Great Plain Research Articles

Historical ecological research of the kurgans of Hajdúnánás–Zagolya-dűlő

Kurgans are human-made geomorphological elements of the Eurasian steppe zone. In the Carpathian Basin, their construction is connected to the burial customs of Bronze Age societies. Their importance is multifold and it is not limited to their archaeological significance only. These monuments are also bearers of significant botanical, zoological, pedological and geomorphological values. Furthermore, they are key elements of the cultural heritage, representing unique aesthetical and cultural historical significance within the landscapes of the Great Hungarian Plain. In the close vicinity of Hajdúnánás, the so called Zagolya-dűlő gives home to multiple burial mounds. The history of this territory arches over – at least – five millennia, starting with the construction of these burial mounds. The current study focuses on the historical ecology of Zagolya-dűlő by integrating various environmental and historical sources. The environmental history of Zagolya-dűlő was researched through the paleoecological assessment of an excavated kurgan and through historical maps. Results of the land use history revealed that ploughing avoided the core territory of Zagolya-dűlő. The higher part of the area was used for grazing, while the depressions in the landscape were occupied by reed and marshy areas. The soilscape of Zagolya-dűlő is characterised by alkaline and chernozem soils today. Similar soil conditions are reflected by the buried soil found under kurgan ETA-01. In addition, the botanical survey of the kurgans revealed regionally significant natural value. The identified plant species indicate moderate human disturbance, which supports the results of the land use historical reconstruction. .

A Possible Perspective of Recultivation with Arbuscular Mycorrhiza-Inoculated Drought-Tolerant Herbaceous Plants.

Using native species for urban green space is rather important nowadays. Plant cover on soil is necessary for agronomical and architectural investments as well as conservational programs, which all need minimal maintenance and have to be cost efficient. Commercially available seed mixtures for grasslands and lawns include species that partly originated from other mesoclimatic zones, and thus they may not be able to survive in the long-term, nor will they be adventive to the local ecosystem. With a focus on climate change, the most arid part of the Pannon geographical region was selected (near Törökszentmiklós in Nagykunság, Hungarian Great Plain). The local flora has adapted effectively to the environment; therefore, many species growing there were candidates for this study. Annuals and herbaceous perennials were investigated with respect to harvestability, reproducibility, decorativity, seed production, seed morphological characters (size, mass) and germination features. The selected 20 taxa were inoculated with INOQ Agri mycorrhiza (Rhizophagus irregularis) to increase the drought tolerance and biomass of the plants. Mycorrhizal frequency was significantly different among the taxa, reflecting various responses to the symbiotic interaction and possibly various mycorrhizal dependence of the plant species examined. We did not observe significantly higher colonization rate in most cases of the samples with artificial inoculation treatment. We conclude that the degraded mowed lawn soil that we used could contain propagules of AM fungi in a sufficient amount, so in the artificial grassland restorations, the additional AM inoculation treatment is not necessary to achieve a higher AM colonization rate.

Multiclavula mucida (Basidiomycota) and other cryptogamic taxa in the Hungarian flora

The paper deals with the species found during cryptogamic flora mapping in 2023 that are remarkable from a floristic, taxonomic or conservational point of view. We present data from the Bükk Mts of two Trapeliopsis species which appear to be rare in Hungary. Multiclavula mucida, which is ap­parently a rare basidiomycete lichen species in Europe that prefers humid, montane habitats was dis­covered in the Mecsek Mts as a new species for the Hungarian flora. Of the knothole moss, Anacampto­don splachnoides, which is now thought to be entomophilic, we communicate the only extant popula­tion from Southern Transdanubia. We report the first occurrence of the atlantic-mediterranean Lepto­don smithii from the Hungarian side of the Great Hungarian Plain. Numerous data of the corticole Neck­era pennata indicate that in Hungary the distributional centre of this species is situated in the county of Baranya in the lowlands. New data from the Bükk Mts underline that in the Pannonian region Buxbaumia viridis is primarily a terricole species of acidophilous beech forests. We communicate the first occurrence from the lowlands of the alien lignicolous Sematophyllum adnatum which is danger­ous­ly spreading in Europe, at the same time one of the most vigorous populations in the Pannonian region. The third Hungarian occurrence of Callicladium haldanianum, a species that seems to spread in bogs, as well as the second occurrence of Racomitrium lanuginosum, growing abundantly on an ande­site boulder scree in Mátra Mts, are also reported here. Of Phegopteris connectilis we present in photo­graphic docu­mentation the first extant population from Southern Transdanubia, and we discuss whether the first publication from Mecsek Mts is correct or exact. In addition to listing the floristic data, we also briefly discuss the (mis)use of distribution data in the context of climate change, the difficulties of distinguish­ing the microtaxa of some pteridophytes, e.g. Asplenium adiantum-nigrum agg. and Dryop­teris affinis agg., and we correct one of our previously published, erroneous Hedwigia stellata data. Some interest­ing data of other taxa (such as Leucobryum glaucum, Palustriella commutata, Tetraphis pellucida, Gym­nocarpium robertianum, Ophioglossum vulgatum) are also mentioned in the paper.

