Real Landscapes Research Articles

Biodiversity measures providing food and nesting habitat increase the number of bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) colonies in modelled agricultural landscapes

Individual biodiversity measures in agricultural landscapes such as flower strips are reported to promote the diversity and abundance of pollinating insects. Those biodiversity measures can be important food sources increasing the amount and continuity of pollen and nectar supply besides sometimes also offering nesting and hibernation sites. Still little is known about combined effects of biodiversity measures at the landscape scale and their long-term impact on pollinator population development. We used the agent-based simulation model BumbleBEEHAVE to investigate, if biodiversity measures have a positive effect on bumblebee populations at landscape scale in terms of the number of colonies per hectare. For this purpose, we chose Bombus terrestris, the most common bumblebee species in Germany, as target species. We used three real landscapes located in different regions of Germany as landscape settings for the simulations. The landscapes had strongly different farming systems regarding crop diversity and rotations and, consequently, different spatial structure and areal proportions of land-use types and semi-natural habitats. Between 2017 and 2020, distinct combinations of biodiversity measures, such as flower strips, flowering headland and fallows, were established by farmers on different areal proportions of the three landscapes. The biodiversity measures differed in plant-seed mixtures and, thus, the pollen and nectar supply by plants. We simulated the development of bumblebee colonies in the landscapes with and without the implemented biodiversity measures over eight years (four years in a twice repetition). We found that the implementation of biodiversity measures had a significant positive effect on the number of colonies. Further analysis showed that the pollen and nectar supplied by biodiversity measures had positive effects in all three landscapes, while the effect of additional nesting habitat differed among landscapes. Mass-flowering crops had little to no significant effect on the number of bumblebee colonies, whereas semi-natural habitats had a markedly positive effect. Our study underlines that not only biodiversity measures are likely to affect the bumblebee population, but that the overall landscape composition, particularly proportion of semi-natural habitats, is also important. So, to achieve high effectiveness of biodiversity measures, landscape context may be taken into account.

КОНЦЕПТУАЛІЗАЦІЯ ЛОКАЛЬНОГО ПРОСТОРУ КИЄВА В МОВІ ХУДОЖНЬОЇ ПРОЗИ ХХ СТОЛІТТЯ

The article examines the linguistic features of the conceptualization of the local space of the “Kyiv” mindset in the language of artistic prose by two outstanding Ukrainian writers of the 20th century. – V. Pidmohylnyi and P. Zahrebelnyi. Emphasis is placed on the fact that the local-spatial constant of the linguistic-cultural concept of the proper name “Kyiv”, reflected in the artistic discourses of artists, captures many urban and natural objects, which partially reflect the extremely complex topographical and coordinate grid of the real city. The system of urbanonyms, which represent the specifics of the individual and linguistic pictures of the world of novelists in terms of fixing the realities of the same city in different historical periods of its life, is studied. From the point of view of linguistic stylistics, a comparative analysis of expressive and figurative means of addressing the “Kyiv” mindset in the novel “The City” by V. Pidmohylnyi and in a number of historical novels and works about modernity by P. Zahrebelnyi was carried out. It is noted that the study of the verbalized constant of the local space of the city is an important issue not only for integrative linguistic stylistics, but also for cognitive linguistics, conceptology, linguistic and cultural studies, etc. The semantic-stylistic and logical-cognitive transformations of the internal forms of a number of proper names, which in P. Zahrebelnyi's artistic discourse have consistently evolved from an urbanonym to a concept have been traced. It was concluded that V. Pidmohylnyi, having “immersed” Stepan Radchenko, a rural man, in the urbanized space with its anthropogenic landscape, was one of the first Ukrainian writers of the beginning of the 20th century. conceptualized the city as a determining factor in the civilizational and historical development of society. In the artistic discourse of P. Zahrebelnyi, numerous linguistic units that nominate the real landscape of the city reflect the philosophy of the author's vision of Kyiv as a unique, originally Ukrainian city, as it appears in the national-linguistic picture of the world.

Evaluating and Explaining the Variability of Honey Bee Field Studies across Europe Using BEEHAVE.

