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Eastern Scotland (eastern + scotland)
Selected AbstractsSeafloor glacial features reveal the extent and decay of the last British Ice Sheet, east of Scotland,JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE, Issue 2 2009Alastair G. C. Graham Abstract Three-dimensional (3D) seismic datasets, 2D seismic reflection profiles and shallow cores provide insights into the geometry and composition of glacial features on the continental shelf, offshore eastern Scotland (58° N, 1,2° W). The relic features are related to the activity of the last British Ice Sheet (BIS) in the Outer Moray Firth. A landsystem assemblage consisting of four types of subglacial and ice marginal morphology is mapped at the seafloor. The assemblage comprises: (i) large seabed banks (interpreted as end moraines), coeval with the Bosies Bank moraine; (ii) morainic ridges (hummocky, push and end moraine) formed beneath, and at the margins of the ice sheet; (iii) an incised valley (a subglacial meltwater channel), recording meltwater drainage beneath former ice sheets; and (iv) elongate ridges and grooves (subglacial bedforms) overprinted by transverse ridges (grounding line moraines). The bedforms suggest that fast-flowing grounded ice advanced eastward of the previously proposed terminus of the offshore Late Weichselian BIS, increasing the size and extent of the ice sheet beyond traditional limits. Complex moraine formation at the margins of less active ice characterised subsequent retreat, with periodic stillstands and readvances. Observations are consistent with interpretations of a dynamic and oscillating ice margin during BIS deglaciation, and with an extensive ice sheet in the North Sea basin at the Last Glacial Maximum. Final ice margin retreat was rapid, manifested in stagnant ice topography, which aided preservation of the landsystem record. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The role of the seed bank, seed rain and the timing of disturbance in gap regenerationJOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE, Issue 1 2005R.J. Pakeman Abstract. Question: Does the degree and timing of disturbance contribute significantly to the pattern and process of regeneration in plant communities as a consequence of the availability and number of species of propagules present? Location: Acid grassland at 230 m a.s.l., eastern Scotland, UK. Methods : Plots were surface disturbed or had their soil profile inverted at monthly intervals at 12 dates during a year. Seed bank and seed rain were assessed at each treatment time. The effect of disturbance intensity and timing on the regenerating vegetation was assessed. Results: Removing the seed bank significantly slowed regeneration, as it contributed 43 % of developing cover after one year where it was present. At an individual seed level, seed in the seed rain had a much higher likelihood of contributing to the regenerating vegetation than a seed in the seed bank. Some species showed a reliance on the seed bank for regeneration, and hence there was a significant difference in the vegetation that developed between plots with the seed bank intact and those where it was removed. Winter disturbed plots (little seed rain) had slower rates of re-vegetation than summer disturbed plots. Timing had little effect on species composition, though a significantly higher cover of perennial forb species developed on the winter disturbed plots. Conclusion: Removing the contribution of the seed bank had a greater effect on the composition of regenerating vegetation than the effect of seasonal variation on the seed rain. [source] Defoliation and site differences influence vegetative spread in grasslandNEW PHYTOLOGIST, Issue 2 2002G. T. Barthram Summary ,,Plants spread vegetatively at rates that depend on both their own and their neighbours' traits. We tested hypotheses that such rates also interact with defoliation intensity and differ between sites. ,,Well-established monoculture patches (20 × 20 cm) of five grass species were arranged in plots so that every species patch had all the remaining species as neighbours. Sites were in central Scotland, UK, and at a drier location in eastern Scotland. Plots were cut at 3 cm (,short') or 6 cm (,tall'), either uniformly or in a chessboard pattern. ,,Invasiveness and resistance to invasion followed the transitive hierarchy, Agrostis capillaris > Festuca rubra > Lolium perenne = Holcus lanatus > Poa trivialis , except that P. trivialis strongly invaded H. lanatus at the damper, more fertile site. ,Tall' patches spread and intermixed most, independent of species. The effects of cutting neighbouring patches depended on both