For most animals, the rearing environment is an important factor influencing early offspring development and behaviour. Also, in altricial birds, where the rearing environment (nest) is usually ...restricted, it is known that if sufficient nest space is provided, offspring show social interactions and a variety of other behaviours. In fact, the available nest space has been identified as an important determinant for the occurrence or outcome of social interactions. In this context, we predict different behaviours like food acquisition, intra-brood competition, comfort behaviour or defecation activities also happen at specific sites within the nest and allow differential nest-space use. We further predict, that even offspring within a brood may differently experience their rearing environment. In line with this, e.g. nestling age, brood size or parental food allocation rules could be influential factors. In this study, we therefore investigated offspring nest-space use in altricial hoopoe nestlings (Upupa epops) raised in spacious nest boxes. In particular, we focused on nest-space use in relation to four major offspring behaviours, namely successful food acquisition, aggressive interactions, comfort and resting behaviour and defecation, additionally including parental feeding strategy (feeding from inside or outside the nest box), nestling age and brood size as potentially influential factors. Our results reveal that nestlings do not use the nest space equally but use specific locations for different purposes. Our results further suggest that beside behaviour also offspring age, brood size and parental feeding strategy influence their nest-space use. In conclusion, differential nest-space use can occur even in nestlings and already at an early age. Thus, nest space seems to be an important nest quality feature determining not only nest-space use but also affects offspring social interactions.
Cyclocondensation of salicylaldehydes with alkyl acetoacetates and 2-aminobenzothiazoles or 2-amino-thiadiazole/thiazoles under l-proline catalysis gives 4-hetarylamino substituted ...chromanecarboxylate derivatives. The mechanism involving the Mannich/hemiketalization cascade reaction and the observed stereoselectivity of the three component process are discussed.
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Top dieback of Norway spruce (Picea abies), triggered by drought in 2004-2006, has been observed in Southeast Norway and trees died within four years after appearance of the first symptoms. The aim ...of our study was to use sap flux measurements as a diagnostic method for assessment of tree vitality. We used the heat field deformation method to monitor the sap flux density (SFD) in four pairs of healthy and declining trees in situ. To provide retrospective information on hydraulic performance of the trees we took samples for wood anatomical analysis. After felling the trees we used the modified differential translucence method (MDT) as a proxy for the SFD measurements. Healthy trees had three times higher SFD values as declining trees. In some healthy trees we detected decreasing SFD with time. The MDT method agreed with the SFD measurements. In conclusion, we detected sap flux dysfunction in declining trees and showed that the SFD reduction may occur during a short period, prior to occurrence of any visual symptoms. We suggest incorporating the SFD measurements into the repertoire of diagnostic tools in forest pathology.
The Red Kite (Milvus milvus) is a common raptor in suitable areas of Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia during the nonbreeding season. However, the exact number of birds wintering in these ...countries remains unknown. Through an integrated approach using satellite telemetry, direct field surveys at nocturnal roosts, and citizen science databases, we estimated the wintering population of Red Kites in this area during the winter of 2020/2021. Based on three surveys taking place at the beginning (28 November 2020), middle (9 January 2021), and end (5 February 2021) of winter, respectively, we counted 566, 558, and 536 Red Kites. The observations from online citizen science databases mostly appeared to correspond with the area of communal roost sites. Using our combined approach, the estimates of wintering Red Kites were determined as minimum numbers in the study area. A comparison of historical data (from the second half of the 20th and beginning of the 21st centuries, respectively) and our own results suggests that the wintering population of Red Kites in the study area has increased substantially. This dynamic could be caused by changes in climatic conditions, a shift of the birds' breeding range in Europe, changes in migration behavior and/or food availability, and/or conservation efforts. Milvus milvus es un rapaz común en áreas adecuadas de Austria, la República Checa y Eslovaquia durante la estación no reproductiva. Sin embargo, el número exacto de aves que pasan el invierno en estos países sigue siendo desconocido. A través de un enfoque integrado utilizando telemetría satelital, censos de campo directos en refugios nocturnos y bases de datos de ciencia ciudadana, estimamos la población invernante de M. milvus en esta área durante el invierno de 2020/2021. Basados en tres censos realizados al inicio (28 de noviembre de 2020), a la mitad (9 de enero de 2021) y al final (5 de febrero de 2021) del invierno, contamos 566, 558 y 536 individuos de M. milvus, respectivamente. Las observaciones de las bases de datos de ciencia ciudadana en línea parecieron corresponder principalmente con el área de los dormideros comunales. Usando nuestro enfoque combinado, las estimaciones de individuos invernantes de M. milvus se determinaron como números mínimos en el área de estudio. Una comparación de los datos históricos (de la segunda mitad del siglo XX y del inicio del siglo XXI, respectivamente) y nuestros propios resultados sugiere que la población invernante de M. milvus en el área de estudio ha aumentado sustancialmente. Esta dinámica podría estar causada por cambios en las condiciones climáticas, un cambio en el área de cría de las aves en Europa, cambios en el comportamiento migratorio y/o en la disponibilidad de alimentos, y/o los esfuerzos de conservación. Traducción del equipo editorial
A Biginelli-type condensation is described using dialkyl acetone-1,3-dicarboxylates as active methylene compounds for the preparation of monastrol analogues. Unexpectedly, the reaction with ...salicylaldehyde formed two different products depending on the ester alkyl group. This product dichotomy was found to be caused by the steric effects exerted by the alcohol terminus of the ester group in the active methylene component. Previous controversial results as to the structure of the Biginelli product
3 are also discussed.
