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This study aimed to analyse the relationship between children’s adaptation to nursery and children’s temperament. The results show a statistically significant relationship between children’s shyness and emotionality and the time of adaptation to nursery. Shy children displayed more negative and less positive behaviours during adaptation. Children with less control over their emotional reactions showed more negative emotions and behaviours during separation from their parents. Moreover, further statistical analysis divided by sex showed that the older and shier the boys were, the more negative behaviours they displayed—as perceived by the nursery staff—during nursery adaptation. Namen študije je bil analizirati razmerje med prilagajanjem otrok na jasli in temperamentom otrok. Rezultati raziskave kažejo na statistično pomembno povezavo med sramežljivostjo in čustvenostjo otrok ter časom prilagajanja na jasli. Sramežljivi otroci so med prilagajanjem pokazali več negativnega in manj pozitivnega vedenja. Otroci z manj nadzora nad svojimi čustvenimi reakcijami so med bivanjem v vrtcu pokazali več negativnih čustev in vedenja. Nadaljnja statistična analiza, razdeljena po spolu, je pokazala, da so starejši in bolj sramežljivi fantje med prilagajanjem na jasli – tako so jih zaznali vzgojitelji – kazali več znakov negativnega vedenja.

Life for many of the world’s marine fish begins at the ocean surface. Ocean conditions dictate food availability and govern survivorship, yet little is known about the habitat preferences of larval fish during this highly vulnerable life-history stage. Here we show that surface slicks, a ubiquitous coastal ocean convergence feature, are important nurseries for larval fish from many ocean habitats at ecosystem scales. Slicks had higher densities of marine phytoplankton (1.7-fold), zooplankton (larval fish prey; 3.7-fold), and larval fish (8.1-fold) than nearby ambient waters across our study region in Hawai’i. Slicks contained larger, more well-developed individuals with competent swimming abilities compared to ambient waters, suggesting a physiological benefit to increased prey resources. Slicks also disproportionately accumulated prey-size plastics, resulting in a 60-fold higher ratio of plastics to larval fish prey than nearby waters. Dissections of hundreds of larval fish found that 8.6% of individuals in slicks had ingested plastics, a 2.3-fold higher occurrence than larval fish from ambient waters. Plastics were found in 7 of 8 families dissected, including swordfish (Xiphiidae), a commercially targeted species, and flying fish (Exocoetidae), a principal prey item for tuna and seabirds. Scaling up across an ∼1,000 km² coastal ecosystem in Hawai’i revealed slicks occupied only 8.3% of ocean surface habitat but contained 42.3% of all neustonic larval fish and 91.8% of all floating plastics. The ingestion of plastics by larval fish could reduce survivorship, compounding threats to fisheries productivity posed by overfishing, climate change, and habitat loss.

Estuaries and other coastal habitats are considered essential for the survival of early life stages of commercial, recreational, and other ecologically important species. While early designations simply referred to habitats with higher densities of juveniles as nurseries, the definition was improved by arguing that contribution per unit area to the production of individuals that recruit to adult populations is greater, on average, in nursery habitats. However, this and related approaches typically consider critical habitats as individual, homogeneous entities that are static in nature and do not specifically incorporate important dynamics that determine nursery function. The latter include environmental variability, estuarine hydrodynamics, trophic coupling, ontogenetic habitat shifts, and spatially explicit usage of habitat patches and corridors within larger seascapes. Subsequent studies have identified important factors that regulate nursery value, and researchers working independently across the globe have not only supported the advances made in defining the processes underlying nursery function but, as set forth in this narrative, have advanced it while suggesting that much work still needs to be done to improve our understanding of the links between juvenile nekton survival and the estuarine-coastal seascape. We discuss the current nursery role hypothesis and the data supporting (or refuting) it along with the implications for management of estuarine habitats for the conservation or restoration of nursery function.

