Living in a warming world requires adaptations to altered annual temperature regimes. In Europe, spring is starting earlier, and the vegetation period is ending later in the year. These climatic ...changes are leading not only to shifts in distribution ranges of flora and fauna, but also to phenological shifts. Using long‐term observation data of butterflies and moths collected during the past decades across northern Austria, we test for phenological shifts over time and changes in the number of generations. On average, Lepidoptera adults emerged earlier in the year and tended to extend their flight periods in autumn. Many species increased the annual number of generations. These changes were more pronounced at lower altitudes than at higher altitudes, leading to an altered phenological zonation. Our findings indicate that climate change does not only affect community composition but also the life history of insects. Increased activity and reproductive periods might alter Lepidoptera–host plant associations and food webs.
Zusammenfassung
Das Leben in einer wärmer werdenden Welt erfordert Anpassungen an veränderte jährliche Temperaturbedingungen. In Europa beginnt der Frühling früher, und die Vegetationsperiode verlängert sich. Diese klimatischen Veränderungen führen nicht nur zu Verschiebungen von Verbreitungsgebieten von Flora und Fauna, sondern auch zu phänologischen Veränderungen. Basierend auf Langzeitbeobachtungsdaten von Tag‐ und Nachtfaltern aus Nordösterreich untersuchen wir potentielle phänologische Veränderungen sowie mögliche zusätzliche Generationen. Schmetterlinge erscheinen heute im Durchschnitt früher im Jahr und verlängern ihre Flugzeiten in den Herbst hinein. Bei vielen Arten erhöhte sich die jährliche Generationenzahl. Diese zeitlichen Verschiebungen sind in tieferen Lagen stärker ausgeprägt als in höheren Lagen. Unsere Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass der Klimawandel nicht nur die Zusammensetzung der Lebensgemeinschaft, sondern auch die Lebenszyklen von Insekten beeinflusst. Erhöhte Aktivität und verlängerte Fortpflanzungsperioden könnten zukünftig die Interaktionen und Nahrungsnetze von Schmetterlingen und ihren Wirtspflanzen negativ beeinflussen.
Living in a warming world requires adaptations to altered annual temperature regimes. We show that Alpine butterflies and moths now emerge earlier in the year (ΔPearly in days) and tend to extend their flight periods in autumn as a response to increasing temperatures (ΔPlate). Increased activity and reproductive periods might alter Lepidoptera–host plant associations and food webs.
Ongoing global warming is causing phenological shifts that affect photosynthesis and growth rates in temperate woody species. However, the effects of seasonally uneven climate warming—as is occurring ...in much of Europe, where the winter/spring months are warming twice as fast than the summer/autumn months—on autumn growth cessation (completion of overwintering buds) and leaf senescence, and possible carry-over effects between phenophases, remain under-investigated. We conducted experiments in which we exposed saplings of canopy and understory species to 4 °C warming in winter/spring, summer/autumn, or all year to disentangle how the timing of bud break, bud set completion, and leaf senescence is affected by seasonally uneven warming. All-year warming led to significantly delayed leaf senescence, but advanced bud set completion; summer/autumn warming only delayed leaf senescence; and winter/spring warming advanced both bud set and senescence. The non-parallel effects of warming on bud completion and leaf senescence show that leaf senescence alone is an inadequate proxy for autumn growth cessation in trees and counterintuitively suggest that continued uneven seasonal warming will advance cessation of primary growth in autumn, even when leaf senescence is delayed. Phenological responses to warming treatments (earlier spring onset, later autumn senescence) were more than twice as high in understory species than in canopy species, which can partly be explained by the absence of carry-over effects among phenophases in the former group. This underscores the need to consider differences among plant functional types when forecasting the future behaviour of ecosystems.
