Search results for "LTER"
showing 10 items of 3539 documents
Effects of irrigation, peat-alternative substrate and plant Habitus on the morphological and production characteristics of Sicilian rosemary (Rosmari…
2020
Irrigation and growing substrate are considered as essential cultivation practices in order to obtain good productive and qualitative performance of potted rosemary plants. In pot growing, the chemical, physical and biological characteristics of the substrate must be stable over time in order to allow regular plant growth. However, the effects of cultivation techniques on the characteristics of potted rosemary are little known. Peat is traditionally used as the organic growing medium
A survey of wild plant species for food use in Sicily (Italy) - results of a 3-year study in four Regional Parks
2016
Abstract Background This paper illustrates the results of a study carried out in four Regional Parks of Sicily (Italy), concerning traditional knowledge on food use of wild plant species. The main aims of the paper were: (i) to verify which wild plant species are used for food purpose in the local culture based on information provided by elderly inhabitants (ii) to verify the presence of wild plant species which have not been cited for food use in previous studies in the Mediterranean area (iii) to determine how many of the most frequently cited wild plant species are cultivated by the local population in the four Sicilian Parks. Methods Semi-structured interviews were carried out in the lo…
The preference and costs of sleeping under light at night in forest and urban great tits
2019
Artificial light at night (ALAN) is an increasing phenomenon associated with worldwide urbanization. In birds, broad-spectrum white ALAN can have disruptive effects on activity patterns, metabolism, stress response and immune function. There has been growing research on whether the use of alternative light spectra can reduce these negative effects, but surprisingly, there has been no study to determine which light spectrum birds prefer. To test such a preference, we gave urban and forest great tits (Parus major) the choice where to roost using pairwise combinations of darkness, white light or green dim light at night (1.5 lux). Birds preferred to sleep under artificial light instead of dar…
Novel Wood Resistance Measurement Method Reducing the Initial Transient Instabilities Arising in DC Methods Due to Polarization Effects
2019
A novel method for measuring the electrical resistance in wood is presented. It is based on applying an Alternating Current (AC) to two electrodes rammed into the wood. The method reduces the transient time for value stabilization. In case of Direct Current (DC) resistance measurement methods, typically used in wood measurement, an initial transient exists, invalidating the measured value during an initial transient period. This measurement method uses an electronic circuit based on a relaxation oscillator where the wood automatically sets the oscillation frequency depending on its electrical resistance. Compared to other AC methods, this circuit greatly simplifies the measurement process, …
Macroalgal forest vs sea urchin barren: Patterns of macro-zoobenthic diversity in a large-scale Mediterranean study.
2019
Abstract The study aimed at contributing to the knowledge of alternative stable states by evaluating the differences of mobile and sessile macro-zoobenthic assemblages between sea urchin barrens and macroalgal forests in coastal Mediterranean systems considering a large spatial scale. Six sites (100 s km apart) were selected: Croatia, Montenegro, Sicily (Italy), Sardinia (Italy), Tuscany (Italy), and Balearic Islands (Spain). A total of 531 taxa, 404 mobile and 127 sessile macro-invertebrates were recorded. Overall, 496 and 201 taxa were found in macroalgal forests and in barrens, respectively. The results of this large-scale descriptive study have met the expectation of lower macrofauna co…
Effects of marine noise pollution on Mediterranean fishes and invertebrates: A review.
2020
International audience; Marine noise pollution (MNP) can cause a multitude of impacts on many organisms, but information is often scattered and general outcomes difficult to assess. We have reviewed the literature on MNP impacts on Mediterranean fish and invertebrates. Both chronic and acute MNP produced by various human activities - e.g. maritime traffic, pile driving, air guns - were found to cause detectable effects on intra-specific communication, vital processes, physiology, behavioral patterns, health status and survival. These effects on individuals can extend to inducing population- and ecosystem-wide alterations, especially when MNP impacts functionally important species, such as k…
The role of spatial environmental factors as determinants of large branchiopod distribution in Tunisian temporary ponds
2016
The influence of spatial and environmental factors in explaining the structure of large branchiopod assemblages at different spatial scales is still poorly explored. We hypothesized that the extent of actual spatial connectivity, and thus the spatial distribution of a metacommunity, may depend on the environmental conditions as represented by climatic gradients and the structural characteristics of the landscape. To test this hypothesis, the distributional patterns of 14 large branchiopod species in a set of 177 temporary water bodies repeatedly sampled across Tunisia and on its main islands were analysed. Physical, chemical, morphological and climatic characteristics of the studied water b…
Phytoplankton assemblages in a complex system of interconnected reservoirs: the role of water transport in dispersal
2017
Phytoplankton in a complex network of reservoirs for drinking water supply was sampled in the dry and flood seasons to understand the role of dispersal through hydrochory and of environmental filters in determining the phytoplankton abundance and composition. The main assumptions tested in the present study are that (i) phytoplankton structure in these waterbodies is strongly dependent on the transportation with the river waters flowing through them and (ii) the importance of this stochastic transportation is decreasing as the connectivity with the river decreases allowing environmental filters to shape phytoplankton structure. The multivariate analysis showed that although phytoplankton wa…
Volatile Components from Aerial Parts of Centaurea diffusa and C. micrantha ssp. melanosticta and Their Biocidal Activity on Microorganisms Affecting…
2018
The chemical composition of the essential oils from aerial parts of two taxa of Centaurea belonging to subgenus Acrolophus, Centaurea diffusa Lam. and C. micrantha Hoff. ssp. melanosticta (Lange) Dostàl, respectively collected in Croatia and Spain, were evaluated by GC and GC-MS. The main components of C. diffusa were hexadecanoic acid (31.1%), ( Z,Z)-9,12-octadecadienoic acid (10.7%) and damascenone isomers (6.4%), whereas hexahydrofarnesyl acetone (27.8%), hexadecanoic acid (8.3%) and caryophyllene oxide (6.4%) were the most abundant components of C. micrantha ssp. melanosticta. The oils showed good antibacterial and antifungal activities against some microorganisms that infest historica…
Guaianolides from the Aerial Parts of Centaurea Hololeuca
2006
Seven guaianolides were isolated from the acetone extract of the aerial parts of Centaurea hololeuca Boiss. The antifeedant activity of the natural compounds (1–7) and of four chloro derivatives (8–11), synthesized from repin (1) and janerin (3) were tested against larvae of Spodoptera littoralis. Cebellin J (6) and chlorojanerin (11) showed significant antifeedant activity at 100 ppm, whereas at this concentration cebellin G (4) and 15-deschloro-15-hydroxychlorojanerin (7) stimulated feeding. Cebellin G (4) stimulated larvae of S. littoralis to feed at low concentration, but deterred feeding at high concentrations. The addition of chlorine to repin (1) resulted in an increase in antifeeda…