This study aimed to determine the effect of dietary supplementation with Acremonium terricola culture (ATC) on the quality, conventional characteristics, and flavor substances of Hortobágy goose ...meat. A total of 720 one-day-old goslings were divided into four dietary treatments, each consisting of six cages of 30 goslings. The dietary conditions consisted of the control group and three treatment groups supplemented with 3, 5, or 7 g/kg ATC. In male geese, supplementation with 3 g/kg ATC elevated the crude ash (CA) content of the thigh muscle compared to the control group, and the CA content of the pectoralis major was significantly elevated when geese were supplemented with 5 g/kg ATC (p < 0.05). In females, compared with the control group, supplementation with 7 g/kg ATC enhanced the crude protein (CP) content of the pectoralis major. Supplementation with 7 g/kg ATC also increased the crude fat (CF) content of the pectoralis major in females as well as in both sexes; moreover, this supplementation dose increased the inosinic acid content of the thigh muscle in males and in both sexes. In contrast, supplementation with 5 g/kg ATC decreased the pH of the thigh muscle at 12 h postmortem (p < 0.01). No significant changes in meat color, water loss rate, shear force, moisture content or amino acid (AA) levels were observed after ATC supplementation (p > 0.05). Levels of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and polyunsaturated FAs (PUFAs) in the pectoralis major and levels of SFAs, monounsaturated FAs (MUFAs), and PUFAs in the thigh muscle were not affected by the supplementation. Overall, ATC supplementation had positive effects on the pH, and CA, CP, CF, inosinic acid contents as well as on the FA composition of gosling meat. The optimal level of ATC supplementation was 7 g/kg in goslings from 1 to 70 days of age.
The rate of berm erosion and its effect on soil properties and vegetation were investigated at two sampling plots, one semi-natural and the other heavily affected by anthropogenic influences, between ...1998 and 2012. The two sampling areas are similar in terms of natural characteristics, and adjacently located in the Hortobágy, a very flat plain with Solonetz soils. In the course of berm-formation, both erosion and deposition take place within a few meters' range, so we were able to obtain the rate of each process for both experimental plots. The erosion rates of the DS plot under semi-natural conditions, and the MS plot affected by anthropogenic influences, were 1.99 and 4.49kgm−2year−1, respectively, and the rate of deposition were 2.12 and 2.78kgm−2year−1. The recession speed of the berm edges was determined to be 10±3mmyear−1 for the DS plot and 26±8mmyear−1 for the MS plot. During the period of our investigation, all the calcium-carbonate content, pHH2O, pHKCl, electrical conductivity (EC1:2.5), exchangeable cation content (Σcations), and exchangeable Na percentage (ESP) of the soil in the MS plot showed significant changes, whereas in the soil of the DS plot only EC1:2.5 and Σcations changed significantly. Both EC1:2.5 and Σcations decreased in both soil profiles. At the DS plot, ESP did not change substantially, whereas at the MS plot it increased significantly.
The results of the experiments revealed that in the course of berm erosion, the rates of the spatially extremely versatile, mosaic-like erosion and deposition processes show significant differences even within a small area, depending on environmental influences. Although this tendency may only prevail over shorter distances because of the exceptionally low relief energy, and can be balanced out in larger spatial ranges, both erosion and deposition are considerably more intensive and accelerated in areas affected by anthropogenic influences.
•We estimated soil erosion and deposition rates on flatland.•Human activity influences soil erosion and deposition rates of Solonetz soils.•Soil erosion and deposition influence soil chemical characteristics.•We classified grassland soils exposed to erosion according to WRB.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
•We classify 8 plant associations using 30 variables derived only from ALS-based DTM.•We identify variables which could be drivers for vegetation.•The reduced subset of 6 variables increases the ...accuracy from κ: 0.56 to κ: 0.72.•We achieve an accuracy of κ: 0.83 for 4 aggregated classes using only 3 variables.•Micro-topography can be an indicator of ecological processes in open landscapes.
