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Abstract: Urbanization decreases the species richness and results in the homogenization of bird communities. Bird species are important indicator species for biodiversity and reflect the habitat quality of urban forests and other green spaces. In this study we investigated the key drivers that influence bird communities in urban forests and green spaces in the Southeastern European city of Ljubljana, Slovenia. We were interested in how the number of species, species dissimilarity and indicator species are affected by the type of green space (urban forest vs park), area of green space and type of urbanization (urban vs peri-urban areas). We sampled birds twice in 2012 in 39 standardized point counts across Ljubljana. We found that the abundance was influenced by the area of the green space. Species dissimilarity and species turnover are affected by the area and type of green space. Interestingly, the analysis showed that the species composition of peri-urban areas was similar to that of urban areas. Indicator species were found for all environmental variables. On the basis of the results, we suggest the strategy that would increase the diversity of birds and increase the stability of their populations in urban areas. Urban planners should encourage 1) both forests and parks since they harbour different species of birds, 2) larger green spaces since larger areas have species that are more typical of larger areas and 3) a mosaic of a larger number of smaller forest remnants combined with larger forest complex serving as source areas.
Keywords: urban forest, bird species composition, forest remnant, urbanization, peri-urban forest, bird monitoring, species richness
Published in DiRROS: 14.06.2021; Views: 1236; Downloads: 584
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Abstract: Aim: Handball is a highly popular team sport, both in Slovenia and globally. The performance during team sport matches is influenced by numerous factors, amongst others there is nutrition whose influence is lesser known, particularly since diet is often uncontrolled. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether Slovenian handball players, on basis of their anthropometric data and nutritional recommendations, have adequate nutritional intakes of energy and macronutrients. Methods: Two Slovenian handball teams with male and female players (17 males and 9 females) who are part of the 1A national league, were assessed through a 7-day food diary to define their nutritional intake in three different conditions for males (on their training days, match days and days off) and in two conditions for females (on their training days and days off). Basal anthropometric data were measured by standard methods and the body composition by a bioelectrical impedance scale. The results were statistically analysed with IBM SPSS programme, using the repeated measures ANOVA model. Results: Both female and male handball players show insufficient amounts of energy intake, based on the most recent nutritional intake recommendations for team sports. Moreover, the intake of carbohydrates is too low for both female and male handball players, and the intake of fat is too high. Conclusion: The analysis of the initial nutritional intake and the comparison with the recommendation shows that the male handball players do not have an optimal diet with proper intake of both energy and macronutrients. The energy intake is insufficient also in female players. Adjusting the nutritional intake in a way to make it more balanced and tuned to the training schedule, would support a better health and performance.
Keywords: energy intake, macronutrients, nutrition, body composition, handball, team sport
Published in DiRROS: 17.12.2020; Views: 1324; Downloads: 662
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Abstract: Eutypella parasitica R.W. Davidson and R.C. Lorenz is the causative agent of Eutypella canker of maple, a destructive disease of maples in Europe and North America. The fungus E. parasitica infects the trunk through a branch stub or bark wound. Because the fungal community may have an impact on infection and colonization by E. parasitica, the composition of fungi colonizing wood of dead branches of sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) was investigated in five sampling sites in Slovenia. Forty samples from each sampling site were collected between the November 2017 and March 2018 period. Isolations were made from the wood in the outer part of dead branches and from discoloured wood in the trunk that originated from a dead branch. Pure cultures were divided into morphotypes, and one representative culture per morphotype was selected for further molecular identification. From a total of 2700 cultured subsamples, 1744 fungal cultures were obtained, which were grouped into 212 morphotypes. The investigated samples were colonized by a broad spectrum of fungi. The most frequently isolated species were Eutypa maura (Fr.) Sacc., Eutypa sp. Tul. and C. Tul., Fusarium avenaceum (Fr.) Sacc., Neocucurbitaria acerina Wanas., Camporesi, E.B.G. Jones and K.D. Hyde and E. parasitica. In this study, we distinguished species diversity and the fungal community. There were no significant differences in the diversity of fungal species between the five sampling sites, and branch thickness did not prove to be a statistically significant factor in fungal species diversity. Nevertheless, relatively low Jaccard similarity index values suggested possible differences in the fungal communities from different sampling sites. This was confirmed by an analysis of similarities, which showed that the isolated fungal community distinctly differed between the five sampling sites and between the different isolation sources. Eutypella parasitica was isolated from all five investigated sampling sites, although Eutypella cankers were observed in only three sampling sites, indicating the possibility of asymptomatic infection.
Keywords: fungal composition, invasive species, diversity, fungal communities, molecular identification, frequencies, Jaccard similarity index, Eutypella parasitica, analysis of similarities, colonization
Published in DiRROS: 26.05.2020; Views: 2094; Downloads: 1237
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Abstract: In Slovenia, the plant species diversity on 225 research plots dominated by pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) and by sessile oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.) has been analysed. Plots of Q. robur are located in five, andplots of Q. petraea in four semi-natural managed forest complexes. In the tree layer, 28 species were found beside the dominant two oak species, with Carpinus betulus L., Picea abies (L.) Karst., Quercus cerris L. and Fagus sylvatica L. having significant shares of growing stock. Based on the understorey vegetation (shrub and herb layer, terricolous mosses), the Ddetrended Correspondence Analysis (DdCA) made a clear distinction between plots with dominant Q. robur and those with Q. petraea. The understorey vegetation also proved to be a valuable indicator of the site conditions and of forest management in the past. Based on ordination, lowland pedunculate oak forests of relatively long standing near to natural management have been separated from the pedunculate oak forests where spruce was favoured by the forest management, and from the man-made pedunculate oak stands on primary sites of Q. petraea. DCA clearly differentiated the sessile oak forests in warmer climate of Sub-Mediterranean region, and in warmer meso-sites of Pre-Pannonian region from other sessile oak forests. The main gradients of vegetation structure and of species diversity, as well main ecological gradients in different oak forests were obtained by ordination technique.
Keywords: floristic composition, vegetation structure, biodiversity, growing stock
Published in DiRROS: 12.07.2017; Views: 4218; Downloads: 1792
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