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Stable isotope ratio analysis of volatile organic compounds for the botanical characterization and authentication of lavender essential oil
No full textEvidenze sperimentali sull’efficacia di azadiractina nel contenimento di afide lanigero del melo e selettività nei confronti del parassitoide Aphelinus mali
No full textIn una sperimentazione triennale (2021-23), condotta in parcelle di grandi dimensioni trattate con atomizzatore è stata valutata l'efficacia di Oikos® (p.a. azadiractina) nel contenimento dell'afide lanigero del melo. In strategie semplici o combinate, sono stati valutati i tempi di applicazione post-fiorali, a confronto con standard di riferimento quali Movento® 48 SC ed Epik® SL. I livelli di presenza dell afide lanigero erano da considerarsi significativi in tutte le annate di sperimentazione e si è delineata una interessante azione di azadiractina nei confronti di E. lanigerum, con posizionamento in post-fioritura e all interno di una strategia integrata basata su tre trattamenti aficidi. Inoltre, in prove di laboratorio di tossicità acuta con trattamento topico e residuale, sono stati valutati gli effetti collaterali di Oikos nei confronti del parassitoide Aphelinus mali. Nel trattamento topico, Oikos ha mostrato mortalitàstatisticamente uguale al testimone differenziandosi solo a 48 ore con mortalità del 16%. L effetto residuale di Oikos è paragonabile al testimone. I risultati ottenuti hanno evidenziato un buon grado di efficacia verso l afide lanigero e di selettività nei confronti del limitatore naturaleThree field trials were performed over 2021-23 to verify the activity of Oikos® (a.i. azadirachtin) against the woolly apple aphid (WAA), compared with acetamiprid and spirotetramat. The levels of the woolly aphid were to be considered significant in all years of experimentation and an interesting action of azadirachtin against E. lanigerum was outlined, with post-flowering positioning and within an integrated strategy based on three applications. The study evaluated the efficacy of selectivity against the parasitoid Aphelinus mali. Oikos, on topical sprays, showed the same mortality as in the untreated with statistical difference only at 48 h (mortality 16 % ± 6.5 S.E.). Even the residual effect of Oikos is comparable to the untreated. The good selectivity level observed on A. mali and the favourable ecotox profile make the aphicide suitable for IPM programm
Preserving the ground beneath the paws: does the biodiversity hypothesis matter for wildlife health?
No full textMounting evidence supports the biodiversity hypothesis stating that contact to immunoprotective factors in the environment is required for development of a balanced immune system, explaining the prevalence of allergies and other inflammatory disorders in humans inhabiting post-industrial societies. Yet, while urban areas are the most rapidly expanding ecosystems on Earth, little is known how the biodiversity hypothesis applies to wildlife. We performed a soil exposure experiment using the ecological model bank vole (Myodes glareolus), where laboratory-born vole pups were exposed to different forest soil mixtures and sterile bedding in individually ventilated cages for four weeks and monitored metataxonomic changes in gut microbiota. Treatment soil was collected from urban forests and national parks, considering that soil microbiota can greatly differ between levels of human development index. We found that soil treatment decreases species evenness and increases dispersal in beta diversity estimates in faecal samples compared to sterile control. This dataset will be further analyzed for inflammation markers such as Foxp3 and Il-17 using qPCR. These data can inform conservation of soil microbiomes and enhance rewilding interventions, and also inform planning of urban greenspaces and improve domestic and zoo animal wellbeing
La difesa dei meleti montani con impianti sovrachioma
No full textGli impianti a punto fisso con applicazione sovrachioma rappresentano una soluzione sostenibile nella frutticoltura di montagna in grado di assicurare tempestività di intervento e riduzione della deriva. Nelle prove condotte in Trentino su meleti allevati a parete stretta è stata riscontrata la possibilità di controllare la ticchiolatura del melo con risultati del tutto comparabili a quelli ottenuti con la distribuzione tradizionale con atomizzator
Global freshwater distribution of Telonemia protists
