Search results for "Alien specie"
showing 10 items of 113 documents
Interactions among introduced and indigenous submerged macrophytes in a Mediterranean shallow system
2011
In Termini Imerese H. stipulacea has been recorded inside artificial basins, characterized by a sandy bottom (0.80‐2.5 m depth). H. stipulacea in good health conditions shows a competition strategy with C. nodosa. But during winter denudations, C. racemosa var. cylindracea seems to negatively interfere with the rhizomes of H. stipulacea.
Avian mite dermatitis: an Italian case indicating the establishment and spread of Ornithonyssus bursa (Acari: Gamasida: Macronyssidae) (Berlese, 1888…
2015
Background Avian mite dermatitis is a skin disease caused in mammals by the incidental bites of blood-sucking mites which customarily parasitize wild and domestic birds. It manifests in the form of pruritic, erythematous, or urticarial papules, with a central sting mark, in skin regions normally covered by clothing. The species mainly implicated in human bite cases are Dermanyssus gallinae, Ornithonyssus sylviarum and, less frequently, Ornithonyssus bursa. The latter is mainly a tropical and subtropical mite and its – presumably transitory – presence has been recorded only once in Europe, in migratory birds. Case report We report a case of avian mite dermatitis in a 70-year-old man, an owne…
Grandidierella bonnieroides Stephensen, 1948 (Amphipoda, Aoridae)-first record of an established population in the Mediterranean Sea
2016
The first record in the Mediterranean Sea of the invasive aorid amphipod crustacean Grandidierella bonnieroides is presented. A widespread circumtropical species, recorded off the Saudi coast of the Arabian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, it may have been introduced into the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal. This tube-builder species of soft bottoms recently established a population in the polluted Haifa Bay, Israel. Further, this is the first Mediterranean record of the genus.
Monitoring of alien aquatic plants in the inland waters of Sicily (Italy)
2020
Updated and reliable data on the presence and distribution of alien aquatic plant species in Sicily are lacking, and there is a need to fill this gap for a proper and efficient management of freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity. This paper reviews the available knowledge about alien aquatic vascular plants in the inland waters of Sicily (Italy). The aim is to provide an updated checklist, as a first step in the study of the impact of those plants on the native species and ecosystems of this Mediterranean island. The paper focuses on the strictly aquatic species (hydrophytes), excluding emergent macrophytes. Four species were listed, all of them free-floating and with American origin. Most…
2020
Microbial communities are continuously exposed to the arrival of alien species. In complex environments such as soil, the success of invasion depends on the characteristics of the habitat, especially the diversity and structure of the residing bacterial communities. While most data available on microbial invasion relies on experiments run under constant conditions, the fate of invading species when the habitat faces disturbances has not yet been addressed. Here, we designed experiments to assess the consequences of habitat disturbance on the success of ongoing microbial invasion. We investigated (i) if disturbance-induced alterations in resident microbial communities could mitigate or facil…
The spread of the Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus Rathbun 1896 in the Mediterranean Sea: analysis of environmental and trophic niche and metal…
2023
Biological invasions are globally acknowledged as one of the major causes of biodiversity loss. Considering the urgency of understanding what are the effects of biological invasions on recipient ecosystems, this research focuses on the Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus, one of the most successful invaders of Mediterranean coastal ecosystems. First, a general assessment of the overlap of the Grinnellian niche of the species in native and invaded ranges was carried out to verify whether the blue crab maintained the characteristics of its climatic niche when establishing in invaded areas (niche conservatism hypothesis) or, alternatively, it adapted to the specific abiotic characteristics …
Spatial and temporal variations in airborne
2016
The European Commission Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action FA1203 “SMARTER” aims to make recommendations for the sustainable management of Ambrosia across Europe and for monitoring its efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The goal of the present study is to provide a baseline for spatial and temporal variations in airborne Ambrosia pollen in Europe that can be used for the management and evaluation of this noxious plant. The study covers the full range of Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. distribution over Europe (39°N–60°N; 2°W–45°E). Airborne Ambrosia pollen data for the principal flowering period of Ambrosia (August–September) recorded during a 10-year period (2004–2013) were obt…
Floristic survey of the former royal hunting reserve of Renda, near Palermo (Sicily, Italy)
2021
A mountainous area in western Sicily, where relic wood vegetation is still preserved notwithstanding past and present human pressure, is here analysed in order to prepare a checklist of its vascular flora. Field investigations allowed to compile a floristic inventory including 601 infrageneric taxa belonging to 304 genera and 80 families. Some remarks on the biological and chorological spectra are presented, and some measures to protect flora and vegetation are suggested, too.
First estimates of density and distribution of the alien crab Percnon gibbesi (Decapoda, Percnidae) in the "Capo Gallo-Isola delle Femmine" MPA
2013
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.