1,720,997 research outputs found
Cephalocteinae Mulsant et Rey, 1866 (Hemiptera, Heteroptera), a subfamily of Cydnidae new for the Italian fauna: first record of Cephalocteus scarabaeoides (Fabricius, 1807) from Sardinia
No full textFancello, Luca, Cillo, Davide, Bazzato, Erika (2016): Cephalocteinae Mulsant et Rey, 1866 (Hemiptera, Heteroptera), a subfamily of Cydnidae new for the Italian fauna: first record of Cephalocteus scarabaeoides (Fabricius, 1807) from Sardinia. Zootaxa 4067 (4): 465-468, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4067.4.
Are the Targets of the Nature Restoration Regulation Achievable at a Regional Scale? An Analysis of Natura 2000 Sites on the Island of Sardinia
Full text linkThe Nature Restoration Regulation (NRR) aims to restore 20% of degraded terrestrial and marine ecosystems across Europe by 2030. One of the initial provisions states that, by 2030, Member States should prioritize the restoration of natural ecosystems within Natura 2000 sites, emphasizing the urgency of assessing the conservation status of habitats in these areas. We selected Sardinia as a case study to evaluate the feasibility of the NRR at the regional level. The Natura 2000 sites in Sardinia cover a comparable percentage of territory (18.87%) to the national (19.38%) and European level (18.6%). Additionally, Sardinia’s insularity, high biodiversity levels, and low population density make it an ideal model for testing restoration strategies. Using official Natura 2000 data provided by the Italian Ministry of the Environment, we assessed the potential for restoration for each habitat within each site based on the conservation status values. The results indicated that coastal ecosystems were the most endangered. However, their limited distribution meant that their restoration would have a modest impact on achieving the NRR target. In contrast, forest and shrub habitats, which were more widely distributed, emerged as the main contributors to the restoration goals. Conducting this study at a regional level allowed us to provide actionable recommendations for management practices to be locally adopted. Our findings confirmed that restoration efforts confined to Natura 2000 sites alone would be insufficient to meet the NRR targets, underscoring the need to implement additional restoration measures in agricultural, urban, and other natural and semi-natural areas
Cephalocteus scarabaeoides
No full text<i>Cephalocteus scarabaeoides</i> (Fig. 1) <p> <b>Material examined.</b> ITALY, SW SARDINIA: Carbonia-Iglesias prov., Masainas, Is Solinas, Sa Salina beach, 2.VI.2015, leg. L. Fancello, 1 male preserved in Fancello Collection (Cagliari).</p>Published as part of <i>Fancello, Luca, Cillo, Davide & Bazzato, Erika, 2016, Cephalocteinae Mulsant et Rey, 1866 (Hemiptera, Heteroptera), a subfamily of Cydnidae new for the Italian fauna: first record of Cephalocteus scarabaeoides (Fabricius, 1807) from Sardinia, pp. 465-468 in Zootaxa 4067 (4)</i> on page 465, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4067.4.4, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/263558">http://zenodo.org/record/263558</a>
Senecio inaequidens DC. will thrive in future climate: A case study in a Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot
Full text linkMonitoring the expansion of invasive non-native plants under current and future climatic conditions is crucial for understanding biodiversity threats, addressing the ecological impact, and developing effective management strategies. This study focuses on modelling the expansion and distribution of Senecio inaequidens DC. on the island of Sardinia (Italy) to address these environmental challenges. The objectives were to identify bio-climatically suitable areas under current conditions, project potential future distribution, and evaluate invasion dynamics on the island to localize suitable areas for effective management strategies.
Species data were collected from 1991 to the present, supplemented by global databases and analyzed using an ensemble species distribution model approach. This approach utilized presence data, high-resolution current bioclimatic variables (40 m2), developed explicitly for our study area, and two future scenarios derived from the newly Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) under Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSP2–4.5 and SSP5–8.5 for 2040 and 2060).
