Faunal changes and palaeobiodiversity of Italian vertebrate assemblages during the last glacial cycles.

A Hazelnut-Enriched Diet Modulates Oxidative Stress and Inflammation Gene Expression without Weight Gain

Introduction. Inflammation is associated with obesity condition and plays a pivotal role in the onset and progression of many chronic diseases. Among several nutraceutical foods, hazelnuts (Corylus avellana L.) are considered an excellent anti-inflammatory and hypolipidemic food being the second richest source of monounsaturated fatty acids among nuts and because they are rich in vitamins, minerals, and phenolic compounds. Materials and Methods. A prospective pilot clinical trial on 24 healthy volunteers who consumed daily, as a snack, 40 g of hazelnuts (261.99 kcal/1096.17 kJ) for six weeks was conducted. Anthropometric measurements, body composition analysis, and nutrigenomic analysis on …

The role of hyaluronic acid and amino acid against the aging of the human skin: A clinical and histological study.

Background In esthetic medicine, different techniques have been used against the aging of the human skin especially in the facial area. Hyaluronic acid is used for improving the quantity of water and extracellular matrix molecule. The aim of this study is a clinical and histological evaluation of the effect of low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid fragments mixed with amino acid (HAAM) on the rejuvenation the face skin treated with intradermal microinjections. Methods Twenty women with mean age 45 range from 35 to 64 were studied, thereof 8 in menopause and 12 of childbearing age. The patients were treated with the HAAM products by mesotherapy technique; before and after 3 months of the ther…

Assessing the role of megafauna in tropical forest ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles - the potential of vegetation models

21 pages; International audience; Megafauna (terrestrial vertebrate herbivores > 5 kg) can have disproportionate direct and indirect effects on forest structure, function, and biogeochemical cycles. We reviewed the literature investigating these effects on tropical forest dynamics and biogeochemical cycles in relation to ecology, paleoecology, and vegetation modelling. We highlight the limitations of field‐based studies in evaluating the long‐term consequences of loss of megafauna. These limitations are due to inherent space‐time restrictions of field‐studies and a research focus on seed dispersal services provided by large animals. We further present evidence of a research gap concerning t…

LaDy: Software for assessing local landscape diversity profiles of raster land cover maps using geographic windows

Landscape ecology starts from the assumption that diversity and spatial arrangement of ecosystem mosaics have ecological implications and tries to understand the interactions between diversity and structure of large spatially heterogeneous areas and their ecological functions. These assumptions imply effective use of earth observation techniques and geographic information systems, enabling a global view of the landscape mosaics. In this paper, a software, LaDy (Landscape Diversity Software), for computing Re´nyi’s local landscape diversity profile on raster land cover maps is presented. LaDy is based on the use of Merchant’s adaptive geographic window, which is designed to operate on a neig…

Integrated biomonitoring of airborne pollutants over space and time using tree rings, bark, leaves and epiphytic lichens

The integrated use of tree rings and outer tissues, and lichens, was tested for monitoring how pollutant concentrations vary in space and over time nearby an incinerator in industrial area in Central Italy. Trace elements in thalli of lichen Xanthoria parietina and in leaves, bark, wood of Quercus pubescens, as well as carbon, oxygen and nitrogen isotope ratios in tree rings were analyzed. Some trace elements in the leaves differed significantly between the plots, though this was not the case in lichens and bark. The values of δ13C and δ18O showed the same trend in all plots, while the values of δ15N were higher in the distal plot. The results indicated that trace elements were intercepted …

Advanced earth observation approach for multiscale forest ecosystem services modeling and mapping (MIMOSE)

In the last decade ecosystem services (ES) have been proposed as a method for quantifying the multifunctional role of forest ecosystems. Their spatial distribution on large areas is frequently limited by the lack of information, because field data collection with traditional methods requires much effort in terms of time and cost. In this contribution we propose a methodology (namely, MultIscale Mapping Of ecoSystem servicEs - MIMOSE) based on the integration of remotely sensed images and field observation to produce a wall-to-wall geodatabase of forest parcels accompanied with several information useful as a basis for future trade-off analysis of different ES. Here, we present the applicat…

