The United Nations has declared the year 2002 as the «International Year of Mountains». This fact alone underlines the importance of mountain regions in various respects: ◆ Mountains make up 24% of the Earth’s total landmass ◆ All major rivers and 60–80% of the Earth’s freshwater resources originate in mountain regions ◆ Mountain forests account for 28% of the Earth’s total forested area ◆ Moun...

Two state-of-the-art Earth systemmodels (ESMs) were used in an idealized experiment to explore the role of mountains in shaping Earth’s climate system. Similar to previous studies, removing mountains from both ESMs results in the winds becoming more zonal and weaker Indian and Asian monsoon circulations. However, there are also broad changes to the Walker circulation and El Niño–Southern Oscill...

The scattered eastern African high mountains harbor a renowned and highly endemic flora, but the taxonomy and phylogeographic history of many plant groups are still insufficiently known. The high-alpine populations of the Geranium arabicum/kilimandscharicum complex present intricate morphological variation and have recently been suggested to comprise two new endemic taxa. Here we aim to contrib...

The authors begin the paper with the question `Do mountains exist?' They show that providing an answer to this question is surprisingly difficult and that the answer that one gives depends on the context in which the question is posed. Mountains clearly exist as real correlates of everyday human thought and action, and they form the archetype for geographic objects. Yet individual mountains lac...

When attempts to eradicate an introduced pest species fail and it becomes established, barrier zones are often used to stop or to slow the spread of the population into uninfested areas. The U.S. Forest Service is currently conducting a Slow-the-Spread (STS) pilot project to evaluate the feasibility of slowing the spread of the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L.) in several areas along the populat...

The socio-ecological system dominated by pastureland in the Asteroussia Mountains (Crete, Greece) was analyzed over a long time interval (1945–2010) to identify the most relevant system’s characteristics and changes. Vegetation cover and land-uses have been quantified by analyzing aerial photographs exploring the whole study period. Soil characteristics have been assessed by carrying out an ext...

It is well corroborated that the earth is relentlessly bubbling inside since its birth and traversing continuously through a geological change. The source of this dynamism is the heat stored inside i.e. the geothermal energy, which is believed to be the product of mainly the decay of natural radio-isotopes in the crust and mantle, and in the core of earth. This heat exerts pressure towards the ...

— A very small of species Myotis in the Myotis daubentoni group was found in a valley of the foothills of the Annamit Mountains, Quan Binh Province, Vietnam. Thirteen specimens of this bat were compared with other Eurasian big-footed bats. Analysis of external and skull morphology indicate this Vietnamese form should be described as a new species. Compared to other species of Myotis the new tax...

The provision of seed at feeders improves the survivorship of birds, facilitates range expansions, and influences habitat choice. In this paper, I examine the notion that bird feeding in northern parts of North America can short-stop the irruptive migrations of fringillids. Indirect data to support an increase in bird feeding over the past 25 years are provided. Using an area bounded by the App...