<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of metals on wheat and bean species. The method uses seed germination and early seedling growth of these plants in the presence of various levels (10, 50, 100, 250, 500, 750 and 1000 mg/L) of Cadmium (Cd), Iron (Fe) and Zinc (Zn). The inhibition caused by these metals was depending on the concentration used, the metal itself and the plant species. The species had reduced seed germination, root and shoot lengths, tolerance index and percentphyto-toxicity with increasing concentrations of metals. Cadmium was determined to be the most inhibitory metal on these parameters. This metal affected significantly the germination, root and shoot length of the species tested, as well as the tolerance index and percentphytotoxicity starting from 50 mg Cd/l. Under the Iron stress, in general, the inhibition of germination and root length of wheat was reduced from 500 mg Fe/l. The results showed also that the inhibitory effect of increase of Zn levels was seen in root, shoot and tolerance indices. The findings also revealed that the metal toxicity was as follow: Cd &gt; Fe &gt; Zn. Regarding species, the results showed that bean seemed to be more tolerant to the increase of the three metals than wheat.</abstract>

The Effect of Cd, Zn and Fe on Seed Germination and Early Seedling Growth of Wheat and Bean

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>Climate change and its severity play an important role in forest fire regime. Analysing the forest fires events becomes a prerequisite for safeguarding the forest from further damage. We have made an assessment of the long-term forest fire events at the district level in India and identified the forest fire hotspot districts. The spatial seasonal (January to June) district wise pattern and forest fire trend were analysed. In the second part of the study area (central part of India), we have evaluated the forest fire events in grid format with respect to the climatic/weather datasets, and the statistical analysis Cramer V coefficient (CVC) was performed to understand its association/relationship with forest fire events.The study revealed that Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills districts of Assam of India have the highest forest fire percent among all districts equivalent to 3.4 and 3.2% respectively. Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh and Garhchiroli district of Maharashtra of India occupied 3rd and 4th rank with value 3.1 and 3.0% respectively. The grid-based evaluation (local scale) revealed that most of the fire equivalent of 80% was found in the month of March and April. Forest fire frequency of the month of April is spread over 88 % of the grids over the study area. The 11 years average seasonal month-wise (February to June) maximum temperature, wind velocity, relative humidity, and solar radiation were found in the range of (25.9 to 40.6), (1.69 to 2.7), (0.301 to 0.736) and (14.21 to 22.98) respectively. The percentage increase (in the month of March) of maximum temperature, wind velocity, and solar radiation were 36, 39 and 62% respectively, when compared with the preceding month; whereas, a 60% decrease to relative humidity that was observed in the same month is usually the major cause of forest fire events in the month of March onwards.The evaluation of Cramer V coefficient (CVC) values of rainfall, relative humidity, potential evapotranspiration, maximum temperature, wind velocity, and solar radiation were in decreasing order and in the range of 0.778 to 0.293. The highest value of rainfall (0.778) showed its strongest association with the forest fire events. In the month of June, these areas receive adequate rainfall, which leads to an increase in the soil moisture and a reduction in forest fuel burning capacity by absorbing the moisture and it is a strong reason for less forest fire events during this month. Geospatial technology provides an opportunity to evaluate large datasets over various spatial and temporal scales and help in decision making/formulating various policies.</abstract>

Forest Fire Trend and Influence of Climate Variability in India: A Geospatial Analysis at National and Local Scale

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> Pant P.P., Tripathi A.K.: Impact of heavy metals on morphological and biochemical parameters of Shorea robusta plant. Ekológia (Bratislava), Vol. 33, No. 2, p. 116-126, 2014. A study was conducted to determine the impact of heavy metals (cadmium [Cd], arsenic [As] and lead [Pb]) on the morphological, and biochemical parameters of Shorea robusta and to investigate the uptake capacity of this plant for individual heavy metal. The study showed that all three heavy metals had significant adverse impact on most of the plant parameters of S. robusta, at all the given concentrations of 1, 5 and 10 mg/l. Maximum reduction in morphological parameters is observed in leaf area (92.67%) followed by shoot length (54%) and, root length (28.78%). Maximum reduction in biochemical parameters is observed in amino acid (75.13%) followed by chlorophyll (68.33%) and, crude protein (35.68%), whereas polyphenol and ascorbic acid showed maximum enhancement of 77.1 and 139.8%, respectively. The accumulation of heavy metals was found to be higher in the root than shoot of S. robusta with maximum accumulation being 0.053 mg/g in root for Cd, 0.17 mg/g of As in leaf and, 0.201mg/g of Pb in soil. Concentration- dependent changes were observed in most of the morphological and biochemical parameters, which may thus serve to determine suitable bio-indicators of heavy metal pollution.</abstract>

