Search results for "Grass"

The sanitation service of seagrasses – Dependencies and implications for the estimation of avoided costs

2022

Seagrasses are capable of sanitizing coastal seawaters polluted by fecal bacteria. In this work, the reduction of Enterococci concentration in the presence of a seagrasses’ assemblage (Pacific Ocean) was related to the decrease in the probability of gastroenteritis. A linear model fitted to data extracted from the literature showed a 20% reduction of this probability in the presence of these plants. Seagrass sanitation effect was estimated to allow avoiding ca. 24 million gastroenteritis cases/year, globally. Considering a global cost of gastroenteritis of ca. US$ 372 million/year, the global avoided cost, assuming that the sanitation service was always effective, was estimated to be ca. US…

Indagine fitosociologica sulle praterie a Brachypodium retusum (Pers.) Beauv. della Sardegna.

2005

The grasslands characterized by the dominance of Brachypodium retusum occurring in Sardinia are examined. These communities, belonging to the Thero-Brachypodion ramosi alliance (Lygeo-Stipetea class), are quite widespread in the Island, where they usually grow on carbonate substrata from the sea level up to 1300 m of altitude. On the basis of several phytosociological relevés, it has been possible to recognize six associations well-differentiated from the floristic, ecological and syndynamic point of view. The autonomy of these associations is also supported by a numerical multivariate analysis based on quantitative data (dendrogram and P.C.A.). The associations surveyed are the following: …

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…

2016

Rivers carry large amounts of dissolved organic matter (DOM) to the oceans thereby connecting terrestrial and marine element cycles. Photo-degradation in conjunction with microbial turnover is considered a major pathway by which terrigenous DOM is decomposed. To reveal globally relevant patterns behind this process, we performed photo-degradation experiments and year-long bio-assays on DOM from ten of the largest world rivers that collectively account for more than one-third of the fresh water discharge to the global ocean. We furthermore tested the hypothesis that the terrigenous component in deep ocean DOM may be far higher than biomarker studies suggest, because of the selective photoche…

Can grassland plant communities be preserved on road and railway verges?

2000

Semi-natural grasslands are a threatened biotope type in many countries. Typical grassland plant species are adapted to continuous grazing or mowing that keeps the envi- ronment open. With the decline in grassland area, these spe- cies are ever more reliant on alternative habitats such as road verges. To find out whether plant communities comparable to those of semi-natural grasslands can be maintained on modern road and railway sides, the vegetation of 92 grasslands and 90 road and railway verges was studied. These biotope types were compared with each other according to their community structure, total number of species, number of grassland species and restricted-range diversity. Further …

Total and Subtypes of Dietary Fat Intake and its Association with Components of the Metabolic Syndrome in a Mediterranean Population at High Cardiova…

2019

Background: The effect of dietary fat intake on the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and in turn on cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains unclear in individuals at high CVD risk. Objective: To assess the association between fat intake and MetS components in an adult Mediterranean population at high CVD risk. Design: Baseline assessment of nutritional adequacy in participants (n = 6560, men and women, 55&ndash

Detection and mapping of "blue carbon" reservoir storage in Posidonia oceanica dead matte in front of an extensive industrial area

2015

The endemic Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica is the only marine phanerogam able to form matte, a biogenic structure representing important long-term “blue carbon” reservoir. Natural and/or anthropogenic factors can lead to the formation of a regressive structure, called “dead matte”, resulting from the disappearance of living shoots in the upper part of the matte. In the framework of TETIDE project (PON01_03112, www.progettotetide.it) a multiple sensors acoustic survey -multibeam sonar (MBS), side scan sonar (SSS), sub-bottom profiler (SBP) -was carried out in a portion of the Gulf of Augusta (Sicily, Southern Ionian Sea). The aim of investigation was to estimate the extent of dead…

Floristic and phytosociological features of the Brachypodium rupestre communities in Italy

2018

The pale green dense Tor-grass (Brachypodium rupestre) tufts are a quite distinctive aspect of the Italian grassland pattern of the colline and submontane belts. B. rupestre is used to be found in secondary grasslands both in natural environments and in some aspects of the post-coltural environments such as forest clearances, abandoned terraced and extensive pastures. In northern Italy (Alps, Prealps and northern Apennines) B. rupestre has only sporadically been considered in the grasslands syntaxonomic frameworks. On the contrary it occurs in those regarding the central Italy where several semi-natural and post-coltural grassland associations (e.g. Polygalo flavescentis-Brachypodietum, Gal…

Reed canary grass transportation costs – Reducing costs and increasing feasible transportation distances

2009

Abstract Reed canary grass is used in several heat and power plants in Finland and it is estimated that about 70–80 plants could utilise reed canary grass as a co-firing fuel. Long-distance transport of reed canary grass forms a significant share of the production and delivery costs. Reed canary grass can be transported in bales or as loose matter. The density of the matter and shape of the bales influence the load-size and the cost. At present it is impossible to obtain the full load-bearing capacity of a lorry even with bales, and with light bulk matter the obtainable load is less than one-third of the load-bearing capacity of a lorry. By using Orkel local-baler it has been possible to ob…

Eosinophil Cationic Protein in Nasal Secretions and Blood Serum in Grass-Pollen Allergic Rhinitis

1996

Concentration of the Eosinophil Cationic Protein (ECP) measured in different body fluids has been demonstrated to be a good marker of eosinophilic inflammation. In allergic asthma, ECP levels in both broncho-alveolar-lavage (BAL) fluid and serum can be used to monitor disease activity. In allergic rhinitis, the value of ECP determinations in serum and nasal secretions was not directly compared, so far. In the present study, ECP levels in blood serum (Se) and nasal secretions (NS) of grass pollen allergic and healthy individuals under pollen exposure were analyzed. Forty-three grass-pollen allergic subjects and 19 healthy volunteers were included. Grass-pollen counts were measured using Bur…