Eastern Austria Research Articles

Adolescent pregnancy outcome and the impact of social support ? a pilot study from eastern Austria

Teenage pregnancies are still listed among the most important public health problems of the 21st century, although low maternal age may be a marker for social rather than biological or medical disadvantage. In the present study 51 pregnant Austrian girls ageing between 13 and 18 years (x = 16.3 yrs; +/- 1.3) who decided to give birth were enrolled. All girls were interviewed based on a structured questionnaire furthermore data from the mother-child pass port were included in the analysis. 28 girls gave birth shortly before the interview took place. Complications during pregnancy and birth were seldom and no adverse birth outcome was observed. The majority of participants received optimal medical treatment and sufficient social support from relatives and school but also from public and private institutions during pregancy. It can be concluded that social support and adequate medical treatment reduce the risk of teenage pregnancies markedly.

Effects of water supply on root traits and biological yield of Durum (Triticum durum Desf.) and Khorasan (Triticum turanicum Jakubz) wheat

The ability of a plant to change its root characteristics to increase the acquisition of soil water is an important adaptation mechanism to water limitation. In this regard, a field study was carried out in the Pannonian region of eastern Austria with two tetraploid wheat genotypes, i.e. Durum (Triticum durum Desf.) and Khorasan (Triticum turanicum Jakubz), during a comparatively wetter and drier year, i.e. 2008 and 2009, respectively. The genotypes showed significant differences in average root diameter and fine root length. All root traits varied with soil depth. The highest root length density and root biomass were observed with Khorasan wheat in 0–10 cm soil depth. Durum wheat showed a stronger response in fine roots to water availability and produced more fine roots in the moist year. Electric root capacitance was higher with Khorasan wheat. Durum showed higher biological yield stability across years with different precipitation with respect to above- and belowground biomass. It produced more leaf area under humid conditions. Khorasan allocated more assimilates to belowground organs in dry conditions, but without positive effect on aboveground biomass.

Sowing ratio and N fertilization affect yield and yield components of oat and pea in intercrops

Intercropping is of increasing interest in sustainable arable farming systems in temperate regions. This study was determined to assess the influence of sowing ratio and N fertilization on yield and yield components of oat (Avena sativa L.) and pea (Pisum sativum L.) in intercrops. A two-year field study was carried out on a fertile soil in eastern Austria with oat and pea sown in three substitutive sowing ratios and at different nitrogen levels. Oat was the dominant partner in the mixtures, strongly outcompeting pea. N fertilization increased the competitive ability of oat. Total grain yields were generally lower in intercrops than in pure stands; thus oat–pea intercrops failed to achieve a yield advantage. Sowing ratio and fertilization affected yield component parameters of oat and pea compared to the corresponding pure stands. Oat in intercrops used available environmental resources for increasing paniclesplant−1 and grainspanicle−1 whereas harvest index and grain weight of pea were negatively affected in the mixtures. In conclusion, oat–pea intercrops could no achieve higher grain yields than corresponding pure stands on a fertile soil.

Source capacity during flowering affects grain yield of amaranth (Amaranthus sp.)

Amaranth is a promising C4-crop. However, for a wider spread of the crop a better understanding of factors that are influencing yield formation is crucial for optimizing the plant phenotype and enhancing yield. The present study wanted to clarify the effects of assimilate sources and sinks on yield formation by artificially altering source or sink size. Field experiments were conducted in Eastern Austria during three years with three genotypes, applying source-sink manipulation treatments at mid flowering (control, 50% of inflorescence removed, 50% or 100% of leaves removed). At maturity we measured shoot, inflorescence and grain dry matter, thousand kernel mass and number of seeds per plant. An average grain yield level of about 3.5 t/ha dry matter on control plots indicated favorable growth conditions for amaranth in general. The removal of all leaves had a strong detrimental effect on all parameters, but severity of yield reduction due to defoliation differed between genotypes, ranging from –49% to –73%. Contrastingly, 50% flower reduction did not have any significant effects. Also with 50% defoliation no significant yield reduction was observed. We conclude that source strength of amaranth during flowering is more yield limiting than its sink capacity.

