Search results for "Botanica"

Proposals for improvement of Annex I of Directive 92/43/ EEC: Central Italy

2021

The main purpose of the 92/43/EEC Habitats Directive is to contribute to the conservation of biodiversity, understood as habitat types and species of the flora and fauna of the European Union. To achieve this goal, natural and semi-natural biodiversity as a whole must be recognized and included in its annexes. As for the conservation of biotopes, named habitat types, Italy is unfortunately lacking as it the Annex I does not include important ecosystems that are typical of its territory, rare for biogeographical reasons or threatened. Therefore, the opportunity to identify a first list of significant habitats for central Italy is discussed here. For each of the new proposed types (new habita…

Typification of the name Statice calcarae (Plumbaginaceae), basionym of the threatened endemic Limonium calcarae

2018

Limonium calcarae (basionym Statice calcarae), a rare diploid species endemic to Sicily, is one of the few members of the genus that occurs in the inland areas of the island. According to IUCN criteria, it has been assessed as critically endangered but recent data on its distribution, demography and threats affecting its populations are lacking. A lectotype is designated, preserved at PAL, and isolectotypes have been traced and verified in other European herbaria.

Contribution to the knowledge of Inonotus baumii in Thailand

2015

Inonotus baumii in Thailand is reported on three new host-plants: Acacia tomentosa, Shorea robusta, and S. siamensis. A key for the identification of Inonotus species in Thailand accompanies notes on the taxonomy of I. baumii.

Diachronic Analysis of Beech Forest in the Nebrodi Park (Northern Sicily)

2017

A comparison between the current surface of Beech forest in the Nebrodi Park (Northern Sicily) with the measurements performed in the past is here reported. 12.854 hectares of Beech forest were recognized against 10.336 hectares of 1959 with a percentage increase of 24.37%. The increase of forest is mainly due at the change of land use through a better forest management and grazing.

Traditional agrosystems trajectories analysis using a vegetation science approach: the MEMOLA EU FP7 Project as a case study

2017

The UE FP7 research project MEMOLA (Mediterranean Mountainous Landscapes: an historical approach to cultural heritage based on traditional agrosystems) aims at investigating cultural landscapes through a diachronic study of the relationship between human populations and natural resources. The project analyses from an interdisciplinary perspective the drivers and dynamics that have generated historical landscapes in four areas of Mediterranean Region (Sierra Nevada, in Spain; Colli Euganei, in Northern Italy; Monti di Trapani, in Sicily; Vjosa Valley in Albania), with a research group of ten partners. The syndynamic study of vegetation (series and geoseries) can be used as a marker to better…

Non-invasive monitoring of microbial contamination on graphic collections preserved in museums, libraries and archives

2016

Biological aerosol in indoor environments, such as museums, libraries and archives, can represent a hazard both for artworks, due to the presence of microorganisms, and for the health of operators and visitors, due to their potential infectious, allergenic or toxic effects. The detection of microbial colonization of air and surfaces, based on morphological and molecular analysis, is of fundamental importance for a correct preventive conservation and sustainable fruition. The results of the monitoring on both manufacts (prints, drawings), showing alterations potentially related to biological systems (foxing) and on furniture (metal cabinets, shelves, boxes) have been performed in the Central…

Allevamento a ciclo biologico naturale di cornu aspersum (müller, 1774): Proprietà alimentari e usi del secreto o bava di lumaca

2015

Essential Oils as Natural Biocides in Conservation of Cultural Heritage

2020

Essential oils (EOs) have been known for a long time, and they are used in several fields such as medicine and aromatherapy, as well as in the food and pharmaceutical industries. In the last decade, EOs have also been applied to contrast the biodeterioration of cultural heritage, representing a powerful resource in green conservation strategies. In this study, an integrated approach based on microscopic observation, in vitro culture, and molecular investigation was preliminarily employed to identify biological systems colonizing wooden artworks. In order to contrast the biodeterioration processes induced by fungal colonization (Aspergillus flavus) or insect infestation (Anobium punctatum), …

“Harvesting memories”: Integrated approaches of human ecology and landscape archaeology in rural Sicily, the case of Castro Valley and Mt. Barraù (Co…

2016

The “Harvesting Memories” project focuses on the study of the long-term transformation of the historical landscape in a rural area of Central-Western Sicily (Castro Valley and Mt. Barraù, Corleone – Palermo). In order to achieve a global comprehension of the landscape, which we consider to be a diachronic result of the interaction between humans and their surrounding environment, our main research threads focus on socio-historical and environmental transformation. To this end we are applying an holistic approach, resulting from the cross-pollination of different methodologies: 1) Archaeological research: field survey and pottery studies allow the reconstruction of the historical settlement …

DNA analysis as tool for identification of bacteria in archaeological waterlogged wood

2014

Abstract In this work molecular techniques were applied in order to integrete the results obtained by Optical (OM) and Scanning Electron (SEM) Microscopy, to understanding and assessing the changes in the anatomical structure of archaeological waterlogged wood (Pinus sp.) induced by bacteria colonization. Observation of wooden thin sections revealed by OM showed the presence of black and dark -brown areas (must probably due to sulphur compounds) and mineral concretions. The SEM micrographs revealed a specific cell wall alteration attributable to bacterial activity and abundant pyrite framboids (as single structure or clustered). The presence of sulfur compounds in archaeological waterlogged…