This paper assesses the vulnerability of grape growers and winery operators in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia to climate variability and change, in the context of other sources of risk. Through interviews and focus groups, producers identified the climatic and non-climatic risks relevant to them and the strategies employed to manage these risks. The results show that the presence of mult...

Climate warming is one of the most important threats to biodiversity. Ectothermic organisms such as amphibians and reptiles are especially vulnerable as climatic conditions affect them directly. Ecological niche models (ENMs) are increasingly popular in ecological studies, but several drawbacks exist, including the limited ability to account for the dispersal potential of the species. In this s...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS A recent method used to test for local adaptation is a common garden experiment where analyses are calibrated to the environmental conditions of the garden. In this study the calibrated common garden approach is used to test for patterns of adaptation to climate in accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana. METHODS Seedlings from 21 accessions of A. thaliana were planted outdoors...

Epidemiological studies of the relationship between climate and the onset of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) have been reported in the temperate and subarctic latitudes. However, the relationship between the incidence of aneurysmal SAH and the climatic variations in the subtropical region remains uncertain. Epidemiological analysis requires study of an extremely isolated area. This stu...

A topic of great current interest is the capacity of populations to adapt genetically to rapidly changing climates, for example by evolving the timing of life-history events, but this is challenging to address experimentally. I use a plant invasion as a model system to tackle this question by combining molecular markers, a common garden experiment and climatic niche modelling. This approach rev...

Adaptation of plants to local conditions that vary substantially within their geographic range is essential for seasonal timing of flowering, a major determinant of plant reproductive success. This study investigates photoperiodic responses in natural populations of Arabidopsis thaliana from high northern latitudes and their significance for local adaptation. Thirty lineages from ten local A. t...

Turkey has very rich ecosystems and habitats in which various types of vegetation communities and fauna are found. These properties of Turkey depend on its geographical position, different climatic region, mountainous topographical conditions and climatic changes occurred during the Pleistocene. Several field works have been conducted during the period of 1975-2008. The field observations and a...

A computer-aided design tool for assisting the designer to set appropriate passive solar systems for heating and cooling is presented. The system is based on a knowledge base oriented design process (KBDP). The knowledge base stores design guidelines and procedural methods for determining the passive systems that best suit the local climatic conditions. This tool is aimed to be used already at ...