Elevation models based on remotely sensed data, especially high-resolution Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) generated using airborne laser scanner (ALS) data, are increasingly being used for the analysis of plant diversity patterns in open landscapes. The vegetation pattern of alkali landscapes shows a high correlation with the position of water table and salt accumulation, which are strongly correlated with topographic variations occurring at a small spatial scale of a few decimetres (micro-topography). In this study we classified eight grassland associations in an alkali landscape based on a DTM generated from ALS data at a pixel size of 0.25m, and 30 variables derived from the DTM, using an ensemble learning method (Random Forest). Our aim was to identify the micro-topographic variables which could be indicators of vegetation pattern in alkali landscapes. The associations range from Cynodon pastures (short dry grasslands on soil with low salt content) occupying the highest elevations to Beckmannia meadows (wet grasslands on soils with moderate salt content composed of tall grass species) at the lowest elevations, with an elevation difference of approximately 1.2m between the two. Apart from slope, aspect and curvature, we used Topographic Wetness Index (TWI), and Topographic Position Indices (TPI) at various kernel sizes ranging from 50cm to 500m for the classification. The eight associations were also grouped into four aggregated categories — loess grasslands, alkali steppes, open alkali swards and alkali meadows — for further analysis. Vegetation of the studied alkali landscape could be classified into the eight associations with an accuracy of κ: 0.56, and into the four aggregated categories with an accuracy of κ: 0.77 using all the variables. Sequential backward and forward selections of variables were implemented to reduce the number of variables while maximising the accuracies, resulting in increased accuracies of κ: 0.72 and κ: 0.83 for the associations and aggregated categories using six and three variables respectively. TPI at different kernel sizes, previously used to explain vegetation distribution in mountainous areas, was found to be a better indicator of vegetation types than absolute elevations in lowlands where the elevation differences are more subtle. Two characteristic features of the study area — erosional channels and alkali steps — could also be delineated using micro-topographic variables. The results point to the possibility of large-area mapping and monitoring of grasslands where micro-topography is an indicator of vegetation, using only the elevation data from ALS.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
•Using the largest available trophic network of a large steppe ecosystem, we tested that steppe trophic networks including migratory species are associated with (i) migratory strategy and (ii) ...phylogenetic relatedness of interacting species.•We found that (1) a substantial number of links were established by migrant taxa; (2) the phylogenetic signal in network structure was moderate for both consumer and prey nodes; (3) both consumer and prex phylogenies affected modularity, which was modulated by migration strategy; and (4) all species-level graph properties significantly differed between networks including and excluding migratory taxa.•Our findigs provide information for conservation planning by identifying key trophic links in migratory taxa.
Evidence is mounting that the structures of trophic networks are governed by migratory movements of interacting species and also by their phylogenetic relationships. Using the largest available trophic network of a large steppe ecosystem, we tested that steppe trophic networks including migratory species are associated with (i) migratory strategy and (ii) phylogenetic relatedness of interacting species: (1) whole graph-level metrics, estimated as modularity, and (2) species-level network metrics, measured as node degree (number of interacting partners), and centrality metrics. We found that (1) a substantial number of links were established by migrant taxa; (2) the phylogenetic signal in network structure was moderate for both consumer and prey nodes; (3) both consumer and prex phylogenies affected modularity, which was modulated by migration strategy; and (4) all species-level graph properties significantly differed between networks including and excluding migratory taxa. In sum, here we show that the structure of steppe trophic networks is primarily governed by migratory strategies and to a lesser extent, by phylogenetic relatedness, using the largest available food web representative for steppe ecology and migration biology.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
As shown by recent studies, the population dynamics of many avian species have been affected by global climatic processes. Nevertheless, the number of studies on the effects of multivariate climatic ...predictors is still rather low. Using a long-term dataset of 19 species breeding in the Hortobágy (Hungary), considered the largest unbroken alkaline steppe in Europe, we estimated the effects of global and local climatic variables on avian population trends. Our results indicate that the population dynamics of several species might be driven by multivariate climatic effects. Specifically, the population trends of long-distance migratory species increasing in the Hortobágy were affected by both the NAO inducing milder climatic conditions in the southern part of Europe and increasing trends in Sahel rainfall. In turn, short-distance migrants reacted to warming winters through population growth. Additionally, negative population trends correlated with climatic parameters in several species of key conservation importance, with unknown causes of decline. In sum, we suggest that a sound understanding of multivariate climatic effects on avian populations is needed to outline more effective management plans that help avoid the erroneous attribution of causes of failure and success in practical conservation.