To assess the effect of plant protection products on pollinator colonies, the higher tier of environmental risk assessment (ERA), for managed honey bee colonies and other pollinators, is in need of a mechanistic effect model. Such models are seen as a promising solution to the shortcomings, which empirical risk assessment can only overcome to a certain degree. A recent assessment of 40 models conducted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) revealed that BEEHAVE is currently the only publicly available mechanistic honey bee model that has the potential to be accepted for ERA purposes. A concern in the use of this model is a lack of model validation against empirical data, spanning field studies conducted in different regions of Europe and covering the variability in colony and environmental conditions. We filled this gap with a BEEHAVE validation study against 66 control colonies of field studies conducted across Germany, Hungary, and the United Kingdom. Our study implements realistic initial colony size and landscape structure to consider foraging options. Overall, the temporal pattern of colony strength is predicted well. Some discrepancies between experimental data and prediction outcomes are explained by assumptions made for model parameterization. Complementary to the recent EFSA study using BEEHAVE, our validation covers a large variability in colony conditions and environmental impacts representing the Northern and Central European Regulatory Zones. Thus we believe that BEEHAVE can be used to serve the development of specific protection goals as well as the development of simulation scenarios for the European Regulatory Zone. Subsequently, the model can be applied as a standard tool for higher tier ERA of managed honey bees using the mechanistic ecotoxicological module for BEEHAVE, BEEHAVEecotox . Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:1839-1850. © 2023 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

Spillovers from the Russia-Ukraine conflict

We investigate dynamic integration and risk transmission among major global financial markets around the Russia-Ukraine conflict by implementing the TVP-VAR frequency model for both a high and a low-frequency band. We also employ wavelet coherence to supplement our analysis. Results show that (i) the global financial system is highly connected during the entire period, and the dynamic spillovers reach unprecedented heights on the day of the Russia-Ukraine conflict; (ii) Russia comes out as a spillover leader, whereas the geopolitical risk index, Dow Jones Commodity, and Bitcoin are the major targets of spillovers; and (iii) for the entire sample period, short-term connectedness gains much prominence. This study uncovers the real landscape of financial spillover effects of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which can help investors and policymakers manage the risk exposure and avoid unexpected losses.

Novosibirsk Samizdat of the 1980s — early 1990s: Oleg Volov and the "Blumkin Shelter" Partnership

The object of the study is the Novosibirsk samizdat of the 1980s - early 1990s, the subject is the socio–cultural ties underlying its creation and distribution. The aim of the work is to present a picture of the existence of the Novosibirsk samizdat of the late Soviet period on the example of the local art community and its involvement in the cultural context of the region. Special attention is paid to the interrelationships between various artistic, literary and musical circles operating in the general field of unofficial culture of the late Soviet era and the first post-Soviet years. The study is not limited to Novosibirsk, it also analyzes the precedent of a large number of republications between independent publications in Novosibirsk and Kostroma. At the center of the study is the figure of the leader of the cultural community (kulturtrager), around whom creative forces unite. The study used comparative historical, source studies, textual methods, the method of content analysis, as well as general scientific methods of analysis and synthesis. The work introduces for the first time into scientific circulation a wide range of sources related to the history of Novosibirsk samizdat and the field in which it was distributed, describes the mutual influences of various local communities of Novosibirsk, which were based on informal publishing practices. The article considers in detail the samizdat magazine "Zelen'", which appeared at the turn of the 1980s - 1990s and is an example of late Soviet samizdat, the traditions of which were preserved in the regional book culture throughout the 1990s. The data given in the article will further serve to recreate the real cultural landscape of Novosibirsk of late Soviet and post-Soviet times with an emphasis on the informal sector of book culture.

An investigation of camera movements and capture techniques on optical flow for real-time rendering and presentation

New and interesting uses for portable devices include the creation and viewing of 3D models and 360-degree photos of real landscapes. To provide a 3D model and a 360-degree view of a scenario, these apps search for real-time rendering and presentation. This study examines the impact of real-time image processing on movements in camera view and the application of optical flow algorithms. The optical flows are affected by how the objects involved motion. The way the image is recorded and the camera movements affect the relative motion. As a consequence, camera motions are responsive to optical flow algorithms. To record an image, the camera may pan around, move in a straight path, or move randomly. We have captured datasets of videos produced in different contexts to better replicate real-world scenarios. Each dataset was captured in a variety of illumination situations, camera movements, and indoor and outdoor recording sites. Here, to determine the most effective optical flow algorithms for use in near real-time applications, such as augmented reality and virtual reality, we compare results based on quality and processing delay for each video frame. We conducted a comparison study to better understand how random camera motion affects real-time video processing. These methods can be used to handle a variety of real-world issues, such as object tracking, video segmentation, structure from motion, gesture tracking, and so on.

