URBAN SPACES WITH FOUNTAINS: NOISE AND ENVIRONMENTAL REGIME FORMATION REGULARITY

The article highlights the problem of loss of the ability to solve design problems by the modern creators of the settlements based on knowledge of the functional structure of the object, demands of potential consumers, taking into account the features of the object’s location in the selected area, while creating a safe, reliable and comfortable environment able to implement functions for which it is intended. Guided by the specialized publications in the field of the liquid and gas hydraulics and mechanics, the author considers and describes in detail the water flows and their impact on space characteristics, including options for the contribution of hydraulic noise to space acoustics, taking into account human perception, and options for contribution of the atmospheric air temperature and humidity variability to the thermal balance of the city residents. The parameters of buildings are identified, the change of which affects the change of space characteristics. The regularities of the impact of fountains during operation on the space noise and ecological regime formation, which will provide consumer needs and comfortable conditions necessary for a positive physical perception of space, are determined. The results of the study will be used as a reference material in the development of graphic models and techniques of the architectural and planning arrangement of urban spaces with fountains, which, being perfectly integrated into the urban fabric will ensure sustainable development of the spaces with fountains over time.

Prevalence of mutualism in a simple model of microbial co-evolution

Evolutionary transitions among ecological interactions are widely known, although their detailed dynamics remain absent for most population models. Adaptive dynamics has been used to illustrate how the parameters of population models might shift through evolution but within an ecological regime. Here we use adaptive dynamics combined with a generalised logistic model of population dynamics to show that transitions of ecological interactions might appear as a consequence of evolution. To this purpose, we introduce a two-microbial toy model in which population parameters are determined by a bookkeeping of resources taken from (and excreted to) the environment, as well as from the byproducts of the other species. Despite its simplicity, this model exhibits all sorts of ecological transitions, some of which resemble those found in nature. Overall, the model shows a clear trend toward the emergence of mutualism.

Invertebrate animals of landscape gardening lawn cenoses of the city of Karaganda (area of the South-East)

Urbanization of territories leads to the formation of ecosystems that are significantly different from natural ones. Invertebrates are the most effective and promising group of bioindicators of anthropogenic impact on natural and urban ecosystems. However, very little work has been done to study the fauna of urban ecosystems in Kazakhstan. The article presents research data on invertebrates of the Karaganda region by specialists of the Department of Zoology of Karaganda State University, carried out in different years and during periods of field practice. Analysis of invertebrate lawn communities showed the dominance of insects, in particular hymenopteran genera Formica, Myrmic, Camponotus. In second place in terms of numbers are coleoptera,among which ground beetles and staphilins prevail, as characteristic inhabitants of the city. The predominance of insects is a zonal sign. Among them there are dangerous pests: larvae of nutcracker beetles, black beetles, and lamellar beetles. Soil worms include earthworms: Lumbricus rubellus, Eisenia nordenskioldi, Appropriateode caliginosa f. typica. Predators dominate the trophic structure of lawn inhabitants, which is very characteristic of urban cenoses. The high number of predatory forms, the diversity of orders and families testifies to the favorable ecological regime of the studied lawn cenoses as a result of their long existence.

Using a Social-ecological Regime Shift Approach to Understand the Transition from Livestock to Game Farming in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

This study explored the shift in land use from livestock farming to game farming in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, from a social-ecological regime shift perspective. A regime shift can be defined as a large, persistent change in the structure and function of the intertwined social and ecological components of a landscape. This research focused on the Amakhala game reserve as a case study to understand how the shift affected the provision of ecosystem services and human wellbeing. We used remote sensing techniques to quantify changes in vegetation and found evidence of vegetation recovery following the shift. We then conducted interviews with both landowners and farmworkers and used participatory mapping to understand their perceptions of the main drivers and social-ecological impacts of the shift in land use. Social narratives revealed stark differences in different stakeholders’ perceptions, highlighting that the change in land use had varied implications for, and were perceived differently by, different stakeholders. Farmworkers emphasized changes in social structures that weakened community bonds and erased valued connections to the land. At the same time, they increased employment of women, skills development, and increased wages as benefits of the new game farming regime. Landowners, on the other hand, indicated financial gains from the land use change. The transition therefore resulted in trade-offs that surfaced as social, economic, and cultural losses and gains. These changes, especially in social relationships and community structures, have implications for resilience and possible future pathways of development in the region.