Dans un contexte de changement global, prédire l’évolution de la productivité de la végétation dans le sud-ouest (SO) Sibérien reste un défi du fait d’incertitudes fortes sur les processus régulant la disponibilité en eau et en nutriments. Nous avons mis en évidence des relations entre cycles biogéochimiques, climat et propriétés du sol sur six sites contrastés.La croissance radiale des tiges de peuplier est principalement sensible au bilan hydrique du sol en forêt de steppe, au sud du SO Sibérien, alors qu’elle est stimulée par de hautes températures estivales en sub-taïga, dans le nord de la région.Des mesures de terrain et des simulations du bilan hydrique du sol ont montré que la fonte des neiges est importante pour la recharge des réserves hydriques du sol au sud. Au nord, ces réserves sont souvent rechargées en automne. La fonte des neiges est alors associée à du drainage. De plus, au nord, une épaisse couverture de neige protège le sol du gel en hiver. La distribution des racines fines est plus profonde en forêt de steppe qu’en sub-taïga, impactée par le déficit hydrique et le gel.L’homogénéité du statut en phosphore (P) des sols dans le SO Sibérien montre qu’il n’est pas encore très impacté par la pédogénèse. Les stocks en P élevés, notammen tles formes disponibles pour les plantes, suggèrent que le P n’est pas et ne sera pas limitant dans le futur.La décomposition des litières aériennes et la libération de l’azote (N) sont plus rapides en sub-taïga qu’en forêt de steppe. Un fort drainage pourrait expliquer un transfert profond du N dans les sols en sub-taïga. Cependant ces sols semblent efficaces pour retenir le N, limitant les pertes pour le système sol–plante. / Predicting the evolution of vegetation productivity in SW Siberia in the contextof global change remains a challenge because of major uncertainties concerningthe biogeochemical cycling and the plant-availability of water and nutrients. Weprovided insights on their relation to climate and soil properties, investigating sixcontrasting sites.Aspen stem radial growth is mainly sensitive to soil water budget in the foreststeppezone established in the south of SW Siberia while it is enhanced by highsummer temperatures in the sub-taiga, in the north of the region.Field measurements and water budget simulations revealed that snow-melt isimportant re-filling soil water reserves in the south. In the north, these reservesare mostly re-filled in autumn and snow-melt is associated with drainage. A thicksnow-pack also prevents soil from freezing in winter in the sub-taiga. Water deficitand soil freezing largely impact the distribution of fine roots within the soil profilewhich is deeper in forest-steppe than in sub-taiga.The homogeneous soil phosphorus (P) status in the region investigated revealedthis nutrient has not been yet very impacted by contrasting soil processes. High Pstocks, and in particular plant-available forms, suggest P is unlikely to be limitingunder current and future conditions.By contrast, we found differences in nitrogen (N) status. Above-ground litterdecay and the release of N occurs faster in sub-taiga than in forest-steppe. Higherdrainage may explain deeper N transfer in sub-taiga soils. However, sub-taiga soilsalso seem to be efficient in retaining N, limiting losses from the soil–plant system.

Submitted by Ricardo Cedraz Duque Moliterno (ricardo.moliterno@uefs.br) on 2016-07-11T23:08:58Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Jumara Marques Souza_tese.pdf: 2615056 bytes, checksum: b21b8de1cf3cd6d4e050ce8ae830c183 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-11T23:08:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Jumara Marques Souza_tese.pdf: 2615056 bytes, checksum: b21b8de1cf3cd6d4e050ce8ae830c183 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-09-28 / Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico - CNPq / Disturbances affect plant populations in different ways, and their understanding is extremely important to define management strategies and biodiversity conservation. Such disturbances may be natural, as in the case of fire initiated by lightning, or can be anthropogenic, as the extraction of natural products. In both cases, populations of plants under interference from disturbances may increase or decrease, being necessary to understand its effects on populations in the long run. A key plant for conservation is Vellozia aff. sincorana L.B.Sm. & Ayensu (Velloziaceae), is an important species for the conservation of rupestrian fields of the western portion of the Serra do Sincor?, which is endemic. The largest area of distribution of this species, popularly know as candomba, is within the limits of the Chapada Diamantina National Park (CDNP), Bahia, Brazil, where it has a elevated cover. Candomb? branches are target of extraction in the region, which are destined to ignite wood stoves. In addition to this anthropic disturbance, V. aff. sincorana is also frequently affected by fires, which despite being a natural phenomenon are largely generated by human activity in CDNP. The fire has a marked effect on