Ecological Indicator Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

The effect of a topoclimatic gradient on soil nematode communities was investigated in the Israeli Judean Desert. Four locations along a 35 km gradient, from an elevation of 650 m above sea level with 620 mm rainfall to a –60 m relative... more

The effect of a topoclimatic gradient on soil nematode communities was investigated in the Israeli Judean Desert. Four locations along a 35 km gradient, from an elevation of 650 m above sea level with 620 mm rainfall to a –60 m relative to sea level with a rainfall below 110 m, were studied: Givat Yearim, Maale Adumim, Mishor Adumim and Kalia. Monthly soil samples were collected between January 1994 and December 1995. Thirteen nematode families and 17 genera were observed. Cephalobus, Heterocephalobus, Aphelenchoides, Tylenchus, Dorylaimus and Eudorylaimus were found to be the dominant genera. Ecological measurements of soil nematode community structure, diversity, and maturity indices were assessed, and comparisons between four locations and four seasons were made. Significant differences in the total numbers of nematodes were found between the locations (p < 0.01) and seasons (p < 0.05), where Givat Yearim > Maale Adumim > Mishor Adumim > Kalia, winter > spring > autumn > summer. Bacterivores were found to be the most abundant trophic group across locations and seasons, with a mean relative abundance of 55.0%. The densities of bacterivores, plant parasites and omnivores-predators during the winter season exhibited similar trends at all four locations, with Givat Yearim > Maale Adumim > Mishor Adumim > Kalia. None of the ecological indices were significantly different between locations. However, the maturity index (MI), trophic diversity (TD) and Simpson diversity (SI) exhibited significant differences between seasons.

The present paper deals with the application of several chemometrical methods (cluster and principal components analysis, source apportioning on absolute principal components scores) to an aerosol data collection from Unterloibach,... more

The present paper deals with the application of several chemometrical methods (cluster and principal components analysis, source apportioning on absolute principal components scores) to an aerosol data collection from Unterloibach, Austria. It is shown that seven latent factors explaining almost 80% of the total variance are responsible for the data structure and are conditionally identified as “secondary aerosol”, “mineral dust”, “oil burning”, “lead smelter”, “coal burning”, “salt” and “fertilizer” emission sources. Furthermore, the contribution of each identified source to the formation of the particle total mass and chemical compounds total concentration is calculated. Thus, a reliable assessment of the air quality in the region is performed. The requirements of the sustainability concept for ecological indicators in this case is easily transformed into a multivariate statistical problem taking into account not separate indicators but the specific multivariate nature of aerosol pollution.

For tourism in parks there are many lists of potential ecological indicators that have not been implemented in practice, many systems of management indicators with little ecological basis or significance, and many ecological studies of... more

For tourism in parks there are many lists of potential ecological indicators that have not
been implemented in practice, many systems of management indicators with little
ecological basis or significance, and many ecological studies of recreational impacts
that do not provide management indicators. Indicators that are both scientifically
defensible and feasible and valuable in management, however, are very rare. Broad-scale
indicator systems developed for tourism ecolabels and environmental accreditation
schemes are inadequate for testing the impacts of people in parks. Monitoring
visitor impacts needs ecological baseline data that incorporate seasonal cycles,
long-term trends, extreme events, and internal patterns. It needs indicators that reflect
the priority conservation values of the protected areas concerned, and the types of use,
not merely management processes. It needs specific indicators that are discriminating,
quantifiable, actionable, sensitive, ecologically significant, integrated, and feasible in
practice. And it needs experimental design that distinguishes tourist impacts from
other sources of variation. Interested and experienced rangers and volunteers can make
a major contribution to such monitoring programmes, but reliable ecological monitoring
needs qualified ecologists.

This study presents a comparative analysis of protected and exploited Mediterranean Sea food webs using standardized ecological models of two ecosystems: the Central-North Adriatic Sea (highly exploited) and the Miramare Natural Marine... more

This study presents a comparative analysis of protected and exploited Mediterranean Sea food webs using standardized ecological models of two ecosystems: the Central-North Adriatic Sea (highly exploited) and the Miramare Natural Marine Reserve (Northern Adriatic Sea, protected since 1986). Food webs are analysed in terms of structural and functional traits including trophic levels, transfer efficiency, trophic role of species and