Journal articles on the topic 'Greek Ecosystems'
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1
Katsifas, E. A., E. P. Giannoutsou, and A. D. Karagouni. "Diversity of streptomycetes among specific Greek terrestrial ecosystems." Letters in Applied Microbiology 29, no. 1 (July 1999): 48–51. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2672.1999.00574.x.
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NICOLAIDOU, A., S. REIZOPOULOU, D. KOUTSOUBAS, S. ORFANIDIS, and T. KEVREKIDIS. "Biological components of Greek lagoonal ecosystems: an overview." Mediterranean Marine Science 6, no. 2 (December 1, 2005): 31. http://dx.doi.org/10.12681/mms.184.
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The paper summarises the available information on the main biological components – phytoplankton, zooplankton, phytobenthos, zoobenthos and fish – of Greek lagoonal ecosystems. Meiobenthos was also studied in one of the lagoons. All components show great variability both in space and time, which is attributed to the variability of environmental conditions. The most important variable influencing species distribution and diversity is the degree of communication with the sea and the nutrient load introduced through fresh water inputs. Certain new methods, which have been applied for evaluation of the ecological quality state of the lagoons, are also presented.
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Jacobides, Michael G., and Ioannis Lianos. "Ecosystems and competition law in theory and practice." Industrial and Corporate Change 30, no. 5 (October 1, 2021): 1199–229. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/icc/dtab061.
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Abstract One of the most profound changes in the industrial landscape in the last decade has been the growth of business ecosystems—groups of connected firms, drawing on (digital) platforms that leverage their complementors and lock in their customers, exploiting the “bottlenecks” that emerge in new industry architectures. This has created new asymmetries of power, where the “field” of competition is not the relevant product market, as is usually the case in competition law, but rather the ecosystem of various complementary products and associated complementor firms. These dynamics raise novel concerns over competition. After examining the foundational elements of the ecosystem concept, we review how ecosystems are addressed within the current scope of competition law and identify the gap in the existing framework of conventional competition law. We then move to a critical review of current efforts and proposals in the European Union for providing regulatory remedies for ex ante and ex post resolution of problems, focusing on the current (2020) proposals of the Digital Market Act on ex ante regulation, with its particular focus on “gatekeepers.” We also review recent regulatory initiatives in European countries that focus on ex post regulation and on the role of business models and ecosystem architectures in regulation before providing a deep dive into proposed Greek legislation that explicitly focuses on ecosystem regulation. We conclude with our observations on the challenges in instituting and implementing a regulatory framework for ecosystems, drawing on research and our own engagement in the regulatory process.
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Petaloudi, Lydia-Maria, Petros Ganatsas, and Marianthi Tsakaldimi. "Exploring Biodiversity and Disturbances in the of Peri-Urban Forests of Thessaloniki, Greece." Sustainability 14, no. 14 (July 11, 2022): 8497. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su14148497.
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Forests host important plant biodiversity. Nevertheless, due to climate change and human disturbances, the floristic quality of forest ecosystems is degraded. Greek peri-urban forests biodiversity is threatened by anthropogenic activities such as forest fragmentation, pollution, garbage, etc. Measurement of biodiversity status and the floristic quality assessment can be used to estimate the degree of forest degradation caused by anthropogenic disturbances. In this study, we compared and evaluated six forest ecosystem types in the peri-urban forests of Thessaloniki, northern Greece, by using Shannon’s biodiversity index as well as and α and β diversity Sørensen indices. Furthermore, we recorded the prevailing anthropogenic disturbances and compared the plant families and the ruderal species appearing in each forest ecosystem. Finally, the average conservatism value (C value) of the plant species found in each ecosystem was determined in order to calculate the ecosystem floristic quality index. Analysis of the results showed that the floristic and ecological parameters tested greatly vary among ecosystems. Broadleaf forests of higher altitude hosted the greatest biodiversity, and the higher floristic quality index and plant conservation value. On the contrary, most disturbances and most ruderal species were recorded in ecosystems of lower altitude, adjacent to the city (Pinus brutia forest and Maqui vegetation), the least disturbed ecosystems were found in the steep slopes (Castanea sativa forest). Most ruderal species found belonged to the Asteraceae and Rosaceae families. Accessibility and attractiveness of stands were positively correlated with disturbances. Insufficient management, lack of protection measures, and littering removal contribute to the increase in the level of disturbance.
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Ierapetritis, Dimitrios G. "Discussing the Role of Universities in Fostering Regional Entrepreneurial Ecosystems." Economies 7, no. 4 (December 16, 2019): 119. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/economies7040119.
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Over the past two decades, various policies have been implemented on an international and national level to support regional competitiveness, in which Universities are often called on to play a crucial role. Taking into account their contribution to the combined performance of education, the advanced research and the networking of knowledge, Universities are recognized as knowledge-intensive institutions and environments that foster human capital development, innovation and entrepreneurship. According to the current practice, Universities include in their mission not only a generalized transfer of know-how, but also the promotion of business thinking and entrepreneurial culture, the establishment of institutions, actions as well as the creation of venture capital, thus contributing further to the promotion of regional entrepreneurial ecosystems. By examining the entrepreneurship development in teaching and learning through the various actions of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Units of the Greek Universities between 2011 and 2015, the present article aims at assessing the contribution of the Greek Universities to the fostering of regional entrepreneurial ecosystems, making a comparative evaluation of them and strengthening the role of the Greek Universities in regional entrepreneurial ecosystems. Firstly, the theoretical approaches of regional entrepreneurial ecosystems as well as the role of Universities in Regional Development are examined and analyzed. Secondly, it is attempted to record the role of the Greek Universities through the collection and processing of innovation information and actions, utilizing, as a case study, the structures of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Units. Thirdly, taking into account the results of the research, proposals for the national and regional policy are made.
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Vagenas, Georgios, Anthi Oikonomou, Paraskevi K. Karachle, Olga Petriki, and Maria Th Stoumboudi. "Trophic Patterns of Freshwater Fish across the Balkan Biodiversity Hotspot." Water 14, no. 7 (March 31, 2022): 1112. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w14071112.
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Ecological information regarding trophic patterns and the inherent structure of freshwater aquatic communities is considered fundamental in ecological research. In this study, the trophic patterns of the Greek freshwater fish fauna, belonging to the Balkan biodiversity hotspot, were investigated, and comparisons of freshwater fish species feeding habits among the Greek freshwater ecoregions were performed. The analyses based on the widely used trophic level index and the available composition feeding datasets, along with the utilization of clustering methods, indicated seven major distinct trophic guilds in the Greek ecoregions. The trophic level of the studied fish species ranged from 2.0 to 4.5, thus being within the expected values for freshwater ecosystems, revealing the presence of both top predators and primary consumers. The highest trophic level values were found in the ecoregions of northern Greece. The results also exhibited considerable predominance of higher-trophic-level zooplanktivorous and insectivorous freshwater fish species in the mainland, compared to lower-trophic-level opportunist species in the island-isolated ecoregions. These results could be used for the application of ecosystem-based models and the formulation of conservation and fishery management schemes.
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Tasopoulou, A., and G. Pozoukidou. "Green and blue infrastructure as a tool to support decision-making in the spatial planning process. The case of Lake Trichonida, Greece." IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 899, no. 1 (November 1, 2021): 012054. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/899/1/012054.
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Abstract Green infrastructure (GI) has gained high interest over the last two decades, as a policy tool to promote sustainable development and enhance the resilience of both the urban and rural environments. GI has the potential to offer multiple benefits through the services and functions performed within ecosystems, and thus its implementation requires an integrated and balanced approach that emphasizes the multifunctional nature of a territory. Multifunctionality along with connectivity and networking appear to be core features accepted by all disciplines using the term. GI incorporates green spaces, or/and blue if aquatic ecosystems are concerned, and other physical features in terrestrial and marine areas. This paper presents the development and application of a methodology to facilitate spatial planning choices, incorporating a green and blue infrastructure (GBI) approach, in a Greek case, the wider area of Lake Trichonida in Western Greece. The conceptual basis of the proposed approach embeds both natural and man-made features that could function as green or blue infrastructure. The methodology and its application facilitated the identification of planning priorities and the pursue of planning objectives, thus supporting the decision-making in the spatial planning process.
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Sant-Geronikolou, Stavroula. "Understanding in-library use data lifecycle within Greek and Spanish higher education ecosystems." Library Hi Tech News 35, no. 7 (September 3, 2018): 13–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/lhtn-10-2017-0077.
