Search results for "Botanica"

The 9th International Medicinal Mushrooms Conference - Book of Abstracts: ADVANCES IN MEDICINAL MUSHROOM SCIENCE: BUILDING BRIDGES BETWEEN WESTERN AN…

2017

9th International Medicinal Mushrooms Conference (IMMC9)

2017

Morphological and molecular characterization of distinct species of fungi with potential medicinal interest collected in Sicily

2017

Medicinal mushrooms are very interesting for their pharmacological effects as well as for their nutritional value, antitumor, antiviral, antibacterial activities. Antitumor activities of mushrooms have been extensively investigated due to recent chemotherapeutic application of some drugs derived from natural sources.The aim of this study was the morphological and molecular characterization of nine species of fungi with potential medicinal interest. In particular, we focused our attention on: Bjerkandera adusta (Willd) P. Karst., Ganoderma resinaceum Boud.,Hericium erinaceus (Bull.) Pers., Pleurotus eryngii var elaeoselini Venturella, Zervakis and La Rocca, P. eryngii var. eryngii (DC.) Quél…

The nutritional and medicinal value of Pleurotus species from Italy

2015

The genus Pleurotus is a cosmopolitan group of fungi which comprises ca. 30 species and subspecific taxa. The genus Pleurotus also represents the second main group of cultivated edible mushrooms in the world. The Pleurotus species are efficient colonizers and bioconverters of lignocellulosic agro‐industrial residues into palatable human food with medicinal properties. Besides Pleurotus species demonstrates significant nutritional and their bioactive compounds (mainly polysaccharides) possess antibacterial, antibiotic, antitumor, hypocholesterolemic and immunomodulation properties. Extracts of the Mediterranean culinary‐medicinal Oyster mushrooms P. eryngii var. eryngii, P. eryngii var. feru…

Biodiversity conservation and protected areas in the Mediterranean region

2018

This chapter provides an overview of current biodiversity knowledge in Mediterranean forest ecosystems across all levels (genetic diversity, species diversity, landscape diversity) and endemism, ecological peculiarities that make Mediterranean forest ecosystems different. It also outlines the importance of biodiversity for functional forest ecosystems and illustrates some examples of conservation efforts in the region.

The Mediterranean dwarf shubs: origin and adaptive radiation

2006

Basing on literature data, a synthesis on the morphologic, anatomic and physiologic adaptations of the Mediterranean dwarf shrubs is outlined. Three different functional types can be recognized: saltbushes, thermo-xerophilous fire-resistant dwarf shrubs and orophilous cushion-shrubs. The thermo-xerophilous fire-resistant dwarf shrubs mainly derive from the Mesogean flora and differentiated after the beginning of the Oligocene, and especially from the Pliocene, in the coastal regions around the Tethys Sea, as the result of a local adaptive radiation triggered by the shifting from subhumid to semiarid climatic conditions at the boundary between the tropical and the temperate zone. For the oth…

The contribution of archaeological plant remains in tracing the cultural history of Mediterranean trees: The example of the Roman harbour ofNeapolis

2015

In this paper, we present a detailed record of the plant remains recovered on the palaeo-seafloors of Neapolis harbour, spanning ≈700 years, between the 2nd century BC and the 5th century AD, thus intersecting the entire Roman Imperial Age. The site preserved many cultivated or cultivable plant remains, especially from food related trees. This particular feature provided the opportunity to reconstruct the puzzling history of planting them and the Roman economy, especially with respect to food production, the market and to dietary habits. The evidence suggests that Prunus persica, Castanea sativa, Juglans regia and Pinus pinea were locally grown all along the investigated period, testifying …

The chemical composition of the flowers essential oil of Inula crithmoides (Asteraceae) growing in aeolian islands, Sicily (Italy) and its biocide pr…

2021

Essential oils have been used for a long time in several fields of interest. Recently, they have also been applied in the conservation of Cultural Heritage to contrast biodeterioration replacing the most current biocides toxic for humans and environment. Inula crithmoides L. (syn. Limbarda crithmoides (L.) Dumort) is a halophyte species distributed along the Mediterranean coasts and it is used as an edible vegetable since the young leaves or shoots are eaten raw or cooked. Several biological properties have been determined for this plant including antimicrobial activities. In this study the volatile composition of the aerial part of an accession from the Aeolian Islands, Sicily (Italy) is d…

Red sky at night cyanobacteria delight: the role of climate in structuring phytoplankton assemblage in a shallow, Mediterranean lake (Biviere di Gela…

2009

The hypothesis that climate changes may strongly interfere with the peculiar hydrological patterns in the Mediterranean basin and alter the structure of the aquatic biota was tested in a shallow Sicilian lake. A phytoplankton survey, carried out monthly in the brackish and shallow Biviere di Gela, in 2005–2007, revealed a transformation in the structure of its phytoplankton assemblage as compared with similar data collected in 1987–1988. An analysis of the trends followed by precipitation and temperature over the last 40 years, showed reduced water inflows, due to increased air temperature and evapotranspiration rather than to a decrease in the amount of precipitation. A consequent reductio…

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…