Standardised assays are often used to characterise aggression in animals. In ants, such assays can be applied at several organisational levels (e.g., colony, population) and at specific times during ...the season. However, whether the behaviour differs at these levels and changes over a few weeks remains largely unexplored. Here, six colonies from the high-elevation ant Tetramorium alpestre were collected weekly for five weeks from two behaviourally-different populations (aggressive and peaceful in intraspecific encounters). We conducted one-on-one worker encounters at the colony and population levels. When analysing the colony combinations separately, the behaviour was peaceful and remained so within the peaceful population; initial aggression became partially peaceful within the aggressive population; and initial aggression decreased occasionally and increased in one combination but remained constant for most across-population combinations. When analysing all colony combinations together, within-population behaviour remained similar, but across-population behaviour became peaceful. The observed behavioural differences among organisational levels emphasise the relevance of assessing both levels. Moreover, the effect of decreasing aggression is discernible already over a few weeks. Compression of the vegetation period at high elevations may compress such behavioural changes. Addressing both organisational levels and seasonality is important, particularly in studies of behavioural complexity such as in this ant.
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•High-elevation ants were collected weekly for five weeks and aggression was tested.•Across-colony worker aggression changed over time depending on the colony combination.•Analysing two organisational levels (colony, population) revealed different results.•A shorter season in high elevation may accelerate a change in aggressive behaviour.•Organisational levels and seasonality should be considered in designing behavioural studies.
Relevance.
One of the main methods for solving the problem of providing the population of the Russian Federation with vegetable and melon products is the development of selection and seed production. ...The creation of new competitive varieties and hybrids will enable the vegetable industry to transfer to a qualitatively new level of development.
Material and methods.
The object of research is new varieties and hybrids of watermelon, melon and pumpkin, created at the Bykov experimental station in the rainfed conditions of the Volgograd TransVolga region. Methods of creation are intervarietal and interlinear hybridization.
Results and conclusions.
As a result of breeding work at the station, a number of varieties and heterosis hybrids of melons and gourds were created, which significantly expanded the assortment of the melon breeding industry. Over the past 5 years, 4 varieties of watermelon, 2 heterotic hybrids of watermelon, 3 varieties of melon and 1 grade of pumpkin have been included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements. The assortment of new varieties varies in terms of ripening, dry matter content, shape and color of the fruit background, as well as in color and pulp consistency. The length of the growing season of the created varieties and hybrids of watermelon ranges from 63 days in early ripening (Duet F1, Temp F1, Meteor) to 85 in the mid-ripening variety Malachite. The highest solids content of the new variety of watermelon Medunok is up to 14%. Among melon varieties, the shortest growing season is characterized by the Comet variety up to 70 days. All varieties have a high solids content of 14.0-19.0% and a thick flesh. Promising pumpkin varieties are distinguished by a bright coloration of the pulp, a high carotene content and a long storage period. Thus, the introduction of new varieties of gourds in commodity and home garden melon farming will allow the conveyor growing of products, increase the product mix and the period of consumption of fresh produce.
Soil is an irreplaceable natural resource, with irreplaceable ecosystem functions. One of the greatest risks of soil degradation in the Czech Republic is accelerated erosion, which causes numerous ...damages to soil properties with negative impacts on the environment. The climate development in recent decades and its forecasts may further intensify these processes. This article deals with the analysis of the impacts of changes in selected climatic factors on the development of erosion processes, which in the conditions of the Czech Republic are influenced mainly by the development of precipitation in the growing season and the development of the values of erosion potential of water released by snowmelt in the winter (non-growing) period. The analysis was carried out on a total area of 459.5 km2, in different morphological and climatic conditions. The impact of climate change was assessed using historical and updated values of rain erosivity and snow erosion potential factors. The results show an increase in the risk of erosive loss in the growing season for all the analysed areas, while the values of erosive loss in the non-growing period differ from each other depending on the climatic and morphological conditions of the areas under study.
According to the results of researches it is established that in the territory of Vinnytsia NAU genus Forsythia Vahl. represented by 5 species, the most common of them: Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) ...Vahl (about 47%), Forsythia europaea Degen & Bald (23%), slightly less common such species as: Forsythia ovata Nakai (12%), Forsythia × intermedia (10%), Forsythia viridissima Lindl. (8%).It was investigated that in Vinnitsa conditions the highest acclimatization numbers are characterized by the species Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl., Forsythia ovata Nakai (85 and 87 points, respectively), the lowest acclimatization number are characterized by Forsythia giraldiana (Thorsybia). Vahl, Forsythia suspensa «Decipiens» (Thunb.) Vahl. (72 points) and Forsythia viridissima Lindl. (70 points), respectively.As a result of our research, we have found that most plants have the highest ornamental Forsythia europaea Degen & Bald (score 29-32), with an average degree of ornamental characteristic of Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl. (score 23), a relatively low decorative score of the forsythia hanging in the conditions of VNAU biostationary was caused by spring frosts, as a result of which one- and two-year shoots of the plant were affected, which in turn negatively affected the flowering intensity of the species.As a result of these observations, we have identified groups of prospects for species of the genus Forsythia Vahl. in the conditions of the biostationary of VNAU. For perspective species we have included such as the forsythia Giralda and the forsythia average with a prospect score of 82 and 78, respectively. The plants of this group bloom and fruit annually, but are slightly less winter-hardy than the plants of the first group to which the forsythia hung and forsythia european ones belong.