Ethical assessment of hepatitis C virus treatment: The lesson from first generation protease inhibitors

Abstract Since chronic hepatitis C has mostly become curable, issues concerning choice and allocation of treatment are of major concern. We assessed the foremost ethical issues in hepatitis C virus therapy with 1st generation protease inhibitors using the personalist ethical framework within the health technology assessment methodology. Our aim was to identify values at stake/in conflict and to support both the physicians’ choices in hepatitis C therapy and social (macro-) allocation decision-making. The ethical assessment indicates that: (1) safety/effectiveness profile of treatment is guaranteed if its use is restricted to the patients subgroups who may benefit from it; (2) patients shoul…

Power-effective scanning with AODs for 3D optogenic applications

Two-photon (2P) excitation is a cornerstone approach widely employed in neuroscience microscopy for deep optical access and sub-micrometric-resolution light targeting into the brain. However, besides structural and functional imaging, 2P optogenetic stimulations are less routinary, especially in 3D. This is because of the adopted scanning systems, often feebly effective, slow and mechanically constricted. Faster illumination can be achieved through acousto-optic deflectors (AODs) although their applicability to large volumes excitation has been limited by large efficiency drop along the optical axis. Here, we present a new AOD-based scheme for 2P 3D scanning that improves the power delivery…

Adaptive forest governance to face land use change impacts in Italy: a review

Il cambiamento dell’uso del suolo è uno dei driver principali della riduzione della resilienza ecosistemica, così come della perdita di biodiversità e approvvigionamento di servizi. Rappresenta una sfida peculiare, specialmente negli ambienti mediterranei, dove i fenomeni di abbandono e ricolonizzazione naturale stanno minacciando in modo sempre più crescente la capacità delle foreste di fornire benefici alle comunità locali. In queste condizioni, il sistema di governance forestale è chiamato a bilanciare gli impatti del cambiamento dell’uso del suolo con l’assicurazione della salute e della stabilità degli ecosistemi forestali, al fine di garantire la sostenibilità a lungo termine degli am…

Foreste a tavola:i consumi alimentari inducono la crescente deforestazione tropicale e sub-tropicale anche in Italia

L’agricoltura costituisce da sempre una grande minaccia per gli ecosistemi naturali del nostro pianeta,e non solo in quanto attività umana essenziale per la produzione di cibo. Attualmente, in particolarenella regione tropicale e sub-tropicale, le attività agricole sono fattori di pressione cruciali per il mantenimentodei cicli di vita di ecosistemi essenziali per la biosfera, complessi e resilienti, come le foreste. Lesocietà contemporanee, essenzialmente urbane e sempre più disconnesse dai processi naturali ed ecologici,tendono a dimenticare, o semplicemente non considerare, le responsabilità di queste pressioni insostenibili.Tra le maggiori cause di deforestazione, quattro commodities ri…

Impact of forest management on threatened epiphytic macrolichens: Evidence from a Mediterranean mixed oak forest (Italy)

Abstract: Forest management practices may heavily affect epiphytic cryptogams. This study was conceived in March 2016, as soon as we were informed about an authorized logging for timber within a Mediterranean mixed oak forest in Tuscany (central Italy), which threatened a large population of the forest macrolichen Lobaria pulmonaria (L.) Hoffm., composed of hundreds of fertile thalli. Lobaria pulmonaria is often used as an ecological indicator of high quality habitats hosting rare lichens, and in general, cryptogams worthy of conservation. The species has suffered a general decline throughout Europe as a consequence of air pollution and intensive forest management, and currently it is red-l…

Inventario e classificazione delle risorse forestali

The role of sustainable agroforestry practices and food consumption to prevent tropical deforestation and increase ecosystem services

Tropical forests harbor most of global terrestrial biodiversity and provide essential ecosystem services, although they have been largely replaced by agricultural activities. Amazon is the largest tropical forest remaining, and cattle ranching and soybean cultivation are by far the greater drivers of deforestation, that together with other few commodities constitutes the main products responsible for the imported deforestation caused by European countries. Agroforestry systems and sustainable intensification are pointed out as solutions to conciliate food production with environmental conservation, thus reviewing the results of studies comparing these practices against conventional ones are…

Assessing forest landscape structure using geographic windows.

