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Ecophysiology of {Adonis} distorta, a high-mountain species endemic of the {Central} {Apennines}
No full textMorphological, anatomical and physiological plant and leaf traits of A. distorta, an endemic species of the Central Apennines on the Majella Massif, growing at 2,675 m a.s.l, were analyzed. The length of the phenological cycle starts immediately after the snowmelt at the end of May, lasting 128 ± 10 days. The low A. distorta height (Hmax= 64 ± 4 mm) and total leaf area (TLA= 38 ± 9 cm2) associated to a high leaf mass area (LMA =11.8±0.6 mg cm−2) and a relatively high leaf tissue density (LTD = 124.6±14.3 mg cm−3) seem to be adaptive traits to the stress factors of the environment where it grows. From a physiological point of view, the high A. distorta photosynthetic rates (PN =19.6 ± 2.3 μmol m−2 s−1) and total chlorophyll content (Chla+b = 0.88 ± 0.13 mg g−1) in July are justified by the favorable temperature. PN decreases by 87\% in September at the beginning of plant senescence. Photosynthesis and leaf respiration (RD) variations allow A. distorta to maintain a positive carbon balance during the growing season becoming indicative of the efficiency of plant carbon use. The results could be an important tool for conservation programmes of the A. distorta wild populations
Ecophysiology of Adonis distorta, a high-mountain species endemic of the Central Apennines
Full text linkMorphological, anatomical and physiological plant and leaf traits of A. distorta, an endemic species of the Central Apennines on the Majella Massif, growing at 2675 m asl, were analyzed. The length of the phenological cycle starts immediately after the snowmelt at the end of May, lasting 128 +/- 10 days. The low A. distorta height (H-max = 64 +/- 4 mm) and total leaf area (TLA= 38 +/- 9 cm(2)) associated to a high leaf mass area (LMA = 11.8 +/- 0.6 mg cm(-2)) and a relatively high leaf tissue density (LTD= 124.6 +/- 14.3 mg cm(-3)) seem to be adaptive traits to the stress factors of the environment where it grows. From a physiological point of view, the high A. distorta photosynthetic rates (P-N = 19.6 +/- 2.3 mu mol m(-2) s(-1)) and total chlorophyll content (Chl(a+ b) = 0.88 +/- 0.13 mg g(-1)) in July are justified by the favorable temperature. P-N decreases by 87% in September at the beginning of plant senescence. Photosynthesis and leaf respiration (R-D) variations allow A. distorta to maintain a positive carbon balance during the growing season becoming indicative of the efficiency of plant carbon use. The results could be an important tool for conservation programmes of the A. distorta wild populations
The potentiality of Sentinel-2 to assess the effect of fire events on Mediterranean mountain vegetation
Full text linkWildfires are currently one of the most important environmental problems, as they cause disturbance in ecosystems generating environmental, economic and social costs. The Sentinel-2 from Copernicus Program (Sentinel satellites) offers a great tool for post-fire monitoring. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the potential of Sentinel-2 in a peculiar mountainous landscape by measuring and identifying the burned areas and monitor the short-term response of the vegetation in different 'burn severity' classes. A Sentinel-2 dataset was created, and pre-processing operations were performed. Relativized Burn Ratio (RBR) was calculated to identify 'burn scar' and discriminate the 'burn severity' classes. A two-year monitoring was carried out with areas identified based on different severity classes, using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to investigate the short-term vegetation dynamics of the burned habitats; habitats refer to Annex I of the European Directive 92/43/EEC. The study area is located in 'Campo Imperatore' within the Gran Sasso – Monti della Laga National Park (central Italy). The first important result was the identification and quantification of the area affected by fire. The RBR allowed us to identify even the less damaged habitats with high accuracy. The survey highlighted the importance of these Open-source tools for qualitative and quantitative evaluation of fires and the short-term assessment of vegetation recovery dynamics. The information gathered by this type of monitoring can be used by decision-makers both for emergency management and for possible environmental restoration of the burned areas
HS-SPME-GC-MS Volatile Profile of “Aglio Rosso di Sulmona” (Sulmona Red Garlic) Floral Scape
Full text linkGarlic (Allium Sativum L.) is a source of organosulphur compounds with well-known sensorial and biological activity. Organosulphur precursors of garlic aroma are also detected in the plant leaves, but limited literature on this subject is available. This study is aimed at the characterization of the volatile profile of the floral scapes of Sulmona red garlic (aglio rosso di Sulmona) cultivated in the Abruzzo region (Italy). Floral scapes are manually removed from the plant before flowering and used as an ingredient of local gastronomy. The organosulphur volatile profile of the scapes is investigated by HS-SPME-GC-MS and compared to that provided by the clove. The GC-MS chromatogram of garlic clove, which is characterized by the predominant contribution of a few organosulphur organic compounds, is significantly more intense than that of the scapes. Almost all the organosulphur compounds contributing to the clove aroma were detected in the scape volatile profile, which, however, exhibits a more balanced contribution of major and minor organo sulphur compounds. Moreover, a significantly higher relative abundance of terpenes and aldehydes is observed in the scape aroma. The geographical/varietal origin of clove seeds (Sulmona versus Spain or France) and cultivation area interactively influence the aroma profile of Sulmona red garlic scapes
Carbon sequestration capability of Fagus sylvatica forests developing in the Majella National Park (Central Apennines, Italy)
No full textAbstract Terrestrial ecosystems represent a major sink for atmospheric carbon (C) and temperate forests play an important role in global C cycling, contributing to lower atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration through photosynthesis. The Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change highlights that the forestry sector has great potential to decrease atmospheric CO2 concentration compared to other sectoral mitigation activities. The aim of this study was to evaluate CO2 sequestration (CO2S) capability of Fagus sylvatica (beech) growing in the Orfento Valley within Majella National Park (Abruzzo,
