In situ preservation of wetland heritage: hydrological and chemical change in the burial environment of the Somerset Levels, UK.

In Situ preservation is a core strategy for the conservation and management of waterlogged remains at wetland sites. Inorganic and organic remains can, however, quickly become degraded, or lost entirely, as a result of chemical or hydrological changes. Monitoring is therefore crucial in identifying baseline data for a site, the extent of spatial and or temporal variability, and in evaluating the potential impacts of these variables on current and future In Situ preservation potential. Since August 2009, monthly monitoring has taken place at the internationally important Iron Age site of Glastonbury Lake Village in the Somerset Levels, UK. A spatial, stratigraphic, and analytical approach to the analysis of sediment horizons and monitoring of groundwater chemistry, redox potential, water table depth and soil moisture (using TDR) was used to characterize the site. Significant spatial and temporal variability has been identified, with results from water-table monitoring and some initial chemical analysis from Glastonbury presented here. It appears that during dry periods parts of this site are at risk from desiccation. Analysis of the chemical data, in addition to integrating the results from the other parameters, is ongoing, with the aim of clarifying the risk to the entire site.

A decision framework for considering climate change adaptation in biodiversity conservation planning

General principles of climate change adaptation for biodiversity have been formulated, but do not help prioritize actions. This is inhibiting their integration into conservation planning. We address this need with a decision framework that identifies and prioritizes actions to increase the adaptive capacity of species. The framework classifies species according to their current distribution and projected future climate space, as a basis for selecting appropriate decision trees. Decisions rely primarily on expert opinion, with additional information from quantitative models, where data are available. The framework considers in-situ management, followed by interventions at the landscape scale and finally translocation or ex-situ conservation. Synthesis and applications: From eight case studies, the key interventions identified for integrating climate change adaptation into conservation planning were local management and expansion of sites. We anticipate that, in combination with consideration of socio-economic and local factors, the decision framework will be a useful tool for conservation and natural resource managers to integrate adaptation measures into conservation plans.

Caracterização in situ e diversidade genética de algodoeiros mocós (Gossypium hissutum raça marie galante) da Região Nordeste do Brasil

Brazil is one of the major centers of diversity for polyploid cotton plants; these plants belong to the genus Gossypium, which has three known species: G. hirsutum, G. barbadense and G. mustelinum. The Northeast is the only region where the three species occur, the last group being endemic. Northeast s cotton plants can be important sources of variability for genetic breeding. It is believed that great part of local diversity is being lost, due to economic, political, cultural and agricultural problems. In an attempt to mitigate this loss and delineate conservation strategies it is necessary to know how the species are found where they occur. The objective was to characterize and determine how plants are maintained in situ in the states of Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte and Paraíba at the beginning of the XXI century. The in situ characterization of G. hirsutum and G. barbadense was conducted through structured interviews with the cotton plants owners and through the analysis of the environment. The data were collected during expeditions undertaken between the years 2004 to 2005. Twenty-two plants were collected in the state of Paraíba, forty-four in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, one hundred and forty-six in the state of Ceará, forty in the state of Maranhão and ninety-one plants in the state of Piauí. All plants collected in the states of Paraíba and Rio Grande do Norte belonged to moco type. Moco cotton plants also predominated in the other states, representing 92%, 62% and 78% of plants collected in Ceará, Piauí and Maranhão, respectively. The other cotton plants collected belong to the species G. barbadense. The cotton plants were found in situ as dooryard plants, roads side, feral populations, cultivation or local varieties. Great part were dooryard plants (45.2%), being major in Piauí and Maranhão. Cultivation predominated in Ceará; in Rio Grande do Norte feral populations were the most frequent and, in Paraíba, local varieties. The maintenance of moco plants is related, mainly, to the phytotherapic domestic use (20.9%) and to confection of lamp wicks (29.7%). Few inhabitants in Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte, Piauí and none in Maranhão used harvest the plants, storage the seeds or gin; however, in Ceará, 40.5% of owners affirmed that they harvested and commercialized the fiber. It was found that the maintenance of species is dependent of the fragile cultural habits of local inhabitants, therefore the maintenance in situ is not a suitable way to conservation of genetic resources. The efforts must be directed to the continuity of collections, maintenance and characterization ex situ