Emissions of greenhouse gases from Lake Neusiedl, a shallow steppe lake in Eastern Austria

Greenhouse gas emissions of Lake Neusiedl, the westernmost European shallow steppe lake, were analysed to identify differences between the seasons of the years and between different locations in the pelagic zone and reed belt. Emissions of CO2, CH4 and N2O were measured in gas samples that had been recovered from the gas space of floating chambers operated as closed systems. Sampling periods covered all seasons except winter. Scaled up to the whole lake area (320 km2), the diffusive emissions of spring, summer and autumn totalled to about 79,500 t CO2e, disregarding bubble emissions, winter emissions and plant-mediated emissions. The emission sum consisted of about 57,000 t CO2, 760 t CH4, and 12 t N2O. Approximately one-third of the methane and carbon dioxide emissions originated in the pelagic zone and two-thirds in the reed belt (without plant emissions) whereas nitrous oxide emissions were similar in these two zones. An estimate of ebullitive emissions resulted in additional 1,765 t CH4 that predominantly originated in or near the reed belt from spring to autumn.

The archaeological record of the Gravettian open air site Krems-Wachtberg

Since 2005, annual excavation campaigns have been conducted at the open air site of Krems-Wachtberg in eastern Austria. This paper provides an overview of the preliminary archaeological results, including a presentation of the site's Upper Palaeolithic features and find inventories, as well as a discussion of its position within the Gravettian of the Middle Danube region.The site is characterized by a well-developed occupation layer with associated features like hearths and burials. From a local perspective, the station is part of an extensive Gravettian settlement cluster on the Wachtberg promontory. Beyond that, more far-ranging connections can be established to sites of the older Gravettian forming the regional group of the Pavlovian. These analogies apply to topographic position and economic factors, as well as to technological and typological criteria of the lithic inventories. Furthermore, parallels in burial rituals and art are evident.

Molecular detection of Theileria sp. ZS TO4 in red deer (Cervus elaphus) and questing Haemaphysalis concinna ticks in Eastern Austria

Theileria spp. are intracellular protozoa transmitted by ixodid ticks. T. parva and T. annulata are highly pathogenic and responsible for serious disease in domestic ruminants in tropical and subtropical countries. However, asymptomatic findings of Theileria sp. in wild ungulates lead to the suggestion that wild ruminants play a role as reservoirs for these piroplasms. In a game enclosure in Eastern Austria (Federal county of Burgenland), piroplasms were detected with molecular analysis in blood samples of all 80 examined asymptomatic red deer (Cervus elaphus). Furthermore, piroplasms were detected in four out of 12 questing nymphs of Haemaphysalis concinna. In 32 Ixodes ticks sampled on-site, no Theileria DNA was detected. Sequence analysis identified these samples from both red deer and ticks as Theileria sp. ZS TO4. Our findings indicate that farmed red deer serve as asymptomatic carriers and adapted intermediate hosts of Theileria sp. in Central Europe and H. concinna was identified as a possible vector species of Theileria sp. ZS TO4.

Potential of different Sorghum bicolor (L. moench) varieties for combined ethanol and biogas production in the Pannonian climate of Austria