Impact Of Heavy Metals On Morphological And Biochemical Parameters Of Shorea Robusta Plant

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> Breuste J., Schnellinger J., Qureshi S., Faggi A.: Urban ecosystem services on the local level: Urban green spaces as providers. Ekologia (Bratislava), Vol. 32, No. 3, p. 209-304, 2013. Ecosystem services are provided at different spatial and service/functional scales. The local level is the basic unit for ecosystem services, especially when it comes to the human dimension of urban landscapes. These services are provided by green elements (patches) or basic complex ecosystems (green areas) which differ from their neighbourhoods through their structures and functions. This study reviews the generally available knowledge on urban green functions and services at the site level and explains them by using own studies in five different cities in three different continents related to distinct ecosystem services. This allows the development of a methodology to evaluate and compare ecosystem services at the site level. The methodology is based at two levels, patch and green space, and includes the relationship with the surrounding green and built-up space. Different urban green space types are characterized by their internal structures of vegetation, size, shape and location in relation to at least a semi-quantitative scaling of their urban ecosystem services. The evaluated urban green spaces are public urban green spaces. The urban ecosystem services assessed include climate regulation, biodiversity, nature experience, recreation and health. The actual urban challenges, such as land use change, adaptation to climate change, demographic change and urban cultural diversity, demand a systematic and very concrete monitoring of urban ecosystem services at the site level.</abstract>

Research Group for Urban and Landscape Ecology, Department of Geography and Geology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstrasse 34, Salzburg 5020, Austria;

Research Group for Urban and Landscape Ecology, Department of Geography and Geology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstrasse 34, Salzburg 5020, Austria

School of Architecture, Birmingham City University, Gosta Green, Birmingham B4 7DX, UK Institute of Geography, Humboldt University of Berlin, Rudower Chaussee 16, D-12489 Berlin, Germany

Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, Dto. Botanica, Ecologia Regional. Conicet, Angel Gallardo 470, 2do piso. Buenos Aires, (1405), Argentina

Urban Ecosystem services on the local level: Urban green spaces as providers

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>The methods applied in Algeria for the prevention and fight against the fires remain fairly traditional and have proved to be ineffective in reducing the disastrous impact of this phenomenon. However, the aim of this work is to analyse a forest ecosystem that is fairly representative of the whole of the forests in Algeria, on plan risk and vulnerability of the environment for a better control of risk. <italic>Using modern geomatics techniques</italic> to map the degree of risk of fires and analysis the space: <italic>like satellite</italic> imagery spatial data and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).The Guetarnia forest in western Algeria has been retained; seven thematic maps have been developed and have helped to develop a sensitivity map to depict the fire risk.</abstract>

Mapping the risk forest fires in Algeria: Application of the forest of Guetarnia in Western Algeria

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>The European beech <italic>Fagus sylvatica</italic> L. ssp. <italic>sylvatica</italic> L. is exclusively found in Europe. The beech survived the ice age in small refuges in the south and south-east Europe and went on to colonise large parts of the continent. The post-ice age colonisation of the landscape by the beech took place parallel to the settlement of land by humans and the formation of a more complex society. For centuries much of the Carpathian mountain forests remained untouched (Fig. 1). Virgin forests constitute a natural heritage of global significance. In 2007, 10 protected areas with the Primeval Beech Forests of Carpathians (Slovakia, Ukraine) were added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List. On 25 June 2011, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee added five of Germany’s beech forest protected areas to the World Heritage List. This extended the transboundary world natural heritage site ‘Primeval Beech Forest of the Carpathians’, located in the Slovak Republic and Ukraine, to include a German forest protected areas, and renamed it ‘Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Ancient Beech Forests of Germany’. This paper is aimed at the presentation of the outstanding universal value of the ecological processes in the Joint World Heritage Sites, short description of protected areas and principles of their integrated management plan. This paper also deals with problems in management plan realisation in practice. Ultimate goal is to achieve that management and socio-economic sustainable development practices are in harmony with primary objectives of World Heritage Site protection, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape stability, rational use of natural resources, ecotourism development and with potential of the landscape in largest possible extend.</abstract>

