Ecology. Stability of ecosystems.
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STABILITY OF TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS TO PLANT PESTS: AN AXIOMATIC APPROACH.
Gleb I.Vasechko (14.08.1938-09.12.2013), Cand.Sc. (Biology)
Annatation
It has been developed a generalization of literature data, personal communications of scholars, and own findings that has resulted in a theory describing the phenomenon of stability of terrestrial ecosystems to plant pests - herbivores and phytopathogens. The stability is proceeded by a number of factors suppressing all the diversity plant pest species inhabiting of a given ecosystem. It has been shown stressors, which decrease ecosystem stability. The generalization is based on the Ch.Darwin's regularities of the evolution and the Ch.Darwin's ideas on population dynamics of organisms. It has been proposed practical implications to increase the stability against separate species of plant pests, and recommendations on maintenance of general stability of ecosystems against abiotic and biotic stressors. The text is presented as a list of generalizations - axioms and massif of data for substantiation of these axioms. The used approach has allowed developing a new system of knowledge- Natelogy, which is the first branch of science established in XXI century.
Reflections  ›››
Introduction  ›››
Contents  ›››
The main publications of the author  ›››
Some pictures to the Internet version book:
Figures 1, 2, and 3. The beautiful forest with the English oak as a dominant tree species situated near by the capital of Ukraine - Kyiv. The name of this area is Theophania. This is a rich ecosystem with numerous tree, brush, and grass species within a landscape, which includes diverse ecosystems. In the forest, outbreaks of the gypsy moth and species of other guilds of insect defoliators, with exception of the early-spring guild, have not been recorded. Density of species of the early-spring guild in some years reaches high level, but it does not exert any negative effect on vitality of the dominants. The forest was established by monks several centuries ago on a bare land. Here, some oak trees are approximately 300 years old. This is an example of the highest level of ecosystem stability to plant pests, as well as a demonstration of possibility of humans to establish such ecosystems, and keep their general stability over centuries.
Now this forest is endangered on the part of statesmen and new riches, which have begun to build in the area their residences. It needs efforts of the World society to protect this natural treasure and monument of proper silvicultural practices. Further, here it is situated the ancient cloister   ›››
Figures 4. and 5. These figures and all the following are concerned forests in the Carpathians Mountains (Ukraine). They are the ecosystems with dominance of the spruce and participation of the fir, and the beech. Figures show a windthrow in such ecosystems. The forest was destroyed under an effect of the mighty wind and the shallow effective depth of the soil. The affection by windthrow gets increased if age of forest is old and the mighty wind is accompanied by a heavy rain. This phenomenon is called the aged crash of forest   ›››
Figures 6. and 7. demonstrate the effects of an additional factor inducing a windthrow - human activity. Trees in the strips of forest left among cut-over areas were thrown by the mighty wind nearly completely, whereas massifs of forest were not affected by the wind. Cutting operations should be directed on limitation of a total length of such strips, which have the least resistance to the wind   ›››
Figure 8. demonstrates the effect of clear-cutting on the trees, which were left in stands bordering with a cut-over area. On the border exposed to the south, stocking density is much less than that in depth of this forest. This is a result of mortality of trees due to sun scold in standing position and windthrow at not too might wind. The weakened trees were colonized by stem borers. The photograph was made approximately five years after the cutting. The died trees were withdrawn at sanitary cuttings. Because the mortality of trees grows with the number of years of the exposition, it should conduct clear-cutting in adjacent forest as soon as possible. On the opposite border exposed on the north, the state of trees is much better   ›››
Figure 9. The natural forest edge exposed on the south. These trees, which have grown in such conditions, are quite viable   ›››
Figures 10 and 11 demonstrate a destructive effect of clear-cutting on the soil at shallow effective depth of the soil of mountain ecosystems. Disturbing on the soil by cutting operation induced heavy soil erosion, so that white stony subsoil occurred of the surface. Strips of slash on the cut-over area do not exert a perceptible protective effect. Although on such clear-cut areas, afforestation is conducted, a new generation of forest will be of low productivity. Importantly, the eroded areas are able to retain only an insignificant part of precipitation, so that at heavy rains flooding in foothills and further in Central Europe gets destructive. The forest in the soil conditions shown in above figures should be a natural reserve where any cuttings are prohibited. At arising of the aged crash of forest, it is prospective to suppress stem borers by exposition of pheromonal traps   ›››
Figure 12. The artist's sketch of an overstocked monoculture of the pine. Such stands will be declined due to affection with pest insects and phytopathogens. The drawing of M.D.Lomakin.   ›››
Figure 13. An overstocked monoculture of the Scots pine defoliated completely by needle-eating insects. The Chernihiv Region, Ukraine. The photograph was made by Professor D.F.Rudnev in middle decades of XX century. This picture is common for the much more period.   ›››

The still photograph from Gleb Vasechko still library

STABILITY OF TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS TO PLANT PESTS: AN AXIOMATIC APPROACH
Gleb Vasechko

2005. A volume of the work - appr. Five Mb, 1489 p., Tables -41, Ref. - appr. 1,000 items, Language - English
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