After a 16-m high dam was constructed and a 297-ha pond was arranged in the River Šušvė nearby Angiriai in 1980, the previous natural flow regime of the river has changed: 15500000 m3 of water accumulated above the dam is not discharged via a natural bed, but through two 1.5x1.5 m bottom orifices, and flood discharges (up to Q1% = 296 m3 sE-1) are directed into the lower reach through a 16-m high shaft spillway of floods. Such arrangement of the Angiriai dam ensured it to become an essential obstacle for migrating fish. In 2000, after the arrangement and operation of Angiriai hydro-electric power station, the water regime downstream the dam has been changed and new hydrological pulses as well as ecosystem biodiversity are to be adapted. Thus, the operation of Angiriai HPS on the River Šušvė generating hydroelectric power can have adverse effect on the river habitats and hydro ecological connectivity. To evaluate the effect, the eco-hydraulic water regime measurements in 2005 in a lower stretch with and without turbines operating were made. The study results showed that artificial water levels fluctuation (≈ 4 m hrE-1) induced by Angiriai hydro-electric power station as well as the discharge flowing through the bottom orifices due to high velocities (13–14 m sE-1) and temperature differences could create stressful situations for young fish in the lower bank. According to the data of soil texture of the Šušvė River, the bed armoring process is going on below the Angiriai HPS is quasistable and no impact of HPS operation is found.

The majority of natural Lithuanian rivers were regulated during intensive land reclamation period. Straightening of rivers caused unfavourable conditions for biodiversity. Four tributaries of the Merkys River in the South Lithuania were selected to explore changes in biodiversity patterns and determine the relationships between flow energy distribution in beds and ecological status of selected rivers. The research has shown that variation of cross sections area was usually 1.2 to 2.3 times higher in natural beds as compared to regulated ones. The range of rivers flow energy, estimated by Froude number, values were characterized as higher in natural (0.0 to 0.35) streams than in regulated (0.0 to 0.20) ones. This is the reason why the biggest number of macroinvertebrate taxa during the research period was recorded in natural riverbeds and the lowest - in the fields of the regulated segments. The assessing the abundance of fish revealed that total fish density in natural river sections was four times higher than in regulated ones. The research has approved the importance of naturalness for biodiversity and rehabilitation of regulated rivers in Lithuania.

Litter invertebrate communities in pine forests of different age (cut, six-year-old, 45-, 62-, and 105-year-old) in the Baranivka area of Zhytomyr Polissya (northwestern part of Ukraine) were studied. Samples were collected in April, August, and November 2011. 99% of extracted invertebrates were represented by mites (Acari) and springtails (Collembola). With forest age, the following tendencies were observed: mean absolute density of mites, springtails, and all litter-inhabiting animals increased; relative abundance of mites increased, but relative abundance of springtails decreased; taxonomic richness of invertebrate communities increased. In all samples, the most represented taxon was suborder Oribatida. The most diverse litter invertebrate community was in the 45-year-old forest. Similar compositions of invertebrate community were in the 45-, 62-, and 105-year-old forests as well as the cut and six-year-old ones.

The article focuses on vegetation diversity in the black alder Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn. woodland key habitats in Zemgale, Latvia. Together nine sample plots were established on these habitat types, where next stand South – South West (S-SW) side at the age 1-10; 20-30 and 40-50 years. The vegetation survey has been made in vegetation period of 2010 and 2011. Braun – Blanque method has been used to estimate the projective coverage (%) of tree layer (E3), shrub layer (E2), herb layer (E1) and moss layer (E0) in order to assess the edge effect impact on vegetation diversity according to different ages classes in a next stands of sample plots. The analysis of edge effect verifies that there is a significant influence from the edge in 1st and 3rd zones of sample plots, which lies at S-SW side at the ages 1-10 and 20-30. In sample plots several indicator species of black alder woodland key habitats have been found: Vaccinium myrtillus L., Lycopus europaeus L., Iris pseudacorus L., Comarum palustre L., Plagiomnium ellipticum (Brid.)T.kop. Ordination confirmed that composition of species are relatively close, which demonstrate that species are able to live in similar type growing conditions. Protective species Circaea lutetiana L. and Plagiothecium undulatum (Hedw.) B., S. et G were found on the study sites. Also, adventive species Impatiens parviflora DC was found. Comparing the analysis by zones and sample plots and different age classes, the impact on edge effect has been distinguished in black alder woodland key habitats.