Disentangling the spread dynamics of insect invasions using spatial networks

IntroductionDescribing and understanding spatiotemporal spread patterns in invasive species remains a long-standing interdisciplinary research goal. Here we show how a network-based top-down approach allows the efficient description of the ongoing invasion byDrosophila suzukiiin Chile.MethodsTo do so, we apply theoretical graph methods to calculate the minimum cost arborescence graph (MCA) to reconstruct and understand the invasion dynamics ofD. suzukiisince the first detection in 2017. This method estimates a directed rooted weighted graph by minimizing the total length of the resulting graph. To describe the temporal pattern of spread, we estimate three metrics of spread: the median dispersal rate, the median coefficient of diffusion, and the median dispersal acceleration.ResultsThe estimated MCA shows that over four years,D. suzukiicolonized a ~1,000km long strip in the central valley of Chile, with an initial phase with long paths and connections and no clear direction pattern, followed by a clearer north–east propagation pattern. The median dispersal rate for the entire period was 8.8 (7.4–10.6, 95% CI), while the median diffusion coefficient was 19.6 meters2/day (13.6–27.9, 95% CI). The observed spread dynamics and the log-normal distribution of accelerations are consistent with long-distance dispersal events.DiscussionThe complexities of real landscapes cannot be summarized in any model, but this study shows how an alternative top-down approach based on graph theory can facilitate the ecological analysis of the spread of an invasive species in a new territory.

Simulating satellite urban land surface temperatures: sensitivity to sensor view angle and assumed landscape complexity

Urban land surface temperature (LST) from satellite earth observation (EO) varies with sensor view angle. Where these variations are not accounted for, urban LST products are inconsistent through time, limiting their use in urban weather and climate model evaluations and process studies (e.g. urban heat island, building energy balance, human thermal comfort). Obstacle-resolving numerical models (ORM) of urban form and radiation exchanges are being used to: (a) understand relations between EO view angle, the 3-dimensional urban surface, and the surface temperatures from urban land surface models, and (b) evaluate parameterisations (parametric models) that aim to account for LST angular effects for the next operational satellite products. Most ORM are limited to simplified buildings (e.g. cuboids) and surface temperatures by lack of datasets. Novelly, we use both a realistic urban form model and observed surface temperatures to assess the impact of simplifying the urban form and temperature on the modelled LST anisotropy. We test various sets of assumptions in central London by combining ground-based thermal camera observations and the state-of-the-art Discrete Anisotropic Radiative Transfer (DART) model. The high resolution realistic model (< 1 m) includes thermal (surface temperatures varying by sun-surface geometry, shadow history and materials every 30 min) and geometry (sloped roofs, chimneys and vegetation) data. These data are used to simulate brightness temperatures of EO pixels to quantify LST view angle variations.During daytime, a change of view angle of 47° off-nadir corresponds to a difference in LST of up to 5.1 K for the realistic building model. The intermediate-complexity landscape (easily obtainable building geometry/footprints and more idealised surface temperature distributions driven only by shadow patterns) gives the best agreement in simulated LST to the realistic landscape. The directional variations are still captured in total (daytime mean absolute error 0.44 K) when using an idealised ORM representation of the same landscape (cuboid buildings, simplified surface temperature) except for roofs which are near-isotropic. Results suggest that geometry assumptions used in current ORM are suited for evaluation of parametric models used to develop and verify operational LST sensor view angle corrections. Future work should consider more realistic materials and scattering processes including low emissivity glass and metals with challenging specular properties.