Hydrological Aspects of the Low-water Period of 2022 on the Lowland Section of the Tisza River

Climate change poses more and more challenges to the water management. Future predictions show that the possibility of extreme drought events are increasing, especially the rolling drought phenomena have become critical when consecutive years of drought multiply the adverse effects of previous years. These new extreme hydrological situations need to be properly handled in water management, thus an additional task of the water management can be the fulfilment of the increasing water demands. The article provides a comprehensive picture of factors influencing the formation of water scarcity period. The water supply of the Hungarian Great Plain is ensured by the water supply systems established in the last century. Coordinated water management is important in similar situations. The author describes the hydrological characteristics of last year’s water shortage period and how its harmful effects could be reduced.

Groundwater Recharge from Below under Changing Hydro-Meteorological Conditions in a Forested and Grassland Site of the Great Hungarian Plain

The process of groundwater evapotranspiration and its subsequent recharge are fundamental aspects of the Earth’s natural water cycle and have significant implications for the preservation and functionality of various forested ecosystems. This study presents a case analysis examining the recent fluctuations in groundwater levels and their replenishment in two wells situated at a designated forested experimental area and a control site. The magnitude and temporal fluctuations of groundwater recharge were examined through the utilisation of a novel adaptation of the traditional White method, which was specifically tailored to the local context. We also tested the sensitivity of the White method as an indicator of the system’s behaviour because the signal has changed in relation to the access of the forests to groundwater under the conditions of regionally declining groundwater resources and a warming climate. The novelty of this approach is found in the examination of the temporal fluctuations in groundwater recharge, which are influenced by both a decrease in groundwater levels caused by forest evaporation in response to climate change and a regional reduction in groundwater supplies. As a result, the ongoing decrease in groundwater levels may have significant adverse effects on local forests.

Grazing and boundaries favour weedy plants with functional traits beneficial for pollinators

Semi-natural grasslands are key habitats for biodiversity, yet are negatively affected by intensified land-use. To mitigate such adverse effects, effective subsidies systems encouraging extensified production need to be developed that focus not only on species richness and functional diversity. We evaluated the effect of two grazing intensities and the effects of landscape complexity on plant functional traits in three grassland types in the Great Hungarian Plain. Regarding plant traits responding to grazing, we found shorter-statured and earlier flowering species in intensively grazed pastures and more disturbance-tolerant species with increasing boundary length. For pollination-related plant traits, there were more later flowering species in extensively grazed sites, while flowering duration and flower colour revealed complex relations between landscape complexity and grazing intensity. Generally, local low-intensity grazing (0.5 cattle/ha) supports specialist plant species, and increasing boundary length promotes generalist disturbance-tolerant species with traits beneficial for pollinators. Especially when designing new agri-environment schemes for low-intensity grazing systems, understanding the complex functional relationships is crucial to maintaining and restoring farmland biodiversity.