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Purpose As learning analytics, an emergent field, nowadays is seen as a way to break barriers to intra-institutional collaboration that will ultimately lead to educational deep transformational change, HE administrators and library and information science (LIS) researchers argue on the purpose of connecting in-library user activity data to campus-wide initiatives, their relevance and potential contribution to library strategic alignment with broader institutional goals. In this realm and framed within a PhD research, this paper aims to provide an overview of preliminary findings relevant to the exploration of the potential of Spanish and Greek academic libraries to becoming involved in learning analytics initiatives Design/methodology/approach Spanish and Greek public university library director large scale mini-survey and LIS undergraduate curricula desk research. Findings Analysis of public university library director mini-survey bring to light a series of negative correlations between different LRRC types, in-library use data collection and sharing practices and library-based learning analytics conversations, while LIS undergraduate curricula review identified a limited integration of learning analytics and assessment critical skills. Originality/value It is the first Greek and Spanish university library-specific study aiming to contribute to the dialogue on whether, how and when the wealth of in-library use-generated knowledge could be capitalized within future learning analytics initiatives.
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ISSARIS, Y., S. KATSANEVAKIS, M. PANTAZI, V. VASSILOPOULOU, P. PANAYOTIDIS, S. KAVADAS, A. KOKKALI, et al. "Ecological mapping and data quality assessment for the needs of ecosystem-based marine spatial management: case study Greek Ionian Sea and the adjacent gulfs." Mediterranean Marine Science 13, no. 2 (November 19, 2012): 297. http://dx.doi.org/10.12681/mms.312.
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Mapping of ecosystem components (natural and socioeconomic) is a prerequisite for ecosystem-based marine spatial management (EB-MSM). To initiate the process of EB-MSM in the Greek Ionian Sea and the adjacent gulfs, the main relevant ecosystem components were mapped based on existing spatial information and expert judgment. The natural components mapped included habitat types and species targeted for conservation, according to national and European legislation and international agreements. Main human activities/pressures related to fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, and industry were also mapped. In order to assess the quality of data used to map ecosystem components and therefore take into consideration the inherent uncertainty, an assessment of 5 semi-quantitative data indicators based on a pedigree matrix was conducted. Through this qualitative approach we gained information related to the sources, acquisition and verification procedures, statistical properties, and temporal & geographical correlation, along with the collection process quality of the ecosystem components under study. A substantial overlapping between ecological features and human activities was identified, confirming the need for a well-planned approach to marine space management, in order to mitigate conflicts for marine resources and conserve marine ecosystems and their associated goods and services.
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Campolo, Daniele. "M.C. Escher and the Calabrian Cultural Landscape of Linguistic Greek Minorities." Advanced Engineering Forum 11 (June 2014): 458–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/aef.11.458.
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The Calabrian Region, in the past centuries, has been a refuge land for groups of different culture and religion from various Mediterranean areas. Today in this area it is still possible to identify three major ethnic language minorities related to historical events dating back to times past: the Greek of Calabria minority in the province of Reggio Calabria, the Waldensians one in the province of Cosenza and the Arbëreshë culture in the province of Cosenza, Crotone and Catanzaro. The existence in the same region of three "historical linguistic minorities", protected by the Law no. 482/1999, is unique in the Italian panorama: this territory is characterized by an ancient culture, an historic and architectonic heritage, and it is also inserted in an environment of great natural value, such as to create the conditions for the attempts to inclusion of this areas in the UNESCO heritage sites within the "Cultural Landscape" category. These territories are formed hierarchically by different ecosystems, deeply influenced by various factors such as the geological composition of the soil, the microclimate, the presence of the fiumare (characteristic Calabrian rivers), the geographical setting difficulties for agriculture and the use of terracing techniques to overcome the lack of large flat areas. The different combinations of these micro-ecosystems creates a complex landscape that can be observed at different scales and is determined by the human management of the various natural resources. No wonder that this landscape inspired Maurits Cornelis Escher to spend many months in this region, drawing and sketching.
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Skoulikidis, Nikolaos Theodor, Ioannis Karaouzas, Yorgos Amaxidis, and Maria Lazaridou. "Impact of EU Environmental Policy Implementation on the Quality and Status of Greek Rivers." Water 13, no. 13 (July 3, 2021): 1858. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w13131858.
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Based on historical and WFD-compliant data, the recent inter-annual ecological status and the long-term chemical-physicochemical quality trends of eighteen characteristic Greek rivers have been assessed and interpreted in view of implementing EU environmental policies and the evolution of human pressures. Considering predominating poor ecological status in most of the river outflows, the strengths and weaknesses of the WFD implementation have been highlighted. The long-term decrease of ammonium and nitrite concentrations along with relatively low recent BOD5 levels, indicate a general improvement of WWTP infrastructure in Greece and the other riparian countries, whereas the improvement of nitrate quality is attributed to the reduction of fertilizers use, and possibly, to the successful application of the Nitrates Directive in certain basins. Despite capacity building in governance and administrative infrastructure the recent years, River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) are being implemented centrally, largely mechanistically, with minor public participation. Regarding WFD implementation weaknesses and gaps, concrete proposals have been formulated considering both policy/administrative and technical issues. To efficiently conserve and restore aquatic ecosystems, the forthcoming RBMPs should be consistent with ecosystem services principles focusing on nature-based solutions, along with changing attitudes of the state authorities and the public.
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Diamandis, Stephanos, and Charikleia Perlerou. "Recent records of hypogeous fungi in Greece." Acta Mycologica 43, no. 2 (December 23, 2013): 139–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.5586/am.2008.017.
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Uncertainty among Greek farmers who are in search of new and profitable crops has increased interest in truffle cultivation. Recent research has come up with 23 taxa of hypogeous fungi new for Greece including gastronomically valuable species. Natural ecosystems of <em>Quercus pubescens, Q. frainetto, Q. ilex</em> and <em>Q. coccifera</em> seem to be rich in hypogeous species. Ecosystems with <em>Corylus avellana, Carpinus betulus</em>, Mediterranean pines and even poplar plantations were found to also host hypogeous fungi. These records, supported by historical information about the existence of truffles in Greece, seem to be encouraging hints for systematic truffle cultivation.
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TRIANTAPHYLLOU, M. V., O. KOUKOUSIOURA, and M. D. DIMIZA. "The presence of the Indo-Pacific symbiont-bearing foraminifer Amphistegina lobifera in Greek coastal ecosystems (Aegean Sea, Eastern Mediterranean)." Mediterranean Marine Science 10, no. 2 (December 2, 2009): 73. http://dx.doi.org/10.12681/mms.111.
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During the last decades, hundreds of species of Indo-Pacific origin from the Red Sea have traversed the Suez Canal and settled in the Eastern Mediterranean. Nowadays, Amphistegina lobifera Larsen, is known to be a successful immigrant that is widely distributed in the coastal ecosystems of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Amphistegina is the most common epiphytic, symbiont- bearing large foraminifer. In this study we provide additional data on the presence of this species in the coastal ecosystems of Aegean Sea, Greece. The high relative abundance of A. lobifera is the result of very successful adaptation of this species to local conditions and suggests that it has become a significant part of the epiphytic foraminiferal fauna.
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Loope, David. "Plant Root Systems Preserved in the Permian Cedar Mesa Sandstone at Moki Dugway, Southeastern Utah." Geosites 1 (December 30, 2019): 1–6. http://dx.doi.org/10.31711/geosites.v1i1.60.
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Rooted green plants represent the base of the food chain for most terrestrial ecosystems, but, compared to animal burrows, root systems are relatively rarely recognized in ancient sedimentary rocks. Plant roots that penetrate unconsolidated sand dunes, especially those containing not only quartz grains, but also abundant grains of calcite (CaCO) are commonly replaced by fine crystals of calcite (Klappa, 1980). These structures (known by geologists as rhizoliths from the Greek for “root rock”) are one form of calcite cemented soil and sediment called caliche. Caliche crystallizes well above the water table and its calcite crystals are tiny because of rapid evaporation of soil water. One source of the calcium (Ca) and carbonate (CO) ions necessary for making the calcite of caliche is falling dust, and another source is the dissolution of calcite grains already in the soil.
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Drakou, Evangelia G., Athanasios S. Kallimanis, Antonios D. Mazaris, Evangelia Apostolopoulou, and John D. Pantis. "Habitat type richness associations with environmental variables: a case study in the Greek Natura 2000 aquatic ecosystems." Biodiversity and Conservation 20, no. 5 (February 8, 2011): 929–43. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10531-011-0005-4.
