Human alteration of watercourses is global phenomenon that has had significant impacts on local ecosystems and the services they provide. Monitoring of abiotic and biotic changes is essential to mitigating long-lasting effects, and the 23-year dataset from the Gabčíkovo Waterworks provided a rare opportunity to assess the impact of groundwater regimes on vegetation. The main aim of this study was to describe the effect of the Gabčíkovo Waterworks on vegetation structure and species composition of the adjacent riparian floodplain forests over the past 23 years. The results are based on studies of three permanent monitoring plots (PMPs) located in the Danube inland delta – two outside (PMP 1 and 3) and one (PMP 2) fully under the influence of the artificial supply system. Our results demonstrate that the Danube inland delta was negatively affected by the Gabčíkovo construction, particularly for sites outside of the artificial supply system. There was a significant decrease in soil moisture and increase in nitrogen at both external PMPs (1 and 3). Alter soil conditions were accompanied by negative changes in plant species composition demonstrated by decreases in the number of typical floodplain forest species that are characteristic for the alliance
The presented study uses the recent colour aerial photographs, historical black and white aerial photographs, and detailed digital elevation model to assess the spatial distribution and long-term temporal dynamics of soil loss in agriculturally intensively exploited loess hilly land with a subcontinental temperate climate. The strongly eroded soils appear in the studied area as bright patterns, surrounded by darker soils, and they are well visible on aerial photos. Three approaches of interpretation of aerial photographs were tested: visual interpretation, pixel-based image classification, and object-based image classification. All three methods provided detailed maps of soil redistribution patterns. The bright areas as the areas of soil degradation characterized by erosion increased from 1949 until 2011 by 76%. A detailed map of areal erosion patterns was used for the validation of water erosion models. LS-factor of USLE and ED’ index of USPED were selected for expressing the relation of real erosion to the terrain. The relationship between surface morphology and real erosion is very complex, and the tested water erosion models do not express it sufficiently. Therefore, the first and second-order directional derivative of the surface elevations with respect to the tillage direction has been tested. The absolute value of the first-order directional derivative showed better results and better corresponded with the real erosion pattern than the other morphometric characteristics. The findings suggest that tillage is the dominant erosion factor in the area.
Managed broadleaf deciduous forests are an important type of forest vegetation in Central Europe, also in the Western Carpathians. These forests are both economically and environmentally valuable. However, little is known about ecological species groups and the inter-specific associations of dominant species in temperate deciduous managed forests in Central Europe. Since the forest stands are in a managed landscape, they are not consistent with the traditionally recognized and used vegetation associations in the Western Carpathians. For these reasons our research contributes to understanding the consequences of broadleaf deciduous forest management. The aim of this research was the determination of ecological species groups and an investigation into the main environmental drivers, in order to explain the distribution of ecological species groups. The numerical TWINSPAN classification was selected to distribute 146 relevés to the five ecological species groups. Of these, 77 relevés were divided into two groups with Fagus sylvatica dominant, while 63 relevés were Quercus petraea dominant. Carpinus betulus, Tilia cordata and Fraxinus excelsior were dominant in 19 relevés. Constrained Analysis of Principal Components was used to explain the vegetation–environment relationship on three transects in the Male Karpaty Mountains. Altitude, pH, Ca, C, K and Mg were selected as the significant environmental drivers responsible for a large part of the species group variability (31.8%). The main requirement for sustainable forest management is knowledge of the vegetation–environment relationship and this research was focused on gaining such understanding. This knowledge can be used as a decision support tool for sustainable management in managed deciduous forests.
Studies of the Slovakian Danube have indicated profound changes in the structures of several invertebrate assemblages in the section of the river bypassed by the Gabčíkovo hydroelectric project in 1992 and in adjacent floodplain water bodies. The present study investigates the relationship between hydrological connectivity and species diversity in the old main channel and adjacent left-bank water bodies, using resident cladocerans as indicators of the ecological integrity of the river-floodplain system. The work aimed to quantify cladoceran habitat preferences using habitat values (HV) and indication weights (IW) calculated from data accumulated during long-term monitoring of planktonic communities of the Danube floodplain (1,840.5-1,804 rkm) and supplemented with data from the literature. Although not listed as an indicator group in the European Union Water Framework Directive, cladocerans are shown to be highly apposite in the ecological assessment of river-floodplain systems. Of 71 recorded cladoceran species, 19 taxa showed a preference for eupotamal habitats, 24 species preferred eupotamal B/parapotamal waters, and 28 cladocerans were found to prefer the plesiopotamal/paleopotamal habitat type. Identified habitat types follow a gradient of hydrological connectivity with the main river channel, ranging from the eupotamal to more or less isolated floodplain water bodies. A secondary aim was to use the calculated values to assess the ecological integrity of the river-floodplain system. The key element of this procedure is the calculation of the Floodplain Index (FI) (Chovanec et al. Large Rivers, 15(1-4), 169-185 2005) from the summation of the habitat values and indication weights of all species present at the sampling sites. Calculated index values indicate the extent of disruption to lateral connectivity in the floodplain area.
