3,157 research outputs found
Taxonomical, coenological and functional approach to analyse the effect of multi-year mowing on sub-Mediterranean invaded grasslands
No full textThe cessation of semi-extensive farming or underutilization of grasslands is leading to vegetation changes throughout Europe, as well as in semi-natural sub-Mediterranean mountains.
At the community level, these changes foster the invasion of unpalatable tall grasses, mostly
with competitive stress-tolerant strategies, affecting species diversity and decreasing the nutrient value of pastures ecosystem. In the Italian peninsula, two perennial species of Brachypodium are fostered by grazing cessation or by a livestock pressure below the theoretical carrying capacity of pasture: B. rupestre (Host) Roem. et Schult. in the sub-Mediterranean hills and low mountains, and B. genuense (DC.) Roem. et Schult. over 1300–1400 m a.s.l. These species can spread over a wide range of abiotic conditions, shifting their strategy thanks to their high intraspecific trait plasticity. Consequently, finding proper management practices to restore invaded grasslands is an important issue to preserve their biodiversity and economic value.
This research was aimed to understand the effect of multi-annual mowing events on the
recovery of a grassland community invaded by Brachypodium rupestre. In particular, we
analysed the effects on taxonomic diversity, coenological composition, and trait composition
(space occupation strategies, vegetative propagation, presence of storage organs, and flower-
ing phenology) at the plant community level, and changes in B. rupestre traits.
The study site was located next to the “Montagna di Torricchio” Natural Reserve (central
Apennines) undergrazed since at least 30 years. We fenced one homogeneous area of 2 ha
invaded by B. rupestre: half of the surface was mown twice a year since 2010, and hay and
litter were removed after each mowing event; the other half was unmown and used as a
control. Species cover (%) was recorded in 30 random plots (0.5 m × 0.5 m) in late June,
before the start of the experiment and in the following six years. We collected also data on B.
rupestre traits in mown and unmown areas (plant height, leaf area, leaf dry mass, seed mass,
hypogeogenous rhizome dry matter content, and aboveground phytomass), and calculated
Specific Leaf Area.
B. rupestre cover and aboveground phytomass strongly decreased over time; species richness and transformed Shannon and Gini-Simpson indices increased, while Shannon’s evenness showed fluctuations.
Fringe habitat and successional species, indicators of ongoing dynamic processes, decreased in cover, along with caespitose species, grasses, and species with rhizomes and runners as vegetative propagation modes. The cover of species that are typical of managed grasslands increased, as well as that of rosulate species, species with compact shoots with innovation buds at the axil of basal leaves, and species flowering in mid-late summer. The resulting species composition was consistent with that of central Apennines’ managed pastures.
B. rupestre Specific Leaf Area did not show a significant trend, while both leaf area and leaf dry mass, as well as plant height and seed mass, decreased. These results suggest that B.
rupestre reduces the amount of dry matter (e.g. structural and storage carbohydrates) inside the rhizomes and the investment in growth (horizontally and vertically) and in sexual reproduction.
