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Invasive alien plant species, fragmentation and scale effects on urban forest community composition in Durban, South Africa
Lindani Z. Mavimbela ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-3145-48791,
Erwin J. J. Sieben1 &
Şerban Procheş1
Urban forests are under increased pressure from invasion by exotic (alien) species. The vegetation present in the matrix of urban sites is a rich source of alien invasive propagules, which increases the risk of alien invasion in forests within an urban space, leading to a decline in indigenous species. Therefore, determining the distribution patterns of native and exotic species as influenced by environmental factors can assist in quantifying the impact of exotic species at broad scales based on responses on a finer scale. Quantifying the effects of multiple environmental factors on the distribution patterns of both indigenous and alien species in the ecosystem may help in prescribing suitable management efforts.
Fifteen forest patches were sampled in the eThekwini (Durban) Municipality and data collected from 74 100-m2 plots with different degrees of invasion. Indigenous and alien species of trees, shrubs and climbers occurring in ten and more plots were considered for analysis and the CANOCO 5.1 package was used to run various constrained ordination analyses. Variation partitioning analysis was used to assess the impact of environmental variables at different spatial scales, namely the plot and patch scales.
Canopy gaps are the major controlling factor for invasive alien plants (IAPs) occurrence at fine scale. At patch level, residential and industry areas outside the boundaries (buffer area) of forest patches have a high influence on the distribution of IAPs. Communities dominated by the invasive Chromolaena odorata (L.) R.M. King are most common on the lowland coastal forests while communities dominated by either Litsea glutinosa (Lour.) C.B.Rob. or Cardiospermum grandiflorum Sw. can prevail in both lowland coastal and scarp forests.
Canopy gaps in lowland forests can facilitate the transition of native forests to novel communities containing a variety of alien plant species. Communities of shrub, climber and tree IAPs occur in lowland coastal forests while climber and tree IAPs dominate the high-elevation scarp forests. The resilience shown by some native species to the tree, shrub and climber IAPs by remaining when IAPs establish makes these species very suitable for restoration projects. Forest patches surrounded by a high incidence of residential and industrial areas in the buffer matrix are likely to have a high diversity of IAPs. Larger patch size and high connectivity to nearby native forests are key in reducing invasion by IAPs.
Urbanisation generally has negative impacts on ecosystems, mainly because of habitat loss (Boon et al. 2016; Lehosmaa et al. 2017; Nor et al. 2017; Galic et al. 2018). Urban expansion is primarily driven by population growth (Ersoy 2016) and the consequent increase in demand for services (EPCPD 2016; Lehosmaa et al. 2017). The reduction of vegetation in urban areas and soil manipulation due to anthropogenic development/expansion lead to the overall reduction of urban green space (Threlfall et al. 2016). Green spaces in urban areas support many plant species, both native and non-native. Some of the native species can be endemic or endangered and should be protected due to the vulnerability to extinction in their communities (Lepczyk et al. 2017). The overall diversity of native species is determined by the size, quantity and quality of urban green spaces. Green space networks in cities are recognised around the globe to be fundamental for urban ecosystem functioning (Boon et al. 2016) and for the health and wellbeing of residents through food provision and pollution removal (Threlfall et al. 2016; Nor et al. 2017). From a spatial-ecology perspective, the reduction of green spaces does not only lead to reduced sizes of forest patches. The reduction in green space causes an increase in the ratio of the area of edge habitats to total patch size (Vidra 2004; Bergsten et al. 2013). Forest centres having closed canopies act as physical barriers to dispersal pathways, and the prevailing light and moisture conditions act as environmental barriers to the establishment of alien plants. Forest edges have lower canopy cover and are closer to transportation corridors and thus they may have weaker physical and environmental barriers to invasion (Hansen and Clevenger 2005). Forest edges create a favourable micro-climate for establishment of invasive alien plants (IAPs) (Vidra 2004; Bierwagen 2005; Bergsten et al. 2013). This implies that forest patches that are highly fragmented can have altered successional processes, whereby early successional exotic species alter and increase the risk of decline in native species (Singer et al. 2016). The Durban Metropolitan Open Space System (D'MOSS) occurs along a variety of habitat types and includes areas of high biodiversity value linked to form an ecologically viable network. The network of areas (ca. 75,000 ha; one third of the municipality) has a high biodiversity value and has been under municipal management for over three decades (Boon et al. 2016; EPCPD 2016).
Physical features of urban areas such as buildings, large impermeable concrete surfaces, pollution, high human population and traffic density are known for promoting the establishment of alien plant species. These physical features may alter resource availability, such as increased light where trees are cut and high soil moisture occurring along drainage channels or paths (Grunewald et al. 2018). More often, plant communities with high resource availability allow for homogenous growth of early successional alien plants or a high diversity of invasive alien plant species (IAPs) (Muster et al. 2014). In this study, the acronym 'IAPs' refers to naturalised plants that regenerate in large numbers in distant locations from the location where parent plants were introduced (Richardson et al. 2000). These communities normally have high densities of IAP propagules (Heinrichs and Pauchard 2015). Plant communities with a high density of propagules normally exert propagule pressure to nearby forest reserves (Heinrichs and Pauchard 2015; Padayachee et al. 2017). Landscape connectivity is used to describe the structural and functional continuity of ecosystems (Ziółkowska et al. 2014; Nor et al. 2017) from landscape to regional scale (LaPoint et al. 2015). Structural connectivity is measured by landscape metrics such as patch size, isolation and the identification of linear features that may act as conduits or barriers to IAP movement (LaPoint et al. 2015). This means that connectivity is a vital element to maintain gene flow and to facilitate species movement, distribution, dispersal and recolonisation (LaPoint et al. 2015; Naicker et al. 2016; Nor et al. 2017). Consequently, it may also influence the success of establishment and spread of IAPs (Vidra 2004; Bierwagen 2005; Procheş et al. 2005).
In forest communities, the invasion levels by exotic species depend on the integrity of the canopy cover whereby forests with many and relatively large canopy gaps are readily invaded. This is because invasive species establish and grow rapidly in large canopy gaps and along forest margins (Geldenhuys 2004). Some forest sites experiencing branch or tree falls that are small in nature have shown to be sufficient to allow low light demanding tree invasive species to grow to the canopy (van Wyk et al. 1996). Canopy gaps facilitate the coexistence of large numbers of species because they remove barriers of dispersal and recruitment while advancing the growth of early-successional species which are suppressed under the forest canopy (Lawes et al. 2004). Forest edges that are dense and forest canopies that are closed often create physical barriers for light demanding IAPs and limit their dispersal pathways (Hansen and Clevenger 2005). Late-successional species are lost through disturbance regimes that cause canopy gaps, leading to the establishment of light-demanding pioneer species which are adapted to colonising new disturbed sites (Lawes et al. 2004). Furthermore, IAPs are likely to become dominant near forest paths because of the physical disturbance of the soil and vegetation which increases light conditions and this favours the growth of IAPs (Hansen and Clevenger 2005).
The functional types of IAPs namely trees, shrubs and climbers are considered to have a negative impact on forest integrity, as illustrated by several species established in coastal KwaZulu-Natal (Geldenhuys 2013). The tree IAP Litsea glutinosa (Lour.) C.B.Rob. establishes vigorously in humid areas of sub-tropical forests. This light-demanding plant takes advantage of small canopy gaps in the forest, and its vegetative reproduction by root-suckering makes it an aggressive invader that poses a threat to biodiversity loss under canopy (Jacq et al. 2005). Similarly, Melia azedarach L. invades urban open space, wasteland and riparian zones (Henderson 2001). When the species undergoes physiological damage, it can reproduce by vegetative means through stump and root sprouts for its persistence in the environment (Tourn et al. 1999). The shrub Chromolaena odorata (L.) R.M. King is restricted to frost-free areas and displays great plasticity in terms of growth form and in terms of the vegetation types it invades (Zachariades et al. 2002). The shrub Lantana camara L. grows aggressively and causes ecological destruction through loss of species diversity and more so due to its ability to dominate the understorey (Totland et al. 2005). Another evergreen perennial branched shrub (Olckers 1999), which is aggressive, extremely resilient, invades riparian, forest, grass and agricultural land is Solanum mauritianum Scop. (Witkowski and Garner 2008; Peerbhay et al. 2016). The climber Cardiospermum grandiflorum Sw. grows vigorously in damp conditions preferably along forest margins and watercourses of the subtropics (Simelane et al. 2011), climbing to heights of 6 m up to 10 m (Henderson 2001; Krings and Braham 2005). Once the invader is well established, it forms a smothering curtain which outcompete indigenous species for sunlight (Simelane et al. 2011). Another climber, Ipomoea purpurea (L.) Roth, grows vigorously twining above the vegetation around them for light (Defelice 2001). Furthermore, the vine is adapted to low light intensities found in the forest understorey (Defelice 2001). The plastic physiological and morphological traits of some IAPs allow for the efficient use of available resources for fast growth such as soil moisture, nutrients and light; hence, they can outperform less plastic native species (Leishman et al. 2007; Funk 2008; Kraft et al. 2015). Some native pioneer species exhibit traits like those of exotic species such as light and water efficiency. These traits make them to adapt, grow and persist in altered forest conditions that result in either increased or decreased resources essential for growth due to natural and anthropogenic environmental disturbances (Everard et al. 1995; Schulten et al. 2014).
