Integrated Futures for Europe’s Mountain Regions: Reconciling Biodiversity Conservation and Human Livelihoods

Introduction Europe's mountains cover nearly half of the continent's area (Price et al. 2004) and land cover varies significantly (European Commission 2004). In most massifs, except for Sicily, southern Greece, and the British Isles, forest cover is dominant. In northern Europe, grassland is proportionately more important, and much of the mountains of the British Isles is covered by moorland. In central and southern Europe, arable land is of far greater importance than grassland, with Med…     

Urban land use mapping: A case study of ahmedabad city and its environs

Proper urban planning and effective implementation requires reliable urban land use statistics. In this context, satellite remote sensing data has been studied using both visual and digital techniques. A portable eight-band radiometer has been used to collect spectral signatures of surface features present in Ahmedabad city and its environs. Using these signatures a suitable approach employing visual and digital techniques has been developed for urban land use/sprawl mapping. Urban land-use maps of Ahmedabad city and its environs were prepared on 1:25,000 scale and for Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority Area on 1:50,000 scale using this methodology. It has been found that edge-enhancement techniques are useful to enhance the contrast among different urban land uses. Classification techniques such as MXL and Bayes classifiers are not successful in discriminating urban land uses. Tonal characteristics alongwith other elements of interpretation are required to classify urban land uses such as residential, industrial etc. Spatial distribution of various urban and uses and the space devoted to each urban land use has been brought out.     

A TEST OF SIGNIFICANCE FOR PARTIAL LEAST SQUARES REGRESSION

Partial least squares (PLS) regression is a commonly used statistical technique for performingmultivariate calibration, especially in situations where there are more variables than samples. Choosingthe number of factors to include in a model is a decision that all users of PLS must make, but iscomplicated by the large number of empirical tests available. In most instances predictive ability is themost desired property of a PLS model and so interest has centred on making this choice based on aninternal validation process. A popular approach is the calculation of a cross-validated r~2 to gauge howmuch variance in the dependent variable can be explained from leave-one-out predictions. Using MonteCarlo simulations for different sizes of data set, the influence of chance effects on the cross-validationprocess is investigated. The results are presented as tables of critical values which are compared againstthe values of cross-validated r~2 obtained from the user's own data set. This gives a formal test forpredictive ability of a PLS model with a given number of dimensions.     

Chemotaxonomic investigation of phytoplankton in the shelf ecosystem of the KwaZulu-Natal Bight,South Africa

Phytoplankton community structure was elucidated during summer and winter in the KwaZulu-Natal Bight using pigment and CHEMTAX analyses. The surface pattern in January 2010 indicated that diatoms, haptophytes and prasinophytes tended to be the most prominent groups inshore and in the southern sector of the bight, whereas Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus were more dominant in the north and towards the offshore region. At the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM), diatoms were dominant in the inner bight and in the south, with prasinophytes being the prominent flagellates, but this changed to Prochlorococcus and pelagophytes being the important groups in the northern sector and outer part of the bight. A different pattern was observed at the surface in July 2010, where diatoms, haptophytes, prasinophytes and cryptophytes in varying proportions comprised most of the community in the inner half of the bight, whereas Synechococcus and haptophytes were the main groups in the outer sector. A similar pattern occurred at the DCM, except that Synechococcus was less prominent and pelagophytes were distributed across the bight in both the inshore and offshore zones. Observations and relationships between phytoplankton groups and environmental parameters indicated that the groups were most closely related to temperature, accounting for 24–64% of the deviance. The influence of nutrients on phytoplankton was less clear but nitrate and silicate seemed to account for some of the patchy distribution patterns.     

Gastric lavage as a non-lethal method for stingray (Myliobatiformes) diet sampling

Understanding the trophic interactions of ecologically important mesopredators such as Myliobatiformes (stingrays) is vital, but, given their susceptibility to overexploitation, the collection of stomach contents for dietary analysis necessitates the use of non-lethal methods. We provide a detailed method of using gastric lavage to collect stomach contents from the ‘Vulnerable’ porcupine ray Urogymnus asperrimus at the St Joseph Atoll of the Amirantes Group, Seychelles. Rays were captured by hand, inverted and restrained while a plastic hose, connected to a bilge pump, was inserted into the stomach to flush out the contents. A high percentage (94.5%) of gastric lavage attempts resulted in the collection of stomach contents. There was no visual evidence of stress or short-term, post-release mortality and, given the success and relative ease of this technique, we conclude that the described method of gastric lavage is an effective, non-lethal means of obtaining stomach contents from stingrays.     