The ensemble model’s findings suggest a close alignment between the currently documented occurrences of S. inaequidens and its bio-climatically suitable habitats in Sardinia. Moreover, predictions indicate high biocli- matic suitability for S. inaequidens in the western and southwestern coastal regions, contrasting with its known occurrences at higher altitudes. Notably, the model also forecasts high bio-climatic suitability across most small islands surrounding the region and in central-east Sardinia, potentially indicating habitats at lower altitudes compared to current records.
Under the SSP2–4.5 scenario, suitable areas are expected to nearly double by 2040 and more than double by 2060, compared to current conditions. Under the SSP5–8.5 scenario, the increase in suitable habitats is projected to be about 83.31% by 2040 and more than double by 2060. These results highlight the species’ ability to thrive under climate change, with a more pronounced range expansion under the pessimistic management regime (SSP5–8.5) than under the intermediate one (SSP2–4.5), particularly in the central region of the island. This expansion under the more severe management scenario is particularly alarming as it reflects limited imple- mentation of environmental management policies.
The study underscores the potential ecological risk posed by S. inaequidens due to its potential range expansion and ability to invade different habitat types, from coastal regions to mountainous areas, under current and future scenarios. Based on these findings, we propose targeted management actions for monitoring and eradicating the species, leveraging prior information and local experiences to mitigate its impact
On the Presence of Macrosiagon ferruginea (Fabricius, 1775) in Northern Tunisia (Coleoptera, Ripiphoridae, Ripiphorinae, Macrosiagonini)
No full text<p>Macrosiagon ferruginea (Fabricius, 1775) is here reported for the first time in Tunisia, expanding its distribution range in North Africa.</p>
Morphology and phenology of sexuals and new distribution data on the blind Mediterranean ant Hypoponera abeillei (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)
Full text linkHypoponera abeillei is the sole member of the otherwise exclusively Afrotropical abeillei group to occur in the West-Palearctic and since its first description on the basis of two Corsican workers in 1881, it remained little-known. Workers of this species are thought to entirely lack eyes, a rare trait among ants of the region, yet their lifestyle remains undocumented. On the other hand, the male caste has been described from 4 Tunisian specimens in 1921, and queens remained so far undescribed. We present an updated description of the male caste based on 45 specimens and a first description of the queen caste based on 14 specimens. The H. abeillei material we examined comes from Italy, Spain and Malta (mostly originating from coastal localities), and comprises 11 inedit distribution records, including the first findings in the islands of Mallorca, Malta and Sardinia. Moreover, we provide a first phenological overview of the species’ nuptial flights. Our data show that H. abeillei sexuals flight during the summer, mostly in August, and demonstrate that they can easily be distinguished from all the other Hypoponera species inhabiting the Mediterranean region based on their morphology. The remarkable diversity of Mediterranean Hypoponera males and queens suggest that sexuals may have a role in future attempts to understand relationships within this genus, yet the number of species in which sexual castes are documented is still extremely reduced
ANTS OF SARDINIA: AN UPDATED CHECKLIST BASED ON NEW FAUNISTIC, MORPHOLOGICAL AND BIOGEOGRAPHICAL NOTES
No full textSardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean region, receiving significant attention due to its interesting fauna and flora. The last checklist of Sardinian ants was published more than a decade ago, and, since then, it got outdated by numerous taxonomic and faunistic novelties. As a result of recent collecting efforts across the island, we present the first Sardinian records of Messor ibericus Santschi, 1931, Solenopsis lusitanica Emery, 1915 (new to Italy), Temnothorax aveli Bondroit, 1918 and Tetramorium atratulum (Schenck, 1852), while proposing to consider Solenopsis fugax (Latreille, 1798) and Temnothorax affinis (Mayr, 1855) as absent. We report for the first time a parasite-host association between Tetramorium atratulum and Tetramorium semilaeve André, 1883, and the conspicuous presence of ergatogynes within a Solenopsis colony (S. lusitanica). Morphological insights on the little-known S. lusitanica and S. orbula Emery, 1875 are also discussed. We combined the new findings and previous literature data into an updated checklist of 77 taxa and discuss a first biogeographic analysis of the Sardinian ants aided by chorotypes. Eurasian, European, Euro-Mediterranean and West-Mediterranean taxa are the numerically prevalent groups, while the overall number of species is significantly lower than in the other large Mediterranean islands. Considerable knowledge gaps still remain and some species are known to require additional taxonomic investigation
