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Ungulates (mainly Cervidae and wild boar Sus scrofa) are considered among the most problematic wildlife suffering on roads and causing the largest material losses due to high densities of ungulate populations, spatial and temporal movement patterns, and body size of these animals. Roe deer–vehicle collision (RDVC) as the most usual cause of ungulate fatality on roads may be applied as an appropriate model for understanding ungulate-vehicle collision patterns in general. To better understand, manage, and mitigate RDVCs, a detailed knowledge of the temporal behavioral patterns of roe deer is essential. In order to determine the role roe deer behavior plays in RDVCs, we examine time-dependent patterns of RDVCs in Lithuania, a country with a relatively low human population density and less developed transport infrastructure compared with other European countries with relatively high human population density and more intensive road network. Our analysis includes 5556 RDVC records from 2013 to 2016 and examines both short-term and long-term periods to determine the interrelationship between roe deer behavior and vehicle collisions. Our results document the relationship between RDVCs and season of the year with the highest RDVCs peaks occurring in late spring (May, 817, 14.7% of RDVC) and late autumn (November, 626, 11.3%). The daily RDVC frequency is influenced by seasonal changes in sunrise, sunset, and timing of twilight and the impact of these environmental variables on vehicle operator behavior. Our findings are comparable with those reported elsewhere in Europe and suggest that roe deer temporal behavioral patterns influence RDVCs more than transport infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ekologija is the property of Lithuanian Academy of Sciences Publishers and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Ekologija is the property of Lithuanian Academy of Sciences Publishers and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The notion of the natural environment embraces a whole of functioning interrelated elements (land surface and subsurface, air and water, soil and biota, organic and inorganic matter, as well as anthropogenic components) and natural, semi-natural and human-made systems linking these elements. The state development and conservation of Lithuanian natural environment components and resources make the core of the problem that the state and the community encounters under the conditions of the integrated and advancing impact of climatic changes and anthropogenic (technogenic) activities. The current climate changes cannot be dissociated from the challenges by economic globalisation, depletion of energy and resources, abatement of poverty, social inequality and lack of security; therefore, partial solutions would not remove the problems endangering the stability of the future. Analysing the processes taking place in the environment is very important in order to reveal the basic causal relationships of the environment and the factors affecting it. We shall never be able to solve successfully the environmental problems without understanding the whole system of relationships between the cause and the effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ekologija is the property of Lithuanian Academy of Sciences Publishers and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Geochemical and lithological parameters of sapropel in lakes, combined with pollen data and radiocarbon 14C dating, contain a wide spectrum of environmental information. This includes records of fluctuations of water level and changes of conditions of sedimentation, accumulation of organic matter and chemical elements due to climate change, human impacts and other environmental changes. Rising concentrations of hazardous substances in the natural sediments are likely to be a high risk to the natural environment. At the same time, they can greatly reduce opportunities for environmental engineering of lakes. Four lakes with different trophic states and anthropogenic pressures were chosen for this study in Lithuania. Higher concentrations of elements like Cr, Cu and Zn were not only detected in the top most layers of sapropel but also in deeper layers and are attributed to lithogenic association of trace elements in such deep layers. Concentrations of Pb were detected only in upper layers of sapropel which indicates the impact of anthropogenic activity. The main source of heavy metals was multidimensional anthropogenic pollution leading to a biogenic–anthropogenic association of elements. Sapropel with low concentrations of heavy metals exhibits a different inter-association matrix because most of the elements tend to form lithogenic–clastogenic associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]