Development reference model to build management reporter using dynamics great plain aggregated

The digital technology transformation impacts changes in business patterns that require companies to innovate to act appropriately in making strategic decisions quickly, precisely, and accurately to increase efficiency, be practical company performance, and impacts changes in business patterns that require companies to innovate to act appropriately in making strategic decisions quickly to improve the performance. An enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is one step toward achieving performance. ERP system is one step to achieving performance. ERP system is essential for companies to automate the efficiency of business processes. The decisions from management in implementing the ERP system are necessary for ERP implementation to be successful. However, in practice, companies still experience complexity. For that, it needs to be considered related a business process reference model is essential to enhance efficiency in implementing the ERP used. This research discusses the business process reference model based on the ERP dynamics great plain (GP) application aggregated using management reporter (MR) to help users better understand the practical overview. The methodology utilizes a reference model based on Microsoft Dynamics GP guidelines with a business process redesign approach. This contributes to developing business processes to help users understand using the ERP dynamics GP application.

Development reference model to build management reporter using dynamics great plain aggregated

The digital technology transformation impacts changes in business patterns that require companies to innovate to act appropriately in making strategic decisions quickly, precisely, and accurately to increase efficiency, be practical company performance, and impacts changes in business patterns that require companies to innovate to act appropriately in making strategic decisions quickly to improve the performance. An enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is one step toward achieving performance. ERP system is one step to achieving performance. ERP system is essential for companies to automate the efficiency of business processes. The decisions from management in implementing the ERP system are necessary for ERP implementation to be successful. However, in practice, companies still experience complexity. For that, it needs to be considered related a business process reference model is essential to enhance efficiency in implementing the ERP used. This research discusses the business process reference model based on the ERP dynamics great plain (GP) application aggregated using management reporter (MR) to help users better understand the practical overview. The methodology utilizes a reference model based on Microsoft Dynamics GP guidelines with a business process redesign approach. This contributes to developing business processes to help users understand using the ERP dynamics GP application.

A Tóth József témavezetésével PhD-fokozatot szerzett tanítványok – a földrajz talentumai, avagy a talentumok földrajza

József Tóth was an outstanding figure in Hungarian geography. This article aims to present his scientific talent management at the University of Pécs through the data of his PhD students (n=63). During the analysis we used university publications and electronic databases, as well as Spearman’s correlation calculation, independent T-test, Mann–Whitney U-test, Kruskal–Wallis test and Chi-squared test to explore the relationships. The largest proportion of students were born and worked in the Southern Great Plain, North Hungary and Transdanubia, however the winner of the regional talent migration is Transdanubia. The professional openness of the professor is reflected in the topic selection of the dissertations completed under his supervision. His students, carrying on his intellectual heritage, are still active in scientific publishing. The charismatic personality, world view and professional knowledge of the head of doctoral school are manifested in the diversity and academic performance of his former students.

Hydrostratigraphic decomposition of fluvio-deltaic sediments inferred from seismic geomorphology and geophysical well logs in the Pannonian Basin, Hungary

Heterogeneity and anisotropy of lithological units influences hydraulic conductivity on several scales. The purpose of this study is to develop a novel method supporting hydrostratigraphic classification by considering horizontal and vertical variations of sand content in relation with the paleo-depositional environment. The workflow was applied for the uppermost ca. 1800 m thick fluvio-deltaic deposits (Great Plain Aquifer) of late Neogene to Quaternary age basin-fill succession in the eastern part of the Pannonian basin in Hungary. Five combined 3D seismic volumes, seven master horizons, and 30 well logs were analyzed. First, RMS amplitude maps were extracted to interpret the seismic geomorphological features and depositional architectures. Their associated lithology was inferred from wireline logs (GR and SP) by calculating the shale volume and the net-to-gross sand ratio for 30 m thick intervals. These were used to calibrate the seismic facies as a proxy for the horizontal distribution of sand versus shale. This method allowed the identification of sand bodies, i.e.: deltaic lobes, complex channel belts, simple fluvial channels behaving as aquifers, and the dominantly muddy delta plain to flood plain suits as aquitard. The vertical pattern of sand distribution was also evaluated. Three major stratiform and some corridor-like minor hydrostratigraphic units were defined instead of the former regional (basin) scale aquifer unit. 1) Laterally extended interval of stacked deltaic lobes of high sand ratios and high rate of connectedness, at the bottom of the studied interval. 2) General presence of extended muddy floodplains with anastomosing river systems, characterized by 100–200 m wide channels, low sand ratio, and limited connectedness: 3) widespread meandering and/or braided river systems with high sand ratios and high connectedness in the Quaternary. Within unit 2) spatially and temporally variable appearance of major 500–3600 m wide meandering channel belts produce locally high sand-ratio corridors in the NE-SW direction. A workflow adapted from the oil-and-gas industry was successfully applied to distinguish units of varying sand content and hydraulic conductivity. This approach can be used on basin to local scale to build a spatially complex facies-based model of hydrostratigraphy. Thus, a robust heterogeneous geological model serves as a base for investigating fluid flow on the required scale.

