Search results for " ECOLOGIA"

Sneaking into a Hotspot of Biodiversity: Coverage and Integrity of a Rhodolith Bed in the Strait of Sicily (Central Mediterranean Sea)

2022

Habitat mapping, physical characteristics and benthic community of a rhodolith bed in the Pelagie Islands (Strait of Sicily, Mediterranean Sea) were studied through Multi–Beam Echo–Sounder (MBES), Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) and grab samples. The geomorphological analysis revealed an articulated and wide rhodolith bed; video inspections highlighted a bed with high coverage, few sandy patches and with a prevalence of the boxwork morphotype. A total of 207 taxa with 876 specimens were identified, and Polychaeta was the dominant taxon. Linguimaera caesaris, a Lessepsian benthic amphipod, was recorded in all sampling sites, and its presence represents an input to deepen the benthic assembla…

I poli dell'acquacoltura italiana: Sicilia

2011

Natural acidification changes the timing and rate of succession, alters community structure, and increases homogeneity in marine biofouling communiti…

2017

Ocean acidification may have far-reaching consequences for marine community and ecosystem dynamics, but its full impacts remain poorly understood due to the difficulty of manipulating pCO2 at the ecosystem level to mimic realistic fluctuations that occur on a number of different timescales. It is especially unclear how quickly communities at various stages of development respond to intermediate-scale pCO2 change and, if high pCO2 is relieved mid-succession, whether past acidification effects persist, are reversed by alleviation of pCO2 stress, or are worsened by departures from prior high pCO2 conditions to which organisms had acclimatized. Here, we used reciprocal transplant experiments al…

Scientific Opinion addressing the state of the science on risk assessment of plant protection products for in‐soil organisms

2017

Abstract Following a request from EFSA, the Panel on Plant Protection Products and their Residues developed an opinion on the science behind the risk assessment of plant protection products for in‐soil organisms. The current risk assessment scheme is reviewed, taking into account new regulatory frameworks and scientific developments. Proposals are made for specific protection goals for in‐soil organisms being key drivers for relevant ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes such as nutrient cycling, soil structure, pest control and biodiversity. Considering the time‐scales and biological processes related to the dispersal of the majority of in‐soil organisms compared to terrestrial non…

Conceptualizing ecosystem tipping points within a physiological framework

2017

Connecting the nonlinear and often counterintuitive physiological effects of multiple environmental drivers to the emergent impacts on ecosystems is a fundamental challenge. Unfortunately, the disconnect between the way “stressors” (e.g., warming) is considered in organismal (physiological) and ecological (community) contexts continues to hamper progress. Environmental drivers typically elicit biphasic physiological responses, where performance declines at levels above and below some optimum. It is also well understood that species exhibit highly variable response surfaces to these changes so that the optimum level of any environmental driver can vary among interacting species. Thus, specie…

Social Green Planning e Urban Planning ovvero della produzione giocosa di una tragedia di successo in quattro movimenti

2016

Il contributo riguarda la postfazione dell'intero volume. Nel contributo vengono rintracciate quattro chiavi di lettura: 1) non può esistere una pianificazione territoriale contemporanea se non è integrata; 2) la resilienza dell'ecologia nella pianificazione risiede nella capacità di cogliere i valori profondi che muovono la cittadinanza verso la autentica partecipazione; 3) Drammaturgia e Neuroscienze sono i due argomenti sullo sfondo del volume curato dai due autori: sono immanenti, sono le condizioni esterne che regolano, in caso di malfunzionamento o di proteste il piano/progetto di paesaggio confinando o limitando i protagonismi eventuali dei giocatori coinvolti; 4) il SGP è una strate…

Effects of temperature rising and ocean acidification on reproductive success in the sea urchin Arbacia lixula (L.)

2011

Proposte per una rigenerazione urbana ed ecologica

2022

Starting from the definitions of resilience, this paper considers the urgent need for a trans-scalar and transdisciplinary approach to mitigate the errors of the past and to prevent the effects of global climate change. At an urban scale, vegetation performs ecosystem services aimed at urban resilience, thus contributing to increasing the quality of life. It reflected on the results of planning choices made in the past following natural events and we know that today are much worse than the events themselves. Through a case study, the paper illustrates some solutions for urban regeneration that looks at the ecological-environmental component.

The use of very high resolution images for studying Posidonia oceanica reefs

2020

Posidonia oceanica is an endemic Mediterranean seagrass that forms wide and dense meadows from the surface up to about 40 m depth. This species can develop a biogenic structure called matte, a typical terraced formation built up by itself, consisting of intertwined rhizomes, roots and sediment, which may allow shoots to reach the sea surface forming reefs (récif barrière), considered natural monuments. Posidonia oceanica reefs are particularly exposed to the ongoing increase in temperature and in storm frequency and intensity due to climate change, with negative repercussions on their conservation. Much more attention must be paid to the implementation of monitoring tools able to detect ear…

Towards a framework for assessment and management of cumulative human impacts on marine food webs

2015

Effective ecosystem-based management requires understanding ecosystem responses to multiple human threats, rather than focusing on single threats. To understand ecosystem responses to anthropogenic threats holistically, it is necessary to know how threats affect different components within ecosystems and ultimately alter ecosystem functioning. We used a case study of a Mediterranean seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) food web and expert knowledge elicitation in an application of the initial steps of a framework for assessment of cumulative human impacts on food webs. We produced a conceptual seagrass food web model, determined the main trophic relationships, identified the main threats to the fo…