Steep Rocky Slopes Research Articles

Runoff generation from successive simulated rainfalls on a rocky, semi‐arid, Mediterranean hillslope

AbstractRunoff generation in a Mediterranean carbonate rock environment—the Judaean Mountains, West Bank and Israel—was studied by a 2 day sprinkling experiment on an 18 × 10 m2 plot. During the first day, three spells of 24·1 mm h−1 (12·3 mm), 27·8 mm h−1 (12·3 mm) and 14·4 mm h−1 (12·5 mm) were applied, almost saturating the runoff plot. On the second day, 20 h later, two spells of 18·7 mm h−1 (34·3 mm) and 35·2 mm h−1 (25·4 mm) followed. Surface runoff was a combination of infiltration excess runoff from rocky portions of the plot and saturation excess runoff from areas covered by soil. Soil saturation was accelerated by lateral runoff from adjacent rocky areas. Once the plot was saturated, 80–90% of the applied rainfall became surface runoff. Significantly different concentrations of chloride, sulphate, and nitrate ions in the sprinkled water on two successive days served as tracers. During the second day a two‐component hydrograph separation pointed to the importance of shallow reservoirs playing active parts in runoff generation. About 14% of the flow collected during the second day originated from water applied during the first day. During the second day of sprinkling, both water sources obviously mixed in saturated soil reservoirs and contributed in variable percentages to surface flow. It is hypothesized that, at least during high‐magnitude rainfall, the steep rocky slopes investigated might be regarded as flood‐generating zones rather than areas of pronounced recharge into the underlying Yarkon–Taninim aquifer. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Vegetation succession in basalt quarries: Pattern on a landscape scale

Abstract A spatio-temporal variation of vegetation during spontaneous succession was studied in 56 basalt quarries spread over 1800 km2 in the Ceske středohoři Hills (NW Czech Republic, Central Europe). Differences in the particular habitats inside a quarry, i.e. steep rocky slopes, bottoms and levels; dumps; and screes were considered. The habitats ranged in age from 1 to 78 yr since abandonment. Macroclimate (mean annual temperature and precipitation) significantly influenced the course of succession, which led to a formation of shrubby grassland, shrubby woodland or tall woodland. Participation of target species typical of steppe-like communities significantly depended on the occurrence of the communities in the vicinity, up to a distance of 30 m from a quarry. Disused quarries may become refugia for rare plant species. Spontaneous successional processes led in the reasonable time of ca. 20 yr to semi-natural vegetation. Thus, they can be successfully exploited in restoration programs scheduled for the...

A Simple buoyant craft for autonomous exploration

A simple, autonomous, floating craft is described that was designed to take digital images of approximately 1 m 2 areas of the ground in rocky terrain. The vehicle (Monty) consisted of a helium-filled balloon and rolling framework that successfully traversed a wide variety of features, including steep rocky slopes with boulders >1 m in diameter and at wind speeds as high as 5 m/ s at the Haughton Impact Crater in the Canadian Arctic. This vehicle concept has obvious implications for the exploration of other planetary bodies that have an atmosphere.

The Water Island Archaeological Project: archaeology and history in the eastern Caribbean

In 1998 extensive investigations were undertaken on Water Island, US Virgin Islands, by a research team from the Southeast Archeological Center, National Park Service. The US government is relinquishing ownership of the island, an action that would affect cultural resources. Earlier surveys had located a number of sites, including the remains of three 18th- and l9th-century plantations, historic wells, prehistoric shell middens and an extensive World War II fortification complex (Wild & Anderson 1992; Knight 2001; Anderson et al. in preparation).Water Island, located off St Thomas, encompasses about one square mile, and is characterized by steep rocky slopes, a pronounced central ridgeline and a highly indented coastline with numerous bays and beaches (FIGURE 1). Fresh water comes from rainfall, and in small brackish ponds. Vegetation ranges from dry tropical thorn scrub to mangrove/salt ponds.

Taxonomy of Rock-wallabies, Petrogale (Marsupialia: Macropodidae). II. An Historical Review.

The indigenous Australian genus Petrogale (rock-wallabies) consists of small to medium sized macropodids that are found throughout mainland Australia. As their name implies, rock-wallabies live in rocky habitats, preferring steep rocky slopes, cliffs, gorges, rocky outcrops and boulder piles (Sharman and Maynes 1983a). Many rock-wallaby species are distinctively marked, brightly coloured and are amongst the most beautiful of all macropods. Although well known to Aboriginal Australians for (at least) tens of thousands of years, rock-wallabies were only "discovered" by European explorers and naturalists in the early 19th century. Considerable variation in size, pelage characteristics and skull morphology has lead to the formal scientific description of 26 taxa in the last 170 years. The history of the scientific "discovery" of Petrogale in Australia and their subsequent taxonomy is long and fascinating. It is a story dominated by uncertainty and considerable speculation surrounding the inter-relationships of many taxa. It is in this historical context of confusion and contradiction that the current comprehensive genetic studies of rock- wallabies have both their significance and their genesis.

