Matching the puzzle piece to a new jigsaw: The effect of surrounding environments on plants and invertebrates in the translocated wet meadow.

Habitat translocation is a method of habitat salvation conducted in cases of its inevitable destruction during construction projects. To evaluate the large-scale turf translocation of wet meadows to derelict land, with consideration of the possible impact of the surrounding area on the translocated habitat, salvaged Molinion meadows were compared to reference meadows near the donor site and to varied plots in the receptor area. The study included the soil, vegetation and selected groups of invertebrates at different motility and food levels. Pollinators (wild bees, butterflies), grasshoppers, ants and soil mesofauna, with emphasis on springtails, were counted and identified to the species level. Lower numbers of springtails and higher numbers of grasshoppers were observed in the translocated plots than in the reference plots. For springtails, the decreased soil porosity was a clear disadvantage. Mobile animals with a high food specificity responded dynamically to the habitat translocation. The translocated plots maintained their biodiversity. However, an influx of cosmopolitan species was noticeable, especially for the plants and pollinators. A few vulnerable species declined in number. The habitat translocation to derelict land was associated with a deterioration of the ecological condition of the habitat; thus, natural habitats should be preserved where they are if possible. However, in the case of their inevitable destruction, translocation is better than nothing. Revitalised areas can be a valuable spot for local pollinators, as well as for other animals, as far as their biodiversity is maintained. Caring for pollinators, which are under threat on a global scale, should be a particular concern for the safety of crops and phytocoenoses.

Dendrite Formation on the Poly(methyl methacrylate) Surface Reactively Sputtered with a Cesium Ion Beam.

The development of topography plays an important role when low-energy projectiles are used to modify the surface or analyze the properties of various materials. It can be a feature that allows one to create complex structures on the sputtered surface. It can also be a factor that limits depth resolution in ion-based depth profiling methods. In this work, we have studied the evolution of microdendrites on poly(methyl methacrylate) sputtered with a Cs 1 keV ion beam. Detailed analysis of the topography of the sputtered surface shows a sea of pillars with islands of densely packed pillars, which eventually evolve to fully formed dendrites. The development of the dendrites depends on the Cs fluence and temperature. Analysis of the sputtered surface by physicochemical methods shows that the mechanism responsible for the formation of the observed microstructures is reactive ion sputtering. It originates from the chemical reaction between the target material and primary projectile and is combined with mass transport induced by ion sputtering. The importance of chemical reaction for the formation of the described structures is shown directly by comparing the change in the surface morphology under the same dose of a nonreactive 1 keV xenon ion beam.