Search results for " BIODIVERSITY"
showing 10 items of 376 documents
The European Pine Marten Martes martes (Linnaeus, 1758) Is Autochthonous in Sicily and Constitutes a Well-Characterised Major Phylogroup within the S…
2022
No molecular data are currently available for the Sicilian populations of the European pine marten Martes martes, thus preventing any sound inference about its native or non-native status on the island, as well as the local phylogeography of the species. In order to investigate these issues, we sequenced two mtDNA markers in road-killed specimens collected in Sicily. Both markers consistently demonstrated the existence of a well-characterised Sicilian clade of the species, which is endemic to the island and constitutes the sister group of a clade including the Mediterranean and Central–North European major phylogroups of the European pine marten. Such evidence supports the autochthony of Ma…
DNA barcode reference library for Iberian butterflies enables a continental-scale preview of potential cryptic diversity
2015
How common are cryptic species - those overlooked because of their morphological similarity? Despite its wide-ranging implications for biology and conservation, the answer remains open to debate. Butterflies constitute the best-studied invertebrates, playing a similar role as birds do in providing models for vertebrate biology. An accurate assessment of cryptic diversity in this emblematic group requires meticulous case-by-case assessments, but a preview to highlight cases of particular interest will help to direct future studies. We present a survey of mitochondrial genetic diversity for the butterfly fauna of the Iberian Peninsula with unprecedented resolution (3502 DNA barcodes for all 2…
Hotspots in cold climate: Conservation value of woodland key habitats in boreal forests
2011
The concept of Woodland Key Habitats (WKH, small-scaled presumed hotspots of biodiversity) has become an essential component of biodiversity conservation in Fennoscandian and Baltic forests. There have been debates over the importance of WKHs in relation to the conservation of biodiversity in production forests. We applied a systematic review protocol and meta-analysis to summarize knowledge on comparisons of biodiversity qualities, such as dead wood and species richness, between WKHs and production forests in relevant countries. We also summarized the knowledge on the impact of edge effects by comparing WKHs surrounded by production forests to WKHs surrounded by clear cuts. Studies had bee…
Centaurea heywoodiana (Asteraceae), a new species from the Nebrodi Mountains (NE-Sicily)
2020
A new endemic species of Centaurea is here described from the Nebrodi Mountains, in Sicily, and named Centaurea heywoodiana. Information on its morphology, distribution, ecology and taxonomic relationship is also provided.
An initial study into the suitability of Sicilian ecotypes of Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. for turfgrass use
2004
The aim of the study is to evaluate the biodiversity of Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. in Sicily (Italy), observing several ecotypes collected in specific areas of the island. The ultimate goal was to identify ecotypes that have the qualitative standards required to establish turfgrasses and/or for specific plant breeding programmes. For each of the 22 bermudagrass ecotypes that were collected from Sicily, leaf texture, stolon internodes length, stolon diameter, turf colour, uniformity and quality rating were the main biometric and qualitative parameters monitored. The speed of recovery was also determined for each ecotype. Interesting variability was recorded in the collected vegetative mater…
Molecular and morphological diversity of on-farm hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) landraces from southern Europe and their role in the origin and diffu…
2013
Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) is a traditional nut crop in southern Europe. Germplasm exploration conducted on-farm in five countries (Portugal, Spain, Italy, Slovenia, and Greece) identified 77 landraces. The present work describes phenotypic variation in nut and husk traits and investigates genetic relationships using ten simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers among these landraces, 57 well-known references cultivars, and 19 wild accessions. Among the 77 landraces, 42 had unique fingerprints while 35 showed a SSR profile identical to a known cultivar. Among the 42 unique landraces, morphological observations revealed high phenotypic diversity, and some had characteristics appreciated by th…
RECOVERY AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THE CHESTNUT GERMPLASM ON THE WESTERN SLOPES OF THE ASPROMONTE IN SOUTHERN CALABRIA
2010
For a considerable period of time chestnuts were a fundamental source of food and economy for the people in the Aspromonte area. After decades in which chestnut cultivation has been neglected as a result of depopulation in mountainous zones, the production capacity in this area has reduced resulting in an erosion of the native germplasm. A survey has been carried out to improve the knowledge about the chestnut germplasm present in this area and to evaluate its qualities with the objective of preserving native genetic resources, safeguarding them from genetic erosion phenomenon and individuating local genotypes of market value which could be used to promote a re-launch of local chestnut cult…
A Multi-Criteria Decision Support System for Strategic Planning at the Swiss Forest Enterprise Level: Coping With Climate Change and Shifting Demands…
2021
Sustainable forest management plays a key role for forest biodiversity and the provisioning of ecosystem services (BES), including the important service of carbon sequestration for climate change mitigation. Forest managers, however, find themselves in the increasingly complex planning situation to balance the often conflicting demands in BES. To cope with this situation, a prototype of a decision support system (DSS) for strategic (long-term) planning at the forest enterprise level was developed in the present project. The DSS was applied at three case study enterprises (CSEs) in Northern Switzerland, two lowland and one higher-elevation enterprise, for a 50-year time horizon (2010 to 2060…
Improving marine protected area governance through collaboration and co-production.
2020
Marine protected areas (MPAs) socio-ecological effectiveness depends on a number of management and governance elements, among which stakeholder engagement and community support play key roles. Collaborative conservation initiatives that engage stakeholders in action research and knowledge co-production processes can enhance management and governance of MPAs. To design effective strategies aimed at reconciling biodiversity conservation and management of sustainable human uses, it is key to assess how local communities respond to such initiatives and identify the set of contextual factors, institutional, local and individual, potentially affecting these responses. This paper presents the appr…
NUOVE AREE DI RILEVANTE INTERESSE NATURALISTICO NELLA SICILIA CENTRO-OCCIDENTALE: PROPOSTA DI TUTELA
2011
New areas of outstanding natural importance in central-western Sicily: a proposal for their conser- vation. With a view to the expected updating of the Sites of Community Importance (SCI) and the following designation of the Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) by the Italian Ministry according to the Council Directive 92/43/EEC, some areas of outstanding natural importance in central-west- ern Sicily, currently not protected, are identified and described. Fifteen areas of various sizes are located in five different provinces (Trapani, Palermo, Agrigento, Caltanissetta and Enna); here sev- eral habitats of Community interest, including some prioritary ones, and numerous endemic and/or rare s…