Journal articles on the topic 'Pubescent evolutions period'

The variation in selected leaf morphological traits was examined across the geographic ranges of two Tasmanian rainforest species, Tasmannia lanceolata (Poiret) A.C.Smith and Eucryphia milliganii Hook.f. Comparisons of field- and glasshouse-grown plants for both species showed that there is strong genetic control of all the morphological characters measured. Two distinct morphotypes, occupying similar areas of Tasmania, were identified in each species. The geographic boundary between the morphotypes is similar in both species and runs more or less east–west, separating each species into northern and southern forms. Southern E. milliganii differs from the northern form in having ovate leaves with dense marginal trichomes and a pubescent abaxial leaf lamina. A new subspecies, E. milliganii ssp. pubescens, is described to encompass this intra-specific variation in southern Tasmania. Southern T. lanceolata has encrypted stomata, contrasting with the superficial stomata of the northern form, but is not considered sufficiently different to warrant separate taxonomic status. The boundary is difficult to explain in terms of modern environmental factors. A past period of significantly different climate from the present, perhaps combined with anthropogenic fire regimes, may have enabled allopatric differentiation within each species.

A new species, Capparis danielii (Capparaceae), is described from the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, Tamil Nadu, India. This new species was found in the coastal dry evergreen scrubs, and only three individuals were recorded from the type locality. It is very closely allied to C. brevispina and C. divaricata but can easily be distinguished from them by its glaucous branchlets, ovate-obovate leaves, short gynophore, oblong, 4-angular, pubescent ovary and usually longitudinally 4-ribbed, or rarely 6-ribbed berry. Detailed description, illustration, colour photographs, flowering and fruiting period and habitat ecology of the new species are provided.

Abstract. We measured methane (CH4) exchange rates with automatic chambers at the forest floor of a nutrient-rich drained peatland in 2011–2013. The fen, located in southern Finland, was drained for forestry in 1969 and the tree stand is now a mixture of Scots pine, Norway spruce, and pubescent birch. Our measurement system consisted of six transparent chambers and stainless steel frames, positioned on a number of different field and moss layer compositions. Gas concentrations were measured with an online cavity ring-down spectroscopy gas analyzer. Fluxes were calculated with both linear and exponential regression. The use of linear regression resulted in systematically smaller CH4 fluxes by 10–45 % as compared to exponential regression. However, the use of exponential regression with small fluxes ( < 2.5 µg CH4 m−2 h−1) typically resulted in anomalously large absolute fluxes and high hour-to-hour deviations. Therefore, we recommend that fluxes are initially calculated with linear regression to determine the threshold for low fluxes and that higher fluxes are then recalculated using exponential regression. The exponential flux was clearly affected by the length of the fitting period when this period was < 190 s, but stabilized with longer periods. Thus, we also recommend the use of a fitting period of several minutes to stabilize the results and decrease the flux detection limit. There were clear seasonal dynamics in the CH4 flux: the forest floor acted as a CH4 sink particularly from early summer until the end of the year, while in late winter the flux was very small and fluctuated around zero. However, the magnitude of fluxes was relatively small throughout the year, ranging mainly from −130 to +100 µg CH4 m−2 h−1. CH4 emission peaks were observed occasionally, mostly in summer during heavy rainfall events. Diurnal variation, showing a lower CH4 uptake rate during the daytime, was observed in all of the chambers, mainly in the summer and late spring, particularly in dry conditions. It was attributed more to changes in wind speed than air or soil temperature, which suggest that physical rather than biological phenomena are responsible for the observed variation. The annual net CH4 exchange varied from −104 ± 30 to −505 ± 39 mg CH4 m−2 yr−1 among the six chambers, with an average of −219 mg CH4 m−2 yr−1 over the 2-year measurement period.

