Spatial variability of ecophysiological performances and invasive potential of alien acacias (Acacia spp.) in Sicily and Lampedusa island (Pelagie Archipelago)

Acacia spp. are among the most widespread and prominent invaders within Mediterranean-type ecosystems, where have already shown the capability to deeply change the characters and the functioning of invaded ecosystems (like in Portugal or S Africa: e.g. Holmes & Cowling, 1997; Hellmann et al., 2011). In Sicily, just in the last few years, two Australian Acacias, notably Acacia cylops A. Cunn. ex G. Don and A. saligna (Labill.) H.L.Wendl., started to regenerate abundantly within different areas (especially afforested sites). However their naturalization process has not been studied up to now.

Additional file 4 of Staying alive on an active volcano: 80 years population dynamics of Cytisus aeolicus (Fabaceae) from Stromboli (Aeolian Islands, Italy)

Additional file 4. Phenological phases in the studied s-pop of Cytisus aeolicus from Stromboli Island.

1, 10, 100, how many floristic databases are there in Italy?

The Group for Floristics of the Italian Botanical Society (SBI) prepared a questionnaire to be distributed among all those concerned. On the whole about three dozens feedbacks were collected and analysed.

Viola ucriana. – In PASTA S., PEREZ-GRABER A., FAZAN L. & MONTMOLLIN B. DE (Eds), The Top 50 Mediterranean Island Plants, UPDATE 2017: http://top50.iucn-mpsg.org/species/15. IUCN/SSC/ Mediterranean Plant Specialist Group. Neuchâtel (Switzerland). E-book and on line. 141 pp. top50.iucn-mpsg.org.

STUDIO NUMERICO DELL'EMODINAMICA IN PAZIENTI CON DISSECAZIONE AORTICA DI TIPO B

The development of type B aortic dissection (AoD) is caused by altered haemodynamic forces exerted on false and true lumina of dissected aorta. This work aims to study haemodynamic and morphological proprieties, which influence the progression or stability of type B AoD. Computational fluid-dynamic analyses were performed on three patients with type B AoD, whose two presented an aneurysm evolution and one presented no further complication connected with dissection. Blood flow features showed that the true lumen flow was laminar and uniform while false lumen flow lost the laminar characteristic with consequent vorticity formation. The entry point zone proximal to the aortic arch showed both …

Additional file 3 of Staying alive on an active volcano: 80 years population dynamics of Cytisus aeolicus (Fabaceae) from Stromboli (Aeolian Islands, Italy)

Additional file 3. Age distribution estimates in the studied s-pop of Cytisus aeolicus from Stromboli Island.

Additional file 5 of Staying alive on an active volcano: 80 years population dynamics of Cytisus aeolicus (Fabaceae) from Stromboli (Aeolian Islands, Italy)

Additional file 5. Pollen grain images of Cytisus aeolicus from Stromboli Island.

Primo caso di naturalizzazione di Pinus canariensis C. Sm.(Pinaceae) per la Sicilia e prima stazione di Acacia cyclops G. Don (Fabaceae) sull’isola maggiore

Nella Riserva Naturale Orientata “Foce del Fiume Platani” (Sicilia meridionale) sono stati registrati il primo caso di naturalizzazione di Pinus canariensis (Pinaceae) per il territorio regionale ed il primo di Acacia cyclops (Fabaceae) per l’isola maggiore. Vengono inoltre fornite informazioni supplementari sulla demografia e sulla distribuzione di entrambe le specie nei rimboschimenti dell’area protetta, nonché una previsione del loro grado di invasività alla luce dei dati scientifici già pubblicati. First case of naturalization of Pinus canariensis in Sicily and first population of Acacia cyclops on the main island. Both cases of naturalization have been recorded within the Nature Reserv…

Additional file 1 of Staying alive on an active volcano: 80 years population dynamics of Cytisus aeolicus (Fabaceae) from Stromboli (Aeolian Islands, Italy)

Additional file 1. Photo collection of the growing site of Cytisus aeolicus from Stromboli Island

Lampedusa e la sua storia. Le esplorazioni botaniche dell’isola di Lampedusa e il patrimonio floristico superstite.

