1,721,144 research outputs found
Lichen bioindication of air quality in the Mt. Amiata geothermal area (central Italy)
No full textThe results of a lichen bioindication survey of air quality performed
in the Mr. Amiata geothermal area (Tuscany, central Italy) are reported. On the
basis of 153 Index of Atmospheric Purity (IAP) samplings, an air quality zonal
map of the area was drawn. The lowest IAP values were recorded in an area
encompassing the geothermal power plants, up to a distance of about 500 m.
The overall pattern of rising IAP values with increasing distance from the
geothermal power plants suggested that air pollution from the geothermal
installations is the main cause of the observed zonation of lichen communities.
It is suggested that hydrogen sulphide is the main contaminant responsible for
lichen decline around geothermal power plants
Freshwater lichens in a small riparian Natural Reserve of Northern Italy: species richness and conservation issues.
No full textThe lichens of the Natural Integral Reserve of Faverghera (Veneto, Belluno Prealps)
No full text150 infrageneric lichen taxa were found in the Natural Integral Reserve of Faverghera (NE-Italy,Veneto, Belluno) in six main habitats: Larix decidua- Betula pendula pioneer stands, montane spruce stands, pioneer Salix sp.pl. stands, anthropic vegetation, pioneer vegetation on calcareous rocks, and alpine grasslands on calcareous substrata. Lichen diversity in the six habitats was evaluated on the basis of three main criteria: (1) species richness, (2) presence of exclusive species, (3) presence of very or extremely rare species at national level
Lichens from the aurifodinae of the upper Ticino river valley (N Italy)
Full text linkAurifodinae were open-pit gold mines of the Roman age which left behind them elongated heaps of rounded stones. They are located in lowland semi-natural landscapes, and can be seen as screes at a lower altitude and in a milder climate than typical mountain screes. We investigated the lichen biota of the aurifodinae remains in the upper Ticino river valley (western Po Plain, Northern Italy), in a small, discontinuous, 6.5 ha wide area. Metamorphic siliceous stones prevail, while calcareous stones are rare and scattered. We recorded 35 infrageneric taxa, including three species new to Piemonte: Cladonia conista, C. cryptochlorophaea, and Placidiopsis cinerascens. Several taxa are also new to the submediterranean ecoregion and/or to the Ticino river valley. The function of aurifodinae as a refugium for saxicolous lichens in the lowlands and their potential role in creating wide areas with open dry habitats in the past centuries are discussed
Flora and vegetation of the Natural Integral Reserve of Faverghera (Veneto, Belluno Prealps)|Flora e vegetazione della Riserva Naturale Integrale di Monte Faverghera (Veneto, Prealpi Bellunesi)
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Patterns of bryophyte life-forms are predictable across land cover types
No full textBryophytes are promising indicators for detecting the impact of rapid global change. However, despite their great potential, they are still largely neglected, and their patterns across wide areas and environmental gradients are still poorly explored. Here we tested the capacity of bryophyte life-forms to respond to the main environmental and anthropogenic factors using an herbarium collection of high quality. The database consists of over 40,000 records referred to an Alpine area (Bolzano province, Northern Italy). The main aim of the work was to assess the relationship between bryophyte life-forms and different Corine Land Cover types which spans a wide elevational gradient and land uses. Results showed a broad match between similar land cover types and life-forms composition. For example, there was a positive relationship between plagiotropic forms and coniferous forests and between cushion- turf forms and natural grasslands. Anthropogenic habitats like vineyards and urban areas showed a high proportion of dendroid and thallose forms whereas plagiotropic species were underrepresented. Our results indicate that patterns of bryophyte life-forms are predictable across land cover types and altitude thus providing a direct link between the organism and the environmental conditions
Climate warming effects on epiphytes in spruce forests of the Alps.
No full textClimate warming in the Alps is setting major challenges to biodiversity conservation, potentially threatening epiphytic bryophytes and lichens, whose poikilohydric nature makes their eco-physiology strongly dependent on ambient temperature. In this work, we used species occurrence data along steep elevational-temperature gradients within the range of Alpine spruce-dominated forests for modelling the response of epiphytes to temperature shifts. Results provide evidence for species-specific and differently shaped species-temperature relationships, indicating that the sensitiveness of single species to climate warming is likely to influence community composition. Many epiphytes that currently occur in Alpine forests are vulnerable to warming, and may soon experience local extinction. The local assessment of the current altitudinal range of species may provide a tool to monitor the effects of warming by identifying the most critical species and the locations where their conservation is expected to be more effective
Modelling range dynamics of terricolous lichens of the genus Peltigera in the Alps under a climate change scenario
No full textClimate change is expected to strongly impact biodiversity in Alpine ecosystems and species distribution modelling is increasingly used to provide anticipatory information to guide conservation. In this study, (1) we quantified the range loss, range gain, range change and range turnover caused by climate change in the genus Peltigera a group of terricolous lichens widespread across the Alps, and then (2) we evaluated the relationships between the predictors of range dynamics and functional traits. Our results indicate moderate range dynamics for species of the genus Peltigera across the Alps under a climate change scenario. This would imply a relative stability and resistance of these lichens to climate change that may reflect the local persistence of the species under sub-optimal conditions. Our results also suggest that range dynamics could be associated with functional traits mainly related to water-use strategies and to a trade-off between dispersal and establishment ability. This finding suggests that functional traits may strongly modulate the lichen response to climate change and that species with similar functional traits are prone to similar selective pressures
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