Protalus ramparts and related features along the niagara escarpment, niagara peninsula, ontario

AbstractTalus foot ridges interpreted as protalus ramparts have been identified along 17 out of 42 km of the Niagara Escarpment within the Niagara Peninsula. They are distinguished from various types of slope form (rotational slumps, debris slides, quarries, dumps, moraines, raised shorelines and bedrock ledges) by their regular linear nature and their restriction to slopes facing between north‐east and north‐west. Morphologies range from a simple terrace with a flat top and a steep rocky outer slope, to compound ridges with closed depressions between. Maximum widths from rampart crest to main talus foot average 25 metres. Ramparts are characteristically extremely bouldery and include angular blocks of Thorold and Grimsby Sandstones weathered from the Escarpment slope, Ironde‐quoit Limestone and Lockport Dolomite blocks with metre dimensions transported to the outer slopes of the ramparts from the upper edge of the Escarpment, and clay from the weathering of Escarpment shales and from Wisconsinan diamictons. Associated firn field dimensions probably fluctuated dramatically in size during the year, and the palaeoclimatic implication is that there existed substantial late‐lying to perennial firn fields following local deglaciation at 12.5 ka BP. Independent confirmation of an early postglacial tundra climate is provided by the basal portions of pollen stratigraphies obtained nearby. The latest period when the firn fields might have existed is during the Younger Dryas chronozone (11 ka to 10.0 ka BP) when regional climatic cooling may have allowed the re‐establishment of a tundra‐like climate, especially in areas with severe microclimates.

The influence of livestock management on land use competition between domestic and wild ungulates: sheep and chamois Rupicapra pyrenaica parva Cabrera in the Cantabrian range

The spatial distribution and competition for the use of resources between sheep —transhumant merino— and chamois Rupicapra pyrenaica parva . Cabrera, 1910) has been analyzed during the summer grazing period in the Cantabrian range. The studied area, —a 750 ha. wide high pass— was divided into sectors depending on geophysical variables (substratum, aspect and elevation) and vegetation types. Sheep land use was analyzed by direct observation of the flock and by means of enquiries to the shepherd. Chamois were studied before and during the time sheep were present in the pastureland, with the help of fixed itineraries that enabled us to visually cover the whole area. The assessment of land use was carried out by corrected frequency and preference index for each of the studied environmental variables. Sheep grazed in the whole area excepting for beech woods ( Fagus sylvatica ), rocky and steep zones and dense scrub patches. The location of the sheepfolds —shelters, enclosures and associated pastures— is a key factor in the management of the pastoral system. They are usually placed in a central position from where the flock make their every day course, normally directed to higher zones, in the studied area, chamois distribution is limited by the scarcity of zones over 1.800 m., and by the strong sheep grazing pressure at all elevations. Chamois leave the areas grazed by the sheep flock, creating an almost total segregation. They occupy steep rocky slopes and the beech woods edges close to them, both situated furthest away from the sheepfolds.

The Ginkgos of Tian Mu Shan

Abstract: The question of whether or not Ginkgo biloba still exists in the wild has been debated by botanists, without resolution, for almost a hundred years. Most of the controversy has focused on a single population of trees located on Tian Mu Shan (Tian Mu Mountain) in Zhejiang Province, China, a site of human activities for approximately 1500 years. Regardless of its origin, the Tian Mu Shan Ginkgo population is biologically significant by virtue of its long survival in a semi‐natural state under conditions of intense interspecific competition. A total of 167 Ginkgos were counted and measured in the 1018 ha Tian Mu Shan Reserve. Many of the trees were growing on disturbance‐generated microsites, such as stream banks, steep rocky slopes, and the edges of exposed cliffs. Forty percent of the censused individuals were multitrunked, consisting of at least two trunks greater than 10 cm in diameter at breast height. Most of these secondary trunks originated from root‐like “basal chichi,” that are produced at the base of trees that have experienced damage from soil erosion or other factors. No Ginkgos less than 5 cm in basal diameter were found in the mature forests of Tian Mu Shan. This lack of seedling reproduction is caused by several factors: (1) the lack of sunny microsites suitable for seedling growth, (2) seed collection by people, and (3) seed predation by animals. In the absence of successful seedling establishment, secondary trunk formation from basal chichi is the single most important factor in explaining the long term persistence of Ginkgo on Tian Mu Shan.