The objective of this study is to estimate the energetic yields of a combined ethanol and biogas production from three different sorghum varieties, and to compare them to a similar estimate for maize in order to demonstrate the suitability of sorghum as an alternative biomass source. The sorghum varieties “SG1” (Sugargraze I) and “SG2” (Sugargraze II), which produce fermentable sugars, as well as the grain variety “C” (Chopper), which produces starch, were grown on experimental plots in eastern Austria. The harvested biomass was analysed for its contents of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, crude protein, crude fats, starch and sugar. For the calculation of the energy output, ethanol and biogas yields were calculated corresponding to accepted standard methods. The potential of sorghum for energy production has been demonstrated. The highest energy outputs were achieved by the SG1 and the C varieties, delivering approximately 150 GJ ha−1 and 156 GJ ha−1. Compared to data obtained from different maize varieties in the same year and under similar conditions, this means an equal or even increased energy output per hectare. The SG2 variety only yielded 121 GJ ha−1 worth of ethanol and biogas. Bioethanol and biogas production were unequally distributed between sugar and starch varieties: SG1 provided 70% of its energy output as methane and the rest as bioethanol, whereas the grain variety C yielded 46% methane and 54% bioethanol.

Seasonal and spatial distribution of ixodid tick species feeding on naturally infested dogs from Eastern Austria and the influence of acaricides/repellents on these parameters

BackgroundEffective control of tick infestation and pathogen transmission requires profound knowledge of tick biology in view of their vector function. The particular time of the year when the different tick species start to quest and the favoured sites on the canine host are of major interest. The efficacy of acaricides/repellents to control ticks in the field requires observation.MethodsTo address these issues, 90 dogs, grouped in “untreated”, “acaricide/repellent” (permethrin) and “acaricide only” (fipronil) animals and subjected to tick infestation under natural conditions in Burgenland (Eastern Austria), were examined. The number and species of ticks occurring during and outside the protection time was evaluated during a period of 11 months and the biting location on the dogs’ skin was recorded.ResultsOf the 700 ticks collected, the most common species in that particular walking area was Ixodes ricinus, followed by Dermacentor reticulatus and Haemaphysalis concinna. Regarding the on-host activity, D. reticulatus displayed more infestations in early spring and late autumn, whereas I. ricinus occurred almost one month later in spring and one month earlier in autumn. H. concinna followed a monophasic pattern of activity with a peak in summer. The preferred feeding sites of the ticks on the dogs were on the head, neck, shoulder and chest. This distribution over the dog’s body was not influenced by the use of the drugs, although on the whole fewer ticks (22.5% of all ticks) were found during the protection time. Interestingly, differences occurred with the use of drugs compared to non-protected dogs with regard to the infestation over the year. Acaricide-treated dogs displayed a higher prevalence in April, May and September, whereas dogs of the acaricide/repellent group showed a higher infestation in March, July, October and November.ConclusionThe different tick species display different on-dog activity peaks over the year, during which particular canine diseases can be expected and predicted, considering the specific incubation times for each pathogen.The tick species occurring in this study do not seem to choose particular sites on the dogs. Their arrival place seems to represent the attachment and consequently the feeding sites. The use of acaricides leads to a significantly (p<0.01) lower number of infesting ticks but no change of the distribution pattern on the dogs was observed.

Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus nest‐site selection in relation to habitat and the distribution of Goshawks Accipiter gentilis

The selection of a suitable nest‐site is critical for successful reproduction. Species' preferences for nest‐sites have presumably evolved in relation to local habitat resources and/or interactions with other species. The importance of these two components in the nest‐site selection of the Eurasian Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus was assessed in two study areas in eastern Austria. There was almost no difference in macro‐ and micro‐habitat features between nest‐sites and random plots, suggesting that Honey Buzzards did not base their choice of nest‐site on habitat characteristics. However, nests were placed significantly further from nests of Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis than would be expected if nest‐sites had been chosen at random. Furthermore, in one study area Honey Buzzards appeared to favour areas close to human settlements, perhaps indicating a mechanism to avoid Goshawks, which tend to avoid the proximity of humans. No habitat variable was significantly associated with the loss of Honey Buzzard young, but predation was higher in territories closer to breeding pairs of Goshawks at both study sites. Although Honey Buzzards are restricted to nesting in forests, their choice of nest‐site therefore appears to be largely dictated by the distribution of predators. Studies of habitat association may yield misleading results if the effects of predation risk on distribution are not considered.