Get PDFTelonemia are one of the oldest identified marine protists that for most part of their history have been recognized as a distinct incertae sedis lineage. Today, their evolutionary proximity to the SAR supergroup (Stramenopiles, Alveolates, and Rhizaria) is firmly established. However, their ecological distribution and importance as a natural predatory flagellate, especially in freshwater food webs, still remain unclear. To unravel the distribution and diversity of the phylum Telonemia in freshwater habitats, we examined over a thousand freshwater metagenomes from all over the world. In addition, to directly quantify absolute abundances, we analyzed 407 samples from 97 lakes and reservoirs using Catalyzed Reporter Deposition-Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (CARD-FISH). We recovered Telonemia 18S rRNA gene sequences from hundreds of metagenomic samples from a wide variety of habitats, indicating a global distribution of this phylum. However, even after this extensive sampling, our phylogenetic analysis did not reveal any new major clades, suggesting current molecular surveys are near to capturing the full diversity within this group. We observed excellent concordance between CARD-FISH analyses and estimates of abundances from metagenomes. Both approaches suggest that Telonemia are largely absent from shallow lakes and prefer to inhabit the colder hypolimnion of lakes and reservoirs in the Northern Hemisphere, where they frequently bloom, reaching 10%-20% of the total heterotrophic flagellate population, making them important predatory flagellates in the freshwater food we
Partitioning human and brown bear niches: transboundary connectivity and human disturbance in the Alpine region (PartNiche)
Get PDFThe Alpine ecosystem in Europe, a region marked by both rich biodiversity and intensive human use, stands at the forefront of conservation challenges, particularly concerning the coexistence of humans and wildlife. This research, set within the mulit-national landscape of the Alps, aims to elucidate the complex interplay between human activities and the habitat use and connectivity of the brown bear (Ursus arctos), a species emblematic of both conservation success and social conflict. After reintroduction of brown bears to Trentino, Italy 25 years ago, the growing population allows for continued range expansion into former habitat throughout the Alps. Leveraging a multidisciplinary approach, the study designs models to analyze spatio-temporal patterns of bear movements and human-bear interactions, focusing on areas impacted by human infrastructure, recreational activities, and changing social acceptance of large carnivores. Employing bio-logging, remote sensing technologies, and socio-ecological surveys, the research aims to produce dynamic, fine-scale representations of current bear distribution, connectivity to potential habitat within and outside the population range, and human-bear conflict zones stemming from both tangible and sociological human disturbance. Historical and sociological drivers of wildlife tolerance will also be investigated. Anticipated preliminary results include the identification of key areas of habitat, connectivity, and conflict hotspots. This research and its products such as interactive suitability maps, predicted areas of conflicts, and science-based conservation protocols, are done with the goal of contributing to the Conflict-to-Coexistence (C2C) Approach for mitigating human-wildlife conflicts through informed conservation strategies, and addressing the urgent need for a harmonized coexistence between humans and the recovering Alpine brown bear population
Genomic identification of two hare species (Lepus timidus, L. europaeus) and their hybrids using a novel panel of genomic loci: MIPs (Multi-locus Intron Polymorphisms)
No full textThe mountain hare (Lepus timidus) is an arctic-alpine species, with relictual populations in the Alps threatened by climate and anthropic changes that result in snow cover reduction and habitat loss, as well as resource competition and hybridization with the European brown hare (L. europaeus). The latter is a typical species of open habitats in agricultural landscapes, often restocked for hunting and with an Alpine distribution currently shifting into areas once dominated by the mountain hare, due to an increase in mean winter temperatures. For conservation and management purposes, we developed a new panel of Multi-locus Intron Polymorphisms ('MIPs') for mammalian genomic surveys, species and individual identification, and monitoring of interspecific hybridization, with a specific subset for L. timidus, L. europaeus and their hybrids. To generate the mammalian panel, a total of 121 genomes were aligned to identify the most conserved intronic regions and 192 introns randomly distributed across the genomes were then selected. Primer pairs suitable for multiplex PCR amplifications followed by Illumina amplicon