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Plant succession is a fundamental process of vegetation recovery on disturbed sites. Elucidating its mechanisms remains a challenge as succession is influenced by stochastic and deterministic processes related to abiotic and biotic filters. Here, we use a multifaceted diversity approach to reveal mechanisms of successional changes in European oak-hornbeam forests during the first 10 years after selective logging. As the mechanisms controlling succession may depend upon initial abiotic conditions and colonization potential of the surrounding vegetation, we compare changes in taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity between clearings connected with open habitats and those isolated inside forests. Despite fewer dispersal barriers and higher biomass production in connected clearings, similar mechanisms initially governed succession in post-logging sites. Both clearings had low taxonomic and functional diversity in the first year of succession, as evidenced by significant trait convergence, caused by the legacy of interactions between overstory and understory vegetation in pre-disturbance closed-canopy forests. Colonization by short-lived and light-demanding species in the second and third years after logging has markedly increased the overall taxonomic and functional diversity, as evidenced by significant trait divergence. Connected clearings had higher functional but lower taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity than isolated clearings from the fourth to ten years of succession, probably due to intense competition in more productive habitats. All diversity facets markedly decreased in the last years due to increasing asymmetric competition from regenerating trees. The successional processes were largely deterministic, driven by species’ life-history strategies and biotic interactions (competition) rather than abiotic constraints and stochastic events.

The habitat fragmentation and isolation threaten populations of rare species. Organisms become endangered because of the primary habitat loss, but also due to limited dispersal capacity. Whether threatened species are limited more by their dispersal capacity or by lack of suitable habitats is an unresolved question critical to effective conservation. To address the question, we investigated patterns of colonisation by light demanding woodland plants in patches (clearings) of broadleaf forest where open canopy conditions were restored by partial cutting. Six pairs of identically sized (40 × 40 m) clearings were created in closed canopy thermophilous oak forest. Each pair included a clearing isolated in the closed forest and a clearing connected to an alluvial meadow and migration corridor along a river. Within each clearing, we followed colonization success by threatened and common species for 8 years. To assess the relative role of species pool, dispersal limitation and niche-based competition processes (viewed through the plant functional traits), we compared vegetation composition of the clearings to that of surrounding habitats (closed forest, open forest, meadow, forest edge). Clearings hosted more threatened species than closed forests, forest edges and meadows. Existing patches of open forest harboured the highest diversity of threatened species. Their proximity increased colonization success of threatened plants in clearings. Higher colonization rates by threatened plants were associated with shorter distances to source habitats and higher light, higher pH and lower moisture values in the clearings. Clearing type affected composition and ecological strategies of threatened species. Connected clearings were colonized by taller light-demanding species with higher seed mass, more suitable for establishment in a highly competitive environment, while the isolated clearings were colonized by shorter species with higher specific leaf area, better equipped for a more shaded environment. Species richness of threatened species increased in the first 3 years and decreased in last years, indicating that forest thinning creates only a short-term regeneration window with tree and shrub canopy closing back relatively fast. Active intervention should be therefore repeated in short intervals, preferably as shifting mosaics of differently aged stands. Our results bring novel information on the relative importance of habitat quality, isolation, and biotic filtering on communities of threatened species and their colonization success.

Forestry intensification in Central European lowland forests leads to a substantial increase in canopy closure, which causes biodiversity decline and functional homogenization across multiple trophic levels. Small-scale canopy interventions such as local clearings with few left-over adult trees are proposed to halt such a decline but the outcomes can be highly scale- and site-dependent. Here two types of experimental clearings were applied – clearings connected to alluvial meadows distributed along migration river corridors versus clearings inside the forest – in an attempt to restore thermophilous oak forest diversity at six woodland sites in Central Europe. Within each clearing, we studied vegetation changes at two spatial scales (1600 m2 and 4 m2) for six years in relation to composition of surrounding habitats (closed forests, relict open forests, meadows, forest edges), soil seed bank and plant functional traits in order to assess the relative role of species pool, dispersal limitation and niche-based competition processes for forest diversity restoration. In both types of forest clearings, plant species diversity substantially increased, peaking in the second and third years after cutting the trees when the vegetation was still sparse. Afterwards, when the vegetation was becoming dense and plant competition increased, the species richness in clearings decreased but was still higher compared to other forest habitats. Species composition changed from thin-leafed, wind dispersible early colonizers represented by light-demanding short-lived species towards shade-tolerant perennial species. Connected clearings were more species-rich than isolated clearings at the larger scale, but less diverse at the fine scale, indicating larger within-site heterogeneity caused by lower dispersal limitation but stronger competition compared to isolated clearings. Light and nutrient-demanding plants were more diverse and abundant in connected than isolated clearings while threatened species of relict open forests tended to establish more in isolated clearings. Our results show the important role of clearing location within the landscape context for restoring plant biodiversity of lowland forests.