Joint Slovak-Ukraine-Germany Beech Ecosystems as the World Natural Heritage

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
<italic>Periploca angustifolia</italic> (Labill.) is a multipurpose xerophytic shrub in the Apocynaceae, which is widely disturbed in arid zones. This shrub is often used in programs for the rehabilitation of degraded areas, so it is essential to investigate the impact of environmental factors (drought, burial depth) on seed germination patterns. During 20 days, germination responses of seeds were determined over a wide range of constant temperatures (25 °C), polyethylene glycol PEG-6000 solutions of different osmotic potentials (0 to -1.6 MPa), and burial depths (1–8 cm). The highest germination percentages (99%) were obtained under control conditions without PEG, and increasing osmotic pressure progressively inhibited seed germination, which was about 2% at -1.6 MPa. When seeds were buried deep, there was a significant decrease in seedling emergence percentage and rate. Seedlings of <italic>P. angustifolia</italic> emerged well at depths of 1–2 cm with the highest emergence percentage of 74 and 69%, respectively. They could not emerge when the sand burial depth was higher than 4 cm.
</abstract>

Effect of Water Deficit and Burial Depth on The Germination of <italic>Periploca angustifolia</italic>

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The aim of this study is to elaborate on the prior information about <italic>Hipparchia hermione</italic> ecology, examine its behaviour and find the habitat preferences of the species in specific study areas. The obtained results contribute to better management and conservation of the species and its habitats in Slovakia. Six types of behaviour were observed, with the exception of courtship dances, mating and perching. The most common types of behaviour observed were flight and food intake. The RDA analysis of behaviour and environmental variables resulted in a positive effect of free substrate and tall-herb vegetation on <italic>H. hermione</italic> abundance. The free substrate had a significant positive effect on all types of <italic>H. hermione</italic> behaviour. The results of the RDA analysis indicate butterflies’ shrub preference. The notion of shrubs’ presence having a positive effect on the representation of <italic>H. hermione</italic> is supported by another data set, according to which shrub vegetation provided ideal conditions for all types of observed behaviour. The abundance and diversity of nectaring plants did not have a statistically significant effect on species representation. Due to the environmental variables, the tree crowns’ significance plays a vital role. The average values are of 50%. The number of <italic>H. hermione</italic> individuals in the study areas increased with the growing number of tree trunks over 20 cm and heights over 3 m and the growing number of caterpillar host plants (<italic>Festuca ovina</italic>). The data show that <italic>Hipparchia</italic> hermione butterflies depend more on the spatial and structural arrangement of the forest than on abundance or diversity of the flora in the study areas.
</abstract>

Institute of Landscape Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences

Habitat Structure Impact on the Occurrence Preferences and Behaviour of the Endangered Species <italic>Hipparchia hermione</italic> (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) in Slovakia

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
Analysis of urban Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) dynamics in light of urban agriculture (UA) helps to understand its implication for UA practice and in turn making the necessary interventions. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to examine the LULC dynamics in selected urban centers of Ethiopia (Addis Ababa, Bahir Dar, Adama, and Hawassa cities) for the last seventeen years (2006–2022). SPOT 5 satellite imagery for the year 2006 and 2016 and Sentinel image for the year 2022 were analyzed. In addition, data from key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and field observations were used to triangulate LULC analyses information and to identify the main causes of LULC dynamics in the studied urban centers. The findings reveled that there were rapid expansion of urban built-up areas at the expense of other urban LULC types mainly of peri urban horticultural lands for the last 17 years (2006‒2022) in Addis Ababa, Hawassa, Bahir Dar, and Adama cities of Ethiopia. This has adverse impact on the sustainability of UA. Rapid urban population growth mainly because of high rural urban migration, expansion of squatter settlement, and increment of investment were the main driving forces of LULC dynamics. Based on the findings of this study (changes in LULC and driving factors) the studied cities administrations or authorities need to develop sustainable development plans by considering UA.
</abstract>

Economic Sector, Policy Studies Institute of Ethiopia, The Blue building

Land Use/Cover Dynamics and its Implication on the Sustainability of Urban Agriculture in Selected Urban Centers of Ethiopia

