Quaternary faulting in the western part of the Gulf of Corinth has been evidenced by geology and geomorphology, as well as by seismic recording. A series of three main normal fault segments are aligned in a steep southern coastal zone of the gulf. These fault segments, 15 to 25 km long, have an average strike of 90° - 105° and a northward dip of about 50° - 75°. Selected fault points were equipped with 3-D crack gauges TM71 during 2002 to monitor movements along the fault planes here, as well as on another fault cutting through the small island of Trizonia near the opposite northern shore of the gulf. Results of the monitoring present relative displacements induced by active tectonic movement s. Generally, the movements recorded on the faults are characteristic of an aseismic linear creep in vertical, i.e. upliftin g/subsiding in rates of mm per year due to uplifts of the Peloponnesian Peninsula. In 2003 a thr ee months long period of fast acceleration of movements was recorded. During this acceleration phase displacements changed to skew uplifting/subsiding with a left-lateral horizontal component. Moreover, horizontal rotation of monitored blocks corresponding to a sy stematic westwards opening of the Gulf was observed with only single eastward opening episodes., Josef Stemberk and Blahoslav Košťák., and Obsahuje bibliografické odkazy
The south east Asian pest thrips, Thrips parvispinus is recorded breeding in Europe for the first time, damaging Gardenia plants in Greece. Morphological variation in this species from various Asian countries is recorded and compared to the type specimens. As a result Isoneurothrips jenseni Karny, 1925 and Thrips (Isoneurothrips) taiwanus Takahashi, 1936 are placed as synonyms of Thrips parvispinus (Karny, 1922). In contrast, Thrips compressicornis (Sakimura), a species from the Marquesa Islands of the Pacific that has previously been associated with these taxa, represents a very different species. The quarantine significance of T. parvispinus is emphasised.
Cicada orni L. is one of the most abundant and common species of cicada in Greece. However, this species was not found during recent field work on the Greek islands of Samos and Ikaria. Instead, the very closely related C. mordoganensis Boulard was found practically everywhere on these islands. C. orni and C. mordoganensis are very closely related species which are morphologically very similar (sibling species), even the male genitalia, and the acoustic signals produced by males during courtship and pair formation have the same general pattern. In order to describe the acoustic signals produced by these sibling species, temporal and spectral analyses were made of the calling songs of the males and certain acoustic variables were measured. Based on the duration of echemes, the number of pulse units they contain, the intervals between echemes and the number of echemes per second, the song of C. mordoganensis is distinct from that of C. orni. Cluster analysis of the acoustic characteristics of C. mordoganensis from Samos and Ikaria and of C. orni from the Greek mainland (Dionysos, north of Athens) gave a clear and distinct separation of these species.
Moreover, as there has been very little divergence between these two species at the protein electrophoretic level, the acoustic divergence has evolved independently of allozyme divergence. This may imply that in these cicadas acoustic divergence, and therefore premating isolation, may have evolved rapidly and resulted in rapid speciation at low levels of general genetic differentiation.
In the study, we discussed the multifactorial determinants of integration processes in the EU and the enlargement of the European community to the new state. In this context, pointed out the problems of international security, European security and the security of the European Union. Discusses the determinants of integration processes and provide security, i.e. terrorism, demographic, legal policy, legislation, alliance, NATO, transatlantic cooperation, collaboration and continental impact of macroeconomic factors. We studied two cases: Latvia and Greece, which was considered the most representative for the present study. The study was conducted in a comparative other countries belonging to the European Union.
A collaborative group between Greek, Polish, and Sl ovak colleagues installed a dense network of non-permanent GPS stations and extensometers to monitor active faults in the eastern part of the Gulf of Corinth, central Greece. The network includes eleven GPS stations across the Kaparelli fault and the Asopos rift valley to the east and two TM-71 extensometers that were installed on the Kaparelli fault plane. So far the G PS network has been measured in three campaigns within the last three years with very good accuracies (1-4 mm in the horizontal plane). Although it is early to draw conclusions on the velocity field and on strain patterns it can be noted that, the data from the extensometers demonstrate both fault-normal opening and shear motion. Given that the total offset on the Ka parelli fault is small, and the geological data suggesting a segmented character of this fault, we expect in the near fu ture to differentiate fault slip and strain accumulation among segments., Athanassios Ganas, Jaroslaw Bosy, Lubomir Petro, George Drakatos, Bernard Kontny, Marian Stercz, Nikolaos S. Melis, Stefan Cacon and Anastasia Kiratzi., and Obsahuje bibliografické odkazy
A new species, Colchicum asteranthum Vassil. et K. Perss. (Colchicaceae), endemic to the Peloponnese in Greece, is described. It is a small winter-flowering plant with synanthous leaves and soboliferous corms, the latter a rare feature in the genus. The species has no obvious relations, but it shows some affinity to the S Turkish endemic C. minutum K. Perss.
Selected populations of five closely related species of the genus Cicada L. were collected mainly on the Portuguese, Greek and Turkish mainland, as well as on several Aegean islands. Ten morphometric traits of external structures and seven of male genitalia were analysed and the results revealed patterns in morphometric variation for each species. Only C. lodosi was always completely discriminated by both character sets and C. barbara by the male genitalia analysis. For the remaining species there was great overlap between the clusters. Body length, of the external morphological structures, and measurements of the pygophore, of the male genitalia, were the best variables for identifying C. lodosi and C. barbara. The present morphometric analyses revealed that divergence in morphology is much less pronounced than the divergence in acoustic signals and DNA. Thus, the congruence between morphological divergence, namely at the level of the external structures, and both behavioural (acoustic) and genetic divergence is quite low.
In this paper a combination of characters by which Poecilimon species (Orthoptera: Tettigonioidea: Phaneropteridae) can be recognised as members of the P. sanctipauli group are described. Most important are the wide fastigium, short ovipositor and song characters. The morphological characters are figured and described (Table 1), and the song patterns illustrated by oscillograms. The proposed phylogenetic relationships of the members of this group are written as [P. mytilenensis (P. pulcher, P. lodosi, P. sanctipauli)]. All species of the group are known from southwest Turkey and some east Aegean islands. The three species P. pulcher, P. lodosi and P. sanctipauli are morphologically and bioacoustically quite similar. P. sanctipauli and P. pulcher are distinct species, P. lodosi, however, possesses a combination of the key characters of the other two species. It may be a relict species or, in our opinion more probably, a species of hybrid origin.
During the years 1994-1999, several hundreds of thousands of H. axyridis adults were released at various cultivations infested by aphids (citrus, vegetable and bean crops, maize etc.) and on ornamental plants in urban settings in central and southern Greece (mainly Attica and Peloponessos region) as well as on several islands. Between 1995-1999, spring sampling was conducted in some areas, just prior to releases, in order to determine if H. axyridis overwintered in the field. No presence of H. axyridis was recorded in any of the orchards where the predator had been released save in spring of 1998 and 1999 when small colonies (<50 individuals) of overwintered H. axyridis adults were observed in the Attica region. The above results suggest an inability of released H. axyridis populations to establish in Greece, although in some areas this species became an important biocontrol agent during the growing season.