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AN OUTLINE OF ECONOMIC IMPACT OF MANAGEMENT OPTIONS FOR SUMAVA NP
Dickie, I. ; Kindlmann, Pavel ; Křenová, Zdeňka
This analysis briefly compares the economic impacts of three potential future management scenarios for Sumava National Park (NP) in the Czech Republic: (1) continuation of current management, (2) the adoption of draft Bills that would declassify protected areas and enable developments within some of the Park's most valuable habitats for wildlife, (3) the adoption of proposals to expand the wilderness area in the Park's core with associated tourism opportunities. Our preliminary results indicate that the pro-wilderness scenario offers a more economically and environmentally sustainable development plan for the Sumava NP than either the current situation or the plans proposed in draft Bills. It is recommended that proposals in draft Bills should not be pursued at least until a fuller economic evaluation of options has been undertaken.
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Changes of microclimate in a sedge-grass marsh within the last 40 years
Dušek, Jiří ; Stellner, Stanislav ; Hudecová, S.
The average, maximum and minimum air temperatures have been gradually increasing since 1977 to 2017. The air temperature rise was not the same in all periods of the year. We found different increases for individual months. The daily mean air temperature rose significantly in the growing period (April-August). The precipitation characteristics have been changing in the sedge-grass marsh too. The observed trends differ among months in sign as well as in the magnitude, and they are consistent with the air temperature changes. We found that extreme precipitation seems to occur significantly more frequently in recent years compared to the period before 2000. Awareness of these changes is important for possible positive human intervention when a desirable wetland ekosystem function is threatened.\n
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Prediction of changes in landscape and biodiversity development as important factors in maintaining the current state of forest ecosystems
Cudlín, Ondřej ; Pechanec, V. ; Purkyt, Jan ; Štěrbová, Lenka ; Holá, Š. ; Cienciala, E. ; Cudlín, Pavel
We used a combination of several analytical tools to analyse change and predict the land use, carbon storage and biodiversity assessment in the cultural landscape. First, the GIS layer, consisted of Habitat mapping (NCA CR 2014) for 138 natural and close to nature habitats and Corine LC for 54 more anthropically influenced habitats, was created. The Land Change Modeler (scenario type - business as usual, pixel resolution 500 m) was used to predict the development of land cover on the basis of data comparison in several historical periods (Corine LC from 1990, 2000, 2006, 2012). We also did prediction of carbon storage under climate change in model InVEST 3.0 – carbon. Changes in carbon storage were calculated from four carbon pools: above-ground biomass, below-ground biomass, necromass and soil organic carbon. To assess and predict the changes in biodiversity in the \nforest-agriculture landscape we used the model GLOBIO 3, which works with five basic driving forces for biodiversity loss: land use, infrastructure, fragmentation of territory, atmospheric nitrogen deposition and climate change. Last used model Marxan enables us to select up to now unprotected areas with a high degree of biodiversity and naturalness of habitats for environmentally friendly agriculture and forestry management.\n
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Models and tools for validation of biodiversity in the Dřevnice catchment
Cudlín, Ondřej ; Pechanec, V. ; Štěrbová, L. ; Cudlín, Pavel
We use several GIS tools to assess and predict the changes in biodiversity in the Dřevnice catchment. First,\nwe created GIS layer, consisted of natural and near to nature habitats (system Natura 2000) and Corine\nLand Cover for more anthropically influenced habitats. The Land Change Modeller was used to predict the\ndevelopment of land cover on the basis of comparison of data in several historical periods. To determine\nthe areas with high threat to biodiversity we created firstly another GIS layer of habitats with low\nnaturalness. Afterwards we used the model GLOBIO 3, which works with five basic driving forces (habitat\nnaturalness, infrastructure presence, distance from communications, nitrogen pollution load and\nmodelled climatic change parameters). GLOBIO 3 uses for each layer the MSA indicator (mean species\nabundance per area), which reflects the worldwide threat to selected endangered species. With regard to\nthe conditions of the Czech Republic and non‐availability of the nationwide database of finding data on\nprotected plant and animals, we should change this indicator for MHV (mean habitat value per area). Last\nGIS layer enables us to select up to now unprotected areas with a high value of biodiversity and naturalness of habitats for environmentally friendly agriculture and forestry management by model Marxan. The model combines the existing categories of natural reserves, biodiversity values (expressed in CZK according to Biotope Valuation Method) and the penalty for any nature degradation due to inadequate protection, abundance and distribution of species of interest (in this case the valuable and\npreserved habitats). Simultaneously it aims for a spatial compactness of design. The output is a layeridentifying the refugia for preservation and spreading of wild plants and animals to the cultural landscape,\nespecially with regard to climate change.
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Automated eddy covariance data quality control for long-term measurements
Šigut, Ladislav ; Mauder, M. ; Sedlák, Pavel ; Pavelka, Marian ; Špunda, Vladimír
Estimation of matter and energy exchange using the eddy covariance method is often organized into regional or global networks. To achieve comparability among sites, it is important to standardize and specify the methodology used. Currently, quality control (QC) is one of the most time-demanding steps in data processing within the Czech Carbon Observation System. Although manual QC (MQC) enables consideration of more complex test applications, it is often difficult to document. The aim of this study was to establish an automated QC (AQC) scheme based on available literature and post-processing software and test its effectivity and reliability on sites comprising an agroecosystem and a mature European beech forest. AQC successfully flagged low-quality CO2 fluxes and provided estimates of net ecosystem productivity similar to estimates based on MQC. The tests’ efficiency was particularly high for the agroecosystem, where AQC removed 13% less data than did MQC. We conclude that the adopted AQC displays satisfactory performance, especially for sites with low canopy heights.
