of some traditional crops has either been abandoned in the area or declined by 25%-85% due to introduction of cash crops viz.,potato,kidney bean and apple farming with acreage increased up to 51%-72% in the last three decades.Livestock population of different categories has declined drastically by 17%-75%,and has resulted shortage of farmyard manure,deterioration of soil quality and fertility which leads to un-sustainability of agriculture system.The changes in agrobiodiversity have led to the dramatic increase in soil loss and runoff from the croplands together with the increase pressure on forests.The economic evaluation of each crop showed higher monetary benefit from cash crops as compared to traditional crops.Among all the evaluated crops,the monetary output/input ratio was found highest(3.04) for kidney bean and lowest(1.26) for paddy.Changes in land use and management have improved household income but at the cost of forest degradation,less productive animal husbandry and loss of agrodiversity in the region.Therefore,there is an urgent need to bring desirable changes in agricultural policy,research,land use and efficient management of the resources for maintaining sustainability in agro and Himalayan forest ecosystem.     

Birds in rocky habitats of the Tatra Mountains (Carpathians): species diversity and multiple ecological relationships

Rocky habitats are regarded as biodiversity hot-spots.Along with high species diversity,diverse ecological relationships can be observed in these habitats.Large groups of bird species use rocks in various ways:as perching/roosting sites,breeding or foraging habitats,information exchange sites,display arenas or as sources of minerals and water.Because of the inaccessibility of these environments,their role and importance to animals has been underestimated.We evaluated the use of rocky habitats by birds in the Tatra Mountains(49°13'N,19°57'E,Carpathians,central Europe).Rocky habitats were used by 29 bird species,eight of which used cliffs directly(i.e.for nesting,foraging or resting).The number of species recorded as using cliffs was correlated with the surface area of the cliff face.A total of 20 forms of rocky habitat use were recorded,in five behavioural categories:vocalization,foraging,perching,flight and nesting.Prevailing behaviours were flying by a rock face,circling above the face,and vocalization on a tree/shrub growing next to a rock.Rocks provide a nesting habitat for specialized petrophilic species and permit the existence of numerous ecological relations between species and habitats.The results of this study show that rocky habitats support the diversity of ecological relationships.     

Morphological Studies on the Infraciliature of a Planktonic Ciliate, Tintinnopsis brasiliensis （ Ciliophora ： Tintinina）

A poorly-described marine planktonic ciliate, Tintinnopsis brasiliensis Kofoid ＆ Campbell, 1929, collected from the Taiping Cape of Qingdao, China, was morphologically investigated based on permanent preparation after protargol impregnation and was compared with other related congeners. According to the infraciliature, three ciliary groups can be recognized, which reveals a very stable structure among specimens and denotes that the pattern of infraciliature is, apart from the features of the lorica, a highly reliable criterion for species identification.     

Economic Development through Medicinal and Aromatic Plants(MAPs) Cultivation in Hindu Kush Himalaya Mountains of District Swat,Pakistan

Poverty is pervasive in the Swat Valley in northwestern Pakistan, and most people survive by farming small landholdings. However, many supplement their meager subsistence earnings by collecting and selling plant material for use in herbal medicine. This material is wild-harvested, but collectors seem not to fully appreciate the potential value of the plant material they collect nor the longterm impact their collection has on local plant populations. A model project supported by the International Food Policy Research Institute(IFPRI)persuaded small-scale farmers in four different villages to use some of their land for cultivating traditionally wild-harvested species of medicinal and aromatic plants(MAPs) with high market value. The farmers were provided seeds or rhizomes of five MAPs and asked to monitor their germination and growth on 25 m2 plots during a 12 month period. At the end of the study, growth and yield data from the four localities were compared and economic analyses conducted to determine the profitability of the species based on yields, prevailing market prices, and costs of production. Five of the cultivated species were subsequently marketed and their value evaluated:Sesamum indicum, Linum usitatissimum, Ocimum basilicum, Nigella sativa and Viola pilosa. The MAPs V. pilosa and O. basilicum were the most profitable,whereas Nigella sativa was the least profitable because of its low germination rate. The net income from all but Nigella was higher than that would have been earned by planting the same area with the predominant cereals or tomatoes. In addition to demonstrating the feasibility and financial benefits of cultivating MAPs as a cash crop, this model study identified a number of additional steps that would increase the benefits of MAPs cultivation in this area.A combination of specialized education, market infrastructure development and a small loans program would enable farmers to increase their agricultural income without damaging the area's plant diversity.     