The majority of published work has studied the impact of wood chips on red wine composition by conducting analyses during wood chip contact or immediately after the removal of chips from wine. Less attention has been directed at the potential influence of prior chip-wine contact on the further phenolic and sensory evolution of red wines during bottle storage. Therefore, this work focuses on the evolution over a period of 18 months of several phenolic parameters and sensory characteristics of bottled Touriga Nacional red wines that had previously been in contact with toasted wood chips from cherry (Prunus avium) and two oak species (Quercus pyrenaica and Quercus pubescens) during 30 days of pre-bottling storage. Various global phenolic parameters, colour properties, individual anthocyanin content and sensory profile of the wines were studied at 6, 12 and 18 months of bottle storage. The results showed less decrease in the phenolic composition and red colour of wines which had prior contact with oak chips, as well as a less developed brown colour during bottle storage, compared to the wine previously in contact with cherry chips and the control wine. In addition, wine previously in contact with cherry chips always showed an evolution similar to the control wine. From a sensory point of view, the wines previously in contact with oak wood chips showed a tendency for higher aroma scores for “vanilla” and “coconut” descriptors and lower scores for “brown colour” during bottle storage than wines previously in contact with cherry chips and the control wine. The outcomes of this research could be of practical interest to winemakers since they could improve the knowledge of the impact of prior contact with wood chips in the future evolution of the red wines during bottle storage.

Growth and maturation of female snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) in the northwestern Gulf of St. Lawrence were elucidated using carapace size-frequency distributions, indices of molting activity, ovarian mass, and laboratory and field measures of growth per molt. Females develop in three major stages: immature, with narrow abdomen and no detectable ovaries; prepubescent, with narrow abdomen and previtellogenic followed by vitellogenic ovaries; and adult, with broad abdomen and reproductive capability. Additionally, there is an ephemeral pubescent stage represented by females temporally close to the maturity molt. A reduction in the rate of carapace and abdomen growth occurs at the passage from immature to prepubescent, because energy is diverted into germinal growth, and adulthood is reached at a terminal molt to maturity. The pattern of abdomen growth relative to carapace is complex, consisting in successive phases of low, high, and again low positive allometry with increasing size of immature-prepubescent females. Over the period 1989-1996, a few females became adult at instar VIII at 4.5 years postlarval age, but more commonly, maturity occurred at instars IX and X at ages of 5.5 and 6.5 years, respectively. Average size at maturity may be temperature dependent, and within cohorts, larger females may mature earlier than smaller females.

This paper elaborates and visualizes processes recorded in a recent regional and multi-site study of elevational treeline dynamics during the period 1915 to 2007 in the Swedish Scandes. The purpose is to give a concrete face of the landscape transformation which is associated with the recorded treeline shifts. The main focus is on stand-level structure of past and present treelines and the advance zones, where climate change elicited responses by Betula pubescens ssp. czerepanovii, Picea abies and Pinus sylvestris. All species shifted their treelines upslope by a maximum of c. 200 m in elevation. Most sites, however, manifested changes of smaller magnitudes. This relates to topoclimatic constraints which decouple treeline performance from the macroclimate. The general character of sites which support large and small treeline shifts, respectively, are outlined. The spacing, age structure, growth rates of the tree advance zones are accounted for each of the concerned species. In temporal and spatial detail, the different tree species responded individualistically according to their specific ecologies. Current spread of young seedlings and saplings to increasingly higher elevations in the alpine tundra is particularly highlighted as it may represent the forefront of future treeline advance. It is argued that the current evolution of the treeline ecotone represents a fundamental, although not necessarily entirely unique, reversal of the long-term (Holocene) trend of neoglacial treeline descent.