Anche se le trasformazioni che hanno interessato il paesaggio di Lampedusa sono il più delle volte considerate come un fatto recente, l’isola era abitata già nel Neolitico Medio, cioè oltre 6.500 anni fa. L'articolo individua l'evoluzione del paesaggio attraverso i dati storici.

Pianificazione per la gestione delle risorse pastorali e interventi di miglioramento dei pascoli: strumenti per la salvaguardia dei boschi montani mediterranei

The temporary wetland complex of Anguillara and its key role for the botanical heritage of western Sicily

Temporary wetlands are endangered throughout the entire Mediterranean area (1). Contrary to the permanent wetlands, that (usually) cover larger surfaces and are now protected after a long period of siege and ‘reclamation’ attempts, temporary ponds and wetlands are small, scattered areas still under pressure and threatened by human activities. This fact represents a serious threat for biodiversity, since many species only occur in these peculiar sites. To secure their protection Mediterranean temporary ponds are listed as “priority habitat” in the EU “Habitats” Directive (92/43/EEC). The temporary ponds of Anguillara, located near Calatafimi in Western Sicily, host a huge amount of rare plan…

Additional file 2 of Staying alive on an active volcano: 80 years population dynamics of Cytisus aeolicus (Fabaceae) from Stromboli (Aeolian Islands, Italy)

Additional file 2. Diachronic trend of the isolated individuals and vegetation patches of Cytisus aeolicus on Stromboli Island (years 1937–2017).

Ecologia e distribuzione di Chamaerops humilis L. (Arecaceae) nella Sicilia nord-orientale

I settori costieri e collinari della Sicilia nord-orientale e delle Eolie sono stati esplorati ai fini della raccolta di informazioni aggiornate sulla distribuzione dei popolamenti di palma nana e sulle caratteristiche ecologiche delle stazioni che li ospitano. I risultati delle indagini di campo sono stati integrati dalla verifica dei toponimi locali legati ai nomi dialettali della specie. Si con- ferma la totale assenza della palma nana lungo l’intero settore costiero dei Nebrodi. Dei nove popolamenti accertati, quattro si trovano alle Eolie, due sul versante ionico e tre sul versante tir- renico dei Peloritani; uno di questi ultimi, localizzato su Capo Calavà, risulta inedito. La conco- …

The recent spread of the invasive woody alien plant Melia azedarach L. (Meliaceae) in Sicily

This paper aims at reporting the ongoing process of naturalization of Melia azedarach L. in Sicily. In fact, over half a century after the first detection of spontaneous self-sown seedlings, an abrupt increase of naturalization cases has been recorded by the authors during the last twenty years. More in detail, M. azedarach successfully colonized many suburban lowland areas along the coasts of the island which are characterised by thermo-Mediterranean bioclimate. According to both field and literature data, a gradual spread of M. azedarach in the island can be expected, although it is not possible to predict the speed with which this will occur. Historical information on its introduction at…

Il supporto della SISV alla realizzazione di un manuale nazionale per il monitoraggio degli habitat della Direttiva 92/43/EEC in Italia

A partire dall’entrata in vigore della Direttiva 92/43/EEC, la sorveglianza dello stato di conservazione degli habitat elencati nell’Allegato I ed il relativo monitoraggio periodico a intervalli di sei anni sono diventati un obbligo per tutti i paesi membri dell’UE, in base a quanto previsto negli Articoli 11 e 17. Nel 2011 è stato pubblicato un documento che fornisce le linee guida di riferimento europee per il monitoraggio di habitat e specie (Evans & Arvela 2011). Su questa base metodologica, la Società Italiana di Scienza della Vegetazione (SISV), avvalendosi di un ampio gruppo di soci esperti, ha avviato un dibattito interno su principi, criteri, parametri e strumenti per il monitoragg…

AN IN-VITRO PHANTOM STUDY ON THE THORACIC AORTIC STENT GRAFT COLLAPSE RESULTING FROM A BIRD-BEAK CONFIGURATION INTO THE AORTIC ARCH

The SISV support to the implementation of a national manual for monitoring the Habitats of the 92/43/EEC Directive in Italy.