Italy). We compared F. sylvatica areas subjected to thinning (one high-forest and one coppice) and no-management areas (two high-forests and two coppices). The results show a mean CO2S of 44.3 ± 2.6 Mg CO2 ha-1 a-1, corresponding to 12.1 ± 0.7 Mg C ha-1 a-1 the no-managed areas having a 28% higher value than the managed areas. The results highlight that thinning that allows seed regeneration can support traditional management practices such as civic use in some areas while no management should be carried out in the reserve in order to give priority to the objective of conservation and naturalistic improvement of the forest heritage
Lichens as monitors of the atmospheric deposition of potentially toxic elements in high elevation Mediterranean ecosystems
No full textIn this study we used a terricolous lichen (Cetraria islandica) as bioaccumulator of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) to explore spatial patterns of air pollutant deposition along elevational gradients in the Majella Massif (Italy). Samples of C. islandica were collected at 200 m intervals along 6 transects from 1600 to 2600 m, both along the eastern and the western slope of the Majella massif, and analyzed for their PTE content. The results supported the hypothesis that the deposition of PTEs to the Majella massif is largely influenced by elevation and slope. Two main patterns emerged connected either with local soil erosion and long-range atmospheric transport. For some PTEs, namely Al, Cr, Li, Mg, in the absence of any other data, it is supposed that the anthropogenic input is very small compared to the natural input from weathering processes. In contrast, the group of air pollutants subjected to long-range transport, as in the case of Cd, Hg, and Pb, has very limited local input and the main sources responsible for the higher concentrations on the eastern slope are probably to be searched in the Balkan area
Epiphytic lichens of the sacred natural site "Bosco di Sant'Antonio" (Majella National Park – Abruzzo)
No full textSacred Natural Sites are relevant for biodiversity conservation, as in the case of forest sites that, across centuries, developed old growth structures and are now crucial for the conservation of epiphytic lichens and other specialized forest organisms. In this study, we investigated the epiphytic lichen flora of a small forest patch included in the Majella National Park (Abruzzo), whose old growth features and naturalness reflect its long lasting spiritual role that perfectly fits with the concept of Sacred Natural Site. Results revealed that the "Bosco di Sant'Antonio" hosts a rich and interesting epiphytic lichen flora, thus indicating the potential of this Sacred Natural Site for lichen conservation. Fifty-six species were found including two species newly recorded in Abruzzo, two red-listed species, and the sensitive species Lobaria pulmonaria. This study corroborates the hypothesis that sacred forest sites are relevant for the conservation of specialized epiphytic lichens. In particular, in the Italian forest landscape where old-growth stands are practically absent, sacred forest sites may provide unique old-growth structures and buffer anthropogenic disturbance
A new pioneer association of detrital substrata of the hilly and low-mountain belts in Central Apennines (Italy)
Full text linkPlant communities dominated by Petrosedum ser. Rupestria in Italy have always been referred to the Sedo albi-Scleranthetea biennis Br.-Bl. 1955 class. This group of species was also often found more or less abundant in the garrigue and pasture vegetation. Some unusual plant communities dominated by Petrosedum rupestre (L.) P.V.Heath with a conspicuous presence of typical species of scree vegetation were found and sampled in the Abruzzo region, on more or less mobile debris. In order to classify such communities, syntaxonomic, structural, chorological and ecological analyses have been performed. All the Petrosedum ser. Rupestria dominated communities reported in Italy have been compared with the sampled vegetation. A new perennial pioneer association, linked to more or less mobile detrital substrata of the hilly and lower-mountane belts of the calcareous Central Apennines has been here described with the name Linario purpureae-Petrosedetum rupestris. Based on the syntaxonomic analysis, this association has been included in the Linarion purpureae alliance (Scrophulario bicoloris-Helichrysetalia italici order). The Linario-Petrosedetum has been divided into two subassociations: a typical one named petrosedetosum rupestris and a thermophilous one of the lower altitudes named teucrietosum flavi. The study revealed the originality of such communities and their appropriate classification in the Thlaspietea rotundifolii class. This is the first record in Italy of a Petrosedum ser. Rupestria-rich community framed in the scree vegetation class
Green Chemometric-Assisted Characterization of Common and Black Varieties of Celery
Full text linkCelery (Apium graveolens L., var. Dulce), is a biennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Apiaceae family, cultivated in humid soils in the Mediterranean basin, in Central-Southern Europe, and in Asia. Despite its wide diffusion and although it is well-known that cultivar/origin strongly influences plant composition, only a few studies have been carried out on the different types of celery. The present work aims to investigate four different Italian types of celery (two common, Elne and Magnum celery, and two black, Torricella Peligna Black and Trevi Black celery), and to test, whether the combination of FT-IR spectroscopy and chemometrics allows their ecotype discrimination. The peculiarity of this study lies in the fact that all the analyzed celeries were grown in the same experimental field under the same soil and climate conditions. Consequently, the differences captured by the FT-IR-based tool are mainly imputable to the different ecotypes. In order to achieve this goal, FT-IR profiles were handled by two diverse classifiers: sequential preprocessing through ORThogonalization (SPORT) and soft independent modeling by class analogy (SIMCA). Eventually, the highest classification rate (90%, on an external set of 100 samples) has been achieved by SPORT
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