Search results for "Mediterranean basin"
showing 10 items of 210 documents
New Tree-Ring Evidence from the Pyrenees Reveals Western Mediterranean Climate Variability since Medieval Times
2017
Paleoclimatic evidence is necessary to place the current warming and drying of the western Mediterranean basin in a long-term perspective of natural climate variability. Annually resolved and absolutely dated temperature proxies south of the European Alps that extend back into medieval times are, however, mainly limited to measurements of maximum latewood density (MXD) from high-elevation conifers. Here, the authors present the world’s best replicated MXD site chronology of 414 living and relict Pinus uncinata trees found >2200 m above mean sea level (MSL) in the Spanish central Pyrenees. This composite record correlates significantly ( p ≤ 0.01) with May–June and August–September mean …
Pleistocene allopatric differentiation followed by recent range expansion explains the distribution and molecular diversity of two congeneric crustac…
2021
AbstractPleistocene glaciations had a tremendous impact on the biota across the Palaearctic, resulting in strong phylogeographic signals of range contraction and rapid postglacial recolonization of the deglaciated areas. Here, we explore the diversity patterns and history of two sibling species of passively dispersing taxa typical of temporary ponds, fairy shrimps (Anostraca). We combine mitochondrial (COI) and nuclear (ITS2 and 18S) markers to conduct a range-wide phylogeographic study including 56 populations of Branchinecta ferox and Branchinecta orientalis in the Palaearctic. Specifically, we investigate whether their largely overlapping ranges in Europe resulted from allopatric differe…
Lectotypifications of cerastium siculum, C. Densiflorum, and C. aggregatum, and taxonomic notes on C. siculum (Caryophyllaceae)
2017
Nomenclatural notes on Cerastium siculum Guss. (Caryophyllaceae), a species described from Sicily and occurring in the central western region of the Mediterranean basin, are discussed. The names C. aggregatum Durieu ex Brign., C. densiflorum Guss., and C. siculum are lectotypified here. The taxonomic independence of C. siculum from C. semidecandrum L. and the other taxa of Cerastium L. sect. Orthodon Ser. subsect. Fugacia Fenzl is confirmed, as well as the synonymy of C. aggregatum and C. densiflorum.
Association between the APOA2 promoter polymorphism and body weight in Mediterranean and Asian populations: replication of a gene–saturated fat inter…
2011
Objective: The APOA2 gene has been associated with obesity and insulin resistance (IR) in animal and human studies with controversial results. We have reported an APOA2–saturated fat interaction determining body mass index (BMI) and obesity in American populations. This work aims to extend our findings to European and Asian populations. Methods: Cross-sectional study in 4602 subjects from two independent populations: a high-cardiovascular risk Mediterranean population (n=907 men and women; aged 67±6 years) and a multiethnic Asian population (n=2506 Chinese, n=605 Malays and n=494 Asian Indians; aged 39±12 years) participating in a Singapore National Health Survey. Anthropometric, clinical, …
Mosses of the Mediterranean, an Annotated Checklist
2013
Abstract The names of all mosses published up to the end of August 2011 in the countries of the Mediterranean basin, the Macaronesian Islands and Bulgaria are compiled in an annotated checklist. The list comprises accepted names and synonyms, and provides explanatory annotations for ambiguous and disputed names. Literature references supporting the reports in each individual area are given only for taxa reported once or in a single locality. A total of 1168 accepted species and 81 infraspecific taxa are reported from the whole area.
Can the Caper (Capparis spinosa L.) Still Be Considered a Difficult-to-Propagate Crop?
2021
As a perennial xerophytic shrub, characterized by plesiomorphic features, the caper (Capparis spinosa L.) is naturally spread throughout the Mediterranean basin and occupies an important ecological role, as well as an economic one, in traditional and specialized systems for commercial production. This species, in spite of its wide diffusion, is currently considered at risk of genetic erosion, mainly due to overgrazing and overharvesting for domestic uses and for trade. This situation is made more serious because of the lack of efficient propagation techniques, determining the caper as a “difficult-to-propagate species”. In this review, we report the main available sexual and vegetative prop…
A new polyploid species of Limonium (Plumbaginaceae) from the Western Mediterranean basin
2015
A new species of Plumbaginaceae, Limonium irtaensis, is described and illustrated from the Western Mediterranean basin (Iberian Peninsula). The new species is triploid (2n = 26) and shows a papillate stigma and pollen with a fine reticulate exine (B type). A detailed morphological description is given, and its main diagnostic characters are compared with the related species. Conservation status has been assessed according to the IUCN protocol.
Plant invasions on small Mediterranean islands. An overview
2016
Biological invasions have become one of the main drivers of habitat degradation and a leading cause of biodiversity loss in island ecosystems worldwide. The spread of invasive species poses a particular environmental threat on the islands of the Mediterranean Basin, which are hot spots of biodiversity and contain rare habitats and endemic species, especially on small islands, which are highly vulnerable to biodiversity loss. Following a recent survey, in this paper we aim to provide an overview of the present-day non-native vascular flora of small Mediterranean islands based on a sample of 37 islands located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Italy. By comparing the cu…
Extreme dry spell detection and climatology over the Mediterranean Basin during the wet season
2016
The E-OBS precipitation gridded data set v.10.0 is used to detect very long dry spell (VLDS) events over the entire Mediterranean Basin for the 1957–2013 period, during the wet season (September to April). The main objective is to characterize these events as climatic objects, in terms of location, spatial extent, duration, and temporal variability. In this study, 76 VLDS events were detected in the Mediterranean Basin and grouped into four spatial patterns: scattered localized (with 25 events), northeast Mediterranean (11 events), West Mediterranean (15 events), and southeast Mediterranean (25 events). Each pattern shows seasonality in events. Most of the scattered localized, northeast, an…
Ethnobotanical investigation on wild medicinal plants in the Monti Sicani Regional Park (Sicily, Italy)
2014
Ethnopharmacological relevance The area of the "Monte Sicani Regional Park" (Central Western Sicily, southern Italy) has been quantitatively and extensively investigated in an ethnobotanical study for the first time. A total of 108 wild species are used for medicinal purposes, while, according to our study, the uses of 9 species have not previously been reported in ethnobotanical studies in Italy (e.g.; the use of Kickxia elatine (L.) Dumort. for the treatment of hyperhydrosis of the feet, the use of Lavatera agrigentina Tineo for cough and bronchitis). Aim of the study: The aim of this paper is to analyze, through quantitative indicators, the extent of the current knowledge on medicinal us…