Ein Endemit Zyperns:Asperula cypria (Rubiaceae) und seine Verwandtschaft

Galium suberosum Sibth. etSm. belongs toAsperula sect.Thliphthisa; the taxonomic transfer and a new name are therefore necessary:Asperula cypria Ehrend. is endemic on the isle of Cyprus. Its closest affinities are withA. antalyensis Ehrend. in S.W. Anatolia.

     

Establishment and survival of Pinus brutia Ten. seedlings over the first growing season in abandoned fields in central Cyprus

Abstract

The present study was carried out in abandoned fields in central Cyprus. The main objective was to examine the impact of the regeneration environment on the establishment and survival of Pinus brutia seedlings. Sixty-four permanent plots of 16 m² were randomly established in two distinct sites. Four regeneration environments were recorded: (a) bare soil under the crown of a P. brutia tree, (b) soil under the canopy of a P. brutia tree and low shrubs, (c) bare soil in open areas, and (d) soil under the canopy of low shrubs in open areas. All P. brutia seedlings were classified in categories according to their regeneration environment. In all plots, the density of the P. brutia seedlings was measured in three different seasons (spring, summer, autumn). Soil temperatures were recorded, samples of surface soil were taken and the percentage of soil organic matter was measured. The main conclusions drawn from this research were the following: (1) the mature P. brutia trees and low shrubs facilitate the establishment and especially the survival of P. brutia seedlings, as all seedlings in bare vegetation ground had died by the end of the growing season, and (2) the importance of facilitation increases as abiotic stress rises.     

The persistence of race: continuity and change in Germany from the Wilhelmine empire to National Socialism

This article examines Greek-Cypriot teachers' constructions of Turkish-speaking children's identities in the Greek-Cypriot educational system. Drawing on interviews and classroom observations from a two-year ethnographic study conducted in three primary schools in the Republic of Cyprus, the author explores how Turkish-speaking children enrolled in these schools are racialized, ethnicized and classed within the dominant discourse of Greek-Cypriot teachers. The article discusses how the homogenized perceptions expressed by the majority of participating teachers in this study are illustrative of structural racism that reinforces these constructions in teaching practices. Yet, at the same time, resistance is present in the discourse and practice of a few teachers; this resistance is expressed through a counter-positioning of the ‘normal/ized’ identities of Turkish-speaking children. The author argues that without structural transformation, the fact and practice of racism/nationalism/classism will go unaltered in schools.     

Roadside verges and cemeteries: Comparative analysis of anthropogenic orchid habitats in the Eastern Mediterranean

Several important habitats have become threatened in the last few centuries in the Mediterranean Basin due to major changes adopted in land‐use practices. The consequent loss of natural and seminatural orchid habitats leads to the appreciation of small anthropogenic habitats, such as cemeteries and roadside verges. Colonization of cemeteries and roadside verges by orchids has long been known, but no study to date compared the suitability of these two anthropogenic habitats for orchids. Therefore, in this paper our aim was to survey cemeteries and roadside verges and to compare these two habitats regarding their role in conserving Mediterranean terrestrial orchids. We conducted field surveys in three Mediterranean islands, Cyprus, Crete, and Lesbos, where both cemeteries and roadside verges were sampled on a geographically representative scale. We found a total of almost 7,000 orchid individuals, belonging to 77 species in the two anthropogenic habitat types. Roadside verges hosted significantly more individuals than cemeteries in Crete and Lesbos, and significantly more species across all three islands. Our results suggest that although cemeteries have a great potential conservation value in other parts of the world, intensive maintenance practices that characterized cemeteries in these three islands renders them unable to sustain valuable plant communities. On the other hand, roadside verges play a prominent role in the conservation of Mediterranean orchids in Cyprus and Greece. The pioneer status of roadside verges facilitates their fast colonization, while roads serve as ecological corridors in fragmented landscapes.     

Seed dispersal and germination behavior of three threatened endemic labiates of Cyprus

The present study examined seed dispersal and germination in three of the most threatened endemic labiates of Cyprus: Origanum cordifolium , Phlomis brevibracteata and Phlomis cypria ssp. occidentalis . Some common traits in these taxa can be correlated with their overall survival strategy. Seeds mature in mid to late summer, but most seeds remain on the mother plants until the beginning of the rainy season. The opening of the calyces containing the seeds seems to be caused by absorption of moisture. Water is also the most important dispersal factor because the seeds are dispersed by rain. Seed germination occurs at relatively low temperatures that prevail in the field at the beginning of the rainy season. This behavior provides the plants with ecological advantages because their seeds are exposed on the soil at the most appropriate period (mid to late autumn) for germination and seedling survival. The present study contributes substantially to in situ and ex situ conservation of these threatened plants.     

Insecticide resistance in Bemisia tabaci from Cyprus

Abstract A comprehensive study on the Bemisia tabaci (biotype B) resistance to neonicotinoid insecticides imidacloprid, acetamiprid and thiamethoxam, and pyrethroid bifenthrin was conducted in Cyprus. The resistance level to eight field‐collected B. tabaci populations was investigated. The activities of enzymes involved in metabolic detoxification and the frequencies of pyrethroid and organophosphates target site resistance mutations were determined. Moderate to high levels of resistance were detected for imidacloprid (resistance factor [RF] 77–392) and thiamethoxam (RF 50–164) while low resistance levels were observed for acetamiprid (RF 7–12). Uniform responses by the Cypriot whiteflies could be observed against all neonicotinoid insecticides. No cross‐resistance between the neonicotinoids was detected as well as no association with the activity of the P450 microsomal oxidases. Only imidacloprid resistance correlated with carboxylesterase activity. Low to extremely high resistance was observed for insecticide bifenthrin (RF 49–1 243) which was associated with the frequency of the resistant allele in the sodium channel gene but not with the activity of the detoxification enzymes. Finally, the F331W mutation in the acetylcholinesterase enzyme ace1 gene was fixed in all B. tabaci populations from Cyprus.     

