Search results for "In situ conservation"
showing 10 items of 11 documents
Plant micro-reserves in Valencia (E. Spain): A model to preserve threatened flora in China?
2017
The Valencian Community (eastern Spain) was the pioneer territory establishing plant micro-reserves (PMRs). Its model to protect small sites for endemic and endangered plants has been exported to several countries around the globe. This paper highlights 1) the role of PMRs to complement the protection provided by large protected areas, 2) how the establishment of PMRs fosters the increase of floristic knowledge, and 3) the fact that continuous monitoring of PMRs also yields new records of endangered species found within the same PMRs. The flexibility of the PMR approach -it can be adapted to other national and regional legislations- allows its transfer to other rich-biodiversity regions and…
Does air pollution influence the success of species translocation? Trace elements, ultrastructure and photosynthetic performances in transplants of a…
2020
Abstract Species translocation can be considered as a primary conservation strategy with reference to in situ conservation. In the case of lichens, translocations often risk to fail due stress factors associated with unsuitable receptor sites. Considering the bioecological characteristics of lichens, air pollution is among the most limiting stress factors. In this study, the forest macrolichen Lobaria pulmonaria was used as a model to test the hypothesis that the translocation of sensitive lichens is effective only in unpolluted environments. At purpose, 500 fragments or whole thalli were translocated in selected beech forests of Central Europe (the Western Carpathians, Slovakia) where the …
Analysis of movement patterns and macrohabitat use in Hermann’s tortoises (Testudo hermanni hermanni, Gmelin 1789) reintroduced in a coastal area dom…
2016
The Hermann’s tortoise is a strictly European species found mostly in areas with Mediterranean and sub-Mediterranean climes and, especially the subspecies T. hermanni hermanni, has to deal with various threats which reduced its geographic distribution to only a few isolated populations. Thus, with the objective of recovering natural populations of the species, numerous reintroduction projects are being carried out throughout its historical and prehistorical geographic distribution. The aim of our study is to evaluate the success of the T. hermanni reintroduction project carried out in the Albufera de Valencia Natural Park since 2011, through the analysis of movements, home range sizes and h…
Conservation status and historical relatedness of Italian cattle breeds
2018
Background In the last 50 years, the diversity of cattle breeds has experienced a severe contraction. However, in spite of the growing diffusion of cosmopolite specialized breeds, several local cattle breeds are still farmed in Italy. Genetic characterization of breeds represents an essential step to guide decisions in the management of farm animal genetic resources. The aim of this work was to provide a high-resolution representation of the genome-wide diversity and population structure of Italian local cattle breeds using a medium-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array. Results After quality control filtering, the dataset included 31,013 SNPs for 800 samples from 32 breeds. Ou…
Conservation Work on an Ancient Sicilian Processional Banner: Preliminary Analyses and in Situ Restoration
2013
Abstract Before carrying out the conservation work on the gilded wooden frame of the processional banner coming from Tusa, Sicily, some preliminary diagnostic analyses were conducted in order to identify materials that made up the wooden frame. After a micro-sampling phase, a thin section of the wooden support allowed to identify the timber as linden wood (basswood). The X-Ray Fluorescence analysis confirmed the presence of a thin layer of primer made of plaster and animal glue covered with a red bolus primer, used for the gilding process. The restoration was carried out during the opening hours of the museum, allowing visitors to be informed on the restoration phases.
Land unit definition for potential distribution of endangered species
2010
In Europe several mapping techniques exist to lay out plant distribution. Most of them, however, are focused on actual and not on potential species distribution range. Spatial predictions become more important for rare and endangered taxa because their conservation is related to existing as well as potential biotopes. The large part of detailed distribution models applies advanced statistics on a large data-set of environmental variables. Data-input availability limits the choice of the prediction model for species distribution and application of results in a detailed scale. Distribution pattern accuracy determinates its applicability in environmental management (for tracing edges, defining…
Molecular and morphological diversity of on-farm hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) landraces from southern Europe and their role in the origin and diffu…
2013
Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) is a traditional nut crop in southern Europe. Germplasm exploration conducted on-farm in five countries (Portugal, Spain, Italy, Slovenia, and Greece) identified 77 landraces. The present work describes phenotypic variation in nut and husk traits and investigates genetic relationships using ten simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers among these landraces, 57 well-known references cultivars, and 19 wild accessions. Among the 77 landraces, 42 had unique fingerprints while 35 showed a SSR profile identical to a known cultivar. Among the 42 unique landraces, morphological observations revealed high phenotypic diversity, and some had characteristics appreciated by th…
Centennial olive trees as a reservoir of genetic diversity
2011
†Background and Aims Genetic characterization and phylogenetic analysis of the oldest trees could be a powerful tool both for germplasm collection and for understanding the earliest origins of clonally propagated fruit crops. The olive tree (Olea europaea L.) is a suitable model to study the origin of cultivars due to its long lifespan, resulting in the existence of both centennial and millennial trees across the Mediterranean Basin. †Methods The genetic identity and diversity as well as the phylogenetic relationships among the oldest wild and cultivated olives of southern Spain were evaluated by analysing simple sequence repeat markers. Samples from both the canopy and the roots of each tr…
Multiple approaches to identify bacteria in archaeological waterlogged wood
2013
This study was carried out in collaboration with Soprintendenza del Mare (SM) that started, since 2004, to plan and realize underwater archaeological parks, such as in the Sicilian islands of Pantelleria (Gadir), Levanzo (Cala Minnola), Ustica (Falconiera), Panarea (Basiluzzo) and Filicudi (Capo Graziano). In situ conservation, as well as virtual exhibitions of the same topics, can contribute to ensure the protection and best fruition of underwater cultural heritage. The focus of this study was the identification of bacterial colonies in waterlogged wood samples from the rostrum of a excellent workmanship, that is very likely one of the wrecks attributed to Sextus Pompey fleet (36 BC) and d…
Fungal biodiversity and in situ conservation in Italy
2011
A remarkable increase in knowledge of fungal biodiversity in Italy has occurred in the last five years. The authors report up-to-date numbers of fungi (Basidiomycota and Ascomycota) by regions together with distributional and ecological data on hypogeous fungi. Specific case studies such as alpine fungi, orchid mycorrhizas symbionts, invasive species, and the use of macrofungi as food by red squirrels are analyzed. In situ conservation strategies carried out on target species and/or taxonomic groups are also indicated.