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Milic, Nikola, Anastasia C. Christinaki, Dimitra Benaki, Aimilia A. Stavrou, Nikolaos Tsafantakis, Nikolas Fokialakis, Vassili N. Kouvelis, and Zacharoula Gonou-Zagou. "Polyphasic Systematics of the Fungicolous Genus Cladobotryum Based on Morphological, Molecular and Metabolomics Data." Journal of Fungi 8, no. 8 (August 20, 2022): 877. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jof8080877.
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(1) Background: Species of the anamorphic genus Cladobotryum, are known for their fungicolous lifestyle, making them important mycopathogens in fungiculture. Many morphological, ecological, and molecular phylogenetic studies of the genus have been done to date, but taxonomic uncertainties and challenges still remain. Fungal secondary metabolites, being vastly diverse, are utilised as an extra tool in fungal systematics. Despite being studied for their potentially bioactive compounds, Cladobotryum species are insufficiently investigated regarding metabolomics. (2) Methods: The aim of this study is the identification of Greek strains of Cladobotryum by integrating morphological data, ITS-based phylogeny, and 1H NMR-based metabolomics into a polyphasic approach. (3) Results: Twenty-three strains, isolated from sporophores of macromycetes inhabiting diverse Greek ecosystems, were morphologically identified as Cladobotryum apiculatum, C. fungicola, C. mycophilum, C. varium, C. verticillatum, and Hypomyces rosellus (anamorph C. dendroides), whereas seven strains, which produced red-pigmented metabolites, presented an ambiguous taxonomic position at the species level. Molecular phylogenetics and metabolomics corroborated the morphological findings. (4) Conclusions: Thorough morphological study, ITS region-based phylogeny, and NMR-based metabolomics contribute complementarily to resolving the genus Cladobotryum systematics.
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Kanini, Grammatiki S., Efstathios A. Katsifas, Alexandros L. Savvides, and Amalia D. Karagouni. "Streptomyces rocheiACTA1551, an Indigenous Greek Isolate Studied as a Potential Biocontrol Agent againstFusarium oxysporumf.sp.lycopersici." BioMed Research International 2013 (2013): 1–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/387230.
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Many studies have shown that several Greek ecosystems inhabit very interesting bacteria with biotechnological properties. ThereforeStreptomycesisolates from diverse Greek habitats were selected for their antifungal activity against the common phytopathogenic fungusFusarium oxysporum. The isolate encoded ACTA1551, member ofStreptomycesgenus, could strongly suppress the fungal growth when examined in antagonistic bioassaysin vitro. The isolate was found phylogenetically relative toStreptomyces rocheiafter analyzing its 16S rDNA sequence. The influence of different environmental conditions, such as medium composition, temperature, and pH on the expression of the antifungal activity was thoroughly examined.Streptomyces rocheiACTA1551 was able to protect tomato seeds fromF. oxysporuminfectionin vivowhile it was shown to promote the growth of tomato plants when the pathogen was absent. In an initial effort towards the elucidation of the biochemical and physiological nature of ACTA1551 antifungal activity, extracts from solid streptomycete cultures under antagonistic or/and not antagonistic conditions were concentrated and fractionated. The metabolites involved in the antagonistic action of the isolate showed to be more than one and produced independently of the presence of the pathogen. The above observations could support the application ofStreptomyces rocheiACTA1551 as biocontrol agent againstF. oxysporum.
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Katsaprakakis, Dimitris Al, Antonia Proka, Dimitris Zafirakis, Markos Damasiotis, Panos Kotsampopoulos, Nikos Hatziargyriou, Eirini Dakanali, George Arnaoutakis, and Dimitrios Xevgenos. "Greek Islands’ Energy Transition: From Lighthouse Projects to the Emergence of Energy Communities." Energies 15, no. 16 (August 18, 2022): 5996. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/en15165996.
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Energy transition in islands constitutes a major challenge. Apart from a necessity, it can also be a great opportunity for sustainable social and economic development. Toward this direction, a new, promising movement has emerged recently in Greek islands. Straight from the roots of the insular population, development of energy communities comes as the result of increased awareness of local people, raised also by the legacy of lighthouse projects and initiatives. Kythnos, Ikaria, Sifnos, Tilos, Agios Efstratios, Crete, and Chalki, are all islands that have embraced the implementation of successful, local-scale innovation projects and/or initiatives, generating meaningful results across different energy aspects and contributing to positive social change. Our study provides an overview of the broader energy transition aspects in Greek islands, discusses the impact of the aforementioned exemplary cases, and further elaborates on the model of energy communities. According to our analysis, leveraging on the experience of lighthouse projects and initiatives, and on the dynamics of the emerging energy community movement, could lead to increased social and economic benefits for the insular populations, to broad public acceptance, and to minimum environmental impacts for the islands’ natural ecosystems.
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Traganos, Dimosthenis, Bharat Aggarwal, Dimitris Poursanidis, Konstantinos Topouzelis, Nektarios Chrysoulakis, and Peter Reinartz. "Towards Global-Scale Seagrass Mapping and Monitoring Using Sentinel-2 on Google Earth Engine: The Case Study of the Aegean and Ionian Seas." Remote Sensing 10, no. 8 (August 5, 2018): 1227. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs10081227.
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Seagrasses are traversing the epoch of intense anthropogenic impacts that significantly decrease their coverage and invaluable ecosystem services, necessitating accurate and adaptable, global-scale mapping and monitoring solutions. Here, we combine the cloud computing power of Google Earth Engine with the freely available Copernicus Sentinel-2 multispectral image archive, image composition, and machine learning approaches to develop a methodological workflow for large-scale, high spatiotemporal mapping and monitoring of seagrass habitats. The present workflow can be easily tuned to space, time and data input; here, we show its potential, mapping 2510.1 km2 of P. oceanica seagrasses in an area of 40,951 km2 between 0 and 40 m of depth in the Aegean and Ionian Seas (Greek territorial waters) after applying support vector machines to a composite of 1045 Sentinel-2 tiles at 10-m resolution. The overall accuracy of P. oceanica seagrass habitats features an overall accuracy of 72% following validation by an independent field data set to reduce bias. We envision that the introduced flexible, time- and cost-efficient cloud-based chain will provide the crucial seasonal to interannual baseline mapping and monitoring of seagrass ecosystems in global scale, resolving gain and loss trends and assisting coastal conservation, management planning, and ultimately climate change mitigation.
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Golfinopoulos, Spyros, Soterios Varnavas, and Dimitrios Alexakis. "The Status of Arsenic Pollution in the Greek and Cyprus Environment: An Overview." Water 13, no. 2 (January 18, 2021): 224. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w13020224.
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This study presents an overview about the arsenic (As) contamination and its sources in two European countries. Arsenic is a highly toxic element in its inorganic form and it is carcinogenic to human seven in low concentrations. The occurrence of As in surface water, stream and marine waters, groundwater, bottled water, sediment, soil, mines, and seafood, its environmental origin, and its impacts on human health are discussed. The classes of Geoaccumulation Index for As in Greece ranges from practically uncontaminated to extremely contaminated, and in Cyprus varies between practically uncontaminated and heavily contaminated. In many cases, the As contamination reaches very high concentrations and the impacts may be crucial for the human health and ecosystems. Physicochemical properties, regional climate and geological setting are controlling the occurrence and transport of As. In Greece and Cyprus, the geology, lithology, and ore-deposits are the most important factors for the variation of As contents in water, soil, and sediment. The dominant As species are also determined by the location and the redox conditions. The findings of this paper may be useful for scientists and stakeholders monitoring the studied areas and applying measures for protection of the human and terrestrial ecological receptors (plants, avian, mammals).
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Zervas, Dimitrios, Ioannis Tsiripidis, Erwin Bergmeier, and Vasiliki Tsiaoussi. "A phytosociological survey of aquatic vegetation in the main freshwater lakes of Greece." Vegetation Classification and Survey 1 (May 4, 2020): 53–75. http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/vcs/2020/48377.
