Leonid Rasran

• PhD
• PostDoc Position at BOKU University

Ex-situ cultivation of plants often plays an important role in species conservation and affects their genetic diversity. Recent findings suggest, that ex-situ cultivation can have significant adverse effects on numerous plant traits, incl. their germination behaviour. Most arable herbs are annual plants, which makes their ability to build dormant s...

Local adaptation may facilitate range expansion during invasions, but the mechanisms promoting destructive invasions remain unclear. Cheatgrass ( Bromus tectorum ), native to Eurasia and Africa, has invaded globally, with particularly severe impacts in western North America. We sequenced 307 genotypes and conducted controlled experiments. We found...

Hydrological restoration was carried out in a Lower Traisen, a small river within the floodplain of the Danube. The main goal was the reestablishment of typical riparian plant communities by using the potential of natural dispersal processes. We studied the transport of plant diaspores in the river water before and after the reconstruction of the r...

Intensification of grassland management causes a decrease in insect diversity. However, the mowing also causes substantial damage to insects if too homogeneously applied, especially for insect species with specialized needs. The overarching goal of the study was to investigate the restorative effect of flower strips on adjoining intensive grassland...

Establishing shelterbelts for field protection is one of the rediscovered agroforestry practices in Europe and Hungary. Several studies have focused on the effects of these plantations on agricultural production. Prior scholarship reveals that shelterbelts enhance the diversity of bird and insect communities but generally fail to consider herbaceou...

We studied fruit morphology, germination and growth of juvenile plants and clonal ramets of the non-native species Typha laxmannii and the two common native species Typha angustifolia and Typha latifolia in Lower Austria by means of morphological measurements, germination tests in an environmental test chamber and garden experiments with different...

We studied seed transport in the Upper Eider River (Northern Germany). Our main questions were: Diaspores of what species are transported in the river and which of them remain viable after the drift? Could functional species traits be used as predictors for the survival of plant propagules in course of water transport? The water body of the Upper E...

The “Flora of Russia” project on iNaturalist brought together professional scientists and amateur naturalists from all over the country. Over 3800 people participate in data collection. In one year, the participants collected over 220000 photo observations on 5689 species of the Russian flora. This is the third largest dataset of open distributiona...

The Flora of Russia project on iNaturalist (https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/flora-of-russia) brought together professional scientists and amateur naturalists from all over the country. Over 3,800 people participate in data collection. In one year, the participants collected over 220,000 photo observations on 5,689 species of the Russian flora....

Plant species of the intermediate life strategy type are characteristic for species-rich grasslands, which are sensitive to changes in the level of disturbance. Germination and early establishment of seedlings is expected to be the most crucial stage, limiting the successful colonization of appropriate sites. Valeriana dioica is a typical plant of...

Interactions between flower visiting insects and nectar resp. pollen producing plants belong to the most relevant in terrestrial ecosystems. Their diversity and dominance relationship are important indicators for the stability and functionality of ecosystems and belong to the high ranking ecosystem services. Potential pollinators should be strongly...

Interactions between flower visiting insects and nectar resp. pollen producing plants belong to the most important in terrestrial ecosystems. Their diversity and dominance relationship are important indicators for stability and functionality of ecosystems and belong to the ecosystem services. They should be strongly concerned especially regarding a...

Questions Can drainage ditches in agricultural marsh grassland provide a suitable habitat for the persistence of fen meadow species? How does the ditch margin vegetation develop as a function of regular dredging? Is ornithologically oriented management also beneficial for plant biodiversity? Location Riparian marshes, Eider‐Treene‐Sorge lowland, S...

To determine whether wind turbines with lattice towers will lead to more collisions of birds of prey than wind turbines with tubular towers, two comparable Brandenburg wind farms with lattice and tubular towers were searched for collision victims, correction factors were determined to estimate the number of victims and the behaviour of birds of pre...

To estimate the collision probability of red kites and Montagu’s harriers depending on the distance between wind turbines and nest, the results of telemetric monitoring of these two species were modelled following Band et al. (2007). The basic idea of the Band model is to determine three components: I—the frequency of flights through the rotor swep...

