Search results for " Biodiversity"
showing 10 items of 376 documents
Evolutionary genomics can improve prediction of species' responses to climate change
2020
Abstract Global climate change (GCC) increasingly threatens biodiversity through the loss of species, and the transformation of entire ecosystems. Many species are challenged by the pace of GCC because they might not be able to respond fast enough to changing biotic and abiotic conditions. Species can respond either by shifting their range, or by persisting in their local habitat. If populations persist, they can tolerate climatic changes through phenotypic plasticity, or genetically adapt to changing conditions depending on their genetic variability and census population size to allow for de novo mutations. Otherwise, populations will experience demographic collapses and species may go ext…
Monitoring fungal biodiversity – towards an integrated approach
2012
Biodiversity information databases and platforms have seen considerable progress in recent years. They have a high potential in conservation science in general, but may be even more revolutionary in relation to poorly known species groups such as fungi, whose practical conservation work has been jeopardised by scattered and poorly controlled information. We review the tradition of collecting information on species occurrences in mycology and discuss the characteristics of the present fungal biodiversity information databases. With a special focus on population trend monitoring of fruit body producing macrofungi, we emphasise several unrealised opportunities of these databases and point out …
Assessment of the Sabellaria alveolata reefs’ structural features along the Southern coast of Sicily (Strait of Sicily, Mediterranean Sea)
2022
The honeycomb worm Sabellaria alveolata is a gregarious tube-dwelling polychaete that builds remarkable biogenic reefs in marine coastal waters. Sabellaria alveolata reefs are considered valuable marine habitats requiring protection measures for their conservation, as they play a key role in the functioning of coastal ecosystems. Sabellarid reefs are extensively developed along the Atlantic coasts of Europe and reported for the Mediterranean Sea and the Italian coasts, where large reefs have been recorded in several localities. Fragmentary information is available on their health status, Sabellaria reefs thus being listed as “Data Deficient” in the Red List of Marine Habitats. To fill this …
Tras la pista del VIH: los estudios evolutivos y la comprensión del sida.
2013
El VIH o virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana tiene un gran impacto sanitario, social y económico; las terapias actuales permiten controlar la infección pero no se ha encontrado tratamiento curativo ni vacuna efectiva. Para conseguir estos objetivos, debe tenerse en cuenta la gran variabilidad genética y rápida evolución del VIH, asociadas, por ejemplo, a la aparición de variantes de resistencia a fármacos o de cambios antigénicos.
The Italian endemic forest plants: an annotated inventory and synthesis of knowledge
2023
Background and aims – Forests are among the most threatened ecosystems worldwide, and endemic plants are often a vulnerable component of the flora of a given territory. So far, however, understory forest endemics of southern Europe have received little attention and are poorly known for several aspects. Material and methods – We developed the first list of native vascular plants that are restricted to Italian forests. Available information on taxonomy, regional distribution, ecology, biology, functional traits, and conservation status was collected for each taxon, allowing to identify major knowledge gaps and calculate baseline statistics. Key results – The list includes 134 taxa, most of w…
Ptyctima (Acari, Oribatida) in various habitats in Finland
2010
The oribatid species of the taxon Ptyctima were studied in eight habitat types (four forests, three bogs, and one shore). Altogether 19 species were found. The highest number of species (15) was found in marsh forests in southern Finland, and the lowest number (3) in eutrophic fens in northern Finland. Atropacarus striculus was the most common and abundant species in Finland. It was found in each habitat explored, especially abundant on shores, in marsh forests, and pine bogs. Phthiracarus longulus, P. boresetosus, and Steganacarus carinatus occurred in abundance in coniferous forests, especially in the southern and central parts of the country, whereas Rhysotritia ardua was found there onl…
The “Alluvial Mesovoid Shallow Substratum”, a New Subterranean Habitat
2013
Received: April 5, 2013; Accepted: August 23, 2013; Published: October 4, 2013
Yet another alien: a second species of Lepisiota spreading across the Canary Islands, Spain (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
2018
The Canary Islands are a biologically important archipelago hosting many unique species, whose myrmecofauna is peculiarly rich in both endemic and introduced species. Lepisiota frauenfeldi cfr. kantarensis Forel, 1911 is reported for the first time from Fuerteventura and Tenerife. It is the second species of Lepisiota introduced in the archipelago in the last few years, and one of the few documented cases in which Lepisiota frauenfeldi (Mayr, 1855) s.l. acts as a successful tramp species. Comments are also given on taxonomic problems involving the L. frauenfeldi-group and related taxa. Finally, new additional information and comments are presented on the distribution of other alien ants spe…
Grasslands and Shrublands of Kazakhstan and Middle Asia
2020
Abstract Kazakhstan and Middle Asia comprise 4 million km2 of plains, uplands and tall mountain ranges in the core of the Eurasian continent. The region's semi-arid climate, grazing pressure by wild and domestic ungulates, and long pastoral tradition, have given rise to a variety of open habitat types and a distinct flora and fauna. Grasslands and shrublands are a natural and dominant vegetation type in the forest-steppe and steppe zone of northern and central Kazakhstan, as part of the Eurasian grassland biome. In Middle Asia, grasslands and shrublands are widespread habitat types in the Tian Shan, Pamir-Alai and Pamir—mountain systems that have been recently acknowledged as a global biodi…
“Face the cow”: reconnecting to nature and increasing capacities for pro-environmental agency
2020
Arts-based practices can support sustainability, combined with research that points out needs for intervention. We practiced environmental sensitivity and dialogic art with fifth-grade school pupils as part of an International Socially Engaged Art Symposium (ISEAS2019). Using arts-based action research methodology, our case study focused on the opportunities of arts-based environmental education in advancing the management of meadows and wood-pastures. We explored nature connectedness and pro-environmental mindsets and behaviors among the pupils and artists/researchers. The artistic results encompassed the dialogic interactions of the intervention, exhibited artworks, and audiovisual docume…