Darinka Gonzalez

Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro | utad · Departamento de Biologia e Ambiente

Environmental stressors and changes in land use have led to rapid and dramatic species losses and a reduction in associated ecosystem services. Functional diversity has increasingly been suggested as an alternative for evaluating anthropogenic disturbances and restoration programs because it reflects different aspects of the relationship between bi...

Considering the present ecological crisis, land use-biodiversity relationships have become a major topic in landscape planning, ecosystem management and ecological restoration. In this scope, consistent patterns of outstanding biodiversity have been identified in agroforestry systems within diverse biogeographic regions and types of management. Emp...

RESuMO A perda de biodiversidade e a atual extinção em massa difere de todas as outras por ser impulsionada por uma única espécie-o Homem. Os invertebrados não fogem à regra, sendo um dos grupos de seres vivos mais representativos do planeta, não apenas em diversidade, mas também ao nível da sua importância nos ecossistemas. Urge avaliar as implica...

Spiders have been increasingly used as environmental and ecological indicators in conservation and ecosystem management. In the Neotropics, there is a shortage of information regarding spiders’ taxonomies and ecological responses to anthropogenic disturbances. To unravel these hitches, we tested the possibility of using high-level diversity and hig...

Despite the relevant services associated with insect pollinators, several species are considered to have undergone severe and widespread declines, which raise concerns about the future sustainability of ecosystems. Reliable estimates of pollinators' visitation rates to flowers are thus fundamental for supporting management and mitigation actions. A...

Butterfly species can be sensitive to ecosystem disturbance and, therefore, suitable to be used as indicators of habitat quality. We determined species richness and diversity of butterfly species along five tourist trails in the northeast region of Portugal. These trails were in different landscape structures, varying from urban areas to areas exte...

Research concerning the importance of blue spaces as a resource for people’s well-being has started to emerge in the scientific literature and this paper reports the findings of a study applied to Portuguese Marine and Coastal Zone users. The present study aimed to: (1) evaluate types of coastal visitors clusters based on their perceptions of MCES...

Marine and coastal ecosystem services (MCES) provide a wide range of benefits to society. Growing evidences suggests that close contact with nature brings important benefits to human health. The present study aimed to: (1) evaluate coastal tourists' perceptions of the importance of MCES to human health and well-being; (2) correlate the perceptions...

In the present study we aimed to evaluate the possible effect of the host plant Gentiana pneumonanthe flower buds chemical composition in the oviposition behaviour of Phengaris alcon butterfly. P.alcon oviposition preference was measured by evaluating: 1) the percentage of eggs laid on different host plants shoots at field conditions and the chemic...

Essential oils and spices recovered from plants are known for their ancient and empiric medicinal or therapeutic properties. The evolution of the science and the discovery of antimicrobial compounds in their own composition made them essential in food industry as adjuvant molecules against food-spoilage. The bene ts associated with this type of nat...

Biological control is the use of natural enemies, such as predators, of crop pests. For instance Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) is a major predator of olive grove pests. To favor the abundance of C. carnea, flowering plants should provide them with carbohydrates. However there is a lack of knowledge on the biology of flowering plants that grow in ol...

Identifying and developing eco-indicators is considerable recent among ecologists and biologists in conservation of biodiversity. Butterflies can be sensitive to ecosystems disturbance therefore suitable to be used as eco-indicators of habitat quality and environment changing and degradation. We have determined species richness and diversity of but...

Os Coccinelídeos são importantes artrópodes auxiliares das culturas; são predadores inatos de várias espécies de insetos desempenhando um papel fundamental para o equilíbrio natural das pragas que aparecem em quase todas as culturas agrícolas.

The longevity and reproduction of Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) when fed on ten naturally occurring sugars and on an artificial diet composed by honey and pollen (1:1) were evaluated. The effect of these diets differed between sexes. However insects of both sexes lived longer when fed on fructose than on sucrose, melezitos...