The communities of middle taiga spruce forests (ass. Linnaeo borealis–Piceetum abietis dryopteridetosum var. typica) and secondary communities formed after winter clearcuttings are described (Fig. 1) and classified according Braun-Blanquet (1964) approach using 81 relevés. Ellenberg ecological values (Ellenberg et al., 1991) were used to assess lighting (L), soil moisture (F), acidity (R) and nitrogen (N). The ordination was carried out using the NMS method. Both primary forest and secondary communities are classified as the alliance Piceion excelsae Pawłowskiet al. 1928 within the order Piceetalia excelsae Pawłowski et al. 1928 in the class Vaccinio–Piceetea Br.-Bl. in Br.-Bl.et al. 1939. We described 2 associations (incl. 1 new), 3 subassociations (2 new), 2 varieties (1 new), 2 subvarieties, and 2 communities. Ass. Aulacomnio palustris–Calamagrostietum purpureae ass. nov. hoc loco (Table 2). Nomenclature type (holotypus hoc loco): relevé 16 (field № 26p/20), Komi Republic, Ust-Kulom district, two-year cutting place, swath (61.84083° N 54.33778° E, 16.07.2020, author I. A. Likhanova. Diagnostic species (DS): Aulacomnium palustre, Calamagrostis purpurea, Carex globularis, Chamaenerion angustifolium, Polytrichum commune, Sphagnum angustifolium. The association includes «young» (succession stage 1(2)-17(18) years after cutting) secondary communities, formed at the swaths and skidding trails. The absence of tree stand results in the increased lighting and soil moisture, which explains an invasion of heliophile and water-resistant species of vascular plants and mosses. After cutting, DS of the primary association and subassociation almost disappear, but those of class and order remain. Species number — 23–54, average — 38. There are 2 subassociations within aasociation. Subass. A. p.–C. p. typicum subass. nov. hoc loco (Table 2 relevés 1–16, Fig. 3). Nomenclature type (holotypus hoc loco): relevé 16 (field № 26p/20), Komi Republic, Ust-Kulom district, two-year cutting of spruce herb-bilberry-green moss forest at the swath (61.84083° N 54.33778° E , 16.07.2020, author I. A. Likhanova. No own DS. The subassociation includes communities at the swath and skidding trails of 1(2)-year cutting place with poor species richness in comparison with primary forests. Number of species 20–27, average – 24. Subass. A. p.–C. p. avenelletosum flexuosae subass. nov. hoc loco (Table 2, relevés 17–27, Fig. 4). Nomenclature type (holotypus hoc loco), relevé 25 (field № 13-УК), Komi Republic, Ust-Kulom district, 17-year cutting place, swath (61.99389° N, 54.14778° E , 17.09.2019, author I. A. Likhanova. DS: Avenella flexuosa, Gymnocarpium dryopteris, Rubus arcticus.The subassociation includes communities of swaths and skidding trails at 17(18)-year cutting place enriched by heliophile and water-resistant species. The forming forest environment is the reason of high abundance of forest species and emergence of several diagnostic species of primary association and subassociation. The cutting remains are overgrown by epigeous mosses and lichens. Species number — 24–45, average — 33. Community Carex brunnescens (Table 3, relevés 1–12, Fig. 5). DS: Carex brunnescens (dominant), C. canescens, Ceratodon purpureus, Dicranella cerviculata (dominant). Syntaxon includes communities at the main skidding trail at 1(2)-year cutting place. Despite high abundance of diagnostic species of the ass. Aulacomnio palustris–Calamagrostietum purpureae, we can’t include the relevés into the association due to high diversity of early succession species and low abundance of DS of both the class Vaccinio–Piceetea sylvestris and the order Piceetalia excelsae. There