V. aff. sincorana, as it stimulates their mass flowering and synchronic, with no registration of flowering in this species in the absence of fire. This study evaluated the effects of fire in individuals of V. aff. sincorana in space and stages structure and the population dynamics of this species. In addition, simulations were performed with different frequencies fire, harvest intensities, and the association of fire and harvesting in order to assess the possibilities of using fire as management tool of harvest to this species. For analyzes involving harvest, the two techniques used by candomb? collectors in the region (removal of whole adult plants or branches) were simulated. For this study, individuals of V. aff. sincorana were marked, measured and monitored on 16m? plots over two censuses (2012 and 2013) in six populations, three unaffected by fire since 2008, and three affected by recent fires (2011 or 2012), approximately 40 days before the first census. In total, we monitored 1,617 individuals in 56 plots. The results showed that the recent fire affects individuals of V. aff. sincorana stimulating flowering and increases in canopy area, plant height and number of rosettes. Populations had lower rates of mortality and recruitment, however, in areas without recent fire, both the recruitment by seeds and mortality of juveniles were higher. The distribution of individuals was aggregate in all populations, averaging two individuals per m?. The recent fire caused changes in distribution of individuals in class of life stages. In general, populations tended to have higher concentration of adults. The reproduction stimulus by fire increases fertility and causes growth of recent fire populations, so the recent fire encourages population increase of V. aff. sincorana, while in absence of fire populations tended to decrease. The simulation results showed that populations of V. aff. sincorana tend to decrease with increasing the gap between the fire events. In harvest simulations, the growth of population was negatively affected by the decrease in harvest intervals and no fire. The results showed that the harvesting technique of whole adult is not sustainable and that the maintenance of the populations of V. aff. sincorana depends on the survival of individuals, mostly adults. In general, we find evidence that the conservation of V. aff. sincorana and its management for extractive purposes depend on periodic fire occurrence. / Os dist?rbios afetam as popula??es vegetais de diversos modos, sendo sua compreens?o de extrema import?ncia para defini??o de estrat?gias de manejo e conserva??o da biodiversidade. Tais dist?rbios podem ter origem antr?pica ou n?o, a exemplo do fogo iniciado por raio e da extra??o de produtos naturais. Em ambos os casos, as popula??es de plantas sob interfer?ncia podem crescer ou diminuir demasiadamente, sendo necess?ria a compreen??o dos efeitos em longo prazo dos dist?rbios nas popula??es. Vellozia aff. sincorana L.B.Sm. & Ayensu (Velloziaceae) ? uma esp?cie importante para a conserva??o dos campos rupestres da por??o ocidental da Serra do Sincor?, da qual ? end?mica. A maior ?rea de distribui??o dessa esp?cie, popularmente conhecida como candomb?, encontra-se dentro dos limites do Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina (PNCD), Bahia, Brasil, onde apresenta uma elevada cobertura. Os ramos do candomb? s?o alvo de extrativismo na regi?o, os quais s?o destinados a acender fog?es a lenha. Al?m desse dist?rbio antr?pico, V. aff. sincorana tamb?m ? frequentemente afetada por inc?ndios, que apesar de serem um fen?meno natural, s?o majoritariamente originados pela a??o humana no PNCD. O fogo tem um efeito marcante sobre V. aff. sincorana, j? que estimula sua flora??o em massa e sincr?nica, n?o havendo registros de flora??o da esp?cie na aus?ncia de fogo. O presente estudo avaliou os efeitos do fogo nos indiv?duos de V. aff. sincorana, na estrutura espacial e de est?dios, bem como na din?mica populacional dessa esp?cie. Al?m disso, foram realizadas simula??es com diferentes frequ?ncias de fogo, intensidades de colheita, e da associa??o entre fogo e colheita, a fim de avaliar as possibilidades do uso do fogo como ferramenta do manejo extrativista dessa esp?cie. Para as an?lises envolvendo colheita, foram simuladas as duas t?cnicas utilizadas pelos coletores de candomb? na regi?o (retirada de plantas adultas inteiras ou a de ramos). Para esse estudo, os indiv?duos de V. aff. sincorana foram marcados, medidos e acompanhados em parcelas de 16m? durante dois censos (2012 e 2013) em seis popula??es, tr?s n?o afetadas por fogo desde 2008, e tr?s afetadas por inc?ndios recentes (2011 ou 2012), aproximadamente 40 dias antes do primeiro censo. No total, foram acompanhados 1.617 indiv?duos distribu?dos em 56 parcelas. Os resultados evidenciaram que o fogo recente afeta os indiv?duos de V. aff. sincorana estimulando ? flora??o e aos incrementos em ?rea da copa, altura da planta e produ??o de rosetas. As popula??es apresentaram baixas taxas de mortalidade e recrutamento, por?m, nas ?reas sem fogo recente, tanto o recrutamento via