Ecologists are pressed to understand how climate constrains the timings of annual biological events (phenology). Climate influences on phenology are likely significant in estuarine watersheds because many watersheds provide seasonal fish nurseries where juvenile presence is synched with favorable conditions. While ecologists have long recognized that estuaries are generally important to juvenile fish, we incompletely understand the specific ecosystem dynamics that contribute to their nursery habitat value, limiting our ability to identify and protect vital habitat components. Here we examined the annual timing of juvenile coldwater fish migrating through a seasonally warm, hydrologically managed watershed. Our goal was to (1) understand how climate constrained the seasonal timing of water conditions necessary for juvenile fish to use nursery habitats and (2) inform management decisions about (a) mitigating climate-mediated stress on nursery habitat function and (b) conserving heat-constrained species in warming environments. Cool, wet winters deposited snow and cold water into mountains and reservoirs, which kept the lower watershed adequately cool for juveniles through the spring despite the region approaching its hot, dry summers. For every 1°C waters in April were colder, the juvenile fish population (1) inhabited the watershed 4–7 d longer and (2) entered marine waters, where survival is size selective, at maximum sizes 2.1 mm larger. Climate therefore appeared to constrain the nursery functions of this system by determining seasonal windows of tolerable rearing conditions, and cold water appeared to be a vital ecosystem component that promoted juvenile rearing. Fish in this system inhabit the southernmost extent of their range and already rear during the coolest part of the year, suggesting that a warming climate will truncate rather than shift their annual presence. Our findings are concerning for coldwater diadromous species in general because warming climates may constrain watershed use and diminish viability of life histories (e.g., late springtime rearing) and associated portfolio benefits over the long term. Lower watershed nurseries for coldwater fish in warming climates may be enhanced through allocating coldwater reservoir releases to prolong juvenile rearing periods downstream or restorations that facilitate colder conditions.

Over the past several years, plantings of California native plant nursery stock in restoration areas have become recognized as a pathway for invasive species introductions, in particular Phytophthora pathogens, including first in the U.S. detections (Phytophthora tentaculata, Phytophthora quercina), new taxa, new hybrid species, and dozens of other soilborne species. Restoration plantings may be conducted in high-value and limited habitats to sustain or re-establish rare plant populations. Once established, Phytophthora pathogens infest the site and are very difficult to eradicate or manage—they degrade the natural resources the plantings were intended to enhance. To respond to unintended Phytophthora introductions, vegetation ecologists took a variety of measures to prevent pathogen introduction and spread, including treating infested areas by solarization, suspending plantings, switching to direct seeding, applying stringent phytosanitation requirements on contracted nursery stock, and building their own nursery for clean plant production. These individual or collective actions, loosely coordinated by the Phytophthoras in Native Habitats Work Group ensued as demands intensified for protection from the inadvertent purchase of infected plants from commercial native plant nurseries. Regulation and management of the dozens of Phytophthora species and scores of plant hosts present a challenge to the state, county, and federal agriculture officials and to the ornamental and restoration nursery industries. To rebuild confidence in the health of restoration nursery stock and prevent further Phytophthora introductions, a voluntary, statewide accreditation pilot project is underway which, upon completion of validation, is planned for statewide implementation.

Phytophthora is a genus of destructive plant pathogens. Certain species are damaging to native ecosystems, forestry, and the horticultural sector, and there is evidence of their dissemination in plant imports. Horticultural nurseries are central nodes of the plant trade and previous studies have found a high diversity of Phytophthora associated with plant nursery stock. It was subsequently hypothesized that green waste disposal sites in nurseries could harbour diverse Phytophthora communities and act as a pathogen reservoir and conduit, facilitating further Phytophthora infection of nursery stock and its spread into the wider environment. This project identified Phytophthora species associated with green waste at three Scottish nurseries by sampling material from waste piles, water run-off from piles, and roots from discarded plants. Species were identified using a baiting method and sequencing of environmental DNA. Plant nursery green waste was shown to harbour diverse and varied Phytophthora species assemblages, with differences among nurseries reflecting biosecurity management practices. Eighteen Phytophthora species were detected in the samples, including the highly destructive pathogens P. ramorum and P. austrocedri. Results suggest that the improved management of waste, for example through effective on-site composting, is essential to reduce the risk of Phytophthora pathogens spreading from nurseries into the wider environment.

