Search results for "Landscape"
showing 10 items of 1561 documents
Structural analysis of woody species in Mediterranean old fields.
2008
The first part of this study provides an overview on Sicilian olive systems. Subsequently, the study describes the different typologies of cultivated agroforestry systems present in South-Eastern Sicily employing olive trees in association with other Mediterranean tree species, in particular for the production of firewood, coal and animal food (downy or pubescent oak, holm oak, cork oak), but also in association with forage or grazing species (oat, barley, vetch, etc.) or cereals. The study shows that Sicilian agroforestry systems are much more diversified than it was known so far. In the second part, the study describes the spontaneous colonization processes by plants, observed in abandone…
An empirical test of neighbourhood effect and safe-site effect in abandoned Mediterranean vineyards
2011
The importance of both neighbourhood effect and safe-site effect for the colonization of Mediterranean old fields by woody plants was investigated. Using a transect approach, we recorded colonization of 21 species of woody plants on abandoned, terraced vineyards on Pantelleria Island (Sicily) in dependence from neighbouring terraces in older succession stages (Maquis) and available safe sites for seedling establishment (former crop plant, terrace wall). With a paired design of four treatments, including presence/absence of adjacent older successional stages, and North-/South-facing slopes, a neighbourhood effect could be shown for both expositions if the transect started from an adjacent fi…
Effects of traditional forest management on carbon storage in a Mediterranean holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) coppice
2018
Abstract: In the last decade, there has been increased interest in measuring and modeling storage in the five forest carbon pools: the aboveground and belowground biomass (living biomass), the deadwood and litter (dead biomass), and the soil (soil organic matter). In this paper, we examined carbon storage in a holm oak coppice stand in the Madonie Mountains in Sicily (Italy), which is a typical case of managed coppice stands. Today, traditional coppice practices are only applied to a small number of forested areas in Sicily, such as the selected site, because of the decline in demand for wood and charcoal. The dendrometric parameters of the stands were recorded, and silvicultural indices we…
Mapping traditional cultural landscapes in the Mediterranean area using a combined multidisciplinary approach: Method and application to Mount Etna (…
2011
Traditional cultural landscapes (TCLs) are prominent in Mediterranean countries. The abundance of this landscape type, however, is not reflected by broad-scale inventories and mapping tools. The aim of this paper is to highlight the need for a multidisciplinary approach to landscape analysis, with special reference to the Mediterranean area. We propose an integrated method that combines deductive and inductive processes to define and map TCLs in a study area (Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy). We also develop a procedure to characterize the primary components of these landscapes as a reference to be used in cultural-landscape descriptions. For mapping purposes, three different scales of analysis w…
Archaeology of Uplands on a Mediterranean Island. The Madonie Mountain Range In Sicily
2019
The book presents an archaeological research conducted within the Highlands of Sicily. Results of the archaeological survey in the Madonie mountain range, in northern Sicily, supported by a chronological and cultural grid, drawn by the excavation of Vallone Inferno, deal with complex and fascinating problems of uplands and mountainous landscape. Settlement patterns, between the Late Pleistocene and the Medieval era, are investigated through the support of spatial analyses. A diversified use of the mountain is currently attested by this research, according to the different prehistoric and historical times. This work is innovative for the Mediterranean area, where there are no similar example…
Population trends and habitat selection of threatened marsh passerines in a protected Mediterranean wetland
2021
Monitoring temporal changes in the spatial patterns of a Mediterranean shrubland using Landsat TM images
2001
Summary The overall goal of this study is to understand the structure and function of a Mediterranean shrubland at landscape scale by means of satellite images and GIS. Specifically, to assess the sensitivity of several spatial statistics to characterise landscape pattern, measure fragmentation and quantify the change through time. We study the landscape structure of a Mediterranean shrubland located in the east part of Spain (Valencia) and the change in spatial patterns of different shrubs types from 1984 to 1994. To accomplish these objectives, we used 10 Landsat™ images from 1984 to 1994 (except 1988) to which a geometric correction and an atmospheric normalization was applied. In additi…
Loss of Ostracoda biodiversity in Western Mediterranean wetlands
2008
1. The coastal area of Valencia (Spain) in the Western Mediterranean is rich in freshwater and brackish wetlands. These areas are mostly protected for bird conservation but are also highly affected by human impacts. Six shallow lakes located in Ramsar wetland sites of this area were studied in order to assess past and present ostracod biodiversity and relate it to the status of the lakes, taking into consideration the indicator value of these easily fossilizable crustaceans. 2. In all the wetlands studied, ostracod taphocoenoses showed much higher species richness than the corresponding biocoenoses. This is expected from the time accumulative character of the taphocoenosis, but the trend is…
La complessità del paesaggio agrario del “giardino mediterraneo” a partire dalla tavola di Alesa
2014
The Mediterranean is characterized by landscapes as result from long and complex historical processes in a varied environment. An identification and clarification of the role of the “Mediterranean Garden” (MG) in the Traditional Mediterranean Landscape (TML) is necessary. The MG is often associated with numerous different agricultural landscapes, due to the long historical process that has led to their identification. This paper identifies the characteristics of the MG’s landscape, starting from a historical overview of Sicily. What emerges is the structural, compositional and functional character of these traditional landscapes and systems, which is complex, multipurpose and often with mix…