The effect of anthropogenic features on the habitat selection of a large carnivore is conditional on sex and circadian period, suggesting a landscape of coexistence

Improving coexistence between humans and large predators is one of the foremost issues for the survival of large carnivores, especially in the Neotropics, where conflicts for retaliation are still frequent. This problem was increased due to the expansion of agricultural areas, settlements, roads, and the loss of natural habitats. Therefore, a key component in the long-term conservation of carnivores is to reduce animal-human conflicts. We aimed to assess multi-scale habitat selection models, exploring specificities in the selection for each sex and variation for the circadian period. We found that jaguars live in real landscapes of fear with high human and livestock density, where the perception of risk related to humans governed the selection of their resources. However, depending on the sex of individuals and the circadian period, jaguars positively selected some anthropic structures, such as areas of crops and human settlements. This selection suggested an aptitude to use various human-dominated structures and indicated jaguars could locally perceive risks in different ways, depending of sex and day period. Unexpectedly, jaguars presented attraction to roads, sexual or circadian related, regardless of the natural environments. Our results demonstrate that male and female jaguars could use some anthropic features differently in the distinct circadian periods. In addition, we conclude that the knowledge of the habitat selection for jaguars is a crucial component to the structure of the landscape of coexistence of this species and can give us efficient guidance to better comprehend the behavior through different scales of selection and through different periods of the day. Finally, our results show fundamental observations on the movement plasticity of this species for the construction of conservation plans focusing on the coexistence in different landscapes of the Neotropics dominated by humans.

Heterogeneity in the isolation of patches may be essential for the action of metacommunity mechanisms

The spatial isolation gradient of communities and the gradient in the species dispersal ability are recognized as determinants of biodiversity in metacommunities. In spite of this, mean field models, spatially explicit models, and experiments were mainly focused on idealized spatial arrangements of communities leaving aside the combining role of dispersal and isolation gradients in metacommunity processes. Consequently, we have an incipient understanding of the role of the real spatial arrangement of communities on biodiversity patterns. We focus on six metacommunities for which confident information about the spatial arrangement of water bodies is available. Using coalescent metacommunity models and null models that randomize the location of water bodies, we estimated the potential effect of the landscape on biodiversity and its dependence on species dispersal ability. At extremely low or high dispersal abilities, the location of ponds does not influence diversity because different communities are equally affected by the low or high incoming dispersal. At intermediate dispersal abilities, peripheral communities present a much lower richness and higher beta diversity than central communities. Moreover, metacommunities from real landscapes host more biodiversity than randomized landscapes, a result that is determined by the heterogeneity in the geographic isolation of communities. In a dispersal gradient, mass effects systematically increase the local richness and decrease beta diversity. However, the spatial arrangement of patches only has a large importance in metacommunity processes at intermediate dispersal abilities, which ensures access to central locations but limits dispersal in isolated communities. The ongoing reduction in spatial extent and simplification of the landscape may consequently undermine the metacommunity processes that support biodiversity, something that should be explicitly considered in preserving and restoring strategies.

Application of Finite Element Method to Create a Digital Elevation Model

The generation of a topographical surface or digital elevation model for a given set of points in space is a known problem in civil engineering and topography. In this article, we propose a simple and efficient way to obtain the terrain surface by using a structural shell finite element model, giving advice on how to implement it. The proposed methodology does not need a large number of points to define the terrain, so it is especially suitable to be used with data provided by manual topographical tools. Several examples are developed to demonstrate the easiness and accuracy of the methodology. The digital terrain model of a real landscape is modeled by using different numbers of points (from 49 to 400) using a regular mesh or a randomly generated cloud of points. The results are compared, showing how the proposed methodology creates a sufficiently accurate model, even with a low number of points (compared with the thousands of points handled in a LiDAR representation). A real case application is also shown. As an appendix, the sample code to generate the examples is provided.