The 4th National Report ex Art. 17 of the 92/43/EEC Directive in Italy (period 2013-2018) will try to fill a number of gaps still affecting the former versions of the Italian Reports, where territorial data were still missing for large parts of the country and the assessment was mostly based on the use of the expert opinion. Similar inconsistencies also emerged in other European countries (State of nature in the EU, EEA 2015). In order to reach this aim, a nationally shared protocol for monitoring the vegetation-based Annex I Habitats is currently under development. The most prominent issues addressed by the ongoing project are: i) fixing standardized, updated and scientifically grounded me…

I pantani di Anguillara (Calatafimi Segesta, Trapani): dati preliminari sulla biodiversità a supporto della tutela del biotopo

Vengono presentati i risultati preliminari di una indagine multidisciplinare condotta in una zona umida nel territorio di Calatafimi Segesta in provincia di Trapani. L'area è di grande interesse per la presenza di rare specie animali e vegetali, di habitat minacciati tutelati da normative nazionali ed internazionali, ma anche perché è una delle ultime zone umide superstiti dell'entroterra trapanese. L'area ha subito in tempi recenti un pesante disturbo antropico che rischia di portare alla distruzione questo ambiente e il suo biota di pregio. Con questo contributo gli autori intendono supportare la richiesta di adeguata e urgente tutela del sito. Anguillara Ponds (Calatafimi Segesta, Trapan…

Ostrya carpinifolia Scop. (fam. Betulaceae) a Ficuzza (Monti Sicani, provincia di Palermo): note ecologiche e demografiche

Botanical excursions in central and Western Sicily - Field Guide For the 60th IAVS Symposium

Evaluation of residual stress during fatigue test in a FSW joint

At present, friction stir welding (FSW) represents one of the most interesting techniques in the field of welding. The process is has been implemented in industrial practice for joining aluminium alloys, while the welding of the titanium alloy and the steels is still primarily in a developmental stage. The thermo-mechanical action of the tool causes a residual stress field in the FSW joint. Although, the peak temperatures of the process are relatively low; residual stresses similar to the traditional welding technique may develop in the FSW joint. Moreover, the restraints of clamps, which are used for fixing the plates during the process, impede the relief of the heated zones that causes lo…

Primi segnali di spontaneizzazione di Schinus molle L. (Anacardiaceae) in Sicilia.

Si riportano i primi casi di naturalizzazione di Schinus molle L. (Anacardiaceae) osservati in Sicilia.

Possibile origine e consistenza di un popolamento di Quercus trojana Webb subsp. trojana (Fagaceae) nel Bosco della Ficuzza (Palermo, Sicilia

Possible origin and demographic asset of a population of Quercus trojana Webb subsp. trojana (Fagaceae) in the wood of Ficuzza (Palermo, Sicily). The first record of Macedonian oak in Sicily is reported. The finding consists of 73 adult and 4 young individuals. A morphometric analysis of all of them, along with an assessment of their phytosanitary status was carried out. They all grow between 700 and 850 m a.s.l. on a 2,30 ha area, characterized by a land mosaic of shrubland and forest patches. Notwithstanding two years of researches, no ultimate proof has been found on their alien status. On this purpose, several alternative hypothesis are formulated and their strengths and weaknesses are …

A new naturalized alien plant in Sicily: Cotula australis (Sieber ex Spreng.) Hook. f. (Asteraceae) on the Acropolis of Lipari Island (Aeolian Archipelago)

In February 2018 a copious population of Cotula australis Hook f. (Asteraceae, Anthemideae) was found on the cobblestones of the Acropolis of Lipari Island (Aeolian Archipelago, NE Sicily). This population represents the first record in southern Italy and is located at a distance of about 470 km as the crow flies from the nearest neighbour. From the phytosociological point of view, C. aus- tralis dominates a therophytic subnitrophilous dwarf vegetation of trampled sites which can be ascribed to the cosmopolitan class Polygono-Poetea annuae Rivas Mart. 1975. This plant communi- ty is proposed as a new association, Galio muralis-Cotuletum australis, which can be considered a Mediterranean vic…

Towards a checklist of the Italian gypsophilous vascular flora.

