Search results for " Ecosystems"
showing 10 items of 133 documents
Salinity and Bacterial Diversity: To What Extent Does the Concentration of Salt Affect the Bacterial Community in a Saline Soil?
2014
In this study, the evaluation of soil characteristics was coupled with a pyrosequencing analysis of the V2-V3 16S rRNA gene region in order to investigate the bacterial community structure and diversity in the A horizon of a natural saline soil located in Sicily (Italy). The main aim of the research was to assess the organisation and diversity of microbial taxa using a spatial scale that revealed physical and chemical heterogeneity of the habitat under investigation. The results provided information on the type of distribution of different bacterial groups as a function of spatial gradients of soil salinity and pH. The analysis of bacterial 16S rRNA showed differences in bacterial compositi…
PLUMBAGO AURICULATA LAM. (Plumbaginaceae) IN SICILIA OCCIDENTALE: NUOVI DATI SULLA SUA DIFFUSIONE COME ESOTICA CASUALE
2017
Plumbago auriculata Lam. (Plumbaginaceae) in western Sicily: new data on its spread as casual alien. In questa nota si fornisce un quadro aggiornato sui casi di naturalizzazione di Plumbago auriculata Lam. (Plumbaginaceae) nella Sicilia occidentale e sul suo status invasivo a livello nazionale ed internazionale. Questa xenofita viene segnalata per la prima volta in diverse aree delle province di Agrigento, Palermo e Trapani, dopo essere stata segnalata per la prima volta presso l'isola di Linosa, nell'arcipelago delle Pelagie.
Biological traits, geographic distributions, and species conservation in aquatic ecosystems
2022
Aquatic ecosystems (both marine and freshwater) have long served as model systems for exploring the role of environmental stressors on organismal performance and survival, the biogeographic distributions of populations and species, and ultimately the diversity, functioning, and stability of ecosystems (Adams, 2002; Forbes, 1887; MacArthur & Wilson, 2001; Paine, 1969; Somero et al., 2017 ). Climate change, alien species invasions, land use change, urbaniza-tion, and other anthropogenic impacts have all been demonstrated to impair aquatic ecosystems at multiple levels of biological orga-nization within aquatic ecosystems (Karr, 1991; Doney et al., 2012; Harley et al., 2006; Poloczanska et…
Laghi Artificiali dell'Italia meridionale e delle isole maggiori
2014
In questo articolo gli autori analizzano i principali fattori ecologici che determinano il funzionamento dei laghi artificiali localizzati nel meridione d’Italia e nelle isole maggiori. In particolare, viene illustrato come il ciclo idrologico annuale di questi ecosistemi sia fortemente influenzato dalle attività umane connesse all’uso dell’acqua invasata. Tali attività spesso interferiscono negativamente con la dinamica dei fattori fisici (stratificazione/circolazione), chimici (concentrazioni di nutrienti e ossigeno) e biologici (successione stagionale del fitoplancton) che governano il funzionamento di questi ecosistemi. Comprendere come il cambiamento climatico in atto influenzi il cicl…
AN ANALYSIS OF SURFACE ACTIVITY OF BEACH RESIDENT INVERTEBRATE COMMUNITY DURING STORM EVENTS
2022
Increasing storminess is among the expected effects of climate change; systems such as sandy beaches –and especially those on islands- are particularly exposed to these events. Data related to behavioural reactions of resident beach fauna to storms could hence provide useful insights for the study of beaches’ resilience. A study was carried out on two beach units on the NE coast of Crete island (Greece), seasonally subjected to violent storms. Daily surface activity of resident fauna was analysed through temporal replicates (four different moon phases) during the months of March and April 2016. Pitfalls were placed along transects perpendicular to the shoreline and emptied every three hours…
Size–Abundance Relationships of Freshwater Macroinvertebrates in Two Contrasting Floodplain Channels of Rhone River
2022
Body size is perhaps the most fundamental property of an organism and its relationship with abundance is one of the most studied relationships in ecology. Although numerous studies have examined these relationships in local communities, few have investigated how they vary at different temporal and spatial scales. We investigated the relationship between body size and abundance of local macroinvertebrate communities in two floodplain channels of the French upper Rhone River. The two channels differ in their vegetation coverage (high vs. low vegetation) and hydrological regimes. The shapes of the size–abundance relationship were similar between channels on a yearly basis but differed wh…
Environmental quality and sustainable resource exploitation in marine coastal ecosystems: the case study of tuna farming.
2009
Hydrological drivers of wetland vegetational biodiversity patterns within Everglades National Park, Florida
2009
The influence of hydrological dynamics on vegetational biodiversity and structuring of wetland environments is of growing interest as wetlands are modified by human alteration and the increasing threat from climate change. Hydrology has long been considered a driving force in shaping wetland communities as the frequency of inundation along with the duration and depth of flooding are key determinants of wetland structure. We attempt to link hydrological dynamics with vegetational distribution and species richness across Everglades National Park(ENP) using two publicly available datasets. The first, the Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN),is a water-surface model which determines the m…
Daily rainfall statistics in Sicily (1920-2000)
2012
Rainfall characteristics are crucial for vegetation patterns formation and evolution in Mediterranean ecosystems. Changes in rainfall frequency and intensity could cause vegetation water stress for some plant species and benefit, at the same time, other species, driving coexistence and competition dynamics. The changes in the precipitation characteristics are sometimes more important than the changes in the total amount of precipitation in determining the partitioning between green and blue water with several implications for both the vegetation communities health and water resource management. Decreasing rainfall is a clear signature of climate change in Mediterranean countries. Annual and…