1,720,972 research outputs found
Una componente inattesa nella flora del centro storico di Bologna: le igrofite
Full text linkNell’ambito di una indagine sulla flora del Centro storico di Bologna (Emilia-Romagna, Italia settentrionale), sono state rinvenute, inaspettate, alcune specie di ambienti umidi, nonostante la presenza di acque superficiali sia diminuita negli ultimi decenni: Cyperus eragrostis, Euphorbia hirsuta, Eclipta prostrata, Polypogon viridis, Rorippa sylvestris, Stellaria aquatica.
La presenza di queste igrofite è da mettere in relazione con ambienti irrigati (anche eccessivamente) in aiuole spartitraffico, rotonde e altri ambienti con elevati apporti idrici artificiali.
Cinque su sei specie rinvenute sono termofile; due sono alloctone; alcune sono novità per il Bolognese e due rivestono un notevole valore conservazionistico
Floristic diversity in different urban ecological niches of a southern European city
Full text linkThe present paper aimed at studying the vertical and horizontal spatial distribution, species richness
and diversity of vascular plants in different urban ecological niches (urban habitats) by means of the
case study of Bologna (Italy), a typical densely populated southern European city. A total of 477 species
were found in the study area of the historical city centre, 30% of which were alien species. Alien plant
species were mainly present among phanerophytes, while native plants were mainly therophytes
and hemicryptophytes. The habitats that mostly contributed to the species total richness were seminatural
soils, followed by paved areas, walls, rooftops and manholes. The number of exclusive species
decreased according to the selectiveness of the habitat, with manholes and rooftops being the most
selective. The presence of hemicryptophytes constant decreased going from 27% of more humid
habitats to 5% of more arid habitats, so that they can be considered a water availability biomarker.
Urban habitat quality, measured by the number of native species, was directly proportional to the
strength of selective factors and inversely proportional to the rate of disturbance, with roofs and seminatural
soils having, respectively, the highest and lowest quality. Finally, a relation between species
richness and street characteristics, like width, orientation and type of flooring, was demonstrated
Stress responses and nickel and zinc accumulation in different accessions of Stellaria media (L.) Vill. in response to solution pH variation in hydroponic culture
Full text linkIn most non-hyperaccumulating plants, Ni and Zn uptake is negatively correlated with soil pH, however, few studies so far have investigated how pH influences the activity and uptake of Ni and Zn in plants grown in a hydroponic system, which generally allows culture variables to be singularly manipulated. In this study, the non-accumulator Stellaria media (L.) Vill. (Caryophyllaceae) had opposite trends of Ni and Zn uptake along a pH gradient (between 5 and 8 for Zn and between 5 and 6.5 for Ni), when grown in hydroponics. In all treatments, the solution metal concentration was fixed at 0.1\ua0mM Ni or 0.55\ua0mM Zn. Nickel accumulation increased with increasing pH with an average concentration in shoots of 167 μg/gDW at pH 5 and of 250 μg/gDW at pH 6.5. In contrast, Zn accumulation decreased with increasing pH, with an average concentration in shoots varying from 1640 μg/gDW, at pH 5, to 435 μg/gDW at pH 8. Assessment of total polyphenol and flavonoid contents and of antioxidant activity showed that these parameters were positively correlated with Ni or Zn accumulation in S. media shoots, while photosynthetic pigments content and root and shoot biomass were negatively correlated with Ni and Zn accumulation. The study was carried out on five different S. media populations, which did not show differences in relation to the accumulation of metals and synthesis of antioxidant compounds, nonetheless showing a different biomass production under control conditions
Traditional knowledge on wild and cultivated plants in the Kilombero Valley (Morogoro Region, Tanzania)
Full text linkBackground: This research was performed in four villages adjacent the boundary of Udzungwa Mountains National
Park in the Kilombero River plain of Tanzania. The area adjacent the villages is characterized by self-consumption
agriculture, with a population that is on average poor, still very tied to traditions and almost entirely unaffected by
modernization and technology. The aim of the present study was to investigate and record local knowledge
regarding the use of wild and traditionally cultivated plants used for traditional medicine and for other everyday
purposes (e.g., food, fibers and timber).