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The effect of drought and nitrogen fertilization on the production, morphometry, and spectral characteristics of winter wheat
Trunda, Petr ; Holub, Petr ; Klem, Karel
Methods of study based on the spectral reflectance of vegetation are now commonly used in researching both natural ecosystems and field crops.The aims of this experiment were to evaluate the effect of drought and nitrogen (N) fertilization on N use efficiency in winter wheat and use the obtained spectral characteristics to assess stand heterogeneity as a potential consequence of different crop nutrition. Twelve experimental plots of winter wheat were manipulated to drought from 8 May 2013 to 12 June 2013. The effect of drought was observed in two treatments: control without fertilization (N0; 0 kg N ha−1) and N fertilization (N140; 140 kg N ha–1). Plant samples were then taken for determination of above-ground biomass and N content in dry matter. Spectral characteristics of wheat were measured in the earing phase at canopy level. The effect of drought on the morphometric parameters of winter wheat was statistically significant only on N-fertilized plots (N140). Total above-ground biomass decreased by a significant 18% in the N140 treatment as a result of the simulated drought. This decrease was reflected in statistically significant reductions of all individual plant parts (stems, leaves, spikes) in N140. Responses to drought stress were observed in many vegetation indices, particularly in NDVI, GNDVI, and WI/NDVI. The results show there are significant relationships between N content in the grain and vegetation indices. A quite marked separation was observed in the relationships between dry and ambient treatments for vegetation indices NRERI, TCARI/OSAVI, VOG2 and GM. Generally, the impact of drought increased at higher levels of N content in the grain, which corresponded with the results of morphometric analysis. Use of reflectance in the study of vegetation and field crops regarding risk assessment of mineral N leaching from soils has considerable potential especially in mapping large areas and monitoring temporal changes relating to N release.
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Comparative growth characterization of frequently used substrains of the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 under varying culture conditions
Zavřel, Tomáš ; Očenášová, Petra ; Sinětova, M. A. ; Červený, Jan
Cyanobacteria have gained increased attention as ideal candidates for biotechnological applications due to their capacity to produce valuable molecules ranging from therapeutic proteins to biofuels. Their natural phenotypic plasticity in highly dynamic environments enables easy deployment of new biotechnologies as well as opening possibilities for genetic engineering. This contribution presents a new approach to fast and reliable characterization of cyanobacteria growth in a flat panel photobioreactor that enables examination of changing light, temperature, and nutrient availability. The utilization of semi-continuous automatic cultivation with real-time culture growth monitoring provides a strong experimental basis for both characterization and optimization of cyanobacteria cultures in photobioreactors. We first characterized the autotrophic growth of the substrain of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 denoted as GT-L. This strain is capable of efficient growth under a wide range of environmental conditions with doubling time as fast as 5 h under favorable conditions. However, differences among Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 substrains have been identified on both the genotype and phenotype levels. We therefore aimed to utilize the experimental platform to characterize multiple commonly used Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 substrains. This method will enable us to identify substrains capable of robust growth and high production yields as reliable biotechnological candidates.
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Development of methods for breeding high-lipidcontent algal strain Chlamydomonas reinhardtii using fluorescence-activated cell sorting
Fedorko, Jan ; Búzová, Diana ; Červený, Jan
Green microalgae are among the most widely distributed microorganisms in the biosphere. They are significant contributors to global photosynthetic productivity and are interesting for biotechnology due to their large variety of high-value compound accumulation and range of applications. To achieve profitable microalgae cultures for biotechnology, one wants to combine antagonistic properties: rapid growth and high accumulation of specific compounds. Here, we focus on development of advanced cultivation strategies and breeding methods applied to the model algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii for optimized production of lipids. For identification, isolation, and subsequent selection of an optimal subpopulation with high lipid content, we used high-throughput fluorescenceactivated cell sorting in combination with imaging flow cytometry on cells stained with lipid-specific fluorescent dye. We observed that post-sort cell viability was not negatively influenced by external parameters used during the sorting procedure (pressure, light quality and quantity, influence of the sorting electromagnetic field, toxic effects of both fluorescent marker and microfluidic system medium composition).
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The thermostability of photosystem II photochemistry is related to maintenance of thylakoid membranes organization
Karlický, Václav ; Kurasová, I. ; Špunda, Vladimír
For higher plant photosynthetic reactions, responses to the temperature changes are important, particularly if we consider global warming and the increasing frequency of extreme temperature fluctuations. High temperature stress decreases photosynthetic assimilation through the inactivation of photosystem II (PSII), the most heat-sensitive component of the oxygen-evolving complex. We have recently found higher thermostability of spruce PSII photochemistry compared to such control plants as Arabidopsis species and barley. In this work, we have therefore attempted to describe the causes of this effect on the level of the organization of pigment–protein complexes (PPCs) in spruce thylakoid membranes using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. We have confirmed higher maximum efficiency of PSII photochemistry (FV/FM) for spruce needles in comparison to barley leaves. Temperature-dependent CD spectra have also demonstrated higher (by about 6°C) PSII thermostability of chiral macro-organization of PPCs in spruce thylakoid membranes compared to those in barley. However, thermal disruption of PPCs did not reveal significant differences. Our results demonstrate that the stability of PSII macro-organization in different plant species correlates with the thermostability of PSII photochemistry in intact needles/leaves and so effective PSII photochemistry is related to the maintenance of PSII macro-organization under high temperature stress.
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