The assembly of natural plant communities is determined by several biotic and abiotic factors and their interaction effects along environmental gradients (Olthoff et al. 2015), which occur at multiple spatial scales (Dray et al. 2012). In this context, having IAPs in mind, it is important to identify plant communities that are vulnerable to invasion due to prevailing environmental factors (Hero et al. 2014). This study aims to describe existing distribution patterns of the dominant IAPs across two different spatial scales namely patch (forest reserve) and plot (on site within a forest reserve). The specific objectives of the study are (i) to identify controlling environmental factors at fine and broad scale, defining the IAPs distribution, and (ii) to determine community associations between native species and IAPs as an indicator of native plant species resilience.
The eThekwini Municipal Area in which the Durban City falls under (Bengtsson et al. 2003) is situated in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province of South Africa (29° 52′ S, 31° 01′ E). It is situated in the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany regional centre, which is one of the 35 global biodiversity hotspots (Boon et al. 2016; EPCPD 2016). The climate is subtropical with wet and warm summers, and mild dry winters. Temperature in eThekwini Municipality varies along the steep elevational gradient, from warm to cool as one moves from the coast to inland which has a maximum elevation of 904 m (EPCPD 2016). The mean annual temperature range is 16–20 °C, while the mean annual rainfall range is 550–1200 mm per annum (INR 2004). A total of 15 forest patches (mostly nature reserves, as well as one golf estate and one conservancy) which are included in the D'MOSS and are managed by different authorities, were selected for sampling (Table 1).
Table 1 Fifteen forest patches of the sampling sites within D'MOSS and their details on geographic and management authority of each. EKZNW stands for Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife, PO for privately owned and EM for eThekwini Municipality
Species sampling
After an initial exploratory stage, the most abundant and widespread IAP species in each of the growth forms considered were included as target species. These were two tree IAPs namely Litsea glutinosa and Melia azedarach, three shrubs namely Chromolaena odorata, Lantana camara and Solanum mauritianum and two climbers namely Cardiospermum grandiflorum and Ipomoea purpurea. Seventy-four plots measuring 100 m2 (10 m × 10 m) were surveyed, and a plot was established at every site where the target species were encountered in the forest patch. In the plots, the community structure (strata/vertical layers) was determined and the percentage canopy cover in each stratum was estimated. All native and invasive species in the shrub and tree layers were recorded for each stratum. The strata were categorised according to height as follows: lower trees (> 6 m), tall shrubs (> 2–6 m), low shrubs (0.5–2 m) and all climbers (regarded as a separate stratum because they grow across all layers). The total cover from all species within a plot was assessed according to Tansley's DAFOR scale (Emson et al. 2018): D = Dominant (5); A = Abundant (4), F = Frequent (3), O = Occasional (2) and R = Rare (1). The overall species cover values were obtained by determining the average cover from all plots and used as a dependent variable with the environmental variables treated as independent. Species were identified using the most recent regional tree guide (Boon 2010). The Plants of Southern Africa website from the South African National Biodiversity Institute was accessed to confirm plants scientific names and floristic details (SANBI 2016). Furthermore, the Angiosperm Phylogeny website was accessed to confirm the most recent family assignment of the species (Stevens 2017).
Environmental factors of plot scale and patch scale
The plot-level environmental factors of geographic scale recorded included forest type (coastal or scarp), elevation (m), latitude and longitude (measured with a GPS). Environmental variables were recorded as a percentage cover in each plot. These were exposed rock, gravel or surface stones, erosion and canopy gaps (inverse of canopy cover). At the patch level, the spatial variables for each nature reserve were obtained from digital cartography available in Google Earth Pro 7.2. The software Arc GIS 10.3.1 was used to convert layers to KML files and to create buffers of 500 m for each forest patch shape file. These buffers were embedded on Google Earth images of 2017 to create land-use polygons found within the buffer area. ArcGIS software was used to calculate the total area (hectares) of land represented by the polygons for each land use and to compute the number of forest patches found in the matrix (NP). Class area represents how much of the landscape is comprised by a patch type, which determines the size of a patch within a landscape. In forest fragmentation, it is important to know the total size of a target forest patch that exists within the landscape. The landscape similarity index or buffer index is the percentage of the landscape represented by one land-use type (McGarigal and Barbara 1995; Rutledge 2003). For this study, there are four landscape similarity indices, namely forest, grassland, residential and industrial areas.
Connectivity calculations of forest patches
For each forest patch sampled, a proximity buffer of 500 m was delineated for the identification of forest patches to be included in the calculation. The formula of patch connectivity incorporates the isolation of individual forest patches in relation to other forest patches found within the buffer. The patch connectivity index (PCI) was calculated as an area-based index weighted by distance and calculated as:
$$ \mathrm{Connectivity}\ \mathrm{Index}=\sum \limits_j^N\frac{{\mathrm{A}}_j}{{\mathrm{Dist}}_j} $$
where Aj denotes the area (m2) of a focal patch and Distj is the squared distance (m2) from the focal patch edge to another edge of a nearby patch in the landscape (Munguía-Rosas and Montiel 2014). In this calculation, the closest three patches to each focal patch were sampled to obtain their distances, which were then squared and calculated to obtain the focal forest patch index. Calculations relevant here are the mean connectivity index for each class (forest patch) and for all patches in the landscape. The patch connectivity index is used to calculate the degree of isolation. The landscape index is calculated as the average of all patch connectivity indices found within the landscape (Table 1). When a forest patch has a very low landscape index in comparison to that of the surrounding landscape, it means that the forest patch is highly isolated and when the landscape index of the patch is higher than that of the landscape it means it is less fragmented (McGarigal and Barbara 1995).
Numerical data analyses
Floristic similarity
The results of hierarchical clustering can be visualised using a dendrogram that indicates which plots are similar on the basis of their species composition. Species that occurred in ten or more plots were selected and used to classify plots into clusters. The dominant plant species occurring in each group were then used to name the plant communities that were in those clusters. The Paleontological Statistics Software Package (PAST v3.18) was used to analyse the dataset of plots with their species composition into clusters (Legendre and Legendre 1998; Hammer et al. 2001). The clustering of plant communities was performed using Ward's algorithm as a linkage method and with Euclidean distance as a distance measure. Ward's method uses an information criterion to join clusters in such a way that within-group variance is minimised (Hammer et al. 2001). The 15% dissimilarity value was used as a cut-off in defining clusters as it best separated clusters of manageable and comparable size in terms of number of species.
Ordination and variation partitioning of vegetation plot data
Ordination is the arrangement of data units along one or more axes that express the range of variation existing within the dataset. The final result of an ordination is a graph that shows the variation of data units along two or more axes in a scatter-diagram. Constrained ordination characterises main trends of variation of data sets with respect to environmental factors and limits the illustration of unexplained variation (Legendre and Legendre 1998). The CANOCO 5.1 program package was used to run the ordination analysis (Ter Braak and Šmilauer 2012). Constrained ordinations were carried out on 32 species that occurred in ten or more plots of the whole data set, using the ordination method of canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) (Schulten et al. 2014). The CCA allows for the measurement of the amount of variation in the species distribution data that can be explained by a set of environmental variables (Borcard et al. 1992). Environmental variables used for the data analysis are shown in Table 2, and they are differentiated according to their spatial scale of occurrence, either at fine (plot) or broad (patch) scale. The plot scale analysis determines which niche factors influence the establishment of invasive species while the patch scale analysis determines which landscape attributes facilitate or impede the establishment of those species. This shows the scale of influence in the establishment and distribution of species (Ersoy 2016; Krishnadas et al. 2016).
Table 2 Environmental factors (and their abbreviations) used in the current study along with a description of their geographic scale. The fine scale refers to plot area (100 m2), and the broad scale refers to patch size (ranges from 9.5 to 787 ha)