Methods: Ten traditional local healers, with solid botanical knowledge, were interviewed between June and August
2014 by means of semi-structured questionnaires. For each mentioned plant species, the Swahili folk name and,
when possible, the classification by family, genus and species was recorded as well as the part of the plant used,
the preparation method and the main uses (medicine, food or others).
Results: In total 196 species were mentioned of which 118 could be botanically classified. The identified species
belong to 44 different botanical families, with that of the Leguminosae being the most representative (24 species).
The plants were mostly used as medical treatments (33.3% of the species) and foods (36.8%), and to produce wood
and fibers (19.4%).
Conclusion: The present study revealed that numerous plant species are still essential in the everyday life of the tribes
living in Kilombero Valley. Most of the plants were usually harvested in the wild, however, after the creation of the
Udzungwa Mountains National Park, the harvesting pressure has become concentrated on a few unprotected forest
patches. Consequently, many useful species are becoming increasingly rare with the risk of losing the connected
botanical and traditional knowledge. The present study may, therefore, contribute to record the ethnobotanical
knowledge held by these populations, in order to preserve this valuable richness for future generations
Ethnobotanical survey of wild food plants traditionally collected and consumed in the Middle Agri Valley (Basilicata region, southern Italy)
Full text linkAbstract Background This research was carried out in a scarcely populated area of the Middle Agri Valley (Basilicata region, southern Italy). The aim of the study was to record local knowledge on the traditional uses of wild food plants, as well as to collect information regarding the practices (gathering, processing and cooking) and the medicinal uses related to these plants. Methods Fifty-eight people still possessing traditional local knowledge (TLK), 74% women and 26% men, were interviewed between May–August 2012 and January 2013, using open and semi-structured ethnobotanical interviews. For each described plant species, the botanical family, the Italian common and folk names, the plant parts used, the culinary preparation and, when present, the medicinal use, were recorded and the relative frequency of citation index (RFC) was determined. Results The 52 plant species mentioned by the respondents belong to 23 botanical families, with Asteraceae (12 plants) and Rosaceae (7 plants) being most frequently cited. The species with the highest RFC index is Cichorium intybus L. (0.95), followed by Sonchus spp. (S. oleraceus L., S. asper L. and S. arvensis L.) (0.76). The plant parts preferably used are leaves (22 plants), fruits (12) and stems (7). Only six wild plants were indicated as having both food use and therapeutic effect. Conclusions The survey conducted on the traditional use of wild food plants in the Middle Agri Valley revealed that this cultural heritage is only partially retained by the population. Over the last few decades, this knowledge has been in fact quickly disappearing along with the people and, even in the rural context of the study area, is less and less handed down to younger generations. Nevertheless, data also revealed that the use of wild plants is recently being revaluated in a way closely related to local habits and traditions
The Design of Experiment as a Tool to Model Plant Trace-Metal Bioindication Abilities
Full text linkBioindicator plants are species that have the capacity to linearly uptake some elements
(metal and metalloids) from the growing substrate, thus reflecting their concentration in the soil.
Many factors can influence the uptake of these elements by plants, among which is the simultaneous
presence of several metals, a common situation in contaminated or natural soils. A novel approach
that can be used to validate the bioindication ability of a species growing on a polymetallic substrate
is the design of experiment (DoE) approach. The aim of the present study was to apply the DoE in
full factorial mode to model the Cu, Cd, Pb, Zn, and Cr bioindication capacity of Polygonum aviculare,
used as the model plant. The results showed that P. aviculare has the ability to bioindicate Cd and
Cr with a linear uptake (from 0.35 to 6.66, and 0.1 to 3.4 mg kg1, respectively) unaffected by the
presence of other metals. Conversely, the uptake of Pb, Cu, and Zn is strongly influenced by the
presence of all the studied metals, making their concentration in the plant shoot not proportional
to that of the soil. In conclusion, these preliminary results confirmed that the DoE can be used to
predict the bioindicator abilities of a plant for several elements at the same time and to evaluate
the interactions that can be established between variables in the growing medium and in the plant
itself. However, more studies including other plant species are needed to confirm the effectiveness of
this method
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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