BACKGROUND: Perioperative hypothermia is a common complication of surgery. The hypothesis, that a new self-warming blanket (Barrier® EasyWarm®, Molnlycke Health Care) is better at reducing the incidence of perioperative hypothermia in spinal surgery compared to passive insulation techniques, was tested. METHODS: In this prospective randomized study, 100 patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I–III who were scheduled to undergo spinal surgical procedures with an expected duration of surgery

Since the time of Darwin, biologists have considered the floral nectar spur to be an adaptation representing a high degree of plant specialization. Nevertheless, some researchers suggest that nature is more complex and that even morphologically specialized plants attract a wide spectrum of visitors. We observed visitors on Impatiens burtonii (Balsaminaceae) and measured the depth of the proboscis insertion into the spur, the distance of the nectar surface from the spur entrance and the visitor's effectiveness. The hoverfly Melanostoma sp., with the shortest proboscis, was most active early in the morning and fed on pollen and nectar near the spur entrance. The honeybee Apis mellifera and the hoverfly Rhingia mecyana were the most frequent visitors before and after noon, respectively. Although R. mecyana, the only visitor able to reach the end of the spur, was the most frequent, it did not deposit the largest number of pollen grains per visit. Nectar spurs may function as complex structures allowing pollination by both short- and long-proboscid visitors and separating their spatial and temporal niches. Spurred plants should be considered as more generalized and exposed to more diverse selection pressures than previously believed.

There are two alternative hypotheses related to body size and competition for restricted food sources. The first one supposes that larger animals are superior competitors because of their increased feeding abilities, whereas the second one assumes superiority of smaller animals because of their lower food requirements. We examined the relationship between two unrelated species of different size, drinking technique, energy requirements and roles in plant pollination system, to reveal the features of their competitive interaction and mechanisms enabling their co-existence while utilising the same nectar source. We observed diurnal feeding behaviour of the main pollinator, the carpenter bee Xylocopa caffra and a nectar thief, the northern double-collared sunbird Cinnyris reichenowi on 19 clumps of Hypoestes aristata (Acanthaceae) in Bamenda Highlands, Cameroon. For comparative purpose, we established a simplistic model of daily energy expenditure and daily energy intake by both visitor species assuming that they spend all available daytime feeding on H. aristata. We revealed the energetic gain-expenditure balance of the studied visitor species in relation to diurnal changes in nectar quality and quantity. In general, smaller energy requirements and related ability to utilise smaller resources made the main pollinator X. caffra competitively superior to the larger nectar thief C. reichenowi. Nevertheless, sunbirds are endowed with several mechanisms to reduce asymmetry in exploitative competition, such as the use of nectar resources in times of the day when rivals are inactive, aggressive attacks on carpenter bees while defending the nectar plants, and higher speed of nectar consumption.

Background The Surgical Plethysmographic Index (SPI) and the Analgesia Nociception Index (ANI) have been suggested for the non-invasive intraoperative monitoring of nociception/anti-nociception balance. We aimed to compare patterns of intraoperative use of opioids, postoperative cortisol levels and postoperative pain scores after intraoperative analgesia guided either by ANI, SPI or anesthesiologist's judgment. Methods Seventy-two adult ASA I-III patients scheduled for elective neurosurgical spinal procedures were randomized into the ANI group, SPI group and control group. Anesthesia and intraoperative use of opioids (sufentanil boluses based on body weight) were managed according to a strict protocol. The use of sufentanil was targeted to keep ANI value 50-70 in the ANI group, SPI value below individual postinduction baseline value plus 10 points in the SPI group. In the control group, the use of opioids was left at anesthesiologist's discretion. Results Additional sufentanil boluses were administered earlier in the ANI and SPI groups in comparison to the control group (third dose after 51.8±22.1 vs. 52.7±14.8 vs. 84.5±24.8 min respectively, P=0.001; fourth dose after 61.3±30.1 vs. 57.2±14.1 vs. 120.0±26.2 min, P=0.003, and fifth dose after 78.8±33.7 vs. 74.0±11.6 vs. 146.7±23.2 min respectively, P=0.009). There were no differences in postoperative cortisol levels, time to spontaneous breathing at the end of anesthesia and postoperative pain scores. Conclusions Both ANI and SPI guidance significantly modified intraoperative opioid use, but no modification of postoperative cortisol levels and postoperative pain was observed.

Background: The aim is to discuss a case of a meningeal form of Rosai-Dorfman disease, is a rare haematological disease, primarily affecting lymph nodes, but it can also affect most organ systems of the human body, including the central nervous system. So far, there have been over 650 cases of this disease described in literature. Case presentation: This report deals with a young, 40-year-old man with a negative history of disease, who observed a loss of smell and taste, without a history of anxiety or an injury. The patient was hospitalized and completely examined. Consequently, a navigational biopsy of the brain was indicated. The findings showed that the patient suffered from Rosai-Dorfman disease with reactive gliosis in adjacent tissue without evidence of amyloid. Conclusions: In January, March, and then in May 2018, the patient was checked for the magnetic resonance imaging of the brain, according to which there was a significant regression of the finding, and according to the outpatient reports of the same year, the taste and vision of the left eye are gradually being adjusted. The patient was treated with new corticosteroids, which proved to be effective.