Estimation of Leaf Area Index Using DEIMOS-1 Data: Application and Transferability of a Semi-Empirical Relationship between two Agricultural Areas

This work evaluates different procedures for the application of a semi-empirical model to derive time-series of Leaf Area Index (LAI) maps in operation frameworks. For demonstration, multi-temporal observations of DEIMOS-1 satellite sensor data were used. The datasets were acquired during the 2012 growing season over two agricultural regions in Southern Italy and Eastern Austria (eight and five multi-temporal acquisitions, respectively). Contemporaneous field estimates of LAI (74 and 55 measurements, respectively) were collected using an indirect method (LAI-2000) over a range of LAI values and crop types. The atmospherically corrected reflectance in red and near-infrared spectral bands was used to calculate the Weighted Difference Vegetation Index (WDVI) and to establish a relationship between LAI and WDVI based on the CLAIR model. Bootstrapping approaches were used to validate the models and to calculate the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and the coefficient of determination (R2) between measured and predicted LAI, as well as corresponding confidence intervals. The most suitable approach, which at the same time had the minimum requirements for fieldwork, resulted in a RMSE of 0.407 and R2 of 0.88 for Italy and a RMSE of 0.86 and R2 of 0.64 for the Austrian test site. Considering this procedure, we also evaluated the transferability of the local CLAIR model parameters between the two test sites observing no significant decrease in estimation accuracies. Additionally, we investigated two other statistical methods to estimate LAI based on: (a) Support Vector Machine (SVM) and (b) Random Forest (RF) regressions. Though the accuracy was comparable to the CLAIR model for each test site, we observed severe limitations in the transferability of these statistical methods between test sites with an increase in RMSE up to 24.5% for RF and 38.9% for SVM.

Effect of owner-controlled acaricidal treatment on tick infestation and immune response to tick-borne pathogens in naturally infested dogs from Eastern Austria

BackgroundTick-borne infections resulting from regular tick infestation in dogs are a common veterinary health problem all over the world. The application of repellent and acaricidal agents to prevent transmission of pathogens is a major protection strategy and has been proven to be highly effective in several trials under laboratory and natural conditions in dogs. Despite such promising results, many dog owners still report tick infestation in their dogs although acaricidal agents are used. Information about the current infection status and changes of the infection status regarding tick-borne diseases (TBD) in dogs treated by the owner’s controlled acaricide application is lacking.MethodsIn this study 30 dogs were each treated with permethrin, fipronil + S-methoprene, or served as untreated controls. Application of the acaricide was performed by the owner who decided when and how often to use the spot on preparation. Over a period of 11 months, dogs were clinically examined and sampled for antibody responses against Babesia canis, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Borrelia burgdorferi s. l., and TBE virus before the study started, 6 months later and at the end of the investigation period.ResultsThe permethrin acaricide was applied on average 3.40 times within the examination period, whereas the fipronil + S-methoprene medication was applied 3.03 times. Approximately 2/3 of all dogs, independent of the group, had a positive immune response to one or more pathogens. Three dogs developed clinical symptoms of canine babesiosis, all other dogs remained healthy. Individual number of ticks per dog or number of infections per dog did not correlate with the application rate, and the number of ticks per dog did not influence the number of infections per dog. As owners did not apply the acaricides regularly no influence on the number of infections could be documented although the number of ticks was clearly reduced by the application of the spot-on drugs.ConclusionsClinical disease in dogs exposed to tick-borne pathogens is rare, although a humoral immune response reflecting infection is common. More educational training for dog owners is necessary to make the application of acaricides effective regarding the prevention of tick-borne diseases.

