Search results for "Conservation"
showing 10 items of 2328 documents
Characterization of commercial synthetic resins by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry: application to modern art and conservation.
2009
To characterize a set of synthetic resins, a methodology by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) has been developed. The studied reference materials were commercial versions of a wide range of synthetic resins. For each polymer, the pyrolytic and chromatographic conditions were optimized to adequately resolve the fragment mixture in a short time. The proposed analytical method does not require previous treatment of the sample, and due to its high sensitivity, only a small sample quantity in the microgram range can be used. The pyrolysis temperature was found to have little effect on the obtained pyrograms. The summarized data set for the individual polymer materials, es…
Ecophysiology of germination in Sicilian population of Ferula communis (Umbelliferae)
2010
Ferula communis L. is an umbelliferous plant widespread in the Mediterranean basin and particularly abundant in Sicily and Sardinia islands (Italy). In this species, two chemotypes have been distinguished: one is poisonous and responsible of hemorrhagic syndrome of livestock, known as ferulosis, while the other one (non- poisonous) has anticancer activity due to the presence of daucane esters. In Sicily the dry stem of this plant has commercial applications in special manufactured products. The object of the research was to investigate the germination ecophysiology of nine Sicilian populations of F. communis, in order to establish the correct germplasm conservation of the chemotypes economi…
Changing forest stakeholders’ perception of ecosystem services with linguistic nudging
2019
This paper explores whether the perceptions of forest owners and professionals could be nudged towards more sustainable management practices by adjusting a policy text's metaphorical content. Recent research has demonstrated a link between information interventions and preference change, but there is a need to further explore individuals' reactions to information on forest-based ecosystem services and to link these to the design of policy instruments. We contribute to narrowing this gap by nudging the content of a policy text comparing rotation forest management (RFM) and continuous cover forestry (CCF), and exposing it to forest stakeholders. The research is carried out in Finland, the so-…
Chrząszcze (Coleoptera) Suwalskiego Parku Krajobrazowego: monografia
2020
The beetles of the Suwalski Landscape Park (NE Poland) were studied between the years 2006−2013. The park covers an area of 6338 ha. Various field methods were used including sweep netting, dip netting, catching by hand, investigation of potential foraging sites of saproxylic beetles, rearing of cambio- and xylophagous larvae from inhabited material and attracting to artificial light sources. On the basis of our field studies and literature data, 1052 beetle species from 70 families were recorded, of which 715 have not been previously reported in the Park. One species – Variimorda briantea – is new to the Masurian Lake Region. The most numerous families were: rove beetles Staphylinidae (208…
Amphibian survival compromised by long-term effects of chytrid fungus
2022
AbstractChytridiomycosis, the disease caused by the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), has been unambiguously implicated in the decline of amphibian populations worldwide. However, the impact of this devastating infectious disease can be difficult to gauge without empirical data on the population-level effects of Bd. Often, assessments of the amphibian chytridiomycosis panzootic are based primarily on expert opinions; as a result, declines in tropical areas are promptly attributed to Bd while its impact on temperate species not suffering from adult mass mortalities is frequently overlooked. Here, we investigated the survival probability in an amphibian species from a tempe…
Pianificazione per la conservazione della diversità dei progenitori selvatici delle piante coltivate e delle piante selvatiche raccolte in natura
2022
Le piante selvatiche raccolte in natura (Wild Harvested Plants - WHP) e i progenitori selvatici delle colture (Crop Wild Relatives - CWR), note collettivamente come “Risorse fitogenetiche” (PGR), rivestono molteplici ruoli di rilevanza ecologica, ambientale e socioeconomica perché ad essi si correlano numerosi usi diretti e indiretti, ma anche perché costituiscono un serbatoio di caratteri genetici potenzialmente utili per il miglioramento genetico delle piante coltivate. Ciò rende prioritaria la messa a punto di appropriate strategie di conservazione e valorizzazione. Nella presente tesi vengono presentate le attività che hanno portato alla elaborazione di due inventari delle CWR e delle W…
Anthropogenic Influences in Land Use/Land Cover Changes in Mediterranean Forest Landscapes in Sicily
2016
This paper analyzes and quantifies the land use/land cover changes of the main forest and semi-natural landscape types in Sicily between 1955 and 2012. We analyzed seven representative forest and shrubland landscapes in Sicily. These study areas were chosen for their importance in the Sicilian forest panorama. We carried out a diachronic survey on historical and current aerial photos; all the aerial images used to survey the land use/land cover changes were digitalized and georeferenced in the UTM WGS84 system. In order to classify land use, the Regional Forest Inventory 2010 legend was adopted for the more recent images, and the CORINE Land Cover III level used for the older, lower resolut…
Early Effects of No-Till Use on Durum Wheat (Triticum durum Desf.): Productivity and Soil Functioning Vary between Two Contrasting Mediterranean Soils
2022
The diffusion of no-tillage (NT) is to be encouraged because of the benefits it can provide in terms of improving soil fertility and counteracting global warming and climate change as part of climate-smart agriculture practices. However, the introduction of this management can be difficult, especially in the first years of application, and can lead to unpredictable yield results depending on the soil type. Therefore, the aim of this experiment was to evaluate the early effect of NT use, compared to the conventional mouldboard ploughing (CT), on two different soils, a clay-loam (GAL) and a sandy-clay-loam soil (SMA), by monitoring a set of 43 different soil and plant variables that were expe…
Limited Stress Response to Transplantation in the Mediterranean Macroalga Ericaria amentacea, a Key Species for Marine Forest Restoration
2022
In the Mediterranean Sea, brown macroalgae represent the dominant species in intertidal and subtidal habitats. Despite conservation efforts, these canopy-forming species showed a dramatic decline, highlighting the urge for active intervention to regenerate self-sustaining populations. For this reason, the restoration of macroalgae forests through transplantation has been recognized as a promising approach. However, the potential stress caused by the handling of thalli has never been assessed. Here, we used a manipulative approach to assess the transplant-induced stress in the Mediterranean Ericaria amentacea, through the analysis of biochemical proxies, i.e., phenolic compounds, lipids, and…
An experimental, behavioral, and chemical analysis of food limitations in mutualistic Crematogaster ant symbionts inhabiting Macaranga host plants
2023
Obligate mutualistic plant-ants are often constrained by their plant partner's capacity to provide resources. However, despite this limitation, some ant partners actively reject potential prey items and instead drop them from the plant rather than consuming them, leaving the ants entirely reliant on host plant-provided food, including that provided indirectly by the symbiotic scale insects that ants tend inside the plants. This dependency potentially increases the efficiency of these ants in defending their host. We hypothesize that if this ant behavior was beneficial to the symbiosis, prey rejection by ants would be observed across multiple plant host species. We also hypothesize that plan…