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Aims: This study aims to contribute to the knowledge of European freshwater lake ecosystems with updated and new information on aquatic plant communities, by conducting national-scale phytosociological research of freshwater lake vegetation in Greece. Moreover, it investigates the relationship between aquatic plant communities and lake environmental parameters, including eutrophication levels and hydro-morphological conditions. Study area: Lakes in Greece, SE Europe. Methods: 5,690 phytosociological relevés of aquatic vegetation were sampled in 18 freshwater lake ecosystems during 2013–2016. The relevés were subjected to hierarchical cluster and indicator species analyses in order to identify associations and communities of aquatic vegetation, as well as to describe their syntaxonomy. Multiple regression analysis was applied to investigate the relationship between vegetation syntaxa and environmental parameters of lakes, i.e. physico-chemical parameters and water level fluctuation. Results: Ninety-nine plant taxa belonging to 30 different families were recorded. Forty-six vegetation types were identified and described by their ecological characteristics, diagnostic taxa and syntaxonomical status. Thirteen vegetation types, the largest number belonging to the vegetation class Charetea, are considered to be new records for Greece. The distribution of the vegetation types recorded in the 18 freshwater lakes was found to depend on environmental parameters and levels of eutrophication. Conclusions: An updated aquatic vegetation inventory was produced for Greek lakes, and primary results showed that the presence/absence of aquatic plant communities and the community composition in freshwater lakes can be utilized to assess the pressure of eutrophication on lake ecosystems. Taxonomic reference: Euro+Med (2006–). Abbreviations: MNT = Mean number of taxa; WFD = Water Framework Directive.
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Anastasiou, Thekla I., Manolis Mandalakis, Nikos Krigas, Thomas Vézignol, Diamanto Lazari, Pantelis Katharios, Thanos Dailianis, and Efthimia Antonopoulou. "Comparative Evaluation of Essential Oils from Medicinal-Aromatic Plants of Greece: Chemical Composition, Antioxidant Capacity and Antimicrobial Activity against Bacterial Fish Pathogens." Molecules 25, no. 1 (December 30, 2019): 148. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/molecules25010148.
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The administration of antibiotics in aquaculture has raised concern about the impact of their overuse in marine ecosystems, seafood safety and consumers’ health. This “green consumerism” has forced researchers to find new alternatives against fish pathogens. The present study focused on 12 Mediterranean medicinal-aromatic plants as potential antimicrobials and antioxidant agents that could be used in fish aquaculture. In vitro assays showed that the essential oils (EOs) from all studied plants had anti-bacterial and antioxidant properties, with their efficacy being dependent on their chemical composition. More specifically, EOs rich in carvacrol, p-cymene and γ-terpinene exhibited not only the strongest inhibitory activity against the growth of bacterial pathogens (inhibitory concentration: 26–88 μg mL−1), but also the greatest total antioxidant capacity (ABTS: 2591–5879 μmole mL−1; CUPRAC: 931–2733 μmole mL−1). These compounds were mainly found in the EOs from Greek oregano (Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum), Spanish oregano (Thymbra capitata) and savoury (Satureja thymbra) collected from cultivations in Greece. The specific EOs stand out as promising candidates for the treatment of bacterial diseases and oxidative stress in farmed fish. Further in vivo experiments are needed to fully understand the effects of EO dietary supplementation on fish farming processes.
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Tzatzaki, Vicky. "Adapting the legal framework of natural marine resources management to climate disruption: The case of Greece." Arctic Review on Law and Politics 9 (2018): 359. http://dx.doi.org/10.23865/arctic.v9.1214.
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The impacts of climate change on marine resources are well known and demand mitigation and adaptation measures in order to protect the ecosystems. This entails more than simply altering management practices; it requires altering goal setting and managing transitions to new ecosystemic conditions. In the European Union, the main legal tool for protection of the marine environment is the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Greece, as a member state of the European Union, has transposed the Marine Strategy Framework Directive into its national legal order and has developed legal structures to protect its marine resources from various threats, including climate change. The present paper aims to present the legal and policy management tools in Greece, relevant to implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and climate change adaptation. For methodological reasons, the paper is divided into two parts: The first part deals with those legal tools that apply to an initial assessment of the environmental quality of Greek marine waters, while the second part analyzes legislative activities pertinent to the design and implementation of programs and measures. The aim of the national legislation is to maintain the ecosystemic integrity of the marine waters of Greece and to preserve the unique characteristics of the aquatic environment with respect to present and future generations. However, the analysis shows that a holistic legal framework demands explicit provisions for climate change impacts, while the existing framework focuses primarily on anthropogenic pressures on the marine environment. Responsible Editor: Elise Johansen, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
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Ocheretyany, K. А. "Symbiotes of the Digital Environment: to the Epidemiological Theory of the Interface." Discourse 8, no. 4 (September 27, 2022): 29–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.32603/2412-8562-2022-8-4-29-41.
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Introduction. In modern life sciences, it is impossible to ignore the problems of viruses, bacteria, parasites and their impact on the ecosystems. But the interface is a human ecosystem of the digital age and a new formation of life, which means that it also needs to be understood from subdiscursive elements, such as digital analogues of viruses, bacteria, and parasites.Methodology and sources. Methodologically, the work is based on a philosophical analysis of the challenges and precedents of the digital field, examples of research literature, the methods of media philosophy, anarchist epistemology, and philosophical epidemiology are applied (M. Foucault, K. Kukso).Results and discussion. The article shows that the epistemological understanding of the interface should be supplemented with an epidemiological understanding, otherwise the principles and forms of life translated into numbers will elude theory.The interface is thought of as a condition of possibilities: discursive, instrumental, demonstrative. The interface is seen as an epistemological configuration (from the Greek ῐ̔ѧστημῐ, i.e. not just “possessing knowledge”, but “possessing”, – to establish, appoint) – as a form of power, i.e. as a series of forced measures, reacting to something not completely determined, spontaneous, but imperceptibly limiting and transforming the will, the very logic of the act, or the pragmatics of the action.Conclusion. To understand the interface, it is necessary to shift attention from various plugins, drivers, interactive mechanics that determine epistemological possibilities to microprocesses that build the interface as a user experience based on epidemiological restrictions.
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Vlados, Charalampos Michael, Nikolaos Deniozos, and Demosthenes Chatzinikolaou. "Towards A New Approach of Local Development under Crisis Conditions: Empowering the Local Business Ecosystems in Greece, by Adopting a New Local Development Policy." International Journal of Regional Development 5, no. 1 (December 2, 2017): 1. http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/ijrd.v5i1.11955.
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The competitiveness of the Greek economy evolves, both in the present crisis and later on, according to the dynamic micro-level environment and its transformations. This evolution depends on the SME’s abilities to claim a significant role in the new, competitive global environment, which is characterized by a continuous reshaping process. Respectively, the goal of achieving development in the local scale is of vital importance. This paper attempts to approach and highlight a new framework, by proposing a new business ecosystems approach and policy, focusing on the implementation of a method for strengthening the SME’s physiology. This method proposes the construction of systematic knowledge and innovation mechanisms, on a local scale; the Local Development and Innovation Institutes (LDI’s). Subsequently, we analyze the regional data in Greece in order to highlight the most affected by the crisis region and to experimentally establish the Local Development Institutes.
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Vassi, Avgi, Konstantina Siountri, Kalliopi Papadaki, Alkistis Iliadi, Anna Ypsilanti, and Efthimios Bakogiannis. "The Greek Urban Policy Reform through the Local Urban Plans (LUPs) and the Special Urban Plans (SUPs), Funded by Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF)." Land 11, no. 8 (August 3, 2022): 1231. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/land11081231.
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The lack of defined land uses in most parts of Greece (80%) has led to multiple environmental problems and phenomena of informal (arbitrary) construction with secondary side effects, such as a lack of basic technical and environmental infrastructure, unfair competition among private investors, the strengthening of climate change (increase in the number of urban diffusion) and the decline of natural and cultural resources. The Greek urban policy, over the last 100 years, has not succeeded in limiting these problems and for that reason the new Law 4759/2020 is expected to promote the development of a more efficient spatial planning system reform implemented through the Local Urban Plans (LUPs) and the Special Urban Plans (SUPs) that are funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). These programs will contribute to the preservation of cultural heritage and to the development of productive activities at both local and national levels, especially on the sectors of renewable energy sources, the circular economy, and the construction of “green” materials, digital applications and products etc. LUPs and SUPs are related to the holistic reform of the national urban policy and the relevant planning system that horizontally affects a wide range of policy areas such as: environmental protection and adaptation to climate change (for natural ecosystems and biodiversity; agriculture; forestry; fisheries; water resources; coastal zones), built environment and development, protection of historic sites and buildings, allocation of the public infrastructure, allocation of investments etc. The General Secretariat of Spatial Planning and Urban Environment Ministry of Environment and Energy has the main responsibility for the implementation procedures of all the proposed actions that will start in 2022 and will end in 2026. This paper focuses on the analysis of the current urban policy reform in Greece and the reasons that this reform is considered an immediate necessity in the current Greek urban legislative framework and the expected outcomes of LUPs and SUPs, which are examined in the literature for the first time, contributing to research on the present EU planning systems.