Effects of abiotic heterogeneity on species densities and interaction strengths lead to different spatial biodiversity patterns

During community assembly, abiotic factors can influence species at multiple stages during their life history, for example by affecting early settlement or establishment probabilities and thus initial densities (route 1: abiotic effects on density), or later by affecting the strength of biotic interactions during subsequent life stages (route 2: abiotic effects on interaction strengths). Since real abiotic landscapes are multivariate and complex, how these two distinct routes of abiotic influence affect community patterns has not been quantified. Using an individual-based spatially explicit simulation model, we compared scenarios where abiotic conditions shaped initial densities, interaction strengths, or both, of plant species with unique abiotic niches. We then partitioned the effect of the abiotic landscape on community patterns into components arising from variable density, variable interaction strengths, and their interaction. Even when plants responded to identical landscapes, variable density and variable interaction strengths led to different community patterns, and their combined effects were non-additive. Variable density promoted more spatial structure, while variable interaction strengths promoted higher local species richness. We highlight important implications these findings have in applied plant community ecology.

Data Preprocessing of Soil Attributes for Ecohydrological Applications Using SWAT Model at Xin'anjiang Upstream Watershed, China

Ecohydrological (EH) models have been widely applied worldwide to investigate hydrological and environmental issues. One obstacle for EH model application in China is the input data preparation, especially the soil data. This study aims to develop two sets of methods respectively for soil data preprocessing with two different soil database sources (Harmonized World Soil Database (HWSD) and domestic Chinese Soil Databases (CSD)) for a typical EH model of SWAT in China. With the two sets of developed methods, we have resulted two sets of SWAT soil datasets for the study region of a real Chinese landscape respectively. Both sets of methods with different database sources can be generalized for other landscapes in China. We further compare the two sets of methods to give suggestions for the selection of the two database sources when applying SWAT in Chinese landscapes. With HWSD, soil data preprocessing requires relatively less work, while there are relatively more soil types being resulted. With CSD, although soil data preprocessing require relatively more work and there are relatively less soil types, the attribute information for each soil type is more detailed.

Riding against the Past

Riding against the Past

Viral Fitness Landscapes Based on Self-organizing Maps.

The creation of fitness maps from viral populations especially in the case of RNA viruses, with high mutation rates producing quasispecies, is complex since the mutant spectrum is in a very high-dimensional space. In this work, a new approach is presented using a class of neural networks, Self-Organized Maps (SOM), to represent realistic fitness landscapes in two RNA viruses: Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). This methodology has proven to be very effective in the classification of viral quasispecies, using as criterium the mutant sequences in the population. With HIV-1, the fitness landscapes are constructed by representing the experimentally determined fitness on the sequence map. This approach permitted the depiction of the evolutionary paths of the variants subjected to processes of fitness loss and gain in cell culture. In the case of HCV, the efficiency was measured as a function of the frequency of each haplotype in the population by ultra-deep sequencing. The fitness landscapes obtained provided information on the efficiency of each variant in the quasispecies environment, that is, in relation to the entire spectrum of mutants. With the SOM maps, it is possible to determine the evolutionary dynamics of the different haplotypes.

A review of forest visualization and forest fire simulation technology research

A review of forest visualization and forest fire simulation technology research

Tekst, czas a przestrzeń – kontinuum relacji. Obraz Zagrzebia i Dubrownika w Księdze podróży Ewliji Czelebiego, Cyklopie Ranka Marinkovicia i sadze Pieśń lodu i ognia George’a R.R. Martina

Space, like forms of expression, undergoes constant transformations. One may wonder about their relationships, since both space shapes the text, and text influences the perception of space as well as helps to read and understand its palimpsest, hidden elements. The article addresses the issue of time as read and written in the landscape and urban space. Using literary examples from different periods, it analyzes the presentation of Zagreb and Dubrovnik. It also seeks to point out the differences between the real and literary landscape to discover the topographical objects commemorated in texts in the contemporary urban space. The author wonders whether literature can be a burden for the semiotic landscape. Can it influence the perception of space in such a way that one does not want to see other dimensions of the landscape than those preserved in the texts?

The Representation of Mountains in Han Portraits

The patterns and characteristics of mountains have appeared in portraits since the Shang and Zhou dynasties. The patterns of mountains in the Han dynasty depicted the real world, expressed reverence and belief in the immortal realm and were in a transitional stage of aesthetic consciousness in the metaphysics of mountains and forests. The mountains in the realistic landscape reflect life and aesthetically reflect the ideal schema of heaven and earth. Ritual symbols use fixed patterns of mountains, hunting, and war to depict the rituals of offering sacrifices to the heavens and mountains, as well as the bestowal of divine orders and mountain sacrifices. Famous mountains and rivers were the places where immortals lived in the popular imagination of the Han Dynasty. The belief in “immortality” formed two major mythological systems in the east and west, represented by the “Kunlun Mountains” and the “Three Mountains on the Sea,” which gave rise to a series of mountain patterns associated with each mythological system. In the context of etiquette and symbolism, the Han Dynasty depiction of mountain patterns developed into diversified forms, reflecting the traditional Chinese natural aesthetic approach in which “landscape painting expresses the artistic conception of the Tao through formal beauty.”