Landscape structure, interpreted as indicator of functional processes, has become a main attribute of multiresource forest inventories, enhancing its value with respect to society needs. This approach implies effective use of earth observation techniques and geographic information systems to obtain a global view of the inventoried landscapes and to understand the ecological functions of large spatially-heterogeneous landscape mosaics. Landscape structure often reveal extremely complex patterns that can only be very roughly characterized by methods of Euclidean geometry. Conversely, fractals can be applied to adequately describe many of the irregular, fragmented patterns found in nature. In …

Beware of contagion!

Landscape ecology starts from the assumption that diversity and spatial arrangement of ecosystem mosaics has ecological implications and tries to understand the interactions between diversity and structure of large spatially heterogeneous areas and its ecological functions. This approach implies effective use of earth observation techniques and geographic information systems, enabling a global view of the landscape mosaics. Consequently, a large number of indices has been used to quantify the structure of categorical maps as a surrogate of actual landscapes and correlate them to ecological processes. In particular, the entropy-based contagion index has been extensively used to summarize the…

Could cattle ranching and soybean cultivation be sustainable? A systematic review and a meta-analysis for the Amazon

Abstract: Tropical forests are being destroyed to make space for agricultural activities with the assumption that they are required to feed the growing global population. Consequently, more sustainable practices are needed to guarantee food security and environmental protection of highly threatened natural biodiversity hotspots like the Amazon rainforest. Cattle ranching and soybean cultivation are by far the greater drivers of land use change and deforestation in the Amazon region. We performed a systematic review of papers related to these two main drivers and a meta-analysis on the effects of sustainable practices on different ecosystem services. The results of the review highlight a lar…

I sistemi di aree protette in Italia e il loro contributo alla conservazione forestale

Aree Protette, Italia, conservazione forestale

Protected forest areas in Europe – analysis and harmonisation: Country Report Italy.

Testing Ikonos and Landsat 7 ETM+ Potential for Stand-Level Forest Type Mapping by Soft Supervised Approaches

Forest types can be adopted as a suitable reference for classifying survey units within multipurpose forest resources inventories, at the properly considered level. This kind of hierarchical classification approach integrates an ecologically meaningful per-habitat perspective with practical survey, planning and management requirements. Advanced remote sensing technologies can be valuable tools for a cost-effective implementation of such an approach. In the present paper, data from high (Landsat 7 ETM+) and very high (Ikonos) spatial resolution satellite sensors were tested to understand their potential contribution supporting stand-level forest type mapping under Mediterranean conditions. I…

Simplified methods for spatial sampling: application to first-phase data of Italian National Forest Inventory (INFC) in Sicily

Abstract: Methodological approaches able to integrate data from sample plots with cartographic processes are widely applied. Based on mathematic-statistical techniques, the spatial analysis allows the exploration and spatialization of geographic data. Starting from the punctual information on land use types obtained from the dataset of the first phase of the ongoing new Italian NFI (INFC), a spatialization of land cover classes was carried out using the Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) method. In order to validate the obtained results, an overlay with other vectorial land use data was carried out. In particular, the overlay compared data at different scales, evaluating differences in terms …

Blue light activated photodegradation of biomacromolecules by N-doped titanium dioxide in a chitosan hydrogel matrix

