Biflavones of the subfamily callitroideae,cupressaceae

Twenty species, including representatives of all 11 genera of the Callitroideae, were examined for biflavonoid content of the leafy twigs. The major biflavonoids are based on amentoflavone, cupressuflavone and hinokiflavone. Their uneven distribution amongst the genera allows the distinction of five groups. These do not correlate strongly with currently recognized tribal groupings. The affinities of these genera are discussed.     

Using the Mahalanobis distance statistic with unplanned presence-only survey data for biogeographical models of species distribution and abundance: a case study of badger setts

Aim Project‐specific data for biogeographical models are often logistically impractical to collect, forcing the use of existing data from a variety of sources. Use of these data is complicated when neither absence nor an estimate of the area sampled is available, as these are requirements of most analytical techniques. We demonstrate the Mahalanobis distance statistic (D²), which is a presence‐only modelling technique and does not require information on species absence or the sampled area. We use badger (Meles meles) setts as the basis for this investigation, as their landscape associations are well understood, and survey data exist against which to compare estimates of sett distribution and abundance. Location  England and Wales (151,403 km²). Methods We used stratified random samples of sett locations, and landscape variables that are known to be important for choice of badger sett location within a geographic information system at a cell resolution of 100 × 100 m. Landscape conditions at two scales were extracted, at and around sett locations, and the D² was used to classify all cells in England and Wales into a sett suitability model. Comparison of this sett suitability model with known main sett densities allowed estimates of main sett density to be made across England and Wales, with associated uncertainty. Results The sett suitability model was shown through iterative sampling and model evaluation using independent data to be stable and accurate. Main sett density estimates were biologically plausible in comparison with previous field‐derived estimates. We estimate 58,000 main setts within England and Wales, with 95% confidence intervals suggesting a value between 31,000 and 93,000. Main conclusions The D², which could be applied to other species and locations, proved useful in our context, where absence data were not available and the sampled area could not be reliably established. We were able to predict sett suitability across a large area and at a fine resolution, and to generate plausible estimates of main sett density. The final model provides valuable information on probable badger sett distribution and abundance, and may contribute to future research on the spatial ecology of badgers in England and Wales.     

Isotope evidence for the intensive use of marine foods by Late Upper Palaeolithic humans

We report here on direct evidence for the intensive consumption of marine foods by anatomically modern humans at approximately 12,000 years ago. We undertook isotopic analysis of bone collagen from three humans, dating to the late Palaeolithic, from the site of Kendrick's Cave in North Wales, UK. The isotopic measurements of their bone collagen indicated that ca. 30% of their dietary protein was from marine sources, which we interpret as likely being high trophic level marine organisms such as marine mammals. This indicates that towards the end of the Pleistocene modern humans were pursuing a hunting strategy that incorporated both marine and terrestrial mammals. This is the first occurrence of the intensive use of marine resources, specifically marine mammals, that becomes even more pronounced in the subsequent Mesolithic period.     

Black Bears Select Large Woody Structures for Dens in Southeast Alaska

Timber interests target coastal temperate rainforests, and within them stands composed of large trees potentially selected by American black bears (Ursus americanus) for denning. We identified the location of 75 black bear dens (used ≥14 days) in an intensively logged area on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, USA. We ground-visited a subset (n = 43) of these sites to measure the diameter of living trees and woody structures used by black bears for denning. We contrasted dens with random trees available in the study area in a series of models to characterize black bear den selection. All but 1 of 43 ground-visited dens were located within woody structures, and all but 2 of these structures were >1 m diameter at breast height (dbh). We built resource selection functions (RSFs) to investigate black bear den selection across a range of spatial scales, though estimated selection was generally scale invariant. Black bears strongly selected large-diameter woody structures (dead or alive) as dens at the home-range scale, with the estimated relative strength of selection (RSS) for a 2-m-diameter tree approximately 166 times that of a 1-m-diameter tree. The estimated RSS of logged forest was unexpectedly greater (2.75 times) than that of the remaining commercially valuable old-growth forest. Selection for den structures within stumps in previously logged stands suggests features of the woody structure may be of greater importance to black bears selecting dens than attributes of the surrounding forest. There was no observed correlation between bear den selection and second-growth age, indicating that stumps may persist as suitable dens well after logging. Because denning is an important part of their life history and the denning structures used by black bears on Prince of Wales Island will eventually decay, retaining habitat value for bears in areas intensively managed for timber harvest requires strategies to recruit very large, old trees throughout the landscape. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.     

New species of Asphalidesmus Silvestri, 1910 from Australia (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Dalodesmidea)

Asphalidesmus allynensissp. n. and Asphalidesmus dorrigensissp. n. are described from New South Wales, Asphalidesmus otwayensissp. n. from Victoria, and Asphalidesmus bellendenkerensissp. n., Asphalidesmus carbinensissp. n., Asphalidesmus magnus sp. n. and Asphalidesmus minorsp. n. from Queensland. The previously endemic Tasmanian genus Asphalidesmus Silvestri, 1910 is now known from 16°S to 43°S in eastern Australia, a north-south range of ca 3000 km. Asphalidesmus spp. throughout this range are very similar in overall appearance. Three of the new species are able to coil in a tight spiral.     