are numerous undergrowth of Betula pubescens (18 thousand ind./ha). Herb-dwarf shrub and moss layers are formed by pioneer, heliophile and water-resistant species. Forest dwarf shrubs, herbs and mosses occur on the litter remnants. Species number — 20–34, average — 27. Community Salix caprea. (Table 3, relevés 13–22, Fig. 6). DS: Agrostis gigantea, A. tenuis, Carex rhynchophysa, Deschampsia cespitosa, Epilobium palustre, Juncus filiformis, Populus tremula, Salix caprea (dominant), S. myrsinifolia, S. phylicifolia, Sphagnum russowii. The syntaxon includes communities at the main skidding trail of 17(18)-year cutting place. The presence of DS of ass. Aulacomnio palustris–Calamagrostietum purpureae and subass. A. p.–C. p. avenelletosum flexuosae as well as the prevalence of water resistant and early succession species and low abundance of DS of class Vaccinio–Piceetea sylvestris and order Piceetalia excelsae are character. Tree stand is formed by young trees of Betula pubescens (mean density is 21 thousand ind./ha). Shrub layer is formed by wiilows. Herb-dwarf shrub layer is dominated by species, preferring water logging, and species of disturbed habitats. Species number — 36–45, average — 40. Subass. Linnaeo borealis–Piceetum abietis dryopteridetosum var. Betula pubescens (Table 1, relevés 13–22). DS: Betula pubescens (dominant), Milium effusum, Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus. The variant includes communities at 48(49)-year cutting place. The tree lyer height and crown density are comparable to those of the indigenous spruce forest, however, the proportion of birch is higher. Vascular plant DS of ass. Linnaeo borealis–Piceetum abietis and subass. dryopteridetosum are registered, but the abundance of moss DS is low. Many forest species become abundant in the herb-dwarf shrub layer. Moss layer is inhibited by leaf litter. Species number — 29–45, average — 36. There are 2 subvarieties: typica (communities at the swath and skidding trails) and Calamagrostis purpurea (main skidding trail). The scheme of vegetation succession after clearcuttings of spruce small herb-bilberry-green moss forests (Linnaeo borealis–Piceetum abietis dryopteridetosum var. typica) (Fig. 10) is made on the results of NMS-ordination (Fig. 9) and the data on the restoration period and preferences of syntaxa to the certain technological elements of the cutting place. The following succession series are described: at the swaths and skidding trails — Aulacomnio palustris–Calamagrostietum purpureae typicum → A. p.–C. p. avenelletosum flexuosae → Linnaeo borealis–Piceetum abietis dryopteridetosum var. Betula pubescens subvar. typica → L. b.–P. a. dryopteridetosum var. typica; at the skidding trails – community Carex brunnescens →community Salix caprea → Linnaeo borealis–Piceetum abietis dryopteridetosum var. Betula pubescens subvar. Calamagrostis purpurea → L. b.–P. a. dryopteridetosum var. typica. In communities of different ages at swaths and skidding trails, the species richness of vascular plants (16–18 species/100 m2) and mosses (8–10 species/100 m2) is lower compare to the primary spruce forest (19 and 14 species/100 m2 respectively). The species richness of vascular plants at 17-year and 48-year communities of the main skidding trails (27 species/100 m2) is higher than in the primary forest due to the invasion of pioneer, meadow and mire species; that of mosses is lower (8–12 species/100 m2). Thus, the cutting has a negative impact on species diversity, which is expressed in forest species loss. The floristic composition of the disturbed forest community is not restored even fifty years after anthropogenic impact.