One of the most fundamental, although controversial, questions related to the evolution of plant mating systems is the distribution of outcrossing rates. Self-compatibility, and especially autonomous self-pollination, can become particularly beneficial in anthropogenically degraded habitats with impoverished pollinator assemblages and increased pollen limitation. In a hand-pollination experiment with 46 meadow plants from the Železne hory Mts., Czech Republic, we evaluated the species' ability to adopt different mating systems. For a subset of the species, we also tested seed germination for inbreeding depression. Subsequently, we analysed relationships between the species' mating systems and 12 floral and life-history traits. We found a relatively discrete distribution of the studied species into four groups. Fully and partially self-incompatible species formed the largest group, followed by self-compatible non-selfers and mixed mating species. The germination experiment showed an absence of inbreeding depression in 19 out of 22 examined species. Nectar sugar per flower, nectar sugar per shoot and dichogamy were significant associated with the mating system. Spontaneous selfing ability and self-incompatibility in species of the meadow communities had a discrete distribution, conforming to the general distribution of mating and breeding systems in angiosperms. The low frequency of spontaneous selfers and the lack of inbreeding depression at germination suggest the existence of a selection against selfing at the later ontogenetic stages. Some floral traits, such as the level of dichogamy and amount of nectar reward, may strongly impact the balance between selfing and outcrossing rates in the self-compatible species and thus shape the evolution of mating systems.

Questions Wet meadows have traditionally been managed at low intensity, promoting the co-existence of a variety of plant species. The remaining fragments of these meadows are now being degraded by either mowing abandonment or by agricultural intensification, such as increased fertilization. We tested the theoretical expectation that certain functional traits can explain vegetation changes along gradients of productivity and soil moisture in response to these land-use changes. Location Železne hory Mts., Czech Republic, Central Europe. Methods We set up a long-term experiment where we applied a full factorial design of fertilization and abandonment to 17 traditionally mown wet meadows covering a broad range of productivity and soil moisture conditions found within the region. Plant functional traits that cover different aspects of plant ecological strategies – plant height, specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), seed mass and clonality – were used to explain both species and whole community response to land-use change. We employed linear mixed effect models to test for the consistency of functional changes across different productivity and soil moisture conditions. Results We found that the functional response of species and whole communities to land-use change was consistent across meadows differing substantially in their productivity and soil moisture. Specifically, irrespective of the local conditions, both fertilization and abandonment selected for tall species within communities, highlighting the effect of increased competition for light. Traits related to a more exploitative strategy in species (higher SLA, more prominent clonal growth and smaller seeds) were consistently favoured with increased fertilization. Conclusions We show that within a given region with a common land-use history, certain functional traits consistently explain and can help to predict changes in plant communities caused by land-use change, irrespective of different productivity and soil moisture conditions. Our results demonstrate a simple way to use functional traits in applied nature conservation. We hope this will encourage practitioners to use functional traits to complement existing knowledge on composition and productivity of considered habitats to enhance the planning of management practices. We encourage practitioners to build regional trait databases to actively use trait information for the purpose of habitat management.

Efficient conservation management must be applied in protected areas in order to slow the loss of biodiversity in Europe. Regarding forests, a conservation approach based on minimal intervention prevails in most protected woodlands, thus facilitating the expansion of closed-canopy forests at the expense of open forests. To identify effective conservation strategies for protected forests, the minimal intervention or “hands-off” approach must be compared with active measures to support biodiversity. We carried out a study in the oak-dominated forests of Podyji National Park (Czech Republic), an historically managed area left for natural succession since 1950. Twelve experimental clearings were created in closed-canopy forests within the core zone of the park; six of these clearings were connected to forest edges and open meadows, the remaining six clearings were isolated from open habitats within closed forest. To assess the importance of minimal intervention and active management measures in protected forests, we compared the richness and composition of insects, reptiles, birds and vascular plants in the clearings and in four reference habitats, including closed forest, forest edge, open forest, and meadow, in the first season following the intervention. In comparison to closed-canopy forest, the clearings had higher species richness of butterflies, saproxylic and floricolous beetles, reptiles, and vascular plants but lower richness of moths and epigeic beetles, and similar richness of birds. For most groups, the species composition of clearings differed from that of closed forest or even the forest edge, indicating that the latter habitats cannot serve as a sufficient replacements for the conservation of open woodland species. The species richness of isolated clearings was generally lower than that of clearings connected to open habitats, and their communities contained a larger proportion of species associated with closed forest. Most threatened species were associated with clearings or open forest, closed forest and meadow hosted only a few. The creation of the clearings in closed-canopy forests had a positive effect on overall species richness and supported threatened species in most model groups. It is thus a valuable management tool in the conservation of temperate woodland biodiversity. Our results also point to the importance of connectivity of open habitats in wooded landscapes. Further surveys of the clearings are needed to ascertain the effect of such interventions to see how communities change throughout succession, or alternatively to what extent hindering succession by repeated cutting may alter communities.