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Papanastasiou, Iosif, Nickolas G. Kavallieratos, Georgios Th Papadoulis, Christina Emmanouil, and Nikolaos G. Emmanouel. "Geographical Distribution and Long-Term Monitoring of Physokermes hellenicus (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae) on Abies spp. (Pinales: Pinaceae) in Greece." Insects 12, no. 11 (November 6, 2021): 1001. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/insects12111001.
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The scale Physokermes hellenicus (Kozár & Gounari) (Hemiptera: Coccidae) has been recently included in the Greek entomofauna as a beneficial honeydew species. However, there are no adequate data about its geographical distribution and degree of infestation. Therefore, a study was conducted to examine these parameters in fifteen mountains of Greece. Furthermore, the monitoring of P. hellenicus infestation was carried out over a six-year period with regard to natural enemies and honeydew presence at three mountains (i.e., Menalon, Parnis and Tymfristos) that are traditional honeybee foraging areas. An extensive geographical distribution of the scale was negatively correlated with the latitude. Over the period of the study, P. hellenicus infestation exhibited a decreasing trend in the three mountains, which was more obvious at Menalon. The abundance of natural enemies of P. hellenicus, their effectiveness on honeydew excretion and the fecundity of P. hellenicus are discussed. The reduction in the honey produced at the Menalon mountain (a protected designation of origin product) could be attributed to the reduced presence of P. hellenicus in the fir forest. Among the other identified arthropods, Dreyfusia nordmannianae Eckstein (Hemiptera: Adelgidae) is reported for the first time infesting Abies cephalonica (Pinales: Pinaceae) in Greece. Furthermore, this species is reported for the first time as a co-parasite with P. hellenicus on A. cephalonica in Greece. Since D. nordmannianae is a serious pest, additional research is needed to determine its status in Greek fir forest ecosystems.
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ADEGUN, Olumuyiwa Bayode. "GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE IN RELATION TO INFORMAL URBAN SETTLEMENTS." JOURNAL OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM 41, no. 1 (March 27, 2017): 22–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.3846/20297955.2017.1296791.
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Green infrastructure plays a critical role in environmentally sustainable urbanization in developing countries. Based on a review of academic outputs, this paper explores green infrastructure in the context of informal urban settlements. It identifies three ways informal settlements are connected to green spaces and natural ecosystems functioning as urban green infrastructure and then shows examples of benefits derived (ecosystem services) by the urban poor from these connections. Undesirable aspects and negative outcomes, regarded as ecosystem disservices, from the connection to natural ecosystems are also pointed out. The potentials of enhancing ecosystem services in terms of improving quality of life and the environment in informal settlements came to the fore. This work contributes to the growing body of knowledge on urban green infrastructure from the perspective of informal settlements in developing countries.
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ZOTOS, Anastasios, Chariklia KOSMA, Vassilios TRIANTAFYLLIDIS, Ioanna KAKABOUKI, George KEHAYIAS, Ioannis ROUSSIS, Antonios MAVROEIDIS, Alexandros TATARIDAS, and Dimitrios BILALIS. "Plant species diversity of the wet meadows under natural and anthropogenic interventions: The case of the Lakes Amvrakia and Ozeros (W. Greece)." Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca 49, no. 3 (September 3, 2021): 12435. http://dx.doi.org/10.15835/nbha49312435.
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The Lakes Amvrakia and Ozeros (W. Greece) belong to the western chain of Greek wetlands running along the coast of the Ionian Sea. They are both natural lakes belonging to the Natura 2000, Site of Community Importance (pSCI) and are characterized by high ecological value. Wet meadows are typical habitat types of these wetland ecosystems which are in contact with rural ecosystems which they interact with. Due to the high conservation value of these habitat types, in the framework of this study the flora of the wet meadows was recorded and a floristic analysis concerning chorology, life forms and habitat preferences was made. A total number of 152 taxa was found in the wet meadows of both lakes from which only 47 taxa were common. The families with the greatest number of species were Fabaceae (22 taxa), Asteraceae (14 taxa) and Poaceae (9 taxa) for the wet meadow vegetation of the Lake Amvrakia and Fabaceae, Poaceae (17 and 13 taxa, respectively) for the Lake Ozeros. In both lakes the prevalence of the Therophytes is evident, while the life forms of Chamephytes and Aquatics were absent from the Lake Amvrakia. From the results of the canonical correspondence analysis among species, sampling plots and selected environmental variables, a clear separation between species and sampling plots was found, presenting strong correlation with specific edaphic parameters (pH, CaCO3, EC, , Total N, SOC and ). These edaphic properties, as a result of natural and anthropogenic interventions, seem to play an important role in the wet meadows plant species distribution pattern.
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Kim, Jongyun, and Wanmo Kang. "Assessing Green Roof Contributions to Tree Canopy Ecosystem Services and Connectivity in a Highly Urbanized Area." Land 11, no. 8 (August 10, 2022): 1281. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/land11081281.
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Ecosystem services refer to the benefits provided to humans by the natural environment and healthy ecosystems. Green roofs can be used to enhance ecosystem services, which are reduced by urbanization. Moreover, green roofs can improve biodiversity by connecting green spaces. Therefore, it is necessary to examine the multi-dimensional contributions of green roofs to urban ecosystems. To this end, we used i-Tree Canopy to identify changes in land cover and tree canopy ecosystem services from 2003 to 2021 in Suwon City, Republic of Korea. Next, we simulated improved ecosystem service effects of tree canopies by green roofs. Graph theory was also used to analyze connectivity improvement at local and landscape scales. Tree area was found to decrease from 2003 to 2012, alongside the corresponding ecosystem services, which then showed a tendency to increase from 2012 to 2021. The tree area was expected to increase further in the green roof scenario than in 2003. Green roofs were found to improve tree canopy connectivity at the landscape scale more than the local scale, by acting as stepping stones in connecting fragmented forests and trees. Areas with improved connectivity at both scales should be prioritized for green roof development. These results will aid in the strategic planning of urban green infrastructure and provide support for decision-making processes to improve ecosystem services and connectivity using green roofs.
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Stefanidis, Papaioannou, Markogianni, and Dimitriou. "Water Quality and Hydromorphological Variability in Greek Rivers: A Nationwide Assessment with Implications for Management." Water 11, no. 8 (August 13, 2019): 1680. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w11081680.
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European rivers are under ecological threat by a variety of stressors. Nutrient pollution, soil erosion, and alteration in hydrology are considered the most common problems that riverine ecosystems are facing today. Not surprisingly, river monitoring activities in Europe have been intensified during the last few years to fulfil the Water Framework Directive (WFD) requirements. With this article, we present a nationwide assessment of the water quality and hydromorphological variability in Greek Rivers based on the results of the national monitoring program under the WFD. Water quality and hydromorphological data from 352 sites belonging to 221 rivers were explored with principal component analysis (PCA) to identify main environmental gradients and the variables that contribute the most to the total variance. Nitrate, phosphate, ammonium and electrical conductivity were identified as the most important water chemistry parameters, and typical vector-based spatial data analysis was applied to map their spatial distribution at sub-basin scale. In addition, we conducted simple linear models between the aforementioned parameters and the share of land uses within the basin of each sampling site in order to identify significant relationships. Agriculture was the most important land use affecting the nitrate and electrical conductivity, while artificial surfaces were the best predictor for phosphate and ammonium. Concerning the hydromorphological variability, fine types of substrate and discharge were the variables with the highest contribution to the total variance. Overall, the results of this article can be used for the preliminary assessment of susceptible areas/rivers to high levels of nutrient pollution that can aid water managers to formulate recommendations for improvement of further monitoring activities. Furthermore, our findings implicate the need for enhancement of agri-environmental measures and reduction of point-source pollution in disturbed areas to avert the risk of further environmental degradation under the anticipated global change.
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Lundholm, Jeremy T. "Spontaneous dynamics and wild design in green roofs." Israel Journal of Ecology and Evolution 62, no. 1-2 (April 12, 2016): 23–31. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15659801.2015.1025511.