The formation of the elemental composition of plants is a dynamic process, which is aff ected by a large number of concurrent genetic and environmental factors, and their signifi cance varies ...according to the conditions and the state of the environment. The goal of the work was to study the characteristics of the accumulation of 8 chemical elements in Scots pine wood under the infl uence of seasonal and ecological variability. The objects of our research were old-growth forest stands on the territory of the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve. In total, 7 temporary sample plots were laid in diff erent types of forest. The quantitative content of elements was determined using an energy-dispersive X-ray fl uorescent spectrometer ElvaX. Research indicated that a common feature for all the studied types of forest by the end of a vegetation season is an increase in the concentration of Mn and Cu in wood. Consequently, they give an indication of the seasonal diff erences in the wood samples for all forest plots with growing conditions close to the studied forest types. Regardless of sampling season, a decrease in the concentration of Ca and K and an increase in the concentration of Sr and Zn are observed in wood during the transition from dry to semi-moist and moist growing conditions. The additional diff erentiating elements in the study of the ecological variability of wood are the following: Rb, Sr and Pb. The obtained data can be used as reference or indicative information in studies aimed at solving problems to explore opportunities for narrowing the group affi liation while clarifying the temporal parameters of the objects and their attitude to a particular plot.
The yield and the quality of grain and groats have been determined for rice varieties belonging to different ripening groups: early-ripening Komandor and Yuzhanin, mid-ripening Ukraina 96, Vikont, ...Admiral, Magic, and Lotto, and late-ripening Fukushikiri, Giza 177, and Sakha 101. As to the quantitative indicators of grain quality, the highest total yield of groats (about 70%) was recorded for early-ripening Yuzhanin, and mid-ripening Lotto, and Magic. The whole kernel output (about 90%) was registered for early-ripening Yuzhanin, mid-ripening Lotto, Vikont, and Ukraina 96, and late-ripening Sakha 101. Early-ripening Yuzhanin and mid-ripening Lotto were distinguished due to high yields and high values of major quantitative characteristics of grain quality (total output of groats, output of whole kernels, 1000-kernel weight). Yuzhanin also had a high content of protein in grain. Groats of mid-ripening Lotto, Magic, Admiral and Vikont, late-ripening Fukushikiri and Giza 177, and early-ripening Yuzhanin had high culinary qualities due to their high volume increase index (when boiled). The structure of groats was the best in early-ripening Yuzhanin, late-ripening Giza 177 and Fukushikiri, mid-ripening Lotto, Magic, and Admiral. Early-ripening Yuzhanin, mid-ripening Lotto, Magic, and Admiral, late-ripening Giza 177 and Fukushikiri were distinguished due to their groats colour; mid-ripening Vikont, Magic, and Admiral, late-ripening Giza 177, and early-ripening Yuzhanin – due to the groats aroma; mid-ripening Lotto, Vikont, Magic, and Admiral, early-ripening Yuzhanin, late-ripening Giza 177 and Sakha 101 – due to their palatability. By the set of parameters indicating the culinary quality of groats (increase index, structure, colour, aroma, palatability), early-ripening Yuzhanin, mid-ripening Lotto, Admiral, Magic, and Vikont, late-ripening Fukushikiri and Giza 177 were higher than the reference variety Ukraina 96. The results of comprehensive assessment of yields, grain quality, and culinary qualities of the groats have allowed singling out two cultivars: early-ripening Yuzhanin and mid-ripening Lotto. They have been found valuable enough to be more widely used in the production of rice grain and groats. New rice lines with high culinary qualities of groats have been originated from crossing the varieties having high-quality groats, in particular, Yuzhanin and Lotto.
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