To enhance our understanding of forest carbon sequestration, climate change mitigation and drought impact on forest ecosystems, the availability of high-resolution annual forest growth maps based on ...tree-ring width (TRW) would provide a significant advancement to the field. Site-specific characteristics, which can be approximated by high-resolution Earth observation by satellites (EOS), emerge as crucial drivers of forest growth, influencing how climate translates into tree growth. EOS provides information on surface reflectance related to forest characteristics and thus can potentially improve the accuracy of forest growth models based on TRW. Through the modelling of TRW using EOS, climate and topography data, we showed that species-specific models can explain up to 52 % of model variance (Quercus petraea), while combining different species results in relatively poor model performance (R2 = 13 %). The integration of EOS into models based solely on climate and elevation data improved the explained variance by 6 % on average. Leveraging these insights, we successfully generated a map of annual TRW for the year 2021. We employed the area of applicability (AOA) approach to delineate the range in which our models are deemed valid. The calculated AOA for the established forest-type models was 73 % of the study region, indicating robust spatial applicability. Notably, unreliable predictions predominantly occurred in the climate margins of our dataset. In conclusion, our large-scale assessment underscores the efficacy of combining climate, EOS and topographic data to develop robust models for mapping annual TRW. This research not only fills a critical void in the current understanding of forest growth dynamics but also highlights the potential of integrated data sources for comprehensive ecosystem assessments.
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•We combined remote sensing, climate and elevation to model tree-ring width (TRW).•Models' explained variance ranged up to 52 % and was higher for species-specific models.•Including remote sensing data improved the prediction accuracy by 6 % on average.•Satellite-derived vegetation indices yielded strong positive relationships with TRW.•The developed forest-type models were successfully applied to generate a map of TRW.
Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) has increased substantially since the industrial revolution began, and physiological responses to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations reportedly alter the ...biometry and wood structure of trees. Additionally, soil nutrient availability may play an important role in regulating these responses. Therefore, in this study, we grew 288 two-year-old saplings of sessile oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.) in lamellar glass domes for three years to evaluate the effects of CO2 concentrations and nutrient supply on above- and belowground biomass, wood density, and wood structure. Elevated CO2 increased above- and belowground biomass by 44.3% and 46.9%, respectively. However, under elevated CO2 treatment, sapling wood density was markedly lower (approximately 1.7%), and notably wider growth rings—and larger, more efficient conduits leading to increased hydraulic conductance—were observed. Moreover, despite the vessels being larger in saplings under elevated CO2, the vessels were significantly fewer (p = 0.023). No direct effects of nutrient supply were observed on biomass growth, wood density, or wood structure, except for a notable decrease in specific leaf area. These results suggest that, although fewer and larger conduits may render the xylem more vulnerable to embolism formation under drought conditions, the high growth rate in sessile oak saplings under elevated CO2 is supported by an efficient vascular system and may increase biomass production in this tree species. Nevertheless, the decreased mechanical strength, indicated by low density and xylem vulnerability to drought, may lead to earlier mortality, offsetting the positive effects of elevated CO2 levels in the future.
Meso
-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) forms stable complexes with a remarkable wide range of metal ions. This relatively small molecule has attracted increasing attention in the field of ...radiopharmacy, treatment of heavy metal intoxications and nanoparticles preparation. In this review detailed summary of all physical, chemical and biological properties of DMSA and its complex compounds with
99m
Tc,
186/188
Re,
166
Ho,
177
Lu and
90
Y is provided. The clinical utilisation of DMSA complexes in the nuclear medicine and its use for treatment of heavy metal intoxication is briefly summarised. The aspects of its application in the field of nanoparticles preparation is behind the scope of this review, therefore it is only shortly described.
Sibling cannibalism is relatively common in nature, but its evolution in birds and certain other vertebrates with extended parental care had been discarded. Here, however, we demonstrate its regular ...occurrence in two European populations of the Eurasian hoopoe (
) and explore possible adaptive and non-adaptive explanations. Results showed that sibling cannibalism was more frequently detected in Spain (51.7%) than in Austria (5.9%). In these two populations, the hoopoes laid similar clutch sizes, resulting in similar fledging production, but hatching failures were more frequent in the northern population. Consequently, having more nestlings condemned to die in the southern population may explain the higher incidence of sibling cannibalism. In accordance with this interpretation, hatching span and failure, but not breeding date, explained the probability of sibling cannibalism in the Spanish hoopoes, while all three variables predicted brood reduction intensity. Furthermore, experimental food supply reduced the probability of sibling cannibalism, but not the intensity of brood reduction. Finally, females allocated fewer resources to the smallest nestlings when they were going to starve, but not necessarily when they were going to be used as food for their siblings. These results suggest that hoopoes produce extra eggs that, in the case of reduced hatching failure and food scarcity, produce nestlings that are used to feed older siblings. These findings provide the first evidence that sibling cannibalism occurs regularly in a bird species, thus expanding our evolutionary understanding of clutch size, hatching asynchrony, parent-offspring conflict, infanticide, and sibling cannibalism in the animal kingdom.
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