Umbrisols generally develop in a cool and humid climate. Therefore, occurrence of these soils in the Borská lowland of southwestern Slovakia is very uncommon, and this inspired the aim of this paper: Analysis of the natural conditions suitable for Umbrisol development. Umbrisols in the Borská lowland developed from aeolian quartz sands accumulated on Neogenne marine clay sediments. Their occurrence is connected with the groundwater table relatively close to the ground surface and this particularly determines Umbrisol genesis in this area. Sufficient input via organic matter is an important factor for formation of the umbric horizon, and only the rich herbaceous undergrowth of the prevailing planted pine and mixed pine-oak forests is capable of providing it. A growth of diep-rooted grass is closely connected with higher soil moisture content, and quite moist areas occur in the deeper inter-dunes depressions. Constant soil moisture in these sites is facilitated by water capillary elevation. While Umbrisols are transformed to Arenosols at increased altitude, they can be transformed to Gleysols in deep depressions. Herein, induced polarization provided suitable geophysical method for detection of arenic Umbrisol inclusions. Sharp transformation of the humus layer to dry non-polarized aeolian quartz sands enabled the surface horizon to be distinguished by induced polarization
Summary. The role of agricultural data has significantly increased, and is now seen as an input with a similar weight as land, seed or applied nutrients. The specificity of agricultural data lies in the fact that data appear on several levels, since there is a considerable amount of public data available, such as meteorological, satellite, or agricultural data recorded in spatial data structures that register field borders, and with the development of the digitalisation of agriculture, more and more private data are being generated that help agricultural holding owners’ work when integrated into the decision-making process. The aim of this paper is to investigate the data required for agricultural practices, as well as to identify risks that the agricultural data handling is facing. Összefoglalás. Az agrárium adatainak szerepe felértékelődött, az agráradatra jelenleg hasonló súlyú inputként tekintenek, mint a termőföld, a vetőmag, vagy a kijuttatott tápanyag. Az agráradatok sajátossága abban rejlik, hogy az adatok több szinten is megjelennek, hiszen egyrészt számottevő mennyiségű közadat áll rendelkezésre, ilyenek például a meteorológiai adatok, a műholdas adatok, vagy a táblahatárokat nyilvántartó téradatstruktúrában nyilvántartott agrár-térinformatikai adatok, másrészt az agrárium digitalizációjának fejlődésével egyre több helyen keletkezik olyan magánadat, amely a döntéshozatali folyamatba kerülve segíti a gazdálkodók munkáját. A 2004-ben EU tagságot nyert kelet-közép-európai országok – közöttük a Visegrádi 4-ekhez tartozó Magyarország, Szlovákia és Csehország – a történelmi fejlődés eltérő útjain érkeztek az Európai Unióba, így agráradat rendszereik is eltérő módon alakultak. Annak azonban, hogy az agrárium számára oly fontos adatintegráció megszülessen, mindhárom országban az egyik sajátos akadálya, hogy az adatokat – amelyek komplex felhasználása a modern agrárium kulcsa – eltérő szervezetek eltérő struktúrában kezelik. Az adatstruktúra rendszerezése, az adatok gyűjtésének helyszínei, az adatfeldolgozás és az adathasználat nemcsak versenyképességi tényező a magyar agráriumban, hanem egyben biztonsági kérdéseket is felvető vagyontárgy is. Az agráradatok kockázati tényezőit a szerzők három csoportba sorolják: 1. Az eszköz- és technológiai kockázatok, amelyek hálózatokhoz köthető kockázatok, a távoli vezérlés és a blokkolás lehetőségével, de ebben az esetben a hagyományos, mindennapi eszközeinkhez hasonló a kockázati szint. 2. Az adat- és felhőszolgáltatási kockázatok, amelyek nem megfelelő szakmai felügyelet hiányában jelentős befolyással bírhatnak a mezőgazdasági döntéshozatali folyamatokra. 3. Az erőfölényből adódó kockázatok, amelyek a multinacionális szereplők számára átadott adatok révén nemcsak az egyes gazdálkodók, de akár a nemzeti kormányok számára is hátrányokat jelenthetnek. Az adatok védelme, illetve az adattulajdonosok védelme tehát fontos szempont, azonban ahhoz, hogy az adatok alapján információ keletkezzen, további kockázatot jelent, ha az adatok szétszórtan, egymástól független szervezetek tulajdonában, nem összevethető és nem integrálható módon érhetőek el. Jelen tanulmány az agráradatok kezelőinek feldolgozásával ezekre a biztonsági problémákra hívja fel a figyelmet.
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