The degree of specialization in plant–pollinator relationships is probably the most intensively discussed topic of pollination biology. Phenotypically generalized flowers are typically also considered to be generalized ecologically and/or functionally. Our study focuses on visitors to flowers of Hypericum roeperianum and H. revolutum, two closely related co-flowering Afromontane plants with flat flowers, which can be visited by many insects. We collected insect visitors and recorded their behaviour. Both Hypericum species were visited by large numbers of morphospecies and functional groups, which might indicate that they are highly generalized plants. Nevertheless, after including the visitors’ abundance, behaviour and contact with the plants’ reproductive organs, only a single carpenter bee species could be considered an effective pollinator of H. roeperianum, and a few smaller bee species (mainly Apis mellifera and Meliplebeia ogouensis) could be considered as effective pollinators of H. revolutum. Despite the fact that the flowers appear at first glance phenotypically generalized, both species seem to be ecologically and functionally specialized for bee pollination. Our results indicate that even phenotypically generalized flowers can be functionally and ecologically specialized. More precise knowledge of their visitors’ behaviour is crucial for understanding their pollination systems. Our results cast doubts upon the currently leading opinion that generalization prevails in pollination systems, as such conclusions are based mainly on community-wide studies, which usually do not consider the true role of insect visitors.

The bird pollination systems of the New and Old Worlds evolved independently, and differ in many aspects. New World plants are often presented as those adapted to hovering birds while Old World plants to perching birds. Most Neotropical studies also demonstrate that in hummingbird species rich assemblages, only a small number of highly specialized birds exploits the most specialized plants with long corollas. Nevertheless, recent research on bird–plant pollination interactions suggest that sunbird pollination systems in the Old World have converged more with the highly specialized hummingbird pollination systems than previously thought. In this study we focus on the pollination systems of the bird pollination syndrome Impatiens species on Mt. Cameroon, West Africa. We show that despite the high diversity of sunbirds on Mt. Cameroon, only Cyanomitra oritis appear to be important pollinator of all Impatiens species. This asymmetry indicates the absence of pair wise co-evolution and points to a diffuse co-evolutionary process resulting in guilds of highly specialized plants and birds; a situation well known from hummingbirds and specialized plant communities of the New World. Additionally, the herbaceous habits of Impatiens species, the frequent adaptations to pollination by hovering birds, and the habitat preference for understory in tropical forests or epiphytic growth, resemble the highly specialized Neotropical plants. © 2015 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2015, 115, 127–133.

Background and Aims Below-ground carbohydrate storage is considered an adaptation of plants aimed at regeneration after disturbance. A theoretical model by Iwasa and Kubo was empirically tested which predicted (1) that storage of carbohydrates scales allometrically with leaf biomass and (2) when the disturbance regime is relaxed, the ratio of storage to leaf biomass increases, as carbohydrates are not depleted by disturbance. Methods These ideas were tested on nine herbaceous species from a temperate meadow and the disturbance regime was manipulated to create recently abandoned and mown plots. Just before mowing in June and at the end of the season in October, plants with below-ground organs were sampled. The material was used to assess the pool of total non-structural carbohydrates and leaf biomass. Key Results In half of the cases, a mostly isometric relationship between below-ground carbohydrate storage and leaf biomass in meadow plants was found. The ratio of below-ground carbohydrate storage to leaf biomass did not change when the disturbance regime was less intensive than that for which the plants were adapted. Conclusions These findings (isometric scaling relationship between below-ground carbohydrate storage and leaf biomass; no effect of a relaxed disturbance regime) imply that storage in herbs is probably governed by factors other than just the disturbance regime applied once in a growing season.

Migration trends in the Czech Republic after 1990 are discussed in this paper. To evaluate the migration trends, the databases of immigrants and emigrants from the Czech Statistical Office from 1990 to 2010, are used. While migration from rural areas to urban areas prevailed in the past, after 1990 the direction changed: the population in rural areas with good natural and socio-cultural environments has been increasing due to migration. Small municipalities have a positive migration balance. We can conclude that these trends could be influenced primarily by social and environmental problems in cities, the increase in automobile use and the development of communication technologies, the migration of pensioners who settle in second homes, and the changing residential preferences of people and entrepreneurs.

Questions To what extent do changes in management (abandonment and fertilization) affect plant functional and taxonomic diversity in wet meadow communities? To what extent do the changes in functional and taxonomic diversity depend on site productivity? Location Železne hory Mts., Czech Republic. Methods Experimental plots were established on 21 wet meadows differing in productivity and species composition. In each meadow, in 2007, four 1 × 1 m plots were established, representing a full factorial design with abandonment and fertilization as the factors. In each plot, the number of species present was recorded in 100 subplots (0.1 × 0.1 m) in the years 2007, 2009 and 2011. Different indicators of functional diversity (functional richness, functional evenness, and Rao′s quadratic entropy) were calculated using five functional traits (SLA, LDMC, seed mass, plant height and clonality). Both abundance-weighted and non-weighted diversity indices were calculated. Randomization tests (conducted with PERMANOVA) were used to assess the effect of site productivity and management on both α- and β-diversity components. Results Meadows along the productivity gradient differed in functional and taxonomic diversity. Both abandonment and fertilization decreased taxonomic diversity. Whereas fertilization decreased functional richness and Rao′s quadratic entropy, abandonment decreased functional evenness. The changes in both taxonomic and functional diversity caused by abandonment and fertilization occurred faster in more productive meadows. Conclusions The increased dominance of tall species with abandonment and fertilization, followed by the loss of species and the decrease in various indicators of functional diversity, suggest that increased competition for light resulted in increased trait convergence among co-existing species. In addition, many processes occurring after abandonment and fertilization depend on meadow productivity. Results suggest that abundance- and non-abundance-weighted diversity indices give complementary insights on community structure. These results imply that changes are needed in current meadow management and conservation.