Caracterização genética e in situ de Gossypium barbadense na região norte do Brasil

Brazil has been considered one of the diversity centers of Gossypium barbadense species. It is believed that a relatively big erosion genetic process occurs with the species, due to economic, cultural and agricultural problems. A local diagnostic about species situation is the first step for reducing the diversity loss and establishing conservation strategies in situ. This research aimed the identification of the presence of Gossypium populations, characterization, determination of the main risks and collection of the accesses to store in germoplam banks, in Para and Amapa States. Expeditions were conducted in November 2004. An interview was carried out with the plant proprietor for characterizing in situ of G. barbadense species and of the environment where the plants were inserted. On hundred seventy nine plants in 22 municipal districts were collected in Para State and 117 plants in nine municipal districts in Amapa State. The majority of plants belong to G. barbadense species (98% in Amapa and 94% in Para). Plants occur in back yards, beside roads and spontaneously. That ones from back yards were more abundant (97% in Amapa and 95% in Para) and maintained as medicinal plants as the principal reason. Plants in natural environments in both states evaluated were not found, therefore, the creation of reserves and the application of others conventional methods of maintenance in situ are not applicable. The plant proprietors do not use to store or process seeds. Seed storage was reported as a practice by only 1% of the plant proprietors from Para and 11% from Amapa. The most plants collected were from two to three years of age (58% in Amapa and 93% in Para). As conclusions G. barbadense is the species most spread in the two studied states and are found in back yards. In Amapa State the botanical variety barbadense or Quebradinho is predominant, whereas in Para State the predominant variety is brasiliense or Rim-de-boi. Adequate conservation of thestudied species must be carried out in germoplasm collections maintained ex situ

An integrated approach to identification and conservation of medicinal plants in the tropical forest - A Brazilian experience

An integrated and interdisciplinary research programme with native medicinal plants from tropical forests has been performed in order to obtain new forest products for sustainable use in regional markets vis-à-vis ecosystem conservation. For the success of this programme ethnopharmacological studies are very important with respect to (i) identification of useful plants including medicinal and aromatic species; (ii) recuperation and preservation of traditional knowledge about native plants; and (iii) identification of potential plants with economic value. The plants are selected with a view to evaluate efficacy and safety (pharmacological and toxicological studies), and phytochemical profile and quality control (phytochemical and chromatographic characterization). These studies are very important to add value to plant products and also to mitigate unscrupulous exploitation of medicinal plants by local communities, since multiple use of plants represents an excellent strategy for sustaining the tropical ecosystem through ex situ and in situ conservation. Thus, conservation of tropical resources is possible in conjunction with improvements in the quality of life of the traditional communities and production of new products with therapeutic, cosmetic and 'cosmeceutic' value. © NIAB 2005.

Distribuição natural de espécies arbóreas em áreas com diferentes níveis de antropização visando integrar programa de conservação genética in situ

Pós-graduação em Agronomia - FEIS

Sound absorption coefficient in situ: An alternative for estimating soil loss factors

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Caracterização morfológica, perfil químico, atividade biológica e conservação in situ do gênero Lychnophora Mart. (Asteraceae: Vernonieae: Lychnophorinae), Brasil

Many people who live in the cerrado regions use plant species for therapeutic purposes. However, due to intensive extraction of some species, native botanical populations are at risk of disappearing or suffering a dramatic decrease, such as, for instance, individuals of the Lychnophora genus. This has 24 species distributed into the categories vulnerable, endangered, critically endangered, and possibly extinct. These individuals are known in folk medicine as “arnica” and their leaves and flowers are commonly used as anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and healing agents. The chemical profile of the genus is characterized by the presence of sesquiterpene lactones, sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, triterpenes, flavonoids, steroids, polyacetylenes, and caryophyllene derivatives which also have lignans with analgesic activity. Studies with Lychnophora species show significant results with regard to their biological activities against Leishmania amazonensis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Tripanosoma cruzi. Therefore, this study aimed to perform a survey of the morphology, chemical composition, and biological activity, as well as the use and current conservation status of the Lychnophora genus in Brazil.