Variation partitioning consists of a series of canonical ordinations that are constrained by a single set of explanatory variables with the complementary set used as co-variables. The variable sets that were used in this analysis are the environmental conditions at a plot scale and the variables explaining the spatial structure across the patch scale (Borcard et al. 1992; Legendre and Legendre 1998). The variation in species distribution is explained by the spatial structuring (Borcard et al. 1992). These are meant to test at which spatial level the species patterns of response are retained as influenced by the environmental factors operating at the two spatial scales (Dray et al. 2012). The spatial structuring of environmental factors addresses the problem of the relative contribution of different overlaid effects in space (Borcard et al. 1992).
Species composition and diversity
A total of 357 species from 75 families were identified in the forest plots (Fig. 1). Of these, there were 37 species that were considered abundant based on the number of plots in which they occurred and these species were illustrated in further analysis and discussion. The important species are listed in descending order of their overall average cover in Table 3.
Map of the study area (eThekwini Municipality) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, indicating the 15 study sites
Table 3 The important native and invasive species retained for analysis determined by average rank of cover of DAFOR scale for all plots
Floristic clustering
A dendrogram with the similarity of plots from the different sites is shown in Fig. 2. It was obtained by fixing and computing a Euclidean distance at 15%, which results in the formation of 13 vegetation clusters. Communities are named after the most dominant species occurring in those clusters (Table 4). A few of these communities are dominated by invasive alien plant species (IAPs), which makes them communities of interest. These are E (Chromolaena odorata), H (Cardiospermum grandiflorum) and K (Litsea glutinosa) (Table 4).
Dendrogram showing the results of cluster analysis based on Ward-Euclidean for the species occurring in the plots. Community clusters delimited at 15% dissimilarity are labelled with letters from A to M, and the red line cuts clusters dominated by similar species. Codes on x-axis refer to all plot numbers of patches where the purple are from scarp forest and black from lowland forests
Table 4 Details of plant communities observed across the coastal lowland and scarp forests, and the number of their representative plots and forest patches each community occurred in
Constrained ordination and variation partitioning
The results of constrained ordination CCA of community E are shown in Fig. 3. The environmental variables with the strongest influence in the establishment of patterns in this community were patch size (PS) and patch connectivity index (PCI). The H and K communities were influenced by the positively correlated land-similarity indices of residential area and industrial area, canopy cover and elevation. Native species communities with an exclusive association with community E were A (Albizia adianthifolia), B (Protorhus longifolia) and C (Dalbergia obovate) (Fig. 3). The M (Strelitzia nicolai) communities occurred close to the H communities.
Constrained ordination CCA for vegetation communities across the fifteen forest patches along the Durban Metropolitan Open Space System. Blue arrows and corresponding labels represent the direction and degree of various environmental variables (See Table 2 for details)
The results of constrained ordination CCA for all environmental variables are shown in Fig. 4. This analysis indicated tree IAPs, patch size and patch connectivity index were all key drivers of species distribution patterns. The tree IAPs Melia azedarach and Litsea glutinosa and the climber IAP Cardiospermum grandiflorum were correlated to canopy cover, while the other IAPs were correlated to canopy gaps (Fig. 4). The canonical axes test of significance is P < 0.01.
Constrained ordination CCA of species distribution across the environmental factors studied (see Table 2 for details). Species codes are detailed in Table 3. Blue arrows and corresponding labels represent the environmental factors, while red labels are IAPs and black labels are native species
The variation partitioning was significant (P < 0.01) for the two spatial levels tested for the plot (group I) and patch (group II) which has an intersection (III). More variables were explained at plot level (42.7%) followed by patch level (33.8%) and least by intersection (23.4%).
The results of variation partitioning at plot level that are significant at P < 0.01 are shown in Fig. 5. The environmental factor of shrub IAPs was positively correlated to canopy gaps while the environmental factors elevation, climber IAPs and tree IAPs were positively correlated to canopy cover.
The plot scale (fine-scale) spatial variables from the Durban Metropolitan Open Space System. Species codes are detailed in Table 3. Blue arrows and corresponding labels represent the environmental factors, while red labels are IAPs and black labels are native species
The results of variation partitioning at the patch scale are shown in Fig. 6. This figure illustrates that the environmental variables of patch size and patch connectivity index are strong drivers of species composition at the patch scale. Furthermore, these environmental variables are positively correlated to similarity indices of forest and grass lands and all show a positive influence on the establishment of the tree IAP Melia azedarach. The environmental variables land similarity indices of residential and industrial area show a positive influence on the establishment of the IAPs Solanum mauritianum, Cardiospermum grandiflorum and Litsea glutinosa. Both sets of environmental factors have weaker correlation with the remaining five IAPs as shown in Fig. 6.
The patch scale (broader-scale) spatial variables from the Durban Metropolitan Open Space System. Species codes are detailed in Table 3. Blue arrows and corresponding labels represent the environmental factors, while red labels are IAPs and black labels are native species
The Buffelsdraai Conservancy and Stainbank Nature Reserve have a high occurrence of community E plots as shown in Fig. 7. These are situated in lowland coastal forest, with large canopy gaps. Some of the properties of Buffelsdraai Conservancy are large patch size and high patch connectivity in relation to the landscape index. Stainbank Nature Reserve has an average patch size and average connectivity in relation to the landscape index (Table 1). The K community occurs in both scarp and lowland coastal forests, whereby the IAP is correlated to elevation and canopy cover. The H community also occur in both scarp and lowland coastal forests and the vine grows in association with both tree and shrub IAPs communities. The influence of the factors of patch size, patch connectivity index, similarity indices of forest and grass lands are prominent in lowland coastal forests.
Envelop mapping of the three important invasive species communities found in association with native species communities that occur in 15 forest patches found in the Durban Metropolitan Open Space System. Blue arrows and corresponding labels represent the environmental factors. Community codes are detailed in Table 4
The environmental variables of the three different functional types (tree IAPs, shrub IAPs and climber IAPs) are not correlated, which means that they have different environmental niches, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. The tree IAPs are distributed around the environmental variable of canopy cover while the climber and shrub IAPs are distributed around the environmental variable of canopy gaps. The highly invaded communities E, H and K are important because each represents one of the troublesome functional types occurring in forests which are tree, shrub and climber IAPs.
Plot-scale environmental effects
The environmental factors of high elevation and medium canopy cover are positively correlated and are strong determinants for tree IAPs (Fig. 5). These factors have a negative influence on diversity of IAPs and native species. Small and scattered canopy gaps found in higher elevation scarp forests explain the limited establishment of pioneer native species there (Everard et al. 1995). The IAPs that are most likely to become problem plants in higher elevation scarp forests are shade-tolerant and bird-dispersed species (Geldenhuys 2004, 2013). These IAPs grow in closed forest ecosystems and are ranked top in the hierarchy of species competitiveness, making them important species for control (Everard et al. 1995).
In canopy gaps, species diversity is high for both alien and native species. This indicates that forest habitat openness increases the establishment of alien species (Charbonneau and Fahrig 2004), which are generally shade intolerant (Geldenhuys 2013). In this study, shrub and climber IAPs were found in canopy gaps (Fig. 5), meaning that the success of invasion by these IAPs is attributed to canopy gaps, species attributes and ecosystem properties (Deckers et al. 2005). Coastal and scarp forests in Durban and nearby areas are occasionally exposed to strong winds that can blow down adult trees growing on generally shallow soils (Everard et al. 1995; Botzat et al. 2015; Vecchio et al. 2015). The lowland coastal forests are characterised by communities of early successional species and are thus dominated by shade-intolerant species (Everard et al. 1995). The physical disruption of the land surface facilitates invasion due to reduced cover and vigour of native species (Davis et al. 2000), and the exposure to light and greater temperature fluctuations which increases nitrogen mineralisation (D'Antonio and Meyerson 2002). Forest gaps that are created in this manner assist invaders to successfully fill unoccupied niches because of the reduction of native species due to degradation (Mack and D'Antonio 1998; Goodall 2000; Wilson et al. 2007; Gaertner et al. 2009). The light in canopy gaps limits late successional species (mostly natives), and the resultant increase in mineral resource levels will favour fast-growing early successional species and this may include invader species (D'Antonio and Meyerson 2002). Canopy gaps are more prevalent in the forest patches found in lowland coastal forests. This finding implies that strong wind exposure is more severe in the lowland coastal forest than the scarp forest (Everard et al. 1995).