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BFBNIB, NUK, PNG, UL, UM, UPUK
An increasing number of studies demonstrate that plant and animal phenologies such as the timing of bird migration have been advancing over the globe, likely as a result of climate change. Even ...closely related species differ in their phenological responses, and the sources of this variation are poorly established. We used a large, standardized dataset of first arrival dates (FAD) of migratory birds to test the effects of phylogenetic relationships and various life-history and ecological traits on the degree to which different species adapt to climate change by earlier migration in spring. Using the phylogenetic comparative method, we found that the advancement of FAD was greater in species with more generalized diet, shorter migration distance, more broods per year, and less extensive prebreeding molt. In turn, we found little evidence that FAD trends were influenced by competition for mating (polygamy or extra-pair paternity) and breeding opportunities (cavity nests). Our findings were robust to several potentially confounding effects. These evolutionary correlations, coupled with the low levels of phylogenetic dependence we found, indicate that avian migration phenology adapts to climate change as a species-specific response. Our results suggest that the degree of this response is fundamentally shaped by constraints and selection pressures of the species' life history, and less so by the intensity of sexual selection.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Hungary’s first national park was created in 1973 in the Hortobágy area to protect Europe’s largest contiguous steppe area and its flora and fauna. The Hortobágy National Park—the Puszta was ...inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a cultural landscape in 1999. The park’s outstanding importance is due to the predominantly non-arboreal steppe vegetation, home to a unique bird fauna, and alkaline and chernozem soils with a complex, mosaic-like spatial structure. In addition, the landscape of Hortobágy has a pastoral history stretching back thousands of years. Several hypotheses have been put forward that suggest that the alkaline soils and the habitats that cover them were formed as a result of human activities related to river regulation that began in the second half of the 19th century. However, paleoecological and paleobiological studies over the last 30–40 years have pointed to the natural origin of the alkaline steppes, dating back to the end of the Ice Age. For thousands of years, human activities, in particular, grazing by domestic animals, hardly influenced the natural evolution of the area. The drainage of marshy and flooded areas began in the 19th century, as well as the introduction of more and more intensive agriculture, had a significant impact on the landscape. This paper aims to describe the past natural development of this special alkaline steppe ecosystem, with particular reference to the impacts of past and present human activities, including conservation measures.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract The well-known Russian ornithologist Prof. Peter Sushkin described it as a distinct species from Bashkortostan (Bashkiria) in 1897, a highly acclaimed discovery. However, its breeding ...grounds never been discovered. Since then, there has been a long-standing debate over the taxonomic position of Anser neglectus . Taxonomists have argued that Anser neglectus belongs to the group of A. fabalis Lath. because of its close resemblance with A. f. fabalis . At the beginning of the 20 th century, large numbers of the Sushkin’s goose were observed in three winter quarters: on two lakes in the Republic of Bachkortostan, in the surroundings of the town of Tashkent in the Republic Uzbekistan, and in the puszta Hortobágy in eastern Hungary. It is a pity that taxonomists did not thoroughly compare the Russian and Hungarian ornithological papers concerning the former presence of Anser neglectus in these areas, because these rich sources refer to characteristics that would cast serious doubt on the classification of Anser neglectus as a subspecies, an individual variation or mutation of A. f. fabalis. Sushkin’s goose, though a typical Taiga Bean Goose, distinguished itself from other taxa of the Bean Goose by its plumage, its field identification, by its specific “Gé-gé” call, the size of its bill, and by its preference for warm and dry winter haunts. A. neglectus should therefore be considered a separate, fully distinct species, sensu Stegmann (1935) and Stegmann in Schenk (1931/34), if we follow the established criteria in bird systematics of Tobias et al . (2010). Between 1908 and 1911, an estimation of up to 150.000 individuals of A. neglectus wintered in the Hortobágy puszta. Approximate counts for both other winter quarters are not available. The last living birds were seen in the zoological garden of Budapest in 1934. Since then, A. f. fabalis and A. s. rossicus “Type neglectus” (i.e. A. f. fabalis and A. s. rossicus with a color of the bill and the legs, similar to the former A. neglectus ) have been observed sporadically on the breeding grounds and in the winter quarters of both taxa. However, the true A. neglectus seems to be extinct. Its sudden disappearance may be related to the Tunguska event, the catastrophe in 1908 that may have caused genetic mutations. This hypothesis is considered to be the most likely, among other available hypotheses about its extinction.