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Green roofs and other constructed environments represent novel ecosystems, yet have potential to contribute to biodiversity conservation goals. Constructed ecosystems are intentionally managed to produce specific services, and thus could be viewed as highly artificial or controlled. Yet all constructed ecosystems exhibit spontaneous dynamics, as community structure changes due to internal or external ecological processes. While all green roofs have some element of design and human control over ecological trajectories, the level of ongoing management can vary greatly. I discuss “wildness” as a characteristic of green roofs in response to their spontaneous dynamics after initial setup, and their potential to provide ecosystem services related to human psychological well-being, aesthetics and habitat for biodiversity. This approach suggests new design possibilities in interaction with spontaneous ecosystem dynamics and highlights a need for greater ecological understanding of green roof systems.
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SIMBOURA, N., and A. ZENETOS. "Benthic indicators to use in Ecological Quality classification of Mediterranean soft bottom marine ecosystems, including a new Biotic Index." Mediterranean Marine Science 3, no. 2 (December 1, 2002): 77. http://dx.doi.org/10.12681/mms.249.
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A general scheme for approaching the objective of Ecological Quality Status (EcoQ) classification of zoobenthic marine ecosystems is presented. A system based on soft bottom benthic indicator species and related habitat types is suggested to be used for testing the typological definition of a given water body in the Mediterranean. Benthic indices including the Shannon-Wiener diversity index and the species richness are re-evaluated for use in classification. Ranges of values and of ecological quality categories are given for the diversity and species richness in different habitat types. A new biotic index (BENTIX) is proposed based on the relative percentages of three ecological groups of species grouped according to their sensitivity or tolerance to disturbance factors and weighted proportionately to obtain a formula rendering a five step numerical scale of ecological quality classification. Its advantage against former biotic indices lies in the fact that it reduces the number of the ecological groups involved which makes it simpler and easier in its use. The Bentix index proposed is tested and validated with data from Greek and western Mediterranean ecosystems and examples are presented. Indicator species associated with specific habitat types and pollution indicator species, scored according to their degree of tolerance to pollution, are listed in a table. The Bentix index is compared and evaluated against the indices of diversity and species richness for use in classification. The advantages of the BENTIX index as a classification tool for ECoQ include independence from habitat type, sample size and taxonomic effort, high discriminative power and simplicity in its use which make it a robust, simple and effective tool for application in the Mediterranean Sea.
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Psychoudakis, A., A. Ragkos, and M. Seferlis. "An assessment of wetland management scenarios: the case of Zazari–Cheimaditida (Greece)." Water Supply 5, no. 6 (December 1, 2005): 115–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/ws.2005.0056.
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This study suggests an integrated framework for the assessment of wetland management scenarios, based on a holistic approach of wetland ecosystems. All costs and benefits of management scenarios are estimated in terms of the value of wetland functions, which are indirectly valuated with a Contingent Valuation of goods and services they provide. The social impact of introducing the scenarios is also investigated with a stakeholder analysis, based on a survey. Scenario plausibility and acceptability are examined based on the results of the stakeholder analysis; on the other hand, the assessment of the scenarios, using cost-benefit analysis and multi-criteria analysis, provides quantitative performance indicators adequate to incorporate uncertainties and mutable policy objectives. This framework is applied to assess three management scenarios for a Greek wetland. The results indicate that the continuation of existing management practices is the most efficient alternative unless interventions for the restoration of wetland functions are conservatively budgeted, while a wetland drainage scenario performs poorly both in terms of economic efficiency and social impact.
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Karagianni, Aikaterini, Anna Artemiou, Athanassios C. Tsikliras, and Evangelia Michaloudi. "Summer mesozooplankton assemblages in relation to environmental parameters in Kavala Gulf, northern Aegean Sea." Scientia Marina 83, no. 1 (March 26, 2019): 41. http://dx.doi.org/10.3989/scimar.04836.16a.
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Shallow coastal areas are ecosystems with high productivity. Although the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea is oligotrophic, the shallow coastal waters of the northern Aegean, such as Kavala Gulf, are productive due to the influence of the Black Sea water and the presence of freshwater input from three rivers. The aim of this work was to determine the structure of zooplankton communities in Kavala Gulf in the summer of 2002 and 2003 and to investigate their relation to environmental variables. Zooplankton communities were characterized by the presence of common coastal Cladocera, such as Penilia avirostris, small pelagic Copepoda, such as the calanoida Acartia clausi and the cyclopoida Oithona plumifera, and Tunicata, such as Oikopleura, Fritillaria and Doliolidae. The abundances corresponded to the peak of the warm period and were significantly greater in 2002 because of a P. avirostris bloom, which seemed to have better exploited the environmental sources favouring its dominance in the area. Overall, the structure of summer mesozooplankton communities in Kavala Gulf follows the pattern exhibited by mesozooplankton communities in other Greek coastal areas of the northern Aegean Sea.
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Stamou, Georgia, Agni Savva, Maria Demertzioglou, and Evangelia Michaloudi. "Diversity of Rotifera (Subclass: Monogononta) from Inland Water Bodies in Greece: An Updated Checklist." Diversity 14, no. 6 (June 3, 2022): 451. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/d14060451.
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Biodiversity records are recognized as important for both diversity conservation and ecological studies under the light of global threats faced by aquatic ecosystems. Here, the checklist of Greek rotifer species is presented based on a literature review, as well as current data from 38 inland water bodies. A total of 172 Monogononta rotifer species were recorded to belong to 21 families and 44 genera. The most diverse genera were Lecane, Brachionus, and Trichocerca, accounting for 34% of the recorded species. Trichocerca similis, Brachionus angularis, Filinia longiseta, Asplanchna priodonta, Keratella tecta, Keratella quadrata, and Keratella cochlearis were the most frequent species with a high frequency of occurrence over 60%, with K. cochlearis being the most frequently recorded (86%). Furthermore, we used rarefaction indices, and the potential richness was estimated at 264 taxa. More sampling efforts aiming at littoral species, as well as different habitats such as temporary pools, ponds, and rivers, are expected to increase the known rotifer fauna in Greece. We expect that additional molecular analyses will be needed to clarify the members of species complexes, likely providing additional species.
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KALOGIANNI, ELENI, NICHOLAS KOUTSIKOS, LEONIDAS VARDAKAS, SOFIA GIAKOUMI, YORGOS CHATZINIKOLAOU, and ANTHI OIKONOMOU. "Impacts of the alien mosquitofish on the abundance and condition of two Mediterranean native fish." Mediterranean Marine Science 20, no. 4 (December 20, 2019): 727. http://dx.doi.org/10.12681/mms.19068.
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The rapid decline of the Greek native Valencia letourneuxi, and its recently described sister species Valencia robertae, has been often attributed to habitat degradation, as well as aggression from or resource competition with the alien mosquitofish Gambusia holbrooki. The mosquitofish is extremely wide-spread in Mediterranean freshwater ecosystems, however, documentation on its presumed negative impacts on native freshwater fishes is limited. In this study, we compared abundance, condition and gonad weight of Valencia spp. in no co-occurrence versus co-occurrence to the mosquitofish, using data collected from eight aquatic systems of Greece, over a five year period (2005 to 2009). Our results show that Valencia abundance is significantly lower in co-occurrence to the Eastern mosquitofish. Furthermore, female Valencia spp. individuals in co-occurrence to the mosquitofish were smaller in length and had poorer somatic condition compared to females in habitats not invaded by the mosquitofish. The mechanisms responsible for these effects of the alien mosquitofish as well as the conservation implications for native Valencia populations are discussed.
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Vlados, Charis, and Dimos Chatzinikolaou. "Stra.Tech.Man innovation, HRM and Perception of Educational Needs in Underdeveloped Business Ecosystems: The Case of Retail Sector Firms in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace." International Journal of Human Resource Studies 10, no. 2 (June 2, 2020): 330. http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/ijhrs.v10i2.17139.
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Innovation becomes widely perceived as the most significant ingredient of socioeconomic development, for all types of organizations, at all spatial levels. This study aims to examine how a specific category of business people understand the phenomenon of innovation in relation to the dimensions of Human Resource Management (HRM) and intra- and external business education and training. It explores in particular how the firms of a less developed regional business ecosystem perceive this triangle of innovation-education-human resources, what is their current image and how this comprehension evolves over the last years. Through field research in firms located in the Greek region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, we highlight these qualitative correlations between innovation, workforce management, training, and education. Our findings suggest that the “image” of these entrepreneurs to these issues lacks interpretive depth and practical cohesion, which is related to pathogenies caused and causing the overall relative socioeconomic underdevelopment in the region. The originality of this research derives from the presentation and analysis of specific firms’ and professionals’ perceptions of innovation, which are relatively far from the standards set by the corresponding modern scientific literature and practice.
