1,721,161 research outputs found
Probabilistic and preferential sampling approaches offer integrated perspectives of Italian forest diversity
Full text linkLifeWatch Italy through Project LifeWatchPLUS [CIR-01_00028]; Free University of Bozen- Bolzano through CONplant Project [TN201H]Alessi, N., Bonari, G., Zannini, P., Jiménez-Alfaro, B., Agrillo, E., Attorre, F., Canullo, R., Casella, L., Cervellini, M., Chelli, S., Di Musciano, M., Guarino, R., Martellos, S., Massimi, M., Venanzoni, R., Zerbe, S., Chiarucci, A
Conservation status of Mediterranean coastal dune habitats: anthropogenic disturbance may hamper habitat assignment
No full textCoastal dunes are rich in habitats with a high heterogeneity in species composition. Though widely recognized as very fragile and dynamic ecosystems, they are systematically overexploited. In addition, mismanagement contributes making these habitats highly endangered, especially in the Mediterranean area. In this study, an impoverished dune system was used to investigate whether the lack of indicator species, including characteristic, main diagnostic, alien and non-typical, could mislead habitat assignment. Coastal dune plant communities used in this study are embedded into a high anthropogenic pressure territory, primarily due to the vicinity to a city and by hosting bathing facilities. A cluster analysis based on 49 vegetation plots (releves) was performed in order to assign dune vegetation units to EU habitats (92/43/EEC Habitat Directive) and corresponding phytosociological units. Eight habitat types were classified and two of them were of priority importance. Twelve plant communities belonging to eight different phytosociological classes were recognized. The plant cover value of characteristic, main diagnostic, alien and non-typical plant species, was used to assess the conservation status of each habitat type. Despite the presence of well-preserved plant community, almost all habitats were in unfavourable conservation status. Furthermore, a floristic impoverishment and a zonation interruption on the stabilized dunes were found. This study underlines the difficulty to identify typical coastal dune plant communities and associated habitats when anthropogenic disturbance dramatically changes the environmental conditions. Specific conservation and management actions for the sustainable maintenance of these endangered habitats are suggested
Contribution to the knowledge of distribution of Monotropa hypophegea Wallr. (Ericaceae) in Italy. Contributo alla conoscenza della distribuzione di Monotropa hypophegea Wallr. (Ericaceae) in Italia.
No full textContribution to the knowledge of distribution of Monotropa hypophegea Wallr. (Ericaceae) in Italy - The authors report the distribution of Monotropa hypophegea Wallr. in Italy by the analyses of herbarium specimens, bibliographic references and records in the field. Its
national distribution is extended to Tuscany, Marche, Umbria, Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria and confirmed for Sicily. Some details concerning morphological characters are also provided to avoid confusion in identification with M. hypopitys L. the other congeneric species occurring in Italy. Furthermore, observations about ecology of these taxa are provided
Contribution to the vascular flora of Castelvecchio nature reserve (Central Tuscany, Italy)
No full textIl presente lavoro riporta la flora vascolare della Riserva Naturale Regionale Castelvecchio, situata nel Comune di San Gimignano (Siena). La Riserva, con substrato di natura prevalentemente calcarea, ha un’estensione di 6,28 km2. Si riporta l’elenco floristico delle piante vascolari. Vengono inoltre forniti dati sulle forme biologiche e corologiche. Nel nostro contributo risultano 454 specie e sottospecie, suddivise in 73 famiglie e 185 generi. Lo spettro biologico rivela una dominanza di emicriptofite seguite dalle terofite, mentre lo spettro corologico mostra una maggioranza di specie a distribuzione eurasiatica rispetto a quella mediterranea, in accordo con le condizioni macro- e micro-climatiche. Sono presenti entità rare e/o con distribuzione frammentaria in Toscana come Cleistogenes serotina subsp. serotina, Ononis natrix e Phagnalon sordidum e due specie della Lista Rossa Italiana (Galanthus nivalis e Ruscus aculeatus). È inoltre da segnalare la presenza di entità rilevanti dal punto di vista fitogeografico come Taxus baccata, nonché popolazioni eterotopiche di Fagus sylvatica subsp. sylvatica. Le entità endemiche sono 6 (Digitalis micrantha, Helleborus viridis subsp. bocconei, Hieracium pallidum subsp. lanudae, Melampyrum italicum, Polygala flavescens subsp. flavescens, Scabiosa uniseta), un numero relativamente basso rispetto ad altre aree calcaree della Toscana centro-meridionale. Questa Riserva non può quindi essere considerata un’isola biogeografica su calcare dal punto di vista botanico, come altre aree protette in Toscana meridionale. Tuttavia, il mosaico vegetazionale, unito alle particolari condizioni geologiche e microclimatiche, rendono comunque la Riserva Naturale di Castelvecchio un’area di notevole importanza per la conservazione della biodiversità floristica della Toscana centrale dove coesistono popolazioni relitte ed isolate di specie mesofile che sopravvivono grazie al microclima fresco e umido dei valloni, a stretto contatto con quelle xerofile di gariga calcarea. L’eterogeneità ambientale unita all’elevato grado di naturalità rende possibile la presenza di specie rare e/o fitogeograficamente rilevanti e solamente quattordici sono le specie esotiche, la maggior parte delle quali presenti in modo casuale.This study reports the outcomes of botanical surveys of vascular plants carried out in the Castelvecchio Nature Reserve, located in the Municipality of San Gimignano (Siena province). The Reserve has an extension of 6.28 km2 with a predominance of calcareous bedrock. The compiled floristic