sementes quanto a mortalidade de juvenis foram maiores. A distribui??o dos indiv?duos foi agregada em todas as popula??es, com m?dia de dois indiv?duos/m?. O fogo recente provocou mudan?as na distribui??o dos indiv?duos entre as classes de est?dios de vida. Em geral, as popula??es tenderam ? maior concentra??o de adultos. A reprodu??o estimulada por fogo aumenta a fertilidade e ocasiona crescimento das popula??es rec?m-incendiadas, de modo que o inc?ndio recente favoreceu o aumento populacional de V. aff. sincorana, enquanto na sua aus?ncia as popula??es tenderam ? diminui??o. Os resultados das simula??es evidenciaram que as popula??es de V. aff. sincorana tendem ? diminui??o com o aumento do intervalo entre os eventos de fogo. Nas simula??es de colheita, o crescimento das popula??es foi afetado negativamente pela diminui??o dos intervalos de colheita e aus?ncia de fogo. Os resultados evidenciaram que a t?cnica de colheita de adultos inteiros n?o ? sustent?vel e que a manuten??o das popula??es de V. aff. sincorana depende da sobreviv?ncia dos indiv?duos, principalmente os adultos. De modo geral, encontramos ind?cios de que a conserva??o de V. aff. sincorana e seu manejo para fins extrativistas dependem da ocorr?ncia peri?dica do fogo.

<p>Greater prairie-chickens (<i>Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus</i>; GPC) have declined throughout large areas in the eastern portion of their range. I used species distribution modeling to predict most appropriate areas of translocation of GPC in and around Kankakee Sands, a tallgrass prairie in northwest Indiana, USA. I used MaxEnt for modelling the predictions based on relevant environmental predictors along with occurrence points of 54 known lek sites. I created four models inspired by Hovick et al. (2015): Universal, Environmental, Anthropogenic-Landcover, and Anthropogenic-MODIS. The Universal, Environmental, and Anthropogenic-MODIS models possessed passable AUC scores with low omission error rates. However, only the Universal model performed better than the null model according to binomial testing. I created maps of all models with passing AUC scores along with an overlay map displaying the highest predictions across all passing models. MaxEnt predicted high relative likelihoods of occurrence for the entirety of Kankakee Sands and many areas in the nearby landscape, including the surrounding agricultural matrix. With implementation of some management suggestions and potential cooperation with local farmers, GPC translocation to the area appears plausible.</p> <p>Franklin’s ground squirrels (<i>Poliocitellus franklinii</i>; FGS) have declined throughout a large portion of the eastern periphery of their range. Because of this, The Nature Conservancy is interested in establishing a new population of these animals via translocation. The area of interest is tallgrass prairie in northwest Indiana, USA: Kankakee Sands and the surrounding landscape. Species distribution modelling can help identify areas that are suitable for translocation. I used MaxEnt, relevant environmental variables, and 44 known occurrence points to model the potential for translocation of FGS to Kankakee Sands and the surrounding area. I created four models inspired by Hovick et al. (2015): Universal, Environmental, Anthropogenic-Landcover, and Anthropogenic-MODIS. I created maps of models with passing AUC scores. The final map was an overlay map displaying the highest relative likelihood of occurrence predictions for the area in all passing models. Only the Universal and Anthropogenic-MODIS models had passable AUC scores. Both had acceptable omission error rates. However, none of the models performed better than the null model (p < 0.05). MaxEnt predicted that a few areas in and outside of Kankakee Sands possess high relative likelihoods of occurrence of FGS in both the Universal and Anthropogenic-MODIS models. However, MaxEnt predicted high relative likelihoods in the surrounding agricultural matrix in the Universal Model. FGS prefer to cross through agricultural areas via unmowed roadside instead of open fields (Duggan et al. 2011). Because of this, high predictions in agricultural matrices in the Universal model are irrelevant. High relative likelihood predictions for linear sections that are obviously roads are disregardable in the context of my modeling efforts. Because of my low sample size, none of the models are really reliable in predicting relative likelihoods of occurrence for this area. Despite high relative likelihood predictions, the appropriateness of a translocation effort to the area is inconclusive.</p>

The aim of this diploma thesis is to compare prices of ornamental plants founded by simplified and cost method of valuation. Comparison was made on a sample of garden situated in the functional unit with a terraced house and the land built over by this building. Based on the obtained results the influence of different location and age of the trees on their price is evaluated. The thesis also defines basic terms and explains issues which are closely related with valuation of ornamental plants.