This study aimed to determine the effect of dietary supplementation with
Acremonium terricola
culture (ATC) on the quality,
conventional characteristics, and flavor substances of Hortobágy goose
...meat. A total of 720 one-day-old goslings were divided into four dietary
treatments, each consisting of six cages of 30 goslings. The dietary conditions
consisted of the control group and three treatment groups supplemented with 3,
5, or 7 g/kg ATC. In male geese, supplementation with 3 g/kg ATC elevated the
crude ash (CA) content of the thigh muscle compared to the control group, and
the CA content of the pectoralis major was significantly elevated when geese
were supplemented with 5 g/kg ATC (
p
< 0.05). In
females, compared with the control group, supplementation with 7 g/kg ATC
enhanced the crude protein (CP) content of the pectoralis major. Supplementation
with 7 g/kg ATC also increased the crude fat (CF) content of the pectoralis
major in females as well as in both sexes; moreover, this supplementation dose
increased the inosinic acid content of the thigh muscle in males and in both
sexes. In contrast, supplementation with 5 g/kg ATC decreased the pH of the
thigh muscle at 12 h postmortem (
p
< 0.01). No
significant changes in meat color, water loss rate, shear force, moisture
content or amino acid (AA) levels were observed after ATC supplementation
(
p
> 0.05). Levels of saturated fatty acids (SFAs)
and polyunsaturated FAs (PUFAs) in the pectoralis major and levels of SFAs,
monounsaturated FAs (MUFAs), and PUFAs in the thigh muscle were not affected by
the supplementation. Overall, ATC supplementation had positive effects on the
pH, and CA, CP, CF, inosinic acid contents as well as on the FA composition of
gosling meat. The optimal level of ATC supplementation was 7 g/kg in goslings
from 1 to 70 days of age.
Freshwater wetlands and marshes with extensive reed beds are important hotspots of biological diversity, but in the absence of proper management, they are subject to biotic homogenisation. We ...assessed the impact of spatiotemporally variable management by cattle grazing (for 4 years) and late-summer burning (1 or 3 years before the study) on both songbirds and non-passerines in a previously homogeneous reed bed. We surveyed birds using a combination of line transects and point counts in a quasi-experimental design comprising six treatment levels. Management increased both the diversity of marsh habitats and the diversity of bird species. The species richness and abundance of non-passerines (ducks and geese, wading birds, gulls and terns, rails, coots and grebes) was higher in recently burned than in unburned or old-burned patches. Species richness of farmland songbirds was higher in grazed than in non-grazed patches, and the richness and abundance of reed songbirds was higher in unburned, old-burned, and grazed patches than in recently burned patches. Total Shannon diversity and evenness of birds was lowest in areas with the most intensive treatment (patches grazed and twice-burned), whereas Simpson diversity was highest in these areas. Non-managed patches had fewer species and individuals of all groups except reed songbirds. The proportion of old reed was low in recently burned and grazed patches, and was similarly high in all other treatment areas. No other property of reed stands was influenced by management, and both the allocation and the effect of management were independent of water level. Spatiotemporally variable management by cattle grazing and late-summer burning may thus simultaneously benefit several groups of birds. The effect of burning alone disappeared in 3 years, even in the presence of grazing; thus it must be repeated every 2–3 years. We conclude that both management actions are necessary to establish and maintain highly diverse habitats for marshland bird communities.
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