In summary, recurring mowing twice a year could represent the proper management practice to restore invaded grasslands, enhancing species diversity
The Legacy of the Past Logging: How Forest Structure Affects Different Facets of Understory Plant Diversity in Abandoned Coppice Forests
No full textPredicting how biodiversity affects ecosystem functioning requires a multifaceted approach based on the partitioning of diversity into its taxonomic and functional facets and thus redundancy. Here, we investigated how species richness (S), functional diversity (FD) and functional redundancy (FR) are affected by forest structure. Sixty-eight abandoned coppice-with-standards plots were selected in two mountain areas of the Apennine chain. We performed linear models to quantify the influence of structural parameters on S, FD and FR of clonal traits. Each diversity facet was affected differently by structural parameters, suggesting a complex interweaving of processes that influence the understory layer. Namely, tree layer density influences S, the height of the standards affects the lateral spread and persistence of clonal growth organs, and diameter of standards affects the FD of the number of clonal offspring. Opposite relationships compared to FD was found for the FR, suggesting how clonal traits play a key role in species assemblage. The observation that structural parameters exert opposite impact on FR seems to indicate a counterbalance effect on ecosystem stability. Multifaceted approaches yield a better understanding of relationship between forest structure and understory, and this knowledge can be exploited to formulate indications for more sustainable management practices
Understory functional response to different management strategies in Mediterranean beech forests (central Apennines, Italy)
No full textThe aim of this paper was to investigate the functional composition of the understory of Mediterranean beech forest stands that have been managed in two different ways, namely, coppicing and tree by tree harvesting. In particular, we used a trait-based approach to characterize old coppice and high forest stands, analyzing their differences and evaluating the status of old coppices by considering their conversion towards high forest stands. The study area was the Montagne della Duchessa massif in central Italy, which lies at the center of the Apennine chain. Sixty-six plots were laid out and their species abundance and structural parameters were recorded. Data on plant traits were collected using both European databases and the literature available. Redundancy analysis was performed to assess the relationship between trait states and management, and forward selection was used to identify the structural parameters with a significant effect on trait variability. A Wilcoxon Rank-Sum test was done to assess differences in trait states between the management types. High forests proved to be more related to traits typical of mature forest conditions, while old coppices seemed not to have a clear trait association, except for some trait states related to open habitats, and showed the same âmature forestâ trait composition, even if with lower abundances. This indicates that, despite the higher initial disturbance pressure, once abandoned, old coppices tend over time to evolve naturally towards mature forest functional conditions
A imagem de Alessandro Baricco no Brasil
No full textDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Comunicação e Expressão, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Estudos da Tradução, Florianópolis, 2013.Com a intenção de delinear o modo pelo qual o escritor italiano Alessandro Baricco se inseriu no sistema literário brasileiro e os caminhos percorridos pelos seus livros traduzidos, esta dissertação dá voz às experiências tradutórias de seus tradutores. A inserção de Bariccono Brasil tem seu início em 1997, através de uma proposição da Profa. Dra. Roberta Barni à editora Iluminuras da tradução de Oceano Mare. A partir daí, outras sete obras foram publicadas no Brasil, sendo três delas traduzidas por Roberta Barni e as outras quatro por quatro tradutores diferentes. De um lado, considera-se o tradutor como figura principal namediação entre culturas, e, de outro, se analisa a realidade desta figuradentro do sistema literário, sua invisibilidade, seus limites e o exercíciode sua profissão. A pesquisa conta, ainda, com críticas e resenhas referentes ao autor italiano publicadas em jornais consagrados no Brasil, considerando estas como parte constituinte da imagem de Baricco refletida em território nacional. Abstract : Intending to delineate the way the Italian writer Alessandro Baricco has been inserted in the Brazilian literary system and the paths his translated books have followed, this thesis gives voice to the translating experiences of his translators. Baricco's insertion in Brazil began in 1997, through a personal project of Dr. Roberta Barni, with her translation of Oceano Mare. Since then, seven other of his works have been published in Brazil, three of which were translated by Roberta Barni and the other four by four different translators. On the one hand,the translator is considered as the main figure in mediation betweencultures and, on the other, this figure's reality is analyzed within theliterary system: its invisibility, its limits and its professional practice. Criticisms and reviews of this Italian author published in well established Brazilian newspapers are also considered, with the understanding that they are part of Baricco's image reflected here
Effect of forest structure and management on the functional diversity and composition of understorey plant communities
No full textQuestions 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 x 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