Inner Mongolian grasslands are part of the vast Eurasian steppe belt and were used for nomadic pastoralism for thousands of years. As a result of political and economic changes in China in the last century, this mobile grazing management has been replaced by a sedentary and intensified livestock production. Stocking rates have increased substantially, overshooting the carrying capacity of the grasslands. These land use changes have induced severe grassland degradation. The impact and causes of grassland degradation have been investigated by the Sino-German joint research group MAGIM (Matter fluxes in grasslands of Inner Mongolia as influenced by stocking rate) in the Xilin River catchment of Inner Mongolia since 2004. This work is part of subproject P6, which amongst others pursues the goal of quantifying water balance exchange by micrometeorology and remote sensing. The dominating process of water balance losses in Inner Mongolian grasslands is evapotranspiration (ET), whereby water vapour is released into the lower atmosphere. ET is highly variable in both time and space in this semi-arid environment, as it is coupled with the typically fluctuating amount of precipitation (P). However, despite ET being the key output process of the hydrological cycle of Inner Mongolian grasslands and despite its important role as an indicator for ecosystem functioning, little is known about its spatiotemporal distribution and variability in this remote area. Recent studies on ET have demonstrated variations due to phenology, soil moisture and land use, but these studies have been limited to short periods and have been conducted on a few field sites in close proximity with debatable representativeness for the 2600 km² of grasslands in the Xilin River catchment. The development of a number of remote sensing methods in the last decades has introduced various approaches to determining spatial ET from space, but the application of remotely sensed ET in regional long-term studies is still problematic. Nevertheless, a variety of surface parameters are provided by the sensor MODIS (moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer) at a resolution of approx. 1km. The aim of this work was (1) to close the gap between the limitations of available local ET measurements and the need for long-term studies on spatial ET in Inner Mongolian grasslands and (2) to analyse the spatiotemporal variability of ET and its implications on livestock management in this area. Therefore, micrometeorological data, remote sensing products and hydrological modelling with BROOK90 were integrated to model spatial ET for the grasslands of the Xilin River catchment over 10 years. The hydrological model BROOK90 calculates ET based on a modified Penman-Monteith approach including the separation of energy into transpiration and soil evaporation. The spatial application of the model was based on a land use classification restricted to the land use unit typical steppe. BROOK90 was parameterised from eddy covariance measurements, soil characteristics and MODIS leaf area index (LAI). Location and canopy parameters were provided individually, as well as the essential daily model input, including P and air temperatures for each pixel. Minimum and maximum air temperatures were calculated based on a relationship between measured air temperatures and MODIS surface temperatures (R²=0.92 and R²=0.87, n=81). Spatial P was estimated from a relationship found between the measured cumulative P of six rain gauges within the grasslands and the increase of MODIS LAI around these measurements (R²=0.80, n=270). Modelled ET is plausible and fits in the range of published results. ET was demonstrated to be highly variable in both time and space: the high spatiotemporal variability of eight-day ET is reflected by the coefficients of variation, which varied between 25% and 40% for the whole study area and were up to 75% for individual pixels. Soil evaporation reacts considerably more sensitively to precipitation pulses than transpiration. Modelled annual ET sums approached or exceeded precipitation sums in general; however, P exceeded ET in 2003, when exceptionally high precipitation occurred. The strong dynamics and the high spatiotemporal variability of ET clearly demonstrate that the current static livestock management is not adapted to the conditions of Inner Mongolian grasslands. New concepts for a sustainable livestock management could be developed in consideration of the intrinsic long-term patterns of spatial ET distribution and spatiotemporal variability identified in this work. Moreover, as this method for modelling spatial ET is not restricted to the grasslands of the Xilin River