Search results for "Meadow"
showing 10 items of 21 documents
Pseudosteppes and related grassland vegetation in the Pamir-Alai and western Tian Shan Mts – the borderland of the Irano-Turanian and Euro-Siberian r…
2020
The aim of our study was to complete the syntaxonomical scheme for grassland vegetation of the lowland, montane and alpine zones in the Pamir-Alai and western Tian Shan Mts in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan with some remarks on its environmental predictors. A total of 198 relevés were sampled in 2013–2018 using the seven-degree cover-abundance scale of the Braun-Blanquet approach. They were classified with k-means algorithm with tranforming cover values to three level scale of the following intervals 0%, 5% and 25% and total inertia as a measure of cluster heterogeneity. Diagnostic species were identified using the phi coefficient as a fidelity measure. Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS)…
A contribution to the characterization of Ruppia drepanensis (Ruppiaceae), a key species of threatened Mediterranean wetlands
2021
To elucidate the taxonomic status of Ruppia drepanensis Tineo ex Guss. (Alismatales, Ruppiaceae), we performed morphological analysis and DNA barcoding of historical materials (including the lectotype) and fresh samples (including those from a recently discovered population near the locus classicus in Sicily, Italy). We conclude that R. drepanensis is a separate species, closely related to R. spiralis L. ex Dumort., that occurs in temporary inland waters from the western to central sectors of the Mediterranean region. We also highlight the importance of vouchers and the need to link molecular investigations to field, ecological, and morphological investigations.
The effects of land abandonment and long-term afforestation practices on the organic carbon stock and lignin content of Mediterranean humid mountain …
2019
Afforestation is an important strategy that can decrease atmospheric carbon by sequestering carbon in biomass and soil. In Spain, an active afforestation programme was adopted in the 1950s when the soil was severely eroded after widespread abandonment of arable land. The Araguás catchment (Central Spanish Pyrenees) is a good example of this programme because it was afforested with both Pinus sylvestris L. (PS) and Pinus nigra J.F.Arnold (PN). The soil organic carbon (SOC) stock and lignin content (based on the vanillyl, syringyl and cinnamyl contents) of these afforested soils were examined and compared to those of bare soil, secondary succession and meadow soils. Both the SOC stock and lig…
Human activities trigger change in marine landscape
2018
Biodiversity is undergoing rapid and worrying changes, partially driven by anthropogenic activities. Human impacts and climate change (e.g. increasing temperature and ocean acidification), which act at different spatial scale, represent the most serious threats to biodiversity and ecosystem structure and function. In this overview, the effects of anthropogenic pressures on unique and valuable Mediterranean systems, such as Cystoseira sp. pl. forest and Posidonia oceanica meadows, are examined. These complex systems, characterized by a high associated biodiversity, are regularly exposed to natural and anthropogenic pressures. Due to the central role they have for several important ecological…
Temporal and spatial variation of the algal community in a southern Mediterranean shallow system
2010
The algal community of a shallow system located in Western Sicily (Mediterranean Sea) has been investigated over 1 year in eight ponds (fredde). The spatio-temporal variation in total algal coverage, species richness and coverage in relation to environmental variables has been analysed. The algal community was very species-poor. A total of 50 taxa, mainly detached algae, were identified. A dominance of filamentous and foliose taxa was observed. Significant spatio-temporal differences in total algal coverage, species richness and coverage between the ponds of group A and those of group B were found. The separation into groups A and B was made a priori on the basis of different levels of prox…
Altered epiphyte community and sea urchin diet in Posidonia oceanica meadows in the vicinity of volcanic CO2 vents
2017
Ocean acidification (OA) predicted for 2100 is expected to shift seagrass epiphyte communities towards the dominance of more tolerant non-calcifying taxa. However, little is known about the indirect effects of such changes on food provision to key seagrass consumers. We found that epiphyte communities of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica in two naturally acidified sites (i.e. north and south sides of a volcanic CO2 vent) and in a control site away from the vent at the Ischia Island (NW Mediterranean Sea) significantly differed in composition and abundance. Such differences involved a higher abundance of non-calcareous crustose brown algae and a decline of calcifying polychaetes in both acidif…
Blue carbon sink capacity of degraded ecosystems: the potential role of disturbed seagrass meadows in climate change mitigation
2020
A Plant Sociological Procedure for the Ecological Design and Enhancement of Urban Green Infrastructure
2021
AbstractUrban green infrastructure could represent an important mean for environmental mitigation, if designed according to the principles of restoration ecology. Moreover, if suitably executed, managed and sized, they may be assimilated to meta-populations of natural habitats, deserving to be included in the biodiversity monitoring networks. In this chapter, we combined automatised and expert opinion-based procedures in order to select the vascular plant assemblages to populate different microhabitats (differing in terms of light and moisture) co-occurring on an existing green roof in Zurich (Switzerland). Our results lead to identify three main plant species groups, which prove to be the …
Cultivable Fungal Endophytes in Roots, Rhizomes and Leaves of Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile along the Coast of Sicily, Italy
2022
The presence of endophytic fungi in the roots, rhizomes, and leaves of Posidonia oceanica was evaluated in different localities of the Sicilian coast. Samples of roots, rhizomes, and leaves were submitted to isolation techniques, and the obtained fungal colonies were identified by morphological and molecular (rRNA sequencing) analysis. Fungal endophytes occurred mainly in roots and occasionally in rhizomes and leaves. Lulwoana sp. was the most frequent of the isolated taxa, suggesting a strong interaction with the host. In addition, eight other fungal taxa were isolated. In particular, fungi of the genus Ochroconis and family Xylariaceae were identified as endophytes in healthy plants at al…
Road verges provide alternative habitats for some, but not all, meadow plants
2021
Questions Agricultural intensification has led to the decline of biodiverse meadows and other semi-natural grasslands. Road verges offer potential alternative habitats for meadow species, but they may not be suitable for all meadow species due to different soil properties, frequent disturbances, pollution or suboptimal management. Are the communities of vascular plants and bryophytes similar or dissimilar to those in mown or grazed meadows? What kind of species are associated with road verges, mown meadows or grazed meadows? How do the habitat types differ in their soil conditions and disturbance intensity? Location The study was conducted on 36 sites in Central Finland. Methods We compared…