Search results for " BIODIVERSITY"
showing 10 items of 376 documents
Finding of a living population of Panopea glycimeris (Von Born, 1778) (Bivalvia; Hiatellidae) in Eastern Sicily (Mediterranean Sea)
2011
A consistent living population of Panopea glycimeris (von Born, 1778) was documented underwater along the eastern coast of Sicily. Twenty specimens were counted over an area of 1000 m(2), with an estimated total population of less than 300 individuals. The morphometric measurements of an adult specimen captured are provided. Proposals to adopt protection measures for this species are discussed.
Sustainable management systems to prevent and adaptat to desertification: Case Studies from the LIFE Desert Adapt project
2021
Around 40% of the ice-free terrestrial surface is under desertification risk, and the Mediterranean is one of the most sensible regions. Concomitantly, most areas occupied by agriculture suffer from lack of organic matter in the soil, as well as very low tree cover, making them more vulnerable to climate change. The LIFE (Desert Adapt) project aims to develop a desert adaptation model to enhance resistence and resilience of farms, both public and private, to desertification by appliyng an integrative sustainable land management in Italy, Spain and Portugal. In Italy three sites in Sicily are involved, two private areas in Caltanissetta and Catagirone and the municiaplity of Lampedusa.The mo…
MACROALGAL BIODIVERSITY RESPONSE UNDER A MULTIPLE STRESSOR SCENARIO
2019
Biodiversity-Ecosystem Function experimental stu- dies focusing on marine systems are few and produce contrasting outcomes. Here, we provide experimental proofs on how communities, on a natural gradient of diversity, respond under stressful conditions in inter- tidal habitats. In August 2017 a field experiment was performed in Western Sicily (Italy) in a site charac- terized by tidal pools whose biodiversity structure and composition change as a function of the distance from the low tide mark. The pools closer to the sea are more stable from a thermal and oxic point of view and characterized by high algal biodiversity. Those further from the sea are highly variable with extreme conditions a…
Presentation
2012
The conservation of biodiversity is a worldwide recognised priority, now fully included in the inter-national agenda of the United Nations. Several international conventions call states to work towards the halt of the depletion of biodiversity and the promotion of a better environment. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) are widely recognised as today’s leading environmental conventions. CITES monitors and regulates the international trade of plants and animals and it is in force since 1975. During 36 years of action it saved from extinction several species and it is enforced in almost all states. The CBD goes …
LE BIOCOSTRUZIONI MARINE IN MEDITERRANEO. LO STATO DELLE CONOSCENZE SUI REEF A VERMETI
2009
Vermetid reefs are among the more important bioconstruction of the Mediterranean Sea with a restricted distribution in the southern part of the basin. Their high heterogeneity and the associated biodiversity make their conservation a priority issue for the Mediterranean region
Acque temporanee: biodiversità, funzioni ecosistemiche, vulnerabilità e sensibilità ai cambiamenti climatici
2014
Le acque temporanee contribuiscono alla biodiversità regionale con una ricchezza specifica sproporzionatamente elevata in rapporto all’esigua superficie da esse occupata. Questa breve nota descrive le ragioni che determinano tale diversità biologica, analizza l’importanza delle acque temporanee come hotspot di biodiversità e sottolinea come questi ecosistemi rappresentino un valido strumento per valutare l’impatto delle attività umane sul Pianeta. In aggiunta, le acque temporanee sono particolarmente vulnerabili agli effetti del cambiamento climatico che ne influenza l’idroperiodo e ne riduce la numerosità sul territorio. Tali effetti accoppiati alla distruzione diretta operata dalle attivi…
SMALL LAKES AND RESERVOIRS IN THE HILLS OF SICILY. MAINTAIN, SAVE AND RECOVER RURAL LANDSCAPE
2011
In the transition from nomadic to sedentary, people have tried - for their settlements - the most plenty of water, and the first cities were founded, in fact, along Tigris and Euphrates rivers, extraordinary water resources in a particular dry climate. In the most interior of Sicily, which has always been characterized by low rainfall, the farmers - over time - have tried various expedients for the preservation of rain water in order to allow its survival and crop. The use of new technologies and materials has resulted in recently hard impacts for landscape, while construction of small dams filled with earth, using natural soil impluviums and the nature of the land, made it possible to irri…
Soluzioni basate sulla natura per le città portuali. L’approccio “Building with nature” e i limiti di trasferibilità nel contesto italiano
2022
Achieving sustainable development goals in port cities is an increasingly challenging task as the trend is toward their expansion for global competition, thus increasing their impacts on soil, atmosphere, water, and marine and terrestrial ecosystems. The present contribution proposes to explore the Building with Nature approach developed by EcoShape and Deltares in the Dutch context through the comparison of case studies and to highlight some critical issues in its transferability to the Italian context.
The Portuguese Man-of-War Has Always Entered the Mediterranean Sea—Strandings, Sightings, and Museum Collections
2022
A search of records from different kinds of sources namely, scientific and grey literature, social media, and zoological museum collections, has been carried out to review the incidence of Physalia physalis (Linnaeus, 1758), the Portuguese man-of-war, in the Mediterranean Sea. The temporal frame of the records, considered valid if documented with images or collected specimens, ranged from the second half of the eighteenth century to the year 2021. Thanks to colonies preserved in some Italian historical museum collections, originating from the western basin, it was possible to date the putative first documented record of P. physalis of the Mediterranean Sea in 1850. The dataset shows some ma…
Museomics Provides Insights into Conservation and Education:The Instance of an African Lion Specimen from the Museum of Zoology “Pietro Doderlein”
2023
Innovative technological approaches are crucial to enhance naturalistic museum collections and develop information repositories of relevant interest to science, such as threatened animal taxa. In this context, museomics is an emerging discipline that provides a novel approach to the enhancement and exploitation of these collections. In the present study, the discovery of a neglected lion skeleton in the Museum of Zoology “Pietro Doderlein” of the University of Palermo (Italy) offered the opportunity to undertake a multidisciplinary project. The aims of the study consisted of the following: (i) adding useful information for museographic strategies, (ii) obtaining a new genetic data repositor…