Modeling the effects of climate change scenarios on the potential distribution of Vespa crabro Linnaeus, 1758 (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in a Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot
Full text linkClimate change poses unprecedented challenges to ecosystems and species, particularly in biodiversity hotspots like the European-Mediterranean regions. The ecological consequences are not easily discernible. Although the influence of climate on plants and vertebrates has been extensively studied, its impact on alien insects, especially social wasps, remains underexplored. To address this gap, this study identifies climatically suitable habitats for Vespa crabro under current conditions, projects its potential future distribution, and assesses potential range shifts driven by climate change to guide monitoring programs and management measures. We focused on Sardinia, a Mediterranean island with a heterogeneous morphological, geological, and climatic pattern, where V. crabro was accidentally introduced.We used 316 verified citizen science occurrences, high-resolution bioclimatic variables (40 × 40 m) specifically developed for the island, and two future climate and socio-economic scenarios for two temporal horizons (2040 and 2060) to model climatic suitability using an ensemble framework with three machine learning algorithms: Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Generalized Boosting Model (GBM), and Random Forest (RF). To ensure reliable predictions, we addressed several technical challenges, including correcting for sampling biases and spatial autocorrelation. The individual models were weighted based on spatial cross-validation performance and combined to obtain the ensemble model.Performance varied among 150 individual models (3 algorithms × 10 replicates × 5 folds), depending on the algorithms, replicates, and subsets selected for training and testing. RF demonstrated the highest predictive performance, outperforming ANN and GBM. The ensemble model achieved even higher predictive accuracy with Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) = 0.95 ± 0.02 and True Skill Statistic (TSS) = 0.78 ± 0.06.Key factors influencing V. crabro distribution included Annual Mean Temperature, Maximum Temperature of Warmest Month, Temperature Annual Range, Precipitation of Driest Month, and Precipitation Seasonality. Currently, climatically suitable habitats are predominantly in the northern part of the island, in most coastal areas, and in specific inland regions, especially those near or inside mountainous areas. Future projections indicate a distribution range contraction by the 2040s and 2060s, primarily driven by extreme variability in precipitation and rising temperatures approaching the species' thermal tolerance limits.Our study demonstrates the value of integrating citizen science data, high-resolution climate data, and advanced modeling techniques to understand and manage alien species in the context of climate change. It highlights the importance of fine-scale studies to complement broader analyses, providing deeper insight into the impacts of climate change on species distribution, especially in heterogeneous areas like those in the Mediterranean
Canopy height Mapper: A google earth engine application for predicting global canopy heights combining GEDI with multi-source data
Full text linkSpatially and temporally discontinuous canopy height footprints collected by NASA's GEDI (Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation) mission are accessible on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) cloud computing platform. This study introduces an open-source, user-friendly, code-free GEE web application called Canopy Height Mapper (CH-GEE), available at https://ee-calvites1990.projects.earthengine.app/view/ch-gee, which automatically generates (10 m) high-resolution canopy height maps for a specific area by integrating GEDI with multi-source remote sensing data: Copernicus and topographical data from the GEE data catalogue. CH-GEE generates local-to-country scale calibrated canopy height maps worldwide using machine learning algorithms and leveraging the GEE platform's big data and cloud computing capabilities. CH-GEE allows customization of geographic area, algorithms and time windows for GEDI and predictors. Canopy heights generated by CH-GEE were validated using the Italian National Forest Inventory across 110,000 km2 at multiple scales (Country-based R-squared = 0.89, RMSE = 17%). CH-GEE's accuracy and scalability make it suitable for forest monitoring
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