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The use of epiphytic lichens as bioindicators of air quality along selected road sections in Slovenia
No full textFor the assessment of air quality at locations along selected road sections with different traffic density, epiphytic lichens were used as passive reactive bioindicators. With the mapping at different distances from the roadside at each location, the trafficrelated
pollution impact area was assessed. Two different mapping methods were used, specifically the simple assessment of
air quality, based on the assessment of frequency and coverage of different lichen growth forms (the SI method), and more demanding one, based on mapping of lichen species (the VDI method). We conclude that at locations with moderate traffic density (average daily traffic < 20,000) the traffic-related emissions have an influence on air quality as well, except that the impact is limited to a narrow zone along the roads (< 100 m). The epiphytic lichen species composition, the number of different lichen
species, as well as calculated indexes of air purity according to two different methods indicate influence of traffic-pollution in the first mapping zone (adjacent to roads), with the impact level decreasing with the distance from the roads
Ranking strategic and operative goals for sustainable development of Pohorje, Slovenia
No full textThe combination of participatory process and multi-criteria decision methods have proven to be effective in supporting forest
management decisions, since it offers inclusion of different opinions, views, and preferences of the problem. Our study is based
on the results of the NATREG project, which deals with management of Pohorje, a mountain area in Slovenia. The results define
six strategic goals and appertaining operative goals, which are the outcomes of workshops with different stakeholders. The aim
of our study is ranking the strategic goals according to their contribution in the implementation of the “Pohorje 2030” vision
and of the operative goals according to the appertaining strategic goals. Analytic hierarchy process is applied for comparisons
of goals. Geometric mean method is employed for aggregating individual judgments into group judgment. The results show
that all strategic goals are important, although most attention should be devoted to the goals “Preserved cultural heritage and
local tradition” and “Environmental and consumer friendly usage of natural resources”
Poplavni, močvirni in obrežni gozdovi v Sloveniji : gozdovi vrb, jelš, dolgopecljatega bresta, velikega in ozkolistnega jesena, doba in rdečega bora ob rekah in potokih
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Anatomical characteristics and hydrologic signals in tree-rings of oaks (Quercus robur L.)
No full textQ. robur decline in European floodplain forests in recent years seems to be strongly associated with the deteriorating hydrological regime. We investigated the influence of the Krka River flow on tree-ring patterns of Q. robur from the Krakovo floodplain forests (Slovenia) to assess the effect of micro-location conditions on hydrological signals in wood-anatomical characteristics. We selected two groups of Q. robur trees growing at nearby locations with different hydrological conditions, resulting in frequent autumn and spring flooding at the wetter site (=W oaks) but no flooding at the other, drier site (=D oaks). We found differences between the two groups in the anatomical structure of tree-rings; however, ring width proved to be the main variable determining the anatomical structure of oak wood. D and W oaks responded differently to the Krka River flow in the studied period. Radial growth of D oaks was negatively influenced by spring flow, but positively influenced by minimum summer flow. In W oaks, ring width was positively correlated with mean summer flow. Thus, environmental information stored in wood-anatomical features may vary, even within the same forest stand, and largely depends on the micro-environment. Reduced wood increments of D oaks suggest that growth conditions are less favourable, implying a link between the health state of oaks from lowland forest and hydrological conditions. Trees intended for hydrological reconstruction must therefore be carefully selected to avoid the possibility of error and potential loss of information. Anatomical characteristics and hydrological signals in tree-rings of oaks from areas with regular flooding may vary, even within the same forest stand, and largely depends on the micro-environmental conditions
EMONFUR - Zasnova mreže za spremljanje stanja nižinskega gozda in pogozditev vurbanem prostoru v Lombardiji in urbanega gozda v Sloveniji (Life+ 10 ENV/IT/000399) : poročilo o izvajanju projektne naloge: po pogodbi štev. 2330-12-85-0004
Get PDFSexual dimorphism and distribution OF Daphne laureola L. in the Bohor area
No full textGynodioecious Daphne laureola L. is one of six species of the genus Daphne L. native to Slovenia. The main goals of this research were to determine the distribution of Daphne laureola in the Bohor area, the sexual structure of populations and its correlation with site conditions, and whether morphological differences exist between females and hermaphrodites beyond those of flower structure. Four research plots located on the north side of Bohor were selected – two in each altitude range. A total of
277 plants were studied to determine the sexual structure of the populations, 90 of which were additionally studied for sexual dimorphism. The species was recorded for the first time in quadrant 9959/1 of the Central European flora mapping grid, extending its previously known distribution. The share of female plants was between 3.17% and 47.17% and was lower at higher altitudes. The frequency of plants, morphological traits, and the proportion of female individuals are highly correlated with environmental factors. Plants bore more flowers at higher altitudes, and leaves were longer, with rounder tips and sharper bases. The majority of morphological differences between females and hermaphrodites were minor and not statistically significant
Effect of fungal and plant secondary metabolites on polimerase chain reaction (PCR)
No full textSecondary metabolites are organic compounds that can be found in both fungi and plants, where they play an important role as
defensive and signal molecules, or provide other kinds of advantage in natural selection, but are not directly involved in normal
growth, development and reproduction of an organism. When working with DNA techniques, it is the secondary metabolites
that most often affect the efficiency of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), either by hindering cell lysis, causing decomposition
of nucleic acids or by direct inhibition of DNA-polymerase or reverse transcriptase amplification. The main limiting factor in
the application of the PCR technique in routine diagnosis is the preparation of good quality nucleic acids isolates, free of PCR
inhibitors. This is especially true in the case of woody plants (Minafra et al., 1992) and soil samples (Tsai and Olson, 1991).
Most standard nucleic acids extraction procedures do not always remove contaminating plant polysaccharides or polyphenolic
compounds, which can have direct inhibitory effects on subsequent PCR amplification (Demeke and Adams, 1992). Attempts
to overcome these limitations included the development of more elaborate nucleic acids extraction methods and PCR, which
employ PCR enhancers to eliminate or attenuate the effects of inhibitors. This review is concentrated on removal or attenuation
of effects of plant and fungal secondary metabolites from soil, different plant tissues and decayed wood samples due to the
significance of this type of research in forestry and wood science
Two decades of dendrochronology in the pile dwellings of the Ljubljansko barje, Slovenia
Get PDFSystematical excavations and interdisciplinary research have
been performed in prehistoric pile dwelling sites of the Ljubljansko barje in Slovenia since 1995. Wood from 16 sites
has been collected for wood identification, dendrochronology
and radiocarbon dating. Over 8,400 samples of wood, mainly from the piles, have been collected and investigated. Approximately 20% of the samples were oak (Quercus sp.) and ash (Fraxinus sp.) with more than 45 tree-rings and were, according to our criteria, appropriate for dendrochronological investigation which enabled us to construct oak and ash tree-ring chronologies for most of the sites. A partial overlap of the chronologies and their 14C dating supported by a wiggle-matching procedure helped us to define their end dates from 3543±10 to 2417±18 cal BC. Evidence of extensive tree felling in the same years helped us to reconstruct building activities and to propose possible settlement gaps on the Ljubljansko barje. Cross-dating with 400 km distant German chronologies for the 4th and 3rd Millennium BC has proven unsuccessful. Wood investigations have revealed settlement patterns, enabled a reconstruction of past environment and human activities on the Ljubljansko
barje and provided a new perspective for the absolute chronology of the Copper Age and the Early Bronze Age on the southeastern outskirts of the Alps