Revisiting the rural/race debates: A view from the Welsh countryside

The analysis of the specific features of rural racism and rural/race issues is a developing field of study. Much of the debate and existing research focuses on demonstrating the “specificity” of rural/race issues and responding to the “rural ethnic subject” as the victim of racial exclusion and/or violence. Drawing on a study conducted in the north of Wales and work on Welsh narratives on race, this article seeks to revisit the rural/race debate and argues for its repositioning within wider discourses of British multiculturalism. It explores the conceptual basis of the rural racism debates, in particular seeking to qualify the notion of the “specificity” of rural/race matters within the context of the newly devolved nations and particular constructions of “the ethnic subject” in rural/race relations. It suggests ways in which the “rural” discourse on race decentres the dominant narratives of multicultural Britain and is contributing to its reformulation.     

A new aglaspidid arthropod from the Lower Ordovician of Wales

A new genus and species of aglaspidid arthropod, Tremaglaspis unite , is described from the well-known upper Tremadoc locality of Y Garth in North Wales, and compared with other Cambrian and Ordovician taxa. It is remarkable in having a large hypostome, a character shared with other primitive arachnomorphs.     

The Environmental Impacts of Consumption at a Subnational Level

This article analyzes the environmental effects of resource consumption at a subnational level (by Cardiff, the capital city of Wales), using the Ecological Footprint as a measure of impact assessment. The article begins by providing a short critique of the Footprint methodology and the limitations of methods traditionally used to calculate national Footprint accounts. We then describe the Footprint methodology developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute to overcome some of these problems and used as the basis of the Reducing Wales' Ecological Footprint project, of which the Cardiff study has been a part. The main portion of this article focuses on presenting and discussing the Footprint results for Cardiff. The Ecological Footprint of household consumption in Cardiff will be presented using the international Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose (COICOP). Based on the results, we found that the areas of consumption that are a priority for Cardiff in terms of reducing resource use are food and drink, passenger transport (car and aviation), domestic fuel consumption, waste, and tourism. We also discuss how these findings have been presented to the Cardiff Council. We report on the initial reactions of policy officers to the Footprint results and how the Council plans to use them to influence policy decisions relating to sustainability. Finally, in the Conclusions section, we briefly explain the value of applying the Ecological Footprint at a subnational level and its value as an evidence-based tool for sustainability decision making.     

Extended statistical approaches to modelling spatial pattern in biodiversity in northeast New South Wales. I. Species-level modelling

Statistical modelling of biological survey data in relation to remotely mapped environmental variables is a powerful technique for making more effective use of sparse data in regional conservation planning. Application of such modelling to planning in the northeast New South Wales (NSW) region of Australia represents one of the most extensive and longest running case studies of this approach anywhere in the world. Since the early 1980s, statistical modelling has been used to extrapolate distributions of over 2300 species of plants and animals, and a wide variety of higher-level communities and assemblages. These modelled distributions have played a pivotal role in a series of major land-use planning processes, culminating in extensive additions to the region's protected area system. This paper provides an overview of the analytical methodology used to model distributions of individual species in northeast NSW, including approaches to: (1) developing a basic integrated statistical and geographical information system (GIS) framework to facilitate automated fitting and extrapolation of species models; (2) extending this basic approach to incorporate consideration of spatial autocorrelation, land-cover mapping and expert knowledge; and (3) evaluating the performance of species modelling, both in terms of predictive accuracy and in terms of the effectiveness with which such models function as general surrogates for biodiversity.     

英国英格兰西北部和威尔士北部岩溶地区钙华苔藓植物群落研究

报道了英国英格兰西北部和威尔士北部共 6个岩溶沉积地点苔藓植物群落的研究结果。记载典型钙华苔藓群落 1 0个 ,苔藓种类 9科 1 2属 1 4种 (含变种 ) ;区系地理成分含北温带分布 ( 6 4 .3% )、温带欧洲分布( 1 4 .3% )和世界广泛分布 ( 2 1 .4 % ) 3种类型 ;生活型含高丛集型 ( 7.1 % )、垫状矮丛集型 ( 4 2 .9% )、交织型( 35 .8% )和平埔型 ( 1 4 .2 % ) 4种。根据岩溶沉积环境特征 ,划分该地区苔藓群落为 :泉华苔藓群落、瀑华苔藓群落、洞穴钙华苔藓群落、峭壁钙华苔藓群落和溪流钙华苔藓群落等 5种生态类型。研究地点现代苔藓植物群落钙华沉积作用十分活跃