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43. Comparing environmental impacts of alien plants, insects and pathogens in protected riparian forestsKatharina Lapin, Sven Bacher, Thomas L. Cech, Rok Damjanić, Franz Essl, Freya-Isabel Georges, Gernot Hoch, Andreja Kavčič, András Koltay, Saša Kostić, Ivan Lukić, Aleksander Marinšek, Laszlo Nagy, Sonja Novak Agbaba, Janine Oettel, Saša Orlović, Leopold Poljaković-Pajnik, Marcus Sallmannshofer, Martin Steinkellner, Srdjan Stojnić, Marjana Westergren, Milica Zlatković, Anita Zolles, Maarten De Groot, 2021, original scientific article Abstract: The prioritization of alien species according to the magnitude of their environmental impacts has become increasingly important for the management of invasive alien species. In this study, we applied the Environmental Impact Classification of Alien Taxa (EICAT) to classify alien taxa from three different taxonomic groups to facilitate the prioritisation of management actions for the threatened riparian forests of the Mura-Drava-Danube Biosphere Reserve, South East Europe. With local experts we collated a list of 198 alien species (115 plants, 45 insects, and 38 fungi) with populations reported in southeast European forest ecosystems and included them in the EICAT. We found impact reports for 114 species. Eleven of these species caused local extinctions of a native species, 35 led to a population decrease, 51 to a reduction in performance in at least one native species and for 17 alien species no effects on individual fitness of native species were detected. Fungi had significantly highest impact and were more likely to have information on their impacts reported. Competition and parasitism were the most important impact mechanisms of alien species. This study is, to our knowledge, the first application of EICAT to all known alien species of several taxonomic groups in a protected area. The impact rankings enabled to identify taxa that generally cause high impacts and to prioritize species for the management in protected areas according to their impact magnitudes. By following a standardized impact protocol, we identified several alien species causing high impacts that do not appear on any expert-based risk list, which are relevant for policymakers. Thus, we recommend that alien species be systematically screened to identify knowledge gaps and prioritize their management with respect to spatio-temporal trends in impact magnitudes.
Keywords: alien species, biological invasions, EICAT, invasive species management, protected areas, species prioritization
Published in DiRROS: 29.10.2021; Views: 847; Downloads: 667
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44. Interrelations of various tree vitality indicators and their reaction to climatic conditions on a European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.)Mladen Ognjenović, Tom Levanič, Nenad Potočić, Damir Ugarković, Krunoslav Indir, Ivan Seletković, 2020, original scientific article Abstract: Interrelations of various common beech vitality indicators (crown defoliation, foliar chemistry, radial growth) as well as their possible dependencies on climatic conditions were investigated over the course of 12 years in a mature and healthy beech stand. Our results confirm the importance of temperature variables for defoliation, as high temperatures during spring and summer months induce the increase of defoliation. The same negative influence was observed with high maximum temperatures and low precipitation during previous year summer months. Phosphorus, calcium and magnesium nutrition of beech trees suffers from high temperatures during current year summer and benefits from more precipitation. High temperatures in current year May positively influence beech radial growth, while a wide range of minimum temperatures during March and June has a negative effect. In summary, high summer temperatures and low precipitation were shown to have a negative effect on all vitality indicators, and for defoliation and nutrition this effect can last into the following year.
Keywords: defoliation, foliar nutrition, radial growth, drought, vitality
Published in DiRROS: 15.01.2021; Views: 1107; Downloads: 320
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45. The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the management and course of chronic urticariaEmek Kocatürk, Andaç Salman, Ivan Cherrez-Ojeda, Paulo Ricardo Criado, Jonny Peter, Elif Comert-Ozer, Mohamed Abuzakouk, Rosana Câmara Agondi, Mona Al-Ahmad, Sabine Altrichter, Mojca Bizjak, Mitja Košnik, 2020, original scientific article Abstract: Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically disrupts health care around the globe. The impact of the pandemic on chronic urticaria (CU) and its management are largely unknown. Aim: To understand how CU patients are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; how specialists alter CU patient management; and the course of CU in patients with COVID-19. Materials and methods: Our cross-sectional, international, questionnaire-based, multicenter UCARE COVID-CU study assessed the impact of the pandemic on patient consultations, remote treatment, changes in medications, and clinical consequences. Results: The COVID-19 pandemic severely impairs CU patient care, with less than 50% of the weekly numbers of patients treated as compared to before the pandemic. Reduced patient referrals and clinic hours were the major reasons. Almost half of responding UCARE physicians were involved in COVID-19 patient care, which negatively impacted on the care of urticaria patients. The rate of face-to-face consultations decreased by 62%, from 90% to less than half, whereas the rate of remote consultations increased by more than 600%, from one in 10 to more than two thirds. Cyclosporine and systemic corticosteroids, but not antihistamines or omalizumab, are used less during the pandemic. CU does not affect the course of COVID-19, but COVID-19 results in CU exacerbation in one of three patients, with higher rates in patients with severe COVID-19. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic brings major changes and challenges for CU patients and their physicians. The long-term consequences of these changes, especially the increased use of remote consultations, require careful evaluation.
Keywords: chronic urticaria, pandemics, omalizumab, cyclosporine, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, UCARE, treatment
Published in DiRROS: 14.12.2020; Views: 1438; Downloads: 360
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46. Growth-limiting factors and climate response variability in Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) along an elevation and precipitation gradients in SloveniaJernej Jevšenak, Ivan Tychkov, Jožica Gričar, Tom Levanič, Jan Tumajer, Peter Prislan, Domen Arnič, Margarita Popkova, Vladimir V. Shishov, 2020, original scientific article Abstract: Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) is among the most sensitive coniferous species to ongoing climate change. However, previous studies on its growth response to increasing temperatures have yielded contrasting results (from stimulation to suppression), suggesting highly site-specific responses. Here, we present the first study that applies two independent approaches, i.e. the nonlinear, process-based Vaganov-Shashkin (VS) model and linear daily response functions. Data were collected at twelve sites in Slovenia differing in climate regimes and ranging elevation between 170 and 1300 m a.s.l. VS model results revealed that drier Norway spruce sites at lower elevations are mostly moisture limited, while moist high-elevation sites are generally more temperature limited. Daily response functions match well the pattern of growth-limiting factors from the VS model and further explain the effect of climate on radial growth: prevailing growth-limiting factors correspond to the climate variable with higher correlations. Radial growth correlates negatively with rising summer temperature and positively with higher spring precipitation. The opposite response was observed for the wettest site at the highest elevation, which positively reacts to increased summer temperature and will most likely benefit from a warming climate. For all other sites, the future radial growth of Norway spruce largely depends on the balance between spring precipitation and summer temperature.
Keywords: Vaganov-Shashkin model, climate-growth correlations, tree rings, process-based modelling, dendroTools, dendroclimatology
Published in DiRROS: 21.10.2020; Views: 1245; Downloads: 992
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