Mountainous areas of the Korean Peninsula are among the biodiversity hotspots of the world's temperate forests. Understanding patterns in spatial distribution of their species richness requires explicit consideration of different environmental drivers and their effects on functionally differing components. In this study, we assess the impact of both geographical and soil variables on the fine-scale (400 m 2 ) pattern of plant diversity using field data from six national parks, spanning a 1300 m altitudinal gradient. Species richness and the slopes of species–area curves were calculated separately for the tree, shrub and herb layer and used as response variables in regression tree analyses. A cluster analysis distinguished three dominant forest communities with specific patterns in the diversity–environment relationship. The most widespread middle-altitude oak forests had the highest tree richness but the lowest richness of herbaceous plants due to a dense bamboo understory. Total richness was positively associated with soil reaction and negatively associated with soluble phosphorus and solar radiation (site dryness). Tree richness was associated mainly with soil factors, although trees are frequently assumed to be controlled mainly by factors with large-scale impact. A U-shaped relationship was found between herbaceous plant richness and altitude, caused by a distribution pattern of dwarf bamboo in understory. No correlation between the degree of canopy openness and herb layer richness was detected. Slopes of the species–area curves indicated the various origins of forest communities. Variable diversity–environment responses in different layers and communities reinforce the necessity of context-dependent differentiation for the assessment of impacts of climate and land-use changes in these diverse but intensively exploited regions.

Adaptations of the nectar traits in bird-pollinated flowers are amongst the most discussed aspects of floral evolution. In the case of sunbird-pollinated plants, data on nectar traits originate almost exclusively from the South African region and are very scarce for tropical Africa, where paradoxically the highest sunbird diversity occurs. Here we present a study on the nectar properties of a sunbird-pollinated plant, Impatiens sakeriana, growing in the West African mountains, including the nectar production, diurnal changes in the nectar standing crop, the nectar concentrations, the nectar volumes, total sugar amounts and sugar composition. Moreover we compare the nectar traits of I. sakeriana with six other co-flowering insect-visited plant species. Our results showed that many nectar properties, including high volume (approx. 38 μL in flowers unvisited by sunbirds), low sugar concentration (approx. 30% w/w) and high sucrose content (95%), are specific to I. sakeriana, compared to the insect-visited plants. These are in accordance with the most recent theory that nectar properties of the sunbird-pollinated plants are similar to those pollinated by hummingbirds.

Individual plant responses to traditional management on European meadows are reported to be context-specific due to various biotic and abiotic factors. However, the effect of organizational level on which the response is measured is rarely considered. We asked whether plant investment into current and future growth in the clonal grass Molinia caerulea, dominant in a species-rich meadow, expressed per shoot or per growth unit (physically independent part of a clone containing all shoots produced by one overwintering tuber) differs between a mown (biomass harvested at June–July) and an abandoned (left without any management) or fertilized meadow (mown and fertilized). As a measure of investments into current growth we used aboveground biomass and as a measure of investments into future growth we used storage of carbohydrates. Biomass production was higher in managed plots (both mown-fertilized and mown plots) when expressed per growth unit and lower when expressed per shoot. Storage of carbohydrates was not different at the end of the season in plants from differently treated plots when expressed per growth unit, but was significantly reduced for individual shoots from managed plots. This implies that the interpretation of the results from our study depends on organization level and method of plant response assessment (storage vs. growth) and this paradox indicates that considering these factors in a particular study could bring deeper insight into individual responses of plants to changing disturbance regime.

The nectarivory of sunbirds in the Old World and hummingbirds in the New World evolved independently. While both groups are specialised in their feeding apparatuses, hummingbirds are moreover famous for their adaptations to sustained hovering flight. Recently, an example of a pollination system of the invasive plant Nicotiana glauca has been used to show that less adapted sunbirds also are frequently able to hover. Nevertheless, the question has remained why plants adapted to bird hovering pollination do not occur outside the New World. In this paper we show that the long-peduncle Cameroonian Impatiens sakeriana is not capable of autonomous selfing and can be pollinated only by two often hovering sunbirds, the Cameroon sunbird Cyanomitra oritis and the northern double-collared sunbird Cinnyris reichenowi. Our study revealed that this plant is highly specialised for pollination by C. oritis. Cinnyris reichenowi hovers less frequently and often thieves nectar by piercing the flower spur when perching. This study shows that pollination systems occurring in the Old World follow similar evolutionary trends as systems including hovering hummingbirds in the New World.

