The main aim of the work is to assess physical parameters of forest woodchips and their impact on the prices achieved by the supplier in transactions with a power plant. During fragmentation of logging residue, high content of green matter and contaminants negatively impacts the quality parameters that serve as basis for settlements. The analysis concerns data on the main parameters -water content, fuel value, sulphur and ash content -from 252 days of deliveries of forest chips to a power plant. The deliveries were realised from forested areas on an average about 340 km from the plant. Average water content and the resultant fuel value of forest chips was within 27-47% and 8.7-12.9 GJ×Mg −1 (appropriately), respectively. They depend on the month in which they are delivered to the power plant. The threshold values for the above-mentioned parameters are set by the plant at a real level and the suppliers have no problems with meeting them. The parameter that is most frequently exceeded is ash content (11.5% of cases). The settlement system does not differentiate on the basis of the transport distance but gives possibility to lower the settlement price when the quality parameters are not met but provides no reward for deliveries with parameters better than the average ones. On the basis of results obtained, it was calculated that average annual settlement price is lower than the contract price by about 0.20 PLN×GJ −1 , which in case of the analysed company may translate into an average daily loss of about 700 PLN.
The habitat suitability for the Common Pochard, a duck species in decline, was studied in the middle reaches of the Orel’ River, Central Ukraine, in 2015–2017. The ducks were counted on their breeding grounds with the use of the ground survey technique. The positions of individual birds were estimated by GPS and plotted on the Google Earth map. The Ecological Niche Factor Analysis (ENFA) was applied to assess the habitat suitability. Sentinel-2 image was used to extract 13 ecogeographical variables and to get two measures of the ecological niche (marginality and specialization). The ENFA procedure was applied twice at landscape and sub-landscape levels to describe the habitat selection across sequential spatial scales. Both the axes of marginality and specialization of the ecological niche of the species proved to be significantly different from the random alternatives. At landscape level, the distribution may be predicted with the use of Aerosol/Coastal, Vegetation and Hydrothermal Composite indices (marginality) and Modified Normalized Difference Water (MNDW) Index along with several vegetation indices (specialization). At sub-landscape level, MNDW played a crucial role. The importance of MNDW is mediated by the preference for the wetlands with the stretches of open water which are used by the ducks to initiate flight safely and to optimize diving possibilities. The ENFA is a reliable tool for the assessment of the habitat suitability and for setting the conservation priorities for the Common Pochard.
The creation of reservoirs in river valleys for the accumulation of fresh water has been and remains an important issue around the world. This process has both positive and negative consequences for people and nature. Significant changes in the regime of rivers and their valleys, flooding of meadows and forests, flooding of soils and changes in the composition of flora and fauna of adjacent territories are taking place. In this article, we consider the restoration of the biodiversity of a site of disturbed lands after the creation of one of the first large reservoirs in Europe – the Dnieper (Zaporozhe) on the River Dnieper, which has existed since 1933. The territory of the Samara floodplains was formed on the floodplain of the mouth of the Samara River, as a result of which the territories of various forest, meadow and bog biotopes were flooded. For almost 90 years, new biotopes have been developing, and populations of plant and animal species, especially waterfowl, have been renewed and enriched. In the conditions of climate change and anthropogenic pressure, the existence of this territory has fallen into question. To control the conservation of biodiversity, it is necessary to apply various management methods, one of which is creation of nature reserves. The article presents the results of a complex of scientific studies that were carried out during the zoning of the regional park Samara Plavni to improve the management of the protection of water areas and river banks. We have investigated: hydrological features, species diversity of the flora and coenotic diversity of the vegetation, fauna of aquatic invertebrates, and terrestrial vertebrates. Zoning of the Regional Landscape Park was based on the composition of stable components of ecosystems. When applying the protected regime in different zones, conditions will be created for the preservation of habitats of species, including those protected in Europe: higher plants (Senecio borysthenicus (DC.) Andrz. ex Czern., Tragopogon borystenicus Artemcz.), reptiles (Emys orbicularis (Linnaeus, 1758), Vipera renardi (Christoph, 1861)), birds (Aythya ferina (Linnaeus, 1758), Vanellus vanellus (Linnaeus, 1758), Haematopus ostralegus Linnaeus, 1758, Numenius arquata (Linnaeus, 1758), Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus, 1758), Lanius excubitor (Linnaeus, 1758)), mammals (Lutra lutra (Linnaeus, 1758)). Such changes would increase the implementation of the reproductive potential of all species without exception in the studied ecosystems.
The article is devoted to the bird communities in individual oak consortia (Quercus robur L.) of the linden-ash oak forests. This work material was collected during different seasons of the 2004–2010 years in a linden-ash oak grove on the test plot No. 209 of the ecological profile of the NSC «Bel'gard Prisamar`e International Biospheric stationary», Novomoskovsk district, Dnepropetrovsk region. The individual consortia of 281 examples of three age conditions oak trees (virgins – virg, young generative – gl, mature and old generative individuals – g2–g3) has been investigated. The daily time budget decreases by 2–2,5 times in autumn for all oak ages that have been studied. But the number of consort birds is reduced by 2 times only for virgin and old generative oaks. The young generative oak is attractive enough for birds in autumn. The ratio of the trophic and topical share interactions for all trees ages does not change significantly in autumn. Birds don’t interact with the virgin oak in winter practically. This age oak can’t propose enough food or places for birds’ protection from predators. Oaks in age g1–g3, on the contrary, are in demand by the birds. There 7 birds species on g1 oaks and 13 species on g2–g3 oaks were recorded in winter. The birds’ daily time buds for the one oak example are low in winter, and by the 90 times reduce compared with the summer. The bird time budget basis in winter are the trophic interactions. The birds’ activity on oak sharply increases in spring and exceeds 1,5–2 times the summer parameters on virgin and mature generative oak (g2–g3). Birds on oak spend most of their time on topical interactions during this season because of the oak important role in the birds reproduction. On the other hand, the young generative oak (g1) is not in demand by the birds in spring because of insufficient crown density and the oaks of this age location at the edge. The number of bird species on oak in spring is less than in summer due to the late onset of leaf blooming on the oak. A significant part of the birds’ activity in the spring moves to the lower tier of the forest because of the earlier vegetation beginning. As a result of the research, it was revealed that the consorting groups of common oak throughout the year retain the main features of their organization. The virgin oak is characterized by a stochastic nature of the birds interaction with the consortium core and almost hasn’t obligate consort birds. Young generative oak is actively forming a trophic relations system with consorts due to intensive linear growth. At this age, first of all, general indicators are formed – time and mass budgets. The consortium of mature and old generative oak has a significantly larger number of bird species consorts and their interactions diversity with the tree. This can help to increase the stability of consorting groups. In most cases in the oak consortium the trophic component of the consortium form earlier then the topical. The specific location of the virgin and young generative oak at the lit positions in the lime-ash oak forests influences the oak consortia formation in a considerable scale. The number of types of interactions between the consort and the autotroph is the most effective indicator, which shows a high level of the consortium development. The stability of consortial relations between birds and English oak grows throughout the year from virgin oak to mature and old generative. The virgin oak unstable consorting groups have fluctuations of the species number during the year up to 100 % (the number of consort species in summer was chosen as the initial value). The consortia species composition fluctuations reach 81,82 % for young generative oak, and 59,26 % – for mature and old generative oak. The mature and old generative oak consortia attract seasonal bird species that replace each other throughout the year more actively. This ensures the stability of year-round control of phytophage populations.
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