Environmental margin and island evolution in Middle Eastern populations of the Egyptian fruit bat

Here, we present a study of the population genetic architecture and microevolution of the Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus) at the environmental margins in the Middle East using mitochondrial sequences and nuclear microsatellites. In contrast to the rather homogenous population structure typical of cave‐dwelling bats in climax tropical ecosystems, a relatively pronounced isolation by distance and population diversification was observed. The evolution of this pattern could be ascribed to the complicated demographic history at higher latitudes related to the range margin fragmentation and complex geomorphology of the studied area. Lineages from East Africa and Arabia show divergent positions. Within the northwestern unit, the most marked pattern of the microsatellite data set is connected with insularity, as demonstrated by the separate status of populations from Saharan oases and Cyprus. These demes also exhibit a reduction in genetic variability, which is presumably connected with founder effects, drift and other potential factors related to island evolution as site‐specific selection. Genetic clustering indicates a semipermeability of the desert barriers in the Sahara and Arabian Peninsula and a corridor role of the Nile Valley. The results emphasize the role of the island environment in restricting the gene flow in megabats, which is also corroborated by biogeographic patterns within the family, and suggests the possibility of nascent island speciation on Cyprus. Demographic analyses suggest that the colonization of the region was connected to the spread of agricultural plants; therefore, the peripatric processes described above might be because of or strengthened by anthropogenic changes in the environment.     

Cretaceous (Albian to Turonian) radiolarians from chert blocks of the Moni Mélange (Southern Cyprus)

Well-preserved Cretaceous (Albian–Turonian) radiolarians were extracted from radiolarian-bearing chert olistoliths of the Monagroulli Member within the Moni Mélange (Campanian-Maastrichtian, Southern Cyprus). Four assemblages were distinguished: Middle Albian–Lower Cenomanian (Thanarla spoletoensis Zone), Upper Albian–Lower Cenomanian (Thanarla spoletoensis Zone, Dorypyle? anisa Subzone), lowermost Turonian (base of Alievium superbum Zone) and Lower Turonian (Alievium superbum Zone). The radiolarian assemblages are diverse and have taxonomic composition similar to coeval assemblages of Italy and Spain. The sediments of the Monagroulli Member differ from coeval rocks of the Mamonia Complex (western Cyprus) by the more common presence of radiolarian cherts and may have been formed in the distal part of a continental margin with less input of clastic material. A new spicular radiolarian genus Cyprothamnus with 2 new species (C. multifurcatus and C. moniensis) is described from the Lower Turonian strata.     

Description of the first endemic earthworm species from Cyprus (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae)

New earthworm samples from Cyprus are assessed and discussed. A re-evaluation of specimens previously relegated to the Southern Alpine species Perelia nematogena (Rosa, 1903), revealed two independent species: Perelia phoebea (Cognetti, 1913 Cognetti, L. (1913): Escursioni zoologiche del Dr. E. Festa nell’Isola di Rodi V. Oligocheti. Bollettino dei Musei di zoologia ed anatomia comparata della R. Università di Torino, 28, 1–6. [Google Scholar]) ,described originally from Rhodes Island, (Greece) and an undescribed species Perelia makrisi sp. n. The new species is similar also to the Levantine Pe. galileana Csuzdi &; Pavlí?ek, 2005 and corroborates the hypotheses that the autochthonous earthworm fauna of Cyprus is of Levantine origin.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FD1996DC-2FFC-42D5-A1D2-005B50E6FC64     

Influence of grazing and fire on breeding birds and perennial plants in Cyprus scrub and forest systems

Grazing and browsing by sheep and goats has been an important anthropogenic influence on ecosystems in the Mediterranean region for centuries. This influence has changed significantly in recent decades, with a general shift from range grazing to the penning of animals. The intermediate disturbance hypothesis (IDH) proposes that perturbation - including anthropogenic disturbance - is the norm for Mediterranean ecosystems, and that higher species diversity is found under conditions of continuous, moderate disturbance. Here we test the IDH as it relates to grazing of scrub and open forest habitats in Cyprus, while also testing for the effects of fire. We carried out surveys of breeding birds and vegetation at 48 study sites in scrub and open woodland across Cyprus. We estimated relative grazing pressure (past and present) and fire history at these sites, and tested for associations between these factors, breeding bird species richness and perennial vegetation diversity. We found moderate current grazing reduces density of lower and middle level scrub, and a higher level of diversity of perennial vegetation at moderately over intensively grazed sites. We found that moderate historical grazing pressure had a positive influence on richness of breeding bird species in lower scrub habitat such as phrygana, but that this effect was weaker the taller and denser the habitat. By contrast, current grazing pressure had a negative effect on species richness in lower scrub, but species richness in grazed habitats was higher in denser, taller scrub habitat such as garrigue and maquis. Our study suggests grazing plays an important role in maintaining habitat heterogeneity but the impact on avian species richness depends on the density and height of the vegetation.