Endoscopic carpal tunnel syndrome surgery is a modern minimally invasive method of carpal tunnel decompression. However, the method does also have its critics, who emphasize that there is an increased rate of complications in comparison to open procedures. To further improve and optimize results of endoscopic surgery we used an intracarpal pressure sensor to verify the effect of carpal tunnel decompression. The endoscopic single portal approach was used in all cases. Median nerve conduction studies were performed prior to and 3 months after surgery. Two groups, those with pressure studies and those without, were then compared according to several EMG parameters such as: median nerve distal motor latency, amplitude of motor response, sensory nerve conduction velocity to the index finger, and amplitude of sensory nerve action potential. In both groups, we observed similarly significant improvements in all conduction parameters, except the amplitude of motor response, which did not change in either group, i.e. no difference in postoperative EMG between the two groups was observed. Despite this fact, intracarpal pressure measurement is still useful in localising the point in which the median nerve is compressed and provides valuable functional information on the level decompression achieved.

Radical surgery of renal cell carcinoma spinal metastases carries a high risk due to potentially life-threatening extreme blood loss. Radical preoperative embolization of renal cell carcinoma metastases alone is not necessarily a guarantee of extreme blood loss not occurring during operation. A retrospective analysis of 15 patients following radical surgery for a spinal metastases of a renal cell carcinoma was performed. Eight patients were embolized preoperatively and 7 were not. We analysed features influencing peroperative blood loss: size and extent of tumour, complexity of surgical approaches and radicality of embolization. The embolized and non embolized groups were not comparable before treatment. They differed markedly in size of tumour as well as the complexity of approach. In the embolized group the size of the tumour was, on average, twice as large as that in non embolized patients and more complex approaches were used twice as frequently. Despite findings suggesting that embolization was effective, blood loss was greater in the embolized group of 8 patients (4750 ml), compared to the non-embolized group of 7 patients (1786 ml). Metastasis size, extent of tumour, technical complexity of surgery and the completeness of preoperative embolization had an important effect on the amount of peroperative blood loss. The evaluation of the benefits of preoperative embolization only on the basis of blood loss is not an adequate method.

Amenity Migration in the Context of Landscape-Ecology Research Amenity migration is a specific type of migration that is not economically motivated. Rather it is brought about by a desire to render more valuable the natural or socio-cultural environment of the target territory, and it is often directed from metropolitan to rural areas. This phenomenon has been strongly supported by the spread and growing accessibility of mass information technologies. As with any other kind of migration, it can lead to changes in the spatial distribution of human activities in the target territory. Under specific conditions, it can become one of the driving societal forces determining the socio-economic development of a given rural region. In the European context, amenity migration appears to be in its early stages of development. As such, it has been the subject of theoretical debate rather than being documented by empirical evidence. Amenity migration can be seen as an ambiguous phenomenon. Optimistic hypotheses claim that it could support local development of rural space and thus diminish the disproportionate development of particular regions and that it can maintain or even improve these region's environmental and cultural quality. On the other hand, it can also lead to a massive invasion of urban behavioural patterns into rural areas, making them culturally uniform. Tried and tested GIS methods exist for identifying a landscape's potential for amenity migration. The use of qualitative and quantitative techniques is a useful and progressive approach to landscape ecological research. We can expect further progress in the methods used to study amenity migration and for evaluating rural development within a landscape context following further research on amenity migrants, which will take place over the coming years.

Established under the UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme, biosphere reserves represent protected areas intended to demonstrate well-balanced relationship between conservation of biodiversity and an appropriate local development. They can be thus considered as an attempt to form sustainable landscape. As sustainable development is a human-centred concept the article contributes primarily to the discussion on social part of the nature–social relationship, namely on quality of life of local population and problems of social acceptance of biodiversity conservation measures. Triangulation approach was applied as a fundamental frame for empirical data analysis, combining analysis of official statistical data, content analysis of regional media, semi-standardized interviews with key personalities and extensive questionnaire survey. Three Czech biosphere reserves were used as model areas. Based on results gained it is possible to state that the concept of biosphere reserve itself can be used as a model when we try to implement ideas of sustainable landscape in practice. However, while quality of life did not seem to be much affected by the fact that people lived in protected areas, full harmonization of biodiversity protection and socio-economic development were hindered by constraints of formal and legislative nature.

[Departement_IRSTEA]GT [TR1_IRSTEA]RURAMEN / AMANDE; Identifying the most appropriate institutional structures and strategies to integrate the views and coordinate the actions of diverse tourism stakeholders is a key stage in the development of integrated tourism in rural and lagging areas. In this work a Decision Support System (DSS) is developed which combines tools to assist in the analysis of the views, concerns and planned strategies of a wide range of tourism stakeholders in the face of given trends in tourists' expectations. The role and suitability of such an approach is examined in the real situation of three case-study areas in Auvergne (France), umava Mountains (Czech Republic) and Evrytania (Greece). Two major sets of results are discussed. Firstly, there are the impacts of given hypothetical tourism policies developed by simulating the views and strategies of the different tourism stakeholders. Secondly, the paper considers the relative benefits and disadvantages for integrated tourism if collaborative negotiations take place among the different tourism stakeholders. The paper concludes by examining the usefulness of such an approach for tourism planners.