inventory of the Reserve includes 454 species and subspecies, divided into 73 families and 185 genera. Data on life forms and chorological types are provided. The life-form spectrum revealed a dominance of hemicryptophytes followed by terophytes, whereas the chorological spectrum showed a majority of species with Eurasiatic distribution as opposed to a Mediterranean one, in line with the local macro and microclimatic conditions. Rare species in central Tuscany – such as Cleistogenes serotina subsp. serotina, Ononis natrix and Phagnalon sordidum − and two species on the Italian Red List − Galanthus nivalis and Ruscus aculeatus − were recorded. Also of interest is the occurrence of phytogeographically relevant entities as Taxus baccata and populations of Fagus sylvatica subsp. sylvatica outside of its altitudinal belt. Compared to other areas of central and southern Tuscany, the Italian endemics − Digitalis micrantha, Helleborus viridis subsp. bocconei, Hieracium pallidum subsp. lanudae, Melampyrum italicum, Polygala flavescens subsp. flavescens, Scabiosa uniseta – were less numerous. The Reserve does not have a species pool typical of limestone as other protected areas of central or southern Tuscany. However, the mosaic of different communities, combined with geological and microclimatic factors, makes the Reserve highly relevant for the conservation of biodiversity in central Tuscany. Its peculiarity is the presence of isolated populations of mesophilous species that are confined to ravines with a cool microclimate and are in contact with xerophilous species of calcareous garrigues. Besides a valuable heterogeneity of environments in the Reserve it is worth nothing that there are only fourteen alien species, mainly with a casual status of invasivity
Trace Element Uptake and Accumulation in the Medicinal Herb Hypericum perforatum L. Across Different Geolithological Settings
No full textThe worldwide growing interest in traditional medicines, including herbal medicines and herbal dietary supplements, has recently been accompanied by concerns on quality and safety of this type of health care. The content of nutritional and potentially toxic elements in medicinal plants is of paramount interest as it may vary remarkably according to different environmental and ecophysiological factors. In this study, the concentrations of essential and non-essential trace elements—Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Sr, and Zn—were determined in the roots and aerial parts of the worldwide distributed and economically important medicinal herb Hypericum perforatum L. (St. John’s wort) and in its growing substrate. Most of the analyzed trace elements varied considerably in the plant parts according to edaphic conditions and soil geochemistry. However, uptake and retention in H. perforatum compartments of Co, Cr, and Ni, which markedly differentiated the investigated soils, were controlled by excluding mechanisms of the plant. Despite this, the Ni concentrations in the aerial parts, commonly used in herbal preparations, of H. perforatum plants from serpentine soils were not insignificant in relation to eventual human consumption. Good practice to assure the herbal product quality of H. perforatum collected from the wild cannot ignore the thorough understanding of the geolithological and geochemical features of the harvesting areas
Effect of forest structure and management on the functional diversity and composition of understorey plant communities
Full text linkQuestions
Do forest structural parameters related to stand heterogeneity enhance functional diversity (FD) of understorey plant communities? Do FD and functional composition of understorey plant communities vary between high-forest (HF) and old coppices-with-standard (oldCWS) management types? Are HF stands characterized by a higher FD than oldCWS?
Location
Submediterranean beech forests of Montagne della Duchessa Reserve (central Italy).
Methods
We sampled 57 (20 m × 20 m) forest plots, 29 oldCWS and 28 HF stands, where we recorded plant species cover abundance. We used Leaf–Height–Seed and clonal traits, and run multiple separate linear models to quantify the effect of forest structural parameters and management types on FD and functional composition of understorey plant communities.
Results
We found that increasing lying deadwood enhanced FD of specific leaf area (SLA) through micro-environmental heterogeneity of soil fertility regardless of management type. We also found that increased horizontal stratification filtered the range of plant sizes, probably through light reduction. HF management enhanced FD of SLA and clonal traits through micro-environmental heterogeneity, while reducing the FD of plant size and seed mass. HF tended to select plant communities characterized by high resource acquisition strategies but lower persistence between ramets, possibly as an effect of more mature forest conditions.
Conclusion
Our study suggests that understorey plant community diversity and composition change in response to forest structure and management. Combining Leaf–Height–Seed with clonal traits offers a promising framework for understanding and predicting plant response to management practices
Laparoscopic gonadectomy and the removal of ectopic adrenocortical tissue: in a case of mosaic Turner's Syndrome with chromosomal material and adrenogenital syndrome.
No full textPhylogenetic structure of European forest vegetation
No full textPadullés Cubino, J., Lososová, Z., Bonari, G., Agrillo, E., Attorre, F., Bergmeier, E., Biurrun, I., Campos, J.A., Čarni, A., Ćuk, M., De Sanctis, M., Indreica, A., Jiménez-Alfaro, B., Khanina, L., Knollová, I., Lenoir, J., Pielech, R., Rašomavičius, V., Škvorc, Ž., Svenning, J.-C., Vassilev, K., Willner, W., Chytrý, M
Indagini preliminari sui popolamenti di Veronica gr. austriaca (Plantaginaceae) del Pollino
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