The impact of malathion treatment and duration of storage prior to treatment on species composition and relative abundance of beetle pests was investigated in shelled corn in newly-constructed galvanized steel bins. Corn was sampled monthly for insects with plastic probe traps from January through September 1989. Red and confused flour beetles, Tribolium spp., hairy fungus beetle, Typhaea stercorea (L.), flat and rusty grain and flour mill beetles, Cryptolestes spp., and foreign grain beetle, Ahasverus advena (Waltl), were most abundant in traps, but plaster beetle, Cartodere constricta (Gyllenhal), minute brown fungus beetle, Corticaria pubescens (Gyllenhal), antlike flower beetle, Anthicus spp., and larger black flour beetle, Cynaeus angustus (LeConte), also were trapped. Greater numbers of the four major beetle species were trapped in older corn and in corn that was not treated with malathion and, depending on species, trap catch peaked in August or September. Information gathered during this investigation adds to our knowledge of insect infestation and insecticide application to on-farm stored corn and confirmed earlier reports that T. stercorea and A. advena potentially are pests of stored shelled corn. Thorough inspection and sampling should be conducted throughout the storage period, but especially after grain temperatures warm above 20°C.

The flowering and pollination requirements of Cereus peruvianus (L) Mill. (Cactaceae) were investigated in Beer Sheva, Israel, in a three-year-old plantation which had been established from seedlings, in order to domesticate this plant as a fruit crop. Plants flowered during the hot season (May-October), and flowers opened for one night only. Variations were observed in the flowers' opening time, with the early-opening plants beginning to open two hours before sunset, and the late-opening plants opening close to sunset. Flowers were visited only by day-active insects: the honey bee (Apis mellifera) and the carpenter bee (Xylocopa pubescens). The visitors' behavior indicated that they were involved in pollination. Early-opening flowers were visited both in the evening and in the morning, whereas late-openers were visited only in the morning. C. peruvianus was found to be self-incompatible, and fruit set did not occur when flowers were hand self-pollinated. Hand cross-pollination resulted in very high fruit set (92%) and heavy fruits with a high seed number. Fruit set, seed number, and fruit weight were lower in open-pollination than in hand cross-pollination. This indicates limited pollination or fertilization in open- pollination and might be related to the briefness of the bee visits, reduced pollen germinability, and stigma receptivity during part of the visit period.

Abstract. At a local level, biogenic isoprene emissions can greatly affect the air quality of urban areas surrounded by large vegetation sources, such as in the Mediterranean region. The impacts of future warmer and drier conditions on isoprene emissions from Mediterranean emitters are still under debate. Seasonal variations of Quercus pubescens gas exchange and isoprene emission rates (ER) were studied from June 2012 to June 2013 at the O3HP site (French Mediterranean) under natural (ND) and amplified (AD, 32 %) drought. While AD significantly reduced stomatal conductance to water vapour throughout the research period excluding August, it did not significantly preclude CO2 net assimilation, which was lowest in summer (≈-1 µmolCO2 m−2 s−1). ER followed a significant seasonal pattern regardless of drought intensity, with mean ER maxima of 78.5 and 104.8 µgC gDM-1 h−1 in July (ND) and August (AD) respectively and minima of 6 and < 2 µgC gDM-1 h−1 in October and April respectively. The isoprene emission factor increased significantly by a factor of 2 in August and September under AD (137.8 and 74.3 µgC gDM-1 h−1) compared with ND (75.3 and 40.21 µgC gDM-1 h−1), but no significant changes occurred on ER. Aside from the June 2012 and 2013 measurements, the MEGAN2.1 (Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature version 2.1) model was able to assess the observed ER variability only when its soil moisture activity factor γSM was not operating and regardless of the drought intensity; in this case more than 80 % and 50 % of ER seasonal variability was assessed in the ND and AD respectively. We suggest that a specific formulation of γSM be developed for the drought-adapted isoprene emitter, according to that obtained for Q. pubescens in this study (γSM= 0.192e51.93 SW with SW the soil water content). An isoprene algorithm (G14) was developed using an optimised artificial neural network (ANN) trained on our experimental dataset (ER + O3HP climatic and edaphic parameters cumulated over 0 to 21 days prior to the measurements). G14 assessed more than 80 % of the observed ER seasonal variations, regardless of the drought intensity. ERG14 was more sensitive to higher (0 to −7 days) frequency environmental changes under AD in comparison to ND. Using IPCC RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 climate scenarios, and SW and temperature as calculated by the ORCHIDEE land surface model, ERG14 was found to be mostly sensitive to future temperature and nearly insensitive to precipitation decrease (an annual increase of up to 240 % and at the most 10 % respectively in the most severe scenario). The main impact of future drier conditions in the Mediterranean was found to be an enhancement (+40 %) of isoprene emissions sensitivity to thermal stress.