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Solomou, Alexandra D., and Athanassios Sfougaris. "Contribution of Agro-Environmental Factors to Yield and Plant Diversity of Olive Grove Ecosystems (Olea europaea L.) in the Mediterranean Landscape." Agronomy 11, no. 1 (January 16, 2021): 161. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11010161.
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Olive cultivation (Olea europaea L.) is one of the most significant sources of income for agricultural areas in the Mediterranean basin, and the olive oil industry as well as the environmental protection are an important part of the Greek agricultural sector. Generalized Linear Models were applied in order to investigate the predictive strength of several biodiversity components and agro-environmental factors for yield and herbaceous plant diversity (species richness) in organic and conventional olive groves of Greece. Our study highlights an increase in yields of organic olive groves by increasing manure application and the earthworms’ density. In the conventional olive groves, yields increase by increasing soil organic matter and the application of inorganic fertilizer N. Also, the herbaceous plant species richness increases with increasing the Shannon diversity index of herbaceous plants, the field area, the application of organic fertilizer K and the manure in organic olive groves. As for the conventional ones, herbaceous plant species richness increases with the increase of the application of inorganic fertilizer N. Moreover, some plant species could be regarded as indicators of the differently managed olive groves. Conclusively, this study contributes to the integration of biodiversity conservation with ecologically sustainable agriculture and conservation of agroecosystem. Finally, it could be utilized as a decision and management tool to the scientific and agricultural community reinforcing the knowledge about the agro-environmental impact in olive grove management systems.
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Blazy, Rafał, Hanna Hrehorowicz-Gaber, Alicja Hrehorowicz-Nowak, and Arkadiusz Płachta. "The Synergy of Ecosystems of Blue and Green Infrastructure and Its Services in the Metropolitan Area—Chances and Dangers." Sustainability 13, no. 4 (February 16, 2021): 2103. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13042103.
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Ecosystems have become synanthropized, and the degree of their transformation depends on their susceptibility to anthropopressure, but they are necessary for the functioning of the anthropogenic environment. They provide many ecosystem services, yet they are often not protected in any way, and their value is not taken into account at all in the process of creating local development plans. The analysis of the blue and green infrastructure covered three municipalities: Łapanów, Gdów, and Dobczyce. To calculate the benefits of ecosystem services, the method of calculating the Ve coefficient was adopted, which would enable a more accurate financial evaluation of the local development plan and make the previously synthetic economic coefficient of net present value (NPV) real. Besides, the impact of water bodies on the financial benefits of ecosystem services was analyzed. Only the protection of ecosystems introduced by including it in the local development plan enables full ecosystem synergy. Next to anthropological ecosystems, there are also natural ecosystems, which are necessary for the proper functioning of the commune. The network of those includes green (in the case of vegetated areas) and blue (in the case of surface waters) infrastructure, and their synergy is the key to the sustainable development of the commune.
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VERNIHOROVA, N. V. "PARK ECOSYSTEM SERVICES AND THEIR EVALUATION." Economic innovations 24, no. 2(83) (June 20, 2022): 53–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.31520/ei.2022.24.2(83).53-65.
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Topicality. Improving the urban landscaping system requires an understanding of the needs of the green economy, as well as the functionality of park ecosystems and prospects for their application. Therefore, it is important to study the ecosystem services of parks and determine their beneficial effects on the socio-economic space of the city. An important component of this problem is the improvement of park assessment methods, which will cover the assessed parameters more widely.Aim and tasks. The purpose of the article is to determine the benefits of different groups of park ecosystem services, as well as to provide proposals for calculating indicators of functional assessments of park ecosystems, and financial indicators of the green economy. The task is to analyze and summarize the existing approaches to the assessment of ecosystems, to determine the main problem of integrated assessment of ecosystem services of parks.Research results. The effectiveness of measures to improve and develop urban parks largely depends on understanding the functionality of ecosystems and the ability to find their application in accordance with the needs of the city and its inhabitants. Existing methods of assessing parks are less concerned with ecosystems, although they are a resource for creating cultural and recreational assets. Assessment of ecosystem services mainly concerns large natural ecosystems (seas, forests, wetlands). Parks are approached mainly as architectural complexes. However, the assessment of ecosystem services is quite complex, and in the field of park management little studied, which is the impetus for a new approach to the assessment of parks.To see the general situation of the development of the park object, or the landscaping system of the city as a whole, a comprehensive approach is important - the assessment of economic and natural parameters. Assessment of ecosystem services can sometimes provide unexpected results that clearly show the dependence of urban agglomerations on the surrounding natural ecosystems, and increase the value of natural centers in the city.Conclusion. The proposed calculations are intended to facilitate the visual presentation of the parameters of financial support of the park economy, providing the city with park facilities, as well as the functional capabilities of existing green spaces. Most estimates are based on field research or statistics, so it can be noted that in addition to methodological developments, it is necessary to improve the system of monitoring and accounting of parks. This is especially true of the ability to assess ecosystem services.
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Tundisi, JG, T. Matsumura-Tundisi, and JEM Tundisi. "Reservoirs and human well being: new challenges for evaluating impacts and benefits in the neotropics." Brazilian Journal of Biology 68, no. 4 suppl (November 2008): 1133–35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/s1519-69842008000500020.
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As in many other continents, neotropical ecosystems are impacted by the construction of reservoirs. These artificial ecosystems change considerably the natural terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and their biodiversity. The multiple uses of reservoirs promote benefits for the human beings in terms of economic development, income, jobs and employment. Services of reservoirs are important assets for the regional ecosystem. Evaluation of ecosystem services produced by artificial reservoirs, are new challenges to the understanding of the cost/benefit relationships of reservoir construction in the neotropics. Regulating and other services promoted by reservoirs lead to new trends for "green technology" and the implementation of ecohydrological and ecotechnological developments. This approach can be utilized with better success as a substitute for the usual impact/benefit evaluation of the reservoirs. Better and diversified services can be achieved with "green technology" applied to the construction.
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Noll, Dominik, Christian Lauk, Veronika Gaube, and Dominik Wiedenhofer. "Caught in a Deadlock: Small Ruminant Farming on the Greek Island of Samothrace. The Importance of Regional Contexts for Effective EU Agricultural Policies." Sustainability 12, no. 3 (January 21, 2020): 762. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12030762.
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Sedentary extensive small ruminant farming systems are highly important for the preservation of High Nature Value (HNV) farmland. Both the abandonment of grazing and overgrazing have led to environmental degradation in many Mediterranean regions. On the Greek island of Samothrace, decades of overgrazing by sheep and goats has caused severe degradation of local ecosystems. The present study highlights the importance of regional contexts for national and EU agricultural policies in regard to sustainable development of sedentary extensive livestock systems. By utilizing the conceptual framework of socio-ecological systems research, we analyze the interdependencies of environmental, economic and social factors on a local island level. Results show that between 1929 and 2016, the livestock and land-use system of Samothrace transformed from a diverse system towards a simplified system, solely used for small ruminant production. Total livestock units increased from 2200 in 1929 to 7850 in 2002, declining to 5100 thereafter. The metabolic analysis conducted for the years 1993–2016 shows that 80–90% of the feed demand of small ruminants was covered by grazing, exceeding available grazing resources for at least a decade. The regional implementation of CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) continues to support excessively high animal numbers, while farmers are highly dependent on subsidies and find themselves in an economic deadlock.
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VAGIANOU (ΒΑΓΙΑΝΟΥ ΣΤ), St, F. ATHANASSOPOULOU (Φ. ΑΘΑΝΑΣΟΠΟΥΛΟΥ), V. RAGIAS (Β ΡΑΓΙΑΣ), D. Di CAVE, L. LEONTIDIS (Λ. ΛΕΟΝΤΙΔΗΣ), and E. GOLOMAZOU (Ε. ΓΚΟΛΟΜΑΖΟΥ). "Prevalence and pathology of ectoparasites of Mediterranean fish, reared under three different environmental and aquaculture conditions in Greece." Journal of the Hellenic Veterinary Medical Society 55, no. 3 (December 6, 2017): 203. http://dx.doi.org/10.12681/jhvms.15147.