Patch-scale environmental effects
The size and types of matrices surrounding forest patches have an influence on the establishment of invasive species (Hansen and Clevenger 2005; Bartuszevige et al. 2006; Botzat 2012; Nitoslawski and Duinker 2016). The niches that have high numbers of IAPs correspond with the areas that have high values for the correlated similarity indices of residence and industry (Fig. 6). Spatial factors such as the close proximity of forest patches to propagule sources could be the reason why urban forests that have high residential and industrial matrix values are subjected to high levels of invasion by alien species (Vidra 2004). Residential areas also influence invasion of forest patches due to high population, pollution (Grunewald et al. 2018) and by the growing of exotic plants for aesthetic values by property occupiers (Nitoslawski and Duinker 2016). This explains why human-derived land uses increase propagule pressure from transformed land matrices into natural forest habitats (González-Moreno et al. 2013). In the current study, those forest patches characterised by high patch size and patch connectivity index (and, simultaneously, medium land similarity indices of forest and grassland) have poor diversity of invasive species (Fig. 6). More isolated patches with a high level of land-use change affect ecosystem integrity, which provides an opportunity for IAPs to establish (Borgmann and Rodewald 2005). Therefore, the proportion of pioneer invasive species on site are an indicator that some form of disturbance occurs in that forest community, but resilience to invasion is shown by a greater patch size (Hernández-Ruedas et al. 2014). There is a weak influence of patch size, patch connectivity index, and similarity indices of forest and grass lands on shrub IAPs distribution at the patch scale in variation partitioning (Fig. 6). This indicates that the interaction of canopy gap with these variables is crucial for species displacement. The level of connectivity and the spatial arrangement of forest corridors do affect the rate of invasion (Bartuszevige et al. 2006). In the current study, the poor invasion of forest patches characterised by these factors indicates that the more connected forest patches are, the more resilient they are to the risks of invasion due to a lower ratio of edge area to patch size which limits the establishment of IAPs. The more edge habitat a forest patch has, the more vulnerable it is to invasion by alien invasive plants (Hansen and Clevenger 2005). Solar radiation changes along forest edges and often influences the state of soil moisture and temperature, which creates a micro-climate which promotes the germination of IAP seeds in the seedbank (Bonanomi et al. 2018).
The distribution of communities
The E (Chromolaena odorata) community is influenced by many environmental factors that are positively correlated with canopy gaps (Fig. 7). Canopy gaps are found mostly in lowland coastal forest patches (Table 1), and the three IAP functional types do occur in them (Fig. 7). The high proximity to non-managed forest patches found outside boundaries of nature reserves act as corridors that could be occupied by plants with wind-dispersed invasive seeds. The configuration of a landscape and the proximity to propagule sources increases dispersal towards nature reserves which increases invasion risk (Borgmann and Rodewald 2005; Botzat 2012). Management of IAPs outside the boundaries of forest reserves might be poor; therefore, adjacent forest patches that are invaded may be propagule sources of wind-dispersed IAPs as suggested by Macdonald and Jarman (1985). So, such forest patches occurring outside of nature reserves, even when they have low transformation and resembling natural habitats, are potential propagule sources of IAPs regeneration in nearby forest reserves (Botzat 2012).
The E community is more pronounced in patches of lowland coastal forest, and the K community is more pronounced in patches of high-elevation scarp forest. Additionally, the H community is found in patches of both types of coastal forests (Fig. 7). A study on IAPs ranked the effects of species functional types and found that the shrub and climber IAPs have high ecological impact on species diversity and distribution extent when compared with the tree IAPs. Furthermore, the two functional types are difficult to control (Macdonald and Jarman, 1985). The patterns of forest community assembly relate directly to the forest dynamics and to the species adapting to specific environmental factors or disturbance regimes (Geldenhuys 2013). Factors that determine the levels of invasion are propagule pressure and suitable traits for establishment (Matthews et al. 2009). Furthermore, species establishment is determined by suitable traits for establishment traits and the site condition. A few lowland coastal forest patches had occurrence of all three IAP functional type clusters. Invasive species that co-exist are likely to vary in their impact and their niche preference (Kuebbing et al. 2014). Multiple invasions lead to high risk of transformation to novel communities. The K community is associated with canopy cover in both forest types in an elevational range of 80–580 m asl. The species of the K vegetation community are shade-tolerant which makes them a great threat to the integrity of natural forest (Geldenhuys 2004). This is because shade-tolerant IAPs exhibit advanced regeneration and establishment properties under closed canopies, by taking advantage of the small canopy gaps to grow and reach the canopy (West et al. 2000). These species usually form dense populations of saplings in the forest understory (Geldenhuys 2013).
The ordination association of the IAP community E with A, I, D and F communities is an indication that these species are resilient to the prevailing forest dynamics of their niche. The ordination association of the IAP community K with J, L and M communities is an indicator that these native species can deal with the same environmental factors that are promoting the establishment of IAPs. Species that co-occur in these environmental conditions are those that have developed strategies for coping and survival (Gallien et al. 2014). Therefore, these species can be used to pre-empt invasion in forest restoration projects. The climber IAPs occur in canopy gaps and grow to the level of the tree canopy. Climber IAPs grow well in damp environments with a preference for forest margins and canopy gaps, where they get adequate light levels for growth. Furthermore, the tendrils of the vines and lianas help them to twirl around other plants allowing them to climb over 10 m in height, where they then form large canopy cover to outcompete other plants for light (Simelane et al. 2011). Competitive species replace non-competitive ones in niches that have resources manipulated by disturbance. Native tree species of the coastal forest of KwaZulu-Natal that have shown resilience in canopy gaps include Croton syivaticus (Everard et al. 1995), Canthium inerme, Trema orientalis, Albizia adianthifolia, Bridelia micrantha and Ekebergia capensis (Grainger 2012). Forest site restoration is most likely to be successful when these native species are planted to occupy any empty niches. This suggests that those native species that remain in invaded environments are likely to persist (Schulten et al. 2014).
The higher elevations in scarp coastal forests and small canopy gaps favour the occurrence of tree IAPs while limiting other alien invasions. In scarp forests, early control of tree IAPs under canopy can avoid the loss of biodiversity and economic costs before the species can establish and reach canopy level. Some native species, which are found in association with tree, shrub and climber IAPs are resilient when IAPs establish around them. This informs forest restoration projects that those species can be considered for planting. The risk of novel community development is high in lowland coastal forests and this can be attributed to the high frequency of canopy gaps that occur there. This finding makes coastal forests a high priority area for the control of IAPs relative to scarp forests. Forest patches with a high buffer matrix of residential and industrial surroundings have a high diversity of IAPs. The creation of outside boundary buffers to control the influx of IAPs is recommended for such situations. Large patch size of forests and high connectivity of forest patches have shown to result in low levels of invasion by IAPs.
asl:
Above sea level
CCA:
Canonical correspondence analysis
D'MOSS:
Durban Metropolitan Open Space System
EMA:
eThekwini Municipal Area
IAPs:
Invasive alien plant species
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The authors would like to thank NRF for financial support through the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The management of eThekwini Municipality and Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife for granting access to the forest nature reserves. Additional thanks to Mr. S Mjaja for assistance in GIS use and applications.
The National Research Foundation (NRF) funds LZM's academic and living costs which includes data collection and analysis, travel, meals and accommodation.
Please contact author.
School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, University Road Westville, Private Bag X 54001, Durban, 4000, South Africa
Lindani Z. Mavimbela
, Erwin J. J. Sieben
& Şerban Procheş
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LZM designed the study, collected, organised the data for analysis and wrote the manuscript. EJJS is the main supervisor on the study design, data collection, data analysis and manuscript write-up. ŞP co-supervised on the study design, data collection, data analysis and manuscript write-up. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Correspondence to Lindani Z. Mavimbela.
LZM, currently PhD Candidate at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences.
EJJS, Senior Lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences.
ŞP, Professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences.
Mavimbela, L.Z., Sieben, E.J.J. & Procheş, Ş. Invasive alien plant species, fragmentation and scale effects on urban forest community composition in Durban, South Africa. N.Z. j. of For. Sci. 48, 19 (2018) doi:10.1186/s40490-018-0124-8
Species community
Patch connectivity index