Abstract The ca. 1050 Ma Bylot Supergroup in Arctic Canada is one of the best-preserved archives of late Mesoproterozoic geochemistry and biology and offers evidence that this period of Earth history may have been more biogeochemically dynamic than previously appreciated. The Bylot Supergroup was deposited in the Borden Basin and is the most thoroughly studied stratigraphic succession from a series of broadly contemporaneous late Mesoproterozoic intracratonic basins known as the Bylot basins. This ∼6-km-thick mixed carbonate-siliciclastic succession has undergone minimal postdepositional deformation and is now exposed on Baffin and Bylot Islands, Nunavut, Canada. Deep-water and tidally influenced carbonate facies, traditionally interpreted as marine, have yielded important insights into the evolution of Proterozoic seawater chemistry; however, more recent studies indicate that the Borden Basin was restricted marine or lacustrine for portions of its depositional history. Here, we present new multiproxy radiogenic isotope chemostratigraphic data spanning the Bylot Supergroup. A comparison of stratigraphic trends in radiogenic isotope data from hydrogenous (black shale 187Os/188Os and limestone 87Sr/86Sr) and detrital (whole-rock mudstone 143Nd/144Nd) sedimentary phases elucidates the complex hydrologic history of the Borden Basin and reconciles these disparate interpretations. Episodic coupling and decoupling between the composition of basin waters (from Os and Sr isotopes) and the local weathering input to the basin (from Nd isotopes) indicate that depositional environments within the Borden Basin fluctuated between marine and nonmarine (i.e., lacustrine). Variations in basin hydrology controlled secular sedimentation patterns through changes in basin water chemistry. These interpretations help to characterize the environment in which the early red algal fossil Bangiomorpha pubescens evolved. Episodically restricted epeiric seaways, such as within the Borden Basin, were relatively widespread within Rodinia and may have exerted unique selective pressures on eukaryotic evolution in the Mesoproterozoic Era. Hydrogenous and detrital radiogenic isotope chemostratigraphy, as implemented in this study, may provide a useful paleoenvironmental framework for future paleontological studies aimed at testing the role of freshwater environments in eukaryotic evolution. In addition, 87Sr/86Sr compositions from 81 new middle Bylot Supergroup marine limestone samples, calibrated by recent Re-Os geochronology, contribute to the terminal Mesoproterozoic marine 87Sr/86Sr curve. These data display a rise from ∼0.705 to 0.706 that reflects weathering of the active Grenville orogenic belt and demonstrates a global increase in chemical weathering during the amalgamation of Rodinia.

Five commercial tree species comprise nearly 80% of the forest standing stock volume in Western Europe. Nowadays, there is a strong need to consider a wider diversity of tree species, as evidenced by the impact of climate change and the forest health crises over the past decades. In this context, this study focuses on the potential of birch (Betula pendula Roth and Betula pubescens Ehrh.), a neglected indigenous species, for forestry and the forest-based industry sector. We have therefore compiled, analyzed, and discussed literature regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the species and the opportunities and threats of its use for this purpose. Among the strengths, birch tolerates various climates and sites, and high genetic variability promotes its adaptability. Birch improves forest resilience by colonizing forest gaps and quickly increasing soil functioning and biodiversity. Birch is also remarkably resistant to game overpopulation-associated damage. Large-sized logs are produced within relatively short periods with proper silvicultural treatment, and the wood characteristics allow versatile and valuable uses, as shown in Northern Europe. However, its weaknesses include high sensitivity to crown competition and to wood rot as challenges for silviculture. Among the opportunities, birch is well-suited to the global changes with its adaptability to climate change and its possible integration in diverse productive mixed tree stands. In the context of societal evolutions and customer perceptions, birch wood could play an increasing role in the building and furniture sectors, and among non-wood forest products. In Western Europe, the main obstacle to birch development is the lack of information on the wood uses and, consequently, the lack of interest among forest managers and wood processing professionals, which have led to a poor quality of the resource and to insufficient demand for its wood. Moreover, its fast height growth can affect the vitality of other species in mixed stands. Our analysis highlighted the potential of birch in the Western European forestry considering societal, ecological, and economic purposes in a changing climatic and socio-economic context and the need to (i) develop opportunities for industrial uses of birch wood, (ii) inform forest owners, managers, and industrial professionals about the potential value of birch, and (iii) define silvicultural guidelines.