RESUMO Adult demography, spatial distribution and movements of Phengaris alcon (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) populations in Portugal Herein we present the results of the first mark-release-recapture (MRR) study on five populations of Phengaris alcon near Lamas D´Ôlo, a small village located in the Natural Park of Alvão (PNA) in Portugal. For the study...

Herein we present the results of the first mark-release-recapture (MRR) study on five populations of P.alcon near Lamas D´Ôlo, a small village located in the Natural Park of Alvão (PNA) in Portugal. For the study of the adult demographic parameters, a MRR study was conducted during the flight period on the five meadow sites, named: Li: Libania; PM:...

Aphids have co-evolved with diverse communities of microorganisms that live on their internal and external surfaces. Apart from the obligatory vertically transmitted γ-proteobacteria from the genus Buchnera that account for > 90% of the microbial cells [1,2], aphids harbor other bacterial taxa, known as secondary symbionts or accessory bacteria [3]...

The olive moth, Prays oleae (Bernard, 1788) is considered as one of the most serious pests of the olive culture in the Mediterranean basin, causing significant damages and yield losses. P. oleae is associated with a complex-level system interactions with its host, the olive tree. This paper presents a novel cohort-based approach to model P. oleae p...

Based on a patented process for the treatment and reprocessing of waste and effluents from olive oil and cork industries (such as two-phase olive husks cork powder), new research has been carried out incorporating other industrial wastes. In a previous research, using only olive oil and cork wastes, we obtained biomass pellets with high calorific v...

Abstract The timing of oviposition and selection of the phenological stage of the host plant can have significant consequences for development and success of offspring, and is particularly important for endangered specialist species with rare habitats, such as Phengaris alcon butterflies. Females of this species oviposit on marsh gentians, Gentiana...

The timing of oviposition and selection of the phenological stage of the host plant can have significant consequences for development and success of offspring, and is particularly important for endangered specialist species with rare habitats, such as Phengaris alcon butterflies. In Portugal, G. pneumonanthe flowers 2 to 3 weeks after the start of...

Long-term survival in a fragmented landscape will depend on different ecological key-factors enabling the persistence of stable metapopulations systems of a species (Baguette, 2003). In Portugal, the lycaenidae Maculinea alcon (Dennis and Schiffermüller) is the only representative of its genus and is the one of the rarest of our native butterflies....

The present invention relates to a method and installation for the industrial production of blocks, tablets and granulates from plant waste, specifically olive bagasse and cork powder. The installation generally comprises a production line (5,6,8,9,14) controlled by an electronic control unit (15), in which the mixing system (5) homogeneously mixes...

The present invention relates to a method and installation for the industrial production of blocks, tablets and granulates from plant waste, specifically olive bagasse and cork powder. The installation generally comprises a production line (5,6,8,9,14) controlled by an electronic control unit (15), in which the mixing system (5) homogeneously mixes...

A new process is designed to biomass pellets production with a high calorific value from industrial wastes and effluents that haven’t any specific utilization. The wastes and effluents of wood boards, cork and cellulose industries are evaluated. Net calorific values between 15,30 and 24,50 MJ/kg were obtained.

A new process is designed to biomass pellets production with a high calorific value from industrial wastes and effluents that haven’t any specific utilization. The wastes and effluents of wood boards, cork and cellulose industries are evaluated. Net calorific values between 15,30 and 24,50 MJ/kg were obtained.

We analyze the potential of agro-industrial wastes to produce biomass pellets.>We used the technology of a patented process concerning to the treatment and recovery of residues. >We used new row-materials to test new formulations and its relevance in the calorific value.>This approach offers an important contribution to solve wastes generated envir...

Based on a patented process for the treatment and reprocessing of waste and effluents from olive oil and cork industries (such as two-phase olive husks cork powder), new research has been carried out incorporating other industrial wastes. In previous research, using only olive oil and cork wastes, we obtained biomass pellets with high calorific val...