catchment, livestock management in other semi-arid grasslands could benefit from it as well. / Die Grasländer der Inneren Mongolei sind Teil des riesigen eurasischen Steppengürtels und wurden seit Tausenden von Jahren für die nomadische Weidewirtschaft genutzt. Als Folge der politischen und wirtschaftlichen Veränderungen in China im letzten Jahrhundert ist diese mobile Weidewirtschaft durch eine ortsgebundene und intensivierte Tierhaltung ersetzt worden. Besatzdichten wurden erheblich erhöht und die Tragfähigkeit der Grasländer wurde deutlich überschritten. Diese Landnutzungsänderungen haben schwerwiegende Degradationserscheinungen der Grasländer induziert. Die Ursachen und Auswirkungen der Degradation sind von der Deutsch-Chinesischen-Forschungsgruppe MAGIM (Matter fluxes in grasslands of Inner Mongolia as influenced by stocking rate) im Einzugsgebiet des Xilin-Flusses in der Inneren Mongolei seit 2004 untersucht worden. Diese Arbeit wurde im Rahmen des Teilprojektes P6 erstellt, welches unter anderem das Ziel verfolgt, Wasserhaushaltsprozesse mit Mikrometeorologie und Fernerkundung zu quantifizieren. Der dominierende Prozess der Wasserbilanz-Verluste in den Grasländern der Inneren Mongolei ist die Verdunstung (ET), wobei Wasserdampf in die untere Atmosphäre freigesetzt wird. ET ist in diesem semi-ariden Ökosystem in Zeit und Raum sehr variabel, da an die in der Regel schwankenden Niederschläge (P) gekoppelt. Trotz der Schlüsselrolle, die ET im Wasserkreislauf der Inneren Mongolei einnimmt, und der wichtigen Rolle als Indikator für die Funktionsweise des Ökosystems, ist wenig über die raum-zeitliche Verteilung und Variabilität von ET in dieser abgelegenen Region bekannt. Neuere Studien haben ET-Schwankungen aufgrund von Phänologie, Bodenfeuchte und Bodennutzung dargestellt, aber diese Studien sind auf kurze Zeiträume beschränkt und wurden auf nur wenigen Standorten, die sich in unmittelbarer Nähe befinden, durchgeführt. Dies stellt ihre Repräsentativität für die 2600 km² an Grasland im Xilin-Einzugsgebiet in Frage. Die Entwicklung von Fernerkundungsmethoden in den letzten Jahrzehnten hat verschiedene Ansätze zur Bestimmung der räumlichen ET hervorgebracht, jedoch ist die Anwendung von ET aus Fernerkundungsdaten in regionalen Langzeitstudien immer noch problematisch. Dennoch werden eine Vielzahl von Oberflächenparametern durch den Sensor MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) bei einer Auflösung von ca. 1km zur Verfügung gestellt. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit war (1) die Lücke zwischen den verfügbaren lokalen ET-Messungen und dem Bedarf an langfristigen Untersuchungen zu räumlicher ET im Grasland der Inneren Mongolei zu schließen und (2) die räumlich-zeitliche Variabilität von ET vor dem Hintergrund des Beweidungsmanagements zu analysieren. Daher wurden mikrometeorologische Daten, Fernerkundungsprodukte und hydrologische Modellierungen mit BROOK90 integriert, um die räumliche ET für die Grasländer des Xilin-Einzugsgebietes über 10 Jahre zu modellieren. Das hydrologische Modell BROOK90 berechnet ET auf Basis eines modifizierten Penman-Monteith-Ansatzes einschließlich der Aufteilung in Transpiration und Bodenverdunstung. Die räumliche Anwendung des Standortmodells basiert auf einer Landnutzungsklassifikation und wurde für die Landnutzungsklasse typical steppe durchgeführt. Eddy-Kovarianz-Messungen, Bodeneigenschaften und MODIS-Blattflächenindex (LAI) wurden zur Parametrisierung von BROOK90 verwendet. Sowohl Lage- und Pflanzenparameter, als auch die notwendigen Modelleingangsdaten (Tageswerte von P und Lufttemperaturen), wurden für jeden Pixel individuell zur Verfügung gestellt. Minimum- und Maximum-Lufttemperaturen wurden mittels einer Beziehung zwischen gemessenen Lufttemperaturen und MODIS-Oberflächentemperaturen berechnet (R²=0.92 und R²=0.87, n=81). Räumliche P wurden aus einem Zusammenhang zwischen gemessenen kumulierten P von sechs Niederschlagsmessern im Untersuchungsgebiet und der Erhöhung des MODIS-LAI im Bereich dieser Messungen abgeleitet (R²=0.80, n=270). Die modellierte räumliche ET ist plausibel und liegt im Wertebereich der publizierten Ergebnisse. Es wurde gezeigt, das ET sehr variabel in Raum und Zeit ist: die raum-zeitlichen Schwankungen der achttägigen ET wurden durch den Variationskoeffizienten dargestellt, welcher zwischen 25% und 40% für das gesamte Untersuchungsgebiet variiert und für einzelne Pixel bis auf 75% ansteigt. Die Bodenverdunstung reagiert wesentlich empfindlicher auf Niederschlagsereignisse als die Transpiration. Modellierte Jahres-ET-Summen erreichen oder überschritten die Niederschlagssummen in der Regel, jedoch übertraf P die ET im Jahre 2003, als außergewöhnlich