Krems-Wachtberg excavations 2005–12: Main profiles, sampling, stratigraphy, and site formation

Since 2005, detailed archaeological investigations have been carried out at the Upper Palaeolithic site of Krems-Wachtberg in eastern Austria where a well-preserved Gravettian find layer is embedded in an 8 m high Late Pleistocene loess sequence. The excavations are accompanied by interdisciplinary sampling strategies applied on the main profiles' entire sediment series as well as on selected locations within the archaeological context. The latter include both evident anthropogenic structures, an in situ occupation surface with hearths and burials, and periglacial features that together determine the morphology and explain the formation of the main Gravettian find horizon.

Detection of Plasmodium sp.-infested Anopheles hyrcanus (Pallas 1771) (Diptera: Culicidae) in Austria, 2012

On July 15, 2012, adult Anopheles hyrcanus (Pallas 1771) mosquitoes were caught next to a farm barn near Rust, Burgenland, close to Lake Neusiedl National Park in eastern Austria. Six weeks later, adults of this invasive species were also found in a sheep shelter outside the village of Oggau and another 2 weeks later, in a horse barn in Mörbisch. The morphological typing was confirmed genetically by amplification and sequencing of a 1,404-bp-long fragment within the 5.8S ribosomal RNA gene, the internal transcribed spacer 2, and the 28S ribosomal RNA gene. Out of two A. hyrcanus pools analyzed, one was found positive for Plasmodium sp. A 460-bp-long sequence within the mitochondrial cytochrome b region revealed 100 % identity to a sequence of a Plasmodium parasite identified in a New Zealand bellbird (Anthornis melanura). The Austrian finding sites are close to the Hungarian border. In Hungary, the occurrence of A. hyrcanus was already reported in 1963. A. hyrcanus is considered the most important potential vector of malaria in southern France today. In Austria, sporadic autochthonous malaria cases could emerge, caused by immigration from malaria-endemic countries and heavy tourism. However, the broad population coverage of the Austrian health care system makes the reestablishment of endemic areas for malaria unlikely.

The antibiotic prescription and redemption gap and opportunistic CRP point-of-care testing. A cross-sectional study in primary health care from Eastern Austria

The aim of this study was to analyse the frequency of C-reactive protein (CRP) rapid test use by general practitioners (GPs), the role of the test in the antibiotic treatment decisions and the efficacy of the test in a primary care setting, with special emphasis on the redemption rate of antibiotic prescriptions. For this cross-sectional study, GPs documented their CRP test use for 2.5 years. In addition, demographic and the antibiotic prescription and redemption data of the patients were documented. Three groups were clustered according to the three possible CRP test results (1: < 10 mg/l, 2: 10-30 mg/l, 3: > 30 mg/l); analyses were conducted by using descriptive statistical methods and tests. Thirty GPs documented 692 initial CRP tests. The antibiotic prescription rate was 9.2 % for the first, 71.7 % for the second and 98.7 % for the third group (p < 0.001). A difference between the patients of the three CRP groups according to the redemption rate of antibiotic prescriptions (30.8 vs. 62.7 vs. 64.0 %; p = 0.013) could be found, with the lowest rate in the first group. Overall, 16.3 % of the patients filled an antibiotic at a pharmacy that was not in accordance with the CRP test result documentation form. The CRP test results show an association with both the antibiotic prescribing and redemption behaviour. Noticeable was the antibiotic redemption behaviour of the patients: 36 % of patients with a CRP test result over 30 did not fill the antibiotic prescribed which is an important finding related to patients adherence and of special interest due to the fact that none of these patients had a hospital admission afterwards. On the contrary, nearly one-fifth of the patients who did not get an antibiotic in connection with the CRP test result finally filled an antibiotic prescription.

