Search results for " oak"
showing 10 items of 27 documents
Does the genetic diversity among pubescent white oaks in southern Italy, Sicily and Sardinia islands support the current taxonomic classification?
2020
AbstractMolecular diversity analysis of deciduous pubescent oaks was conducted for populations from Calabria, Sicily and Sardinia. The aims of this study were twofold. First, to provide data on the genetic diversity of pubescent oaks from an understudied area which currently exhibits one of the highest concentrations of pubescent oak species in Europe. Second, to verify if these groups of oaks are genetically distinct and if their identification is in accordance with the current taxonomic classification. Molecular analyses of leaf material of 480 trees from seventeen populations belonging to putatively different pubescent oak species (Quercus amplifolia,Q. congesta,Q. dalechampii,Q. ichnusa…
Does air pollution influence the success of species translocation? Trace elements, ultrastructure and photosynthetic performances in transplants of a…
2020
Abstract Species translocation can be considered as a primary conservation strategy with reference to in situ conservation. In the case of lichens, translocations often risk to fail due stress factors associated with unsuitable receptor sites. Considering the bioecological characteristics of lichens, air pollution is among the most limiting stress factors. In this study, the forest macrolichen Lobaria pulmonaria was used as a model to test the hypothesis that the translocation of sensitive lichens is effective only in unpolluted environments. At purpose, 500 fragments or whole thalli were translocated in selected beech forests of Central Europe (the Western Carpathians, Slovakia) where the …
Living and Dead Aboveground Biomass in Mediterranean Forests: Evidence of Old-Growth Traits in a Quercus pubescens Willd. s.l. Stand
2017
For a long time, human impact has deeply simplified most of the forest ecosystems of the Mediterranean Basin. Here, forests have seldom had the chance to naturally develop a complex and multilayered structure, to host large and old trees and rich biological communities, approaching old-growth conditions. Also for this reason, limited information is currently available about Mediterranean old-growth forests, particularly with regard to deadwood. The main aim of this work is to help fill this critical knowledge gap. In Sicily (Italy), we identified a Quercus pubescens forest that seemed to show some typical old-growth features. Total living volume (360 m3 ha−1) and basal area (34 m2 ha−1) wer…
Influence of pre-fermentative addition of aqueous solution tannins extracted from oak wood (Quercus petraea) on the composition of Grillo wines
2021
AbstractIn this research, the chemical characterization of fixed and volatile compounds of two different tannins in aqueous solution (Pratiko® L-Harvest and L-Fruit) extracted from oak wood, has been studied. The influence of the above tannins, at different concentrations, on the alcoholic fermentation kinetics and on the composition and sensorial characteristics of a white wine were then evaluated. The wines added tannins in aqueous solution compared to control wines showed significant differences in fixed compounds (colloids, polyphenols and ellagitannins) and volatile compounds (phenolic aldehydes, volatile phenols, furanic and piranic compounds). The differences of aqueous solution tann…
Early response ofQuercus roburseedlings to soil compaction following germination
2018
Logging operations using heavy machinery effect changes in soil characteristics due to compaction; such conditions can negatively influence seedling development. In stands managed on the basis of close-to-nature silviculture or continuous cover forestry, successful establishment of natural regeneration after logging is important to ensure the proper functioning of a forest ecosystem, to promote soil recovery, and to prevent and mitigate land degradation processes (such as soil erosion, mudflow, waterlogging, and landslides) related to soil compaction and rutting. This work aimed to assess the early response of Quercus robur seedlings to soil compaction during the first 1.5 months after germ…
Susceptibility of Tortrix viridiana L. to Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki at different level of larval development.
2009
Recently out-breaks of the green oak leaf roller Tortrix viridana L. (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae) were recorded in Natural Reserve in Sicily (Italy) where treatments are generally forbidden. The commercial, social and environmental value of the wood in the forest needs to be preserved and biological control could be applied in particular case. To optimise the permitted biological treatment, not only in terms of product amount but also for the time of application baseline susceptibility of T. viridiana from the Natural Reserve of Ficuzza (Palermo, Italy) to a commercial formulation of Bacillus thuringiensis was determined for neonates and 2, 5, 10 and 15 day old larvae. The differences in susc…
New Business Models for innovating the cork sector and contrasting cork oak woodland abandonment
2021
The traditional agro-silvo-pastoral system is characterized by wooded grasslands derived from human-induced transformation of forests by tree clearing and tillage. One of the most common tree species of agro-silvo-pastoral systems in Sicily is cork oak (Quercus suber L.). According to the regional inventory these species cover 18830 ha (Camerano et al., 2011) from sea level up to 600 m a.s.l. in siliceous and volcanic substrates. Traditional management of cork oak forest is an example of integration of sustainable land use and biodiversity conservation. Cork oak woodlands are ecologically sensitive and maintained by active human management. Currently, this ecosystem in the Mediterranean Bas…
Revisione tassonomica delle querce caducifoglie della Sicilia
1999
Taxonomical revision about the deciduous oaks of Sicily.— On the basis of literature, herbarium and field investigations, a survey on the species of deciduous oaks occurring in Sicily is presented. A morphological description fitted with drawings and completed by some chorological and ecological observations is reported for each species. Finally it is emphasized that the phenotypical variability observed in Sicily within the Q. humilis group, even if let to consider the S.Thyrrhenian area as a probable speciation center of the group, on the other hand should also be related to the deforestation, which favoured the genetic mixing among the populations. The present study brought to the recogn…
‘Back to the Future’—Oak wood-pasture for wildfire prevention in the Mediterranean
2021
In the summer of 2021, enormous wildfires in the Mediterranean eliminated huge areas of mainly coniferous forest, destroyed adjacent settlements and claimed the lives of many people. The fires indicate effects of climate change and expose consequences of rural demographic changes, deficits in regional and touristic development planning and shortcomings in forest policy. This forum article highlights the dimensions of the problem, calls for a paradigm shift and shows solutions. Land abandonment, woody plant encroachment and non-reflective afforestation are leading to increasing amounts of combustible biomass. To prevent disastrous fires in future, fundamental changes in tree species composit…
Downy-oak woods of Italy: phytogeographical remarks on a controversial taxonomic and ecologic issue
2014
The importance of downy oak as an integral component of the "submediterranean" woods has been underscored by many studies. Nevertheless, terms like "submediterranean" and "downy oak" are some of the most poorly understood concepts in European phytogeographic and taxonomic research. Downy oak is well known to be a problematic taxon. The name "Quercus pubescens" (= Q. humilis) combines populations characterized by increasing phenotypic and genomic polymorphisms along north-south gradients, which is explained as the result of a "founder effect" produced by a relatively fast post-glacial re-colonization of the northern areas through rare long-distance dispersal events. On the other hand, polymo…