1,720,990 research outputs found
Microbial biodiversity and viral impact in benthic deep-sea ecosystems
Full text linkGli ambienti marini profondi ricoprono il 95% del globo terrestre e sono caratterizzati da basse temperature, assenza di luce ed elevate pressioni. Tra i sistemi marini profondi i più remoti e inesplorati sono le fosse adali, sistemi che possono superare gli 11000 m di profondità. Lo studio di questi ambienti estremi rappresenta una delle più grandi sfide della ricerca scientifica a causa delle difficoltà che si presentano nel raggiungerli. Questo studio fornisce i primi dati riguardanti l’impatto dei virus sui procarioti che abitano i sedimenti di tre tra le più profonde fosse oceaniche conosciute, Japan, Ogasawara e Mariana. In questo studio abbiamo esplorato il ruolo dei virus come agenti di mortalità procariotica, in grado di influenzare i cicli di C e nutrienti tramite la lisi cellulare dei loro ospiti contribuendo così al funzionamento delle reti trofiche microbiche e al funzionamento ecosistemico degli ambienti profondi. I nostri risultati rivelano che tutte le fosse adali qui investigate supportano elevate abbondanze e biomasse procariotiche favorendo alti tassi di lisi virale e stimolando il rilascio di materia organica resa così disponibile per le comunità bentoniche. Specialmente nella fossa Mariana la lisi virale è potenzialmente esercitata con maggiore pressione sui taxa microbici dominanti influenzando la struttura della rete trofica microbica e i cicli di C e N, e contribuendo così all’elevato metabolismo procariotico precedentemente riconosciuto in questi sistemi ultra abissali. Oltre alle interazioni microbiche, in questo studio è stata esplorata la diversità delle comunità procariotiche presenti nelle fosse investigate ed è stato determinato l’importante contributo della componente archaeale alla struttura di queste comunità. Il predominio di archaea ammonio-ossidanti suggerisce che i processi chemoautotrofici presentano un ruolo chiave per il funzionamento delle fosse adali. Inoltre, l’elevato numero di taxa, ritrovato specialmente nella fossa Japan, rivela che gli ecosistemi delle fosse adali possono rappresentare hot spot di diversità procariotica. In aggiunta, la presenza di taxa procariotici diffusi in habitat abissali bentonici suggerisce che le fosse adali sono solo parzialmente connesse agli ecosistemi bentonici circostanti.
In questo studio abbiamo anche investigato le risposte, su diverse scale temporali, delle comunità microbiche abissali (interazioni virus-procarioti e diversità batterica) all’impatto dell’attività di estrazione di risorse minerarie, che rappresenta una delle future minacce tra le più impattanti per questi ambienti. I risultati ottenuti indicano un aumento dei tassi d’infezione virale sulla componente batterica potenzialmente dovuto ad una cambiamento della composizione in specie di tale componente a seguito dell’attività di mining, anche molti anni dopo l’impatto e con potenziali conseguenze sui cicli biogeochimici e sul funzionamento ecosistemico bentonico
D6 Italy: System of Indicators to Monitor Plan Implementation and Performance (MSP-MED report D6)
Full text linkPromoting ancillary conservation through marine spatial planning
No full textThe term Other Effective Conservation Measures (OECMs) refers to areas which are not protected areas and yet significantly contribute to conservation; they were recently defined by the Convention on Biological Diversity. Efforts to address the designation of OECMs include further definition of the term and the development of typologies of OECMs and of screening tools which can be applied to identify potential OECMs. While the designation process of OECMs is still unclear, especially in the marine environment, we suggest a decision process which can be used by planners to identify and designate specific types of OECMs as part of the marine spatial planning (MSP) process. These OECMs are areas where marine communities benefit from access restrictions established due to safety or security concerns. We applied the suggested process on two case studies of the Italian Northern Adriatic and the Israeli Mediterranean seas. When consideration of OECMs comes at the expense of designating marine protected areas, OECMs can become controversial. However, OECM designation can promote achievement of marine conservation goals and of ecosystem-based management of uses. Therefore, we suggest that while spatial targets for conservation should focus mainly on areas dedicated for marine reserves, OECMs, especially of the type for ancillary conservation discussed in this paper, can be achieved through MSP. Using MSP for the designation of recognized OECMs may significantly promote marine conservation goals in unexpected ways and may ¬help realize ecosystem-based management
LAND-SEA INTERACTIONS IN MARINE SPATIAL PLANNING: A CASE STUDY IN TUSCANY
No full textThe book tells the story of the sea-land continuum based on the case
of the North Sea — one of the world’s most industrialised seas, in which
the Netherlands plays a central role. The space of the North Sea is almost
fully planned and has been loaded with the task of increased economic
production from new and traditional maritime sectors. At the same time,
it has been emptied of cultural signi ficance.