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Sea bream Spams aurata L. and sea bass Dicentrarchus labraxL. were sampled from three different locations in Greece (2 cage fish farms located in different geographic areas and a lagoon), in order to investigate the prevalence of Metazoa parasites, the intensity and the factors associated with the prevalence. In farm 1 (Eastern Greece) the prevalence of the ectoparasites was: 61.5% and 76.9% for Monogenea, 0% for Isopoda and 0% and 23% for Copepoda in sea bream and sea bass, respectively. In farm 2 the prevalence was: 13.3% and 26.3% for Monogenea, 13.7% and 20% for Isopoda and 0% and 13.6% for Copepoda in sea bream and sea bass, respectively. Lesions in the gills of Sparidae were due to monogeneans, but lesions in the skin and eyes were due to Ceratothoa oestroides larval stages causing severe pathology. Furnestinia. echeneis and Diplectanum aequans were host specific for sea bream and bass, respectively and showed persistence in all aquaculture systems. The Greek lagoon had the largest variety of parasites among the ecosystems studied, however, this variety did not significantly affect the health of infected fish. Lernanthropus kroyeri was host specific and was detected only in sea bass in both cage farms investigated.
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Sribianti, Irma, Muthmainnah, Hikmah, and Kiswandi. "Economic valuation of mangrove ecosystem environmental services based on green economy." IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 886, no. 1 (November 1, 2021): 012116. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/886/1/012116.
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Abstract One of the important agendas in current development is promoting mangrove forests as one of the green economic assets in Indonesia. The green economy concept emphasizes improving people’s welfare but reducing the risk of environmental damage and scarcity of ecological functions. One approach that can be used to maintain economic activity and preserve the environment is the economic valuation approach. Therefore, this study aims to measure the value of the economic benefits of mangrove ecosystem services as one of the concepts of the green economy as an effort to support government programs to realize the mangrove ecosystem as a green economic asset in Indonesia. The economic valuation method used to calculate the mangrove ecosystem’s environmental services in Takalar Lama Village, Mappakasunggu District, Takalar Regency. The value of mangrove ecosystem environmental services calculated in this study is the value of abrasion resistance, the importance of preventing seawater intrusion, the value of crab feed providers, the value of carbon sequestration, the value of oxygen production, and the value of maintaining biodiversity. The results revealed that the value of the benefits of mangrove forest environmental services as a barrier to abrasion was IDR 32,457,189/ha/year or IDR 973,715,670/year, the value to prevent seawater intrusion was IDR 3,394.445,688/ha/year or IDR 101,833,370,640/year, the value of benefits as a provider of crab feed is IDR 544,320,000/ha/year or IDR 16,329,600,000/year, the annual carbon sequestration value is IDR 198,300.07/ha/year or IDR 5,949,002.1/year, the value of oxygen production is IDR 2,011,590/ha/year or IDR 60,347,700/year, and the value of biodiversity is IDR 637,376/ha/year or IDR 19,121,280/year so that the total value of environmental services for mangrove ecosystems based on green economics is IDR 3,974,070,143.1/ha/year (275,052.13 USD/ha/year) or IDR 119.222.104.292,1/year (8,250,663 USD/year).
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Arribas-Ibar, Manel, Petra Nylund, and Alexander Brem. "The Risk of Dissolution of Sustainable Innovation Ecosystems in Times of Crisis: The Electric Vehicle during the COVID-19 Pandemic." Sustainability 13, no. 3 (January 27, 2021): 1319. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13031319.
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Innovation ecosystems evolve and adapt to crises, but what are the factors that stimulate ecosystem growth in spite of dire circumstances? We study the arduous path forward of the electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem and analyse in depth those factors that influence ecosystem growth in general and during the pandemic in particular. For the EV ecosystem, growth implies outcompeting the less sustainable internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, thus achieving a transition towards sustainable transportation. New mobility patterns provide a strategic opportunity for such a shift to green mobility and for EV ecosystem growth. For innovation ecosystems in general, we suggest that a crisis can serve as an opportunity for new innovations to break through by disrupting prior behavioural patterns. For the EV ecosystem in particular, it remains to be seen if the ecosystem will be able to capitalize on the opportunity provided by the unfortunate disruption generated by the pandemic.
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Komninos, Nicos. "Transformation of Industry Ecosystems in Cities and Regions: A Generic Pathway for Smart and Green Transition." Sustainability 14, no. 15 (August 6, 2022): 9694. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su14159694.
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This research paper focuses on pathways towards a digital and green transition. We assess a generic pathway for the transformation of industry ecosystems in cities and regions based on processes of prioritisation, ecosystem identification, and platform-based digital and green transition. We start with problem definition and hypotheses; review related works on transition pathways, such as digital transition, green transition, system innovation, industry ecosystems, and multi-level perspective of transformation; assess the generic pathway with case studies; and conclude with a discussion of findings, outline of conclusions, and policy implications. Overall, the paper investigates pathways, priorities, and methods allowing public authorities and business organisations to master the current industrial transformation of cities and regions introduced by the twin digital and green transitions as an opportunity for radical change of city ecosystems, innovation leapfrogging, and system innovation.
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Pedersen Zari, Maibritt. "Devising Urban Biodiversity Habitat Provision Goals: Ecosystem Services Analysis." Forests 10, no. 5 (May 1, 2019): 391. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/f10050391.
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This paper employs a unique ecosystem services analysis methodology to evaluate how cities could support or generate ecosystem services. Ecosystem services analysis can provide quantifiable goals for urban ecological regeneration that are determined by the site-specific ecology and climate of an urban area. In this research, the ecosystem service of habitat provision is the key focus. The role of urban green space and urban forests is crucial within this. Setting ambitious targets for urban ecological performance and ecosystem services provision is of great importance due to the large negative environmental impact that cities currently have on ecosystems and, therefore, ecosystem service provision, and because healthier ecosystems enable humans to better adapt to climate change through creating potentials for increased resilience. A comparative case study analysing the ecosystem service of habitat provision in two existing urban environments with similar climates (Cfb according to the Köppen Climate Classification System) but in different parts of the world, namely Wellington, New Zealand and Curitiba, Brazil, was conducted to examine how the ecosystem services analysis concept can used to devise urban habitat provision goals. The paper concludes that, although achieving habitat provision goals derived from ecosystem services analysis in urban areas is likely to be difficult, determining quantitative site- and climate-specific staged goals could enable urban design professionals to increase the effectiveness of conservation and regeneration efforts in terms of ecosystem service provision from urban green and blue spaces.
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Fitoka, Eleni, Maria Tompoulidou, Lena Hatziiordanou, Antonis Apostolakis, Rene Höfer, Kathrin Weise, and Charalampos Ververis. "Water-related ecosystems' mapping and assessment based on remote sensing techniques and geospatial analysis: The SWOS national service case of the Greek Ramsar sites and their catchments." Remote Sensing of Environment 245 (August 2020): 111795. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2020.111795.
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Rammou, Dimitra-Lida, Christos Astaras, Despina Migli, George Boutsis, Antonia Galanaki, Theodoros Kominos, and Dionisios Youlatos. "European Ground Squirrels at the Edge: Current Distribution Status and Anticipated Impact of Climate on Europe’s Southernmost Population." Land 11, no. 2 (February 16, 2022): 301. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/land11020301.
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The European ground squirrel (Spermophilus citellus) is an endangered semifossorial small mammal of grassland/agricultural ecosystems. In the last few decades, the species’ population has declined throughout its range in Europe. The Greek populations represent the southernmost limit of the species’ range and are notably small, scattered, and located mainly in human-modified areas. The goal of the present research is to understand the environmental and anthropogenic variables associated with its distribution in the Mediterranean habitats, assess possible drivers of observed local extinctions, and propose conservation and land-use management actions in light of near-future climate change scenarios. We used presence records since 2000 across all known populations (107 colonies) and maximum entropy conditional probability models (MaxEnt) to calculate both the habitat suitability (bioclimatic variables) and habitat availability (anthropogenic/land-use variables) within the European ground squirrel’s historical range in northern Greece. We report a projected 39% to 94.3% decrease in habitat suitability by 2040–2060 due to climate change. Based on our findings, we provide guidance by proposing nascent conservation actions to protect the few existing colonies in Greece via improved land management practices and identify in situ climate refugia that could be prioritized as sites for future reintroductions.