We analysed the data of reported avian collisions with wind energy facilities in Germany between 1989 and end of 2008. Species, age and population density of collision victims, technical specifications of wind turbines as well as season, weather conditions, landscape and land use in the surrounding area were taken into account. The influences of th...

This chapter summarizes the main results of the study and recommends measures to avoid collisions of birds of prey at wind turbines.

In the following sub-study we looked at the nest site selection of Montagu’s harriers and their behaviour towards wind turbines in North Frisia and compared it to the behaviour of this species in the Hellweg Börde (see Chap. 5). The study area covers 960 km2, subdivided into 198 diked polders, where nest sites of Montagu’s harriers were mapped betw...

Aim of this sub-study was to investigate possible relations between the construction of wind turbines and the development of populations and breeding success of birds of prey and especially of red kites. Long-term monitoring data for areas with and without wind turbines were compared (data: MEROS, http:// www. greifvogelmonitoring. de). For a total...

Red Kites (Milvus milvus) are the second most often reported species in relation to collisions with wind turbines in Germany. Germany houses more than half of the world’s population of Red Kites and, therefore, has a high international responsibility for the protection of this species. The German Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conserva...

Large-scale, low-density grazing is a standard management concept for conserving or enhancing biodiversity in cultural landscapes of central Europe. Documentation of results concerning effects of this type of grazing on biodiversity and functioning of degraded river valleys, however, is rare. For a period of ten years, we investigated vegetation de...

des Heimatverbandes Krs. Steinburg, Arbeitsgemeinschaft heimischer Orchideen (AHO), u. a. Kurzfassung Viele Gefäßpflanzen der Wälder in Schleswig-Holstein sind im Rückgang begriffen und bedürfen eines besseren Schutzes als bisher. In dieser Arbeit wird eine Auswahl von gefährdeten und besonderen Waldarten und ihre Bestandes-und Gefährdungssituation...

Abstract: Entwässerungsgräben sind in den strukturarmen Landschaften des nordeuropäischen Marschlandes wichtige Elemente, entscheidend für die floristische Artenvielfalt. Besonders in den als Intensivgrünland stark genutzten Flussmarschen von Schleswig-Holstein fungieren Gräben als Refugien für die ansonsten aus der Fläche verdrängten Arten. Die Fu...

In recent time agricultural use of large areas of moist and wet grasslands on fens, bogs and marsh soils has been changed according to the guidelines of nature conservation. A consequence of such changes (lower intensity of grazing/mowing, reduction of fertilizer, rewetting) is sometimes a rapid spread and dominance of some specific weeds (Soft rus...

Kurzfassung Eine Auswahl von Funden seltener, gefährdeter, bemerkenswerter Gefäßpflanzen aus Schleswig-Holstein wird vorgestellt, die im Jahre 2012 an die Datenbank der AG Geobotanik gemeldet worden sind. Darunter ist ein Erstnachweis von Carex vulpinoidea. Abstract: Records of rare, threatened, new, and remarkable vascular plants from Schleswig-Ho...

Kurzfassung Eine Auswahl von Funden seltener, gefährdeter, bemerkenswerter Gefäßpflanzen aus Schleswig-Holstein wird vorgestellt, die in 2010 und 2011 an die Datenbank der AG Geobotanik gemeldet worden sind. Darunter sind Erstnachweise von Euphorbia maculata, Euphorbia virgultosa, Festuca heterophylla, Setaria verticillata und Vulpia membranacea. A...

The orchid Dactylorhiza incarnata (L.) Soó is a highly polymorphic species listed as endangered in many regional red lists of Central Europe and Scandinavia. The dramatic decline of its populations during recent decades has been caused by the loss and degradation of their natural and semi-natural habitats (fens and wet meadows, respectively) as a r...

