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Perception and management of the understorey vegetation by chestnut growers: the study case of the chestnut orchards in the Bologna and Modena Apennines (Italy)
Get PDFIn southern Europe, traditionally managed chestnut orchards are iconic landscapes and habitats rich in biodiversity. They consist of a spaced stand of grafted chestnut trees for fruit production and a herbaceous understorey layer. Management practises play a key role in maintaining and shaping the understorey vegetation layer, which supports most of the vegetation diversity. However, very little is known about thoughts, feelings, and attitudes of growers to the plant species which make up the understorey ground vegetation. To probe further on this issue, we performed qualitative socio-ecological research involving 38 growers to explore their perceptions and attitudes towards the understorey vegetation of selected chestnut orchards of the northern Apennines. Although most of the respondents were in their 60 s, they showed a wide range of cultural backgrounds and shared the common passion for chestnut cultivation. Biodiversity proved to be a difficult concept for the interviewees to understand and deal with. Nevertheless, the interviews based on both closed and open-ended questions made it possible to record 140 plant taxa. Among them, species with conspicuous flowers (e.g., orchids), species requiring management effort, and species providing practical benefits according to local tradition. Understanding and knowing the ecosystem complexity of the chestnut orchards could guide growers towards more adequate and biodiversity-enhancing management practises. There is, however, an urgent need to increase biodiversity awareness among chestnut growers (e.g., through training courses) to enhance and ensure the conservation of the traditional chestnut orchards and related biodiversit
Life VAIA: agroforestazione con mirtillo selvatico per il recupero dei territori alpini danneggiati
No full textCrop authenticity in organic horticulture: insights from recent research and practical applications
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Photodegradation of retsina wine: does pine resin protect against light-induced changes?
No full textPlacement matters: implications of trail- versus random-based camera-trap deployment for monitoring mammal communities
Get PDFOptimizing protocols to assess and monitor mammal communities is essential to meet the current biodiversity targets of halting species loss. Camera-traps are the most effective tool for multispecies monitoring, yet their deployment strategy is debated, with two main strategies adopted: trail- and random-based camera deployment. To date, few studies have compared these two strategies and reached contrasting recommendations. Here, by simultaneously deploying 60 camera-traps for each placement strategy in a National Park in central Italy, we aimed to assess differences in species richness and composition, photographic rate, detection/occupancy probabilities, also in responses to environmental and anthropogenic variables, and temporal activity. Site species richness was greater on than off-trails, with elusive carnivores mainly detected on trails. Community composition was different, with a smaller proportion of ungulates on trails, and lower detections of carnivores off-trails. Photographic rate, detection, and occupancy probabilities were higher on trails for almost all mammals. Occupancy responses to environmental variables did not match, possibly due to the different behavioral strategy adopted by mammals (trails for movement, off-trails for resting and foraging). Thus, a mixed approach with cameras located both on- and off-trails is recommended when studying habitat use. We also found a consistent negative response of occupancy and site-use intensity to human frequentation, with mammals avoiding both highly frequented trails and adjacent random sites. Temporal activity curves were similar between designs, suggesting that the choice of the sampling strategy would not bias the inference. However, nocturnal behavior was higher on trails for some species, indicating varying degrees of temporal avoidance of humans. With faster data accumulation, easier accessibility of sampling sites, and the ability to record human activity, on-trail cameras are more efficient than off-trail cameras for monitoring mammal communities
Profiling and visualization of organic acids in grape plants by desorption electrospray ionization imaging
No full textOrganic acids play a crucial role in determining the quality of grapes and their derived products, such as wine and juice. Despite their critical role in grapevine physiology and fruit quality, limited research has investigated the distribution of these acids within grape plants. This study employed desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) imaging to rapidly profile and image key organic acids across various grape tissues. By analyzing the ratios of tartaric and malic acids in different tissues, we leveraged DESI's semi-quantitative capabilities. The results not only align with previous quantitative findings but also reveal distinct spatial distributions of these acids. Malic acid was predominantly localized in the cortex and epidermis, while tartaric acid was concentrated in the pith region of stems, stem junctions, and near veins in leaf blades. These patterns suggest tissue-specific biosynthetic activities and provide spatial evidence for multiple active pathways in tartaric acid synthesis within grape plants. Overall, this study advances our understanding of organic acid metabolism in grapes and highlights DESI as a powerful and high throughput tool for obtaining semi-quantitative chemical data with high spatial resolution in plant scienc
Olfactory modulation of visual attention and preference towards congruent food products: an eye tracking study
No full textIn multisensory environments, odours often accompany visual stimuli, directing attention towards congruent objects. While previous research shows that people fixate longer on objects that match a recently smelled odour, it remains unclear whether odours directly influence product choices. Since odours persist in real-world settings, we investigated the effects of repeated odour exposure on visual attention and product choice, accounting for potential olfactory habituation. In a within-participant design, 30 participants completed a task where either a lemon odour (experimental condition) or clean air (control) was paired with congruent lemon-based food images, which varied to prevent visual habituation. We measured eye movements and choice preferences for these food products. Results revealed that participants exhibited longer gaze durations and more frequent fixations on food products congruent with the lemon odour. Repeated odour exposure had no effect on gaze patterns, as participants consistently focused on odour-congruent products throughout the experiment. The intensity and pleasantness of the lemon odour remained stable over time, suggesting no olfactory habituation occurred with this food-related odour. Despite this stable visual attention and odour intensity and pleasantness, participants began to diversify their product choices, selecting fewer odour-congruent items over time. These findings suggest that while odours continue to direct attention towards matching products, repeated exposure may reduce their influence on product choice, highlighting the complex role of olfactory stimuli in decision-making. The study provides insights into how odours interact with visual cues and influence consumer behaviour in prolonged exposure scenario
A CACTA-like transposon in the Anthocyanidin synthase 1 (Ans-1) gene is responsible for apricot fruit colour in the raspberry (Rubus idaeus) cultivar ‘Varnes’
Get PDFCultivated raspberries (Rubus idaeus L.) most commonly bear small, red, highly aromatic fruits. Their colour is derived predominantly from anthocyanins, water soluble polyphenolic pigments, but as well as red forms, there exist cultivars that display yellow- and apricot-coloured fruits. In this investigation, we used a multi-omics approach to elucidate the genetic basis of the apricot fruit colour in raspberry. Using metabolomics, we quantified anthocyanins in red and apricot raspberry fruits and demonstrated that, in contrast to red-fruited raspberries, fruits of the apricot cultivar ‘Varnes’ contain low concentrations of only a small number of anthocyanin compounds. By performing RNASeq, we revealed differential expression patterns in the apricot-fruited ‘Varnes’ for genes in the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway and following whole genome sequencing using long-read Oxford Nanopore Technologies sequencing, we identified a CACTA-like transposable element (TE) in the second exon of the Anthocyanidin synthase (Ans) gene that caused a truncated predicted ANS protein. PCR confirmed the presence in heterozygous form of the transposon in an unrelated, red-fruited cultivar ‘Veten’, indicating apricot fruit colour is recessive to red and that it may be widespread in raspberry germplasm, potentially explaining why apricot forms appear at regular intervals in modern raspberry breeding population