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
An important reserve for increasing the productivity of agricultural production is a scientifically based crop structure and the use of rational crop rotations, which implement the optimal ratio of agroecological standards. The aim of the research was to determine the influence of elements of agrotechnical measures, in particular, the saturation of crop rotations with sunflower, soil tillage system on the number and species composition of various agrobiological groups of weeds in sunflower crops, including the weed parasite sunflower broomrape (<italic>Orobanche cumana</italic> Wallr.). Weed control measures and the spread of the parasitic weed sunflower broomrape in sunflower crops have been carried out according to the methods generally accepted in agriculture and weed science. The scheme of the experiment included crop rotations with saturation in the structure of sunflower sowing of 12.5, 20, 25, 33.3, 50, 100% and three systems of basic tillage: moldboard plowing, disc tillage, and no-tillage. As a result of the research, it has been found that the systems of disc tillage and no-tillage cause an increase in the number of weeds in sunflower crops compared to the moldboard plowing by 1.3–1.5 times. On average, over the years of research, the abundance of weeds in the plots when using disk tools was 10.4–15.1 pcs./m2, moldboard plowing was 7.1–12.4 pcs./m2, and before harvesting was 2.6–5.2 and 4.1–12.4 pcs./m2. The highest degree of sunflower broomrape damage has been observed in 2-fields crop rotation (winter wheat—sunflower) and permanent sunflower cultivation, as 16.0–32.4% of affected sunflower plants have been observed here. The intensity of sunflower broomrape damage to sunflower plants was higher in the moldboard plowing system and amounted to 1.2–8.3 pcs./per plant, which exceeded disc tillage and no-tillage by 1.2–1.6 times. The maximum seed yield of 2.92–2.95 t/ha has been obtained in 8- and 5-fields rotations with the use of moldboard plowing. The lowest yields of sunflower seeds were in short-rotation crop rotations with a sunflower saturation of 50% in the structure of sown areas and permanent cultivation and amounted to: moldboard plowing—1.75–2.21 t/ha, disk tillage—1.57–2.01 t/ha, and no-tillage—1.49–1.95 t/ha. Given the urgency of supplying the global market with sunflower oil, in the future it is necessary to increase the concentration of sunflower in the structure of sown areas to 30-40% through the system of basic tillage, selection of resistant hybrids, and use of herbicides.
</abstract>

Sunflower Broomrape (<italic>Orobanche cumana</italic> Wallr.) and Weeds in Sunflower Crops with Minimized Tillage in a Steppe Ecotype Crop Rotation

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
With an average annual rainfall below 150 mm, the steppe with <italic>Hammada scoparia</italic> emerges, constituting the transition between the arid steppes and the Saharan vegetation. The distribution of the vegetation is very irregular, which depends on the nature and structure of the soils. A soil study, based on observations and the sampling of 42 profiles, was carried out within a range of species located in the southern part of Naâma. The principal component analysis enables the identification of relationships between the different soil profiles and the species studied. The results obtained show that the woody steppe with <italic>H. scoparia</italic> occupies habitats characterized by a sandy-loamy to sandy and stony texture on the surface of carbonate crusts, often in the form of slabs with a variable carbonate content of 1.22 to 12.7% in certain types of soil; this element tends to be carried to a depth of 40 to 60 cm. In other types of soil, on the contrary, it remains distributed throughout the entire profile. Colonized soils are generally shallow and poor in organic matter, varying from 2 to 3.65%, with an alkaline pH ranging between 6.7 and 8.8. The measured electrical conductivity varies between 0.1 and 0.7 mS/cm. This variation largely depends on the texture of the soil, the bioclimate and the steppe vegetation. The results obtained enable the valorization of this species, which has a socio-economic and ecological role, as it practically adapts to the different types of soil of the steppe space.
</abstract>

Physico-Chemical Properties of Steppe Soils with <italic>Hammada scoparia</italic> (Pomel) in The Naâma Region (Algeria)

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The information on the spontaneous spread (1152 localities) of the invasive species <italic>Echinocystis lobata</italic> is summarized. It was found that this alien species is timed to coastal water biotopes, floodplain meadows, mesophytic forests, wetlands, as well as disturbed ecotopes. The syntaxonomic scheme of vegetation with the participation of <italic>E. lobata</italic> includes 13 classes, 7 orders, 8 alliances, and 8 associations. It is predicted that under the conditions of a temperature increase of 3 °C, there will likely be changes in the carbonate content (Ca), water regime (Hd) of the soil, thermal regime (Tm), and climate humidity (Om), which will cause a reduction in the secondary range of the species in Ukraine, and the changed acid regime of the soil will cause (Rc) its disappearance in some localities. The obtained data can be used to carry out preventive measures regarding the emergence and further distribution of <italic>E. lobata</italic> in new habitats with different degrees of anthropogenic transformation.
</abstract>