que mi hiziera feliz como ayer lo fui..
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text:
l'isopyre faux-pigamon (Isopyrum thalictroides) est une espèce herbacée vivace de la famille des Ranunculaceae.

C'est une plante qui pousse en touffe aux grandes tiges minces et glabres.

Description
Les feuilles sont vertes tirant sur le bleu et formé de 3 folioles eux-mêmes tribobés.
Les fleurs sont blanches, au bout de pédoncules secondaires (comme des boutons d'or) .

Habitat
C'est une espèce considérée comme  vivant dans les lieux humides et ombragés, sous les feuillus ou dans les fissures de rochers jusqu'à  m d'altitude.

Aire de répartition
C'est une espèce endémique de l'Europe centrale ;  de la Pologne aux Balkans, et de la France à la mer Noire.

Notes et références

Voir aussi

Articles connexes

 Renonculacées

Lien externe

Bibliographie

Espèce d'Angiospermes (nom scientifique)
Ranunculaceae

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Richard Bach (ur. 23 czerwca 1936) – amerykański pisarz, filozof i publicysta. Autor noweli "Mewa". Twierdzi, że jest potomkiem Johanna Sebastiana Bacha w prostej linii.

Twórczość
 Stranger to the Ground (1963)
 Biplane (1966)
 Nothing by Chance (1969)
 Jonathan Livingston Seagull / Mewa (1970)
 A Gift of Wings (1974)
 There's No Such Place As Far Away (1976)
 Illusions / Iluzje (1977)
 The Bridge Across Forever / Most przez wieczność (1984)
 One (1988)
 Running from Safety (1994)
 Out of My Mind (1999)
 Flying (2003)
 Messiah's Handbook (2004)

 The Ferret Chronicles:
 Air Ferrets Aloft (2002)
 Rescue Ferrets at Sea (2002)
 Writer Ferrets: Chasing the Muse (2002)
 Rancher Ferrets on the Range (2003)
 The Last War: Detective Ferrets and the Case of the Golden Deed (2003)
 Curious Lives: Adventures from the Ferret Chronicles
 Zahipnotyzować Marię (2009)

Linki zewnętrzne

 Strona fanów

Amerykańscy pisarze
Urodzeni w 1936


Current Investigators: Aguilar, Zoraida P.
Cryptosporidium parvum, a waterborne pathogen, is a serious threat to the Nation's water supply. It does not respond to common antibiotics and resists water purification treatments. It is of interest to not only monitor C. parvum oocysts in drinking water, but also to study their fate in the environment from various sources (e.g., cattle) in lakes and streams. This is especially important today in assessing vulnerability to biological terrorism. However, current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) methods (ICR, 1622, and 1623) for the detection of C. parvum in water are inadequate for such studies. Several aspects inhibit extensive use of the methods: expense ($400-$750 per sample), time (a few days to several weeks), the need for highly skilled personnel, and poor sensitivity and repeatability (approximately 100 oocysts/L detection limit). Vegrandis, Inc.'s approach promises to provide significant improvements over current EPA methods.
During Phase I, a new concept will be evaluated for capturing oocysts and tested on a macroscale, first on laboratory-prepared samples, and second on resuspended pellets from the filtration and concentration portions of EPA Method 1623. Extrapolation of macroscale results to the microscale will allow for the estimation of detection limits and response time, and thus, determine feasibility for Phase II. Parameters based on macroscale studies also will be considered for optimizing a microelectrochemical method that may substitute for the current immunofluorescence assay and microscope detection of the EPA method. If Phase I is successful, Phase II will involve downsizing to the microscale, developing direct sampling from environmental water sources, and automating the process using miniaturization strategies that allow filtration to be minimized or eliminated and make onsite analysis possible. The commercial application includes developing water monitoring methodologies and devices.
Several innovations that contrast greatly from EPA methods are involved. First, detection of C. parvum oocysts will utilize electrochemical detection instead of fluorescence methods that suffer from interfering background fluorescence (e.g., algae). Second, the capturing antibody (IgG) is based on recognition of oocyst coat proteins instead of carbohydrates (IgM), thereby further minimizing interferences from other organisms. Third, the capture approach holds promise for high-volume throughput capability, which may lead to the elimination of filter use. Fourth, with microscale electrochemical detection, immunoassembly sites will be located within a few microns of the detector, which will greatly improve speed and sensitivity of detection. These are patent-pending approaches originally developed by the Principal Investigator and her research team, to which Vegrandis, Inc., has an exclusive license.


Doxorubicin Affects Expression of Proteins of Neuronal Pathways in MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells.
In the present article, we report on the semi-quantitative proteome analysis and related changes in protein expression of the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line following treatment with doxorubicin, using the precursor acquisition independent from ion count (PAcIFIC) mass spectrometry method. PAcIFIC represents a cost-effective and easy-to-use proteomics approach, enabling for deep proteome sequencing with minimal sample handling. The acquired proteomic data sets were searched for regulated Reactome pathways and Gene Ontology annotation terms using a new algorithm (SetRank). Using this approach, we identified pathways with significant changes (≤0.05), such as chromatin organization, DNA binding, embryo development, condensed chromosome, sequence-specific DNA binding, response to oxidative stress and response to toxin, as well as others. These sets of pathways are already well-described as being susceptible to chemotherapeutic drugs. Additionally, we found pathways related to neuron development, such as central nervous system neuron differentiation, neuron projection membrane and SNAP receptor activity. These later pathways might indicate biological mechanisms on the molecular level causing the known side-effect of doxorubicin chemotherapy, characterized as cognitive impairment, also called 'chemo brain'. Mass spectrometry data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD002998.