Edge effect of a pine plantation reduces dry grassland invertebrate species richness

Natural steppes in European agricultural landscapes are characterized by high biotic richness but are subject to fragmentation and associated edge effects. Edge effects on species richness were investigated at an ecotone from a pine plantation to a short-grass steppe in Eastern Austria for eleven invertebrate taxa differentiated into habitat guilds based on known live-history strategies of individual species (grassland species, forest species, generalist species), including Red-Listed and non-threatened grassland species. The large size of the studied grassland site provided an opportunity to test edge effects in the absence of confounding factors and to a gradient length of 208 m into the grassland habitat along a clear-cut border to a pine plantation. All sampling was done by pitfall trapping. Species richness of habitat guilds, but not total richness, was effectively explained by biotic variables reflecting the influence of shading in particular (i.e. soil temperature sums). Total species richness showed a bimodal response pattern, with increases towards the habitat edge and interior grassland habitat. Habitat guilds showed diverging responses to distances from the edge, but no saturation in species richness, with a continuum of edge effects across the entire distance of the grassland samples. Our findings contrast those of previous investigations based on samples taken from smaller patches and across shorter distances from the edge. Methodological and conservation implications are discussed.

Rainfall Erosivity in Northeastern Austria

Abstract. Rainfall erosivity is the main driver for soil detachment and sediment transport, and represents the climatic factor most influencing the risk of soil erosion at a given site. Our objectives were to explore 15 min rainfall breakpoint data from 51 rain gauges in the northeastern part of Austria to (1) calculate rainfall erosivity values for this region, and (2) analyze statistically whether there exists a temporal evolution in rainfall erosivity. Rainfall data (May to October) covered between nine and 53 years. Rain gauges were located at elevations between 150 and 970 m a.s.l., and mean rainfall depths were 514 (±169) mm and 652 (±156) mm for Lower Austria (LA) and Upper Austria (UA), respectively. The calculated rainfall erosivity factor (R factor) ranged from 273 to 1599 with an average of 884 MJ mm ha -1 h -1 in LA and from 637 and 1697 with an average of 982 MJ mm ha -1 h -1 in UA. Rainfall depths and erosivities showed greater variability in LA than in UA, which can be attributed to the different ranges of topographic regions in LA. For both states, relationships could be established between average rainfall from May to October and the R factor, with correlation coefficients between 0.77 (LA) and 0.85 (UA). Overall, for the same rainfall amounts, rainfall erosivity was lower in UA than in LA. In LA, time series analyses showed a significant temporal increasing trend in rainfall intensity, rainfall erosivity, and storm number and intensity. These positive trends at 90% of the stations with data sets of >25 years indicate possible future R factor increases and increasing erosion risk. In UA, only 25% of the rain gauges showed a significant positive trend in rainfall erosivity, and 40% showed a significant increase in rainfall intensity. Changes in rainfall patterns were more distinct in eastern Austria than in northern Austria, thus impacting runoff, infiltration, and erosion processes in this area in the future.

Climate impacts on water balance of a shallow steppe lake in Eastern Austria (Lake Neusiedl)

Lake Neusiedl, the largest lake in Austria, is especially sensitive to climate variations due to its extreme shallowness and a small catchment area. Historical records indicate that large variations of the lake area have occurred naturally (0% to >150% of present) but contemporary touristic uses of the lake require a largely constant water level. This dependence increases the regional economic vulnerability. Water balance of the lake as influenced by weather conditions was studied in detail. 79% of water input was due to precipitation, whereas more than 90% of water output was caused by evapotranspiration. Long-term observation of annual and seasonal precipitation sums, starting in 1865, revealed a slow downward trend of 15 years moving averages by 6 ± 1 mm/decade, masked by large interannual variations of the original data (s.d.: ±120 mm). Multidecadal oscillation indices (AMO, NAO, MOI) were tested against patterns of precipitation, air temperature and hydrological parameters of Lake Neusiedl. The clearest relation was observed between air temperature and North Atlantic oscillation index (p < 0.0001). Water level and volume of Lake Neusiedl are very sensitive to precipitation changes with after effects of individual years lasting up to 2 years. Summer precipitation is more important for lake water amount than the other seasons. The major surface water input to Lake Neusiedl is coming from River Wulka. Its annual discharge (15 years moving averages) showed a variable, moderately decreasing trend for the period 1961–2010 by −1.2 ± 0.6 × 106 m3/decade. Waste water treatment plants contributed up to 68% of monthly flow of River Wulka into the lake. Precipitation of the current and the previous year, and in some months also temperature influenced Wulka’s flow significantly. Evaporative losses from the lake and its reed belt were shown to increase over the last 33 years (+48 ± 11 mm/decade); as main drivers decreasing relative air humidity and increasing water temperature were identified. Based on the outputs of a regional climate model scenario and seasonal regression models, water balance projections for the period 2035–2065 showed a significant risk of hydrological deficits, leading to lower water levels than at present.