Manejo e conservação genética In Situ, Acrocomia aculeata (Jacq.) Lodd. Ex Mart. no pontal do Paranapanema

Pós-graduação em Agronomia - FEIS

Physical and mineralogical changes of Hungarian monumental stones exposed to different conditions: stone-testing in-situ and under laboratory conditions

The Székesfehérvár Ruin Garden is a unique assemblage of monuments belonging to the cultural heritage of Hungary due to its important role in the Middle Ages as the coronation and burial church of the Kings of the Hungarian Christian Kingdom. It has been nominated for “National Monument” and as a consequence, its protection in the present and future is required. Moreover, it was reconstructed and expanded several times throughout Hungarian history. By a quick overview of the current state of the monument, the presence of several lithotypes can be found among the remained building and decorative stones. Therefore, the research related to the materials is crucial not only for the conservation of that specific monument but also for other historic structures in Central Europe. The current research is divided in three main parts: i) description of lithologies and their provenance, ii) physical properties testing of historic material and iii) durability tests of analogous stones obtained from active quarries. The survey of the National Monument of Székesfehérvár, focuses on the historical importance and the architecture of the monument, the different construction periods, the identification of the different building stones and their distribution in the remaining parts of the monument and it also included provenance analyses. The second one was the in situ and laboratory testing of physical properties of historic material. As a final phase samples were taken from local quarries with similar physical and mineralogical characteristics to the ones used in the monument. The three studied lithologies are: fine oolitic limestone, a coarse oolitic limestone and a red compact limestone. These stones were used for rock mechanical and durability tests under laboratory conditions. The following techniques were used: a) in-situ: Schmidt Hammer Values, moisture content measurements, DRMS, mapping (construction ages, lithotypes, weathering forms) b) laboratory: petrographic analysis, XRD, determination of real density by means of helium pycnometer and bulk density by means of mercury pycnometer, pore size distribution by mercury intrusion porosimetry and by nitrogen adsorption, water absorption, determination of open porosity, DRMS, frost resistance, ultrasonic pulse velocity test, uniaxial compressive strength test and dynamic modulus of elasticity. The results show that initial uniaxial compressive strength is not necessarily a clear indicator of the stone durability. Bedding and other lithological heterogeneities can influence the strength and durability of individual specimens. In addition, long-term behaviour is influenced by exposure conditions, fabric and, especially, the pore size distribution of each sample. Therefore, a statistic evaluation of the results is highly recommended and they should be evaluated in combination with other investigations on internal structure and micro-scale heterogeneities of the material, such as petrographic observation, ultrasound pulse velocity and porosimetry. Laboratory tests used to estimate the durability of natural stone may give a good guidance to its short-term performance but they should not be taken as an ultimate indication of the long-term behaviour of the stone. The interdisciplinary study of the results confirms that stones in the monument show deterioration in terms of mineralogy, fabric and physical properties in comparison with quarried stones. Moreover stone-testing proves compatibility between quarried and historical stones. Good correlation is observed between the non-destructive-techniques and laboratory tests results which allow us to minimize sampling and assessing the condition of the materials. Concluding, this research can contribute to the diagnostic knowledge for further studies that are needed in order to evaluate the effect of recent and future protective measures.

Effect of integrated reservoir tillage for in-situ rainwater harvesting and other tillage practices on soil physical properties