hohe Niederschläge aufgetreten sind. Die starke Dynamik und die hohe raum-zeitliche Variabilität der ET zeigen deutlich, dass die aktuelle statische Tierhaltung nicht an die Bedingungen in den Innermongolischen Grasländern angepasst ist. Neue Konzepte für eine nachhaltige Viehwirtschaft könnten unter Berücksichtigung der inhärenten langfristigen Muster der räumlichen Verteilung von ET und ihrer raum-zeitlichen Variabilität, die in dieser Arbeit identifiziert wurden, entwickelt werden. Außerdem ist die Anwendung der entwickelten Methode für die Modellierung räumlicher ET nicht auf die Grasländer des Xilin-Einzugsgebietes beschränkt; die Weidewirtschaft in anderen semi-ariden Grasländern könnte ebenfalls davon profitieren.

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Semi-natural grasslands of the eastern Moravia have big potential to host species-rich plant communities. However, changes in land-use during the second half of the last century were rapid and vast and many grasslands had been ploughed over. In the early 80s some arable lands were sown with low diversity clover-grass mixture and transferred back to grassland. Restoration of grasslands on former arable fields is a major challenge. Their colonisation by grassland species may be complicated by initial seeding productive low diversity seed mixtures. The aim of this study was to estimate differences in species composition and species diversity between ex-arable artificially seeded grasslands and fragments of grasslands with continuity over 70 years in the north part of White Carpathian Mts., SE Czech Republic and identify species traits limiting species ability to colonize the ex-arable grasslands. Target plant species (total of 137) were surveyed on 66 grasslands. Surveyed grasslands were according to continuity and type of management. Coordinates of centroids from each polygon (i. e. surveyed grassland) were used to treat the spatial correlation of the surveyed grasslands. The effect of continuity on species composition and diversity was tested after accounting for differences in the management and...

The classification of North American species of Prionus (Prionus) Geoffroy is reevaluated, with three subgenera recognized: P. (Antennalia) Casey, revived status, P. (Neopolyarthron) Semenov, revived status, and P. (Prionus). Prionus (Neopolyarthron) is revised and consists of P. imbricornis (Linnaeus), P. debilis Casey, revived status, and P. cuneatus Casey, revived status, with the latter two species removed from synonymy with P. imbricornis. Prionus robustus Casey, new synonymy, and P. fissicornis parviceps Casey, revised synonymy, are transferred from synonymy with P. imbricornis to synonymy with P. cuneatus and P. fissicornis respectively. Keys to North American subgenera of Prionus and to species of P. (Neopolyarthron) are provided. Species of P. (Neopolyarthron) are redescribed, diagnosed, and illustrated, and the distribution, hosts, habitat, and conservation status of each are discussed. Species distribution maps are provided, along with 26 new state records. Prionus fissicornis is diagnosed, and type specimens of its synonyms are reviewed and illustrated.

Anthropogenic activities have caused many wildlife spices to decline in populations worldwide. The grassland bird communities are especially being impacted by these land use changes. Breeding success is closely tied to functional habitats for most grassland bird species in North Texas. Restoring these degraded habitats is an important component to aid in conserving wildlife biodiversity. We surveyed the bird population at Riverby Ranch Mitigation site by conducting point count sampling. This site consists of recently restored grassland, wetland, and forested habitat. This research was focused on conducting post restoration monitoring of the bird community in the early succession of the restored habitats. We set out to use the bird community as biomonitors to help assess if the restoration practices could be considered successful. We found that density estimates were more than double at the restored site when comparing to three different references sites under different management practices. This included an unrestored working ranch, a wildlife management area, and a conservation managed prairie site. We found that biodiversity metrics were as high or higher than the reference sites. In addition, we also found that there were more observations of species of high conservation concern present at the restored stie. This research supports that the reconstructive restoration that took place at Riverby Ranch was highly effective at restoring a diverse and abundant grassland and wetland bird community.