sequencing were designed on conserved exonic flanking regions. The MIPs panel was tested on tissue samples from 260 mountain and 70 brown hares bagged in the Province of Sondrio (Italy), from three hunting areas with different intensities of L. europaeus restocking; in addition, two altitudinal ranges (below and above 2000m a.s.l.) and two collection periods (2001-2008 and 2016-2023) were considered as proxies for climate change scenarios. Amplicon sequencing data were analysed with dedicated bioinformatic pipelines to assess inter- and intraspecific genetic diversity and level of hybridization of the populations under study. Our work highlights the impact of L. europaeus restocking and climate on L. timidus genomic diversity, and we discuss the usefulness of MIPs for guiding conservation strategie
Sex determination in bryophytes: current state of the art
No full textWith the advent of genomic and other omics technologies, the last decades have witnessed a series of steady and important breakthroughs in the understanding of genetic determinants of different reproductive systems in vascular plants and especially on how sexual reproduction shaped their evolution. In contrast, the molecular mechanisms of these fundamental aspects of the biology of bryophytes, a group of non-vascular embryophyte plants sister to all tracheophytes, are still largely obscure. The recent characterization of the sex chromosomes and genetic switches determining sex in bryophytes and emerging approaches for molecular sexing of gametophytes hold great promise for elucidation of the evolutionary history as well as the conservation of this species-rich but understudied group of land plant
The developmental and physiological traits of rare and threatened moss physcomitrium eurystomum Sendtn. (Funariaceae) valuable for its conservation
Get PDFPhyscomitrium eurystomum Sendtn. is a very rare European ephemeral funaroid moss. The entire European population of this species is considered threatened and it is red-listed in many regions and countries. In addition to being recognized as threatened and included in nature conservation legislation, it also requires active protection measures. This study aims to contribute to effective conservation practices for P. eurystomum. Different conservation physiology tests were carried out to propagate this species to achieve a reliable procedure for biomass production and the potential reintroduction of germplasm. Ex situ tests, both in vitro and ex vitro, were carried out to determine the optimal method for spore production under laboratory conditions, considering that the spores are the best propagules for the reintroduction of the species. An important outcome of this research is a deeper understanding of the role of the spore bank of this species for its survival in a variable environment. Some additional characterizations of the biology of this ephemeral moss species are also discussed, such as the functioning of the photosynthetic apparatus of the vegetative vs. sexual phases to clarify the transition to the reproductive phase. It is proposed that both types of sporophytes be used in conservation practices due to viable spore bank self-sustainability in rapidly changing environmental condition
Vitis vinifera lipoxygenase loxA is an allosteric dimer activated by lipidic surfaces
Get PDFLipoxygenases catalyze the peroxidation of poly-unsaturated fatty acid chains either free or esterified in membrane lipids. Vitis vinifera LoxA is transcriptionally induced at ripening onset and localizes at the inner chloroplast membrane where it is responsible for galactolipid regiospecific mono- and di-peroxidation. Here we present a kinetic and structural characterization of LoxA. Our X-ray structures reveal a constitutive dimer with detergent induced conformational changes affecting substrate binding and catalysis. In a closed conformation, a LID domain prevents substrate access to the catalytic site by steric hindrance. Detergent addition above the CMC destabilizes the LID and opens the dimer with both catalytic sites accessible from the same surface framed by the PLAT domains. As a consequence, detergent molecules occupy allosteric sites in the PLAT/catalytic domain interface. These structural changes are mirrored by increased enzymatic activity and positive cooperativity when the substrate is provided in micelles. The ability to interact with micelles is lost upon dimer destabilization by site-directed mutagenesis as assessed by tryptophan fluorescence. Our data allow to propose a model for protein activation at the membrane, classifying LoxA as an interfacial enzyme acting on fatty acid chains directly from the membrane similar to mammalian 15-LOX and 5-LOX