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In this work, chemical parameters such as sugar (glucose and fructose) content, organic acid (total acids, malic and tartaric acids), total phenolic content and the antioxidant activity of 12 white wines (chardonnay, pinot blanc and pinot gris) from various wine regions in Slovakia were studied in order to identify differences among the varieties and wine-growing regions. The wine samples were examined by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and UV-VIS spectrophotometry (for determination of total polyphenolic content (TPC) and total antioxidant activity (TAA)) methods. Content of alcohol ranged between 11.50% and 13.80% with the mean value 12.52%. Mean content of total acids varied between 4.63 ± 0.09 and 6.63 ± 0.05 g.L−1, tartaric acid varied between 1.62 ± 0.09 and 2.93 ± 0.03 g L−1, malic acid was found in the concentrations ranged from 0.07 ± 0.05 and 2.50 ± 0.08 g L−1 and lactic acid was present between 1.53 and 0.01 g L−1. The content of fructose was, in general, higher in the samples from the Južnoslovenská and Nitrianska wine regions and glucose was higher in the Malokarpatská wine region. Chardonnay wines showed the highest content of total polyphenols and the antioxidant activity in the samples ranged from 51.06 ± 027 to 72.53 ± 0.35% inhibition of DPPH. The PCA analysis based on chemical descriptors distinguished the Nitrianska and Stredoslovenská wine regions. According to similarities among the wine samples, four main classes were formed by cluster analysis.

ABSTRACT:The concept of sustainable development is currently known and used in many contexts across a wide range of industries. Nevertheless, specific approaches to achieving the strategy of sustainability can be found in the individual sectors. The beginnings of sustainable management in forestry go back to the mid-18 th century. Currently, certification systems contribute to sustainable behaviour in forests. In the Czech Republic, this concerns in particular PEFC and FSC certification systems. Both these certification systems include two different processes, forest management certification and chain of custody certification, i.e. including the wood-processing companies, where only certified wood must strictly be used. This article aims to evaluate the importance of certification for sustainable development in forestry. Given the clear superiority of the PEFC system in the Czech Republic, this paper focuses on the potential benefits for PEFC certificate holders. To determine the benefits of PEFC certification for sustainable development, a questionnaire survey was chosen. Assessment of the benefits for sustainable development depends on the subjective assessment of certification holders. The results suggest that the beneficial effect on sustainable development in forest management is clear in the forest property area of over 500 ha.

The causal chain of parasite–host–environment interactions, the so-called ‘dual parasite environment’, makes studying parasites more complicated than other wild organisms. A sample of 65 282 fleas taken from 336 different locations were analysed for changes in the distribution, diversity and compensation of flea communities found on small mammals along an elevational diversity gradient ranging from the Pannonian Plain to the base of the Carpathian summits. The fleas were divided into four groups, which were derived from changes in abundance and occurrence determined from cluster analysis. They are (1) flea species whose range seems unrelated to any change in elevation; (2) species that avoid high altitudes; (3) a group that can be subdivided into two types: (i) host-specific fleas and (ii) mountains species and (4) species opting for high altitudes on the gradient or preferring lower to middle elevations below 1000 m. Our study showed a unimodal pattern of flea diversity along the elevational gradient. It indicated that seasonality significantly conditions changes in biodiversity and patterns of spatial change along the elevational gradient, with specific flea species influenced by their host, while the impact of environmental conditions is more pronounced in opportunistic flea species.

Sustainability reporting is constantly paid attention by companies for its economic, environmental and social benefits. It supports making use of the wide potential for further development of enterprises and society. Individual sectors use types of indicators that correspond to their specifics. It is also the case of the forestry sector, which is especially characterized by a number of non-market outputs. However, we can find also other specific indicators that are relevant to forest management. The paper proposes indicators for sustainability reporting, which are not part of usual methodologies. These indicators will contribute not only to the formal preparation of sustainability reporting, but so that its benefits would be of significant influence on the development of forest enterprises and the forestry sector using its potential in all areas.