Ecological–Coenotic features and Current Distribution <italic>Echinocystis lobata</italic> (Michx.) Torr. et A. Gray (<italic>Cucurbitaceae</italic>) in Ukraine

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>In this study, we used bootstrap simulation of a real data set to investigate the impact of sample size (N = 20, 30, 40 and 50) on the eigenvalues and eigenvectors resulting from principal component analysis (PCA). For each sample size, 100 bootstrap samples were drawn from environmental data matrix pertaining to water quality variables (p = 22) of a small data set comprising of 55 samples (stations from where water samples were collected). Because in ecology and environmental sciences the data sets are invariably small owing to high cost of collection and analysis of samples, we restricted our study to relatively small sample sizes. We focused attention on comparison of first 6 eigenvectors and first 10 eigenvalues. Data sets were compared using agglomerative cluster analysis using Ward’s method that does not require any stringent distributional assumptions.</abstract>

Institute of Environmental Studies, University of Karachi, Karachi-75270, Pakistan

Department of Botany, Federal Urdu University of Arts, Sciences & Technology, Karachi-75300, Pakistan

Impact of sample size on principal component analysis ordination of an environmental data set: effects on eigenstructure

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>The article compares and points out differences in driving forces of four main landscape change processes that shaped post-socialist countries and old democratic countries of Central Europe during the last two centuries. Studying landscape change processes and corresponding driving forces helps in understanding patterns of present landscape and can help among others in better prediction of future landscape change trends. Here, the presented results are based on review of scientific articles published in peer-reviewed journals between 2000 and 2014. Driving forces affecting these processes were grouped into four categories. Economic forces drove mainly agricultural intensification; agricultural land abandonment and urbanisation and were pronounced especially in the second half of the 20th century and at the beginning of the 21st century. Technological driving forces affected agricultural intensification especially in the 19th century and the second half of the 20th century while cultural driving forces had the biggest impact on urbanisation at the beginning of the 21st century. Political driving forces affected agricultural intensification, urbanisation as well as agricultural land abandonment and were pronounced mainly during the second half of the 20th century in the post-socialist countries. Political forces in the form of subsidies drove agricultural extensification at the beginning of the 21st century. The drivers for the agricultural intensification as well as urbanisation seem to be similar for both old democratic and post-socialist countries. In contrast, agricultural land abandonment in the old democratic countries was driven by technological, cultural and economic driving forces while in the post-socialist countries the political driving forces were mainly responsible. Changes in systems for subsidies and changes in the agricultural commodity markets are also responsible for different frequencies and rates of extensification of agriculture between the two groups of countries.</abstract>

Silva Tarouca Research Institute for Landscape and Ornamental Gardening, Lidická 25/27, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic

Department of Physical Geography and Geoecology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Mlynská dolina, Ilkovičova 6, 842 15 Bratislava, Slovak Republic

Driving forces of main landscape change processes from past 200 years in Central Europe - differences between old democratic and post-socialist countries

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> The aim of this paper is to describe agricultural landscapes in the cadastral area of Hriňova and their development in the context of social and economic changes over the past 60 years. This area is characterized by the occurrence of historical structures of agricultural landscape (HSAL) which are important because they comprise various cultural, environmental and ecological aspects. The assessment of land use changes on the two scales of cadastral area and selected small localities highlights that the most important trend here is agricultural extensification. The results show that despite these changes in land use, the historical structures in the agricultural landscape represented by forms of anthropogenic relief remain a permanent part of this research area.</abstract>

Institute of Landscape Ecology SAS, branch Nitra, Akademická 2, P.O.Box 22, 949 10 Nitra, Slovak Republic

Department of Ecology and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Constantine the Philosopher University, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 949 01 Nitra, Slovak Republic

Land use changes of historical structures in the agricultural landscape at the local level — Hriňová case study

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Ekológia (Bratislava)

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 The journal was edited with the title: 1982 Ekológia (ČSSR) 1990 Ekológia (ČSFR) 1993 Ekológia (Bratislava)  The papers...