Landscape and site effects on Collembola diversity and abundance in winter oilseed rape fields in eastern Austria

Soil animals are rarely considered in landscape ecology although recent findings show that landscape composition and habitat fragmentation may exert a strong influence on their communities. We assessed the relationships between landscape parameters and the species richness of Collembola (springtails) in agricultural eastern Austria, hypothesizing that the richness of surface active (epigeic) species are more significantly correlated with landscape-scale parameters than soil living (endogeic) species. We used pitfall traps and soil samples to measure species richness and abundance of the two life forms in 29 oilseed rape fields in differently structured landscapes.Epigeic species richness was positively correlated to landscape parameters like landscape diversity, habitat richness, isolation of open habitats and area of oilseed rape fields at small to medium (250–1000m) and at larger (1000–1750m) landscape scales around the investigated sites. Endogeic species richness was also significantly correlated with landscape parameters like landscape diversity and road-side strip length. Total species richness was significantly correlated with landscape diversity at a larger scale, isolation of open habitats and proportion of woody area at a smaller spatial scale. Landscape diversity measures explained a higher percentage of the diversity of epigeic (42%) than of endogeic diversity (32%). Epigeic abundance was not significantly correlated to any of the site parameters, but with landscape parameters like oilseed rape area, woody area and minimum distance to dry grassland. Endogeic abundance was only correlated to oilseed rape cover.Our results suggest that parameters associated with landscape diversity can be good predictors of Collembola diversity at two spatial scales: At small scales probably due to active migration from bordering hedges, forests or grasslands; and at larger scales possibly due to passive wind dispersal. Soil ecologists rarely take landscape-scale variables into account, and our findings may contribute to broader recognition of the importance of landscape parameters in investigations of soil biota.

Exploiting the Classification Performance of Support Vector Machines with Multi-Temporal Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Data in Areas of Agreement and Disagreement of Existing Land Cover Products

Several studies have focused in the past on global land cover (LC) datasets harmonization and inter-comparison and have found significant inconsistencies. Despite the known discrepancies between existing products derived from medium resolution satellite sensor data, little emphasis has been placed on examining these disagreements to improve the overall classification accuracy of future land cover maps. This work evaluates the classification performance of a least square support vector machine (LS-SVM) algorithm with respect to areas of agreement and disagreement between two existing land cover maps. The approach involves the use of time series of Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 250-m Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) (16-day composites) and gridded climatic indicators. LS-SVM is trained on reference samples obtained through visual interpretation of Google Earth (GE) high resolution imagery. The core of the training process is based on repeated random splits of the training dataset to select a small set of suitable support vectors optimizing class separability. A large number of independent validation samples spread over three contrasting regions in Europe (Eastern Austria, Macedonia and Southern France) are used to calculate classification accuracies for the LS-SVM NDVI-derived LC map and for two (globally available) LC products: GLC2000 and GlobCover. The LS-SVM LC map reported an overall accuracy of 70%. Classification accuracies ranged from 71% where GlobCover and GLC2000 agreed to 68% for areas of disagreement. Results indicate that existing LC products are as accurate as the LS-SVM LC map in areas of agreement (with little margin for improvements), while classification accuracy is substantially better for the LS-SVM LC map in areas of disagreement. On average, the LS-SVM LC map was 14% and 18% more accurate compared to GlobCover and GLC2000, respectively.