Search results for "Conservation"

A new species of Thilachium (Capparaceae) from the Analanjirofo Region, Madagascar

2023

Madagascar is a centre of speciation for the genus Thilachium Lour., which includes several species of small trees and shrubs occurring in a wide range of habitats. A new species of Thilachium, T. latifolium Fici, from the Analanjirofo Region of northeastern Madagascar is here described and illustrated. It is characterised by 1-foliolate leaves, leaf blades widely ovate or elliptic with shortly acuminate or acute apices, flowers in terminal, dense subumbels or corymbs, short pedicels and ellipsoid, ribbed fruit. The new species is related to T. madagascariense Fici, a species recently described from eastern Madagascar, differing in the wider, coriaceous leaves with shorter, mucronulate tip,…

Seed germination data of three Hieracium and one Pilosella (Asteraceae) from Sicily and southern Italy

2020

This work reports the first seed germination data of three Hieracium and one Pilosella (Asteraceae) taxa from Sicily and southern Italy. The studied taxa are: Hieracium hypochoeroides subsp. cilentanum, endemic to Campania, H. schmidtii subsp. nebrodense, endemic to Sicily, H. terraccianoi, endemic to Calabria and Pilosella hoppeana subsp. sicula, endemic to Sicily. The obtained results showed that the investigated taxa produce non-dormant seeds, with a high percentage of germination at all tested thermoperiods (15°C to 25°C and the alternating temperature of 25/15°C). Germination tests carried out in gibberellic acid (GA3) provided similar germination percentages. The data presented in thi…

Incidence des endémiques étroites parmi les espèces sauvages apparentées des plantes cultivées les plus utilisées en Méditerranée

2013

The temporary wetland complex of Anguillara and its key role for the botanical heritage of western Sicily

2016

Temporary wetlands are endangered throughout the entire Mediterranean area (1). Contrary to the permanent wetlands, that (usually) cover larger surfaces and are now protected after a long period of siege and ‘reclamation’ attempts, temporary ponds and wetlands are small, scattered areas still under pressure and threatened by human activities. This fact represents a serious threat for biodiversity, since many species only occur in these peculiar sites. To secure their protection Mediterranean temporary ponds are listed as “priority habitat” in the EU “Habitats” Directive (92/43/EEC). The temporary ponds of Anguillara, located near Calatafimi in Western Sicily, host a huge amount of rare plan…

Towards the identification of species-specific monitoring protocol for the Italian flora of Community interest

2016

The ongoing activities for the identification of monitoring methods for the Italian flora of Community interest (FCI) are presented. The reference framework is the Directive 92/43/EEC. Monitoring is an obligation arising from Art. 11 and the results have to be reported every six years, according to Art. 17. In the last Italian National Report, covering the period 2007-2012, the status of the FCI was assessed using available knowledge and expert judgment, still revealing relevant lack of data for some plant species and, in turn, population parameters (Ercole and Giacanelli, 2014). To overcome these deficiencies, in 2015 began a project aims to set future monitoring activities and to optimize…

Drafting a prioritized checklist of Crop Wild Relatives and Wild Harvested Plants of Italy: problems and solutions

2022

The National checklists of Crop Wild Relatives (CWR) and Wild Harvested Plants (WHP) are the basic tools for the development of in situ and ex situ conservation strategies of plant genetic resources. Here we discuss the methodologies and the prioritization process we previously used in the preparation of the prioritized checklist of CWR and WHP for Italy. The starting point were the most up-to-date Italian checklists of native and alien flora with their updates used as a nomenclatural and distributive source of data. Sardinia and Sicily were kept separate from peninsular Italy to perform detailed analyses focused on the taxa of the two major islands. The origin, the endemic status, cultivat…

Building the jigsaw puzzle of the critically endangered Pleurotus nebrodensis: historical collection sites and an emended description

2011

Historical collection sites of the critically endangered Pleurotus nebrodensis were retraced in Sicily (southern Italy) using recently rediscovered documents and through interviews with local people. These localities were visited in 2009 and checked for the presence of this rare mushroom, confirming a continuing decline in fruiting. An emended description of the taxon is provided based on observations on abundant recently collected material. The need for more incisive action to safeguard this valuable mushroom by the University of Palermo, Regional Park of Madonie Administration and policy makers is emphasized.

CONSERVATION STATUS ASSESSMENT OF THE ENDEMIC HIERACIUM S. STR. (ASTERACEAE) OCCURRING IN SICILY

2022

The current status of the majority of apomictic taxa, and therefore their priorities for conservation, are poorly known, and consequently, they are neglected by conservationists. In Sicily 8 species and 4 subspecies of Hieracium s. str. occurs. Eleven taxa are endemic to the area, one has a wider distribution. These taxa were not evaluated within the recent project “Red List assessment of plants and fungi in Italy” because collectively considered with insufficient and unreliable distribution data. The global conservation status of the endemic Hieracium s. str. taxa occurring in Sicily was assessed here using the IUCN categories and criteria, on the basis of the data collected during field s…

Bioaerosol

2022

Cultural heritage constitutive materials can provide excellent substrates for microbial colonisation, highly influenced by thermo-hygrometric parameters. In cultural heritage-related environments, a detrimental microbial load may be present both on artworks surface and in the aerosol. Confined environments (museums, archives, deposits, caves, hypogea) are characterised by peculiarstructures and different thermo-hygrometric conditions, influencing the development of a wide range of microbial species, able to induce artefact biodeterioration and to release biological particles in the aerosol (spores, cellular debrides, toxins, allergens) potentially dangerous for the human health (visitors/us…

Bioarosol

2022

Cultural heritage constitutive materials can provide excellent substrates for microbial colonisation, highly influenced by thermo-hygrometric parameters. In cultural heritage-related environments, a detrimental microbial load may be present both on artworks surface and in the aerosol. Confined environments (museums, archives, deposits, caves, hypogea) are characterised by peculiar structures and different thermo-hygrometric conditions, influencing the development of a wide range of microbial species, able to induce artefact biodeterioration and to release biological particles in the aerosol (spores, cellular debrides, toxins, allergens) potentially dangerous for the human health (visitors/u…