Search results for "Arid"

Genetic and morphologic diversity of European fan palm (Chamaerops humilisL.) populations from different environments from Sicily

2014

Chamaerops humilis is decreasing in abundance in Mediterranean Europe, which has induced the European community to call for its protection in Special Areas of Conservation. However, information about its genetic and morphological variability, which is crucial to the development of any conservation strategies, is insufficient. The present study aimed to investigate the genetic and morphological variability of C. humilis in Sicily, which was selected as a model because of the high number of dense populations. The relationships between morphological traits and climatic variables were studied to highlight patterns of adaptation to the environment, along with the genetic similarity among the pop…

Hydroseeding for revegetation in a semiarid Mediterranean environment

2012

Hydroseeding is a technique increasingly used to establish vegetation on degraded areas in order to perform environmental protection. The objective of this paper was to evaluate the effectiveness of four different hydroseeding methods on a degraded artificial slope in the southern Mediterranean area determining total vegetation cover, hydroseeding vegetation cover, hydroseeding success index (HSI), natural and hydroseeded vegetation height. The test area does not allow the use of any operating machine for soil and vegetation management, the only applicable technique is therefore hydroseeding. After hydroseeding was applied (December 2010), 21 checks were carried out every 15 days (from Janu…

PIANTE AROMATICHE E MEDICINALI: L’ ENTOMOCENOSI DEL CAPPERO IN SICILIA

2005

Guilds of herbivore insects of medicinal and aromatic plants are generally composed by poliphagous insects that only occasionally are present at high infestation levels. In this paper the main insect pests observed on Capper spinosa (L.) in Sicily are described. The key pests of this crop are Capparimyia savastani (Martelli) – (Diptera: Tephritidae), Asphondylia gennadii (Marchal) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), and, the painted bug Bagrada hilaris (Burmeister) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae). Infestations of other insect pests are also occasionally recorded as the case of the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), in the island of Ustica; the cabbage butterfly, P…

Management practices to preserve soil organic matter in semiarid mediterranean environment

2012

Organic matter (SOM) is a key constituent of soil as it is a “revolving nutrient fund” and improves soil structure, maintains crop production and minimizes erosion. In semiarid environments, the major problem for sustainable farming systems is the continuous decline of SOM towards levels too low for agricultural purposes. Furthermore, SOM is per se a dynamic entity. Its quantity and quality depend on numerous factors including climate, vegetation type, nutrient availability, disturbance, land use and management practices. In particular, soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in Mediterranean semiarid agrosystems are constrained by 1) limited C inputs because of low precipitation and high evapotra…

Resultados preliminares de el efecto en la substancia organica y la comunidad microbiana de la creciente antropizacion agricola en suelos de ambiente…

2010

Source of calcium for pedogenic CaCO3 formation in benchmark soils of a Mediterranean semiarid environment

2004

Calcic and petrocalcic horizons (Bk and Bkm, respectively) commonly occur in soils of arid and semiarid regions. Studies carried out to investigate the source of calcium in CaCO3 formation have shown that dust and parent materials represent the main sources. The aim of this study was to investigate if gypsum may be a source of calcium for calcium carbonate formation and, eventually, to quantify it. Five soil pedons, developing on “Serie Gessoso- Solfifera”, were selected in a very representative forest Mediterranean ecosystem in Sicily (I). Pedons were opened, described in field and sampled according to the sequence of genetic horizons. Soil samples were analyzed to investigate 87/86Sr rati…

Organic matter and microbial community in anthropogenic soils of arid environment.

2011

Shape change during the growth of sharpsnout seabream reared under different conditions in a fish farm of the southern Tyrrhenian Sea

2003

Individual and population-scale carbon and nitrogen isotopic values of Procambarus clarkii in invaded freshwater ecosystems

2022

Este artículo contiene 16 páginas, 1 figura, 1 tablas.

Carbon and nitrogen isotopic values in Lithops aucampiae during leaf development.

2021

Abstract Lithops (Aizoaceae) are succulent plants consisting of a pair of opposite succulent leaves inserted on an extremely short stem. The apical meristem produces a new leaf pair that develops between the older pair, recycling water and metabolites. This peculiar anatomy and growth form make ecophysiological studies quite challenging. Lithops are considered to have CAM metabolism, though experimental evidence is scarce. We followed the changes in carbon and nitrogen isotopic values in mature leaves, young leaves and roots, with the aim of investigating how the use of resources is optimized to achieve survival in extremely arid environments. Two-year-old plants of Lithops aucampiae were g…