Variations of bacterial and fungal communities along a primary successional chronosequence in the Hailuogou glacier retreat area (Gongga Mountain,SW China)

New terrestrial habitats have emerged and a primary succession has developed in the retreat area(29°34'N, 102°00'E, 2951–2886 m) after the retreat of the Hailuogou glacier. To investigate soil microbial changes along the primary successional chronosequence, mixed soil samples were collected at six sites at different ages(2 young sites, 2 mid-aged sites, and 2 old sites). The RNA was extracted and amplified. Bacterial 16 S r RNA and fungal 18 S r RNA were analyzed using high-throughput 454 pyrosequencing analysis. Overall, pyrosequencing showed that Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria were the main bacterial phyla, and the fungal communities were strongly dominated by the phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota in the retreat area. The Shannon diversity index(Hshannon) of bacteria was 6.5 – 7.9, and that of fungi was 2.2 – 4.1 in these sites. For the bacterial communities, diversity and evenness values were highest on the mid-age sites and wererelatively low on the young and old sites. A similar trend was observed for the fungal communities. In contrast, soil properties showed significant linear distributional trends(increase or decrease) with the age of the site. Combining the linear change patterns of soil properties, the highest values of bacterial and fungal evenness and diversity in the mid-aged sites indicated that there was less environmental stress and more niches for microbial communities in the middle successional stage compare with other stages. In addition, our analysis showed that microbial communities were the main drivers that build a soil organic matter pool to expedite pedogenesis for ecosystem succession. This primary succession in the Hailuogou glacier retreat area is developing rapidly compared with that in other glacier retreats.     

Phytogeographic and Syntaxonomic Diversity of High Mountain Vegetation in Dinaric Alps (Western Balkan,SE Europe)

The high alpine and subalpine vegetation of Dinaric Alps is very diverse.These are conditional on genuine patterns of development of the geological substrate,climate,soil and terrain on the mountain world,which are interconnected and spatially,and ecologically away.Also,today high mountain vegetation is extremely important indicator of global changes.In this area are many refugia of glacial biodiversity.Very illustrative example for understanding the specific forms of ecological diversity is high alpine veg...     

Frozen ground and periglacial processes relationship in temperate high mountains: a case study at Monte Perdido-Tucarroya area(The Pyrenees,Spain)

Seasonally frozen ground,mountain permafrost and cryogenic geomorphological processes are important components of the Pyrenean high mountains.This work presents the results of a study on the distribution of frozen ground in a marginal and paraglacial environment of temperate mountains.An inventory was made of landforms and indicators of frozen ground,and frozen ground was mapped accordingly.During 2014 and 2016 ground temperatures and thermal regimes were monitored,basal temperatures of snow-cover(BTS)were measured and a thermal map was drawn.Differential thermal behaviours were detected among different elevations and slope orientations.Periglacial processes are the most widespread,in which frost weathering and nivation,together with gelifluction and cryoturbation,are the most efficient processes;the latter two are generally linked to the presence of frozen ground.The fall in air and ground temperatures with altitude,slope orientations,and snowpack thickness and evolution determine ground thermal regimes.In the study area,three types of thermal regimes were established:climate-controlled,snowcover-controlled,and frozen ground-controlled.Seasonally frozen ground occurs across a broad range of elevation between 2650 and 3075 m asl,whereas possible permafrost only occurs above 2750 m asl.     

The relationship between fat content and biological parameters of bigeye tuna (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Thunnus obseus</Emphasis>) in the Western Central Indian Ocean

Comparing fat content with physiological status can throw light on the reproduction and feeding behavior of the fish. The biological data of 586 bigeye tuna were collected from the longline fishery in the waters of Western Central Indian Ocean from November, 2012 to March, 2013. The spatial or temporal distribution of the fat content, and the relationships of fat content with gender, round weight, gonadal maturity and fork length were analyzed. A generalized additive model (GAM) was used to analyze the relationships between fat content and fork length (FL), gonadosomatic index (GSI), condition factor (K), and somatic index (SI). Results showed that: 1) the fat content of bigeye tuna was in the range of 3.1%–27.1% with the average 12.8%; 2) there were no significant geographical differences of average fat content (P > 0.05) among 1° squares in general; 3) there were no significant differences (P > 0.05) of the fat content for different genders, months, or gonad maturity stages; 4) there was an extremely significant correlation (P = 0.000) between fat content and FL and GSI. There was no significant correlation (P = 0.051) between fat content and K. There was a significant correlation (P = 0.003) between fat content and SI. The results of this study suggest that the fat content of the matured fish was relatively stable. The survey area was in a spawning region, and the survey period was the spawning season for bigeye tuna.     

Impacts of land use change on landscape patterns in mountain human settlement: The case study of Hantai District(Shaanxi,China)

Mountain area is an important geographical unit of land,and its ecology is sensitive and fragile.Over the past few decades,human activities have caused dramatic changes in land use in mountainous areas,which caused changes in landscape patterns and impacts on the ecological environment.It is unknown how the mechanism of land use affects the landscape pattern at different scales.The Hantai District,a typical human settlement in the mountain area in Shaanxi,China,was chosen as the study area.Based on the remote sensing images,the mathematical models and landscape indexes were adopted to evaluate the impact of land use change from 1998 to 2017 on the landscape pattern at different scales,and its main driving forces were analyzed.The results showed that the urbanized land expanded largest from 15.39%to 24.30%,and cultivated land experienced the largest decline from 43.54%to 35.35%.Changes in land use have made the patch morphology of most land types developed from a natural random to a sawtooth shape,and its spatial pattern evolved from a ruleset to a fragmented expansion.This reflects the continuous strengthening of human intervention in the process of regional development.Under the jurisdiction of Hantai District,the biggest change in landscape pattern is in Hanzhong City and Qili Town.The improved economy and increasing population and urbanization rate were the main factors that cause these changes.This research could provide necessary information for understanding the evolution mechanism of land resources in mountainous human settlements for mountainous areas with significant geomorphic differentiation.