Hay transfer is a well known method for restoration of degraded grassland sites. For fen areas dominated by a few tall-growing species the successful application of this method needs several prerequisites. A continuous disturbance by e.g. grazing animals and an initial damage of thick tussocks before applying the hay transfer are the most important...

In recent time agricultural use of large areas of moist and wet grasslands on fens, bogs and marsh soils has been changed according to the guidelines of nature conservation. A consequence of such changes (lower intensity of grazing/mowing, reduction of fertilizer, rewetting) is sometimes a rapid spread and dominance of some specific weeds (Soft rus...

During recent decades, many studies have shown that the successful restoration of species-rich grasslands is often seed-limited because of depleted seed banks and limited seed dispersal in modern fragmented landscapes. In Europe, commercial seed mixtures, which are widely used for restoration measures, mostly consist of species and varieties of non...

Maize for biogas plants – CO 2 budget and effects on birds. Ber. Vogelschutz 46: 107 – 125. In order to adress global climate change the government of the Federal Republic of Germany has ambitious plans to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. One of the tools to achieve a reduction of CO 2 is to use renewable sources for the production of energ...

Das Fleischfarbene Knabenkraut (Dactylorhiza incarnata) gehört in Deutschland zu den stark gefährdeten Pflanzenarten (Rote Liste 2). Der Rückgang ihrer Populationen in den vergangenen Jahrzehnten ist auf die Entwässerung und Eutrophierung ihrer primären (basenreiche Niedermoore) und sekundären (artenreiche Feuchtwiesen) Standorte zurückzuführen. Zi...

Question: How do moderate grazing, topsoil removal and hay transfer affect species diversity and abundance on a eutrophic fen grassland site? Location: Northern Germany. Method: A three-factorial field experiment with the factors grazing, topsoil removal and hay transfer of diaspore-rich material was established in 2001. Soil nutrients and seed ban...

To study the factors that limit the occurrence of species in fen grasslands, the effects of mowing and litter removal on germination, growth and establishment of two common species (Silene flos-cuculi andLotus pedunculatus) were analyzed along a productivity gradient at seven sites in Northern Germany. The sites differed in nutrient availability, v...

Arrival at suitable sites for germination and establishment is crucial for hydrochorous plants. Seed deposition in riparian landscapes occurs mainly within litter in drift lines. We investigated whether conditions within drift lines are suitable for seed survival and germination and whether drift lines act as seed sources or sinks for species diver...

Kurzfassung Eine Auswahl von Meldungen seltener, gefährdeter und neu nachgewiesener Gefäßpflanzen aus Schleswig-Holstein wird vorgestellt, die in 2006 und 2007 an die Stelle für Datenarchivierung der AG Geobotanik gemeldet worden sind. Darunter sind Erstnachweise von Aconogonon polystachyum, Atriplex oblongifolia, Eragrostis multicaulis, Lindernia...

Extreme Überflutungsereignisse können in unserer heutigen fragmentierten Landschaft von großer Bedeutung sein. Im Sommer 2002 haben wir nach Rückgang der “Jahrhundert-Flut” der Elbe hydrochore Nah- und Fernausbreitung pflanzlicher Diasporen untersucht. Zusätzlich wurde der Einfluss unterschiedlicher artspezifischer Charakteristika (Schwimmfähigkeit...

Hay transfer is one possible method to restore biodiversity in degenerated fen grasslands. The suitable abiotic and biotic conditions of the acceptor site as well as the seed content and its viability of applied hay material are main factors affecting the success of this method. In the present study we investigated the species composition of the es...

Water-borne seed transport and seed deposition during flooding were studied in the Upper Eider river (N-Germany) by direct sampling of the rivers seed content with aquatic seed traps and by analysing the number of deposited seeds on sedimentation mats which were exposed near the river on the soil surface during a flooding period of approx. three we...

Soil algae and cyanobacteria are important components of most terrestrial ecosystems (Shtina & Gollerbakh 1976). As photosynthetic organisms, they take part in the primary production of the plant communities and are important food resources for the soil invertebrates. Cyanobacteria also play an important role in the nitrogen balance.