Isolation of Health-benefiting Bacteria from Probiotic Foods

Probiotic Foods are known to have many health benefits such as bolstering intestinal health, reducing risk to many diseases, and reducing antibiotic resistance, to name a few. Because these foods have so many benefits, I hypothesized that by isolating bacteria from them, these health benefits could be extended to all kinds of different foods. The bacteria of interest were isolated from Great Value Greek Plain Nonfat Yogurt by using MRS medium to encourage the growth of lactic acid bacteria. After several strains had been isolated, they were used to ferment orange juice and carrot juice for about three days. By using HPLC (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography), several differences between the original juices and the fermented juices were found. E. Coli Bacteria were tested against antibiotics as well as salt concentrations after being exposed to one of two treatments: fermented juice and non-fermented juice. Through this experiment, I have been able to observe positive results from three bacterial strains. I was able to observe a decrease in antibiotic resistance to ampicillin, hygromycin, carbenicillin, and kanamycin when I exposed E. Coli bacteria to juices fermented by my isolated bacteria.

Relationship Between Landscape Management, Land Use and Ecological Network in Nagykörű

In the summer of 2022, we experienced an extreme water shortage in the Great Hungarian Plain and the consequences influenced and still influence our lives in several ways. The long-term solution to the problem of drought is sustainable landscape management, which builds on the natural characteristics of the area – climate, soil, topography, hydrographic conditions and opportunities. The ecological network can provide a suitable framework for this concept, since the original idea intended to create balance between intensive and extensive land use. Our goal was to define the focus areas where the current cultivation is in conflict with the features of the landscape, and we identified the areas where it is necessary to change the cultivation method and those where other water retention proposals can gain space, thus ensuring water even in drier periods. The resulting land use will be in line with the water cycle, thereby increasing the area's resilience against drought. In our research, we chose the municipality of Nagykörű and its surroundings along the Tisza River as our study area, which - like the rest of the Great Plain - was hit by an exceptionally severe drought in the summer of 2022. On the 90 km2 research area, after fieldwork, we performed various GIS analyses. Based on these we examined the possibilities and suitability of the cultivation methods in the given area and worded our proposals. In the course of our research, we consulted with water management experts and local farmers in order to get a more accurate picture of the area's features, problems, and the feasibility of our proposals. The landscape architecture master students of MATE also helped us in preparing the analyses. The results showed that currently a significant part of the area is not managed in accordance with the geographical conditions. The deeper fields in the middle of the area, which currently are under intensive farming, would belo9ng, under natural conditions to the floodplain of the river Tisza. Here the extensive cultivation methods, such as orchards, gardens, or meadows are recommended. At the same time, the flood-free parts of the sample area are suitable for agriculture. If water retention strategies are used in the suitable areas, these will be more protected against the effects of drought.

Settlement security, local law enforcement at the Southern Great Plain Region I.

Aim: The aim of the study is to present the municipal security of the Southern Great Plain Region and the police and complementary law enforcement agencies involved in local policing. In addition, it is intended to describe the difficulties associated with the operation of municipal police forces, to identify anomalies in practice and to suggest optimal solutions.Methodology: The research was carried out by interviewing the police chiefs of three county police headquarters in the region, as well as the municipalities through an online questionnaire. In addition, in order to develop a complex opinion, focus group discussions with various participants in two districts were held to find out about local government measures in the field of local policing. Thirdly, in the framework of secondary research, the author processed domestic legal regulations, professional studies and statistical data.Findings: The results of the research carried out reveal that the development of municipal law enforcement agencies can only be achieved through a long-term and well designed strategy. It has been demonstrated that municipal security and local law enforcement tasks are extremely complex and require the active and coordinated action of several actors. It has also been shown that municipalities have a permanent need for stable and balanced public security and are willing to make commitments to achieve this, if the right opportunities and knowledge are available. In this complex system of policing tasks, continuous and extensive cooperation between the partners and the flow of information through regular communication are indispensable factors.Value: The conclusions of the study can be used in the development of future action programs by local law enforcement contributors as well as police chiefs. The author has formulated recommendations for improving municipal security that deepen the theoretical and practical knowledge of specialists.

