Search results for "Community"

Limited potential for bird migration to disperse plants to cooler latitudes

2021

Climate change is forcing the redistribution of life on Earth at an unprecedented velocity1,2. Migratory birds are thought to help plants to track climate change through long-distance seed dispersal3,4. However, seeds may be consistently dispersed towards cooler or warmer latitudes depending on whether the fruiting period of a plant species coincides with northward or southward migrations. Here we assess the potential of plant communities to keep pace with climate change through long-distance seed dispersal by migratory birds. To do so, we combine phenological and migration information with data on 949 seed-dispersal interactions between 46 bird and 81 plant species from 13 woodland communi…

Fish-farming effects on benthic community structure in coastal sediments: analysis of meiofaunal recovery

2000

To study the impact of organic enrichment and high biodeposition caused by intensive fish farming in coastal sediments, meiofaunal samples were collected on a monthly basis between March and October 1997 at two stations of the Gaeta Gulf: One under the Farmocean cage (2000 m3), while the other (the control) was located at about 1 km from an area not impacted by fish farming. The fish farm contained about 120 000 Dicentrarchus labrax (density 18 kg m -3). The most evident changes in the benthic habitat under the cage were a large accumulation of primary organic material (phytopigment concentrations up to 44 μg g-1), changes in sedimentary organic matter composition (increased lipid levels re…

Effects of fish-farm biodeposition on periphyton assemblages on artificial substrates in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea (Gulf of Castellammare, Sicily)

2007

An algal assemblage growing on artificial substrata of fish-farm cages was investigated. Specifically, algal response to the effects of fish-farm facilities was studied, in order to identify a possible future descriptor of biodeposition impact. Some sites were positioned upstream of the farms (at least 750 m; ‘controls’) and other sites were positioned downstream of the farms (‘impacts’). All sites were situated in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Control and impact sites differed significantly with regard to the dissolved nutrient profile. The fouling community (samples were scraped from buoys) displayed a reduction gradient in diversity which increased with the effect of fish farms. A total of 51 taxa…

Nematode community response to fish-farm impact in the western Mediterranean.

2002

A previous investigation on fish-farm biodeposition effects on benthos, carried out in the Gaeta Gulf (northwestern Mediterranean Sea), revealed a strong impact on meiofaunal assemblages. This study implements these findings by examining in detail the nematode assemblage and its response to organic enrichment from the start of a fish farm activity to the conclusion of the fish rearing cycle. Density, community structure and individual size were utilised for univariate (genus, trophic diversity and abundance patterns) and multivariate analyses (MDS) in order to identify the best descriptors of impact and the response of the nematode assemblages. Nematodes displayed significantly reduced dens…

Ecological impacts of global warming and water abstraction on lakes and reservoirs due to changes in water level and related changes in salinity

2015

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report released in September 2014, unprecedented changes in temperature and precipitation patterns have been recorded globally in recent decades and further change is predicted to occur in the near future, mainly as the result of human activity. In particular, projections show that the Mediterranean climate zone will be markedly affected with significant implications for lake water levels and salinity. This may be exacerbated by increased demands for irrigation water. Based on long-term data from seven lakes and reservoirs covering a geographical gradient of 52 of latitudes and a literature review, we discuss how changes in water le…

The cork oak in the Mountains of Palermo (Italy): ecological insights from the south-eastern edge of its distribution range

2020

Abstract: The uneven presence of the cork oak (Quercus suber L.) within its distribution range is not only determined by its climatic requirements but also by specific edaphic needs. Although most of the natural populations thrive in acidic soils deriving from metamorphic or volcanic rock outcrops, some cork oak populations are found growing in soils deriving from calcareous bedrock, which are considered less suitable. We carried out a multidisciplinary investigation at the south eastern edge of the Q. suber distribution range (Mountains of Palermo, NW Sicily), including soil, floristic, and vegetation surveys, aimed at: (i) assessing the native or introduced origin of some peculiar cork oa…

A macroecological projection for the future of the Mediterranean marine space management in a Ecosystemic Community Strategy context

Over the past few decades we have witnessed rapid ecological changes that have occurred in the world's oceans and that have mainly affected the resilience and resistance of ecosystems and the vulnerability of communities living in these ecosystems. The real challenge will be to identify and select techniques and approaches based on a macroscopic vision in order to reduce the effect of global warming, the impact of human activities and their consequences on the marine environment. These interactions can generate effects that influence the functioning of oceanic and coastal ecosystems and, consequently, goods and services, such as fishing and aquaculture production. In fact, these activities …

Study of green Sicilian table olive fermentations through microbiological, chemical and sensory analyses.

2010

The production of five different green table olive cultivars was studied by a combined strategy consisting of chemical, microbiological and sensory analyses. Cultivable microflora of samples collected during processing was monitored by plate counts on seven synthetic culture media. In all samples Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonaceae, staphylococci, lactic acid bacteria and spore-forming bacteria were undetectable. Yeasts and moulds were countable from the day 42 (2 log CFU/ml) till the end of fermentation (6 log CFU/ml). The use of three different approaches for microorganism detection, including a culture-independent methodology, revealed the presence of barely three yeast species during the…

Influence of ferric iron dosing on aerobic granular sludge: granule formation, nutrient removal and microbial community

2021

BACKGROUND: Three lab-scale sequencing batch reactors were used to investigate the effects of Fe3+ on aerobic granular sludge (AGS) formation, nutrient removal, and microbial community. RESULTS: The addition of 6 and 12 mg Fe3+ L−1 could not shorten the granulation time. However, compared to the reactor without Fe3+ addition (average sludge volume index at 30 min (SVI30) 70.8 mL g−1; stable average particle size 548 μm), the addition of 12 mg Fe3+ L−1 helped improve the physical properties of AGS (average SVI30 57.0 mL g−1; stable average particle size 1067 μm). Furthermore, with 12 mg Fe3+ L−1 addition (Fe3+ to PO43−-P molar ratio = 1.33), effective removal of NH4+-N (≤0.5 mg L−1) and PO43…

Future memorie. L’ex ospedale psichiatrico di Palermo. Future memories. The former psychiatric hospital in Palermo

2017

La memoria dell’ex manicomio di Palermo ha un futuro. Il riuso del complesso può svelare alla comunità urbana vicende quotidiane di chi fu chiamato “pazzo”, monumenti, paradisi ipogei, altre tracce storiche e una nuova permeabilità dei percorsi cittadini. Il progetto per il Palazzo della Vignicella, elaborato, fra altri, in una ricerca PRIN, più che una risposta è un’esplorazione delle potenzialità dell’opera e un contributo alla conoscenza dei principi architettonici a questa sottesi. The memory of the former asylum in Palermo has a future. The reuse of the complex can reveal to the urban community the everyday life of who was called "mad" but also of the monuments, underground paradises, …