If you have several rental activities, and cannot meet the material participation rules for any single activity, the grouping election allowed under IRC §469 may be a good option. Here is what you need to know about the election.
What is the election? The election is a statement that is required to be attached to your tax return. The election must be filed by the due date of the tax return, including extensions for the year in which the taxpayer wishes to make the election. Once the election is made, it cannot be changed except for in specific circumstances.
What are the pre-requisites? You must first meet the definition of a qualifying real estate professional except for the fact that you do not materially participate in any one activity. The election allows you to group certain activities together and treat them as one activity. The activities must constitute an "economic unit" which means that the activities must be related. The Regulations state that the taxpayer can use any reasonable method to make this determination, and that the following factors are given the most weight when determining an economic unit: Similarities of the business, extent of common control, extent of common interest, geographic location, and interdependence of the activities.
What are the pros of making the election? Starting for the year in which the election is made, losses that would have been suspended by the passive activity rules will now be deductible as expenses of a qualifying real estate professional for all of the activities that are part of the grouping election.
What are the cons of making the election? Even though the activities have been grouped, any prior year suspended passive activity losses are not freed up or usable against other income after making the election. Only losses incurred from the year of election and going forward are allowed to be deducted. The other drawback is that if one activity from a group is sold during the year, prior year suspended passive losses from that property will not be freed up and allowed to be deducted until all of the activities in the group are sold.
Making the grouping election can be very beneficial, but could also produce unintended negative consequences. There are also many other facts that should be considered before making the election.
If you have rental real estate and are considering the grouping election, please contact us. We can help you sort through the complexities and determine the strategy that's right for your particular situation.


Stocks tumbled Monday, and investors showed signs they were starting to get a little bit nervous about 2014. There are a number of factors that have propelled this year's early string of losses. Earnings season is starting with lots of companies warning their results will not meet expectations. Also causing some concern Monday were comments from Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart in support of Federal Reserve's plan to continue cutting back on its bond-buying stimulus program.
And then there's investor sentiment. The growing feeling is that last year's rally was, well, so last year.
The Dow Jones industrial average (^DJI) slid 179 points, a fourth straight loss. The Standard & Poor's 500 index (^GPSC) fell 23, and the Nasdaq composite index (^IXIC) tumbled 61 points.
Among the Dow's worst performers: Nike (NKE), Exxon-Mobil (XOM), Disney (DIS) and Microsoft (DIS) all lost 2 percent or more. The only big winner was Merck (MRK), which rallied 6 percent after a preliminary FDA review strongly endorsed the company's drug to prevent blood clots.
Retail stocks continued to slide. Lululemon (LULU) tumbled 16.5 percent after the maker of yoga gear cut its fourth-quarter outlook. The stock has been on a steady downward path over the past three months, losing about a third of its value.
Two other retailers of women's apparel were also battered. Express (EXPR) reported a drop in store traffic. It fell 4.5 percent. And Ascena (ASNA), which owns Dress Barn, Lane Bryant and other chains, fell 7 percent.
%VIRTUAL-article-sponsoredlinks%Target (TGT) lost nearly 2 percent. House Democrats want the Financial Services Committee to investigate the hacking of credit card and other personal data of as many as 110 million Americans. J.C. Penney (JCP) lost 8 percent and Kohl's (KSS) fell 6 percent.
Elsewhere, last week's big winner, Intercept (ICPT) Pharmaceuticals gave back 18 percent on word its liver treatment raised cholesterol levels in some trial patients.
But cheers to shareholders of the liquor company Beam (BEAM). It agreed to be acquired, sending the stock up 24 percent. Rival Brown-Forman (BF-A), maker of Jack Daniels and Southern Comfort, among other spirits, rose 4 percent.
Netflix (NFLX) gained 1.5 percent on its success at last night's Golden Globes.
And Alnylam Pharma (ALNY) soared 41 percent after expanding its collaboration with Genzyme, a subsidiary of Sanofi (SNY).
The Commerce Department releases retail sales data for December at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time and business inventories for November at 10 a.m.


What is the best vacuum cleaner or home vacuum cleaner? These are the standing questions of those who are interested in buying a vacuum cleaner. And if you have these questions then invite readers to buy good vacuum cleaner below.
Dust is always a problem with many families. Especially with families near the manufacturing facilities, construction or highway. Resolving dust problems in the home requires a total solution, not just a vacuum cleaner. That you need to know the cause, the origin of dust. For example, with families at the side of the highway having many trucks, the priority must be to find ways to prevent dust from coming into the house rather than waiting for the dust to come in.
For less dusty places such as in private homes, apartments or offices, a vacuum cleaner is an effective solution for improving the living environment. So what kind of vacuum cleaner (handheld, vertical vacuum cleaner, robot) and what kind of vacuum cleaner do you have? These issues will be answered in turn in the following.
The most basic function of a vacuum cleaner is to remove dirt on clean surfaces. The most common are vacuuming in the floor, carpeting in the carpet (hard to smoke a little), dust under the furniture in the family such as under the table, chests, chests … And for the purpose. Vacuum cleaners are divided into two basic groups: household vacuum cleaners (small capacity) and vacuum cleaners in industry, professional services (large capacity).
Household vacuum cleaners are designed quite compact with moderate capacity. The machine can clean raw dust, dust, dust in the air during the vacuum. The range of vacuum cleaner products range from household vacuum cleaners, vertical vacuum cleaners, box vacuum cleaners and automatic vacuum cleaners. Home appliances typically have around 300W of vibration-free power, for basic home use.
Industrial vacuum cleaners are basically the same as household vacuum cleaners but have very high capacity, large containers. The structure of industrial vacuums is more complex than domestic vacuums such as the ability to vacuum dust (metals, glass, etc.). powerful water absorption function (for both cleaning and sucking); High quality dust filters such as HEPA, ULPA to remove allergens and prevent respiratory diseases.
Many industrial vacuum cleaners are less expensive than household vacuum cleaners. Therefore, you may also consider purchasing industrial vacuum cleaners for home use to effectively vacuum.
2. What type of vacuum cleaner is best?
The most basic way of knowing when buying a vacuum cleaner is based on product design. Based on design and design, the family vacuum cleaner is divided into two main categories: Upright Vacuum Cleaners, Canister Vacuum Cleaners, Hand Vacuum Cleaners and Vacuum Blowers. automatic dust.
Vertical vacuum cleaners have a large capacity, making vacuuming fast and clean. These vertical series are widely used in the US but not popular in Vietnam. Standing machines have large volume dust bags, which are dusty. This is a line of products with good hygienic matting, which canister vacuum cleaner products popular in Vietnam can not do.
However, the vertical vacuum cleaner products are quite cumbersome, difficult to clean the upper areas such as curtains, ceilings. The most basic reason that this product is not popular in Vietnam is probably related to the high price.
Among the family of vacuum cleaners, these vertical vacuum cleaners are the best. The high power of the machine ensures fast cleaning and the vacuum cleaner in the house.
Canister vacuum cleaners are typically designed with paper bags / plastic boxes to store dust. The basic function is dry dust extraction or suction extraction. The weight of the Canister is lighter than the Upright and weighs in at 5 to 7 kg.
This type of machine is designed with cat litter box connected to suction head, the engine is compact in the body. It comes with a wide range of vacuum cleaner accessories, such as floor nozzles, extension pipes, flexible hoses, suction and brushes, etc. These accessories increase the flexibility of the machine and help you clean the Unusual location such as cabinets, curtain rails, chairs, stairs.
These Canister vacuum cleaners are sold very much outside the market. With moderate power, easy to use, the machine is used in the home to vacuum dust on the floor. The biggest disadvantage of this machine is that it is difficult to clean areas with thick carpets. Besides the dust bag of this line is quite small so you will have to dust often.
In addition to horizontal vacuum cleaner, portable vacuum cleaner products are also sold quite widely and quite popular in Vietnam. These products have the advantage of being very easy to use. You can carry the machine to vacuum dust in the corner, overhead … The handset is battery type and uses electricity directly. Using this machine you can clean the dirt on the stove, on the top of the cabinet, on the desk or in the car, etc. With families often worship, the machine is easy to clean freckles. and clean the altar.