근대 유럽에서 풍경화의 발흥과 진화

This article aims to introduce how European landscape painting emerged in ancient times, gradually revived during the early modern period, and finally developed into an independent subject or genre, which later affects modern East Asian landscape paintings. Landscape paintings in Europe originate from the Minoan civilization of the Aegean sea around B.C. 1450. It also appears in a form of realistic style ‘painting within a painting’ in Roman wall paintings from Campania since B.C. 80. Although this tradition was neglected by the Christianity-oriented medieval art from the 4th to 14th century, it reappeared during the mid-14th century. As the Renaissance Humanism of the 15th and 16th century raised the awareness of the independent self, nature was objectified as a coexisting companion and began to be represented in a vision-based way.BR From the early 15th century, landscape painting was revived as the background of paintings of Flanders, Florence, and Venice. Later in 1473, those background materials began to appear on the canvas solely, signaling the rebirth of a ‘sheer landscape painting.’ Soon after, it developed into both watercolor landscape painting and oil painting landscape painting, and became an independent painting subject accompanied by the emergence of a subject specialist in the 16th century. In the Netherlands during the 17th century, with the support of the bourgeoisie, realistic and naturalistic landscape paintings thrived and landscape became a major genre in painting, eventually leading to the establishment of the tradition of modern landscape painting. Meanwhile, classical landscape painting flourished in Rome and became the canon of modern academic art. From the 18th century to the early 19th century, landscape painting was associated with Naturalism and Romanticism in England, while being the major theme of the Barbizon school in France. Eventually, landscape expanded as a part of the visual culture. On the other hand, German Romantic painters deviated from the customs of landscape paintings to elevate the spirituality of landscape, which combines the perception and mind as religious paintings does through the spiritual eye. After the mid-19th century, landscape, along with nude, became one of the most favored subjects in modern painting and photography, followed by the emergence of Impressionism which led landscape painting to its peak period.

Enhancing the structural diversity between forest patches-A concept and real-world experiment to study biodiversity, multifunctionality and forest resilience across spatial scales.

Intensification of land use by humans has led to a homogenization of landscapes and decreasing resilience of ecosystems globally due to a loss of biodiversity, including the majority of forests. Biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) research has provided compelling evidence for a positive effect of biodiversity on ecosystem functions and services at the local (α-diversity) scale, but we largely lack empirical evidence on how the loss of between-patch β-diversity affects biodiversity and multifunctionality at the landscape scale (γ-diversity). Here, we present a novel concept and experimental framework for elucidating BEF patterns at α-, β-, and γ-scales in real landscapes at a forest management-relevant scale. We examine this framework using 22 temperate broadleaf production forests, dominated by Fagus sylvatica. In 11 of these forests, we manipulated the structure between forest patches by increasing variation in canopy cover and deadwood. We hypothesized that an increase in landscape heterogeneity would enhance the β-diversity of different trophic levels, as well as the β-functionality of various ecosystem functions. We will develop a new statistical framework for BEF studies extending across scales and incorporating biodiversity measures from taxonomic to functional to phylogenetic diversity using Hill numbers. We will further expand the Hill number concept to multifunctionality allowing the decomposition of γ-multifunctionality into α- and β-components. Combining this analytic framework with our experimental data will allow us to test how an increase in between patch heterogeneity affects biodiversity and multifunctionality across spatial scales and trophic levels to help inform and improve forest resilience under climate change. Such an integrative concept for biodiversity and functionality, including spatial scales and multiple aspects of diversity and multifunctionality as well as physical and environmental structure in forests, will go far beyond the current widely applied approach in forestry to increase resilience of future forests through the manipulation of tree species composition.