The strict relationship between plants and particular types of substrate has long been known to botanists and plant ecologists who have dealt with this issue. The peculiar flora growing on Italian gypsum substrates has been underlined since the nineteenth century (1, 2, 3). The concept of plant gypsophily can be defined as the exclusiveness or marked preference for living on gypsum outcropping rocks. Thus, only those plant species which show preference, or even exclusivity, for gypsum substrates, should be classified as gypsophilous (4). The main aim of this research has been to provide a checklist of the Italian gypsophilous flora. The study was made possible through international collabor…

Bupleurum dianthifolium. – In PASTA S., PEREZ-GRABER A., FAZAN L. & MONTMOLLIN B. DE (Eds), The Top 50 Mediterranean Island Plants, UPDATE 2017: http://top50.iucn-mpsg.org/species/15. IUCN/SSC/ Mediterranean Plant Specialist Group. Neuchâtel (Switzerland). E-book and on line. 141 pp. top50.iucn-mpsg.org.

Report on medium-term effects of the habitat protection and restoration activities of the LIFE Project “Maintenance of the habitats of the Macalube of Aragona” (Sicily, S Italy)

The Site of Community Importance (SCI) “Macalube di Aragona” is prone to severe desertification risk. In fact, its vegetation is disturbed not only by cyclic soil movements resulting from sedimentary volcanism, but it is strongly influenced by the hostile properties of the clayey substratum (prone to intense linear erosion, badly aired, rich in salts, etc.), the long drought period (ca. 4 months) and by the long-lasting history of human pressure. Both stress and disturbance factors influence progressive succession processes, so that the most “mature” local plant communities are () the chenopod shrublands referred to Salsolo-Peganion (habitat 1430 according to 92/43 EU Directive) and the hal…

PLANT SUCCESSION ON SICILIAN TERRACES

189 phytosociological relevés have been made in five areas of Sicily, three on volcanic substrates and two on limestones, to study plant community succession trends within abandoned terraced vineyards and cereal fields. Disturbance status and abandonment age was recorded for each sample plot. DCA of these relevés suggests that four are the most important factors driving succession, i.e. geological substrate, bioclimate, age of abandonment and disturbance. In most cases - if there are some dispersal centres near the old fields - undisturbed and less disturbed terraces evolve quite rapidly towards the local potential “climax” community. Different tren…

Grassland fire effect on soil organic carbon reservoirs in semiarid environment

Abstract. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of a experimental fire, used for grassland management, on soil organic carbon (SOC) reservoirs. The study was carried out on Hyparrhenia hirta (L.) Stapf (Hh) grassland and Ampelodesmos mauritanicus (Desf.) T. Durand and Schinz (Am) grasslands, located in the north of Sicily. Soil samples were collected at 0–5 cm before and after experimental fire and SOC was measured. During grassland fire soil surface temperature was monitored. Biomass of both grasses was analyzed in order to determine dry weight and its chemical composition. The results showed that SOC varied significantly with vegetation cover, while it is not affected in the …

A methodological protocol for Annex I Habitats monitoring: the contribution of Vegetation science.

The methodological foundations of the recently published Manual for Annex I Habitats monitoring in Italy, edited by the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) with the scientific support of the Italian Society for Vegetation Science (SISV), are here presented, discussed and related to the most consolidated and acknowledged scientific advances in the field of Vegetation science. The proposed methodologies aim at offering simple, yet effective, protocols and procedures towards a harmonized data collection, by way of standardized and shared technical tools, resulting in comparable evaluations of the conservation status of Annex I Habitats. The methodological framew…

The inhomogeneous mechanical behaviour of Ascending Thoracic Aortic Aneurism (ATAA)

Surgical management of ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms (aTAAs) relies on maximum diameter, growth rate, and presence of connective tissue disorders. The surgical decision however is often not considering that dissection and rupture do occur in patients who do not meet criteria for surgical repair [1,2]. In this study the authors aim to investigate the mechanical properties of aTAAs to be implemented in computational biomechanics models for a preclinical risk evaluation. Additionally, in some recent studies, some data about the biomechanical properties of the aTAAs have been reported [3], but without any relation to bicuspidal or tricuspidal aTAA. The aim of this study was to investigate…