1,721,314 research outputs found
(2290) Proposal to conserve the name Verrucaria subcerasi (Arthopyrenia subcerasi) against Arthopyrenia subalbicans (lichenized Ascomycota: Arthopyreniaceae)
Full text linkExamination of historical samples of Arthopyrenia subalbicans
Bagl. & Carestia during a visit to the lichen herbarium at the Royal
Botanic Garden Edinburgh, showed that it falls within the current
concept of the epiphytic Arthopyrenia subcerasi (Vain.) Zahlbr., a name lectotypified by Coppins
Epiphytic lichens of a poorly explored National Park: Is the probabilistic sampling effective to assess the occurrence of species of conservation concern?
No full textOver the past 10 years, three National Parks have been established in southern Italy. This bought to the scientific attention the status of natural resources in these territories. The knowledge base completion, that includes also usually neglected organisms, is necessary for managing biodiversity. Although lichens are not included in the European conservation policies, they play well-known ecological roles in various ecosystems. The aim of this work is to propose a rapid but exhaustive approach to assess epiphytic lichen diversity in this area. For this purpose, the probabilistic sampling was tested. A total of 149 taxa of epiphytic lichens were recorded, including 20 new records for the Campania region and four new species for Southern Italy. Furthermore, seven red listed species were found. The majority of the recorded taxa can be considered as old-growth indicator species. The results confirm that the probabilistic approach can be efficiently applied to assess lichen diversity in very poorly explored natural areas over large territories. © 2013 Societá Botanica Italiana
Risultati preliminari del monitoraggio della città di Roma tramite IBL
No full textmonitoraggio della città di Roma tramite IB
Epiphytic lichens as environmental bioindicators in Rome, Italy
No full textEpiphytic lichens as environmental bioindicators in Rom
Epiphytic lichens as indicators of environmental quality in Rome
No full textA synthesis of the studies on lichen diversity carried out in Rome over the period 1982-2003 is presented. In this work, the Lichen Diversity (LD) method has been applied. Besides air pollution, the most important variable affecting the epiphytic lichen flora of Rome, currently updated to 102 taxa, is the influence of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Significant changes in the lichen flora have been noted over the past 20 years, with the lowest diversity now being found in the urban centre and in the eastern and southern sectors, while the "lichen desert" area has decreased in parallel with decreasing concentrations of CO, NOx and SO2
Phytoclimatic characterization of lichen habitats in central Italy
No full textWe reviewed the literature to create an overall description of the lichen flora in the Region of Umbria (central Italy), creating an updated floristic list, identifying the main habitats, determining each habitat's exclusive and common species, subdividing the species into growth forms and phytoclimatical groups and performing a multivariate analysis to evaluate correlations. The current 520 taxa in the Region constitute approximately one fifth of the lichen flora in Italy. The epiphytic lichens in the various types of woods and the saxicolous on mainly calcareous rocks which constitute the most diffuse substratum in the Region's mountains are the greatest numerical presence. The terricolous lichens, which were the least documented taxa, are mostly studied in the subalpine grasslands. Fifteen habitats were identified based on floristic composition, growth forms, and phytoclimatical groups. The statistical analysis revealed a number of similarities and differences among the various habitats. © 2006 J. Cramer in der Gebrüder Borntraeger Verlagsbuchhandlung
Lectin-induced oxidative stress in human platelets
No full textPreviously we have shown that wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) and, with minor potency, Phaseolus vulgaris agglutinin (PHA), but not lens culinarian agglutinin (LCA), induce platelet aggregation, through the PLCƴ2 activation by the concerted action of src/syk and PI3K/BTK pathways. In this study, we have investigated platelet oxidative stress induced by lectins. Several parameters indicative of oxidative stress, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), superoxide anion, lipid peroxidation and the efficiency of the aerobic metabolism, have been measured. It was found that ROS, superoxide anion formation and lipid peroxidation are significantly increased upon platelet treatment with WGA and PHA while LCA is ineffective. WGA is always more effective than PHA in all experimental conditions tested. In addition, the involvement of NADPH oxidase 1, syk and PI3K in oxidative stress induced by WGA and PHA has been shown. Concerning the lectins effect on aerobic metabolism, WGA and PHA, but not LCA, act as uncoupling agents, determining an increase of oxygen consumption and a decrease of ATP synthesis, with a consequent decrease of P/O value. These results are confirmed by the impairment of platelets proton gradient formation, evaluated by membrane potential, in platelets treated with WGA and PHA. In conclusion lectins, especially WGA, induce oxidative stress in platelets and decrease energy availability through modifications of membrane structure leading to the inefficiency of the aerobic machinery that steers platelets toward death as suggested by the decreased metabolic activity of platelets and the increased lactic dehydrogenase release
Mediterranean old-growth forests: The role of forest type in the conservation of epiphytic lichens
No full textThe present study investigated the effect of forest type on epiphytic lichen communities and selected indicator species, useful for long-term monitoring programs in Mediterranean forests. The results showed that only few species are common to many plots while others are locally rare. Epiphytic lichen diversity and communities were significantly influenced by forest type: Quercus cerris-dominated forests hosted a richer lichen flora, Fagus sylvatica-dominated forests showed the majority of rare species, while mixed forests, though poorly represented in the study area, hosted the majority of indicator species, revealing the presence of important and exclusive habitats. In particular, old established forests are characterized by both stand-and tree-continuity, while mixed forests offer a higher diversity of tree substrates. Our findings highlight the role of tree substrate variability for lichen colonisation. The presence of non-dominant tree species contributes to the variability of habitats and ecological niches. This allows the development of well preserved lichen communities compared to those of structurally less complex or even monospecific forests. © 2012 J. Cramer in Gebr. Borntraeger Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart, Germany
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