Dynamics and management of some coastal dune woodlands near The Hague,The Netherlands

Changes are reported of Crataegus-Betula dune woodlands between 1950–1980 from Meijendel, a calcareous coastal dune system near the city of The Hague, The Netherlands, which is used as a water catchment area. It concerns both woodlands in degradation stage and, more common, woodlands on the increase. Changes were recorded with help of successive vegetation maps, air photos and permanent plot observations. Woodland increase usually occurs on places with groundwater at or near the surface, either because of natural circumstances or as a result of artificial groundwater recharge through infiltration as part of the water catchment activities. The management of both types of woodland is discussed.Nomenclature follows Heukels-van der Meijden (1983), Flora van Nederland, 20th ed. Wolters-Noordhoff, Groningen. Nomenclature of mosses follows Margadant & During (1982), Beknopte Flora van Nederlandse Blad- en Levermossen, Thieme, Zutphen.The authors have pleasure in thanking their colleagues from the Dune Water Works who supplied data on hydrology.     

Colonization and extinction of land planarians (Platyhelminthes,Tricladida) in a Brazilian Atlantic Forest regrowth remnant

Long-term assessments of species assemblages are valuable tools for detecting species ecological preferences and their dispersal tracks, as well as for assessing the possible effects of alien species on native communities. Here we report a 50-year-long study on population dynamics of the four species of land flatworms (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Terricola) that have colonized or become extinct in a 70-year-old Atlantic Forest regrowth remnant through the period 1955–2006. On the one hand, the two initially most abundant species, which are native to the study site, Notogynaphallia ernesti and Geoplana multicolor have declined over decades and at present do not exist in the forest remnant. The extinction of these species is most likely related with their preference for open vegetation areas, which presently do not exist in the forest remnant. On the other hand, the neotropical Geoplaninae 1 and the exotic Endeavouria septemlineata were detected in the forest only very recently. The long-term study allowed us to conclude that Geoplaninae 1 was introduced into the study area, although it is only known from the study site. Endeavouria septemlineata, an active predator of the exotic giant African snail, is originally known from Hawaii. This land flatworm species was observed repeatedly in Brazilian anthropogenic areas, and this is the first report of the species in relatively well preserved native forest, which may be evidence of an ongoing adaptive process. Monitoring of its geographic spread and its ecological role would be a good practice for preventing potential damaging effects, since it also feeds on native mollusk fauna, as we observed in lab conditions. Júlio Pedroni: Granted by CNPQ–Brazil.     

川中丘陵人工幼草本层动态研究初报

 川中丘陵为长江中上游防护林体系建设重点区域。本文对荒山荒坡种植柏木、桤木及补播牧草后的植被动态进行了研究。结果表明：在幼林期,随树木郁闭度的增加,林下草本植物的盖度也随之提高,生物量增大,林草之间具良好的共生效益;补播草种可大大加快幼林地植被覆盖。     

Characteristics of inorganic nitrogen assimilation of plants in fire-prone Mediterranean-type vegetation

A range of approaches was used to investigate how species within a fire-prone Banksia woodland in South West Australia exploited inorganic soil nitrogen sources and how this changes through the development of the fire chronosequence. Nitrate and ammonium were present in soil solution throughout the chronosequence but nitrate predominated in recently burnt sites. Mean shoot nitrate reductase activities were high for all species in recently burnt sites and showed little increase when nitrate was supplied via the transpiration stream. Nitrate reductase of shoots of most species was low at sites not burnt for several years, but following transpirational induction with nitrate, developed activities similar to those at recently burnt sites. The principal amino compounds transported in the xylem were species specific, including asparagine, glutamine and citrulline-dominated species, and changed little in relative composition across the chronosequence. Species most active in leaf nitrate reduction transported the largest amounts of nitrate in their xylem sap and proportional amounts of nitrate in xylem tended to be greatest in recently burnt sites. Most of the species examined appeared to be shoot rather than root nitrate assimilators, but marked differences were recorded in potential of leafy shoots of different species to reduce nitrate. As a general rule, shallow-rooted herbaceous, non-mycorrhizal or VAM-positive species had the highest capacity to reduce nitrate, whereas woody species with ericoid mycorrhizae or combined vesicular arbuscular/ectomycorrhizal associations exhibited little capacity to reduce nitrate in roots or shoots. It seems likely that this latter group utilize ammonium or even organic forms of nitrogen rather than nitrate. Some putative nitrogen-fixing species were active in reducing and transporting nitrate, others were virtually inactive in these respects.     