Through diverse projects from academia, art, literature, and practice,
from analysis to design, the book explores synergies for designing this
new spatial realm. Port city expert Carola Hein, professor of the history
of architecture & urban planning at Delft University of Technology, and
Nancy Couling, associate professor at the Bergen School of Architecture
and researcher of the urbanised sea, combine forces with interdisciplinary
experts to guide the reader through this complex and fascinating topic
Incorporating ecosystem services conservation into a scenario-based MSP framework: An Adriatic case study
No full textMultiple anthropogenic activities can exert adverse effects on marine vulnerable ecological components and the ecosystem services they provide to human well-being. Emilia-Romagna (E-R) Region belongs to one of the most industrialized coastal and sea areas of the Italian Northern Adriatic Sea, requiring adequate decision support instruments able to assist authorities to enforce ecosystem-based Marine Spatial Planning (MSP). In this research we combine Cumulative Effects Assessment (CEA) model with marine ecosystem services capacity (MESCap) assessment of multiple ecological components (seabed habitats, essential fish habitats, marine mammals and turtles). The geospatial instruments were used for E-R Region's sea space to support the selection of spatially explicit measures to address two marine conservation objectives, i.e. A. preservation of essential fish habitats and B. protection of species of high conservation value, namely marine mammals and turtles, proposed within an MSP pilot study for the region. Results show that cumulative effects are mainly generated from trawling activities, maritime transport (e.g. Port of Ravenna), and by the influence of land-based activities (i.e. inputs from Po river and other minor rivers). Highest threats to marine ecosystem services (ES) were related to supporting ES (e.g. habitat and nursery provisioning) and to cultural ES. We discuss the contribution of the presented approach towards an ecosystem-based management in the region and the potential benefits that the integration of the ES concept can have in the designing of planning measures with the aim of reducing the cumulative effects and of maintaining marine ecological resources and services
Multidimensional assessment of supporting ecosystem services for marine spatial planning of the Adriatic Sea
No full textThe assessment and mapping of ecosystem services (ES) has become an increasingly important instrument for environmental management and conservation priority-setting. As such, this practice can be used in ecosystembased Marine Spatial Planning (MSP). MSP is recognized as an opportunity to achieve socio-economic and ecological goals simultaneously, to suggest solutions for sustainable management of marine environment and its resources. In this study, we propose an operational approach that includes novel spatial analysis in the marine
field to quantify and map supporting ecosystem services. Such approach spans the 3D-dimension of the marine environment, considering all marine domains (sea surface, water column, seabed) separately. Our approach is focused on mapping supporting ES of the Adriatic Sea, to grant their preservation in order to guarantee the delivery of all other ES. Supporting ES provision in the Adriatic was quantified through the use of indicators that denote ES delivery and that are specifically related to the three marine domains. We identified areas of elevated
provisioning levels of multiple supporting ES in the Adriatic, which is hypothesized to be priority areas of conservation. Our results confirm the importance of explicitly including the pelagic domain in planning and conservation processes. Areas that provide the lowest levels of supporting ES delivery were also mapped, to indicate possible ‘sacrificial areas’ for industrial or intensive use. The spatial coincidence of the determined hotspots areas of ES delivery associated with particular marine areas that are and are not under conservation regimes was analysed. This approach led us to test the applicability of the method for identifying marine areas for conservation purposes. Our methodological approach aims at producing relevant scientific knowledge for prioritizing marine conservation and sustainable management actions, to be used in MSP and marine management
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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