A clonal plant in heterogeneous environments is usually expected to profit from resource exchange via a clonal network where ramets placed in contrasting environments can specialise so to acquire the most abundant resources. An experiment was designed using the three member clonal system of Eriophorum angustifolium, which consisted of one parent ramet growing in a resource poor environment and two offspring: one was limited in growth by nutrients while the other was light limited; the contrast in availability of limited resources between the offspring ramets was high, medium or none, with the system either connected or severed. The total resource availability was the same in all treatments. We proposed four possible scenarios for the system: offspring ramets will share resources via the deficient parent ramet, and the whole clone will profit from the contrasting environment (scenario 1); offspring ramets will support exclusively the parent ramet, and the whole clone will profit from a homogeneous environment (scenario 2); offspring ramets will stop the export of the limiting resource to the parent ramet, with split and connected treatments not differing (scenario 3); and offspring ramets will exhaust the carbon stored in the biomass of the parental ramet; offspring ramet will profit from connection (scenario 4). In the experiment, the limiting resources were sent to the strongest sink (scenario 2). The parent ramet growing in a deficient environment received the highest support in the treatment where both offspring ramets were growing in the same conditions (no-contrast treatment). Production of new shoots, but not biomass of whole clone, was supported in a homogenous environment. The experiment revealed that multiple stresses might prohibit free exchange of limiting resources via the clonal network and supports the idea that experimental studies on more complex clones are essential for understanding the costs and benefits of clonal growth.

Two woody Hypericum species (H. roeparianum and H. revolutum) often coexist in forest edge and stream mantle communities in the Bamenda-Banoso Highlands, Cameroon. Morphologically nonspecialized flowers of both species are visited by specific eye-catching visitors. Nectarless flowers of H. roeparianum are visited by a large carpenter bee Xylocopa sp. (Hymenoptera) and nectar-producing flowers of H. revolutum are the main source of nectar for sunbirds (Cyanomitra oritis, Cinnyris reichenowi and C. bouvieri). Using a manipulative experiment, we showed that the carpenter bee plays an important role in the reproduction success of H. roeparianum, whereas sunbirds affect seed production of H. revolutum only little. We suggest that a clear differentiation of pollination niches enables the coexistence of both Hypericum species. The study showed that the pollination system of H. roeparianum with morphologically nonspecialized flowers can be ecologically specialized. Sunbirds are not decisive for the reproductive success of H. revolutum and thus have only little selection pressure on its floral traits. The results indicate the importance of reproduction success assessment in pollination studies.

Aesthetic and symbolical relations of humans to nature were not properly considered either in theory or in practice of urban planning as it was carried out in our country in the 1970s and 1980s. The fact, that elements of nature within urban environment play an important role as they partly satisfy the biophila needs of man, i.e. his affinity with plants and animals, was generally neglected. The contribution describes the attitudes of inhabitants in the housing estate of the town of Tabor, South Bohemia to the urban environment they live in. Based on the empirical evidence, two conclusions can be arrived at. Absence of nature, at least in its symbolical form, proved to be the factor limiting the “pleasant existence” of the people living within housing estates. Low willingness of inhabitants to actively participate in the process of making their urban environment livable seems to remain one of the most crucial problems inherited from the former totalitarian regime.

The role agriculture plays in our economy is changing. The former preference for production is being replaced by a preference for the production of landscape. The landscape we live in has been created by rural tradition. It is the kind of landscape we perceive as pleasant; it is also highly appreciated from the ecological and aesthetic points of view. The problem facing us is how we should preserve the character of the rural landscape, which is closely connected with agricultural activity, under conditions of decreasing agricultural production. This question is extremely important in marginal areas whose economy is based on agriculture. Declining agricultural production in these areas results not only in social changes but also in changes in the landscape patterns of environmentally valuable areas. One possible solution to this problem is a policy of landscape management. This has been tried out in the Czech Republic, by implementing new types of subsidies in agricultural policy, to encourage sustainable landscape management. Our article seeks to reveal the shortcomings in the functioning of these ecological subsidies in marginal areas. Our qualitative analysis is based on interviews with farmers in Sumava Mountains to ascertain their opinions and experience with ecological subsidies as a new form of state support. The main reason that the ecological subsidies are failing appears to be because they ignore the social factor: the recipient of the subsidy. Most of the subsidies are awarded to businessmen (‘new experts’) who have no ties with the landscape or with its values and management. We conclude that the landscape cannot be managed from outside. We need a living countryside with farmers — recipients of subsidies and the real creators of the landscape. The social situation in the countryside must be taken into account in a broader context.

Presented is a retrospective analysis of 27 patients with plasma cell neoplasms of the spine treated by surgery. Multiple myeloma was confirmed in 22 (81%) and solitary plasmacytoma in 5 patients (19%), assessed at the time of surgery. Nineteen patients (70%) with the preliminary diagnosis of malignancy of unknown etiology were admitted for surgery. In 23 patients (85%) the essential symptom was back pain, which preceded surgery by an average of 4 months. Thirteen patients (48%) were bedridden due to tumor spinal cord compression, on average for 7 days before undergoing surgery. Only 5 out of 13 bedridden patients (38%) regained the ability to walk after surgery and 8 patients (62%) remained bedridden despite successful surgical decompression of the spinal cord. The difference of survival of the patients between bedridden and able to walk prior to surgery was statistically significant (Cox's F-Test = 0.005). Key words: plasma cell neoplasia, spinal cord compression, late diagnosis, outcome.