Palynological and palaeobotanical investigations in the area of the post-medieval Helsinki Old Town

Pollen, phytolith, and plant macrofossil analyses were carried out on the cultural layers of Helsinki Old Town excavated by the Helsinki City Museum and dated to the 15–17th centuries. Cultural mineral soil layers, a former ditch, a well, one waste pit, one waste heap and three house areas were investigated. The results show that-within certain limits-pollen in the mineral soil reflects the cultural changes of the local settlement from rural to urban. Among the main anthropogenic indicators, the high NAP (non-arboreal pollen) frequencies, the low pollen concentration values, and especially the high frequencies of Cichoriaceae (Liguliflorae) pollen should be emphasized. The macrofossil data were used to determine the species list of the herb pollen and to make a more detailed reconstruction of the local vegetation at Helsinki Old Town.     

The Trophic Diatom Index: a new index for monitoring eutrophication in rivers

A index for monitoring the trophic status of rivers based on diatom composition (‚trophic diatom index’, TDI) has been developed, in response to the National Rivers Authority (England & Wales)'s needs under the terms of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive of the European Community. The index is based on a suite of 86 taxa selected both for their indicator value and ease of identification. When tested on a dataset from 70 sites free of significant organic pollution, this index was more highly correlated with aqueous P concentrations than previous diatom indices. However, where there was heavy organic pollution, it was difficult to separate the effects of eutrophication from other effects. For this reason, the value of TDI is supplemented by an indication of the proportion of the sample that is composed of taxa tolerant to organic pollution. The index was tested on the R. Browney, N-E. England, above and below a major sewage discharge. TDI values indicated that the effect of inorganic nutrients on the river downstream of the discharge was slight as the river was already nutrient-rich, but there was a large increase in the proportion of organic pollution-tolerant taxa. This indicates that the river was already so eutrophic upstream of the discharge that tertiary treatment to remove P would not be effective unless other aspects of the discharge were also improved.     

Growth of rural and urban children in the Valley of Oaxaca,Mexico

Weight, stature, arm circumference, and the triceps skinfold were measured in 1,410 school children, 6 through 14 years of age, from two urban colonias in the city of Oaxaca de Juarez (n = 479), and from two rural Ladino (n = 467) and two rural Zapotec (n = 464) communities in the Valley of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. Children from rural Ladino communities and urban colonias are significantly taller, heavier, and more muscular than children in rural Zapotec communities. The differences between rural Ladino and urban colonia children favor the former, particularly for weight and stature. These observations thus suggest (1) that children in the rural, indigenous communities in the Valley of Oaxaca are relatively undernourished compared to children in Ladinoized and urban communities, and (2) that rural-to-urban migration does not necessarily result in improved growth status.     

Growth of rural and urban children in the valley of Oaxaca,Mexico

Weight, stature, arm circumference, and the triceps skinfold were measured in 1,410 school children, 6 through 14 years of age, from two urban colonias in the city of Oaxaca de Juarez (n = 479), and from two rural Ladino (n = 467) and two rural Zapotec (n = 464) communities in the Valley of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. Children from rural Ladino communities and urban colonias are significantly taller, heavier, and more muscular than children in rural Zapotec communities. The differences between rural Ladino and urban colonia children favor the former, particularly for weight and stature. These observations thus suggest (1) that children in the rural, indigenous communities in the Valley of Oaxaca are relatively undernourished compared to children in Ladinoized and urban communities, and (2) that rural-to-urban migration does not necessarily result in improved growth status.     

Ectomycorrhizae in coastal miombo woodland of Tanzania

Summary Ectomycorrhizae were found in root samples of the treesAfzelia quanzensis Welw. andBrachystegia spiciformis Benth. (Caesalpiniaceae), collected in the coastal miombo type woodland 50 km west of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. Root nodules with a structure resembling that of nitrogen-fixing root nodules of other leguminous plants were observed in theA. quanzensis material. The climate of the locality is rather dry, and strongly seasonal. In the tropics, ectomycorrhizae have previously been found only in humid or rain forest climate zones.