Supposed Effects of Wetland Restoration on Hydrological Conditions and the Provisioning Ecosystem Services—A Model-Based Case Study at a Hungarian Lowland Catchment

Climate change and water scarcity increase the vulnerability of crop production and other ecosystem services (ES) in flood-protected lowlands under a continental climate. Restoration of wetlands leads to a higher water-buffering capacity of the landscape, strengthening various ecosystem services, and fostering adaptation to climatic, ecological, and agricultural challenges. Such restoration efforts require extensive land-use change, leading to trade-offs in provisioning and regulating ES. However, knowledge is limited about these situations, especially in the case of lowland areas. Here, we introduce a hydrological analysis in a 243 km2 flood-protected catchment in the Great Hungarian Plain, mapping the potential hydrological effects of water-retention scenarios on groundwater levels. We point out how the simulated groundwater levels will be used for estimating the changes in crop yields and tree growth (provisioning services). The introduced hydrological analysis and preliminary results for crop-yield estimates suggest a significant and scalable capacity for a nature-based hydrological adaptation: the extent of inundated areas could be increased stepwise and water retention could locally compensate dry periods due to the buffering effect of inundated meanders.

Understanding the Barriers to Adoption of Mixed-Species Herbivory in the Southern Great Plains of the United States

Mixed-species herbivory, along with prescribed fire, is one of the most effective ways of controlling woody plant encroachment in the southern Great Plains and comes with the added benefits of maintaining grazing efficiency and rangeland productivity. Despite its experimental stage success, most landowners in the southern Great Plains have not fully adopted mixed-species herbivory as a range management tool. This study aimed to understand the barriers to the adoption of mixed-species herbivory by soliciting information from rangeland owners in the southern Great Plain states of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. We found that more than 40% of landowners in the southern Great Plains are not aware of mixed-species herbivory and < 10% of them have adopted the practice. Landowners who were previously aware of mixed-species herbivory were less likely to think that it provides lower returns compared with traditional grazing. Many landowners, however, reported a lack of sufficient infrastructure, labor, or equipment as barriers to adoption. We suggest that extension efforts and outreach campaigns focused on the needs and concerns of landowners can change perceptions around the effectiveness of mixed-species herbivory as a land management tool to enhance the resiliency of rangeland ecosystems in the southern Great Plains.

Small grassland fragments and connectivity support high arthropod functional diversity in highly modified landscapes

Abstract Grassland ecosystems undergo dramatic habitat loss and fragmentation worldwide due to agricultural expansion and intensification. Among different taxonomic groups, grassland arthropods are particularly sensitive to this process and, therefore, are exposed to considerable risk. Although many studies focus on land use impacts on arthropod diversity, these mostly consider taxonomic diversity and neglect trait‐mediated functional responses. However, studying functional diversity often provides more accurate insights into ecosystem processes. Here, we assessed the effect of fragment size and connectivity on the functional composition (community‐weighted mean trait values) and diversity (Rao's quadratic entropy) of two diverse and abundant arthropod groups: spiders and true bugs. We assigned functional traits for more than 300 species collected from 30 sandy steppe (forest‐steppes) and 30 loess steppe fragments (kurgans) in the southern part of the Hungarian Great Plain. Functional responses to fragmentation were observed for spiders in forest‐steppes and for true bugs in kurgans. We found higher functional diversity in better‐connected fragments for spiders and in small fragments for both groups. We collected small, humidity‐preferring and web‐building spiders in small fragments, and there were more ballooning spiders with moist habitat preferences in well‐connected fragments. Furthermore, increasing grassland connectivity resulted in a significantly higher proportion of polyphagous and humidity‐preferring individuals in the true bug communities. Our results highlight the importance of small grassland fragments in maintaining high arthropod functional diversity. Even small fragments in a well‐connected grassland network can promote ecosystem functioning and associated services within human‐dominated landscapes.