Five New Species of Solanum Section Geminata (Solanaceae) from Peru and Ecuador

Five new species of Solanum sect. Geminata are described from Peru and Ecuador: S. clivorum, S. goniocaulon, S. malletii, S. smithii, and S. tovarii. Relationships within section Geminata are discussed, and an illustration and distribution map are provided for each species. Solanum is one of the largest genera of flowering plants, with some 1,500-2,000 valid species. Most of these species are neotropical, with taxa occurring in all habitats throughout the tropics and subtropics. Peru and Ecuador are particularly rich in Solanum species, probably due to their great diversity in habitat (Weberbauer, 1945). Section Geminata is one of the largest of the subdivisions of the nonspiny solanums, with about 145 species, all but one of these neotropical. Species of section Geminata are distinguished by their small white flowers, woody habit, usually leaf-opposed inflorescences, and hard green fruits at maturity (in all except the S. pseudocapsicum alliance). Solanum clivorum S. Knapp, sp. nov. TYPE: Peru. La Libertad: entre Huamachuco y Cajabamba, 3,000-3,200 m, 16 Mar. 1948, Ferreyra 3059 (holotype, USM; isotypes, IBE, MO, US). Figure 1. Frutex; caules dense pubescentes; sympodia difoliata geminata vel plurifoliata; folia elliptica supra glabra subtus dense dendritico-pubescentia; inflorescentiae foliis oppositae vel terminales dendriticae; corolla alba; bacca globosa in pedicello deflexo inserta; semina complanata reniformia. Bushy shrubs, 2-3 m tall; young stems and leaves densely pubescent with dendritic trichomes ca. 0.5 mm long; bark of older stems reddish or green, glabrous. Sympodial units difoliate, geminate, or appearing plurifoliate due to rapid inflorescence growth. Leaves elliptic, commonly with several axillary shoots, glabrous (occasionally with scattered simple uniseriate trichomes on the lamina) and with a few dendritic trichomes along the main veins adaxially, densely pubescent with dendritic trichomes abaxially; major leaves 13-21 cm long, 6-9 cm wide, with 7-9 pairs of primary veins, these drying yellowish, the apex acute, the base acute; petiole 2-3 cm long; minor leaves differing from the majors only in size, 7-10 cm long, 3-4 cm wide, the apex acute, the base acute; petiole 1-2 cm long. Inflorescences opposite the leaves or appearing shootterminal, 3-7 cm long, many-times branched, 2040-flowered, densely pubescent with dendritic trichomes; pedicel scars unevenly spaced 1-2 mm apart. Buds globose, the corolla only halfway exserted from the calyx tube. Pedicels at anthesis erect, tapering, 6-8 mm long, ca. 0.5 mm diam. at the base, densely pubescent with soft dendritic trichomes like those of the rest of the inflorescence. Flowers with the calyx tube conical, 1-1.5 mm long, the lobes deltate, 0.5-1 mm long, densely pubescent with dendritic trichomes; corolla white, 1-1.1 cm diam., lobed halfway to the base, the lobes planar at anthesis, densely pubescent on abaxial lobe surf ce with minute, dendritic trichomes; anthers 1.52 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, poricidal at the tips, the pores not opening to slits; free portion of the filaments ca. 0.5 mm long, the filament tube ca. 0.5 mm long, with 5 triangular projections ca. 0.5 mm long alternating with the anthers and closely investing the style; ovary glabrous; style 3-4 mm long, glabrous; stigma capitate, the surface minutely papillose. Fruit a globose, green berry, 1-1.2 cm diam.; fruiting pedicels woody, erect, 1.5-1.7 cm long, ca. 1.5 mm diam. at the base. Seeds dark reddish brown, flattened-reniform with thickened margins, 3-4 mm long, 2-2.5 mm wide, the surfaces minutely pitted. Distribution. In the Cajabamba valley, department of Cajamarca, Peru, on steep rocky slopes from 2,000 to 2,800 m. Figure 5. Paratypes. PERU. CAJAMARCA: Cutervo, Lagunac, camino a Cochabamba, 2,000 m, 26 Feb. 1985, Llatas Quiroz 1178 (F); Cajabamba, Finca Zil, 2,500 m, 22 Aug. 1985, Mostacero L. & Guerra L. 63 (HUT, MO, NY); Cajamarca, entre Matara y Namora, 2,600 m, 16 Aug. 1973, Sdnchez Vega et al. 1217 (NY); NamoraMatara, 2,600 m, 16 Aug. 1973, Sagdstegui A. 7755 (HUT, MO, NY); Huamachuco-Cajabamba, 2,800 m, 16 Nov. 1983, Sagdstegui A. 11144 (HUT, NY). NOVON 2: 341-350. 1992. This content downloaded from 157.55.39.110 on Wed, 14 Dec 2016 05:03:59 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms

Inventario florístico en el cerro Tetzcotzinco, Texcoco, Estado de México

El cerro Tetzcotzinco es un sitio de importancia arqueológica y atractivo turístico, ubicado cerca de Texcoco, Estado de México. Es de origen volcánico, con laderas empinadas y rocosas, y cuya altitud va de 2 270 a 2 600 msnm. Se reconocen cuatro tipos de agrupaciones vegetales en el cerro: bosque de encinos, pastizal, matorral xerófilo y vegetación acuática y subacuática. El inventario realizado revela la presencia de 375 especies, 234 géneros y 70 familias de plantas vasculares, una diversidad que sorprende en un área de 50 ha. La mayoría de estas especies es conocida del Valle de México, pero hubo hallazgos notables. Entre éstos destacan dos: Pavonia pulidoae, una especie nueva, y Thevetia peruviana, una especie muy poco conocida en el Valle de México.

The Flint Hills Range Sites

The precise boundaries, areal extent, and specific Iocation of the well-known Kansas Flint Hills physiographic unit have not been expressly defined tol everyone's satisfaction. Kollmorgen and Simonett's comprehensive study (6) disclosed a wide divergence of opinion regarding this familiar landscape. The Flint Hills apparently imply different things to different people. To the geologist they are an area where certain bedrock, notably cherty limestones, outcrop. To the botanist and range scierltist the Flint Hills comprise an area of natural vegetation whose substrate only incidentally contains flint or chert rock. To the zoologist they are a natural habitat for wild animals and a barrier to their migration. To the native they constitute an unusually irregular bluestem mantled landscape whose steep rocky slopes and accordant summits create a panoramic beauty that constantly changes with the season and the hour (Fig. 1 ) . ThP area and soil composition of the Flint Hills depends on the interpretation that is made. If one limits the Flint Hills to the immediate outcrop areas of Florence, Schroyer and Three-mile cherty limestone the Flint Hills occupies about 0.8 million acres (Fig. 2). If, instead, adjacent shallow soils on massive limestone and steeply sloping lands are included as well, the area approximates 2.5 million acres. If, in addition, included areas of deep, nearly level, clayey soils of the associated broad ridges are embraced, the area totals approximately 4 million acres of the total of 7 million acres contained in the 13 counties extending across the state from Marshall to Cowley counties, in which the :Flint Hills have been said to exist. Acreages of range lands and lands too steep or rocky to cultivate are compared for each of the 13 counties in Table 1. About dOSo of the range land has been classed unsuitable for cultivation, as indicated by Classes V through VIII. Conversely, some 409s of the land now in range is suited to cultivation. The kinds, acreages, and distribution of the soils occurring in the Flint Hills, then depend on a deSnition of what constitutes the Flint Hills.

Příspěvek k limnologii Štrbského plesa

Štrbské pleso (The lake of Štrba) in the Tatra Mts. is a rare example of the mountain lake with interier drainage; it is without inward or outward drainage. Its existence is due to the long time lasting balance of precipitations and evaporation. The level of the lake produces periodic swings of seiches type, of which main period last 188 seconds with an amplitude reaching until 126 milimetres. The thermic balance of the lake water is typical for the stagnant water; the surface water is during the whole summer warmer than the average temperature of the air. Vertical gradient of the temperature shows that the metalimnion lies in the depth of 6-8 m. Registrations of the sensitive limnigraphs support the idea, that the coast and the bottom of the lake are waterproof and that there is no soaking of the water through the bed of the lake. The position of the lake on the extended terrace-like plain and the shape of the bottom of the lake with steep rocky slopes testifies, that there is no proof of the direct modeling of the lake bassin by the glacier.

The Vegetation of Muskogee County, Oklahoma

Physiographically, Muskogee County may be divided into two regions separated roughly by the Arkansas River: the Ozark region in the northeastern part of the county and the prairie plains region. The Ozark region, which is at its western limit here, consists of wooded uplands or mountains with steep rocky slopes and nearly level crests. The prairie plains region has a rolling to nearly level topography underlain chiefly by shales but broken by occasional flat-topped hills which are erosional remnants of sandstone. Elevation varies from about 450 feet to above 1,000 feet above sea level. Arkansas River, the latgest river in the State, runs through the county, where it has a broad flood plain with terraces. Its largest tributary, Canadian River, forms a part of the southern border of the county.