text:
Welsh Lady Bed and Breakfast
A Jefferson Texas Bed and Breakfast
Call today at 1-903-665-8678
Enjoy a central location near restaurants, history and the night life, only two blocks from the downtown area of the charming, historic riverboat town of Jefferson, Texas.
The Welsh Lady bed and breakfast in Jefferson, Texas, is a two room stand alone guest house that is part of the historic Bateman – Rowell House built in 1859. Located at 307 North Vale, it is only two blocks from the downtown area of the charming, historic riverboat town of Jefferson, Texas.
The guest house has a queen bed in the bedroom with a separate bathroom with antique claw footed bathtub and also a separate shower. The adjoining sitting room has a separate small service kitchen with a coffeemaker, a refrigerator and a sink.
307 North Vale, Jefferson, TX 75657
Reservations 903-665-8678
Both rooms have authentic wood burning fireplaces and there are color televisions in both rooms.
With a separate entrance from the main house, guests can come and go without the worry of disturbing the owners.
Amenities include off street parking, a private garden and full breakfast delivered to the guest house included in the full price of $150.00 per night with two nights minimum. Adults only and we do not accept credit cards.
Call today at 903-665-8678.
Welsh Lady Bed & Breakfast 903-665-8678
Take a journey through time when the living was tough and the era was golden. As you walk through the park by the Big Cypress you'll get a sense of days gone by. Use your imagination and you can almost hear the whistle of steamboats entering port, the rustle of long petticoats and riverboat gamblers making a ruckus in the tavern.
Enjoy the horse drawn carriage in the streets of Jefferson or a cruise on a boat down the Bayou. Fancy a ride on the steam train, a relaxing afternoon in our historic library or museum. All this within walking distance, no need to move the car.
The Rose Cottage was built in 1859 and is part of the larger historic Bateman-Rowell House complex.
Copyright © 2023 Welsh Lady Bed and Breakfast — Velux WordPress theme by GoDaddy

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


What did this Hitoshi say?
Nora thinks that I was in Boston last week.
Tuna asked me if he should ask Jayant out.
I'll do my best to persuade Francisco to help.
Tricia is obsessed with trains.
Dimitry was in the kitchen drinking alone.
Mahmoud often plays piano in the evening.
Sofoklis was just trying to help Kelvin.
Vladimir devoted himself to his family.
Why did you tell Ning?
Ning is the only one with a knife.
Deirdre is in reasonably good health.
Darci always wears a green star.
Things got bad for Eli.
Juliet looked a little shocked.
I can't speak to Tanya.
Both Ramiro and John are blind.
How much longer can we keep Brett on life support?
Was Deborah a friend of yours?
I think I'll ride back with Shatter.
If you ask me, Sedovic is the one with the problem.
Pam patted his son on the shoulder.
Lance has a lot of money, but not very many friends.
I don't care who Ricardo is talking to.


Hope everyone is doing amazing in their lives.I am just boiling away in the heat right now :P. As it is really hot in Dubai,standing in the hot kitchen,deciding what to eat is the last thing I want to do or if I could just sit in the freezer with decadent chocolate ice cream keeping me company. This dilemma has led me to make the food post of the week, White Garbanzo Salad.
Nutritious, light on the body and ridiculously easy to prepare, I mean I am talking about wash wash, toss toss and eat eat!That simple, here we go.
Take a big bowl. Add in all the ingredients.
Great for summer lunches/dinners. Packet it for work/picnics/at home cozy dinners.Share it with your friends and family.


I've been slack with my updates and for that I can only apologize. Things have been hectic but mostly I have just been old fashioned lazy and not in the frame of mind to sit my arse down and write. Not writer's block by any stretch, but perhaps writer's faffing about. Look I'm even doing it now.
A lot of things went right with our move from Woodstock to the bunker, and a lot of things went, shall we say, less right.
First of all we gave notice on the 21st of November as planned, theoretically giving us till the 7th of December to move, that was according to our lwase, our lease that it did not dawn on either of us had expired. So we were obliged to give 3 weeks notice instead of 2…. bringing our final move date to the 14th of December… so far, so reasonable and more than a little dull.
But by the 12th it had become very apparent, even to us in our heightened state of optimism and denial that we were in no way ready to move yet. We had been in woodstock for just over 6 years and had done about 6 years worth of damage, not to mention accumulated 12 years worth of stuff. The real estate were relatively obliging about our shifting move date until we dropped the "um yeah so we might need an extra week rather than a day or two" bomb. Then things got a little tense to say the least. Apparently the owner wanted yo get in and do some (to my mind) long overdue renovations and we were the grubby, dithering spanner in the works. Finally on the 20th we shut the doors up on the woodstock place for the last time. Our first, but let's face it, hardly ideal family home and I could not have been more over joyed to see the end to the whole stressful saga.
The slowly sinking, leaky flat with it's stained threadbare carpets, cracked walls, slowly capsizing fixtures and multitude of perilous steps would no longer be a concern. A tremendous weight had been lifted from my shoulders and Brent had similar feelings of relief ss he handed the keys in. Good riddance.
Brent's family for holding on to all our stuff and accepting or vague disorganization without drama. And of course for use of the ute, which might I add gave me a giggle at darker times during the move, seeing Brent driving a vehicle with bullhorns emblazened on the back.
My family, particularly my Dad for looking after the littlest one on several occaisions while I panic cleaned.
The random guy who must have kitted out his entire house with our stuff and saved us mang op shop trips.
●Donated at least 40 garbage bags of clothes and household items to charity.
●Took about a literal tonne of rubbish, both sorted and unsorted to the Albury tip.
There is no possible way any family of 4 ever needed this much stuff. Let's hope we never get this bogged down with "things" again.
We have scaled back dramatically but the is still more to be done.
We leave our friends bunker in 2 days but there is still more to tell. Stay tuned for the next installment.
Me? Sweaty mainly but oh what a vast annoyance and dragged out misery the past month has been. Thankfully we've had some amazing friends and family there to ease the woes in a whole series of ways. But I'll come to that later. In the meantime I just thought I'd share this little reminder of why we're doing this. It's a below bus tuna party and only Gizzy and her royal highness are invited.


Welcome to Study Abroad & Exchange Programs at SUNY Plattsburgh!
Congratulations on taking the first step toward enriching your college education through study abroad! Studying abroad is an incredible opportunity that will help you develop personally, professionally and culturally. According to IES Abroad, 96% of surveyed students said that study abroad led to an increase in self-confidence, 98% of respondents said that study abroad helped them to better understand their own cultural values and biases and 87% of respondents said that study abroad influenced their future educational experiences.
To the left, you will find resources to help guide you towards your study abroad experience, including information about program selection and scholarships. If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the Global Education Office.
Location: We are on the second floor of the Kehoe Administration Building on the SUNY Plattsburgh campus.
SUNY Plattsburgh's Global Education Office is a proud member of Generation Study Abroad which has made a commitment to double the number of students studying abroad by the end of the decade.


