1,721,073 research outputs found
La ricerca Altipiani, modelli di pianificazione e di monitoraggio dei sistemi territoriali di connessione ambiental
No full textGli indicatori di frammentazione e di interferenza ambientale nella pianificazione urbanistica
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Il punto di vista dell’utenza: l’utilizzo dei focus group in sanità
No full textQuesto contributo riporta i risultati di un'indagine qualitativa basata sulla metodologia delle interviste mediante Focus Group, svolta nell'ambito di una indagine generale finalizzata a monitorare il livello di soddisfazione dell'utenza in seguito ai cambiamenti di alcuni processi di cura e assistenza introdotti in due Asl toscane
Pollination benefits are maximized at intermediate nutrient levels
Full text linkYield production in flowering crops depends on both nutrient availability and pollination, but their relative roles and potential interactions are poorly understood. We measured pollination benefits to yield in sunflower, combining a gradient in insect pollination (0, 25, 50, 100%) with a continuous gradient in nitrogen (N) fertilization (from 0 to 150 kg N ha-1) in an experiment under realistic soil field conditions. We found that pollination benefits to yield were maximized at intermediate levels of N availability, bolstering yield by approximately 25% compared with complete pollinator exclusion. Interestingly, we found little decrease in yield when insect visits were reduced by 50%, indicating that the incremental contribution of pollination by insects to yield is greater when the baseline pollination service provision is very low. Our findings provide strong evidence for interactive, nonlinear effects of pollination and resource availability on seed production. Our results support ecological intensification as a promising strategy for sustainable management of agroecosystems. In particular, we found optimal level of pollination to potentially compensate for lower N applications
Sirente-Velino. Un’area protetta nella rete ecologica dell’Appennino. Studi preliminari al piano del parco naturale regionale. Repertorio cartografico e dei dati.
No full textGrasslands enhance ecosystem service multifunctionality above and below-ground in agricultural landscapes
Full text linkManaging agricultural landscapes integrate production, biodiversity conservation and the flow of ecosystem services (ES) is of paramount importance to simultaneously meet production goals and environmental challenges. However, the response of farmland biodiversity and multiple ES to land-use change at multiple spatial scales remains poorly understood. We explored the effects of land-use at local (grassland vs. oilseed rape fields) and landscape scale (cover of permanent grasslands) on the provision of biodiversity (plants, arthropods, birds), five ES (pollination, pest control, soil fertility, carbon storage and water regulation) and overall ES-multifunctionality. ES-multifunctionality was higher in grasslands than in crop fields, by 25.2% above-ground and by 106.1% below-ground. Multiple threshold analyses highlighted a particularly poor level of performance for below-ground functions in crop fields. This habitat type was however capable of providing numerous above-ground functions simultaneously, although at low levels of performance when compared to the maximum values recorded in the study. Grasslands supported higher biodiversity and provision of pollination, soil fertility, carbon storage and water regulation. Landscape composition influenced the provision of multiple ES: a 10% increase in grassland cover in the landscape enhanced above-ground ES-multifunctionality by 11.0% in both habitats. In particular, grasslands cover in the landscape supported the provision of arthropod diversity, pollination and pest control provided by carabids. Synthesis and applications. The results of this field study show the key importance of preserving semi-natural grasslands in agricultural landscapes for the conservation of farmland biodiversity, for the protection of soils and the delivery of multiple ES critical for crop production. Maximization of multifunctionality necessitates the integration at the landscape scale (0.5-2 km) of semi-natural patches within the intensively farmed agricultural matrix. This would require not only the protection of existing grasslands, but also their restoration in simplified landscapes. The promotion of mixed farming (i.e., both crop and livestock production) might increase semi-natural grassland cover at the landscape scale
Semi-natural habitats support populations of stink bug pests in agricultural landscapes
Full text linkSemi-natural habitats are considered fundamental for biodiversity conservation and the provision of biological control services in agroecosystems. However, crop pests that exploit different types of habitats during their life cycle might thrive in complex landscapes. Understanding how crop pests use a range of resources across the agroecosystem is fundamental to plan sustainable crop protection strategies. Here we explored the effects of local habitat type (i.e., annual crop, perennial crop, dry grassland and forest) and landscape composition (increasing cover of forest and dry grassland) on stink bug pests in Mediterranean agroecosystems. Stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomoidea) are polyphagous and highly mobile organisms considered a serious threat for numerous crops worldwide. To better understand how stink bugs used different habitats, we sampled active adults and juveniles in spring and summer, and overwintering individuals in autumn and winter. Our results showed that semi -natural habitats supported more abundant stink bug populations, potentially providing alternative feeding, reproduction, and overwintering sites. Specifically, we found more active adults and juveniles in dry grasslands, while forests hosted greater numbers of overwintering individuals. Moreover, forest cover in the landscape was positively related to active stink bug abundance in all sampled habitats. Finally, we found complex landscapes rich in overall semi-natural habitats to support higher abundance of overwintering individuals in both forests and dry grasslands, while perennial crop might provide suitable overwintering sites in highly simplified landscape. These results have important implications for pest management as crop fields situated in complex landscapes might be more susceptible to pest infestation. Effective control strategies may require a landscape-based approach
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