Dromedary farming is one of the important strategies for adapting to climate change in Mali. Nevertheless, controlling dromedary reproduction is still a great challenge for its production enhancement. The present study, which aims to improve knowledge on the male dromedary reproduction physiology, was conducted on Niono Ranch Agronomic Research Station, from December 13, 2014 to February 06, 2015. It focused on 5 males including 1 adult aged 9-10 years and 4 peri-pubescent aged 4 to 5 years. Blood sample was taken in dry tubes after puncture of the jugular vein as follows: 1) in the dominant male, one sample per day in the absence of females in heat and three samples per day in the presence of females in heat were taken; 2) in the non-dominant males, blood sample was taken daily. Thus, 155 samples were collected from the 5 male dromedaries. Blood samples collected were site centrifuged and the serums obtained were kept in a thermoelectric cooler between 4 - 6°C and then transported for storage at -20°C. ELISA Sandwich method was applied to analyze blood samples using the testosterone specific luteinizing hormone (LH) kits. Serum concentrations obtained were 40.17 ± 3.95pg / ml of testosterone and 2.48 ± 0.38 mIU/ml of LH in dominant males against 20.15 ± 1.84pg / ml of testosterone and 1.09 ± 0.18 mIU/ml LH in non-dominant males. Testosterone and LH variations experienced similar evolution in a saw tooth curve form. Hormonal concentration rate influences the fear and aggression reactions that govern social rank. This hormonal rate concentration increases during intense sexual activities both in the dominant and the non-dominant males who attend a mating. This study laid out foundations for the male dromedary management in a camels herd.

AbstractThe paper deals with the influence of tree species on millipede communities (Diplopoda). The research was carried out in nine sites in the Borová hora arboretum (Zvolen town, Central Slovakia). Each studied site represents a monoculture of one of nine tree species: Betula pubescens Ehrh., Pinus sylvestris L., Larix decidua Mill., Carpinus betulus L., Abies alba Mill., Picea abies (L.) Karst., Alnus incana (L.) Moench, Populus nigra L., Ulmus laevis Pall. Millipedes were collected by pitfall trapping during vegetation periods in 2008-2011. In total, 1064 individuals of 17 species and 7 families were obtained. The results of research confirmed (i) an influence of tree species on the composition of millipede communities, (ii) a significant influence of soil nitrogen on the species richness and biodiversity, and (iii) an impact of soil pH on the species composition of these terrestrial invertebrate communities. In terms of total dynamic activity and species richness of millipedes, the most favourable conditions were revealed in the forest stands of Alnus incana, Populus nigra, Ulmus laevis and Carpinus betulus. On the contrary, the least favourable biotopes were (from both points of view) the forest stands of Betula pubescens and Larix decidua.

Abstract The role of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) in biological control programmes has received less attention than that of insect natural enemies. The aim of this two-year study was to obtain descriptive data on spider spring field population structure and dynamics. The study was carried out in one insecticide-free and four organic apple orchards in southeastern France. Rolls and bands of corrugated cardboard near the ground and shoots infested with Dysaphis plantaginea (Passerini) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in the tree canopy were used to sample spiders. Thirty-three spider species belonging to 14 families were identified from both sampling methods. Cheiracanthium mildei Koch (Araneae: Cheiracanthiidae) was clearly the predominant arboreal spider species in aphid-infested shoots (>57%). More than half of the spiders recorded in cardboard bands belonged to three species Drassodes pubescens (Thorell) (Araneae: Gnaphosidae), Pseudeuophrys erratica (Walckenaer) (Araneae: Salticidae), and Icius hamatus (Koch) (Araneae: Salticidae). Salticidae (39.9%) and Gnaphosidae (23.4%) families dominated significantly the spider assemblages observed in the cardboard rolls and were present on almost all sampling dates. However, in the two shelter types, the spider abundance curve clearly had a poly-modal shape. This may be due to the sequential arrival of some spider species or their dominance in a certain period of our study.