Agriculture not only supplies food and fibre to the society, but also provides other services, which are not revealed in the market prices. The role of agricultural activities is essential in forming and improving the landscape, in particular, for Lithuanian case study. Therefore, the paper focuses on development of the framework for estimation of consumers’ willingness to pay for agricultural landscape improvements. The objectives of this paper are to present construction of the estimation framework for eliciting willingness to pay (WTP) for non- market agricultural landscape goods through choice experiments (CE) in Lithuania; then, to show the results of framework pre-test, and identify applicability of the framework designed. CE is a survey-based method implying creation of repetitive choice situations about alternatives of agri-environmental schemes for revealing how inhabitants of Lithuania value public goods from agricultural landscape (scenic views, variety of flora and fauna species, recreational infrastructure and services, the objects of cultural heritage), enabling to estimate Lithuanian residents’ WTP and the demand for improvements of agricultural landscape. The results of the pilot survey have shown that the questionnaire was comprehensible and interesting to the respondents, revealing that the valuation of agricultural landscape is in demand by the society. The results of modelling, applying conditional logit, have shown a good model fit, allowing the usage of the estimation framework for the main survey and an estimation of consumers’ willingness to pay for public goods/improvements from agricultural landscape.

The assessment and conservation of agricultural biodiversity is one of the current goals of European Union policies, which are reflected in European Biodiversity Strategy. The biodiversity of soil seed bank and above-ground weed flora were investigated in spring cereals in organic and conventional farming system. The study was carried out between 2012 and 2014. Species of above-ground wild flora were counted on a surface of 1 square m in the field. Soil for seed bank evaluation was taken from the field and evaluated by seedling emergence method in a greenhouse. There were no significant differences in number of species between two communities. Biodiversity of weed community, described by Shannon’s diversity index and Simpson’s dominance index, was significantly better maintained in the soil seed bank than in above-ground flora in both farming systems. A strong, positive correlation between the number of species, Shannon’s diversity index, Simpson’s dominance index of soil seed bank and above-ground weed species was found in both farming systems, while abundance of seeds and above-ground weeds was significantly, positively correlated only in the conventional farming system. Qualitative composition of weed flora depended more on the type of community (soil seed bank or above-ground weed communities) than the farming system.

Yellow rust caused by Puccinia striiformis is a significant wheat disease in cereal growing areas worldwide. On average, yellow rust can cause 50% big yield damages resulting in economic losses. Yellow rust damages wheat leaves, leaf sheaths, awns, and glumes. Puccinia striiformis is divided into four lineages – P. striiformis sensu stricto, P. pseudostriiformis, P. striiformoides, P. gansensis. Different races of yellow rust have been determined. After 2000 three new aggressive races – ‘Warrior’, ‘Kranich’ and ‘Triticale aggressive’ have been identified. New races are characterized by shorter latent period, extended spore germination and tolerance to a high temperature in comparison with the races determined before 2000. These characteristics allowed the new races to replace races dominant before 2000. Yellow rust is a biotrophic heteroecious fungus with a complicated life cycle. For successful development, Puccinia striiformis requires cereals as primary hosts and Berberis spp. as alternate hosts. The history of studies regarding yellow rust is more than two hundred years old but only in 2010 the ecidiospores of yellow rust were found on the alternate host Berberis spp. Two types of resistance – seedling (or all-stage) resistance and adult plant resistance (APR) were discovered. Since 2000 multiple severe epidemics of yellow rust have been observed in cereal growing areas with warmer climate. In recent years, the incidence of yellow rust in Latvia has increased. Particular studies about the biology, distribution, and races of Puccinia striiformis in Latvia are necessary. This article summarizes the information about the classification, biology and harmfulness of the yellow rust.

The aim of the study was to compare weed species diversity in organic and conventional farms in Poland. The study was carried out between 2012 and 2014 on production fields located in Lublin province, one of the easternmost regions of Poland. The results showed that diversity and abundance of weeds in spring cereals were generally higher in organic farming system than in conventional one. No significant differences between systems were found in 2013, because local flooding of fields in spring made impossible the execution of agricultural weed management treatment for some farmers. Both above-ground and soil seed bank weed communities were the mainstay of valuable weed species, which is confirmed by the presence of the species threatened with extinction, for example, summer pheasant’s-eye (Adonis aestivalis), poorman’s blue weatherglass (Anagallis foemina) and others in both tested farming systems. Dwarf everlast (Helichrysum arenarium) was the only found species that is subject to partial protection by Polish law. Both organic farms, run under CAP policy and support, and conventional extensive farms of the province of Lublin were the mainstay of biodiversity. Future rural development and CAP should be adapted and implemented regionally. Traditional extensive farms could contribute to the biodiversity and valuable plant species conservation.

Same public goods can only be produced jointly with private goods. This paper focuses on the biological diversity that could be produced on semi-natural pastures through the assistance of grazing animals. The question that is being investigated is what shapes the total and marginal cost functions for biological diversity production on semi-natural pastures have if private goods are already being produced using livestock at farms near the pastures. The empirical analysis shows that a quadratic function describes the costs well and that the production is characterized by increasing marginal costs.

The role of birch natural (NWH) and potential natural (PNWH) woodland habitats for maintaining of biodiversity in Latvia is described and evaluated. The analysis of the proportion of area of birch stands and natural and potential natural woodland hibitats by regions, by age structure, and by growing conditions has been done. The distribution of birch natural and potential woodland hibitats by habitat groups, as well as most often recognized habitat specialist and indicator species is described.