Dataset for Biodiversity Within and Beyond the Native Distribution of Tree Species: The Case of Pinus nigra Forests in Europe
No full textThe data and R codes that support the findings of the study Bricca et al. Biodiversity within and beyond the native distribution of Pinus nigra forests in Europe.Peer reviewe
The Role of Inter- and Intraspecific Variations in Grassland Plant Functional Traits along an Elevational Gradient in a Mediterranean Mountain Area
No full textElevational gradients offer special opportunities to investigate the relative role of intraspecific and interspecific trait variations in relation to stress gradients. We used an altitudinal gradient in the Mediterranean (Mt Velino, Central Italy) to study (1) how community-weighted means (CWM) and nonweighted means (CM) vary with elevation for plant height, specific leaf area, and seed mass; and (2) how variation patterns differ for inter- and intraspecific functional variability. We tested (1) if elevation influences community functional composition on the basis of the adaptive value of plant traits and (2) if the latter shows intraspecific variations according to the species’ ability to cope with local conditions. We found that different traits showed different patterns, which can be linked to the function they express. Differences between communities were influenced more by differences between their traits (CM) than by the relative species coverage (CWM). Both highest and lowest elevations were the most selective due to their particularly severe climatic conditions. Intermediate elevations were the most favorable thanks to less constraining climatic conditions. Interspecific trait variability was the most relevant component, indicating a low plant ability to cope with environmental variations through phenotypic plasticity
ITV-net: leveraging intraspecific trait variability to bridge vegetation science and trait-based research in Italy
No full textVegetation science is a branch of community ecology that relies on species identities and abundance to classify vegetation in coherent units and to explore species coexistence and turnover dynamics. The advent of trait-based ecology has expanded vegetation science, providing a framework that allows for a better understanding of plant strategies and the functional structure of communities. These complementary disciplines have remained largely independent among Italian plant ecologists. Therefore, in 2021, we launched the ITV-net initiative, a national collaborative effort for bringing together vegetation plots and field-measured plant trait data to develop a national platform that can serve both vegetation and trait-based ecologists. In the first data call, we were able to gather trait data on two key leaf traits (i.e., Leaf Area and Specific Leaf Area) for >700 species across 1,043 georeferenced vegetation plots, complemented with species relative abundances, across eight different EUNIS habitat types. Despite this remarkable first milestone, we aim to enlarge the scope of this initiative to include more vegetation plots and functional traits across more habitat types in Italy. Here, we provide an overview of the ITV-net initiative and its underlying methodological details as a ‘manifesto’ to spread the data call to other potential contributors in the Italian community of plant ecologists. Our ultimate objective is to bridge the vegetation science and trait-based ecological research in Italy towards developing a national database of vegetation plots and plant functional traits. We believe this effort will contribute to building a solid network among Italian plant ecologists to cross the artificial boundaries of different, yet complementary, disciplines
La maturità di Alessandro Fei del Barbiere, in bilico tra Maniera e Riforma
No full textThis article studies the mature career of the Florentine painter Alessandro Fei del Barbiere (1537-1592), beginning with the rediscovery of the 'Ascension' altarpiece formerly in the Albizi Chapel in the destroyed church of San Pier Maggiore, Florence. Studying this painting and others recorded in 1584 by the biographer Raffaello Borghini, such as the two altarpieces for Santa Maria delle Grazie and the Madonna dell'Umiltà in Pistoia, the author reconstructs a body of works showing how in the 1580s Fei gradually went beyond the archaic style of his apprenticeship - he had been trained by Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio and Pierfrancesco Foschi, but was also marked by the Maniera of Vasari - evolving towards naturalism in both mimesis and pictorial handling. In Florence, his development partly parallels that of Santi di Tito and his circle, but Fei was also influenced by a probable sojourn during the early part of that decade in Rome, where he could have been inspired by Girolamo Muziano and the painters working for Pope Gregory XIII. Among other proposals, the author suggests that the artist was responsible for decorating the chancel of Fiesole Cathedral (c. 1584-1589), which consisted of an altarpiece, only rarely discussed by scholars, and a cycle of frescoes hitherto attributed to Nicodemo Ferrucci
Tra socialdemocrazie e Perestrojka. Le relazioni internazionali del Pci attraverso le carte di Alessandro Natta
No full textThis essay reconstructs the foreign policy of the Italian Communist Party during the four
years of Alessandro Natta’s secretariat (1984-1988) through largely original archival documentation,
from the Alessandro Natta Fonds of the Historical Archive of the Chamber of
Deputies. Natta’s papers are also cross-referenced with those kept in the PCI Archive at the
Gramsci Foundation. The author analyses the relationship that the PCI establishes with
Gorbachev’s Perestroika, Deng’s China, and European social democracies during the last
years of the Cold War
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