Palynological analyses in the laminated sediment of Lake Holzmaar (Eifel, Germany): duration of Lateglacial and Preboreal biozones

The laminated sediment of Lake Holzmaar (Germany) has provided a continuous varve chronology for the last 3500 varve years (vy) and beyond that a floating varve chronology back to more than 22500 vy BP. This chronology in calendar years, in combination with palynology, enables us to determine the timing and the magnitude of Lateglacial and Early Holocene environmental changes on land (from 13838 to 10930 vy BP). The palynological diagram has a mean time resolution of 27 vy between samples. This paper establishes for the first time the biozonation for Lake Holzmaar below the Laacher See Tephra. Fifteen pollen subzones grouped in four biozones are defined by cluster analysis. After a period disturbed by microturbidites, only a part of the Bølling is present. Three cold periods have been evidenced by pollen analyses: the Older Dryas (96-vy-long), the Younger Dryas (654-vy-long) and the Rammelbeek phase (237-vy-long). The Allerød (883-vy-long) is bipartite with a first Betula -dominated period followed by a Pinus -dominated one. The Younger Dryas is also bipartite, with first a decrease of winter temperatures along with a change to a more continental climate. It is followed by a drier phase with a second decrease in temperatures, probably this time also affecting summer temperatures. The Preboreal is 702-yr-long. The duration of most phases corresponds to published records, except for that of the Younger Dryas. Cluster and rate-of-change analyses indicate a sharp change in the terrestrial vegetation assemblages that may be caused by a sedimentary hiatus of erosive origin during this cold and dry period. As a result, the chronology of Holzmaar has to be revised most likely below the middle of the Younger Dryas. Comparison with the varve record of Meerfelder Maar, a neighbour maar lake, suggests adding 320 vy below 12025 vy.     

Late Weichselian sea level changes at Sotra, Hordaland, western Norway

Sediments from twenty-eight basins were surveyed; ten of these basins with a representative lithostrati-gfaphy wee studied to determine their isolation from the sea during Late Weichselian. Diatom analysis was used to determine salinity changes, which were dated by pollen analysis and the radiocarbon method. The area was deglaciated in the early Boiling, and a regression of about 5 m followed. A transgression of more than 10 m started in late Boiling and terminated in middle Younger Dryas, with a transgression maximum between 38.2 and 40 m above present sea level. All the investigated basins were finally isolated in late Younger Dryas/early Preboreal, during a rapid regression. Repeated cycles of chinophilous/ chinophobous plant communities in the area reflect climatic changes in the period. No evidence of an Older Dryas ice readvance was found.     