The use of photocatalysis activated by titanium dioxide nanostructured materials is a promising solution for many biomedical applications ranging from drug-free antibacterial to anticancer therapies, as well as for innovative hydrogel-supported phototherapies. This makes the effects of photocatalysis on the structure of biomolecules of a great relevance in order to define the applicability of photocatalytic materials in the biomedical fields. In this work, the effects of nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide (N-TiO2) dispersed in a biocompatible chitosan/PEG hydrogel on myoglobin and bovine serum albumin as target model proteins were investigated. The efficiency of this composite biocompatible ma…

Modeling the influence of alternative forest management scenarios on wood production and carbon storage: A case study in the Mediterranean region

Forest ecosystems are fundamental for the terrestrial biosphere as they deliver multiple essential ecosystem services (ES). In environmental management, understanding ES distribution and interactions and assessing the economic value of forest ES represent future challenges. In this study, we developed a spatially explicit method based on a multi-scale approach (MiMoSe-Multiscale Mapping of ecosystem services) to assess the current and future potential of a given forest area to provide ES. To do this we modified and improved the InVEST model in order to adapt input data and simulations to the context of Mediterranean forest ecosystems. Specifically, we integrated a GIS-based model, scenario …

Informational analysis of forest landscape spatial heterogeneity

Summary Under the perspective of forest ecosystem management, landscape is interpreted as a functioning structure. From an inventory and monitoring operational point of view, such an approach implies wise use of geographic information systems and remote sensing techniques enabling a global view of the territorial mosaic. From a methodological point of view, landscape ecology theory may be used as the assessment framework. Remotely sensed data provide excellent opportunities for the involved analyses, using both vegetation density measures and spatial statistics. The objective of this paper was to assess landscape spatial heterogeneity using an analysis method based on Shannon's information …

Forest ecosystem inventory and monitoring as a framework for terrestrial natural renewable resources survey programmes

The established practice of forest ecosystem inventory and monitoring is recognised as a main support for terrestrial natural renewable resource survey programmes. Inventory and monitoring programmes focused on an overall assessment of ecosystem attributes evolving into global environmental survey programmes have been devised, but implementation is still quite contradictory. The state-of-the-art is discussed here, with special reference to the European Union and Italy. Topical issues are reviewed, with selective concern to: remote sensing capability, probability sampling, forest type (habitat) classification and landscape ecology, sustainable management indicators. Benefits brought by infor…

Forest types for biodiversity assessment at regional level: the case study of Sicily (Italy)

Within Europe the question of plant coenosis is attracting growing interest. The quality and quantity of collected information on forest resources at a global level largely depends on the capacity to collect and analyse data at national and sub-national scale in a way compatible with those at global or continental levels. In Italy the acceptance of all the international agreements and protocols on the protection of the environment and management of natural resources, requires a standardization of collected information and statistics, with the aim to produce homogeneous and integrative data at global level. This need is reflected in the following points: (1) the adoption of a classification …

La rete ecologica siciliana: valore naturalistico delle aree protette e dei siti NATURA 2000 e indicazioni per una gestione sostenibile

The MIMOSE Approach to Support Sustainable Forest Management Planning at Regional Scale in Mediterranean Contexts

In recent decades, Mediterranean landscapes have been affected by human-induced drivers, such as land use and climate change. Forest ecosystems and landscapes have been particularly affected in mountainous regions due to limited management and stewardship, especially in remote areas. Therefore, there is a need to set up new strategies to enhance ecosystem services in forested areas which, in turn, will benefit local communities and economies. In this study, we implemented a new approach—Multiscale Mapping of Ecosystem Services (MIMOSE)—to assess ecosystem services in Mediterranean forests located in a mountainous region of Italy. We spatially assessed timber provision and carbon sequestrati…

La dinamica degli incendi in un comprensorio boscato mediterraneo (Sicilia Nord-occidentale) e l’effetto degli interventi selvicolturali sui soprassuoli a pino d’Aleppo e domestico percorsi da incendio

The effect of grazing in Forests: the case study of Ficuzza (W Sicily)