Mangroves and seagrasses are important nurseries for many marine species, and this function is linked to the complexity and context of these habitats in coastal seascapes. It is also connected to bathymetric features that influence habitat availability, and the accessibility of refuge habitats, but the significance of terrain variation for nursery function is unknown. To test whether seafloor terrain influences nursery function, we surveyed fish assemblages from mangrove and seagrass habitats in 29 estuaries in eastern Australia with unbaited underwater cameras and quantified the surrounding three-dimensional terrain with a set of complementary surface metrics (that is, depth, aspect, curvature, slope, roughness) applied to sonar-derived bathymetric maps. Terrain metrics explained variability in assemblages in both mangroves and seagrasses, with differing effects for the entire fish assemblage and nursery species composition, and between habitats. Higher depth, plan curvature (concavity or convexity) and roughness (backscatter) were negatively correlated with abundance and diversity in mangroves and positively linked to abundance and diversity in seagrass. Mangrove nursery species (6 species) were most abundant in forests adjacent to flats with concave holes, rough substrates and low-moderate depths, whereas seagrass nursery species (3 species) were most abundant in meadows adjacent to deep channels with soft mounds and ledges. These findings indicate that seafloor terrain influences nursery function and demonstrate contrasting effects of terrain variation in mangroves and seagrass. We suggest that incorporating three-dimensional terrain into coastal conservation and restoration plans could help to improve outcomes for fisheries management, but contrasting strategies might be needed for different nursery habitats.

Background The nutrition and physical activity self-assessment for childcare (NAP SACC) intervention has demonstrated effectiveness in the USA. A feasibility randomised controlled trial was conducted in England to adapt the intervention to the UK context. An embedded process evaluation focused on three key questions. 1. Was it feasible and acceptable to implement the intervention as planned? 2. How did the intervention affect staff and parent mediators? 3. Were the trial design and methods acceptable? Methods Twelve nurseries in south-west England were recruited and randomised to intervention or control. The intervention comprised: NAP SACC UK Partner (Health Visitor) support to nurseries to review practice and policies against best practice, and then set goals to improve physical activity, nutrition and oral health; two staff training workshops; and a web-based parent support element. The process evaluation comprised: observations of Partner training ( n  = 1), Partner/manager meetings ( n  = 5) and staff workshops ( n  = 10); semi-structured interviews with Partners ( n  = 4), managers ( n  = 12), staff (n = 4) and parents ( n  = 20); analysis of self-assessment forms, goal setting forms and Partner logbooks; and assessment of staff and parent knowledge, motivation and self-efficacy mediators. Results Overall, NAP SACC UK was feasible to implement and acceptable to nursery staff, managers, Partners and parents. The intervention was implemented as planned in five of the six intervention nurseries. Partners and managers appreciated the opportunity to review and improve nursery practices and valued the relationship forged between them. Staff rated the training workshops highly, despite attending outside of working hours. Most goals set by nurseries were achieved. However, Partners raised concerns about Health Visitors’ capacity to deliver the intervention in any subsequent roll out. Mediator scores improved in all but two areas in intervention staff and parents, with decreases or minimal changes in the control group. The web-based parent element was not well used and should be removed from any subsequent trial. The trial methods were acceptable to managers, staff, Partners and parents. Conclusions Implementing and evaluating a physical activity and nutrition intervention in nursery settings is feasible and acceptable. A full RCT of NAP SACC UK (with appropriate modifications) is warranted. Trial registration ISRCTN16287377 (10 Apr 2015).

The influence of microbial preparations (MP) on mineral nutrition, the productivity of the fruit plant nursery, as well as soil fertility indicators in the steppe Crimea were studied. The research was carried out in field small-plot experiments. The variants of experiment were: Azotobacterin (AB) and Diazophyte (DA)—diazotrophs; Phosphoenterin (PE) is a phosphate mobilizer; Complex of microbial preparations (CMP). It was established that MPs increase the total nitrogen content in the leaves of apricot seedlings: AB—by 73%; mahaleb cherry: DA—by 25%. The content of total phosphorus in the leaves of apricot and almond seedlings increased by 9–29% under the influence of PE and CMP relative to the control. The potassium content in the leaves of cherry plum and mahaleb cherry seedlings increased under the influence of CMP by 7 and 44% respectively. The use of PE and CMP led to an improvement in plant nutrition with nitrogen—on apricot and peach seedlings by 28–64%, phosphorus—by 9–70%, potassium—on cherry plum and apricot by 6–33% when growing seedlings in the second field of the nursery. The use of MP had little effect on the content of mobile forms of basic nutrients and humus in the soil. Improving the mineral nutrition of fruit plant seedlings using MP contributed to an increase in the output of standard planting material per unit area. The most effective were PE on peach and cherry seedlings, CMP—on apricot and cherry plum, which made it possible to obtain additional 3–29 thousand seedlings per hectare.