Soil related environmental considerations of farmers in the Great Hungarian Plain

Climate change and associated environmental changes are the major sustainability challenges facing the world today. The selection of appropriate agrotechnological elements is required not only to increase the quality and quantity of food produced but as well as reducing the costs of the farmers and protecting the environment for future generations. In the Great Hungarian Plain, the adoption of recent environmentally friendly technologies is still not sufficient and the region faces various environmental challenges. This study aimed to analyse the economic and environmental consciousness of farmers in the selection of 3 agrotechnological elements (soil protective cultivation, soil reclamation/conditioning, manure application). A pilot study was conducted on 5 representative farmers, in which they were interviewed, and questionnaires were designed to critically analyse farmers’ perceptions of the environment based on the opinions of 106 respondents. The result show that farmers are aware of the environmental impacts of selected technologies in their farms. They highlighted some of the environmental challenges they are experiencing including drought, secondary salinization, and unfavourable soil properties. However, they showed more economic than environmental consciousness, as they suggested that it was important to be familiar with economic issues and conditions to ensure higher income. The level of willingness to introduce or apply soil protective cultivation, soil reclamation/conditioning, and manure differed from low to high.

SPATIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF EU-FUNDED TOURISM INVESTMENTS IN THE NORTHERN GREAT PLAIN REGION (HUNGARY) IN THE 2014-2020 BUDGET PERIOD

The aim of this paper is to present the territorial characteristics of explanation of European Union funding for tourism-related developments in the Northern Great Plain region (Hungary) in the 2014-2020 programming period of the European Union. We relied fundamentally on the website “palyazat.gov.hu” as our source, which provides information on the number of grant applications submitted and those that were successful. There are very significant differences between counties and settlements in terms of the application activity and the focus of the applications. Firstly, the specificities of the counties that make up the Northern Great Plain region had a significant impact on the region’s performance in case of national-level projects. Secondly, hand the influencing factors include the commitment of the leaders of the individual counties and settlements to tourism, the impact of the conditions set out in the calls for applications, as well as the role of political lobbying.

From the ashes of Bronze Age fires: A framework for comparison across body treatments

Archaeologists in the Carpathian Basin are increasingly focused on social variability across the Bronze Age landscape. However, when it comes to mortuary variability, the difference in body treatments (cremation and inhumation) between populations impairs our ability to carry out regional comparisons and appreciate the range of community social organizations. In this paper, we compare mortuary assemblages from three Bronze Age culture areas on the Great Hungarian Plain. In our coarse quantitative framework, we characterize the intensity of funerary distinction as a proxy for complexity and identify structural variation across mortuary programs. We identify both horizontal and vertical differences in funerary assemblages and note horizontal differences that do not necessarily materialize vertically. The results also show that societies can represent varying values across the different measures, underlying the necessity of working with analytical frameworks which approach the question of complexity in a non-linear manner. We believe that the method offered here can be a useful addition to the toolkit of mortuary archaeologists who work in areas and/or time periods with various body treatment practices.

Challenges and Future Visions of the Hungarian Livestock Sector from a Rural Development Viewpoint

Livestock farming in developed countries faces adverse environmental impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions and pollution. Moreover, economic and social issues have emerged, such as farm concentration and the aging of farmers. Consequently, the decline of small farms and household animal husbandry substantially impacted rural communities, posing challenges for rural development. This study investigates these processes within the Hungarian livestock sector from the 1990s to recent years in the context of rural development, which is a rarely explored viewpoint in the literature. The research employed a statistical and policy document analysis, a literature review, and interviews (n = 66) conducted in Hungary’s Southern Great Plain region. The results reveal a decline in the number of animals and small farms in rural settlements, accompanied by an intense farm concentration, negatively affecting income generation opportunities. The established large-scale industrial animal husbandry has adverse environmental effects without positive externalities. The interviews highlight the severe challenges that young farmers face in starting their businesses, including land, labor, and capital shortages, leading to a slow generational change in the farming society. These processes demonstrate the limited multifunctionality of animal husbandry in Hungary. Our findings differ from those advocating for large-scale industrial agriculture development because an overly one-sided development pathway could lead to unsustainability.