text:
Gaza>
Israeli Soldiers' Suicides: The Untold Story
Cesar Chelala
Statistics released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) show that in the last 10 years, 237 soldiers killed themselves. That number represents an average of 24 soldiers taking their own lives every year. The release of the IDF statistics was prompted by information about suicides published anonymously by a blogger known as "Eishton", a combination of Hebrew words for "man" and "newspaper".
After he released information about suicides in the military, Eishton was investigated by Israel and the Military Police. What makes those suicides troubling is not only the number of deaths, but what prompted these young soldiers to take their own lives. Because the blogger found a significant disparity between the official death statistics published by the security forces and the number of "remembrance" pages on the official commemoration website "Yizkor", he believed that the number of suicides was much higher than the one shown in official statistics.
One reason for the discrepancy may be the way in which a death is described. It is known that families of those dead soldiers don't want them categorized as suicides. That may be the reason, according to IDF sources, why the Israeli army refuses to publish the exact numbers, including the circumstances of each soldier's death.
One psychiatrist quoted in a Haaretz article states that there is a significant difference in the profile of an army suicide as opposed to other suicide victims. According to him, while most suicides in the general population are committed by individuals who are clinically depressed, most soldiers who commit suicide are people who are physically and mentally healthy but go through an acute life crisis.
Eishton says that the rate of suicides among soldiers is higher than the rate among army-age citizens who are not serving in the military. He is requesting that the army release the name of each soldier with the real cause of death and says, "It's not only suicides that are the problem; it's the problem that they [the army] want us to think that every fallen soldier died in the service of his country."
What explains soldiers' suicides? One explanation may be that they are obliged to carry out actions that go against their own moral principles and beliefs. Breaking the Silence, an organization founded in 2004, published in 2009 a book of controversial testimonies on Operation Cast Lead, the three week invasion of the Gaza Strip that prompted Israel's Foreign Ministry to call Spain, the Netherlands and other foreign governments to cut off funding for the organization.
This organization has now a book of soldiers' testimonies called Our Harsh Logic: Israeli Soldiers' Testimonies From the Occupied Territories, 2000-2010 that contains 145 interviews gathered by the Israeli NGO. These testimonies offer clues about how soldiers feel about the occupation and the tactics used to quell Palestinians' opposition to it.
One testimony, by a staff sergeant from the Nahal Brigade in Hebron, describes how they dealt with two school children throwing firecrackers on their way home after school. When asked if he had seen the kids throwing firecrackers and how old they were he answered,
"No, no, no. We didn't see them throwing. We just saw them passing by. They may have been running. I don't remember, but I do remember we stopped them to search them. One of them was really small...May be four or five years old. A really little kid, with his brother...Perhaps even in kindergarten or first grade...And you are giving him a body search. Him and his brother, who's just a bit older.
"Naturally you don't point your gun at him so as not to frighten him, but this is another tough issue for me, another confrontation with Hebron. You're suddenly searching a little kid. Incredible. I did the search, and I was shocked. I felt so, I can tell you, I felt so immoral at the time, I felt so inhuman. Okay, so the weapon wasn't pointed at him, and you're not threatening him, you're not yelling at him. You are just searching him...Is this something that you can put an end to? I don't know. It hurts. As I said earlier, I'm an education person. I've worked with youth, with children. I've been with first graders in my pre-army service. Suddenly you imagine doing this to a kid you worked with in class, you tutored in arithmetic. Just such a little kid, the same height, the same age, and you are searching him. It is not human."
Dr. Cesar Chelala is an international public health consultant, co-winner of an Overseas Press Club of America award and two national journalism awards from Argentina.
GazaIsrael


Two people re-arrested in connection with the death of an Ipswich man have now been released.
The body of Mr Pooley, aged 22, was found in the River Gipping near London Road in Ipswich on August 13 last year.
A post-mortem examination the following day found the likely cause of death was immersion in water.
In an update issued this evening, police said they had released a 29-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman who were re-arrested this afternoon.
The pair, both from Ipswich, were taken to Martlesham Police Investigation Centre where they were questioned by detectives.
The 29-year-old man, arrested on suspicion of murder, has now been released on police bail until 11am on March 4.
The 36-year-old woman, arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, has been released under investigation.
Previously the man had been arrested on October 2, 2018 and the woman on October 3, 2018 – both in connection with the incident.
On Thursday, January 17, a 30-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman, both formerly from Ipswich, were arrested on suspicion of murder and were bailed until February 12 and 14.
Another woman, aged 28, was previously arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with Joe Pooley's death but has since been released under investigation.


text:
Q: BeautifulSoup is missing content I'm trying to scrap a number of visitors to my local climbing centre.
import requests
from bs4 import BeautifulSoup
page = requests.get("https://portal.rockgympro.com/portal/public/c3b9019203e4bc4404983507dbdf2359/occupancy?&iframeid=occupancyCounter&fId=1644")
soup = BeautifulSoup(page.content, 'html.parser')
results = soup.find('span', id="count")
print(results)

It's printing this:

That's nice, but the number 19 is missing... What am I doing wrong?

A: It's there in json format in the  tag of the html. Just need to pull it out.
import requests
import json
from bs4 import BeautifulSoup

url = 'https://portal.rockgympro.com/portal/public/c3b9019203e4bc4404983507dbdf2359/occupancy?&iframeid=occupancyCounter&fId=1644'
response = requests.get(url)

soup = BeautifulSoup(response.text, 'html.parser')
scriptStr = str(soup.find_all('script')[2]).split('var data = ')[-1].split(';')[0].replace("'",'"')
last_char_index = scriptStr.rfind(",")
scriptStr = scriptStr[:last_char_index] + '}'
scriptStr = scriptStr.replace('&nbsp', ' ')

jsonData = json.loads(scriptStr)

count = jsonData['REA']['count']
capacity = jsonData['REA']['capacity']
lastUpdate = jsonData['REA']['lastUpdate']

print(f'{count} of {capacity} Climbers\n{lastUpdate}')

Output:
58 of 220 Climbers
Last updated: now  (5:20 PM)

A: You're not doing anything wrong, the issue is that the website is populating the  element using JavaScript, which runs after your request is made.
Unfortunately, the requests library cannot run JavaScript since it is a pure HTTP tool. I would recommend checking out something like Selenium which is more robust and can wait for the JavaScript to load before scraping the HTML.

A: You can try requests_html module to get dynamic values which are calculated by javascript. I tried with below logic it worked for me on your site.
from bs4 import BeautifulSoup
import time
from requests_html import HTMLSession

url="Your Site Link"

# create an HTML Session object
session = HTMLSession()

# Use the object above to connect to needed webpage
resp = session.get(url)

# Run JavaScript code on webpage
resp.html.render(sleep=10)

soup = BeautifulSoup(resp.html.html, 'lxml')
results = soup.find('span', id="count")
print(results)

Your Site calculate Result

A: In the dev tools under one of the  tags, you can see that many of those figures are generated after the page load by the JavaScript function showGym().  In order to allow those figures to generate you could use a browser driver tool like webbot or Selenium which can wait on pages long enough for the javascript to execute populate those fields. It might be possible to have requests do that, but I don't know as I've only used webbot when reaching problems like these as it's very easy to use.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Child neurologist frequently see patients with headaches.It is well documented that headache is a multifactorial disorder which includes not only genetic, biological, medical and neuropsychological factor but also psychological and personality traits. The close relationship between stress and migraine attacks and the significant psychiatric comorbidities in migraine provide evidence of a "paradigm" of tight interaction between somatic and psychological aspects in paediatric migraine. In particular in younger children, an uncomfortable situation, a psychological problem or an emotional distress is rarely expressed directly but usually through physical symptoms. So migraine may be considered as a disorder of psychobiological adaptation in which genetic predisposition interplays with internal and/or external environmental influences such as psycho-emotional, climatic, hormonal, dietary or other factors. Pediatric neurologists need always to take in consideration the prevalence of psychological factors in pediatric migraine.


Each of the 4Hers each had a time slot to come and wash the llamas. I brought the girls earlier so that they could practice putting their llamas' costumes on, and work on brushing out their wool.
Jules and Anna working on a poster to hang over their llama's pen.
Bekah holding the goats for Susannah, while Susannah puts their tags in their ears.
I 'got' to help do some touch up shaving on Cabela, Noah's goat 🙂 He did a pretty good job getting most of it, but goats don't like their heads or legs being shaved, so I helped a little there.
Cassia helping Noah with his chicken poster. And Bekah photobombing, of course!
The completed poster! We can't actually show our ducks/chickens this year because of the avian flu…they're trying to prevent the spread of it, so we can't have any 'bird gatherings', lol! But if they complete a couple of projects, they still get to 'sell' their birds. The buyers don't usually get (or want) the birds anyway, so I'm guessing that the 4Hers will walk through the sale ring on Friday with a photo of their bird, or a stuffed animal duck, or something!
Tomorrow is animal check-in, when all of the animals get brought to the fair…yay!
I love the pictures and what I really love is the way all of you look so happy and are smiling. You all are very special.
I have to agree with the above comment. It's so sweet to see how much fun y'all are having together, enjoying the time spent with each other before everyone's all grown up.