The effect of scale on the interpretation of geochemical anomalies

The purpose of geochemical surveys changes with scale. Regional surveys identify areas where mineral deposits are most likely to occur, whereas intermediate surveys identify and prioritize specific targets. At detailed scales specific deposit models may be applied and deposits delineated.The interpretation of regional geochemical surveys must take into account scale-dependent difference in the nature and objectives of this type of survey. Overinterpretation of regional data should be resisted, as should recommendations to restrict intermediate or detailed follow-up surveys to the search for specific deposit types or to a too limited suite of elements. Regional surveys identify metallogenic provinces within which a variety of deposit types and metals are most likely to be found. At intermediate scale, these regional provinces often dissipate into discrete clusters of anomalous areas. At detailed scale, individual anomalous areas reflect local conditions of mineralization and may seem unrelated to each other. Four examples from arid environments illustrate the dramatic change in patterns of anomalies between regional and more detailed surveys.On the Arabian Shield, a broad regional anomaly reflects the distribution of highly differentiated anorogenic granites. A particularly prominent part of the regional anomaly includes, in addition to the usual elements related to the granites, the assemblage of Mo, W and Sn. Initial interpretation suggested potential for granite-related, stockwork Mo deposits. Detailed work identified three separate sources for the anomaly: a metal-rich granite, a silicified and stockwork-veined area with scheelite and molybdenite, and scheelite/powellite concentrations in skarn deposits adjacent to a ring-dike complex.Regional geochemical, geophysical and remote-sensing data in the Sonoran Desert, Mexico, define a series of linear features interpreted to reflect fundamental, northeast-trending fractures in the crust that served as the prime conduits for mineralizing fluids. At a larger scale, the linear, northeast-trending anomalies can be shown to result from a series of discrete mineralized systems with different ages and mineral assemblages. The linear pattern of anomalies disintegrates.A regional geochemical survey in the Sonoran Desert in southwestern Arizona displays a cluster of samples anomalous in Pb, Mo, Bi and W. In detail, the original regional anomaly separates into four discrete anomalous areas, each with its own distinctive suite of elements, geographic distribution and age of mineralization.A prominent regional gold anomaly in the Gobi Desert, Xinjiang, Peoples Republic of China, extends southeastward for 30 km from known lode gold deposits. Because the anomaly cuts both lithologic units and the structural grain, and because it parallels the prevailing direction of high-velocity winds, it was originally attributed to eolian dispersion. In detail, the regional anomaly consists of several east-west-trending anomalies, parallel to local lithology and structure that most likely reflect independent sources of lode gold. The regional anomaly results from smoothing of an en-echelon set of local anomalies.These examples emphasize that interpretation of regional anomalies must be tempered to consider regional-sized geologic features. Attempts to overinterpret anomalies by assigning deposit-scale attributes to regional anomalies can lead to confusion and incorrect interpretations. Potential targets that can be readily resolved only at intermediate or detailed scales of study may be overlooked.     

Distribution of Cu,Co, As,and Fe in mine waste,sediment, soil,and water in and around mineral deposits and mines of the Idaho Cobalt Belt,USA

The distribution of Cu, Co, As and Fe was studied downstream from mines and deposits in the Idaho Cobalt Belt (ICB), the largest Co resource in the USA. To evaluate potential contamination in ecosystems in the ICB, mine waste, stream sediment, soil, and water were collected and analyzed for Cu, Co, As and Fe in this area. Concentrations of Cu in mine waste and stream sediment collected proximal to mines in the ICB ranged from 390 to 19,000 μg/g, exceeding the USEPA target clean-up level and the probable effect concentration (PEC) for Cu of 149 μg/g in sediment; PEC is the concentration above which harmful effects are likely in sediment dwelling organisms. In addition concentrations of Cu in mine runoff and stream water collected proximal to mines were highly elevated in the ICB and exceeded the USEPA chronic criterion for aquatic organisms of 6.3 μg/L (at a water hardness of 50 mg/L) and an LC50 concentration for rainbow trout of 14 μg/L for Cu in water. Concentrations of Co in mine waste and stream sediment collected proximal to mines varied from 14 to 7400 μg/g and were highly elevated above regional background concentrations, and generally exceeded the USEPA target clean-up level of 80 μg/g for Co in sediment. Concentrations of Co in water were as high as in 75,000 μg/L in the ICB, exceeding an LC50 of 346 μg/L for rainbow trout for Co in water by as much as two orders of magnitude, likely indicating an adverse effect on trout. Mine waste and stream sediment collected in the ICB also contained highly elevated As concentrations that varied from 26 to 17,000 μg/g, most of which exceeded the PEC of 33 μg/g and the USEPA target clean-up level of 35 μg/g for As in sediment. Conversely, most water samples had As concentrations that were below the 150 μg/L chronic criterion for protection of aquatic organisms and the USEPA target clean-up level of 14 μg/L. There is abundant Fe oxide in streams in the ICB and several samples of mine runoff and stream water exceeded the chronic criterion for protection of aquatic organisms of 1000 μg/L for Fe. There has been extensive remediation of mined areas in the ICB, but because some mine waste remaining in the area contains highly elevated Cu, Co, As and Fe, inhalation or ingestion of mine waste particulates may lead to human exposure to these elements.