invading and invaded species' traits. ,,Thus, defoliation altered the relationships between species, as did differences between sites, influencing both the speed and direction of species replacement. [source] Willow (Salix spp.) and aspen (Populus tremula) regrowth after felling by the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber): implications for riparian woodland conservation in ScotlandAQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 1 2009Kevin Jones Abstract 1.A proposed trial reintroduction of the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber L.) to Scotland has recently been approved (May 2008). A previous proposal was turned down by the licensing authority, partly over the perceived risks to woodland within a Special Area of Conservation. 2.This paper presents data on two years of willow (Salix spp.) and aspen (Populus tremula L.) regrowth following tree felling by captive beavers within two large semi-natural enclosures in eastern Scotland. Both willow and aspen are highly preferred by beavers. 3.Regrowth of willow stems was quantified from cut stumps, felled logs and partially severed (,incompletely felled') trees, and compared with growth of stems in the canopies of untouched willows. 4.Maximum annual regrowth was observed in incompletely felled trees, followed by cut stumps and then unfelled control trees. Mean regrowth rates were ca 18 m regrowth per metre of measured tree section per year in incompletely felled trees. This was approximately 12 times more annual regrowth than that observed in unfelled trees, despite apparently selective browsing of the regrowth of incompletely felled trees by roe deer. 5.Although incompletely felled willows represent a relatively small component of felling activity (9% of all felled willow), they contribute disproportionately to the biomass of beaver-engineered riparian woodlands, creating a more multi-layered habitat structure. 6.Willow regrowth in inundated areas was avoided by deer, and harvesting of regrowth by beavers was rare. 7.Significant regrowth from 11 stumps of aspen in 2 years post-felling occurred by suckering, with 85 suckers of mean height 2.1 m being recorded, all of which were subsequently avoided by browsing deer and beavers. 8.These data suggest that rapid regeneration of willow and aspen will occur in riparian woodlands in the event of major felling activity by Eurasian beaver, even in the presence of low to moderate levels of roe deer browsing, and that the conservation status of both these trees or the wider habitats that they form would not be threatened by a well planned and managed reintroduction of beavers to Scotland. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Impact of a theoretically based sex education programme (SHARE) delivered by teachers on NHS registered conceptions and terminations: final results of cluster randomised trialCHILD: CARE, HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 3 2007Richard Reading Impact of a theoretically based sex education programme (SHARE) delivered by teachers on NHS registered conceptions and terminations: final results of cluster randomised trial . Henderson, M., Wight, D., Raab, G. M., Abraham, C., Parkes, A., Scott, S. & Hart, G. ( 2007 ) British Medical Journal , 334 , 133 , 6 . DOI: 10.1136/bmj.39014.503692.55. Objective To assess the impact of a theoretically based sex education programme (SHARE) delivered by teachers compared with conventional education in terms of conceptions and terminations registered by the National Health Service. Design Follow-up of cluster randomized trial 4.5 years after intervention. Setting National Health Service records of women who had attended 25 secondary schools in east Scotland. Participants A total of 4196 women (99.5% of those eligible). Intervention SHARE programme (intervention group) vs. existing sex education (control group). Main outcome measure National Health Service recorded conceptions and terminations for the achieved sample linked at age 20 years. Results In an ,intention to treat' analysis, there were no significant differences between the groups in registered conceptions per 1000 pupils (300 SHARE vs. 274 control; difference 26, 95% CI ,33 to 86) and terminations per 1000 pupils (127 vs. 112; difference 15, ,13 to 42) between ages 16 and 20 years. Conclusions This specially designed sex education programme did not reduce conceptions or terminations by age 20 years compared with conventional provision. The lack of effect was not due to quality of delivery. Enhancing teacher-led school sex education beyond conventional provision in eastern Scotland is unlikely to reduce terminations in teenagers. [source] | |||||||||||||