Der Stumpfblättrige Ampfer (Rumex obtusifolius) ist eine häufig auftretende Schadpflanze des Grünlandes. Er verdrängt wertvolle Futtergräser und beeinträchtigt die Grundfutterqualität und Futterkonservierung negativ. Zahlreiche Publikationen beschäftigten sich mit der Botanik und der allgemeinen Schadwirkung, zu den wirtschaftlichen Auswirkungen wurden bisher kaum belastbare Aussagen veröffentlicht. In 2-jährigen Felderhebungen wurden an 3 Standorten in Sachsen und Thüringen zu jeweils 4 Aufwüchsen die Parameter Abundanz, Deckungsgrad, Ertragsanteil, Trockenmasseertrag sowie Futterwert und Inhaltsstoffe von Ampfer in Relation zu Gras bei unterschiedlich starkem Ampferbefall untersucht. Die Erfassung der projektiven Deckung war deutlich besser zur Quantifizierung des Schadauftretens geeignet als die Abundanz. Der Ertragsanteil betrug das 0,69-fache des Ampfer-Deckungsgrades. Der Gesamt-TM-Ertrag wurde bei steigendem Ampferbefall regelmäßig nicht negativ beeinflusst. Die Energiedichte von Ampfer lag rund 25 % unter der der jeweiligen Graskomponente. Aus dem geringeren Trockenmasseertrag und der niedrigeren Energiedichte ergibt sich bei Ampferbekämpfung und Nachsaat ein Potenzial zur Steigerung des Energieertrages der Fläche. In Silierversuchen wurde die Wirkung von verschiedenen Mischungsanteilen von R. obtusifolius auf den Konservierungserfolg von Lolium perenne untersucht. Steigende Ampferanteile wirkten sich negativ auf das Gärsäuremuster der Grassilagen aus und führten zu einem zusätzlichen Rückgang der Energiedichte der anteiligen Ampferkomponente von rund 10 %. Es wurde ein mathematisches Modell entwickelt, mit dem sich auf Basis der Parameter Gesamt-TM-Ertrag des Bestandes, Energiedichte des Grases, dem Ampfer-Deckungsgrad und unter Einbeziehung des Milchpreises der potenziell entgangene Deckungsbeitrag berechnen lässt. Daraus kann für unterschiedliche Kosten-, Ertrags- und Erlössituationen eine flexible wirtschaftliche Schadensschwelle abgeleitet werden. / Docks are one of most frequently arising problem weeds of the permanent grassland. It suppresses valuable fodder grasses and negatively influences the basic fodder quality. Numerous publications concern themselves with botany and the general side-effect; chargeable statements to economic effects were so far however not published. In two-year field collections at three locations in eastern part of Germany the relations between abundances, coverage, yield part, dry matter yield of grass and docks as well as the worth-giving ingredients of both were analyzed. Different recording methods were comparatively evaluated. Estimating or measuring the weed ground cover was more suitable for quantifying the loss in economic value due to presence of Docks then plant counting’s. The proportional yield part of docks can be derived however surely from the percent of ground cover multiplied by 0.69. The total dry matter yield was regularly not affected by raising colonization of Docks. The net energy of docks was 25 % under that from grass. The low dry matter yield and the reduced net energy content of Docks in comparison to grass appearing a potential for raising net energy yield per hectare after controlling the docks and reestablishing the sward. In ensiling studies the effect of rising mixture portions of docks on preservation success of Italian rye grass was examined. It was stated that docks affects the fermenting acid sample negatively and leads to a proportionate decrease of net energy content of the silage feed of approximately 10 %. A mathematical model has been developed, based on entire dry matter yield of the site, net energy content of the grass, ground canopy of docks and milk proceeds. It allows the forecast of non realized income, which could be used in case of removal of docks and recovering gaps with grass comparably to the existing grass. From this point a flexible economical damage threshold can be derived for different costing, yield and proceeds situations.