There is a need for in-situ soil moisture conservation in arid and semi-arid regions due to insufficient rainfall for agriculture. For this purpose, a combination implement [integrated reservoir tillage system (RT)] comprised of a single-row chisel plow, single-row spike tooth harrow, modified seeder, and spiked roller was developed and compared to the popular tillage practices, viz., minimum tillage (MT) and conventional tillage (CT) in an arid Mediterranean environment in Egypt. The different tillage practices were conducted at tillage depths of 15, 20, and 25 cm and forward speeds of 0.69, 1, 1.25, and 1.53 m s-1. Some soil physical properties, runoff, soil loss, water harvesting efficiency and yield of wheat were evaluated. The different tillage practices caused significant differences in soil physical properties as the RT increased soil infiltration, producing a rate of 48% and 65% higher than that obtained in MT and CT, respectively. The lowest values of runoff and soil loss were recorded under RT as 4.91 mm and 0.65 t ha-1, whereas the highest values were recorded under CT as 11.36 mm and 1.66 t ha-1, respectively. In conclusion, the RT enhanced the infiltration rate, increased water harvesting efficiency, reduced runoff and achieved the highest yield of wheat. The best tillage operating parameters appeared to be at a tillage depth of 20 cm and speed between 1.00 and 1.25 m s-1.

In-situ seawater pH and temperature during and fitness traits of a calcifying polychaete after a reciprocal transplant experiment in June-July near Ischia, italy

Ocean acidification (OA) is likely to exert selective pressure on natural populations. Our ability to predict which marine species will adapt to OA, and what underlies this adaptive potential, are of high conservation and resource management priority. Using a naturally low pH vent site in the Mediterranean Sea (Castello Aragonese, Ischia) mirroring projected future OA conditions, we carried out a reciprocal transplant experiment to investigate the relative importance of phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation in two populations of the sessile, calcifying polychaete /Simplaria /sp. (Annelida, Serpulidae, Spirorbinae): one residing in low pH and the other from a nearby ambient (i.e. high) pH site. We measured a suite of fitness related traits (i.e. survival, reproductive output, maturation, population growth) and tube growth rates in laboratory-bred F2 generation individuals from both populations reciprocally transplanted back into both ambient and low pH /in situ/ habitats. Both populations showed lower expression in all traits, but increased tube growth rates, when exposed to low pH compared to high pH conditions, regardless of their site of origin suggesting that local adaptation to low pH conditions has not occurred. We also found comparable levels of plasticity in the two populations investigated, suggesting no influence of long-term exposure to low pH on the ability of populations to adjust their phenotype. Despite high variation in trait values among sites and the relatively extreme conditions at sites close to the vents (pH < 7.36), response trends were consistent across traits. Hence, our data suggest that, for /Simplaria /and possibly other calcifiers, neither local adaptations nor sufficient phenotypic plasticity levels appear to suffice in order to compensate for the negative impacts of OA on long-term survival. Our work also underlines the utility of field experiments in natural environments subjected to high level of /p/CO_2 for elucidating the potential for adaptation to future scenarios of OA.

Comparison of the hatching success between translocated nests and “in situ” nests according to the type of substrate and the floods due to the tide.

[EN] A new nesting colony of Caretta caretta has recently been discovered and described in Boavista (Cabo Verde, Western Africa, FIGURE 1). Although more data are needed, it represents one of the most important populations in the North Atlantic (Brongersma, 1982; ; Ross, 1995; López-Jurado & Andreu, 1998). A tagging and management campaign has been established in Boavista to study this nesting population since 1998.

Conservacao de recursos geneticos florestais: estrategias e parametros geneticos e ecologicos para a conservacao in situ de recursos geneticos.

1997

Lacunae Infills for in Situ Treatment of Historic Glazed Tiles

Knowledge of current conservation materials and methods together with those adopted in the past is essential to aid research and improve or develop better conservation options. The infill and painting of tile lacunae are subjected to special requirements mainly when used in outdoor settings. A selection of the most commonly used materials was undertaken and performed based on inquiries to practitioners working in the field. The infill pastes comprised organic (epoxy, polyester), inorganic (slaked lime,hydraulic lime and zinc hydroxychloride) and mixed organic–inorganic (slaked lime mixed with a vinylic resin)binders. The selected aggregates were those most commonly used or those already present in the commercially formulated products. The infill pastes were characterised by SEM, MIP, open porosity, water absorption by capillarity, water vapour permeability, thermal and hydric expansibilities and adhesion to the ceramic body. Their performance was assessed after curing, artificial ageing (salt ageing and UV–Temp–RH cycles) and natural ageing. The results were interpreted in terms of their significance as indicators of effectiveness, compatibility and durability