Amenity migration is a specific type of migration which is not motivated by higher wages - it has been brought about by the desire to render more valuable natural or socio-cultural environment of the target territory, and it is often directed from metropolitan to rural areas. The group of amenity migrants from chosen areas of the Czech Republic was described and identified on basis of collected empirical data set. Results are discussed with relevant authors who currently study amenity migration abroad. It follows from the mentioned results that amenity migrants in model areas are rather university educated, economically strong and more creative. They prefer natural amenities to cultural ones, their in-migration is not related to tourism and second homes phenomenon as it was expected earlier. They use current residential potential for permanent living in the amenity-rich places.

Plants in unmown meadows are able to store large amounts of carbohydrates. These stores, however, become depleted during winter and/or spring and thus do not differ from levels in mown plots at the peak of the next growing season. It is clear, moreover, that although carbohydrate concentrations at first reflect the carbohydrate mobilization needed for resprouting in response to plant damage and then the refilling of reserves thereby expended, the total carbohydrate amounts are affected by the growth of storage organs. Although concentrations and total amounts of carbohydrates reflect different aspects of plant carbohydrate storage, their concentration might sufficiently describe short-term effects of disturbance., Carbohydrate storage enables plants to tolerate both seasonally unfavourable conditions and recover from disturbance. Although short-term changes in storage levels due to disturbance are fairly well known, less is known about long-term changes in storage levels, especially in response to cessation of repeated disturbance. Additionally, whereas it is presumably the total amount (pool) of storage carbohydrate reserves that is of importance, typically carbohydrate concentrations are measured instead, as a proxy. We assessed changes in carbohydrate concentrations and pools in storage organs and changes in above- versus belowground biomass in response to mowing cessation in nine herbs from two meadows (dry and wet) at the (June) peak of vegetation development and the (October) growing season end 1 and 3 years after the change in the disturbance regime. We tested three hypotheses: (1) storage will increase with abandonment of mowing only in the first year after disturbance cessation, but not further increase subsequently, as high storage would hinder competitive ability; (2) storage will increase towards the end of the season in both disturbed and undisturbed plants; and (3) changes in carbohydrate concentrations are accurate predictors of changes in pools. Although species-specific changes in carbohydrate reserves occurred in the wet meadow, more general trends appeared in the dry meadow. There, plants accumulated higher carbohydrate reserves at the end of the season, especially in unmown plots. However, the reserves for plants in both disturbance regimes were the same at the growing season peak (June) in both examined years. The increase in storage of carbohydrates on unmown plots in October was manifested by increases of both storage organ biomass and carbohydrate concentration, whereas in mown plots, it was due only to increased carbohydrate concentration. Although concentrations and pools represent different aspects of plant carbohydrate economy, concentrations will represent short-term responses to changed disturbance regimes.

Many recent studies have suggested that the majority of animal-pollinated plants have a higher diversity of pollinators than that expected according to their pollination syndrome. This broad generalization, often based on pollination web data, has been challenged by the fact that some floral visitors recorded in pollination webs are ineffective pollinators. To contribute to this debate, and to obtain a contrast between visitors and pollinators, we studied insect and bird visitors to virgin flowers of Hypoestes aristata in the Bamenda Highlands, Cameroon. We observed the flowers and their visitors for 2-h periods and measured the seed production as a metric of reproductive success. We determined the effects of individual visitors using 2 statistical models, single-visit data that were gathered for more frequent visitor species, and frequency data. This approach enabled us to determine the positive as well as neutral or negative impact of visitors on H. aristata's reproductive success. We found that (i) this plant is not generalized but rather specialized; although we recorded 15 morphotaxa of visitors, only 3 large bee species seemed to be important pollinators; (ii) the carpenter bee Xylocopa cf. inconstans was both the most frequent and the most effective pollinator; (iii) the honey bee Apis mellifera acted as a nectar thief with apparent negative effects on the plant reproduction; and (iv) the close relationship between H. aristata and carpenter bees was in agreement with the large-bee pollination syndrome of this plant. Our results highlight the need for studies detecting the roles of individual visitors. We showed that such an approach is necessary to evaluate the pollination syndrome hypothesis and create relevant evolutionary and ecological hypotheses.

A method of landscape evaluation based on the anthropo-ecological approach is worked out. The procedure consists of three stages, viz., general, special and optimization. Within the general stage, the structural arrangement of the landscape is evaluated by means of the concept of geo-ecological sites (GES), which are distributed into four zones (A, B, C, D) according to the degrees of their anthropic disturbance. The zoning performed makes it possible to select those geo-ecological sites where eco-critical relationships can be expected to appear; in order to eliminate such situations, transition zones are calculated for the geo-ecological sites concerned. The outcome of this approach is a proposal of a new structural arrangement of the geo-ecological sites, solving eco-critical situations and serving as a basis for the special and optimization stages of the anthropo-ecological method.