Search results for "Mediterranean Region."
showing 10 items of 210 documents
WOODIV, a database of occurrences, functional traits, and phylogenetic data for all Euro-Mediterranean trees
2021
Trees play a key role in the structure and function of many ecosystems worldwide. In the Mediterranean Basin, forests cover approximately 22% of the total land area hosting a large number of endemics (46 species). Despite its particularities and vulnerability, the biodiversity of Mediterranean trees is not well known at the taxonomic, spatial, functional, and genetic levels required for conservation applications. The WOODIV database fills this gap by providing reliable occurrences, four functional traits (plant height, seed mass, wood density, and specific leaf area), and sequences from three DNA-regions (rbcL, matK, and trnH-psbA), together with modelled occurrences and a phylogeny for all…
Prevalence of dangerous alcohol consumption in nursing students
2020
BACKGROUND: The use of alcohol is a phenomenon widely spread among young people and takes on different psychological, sociological and cultural connotations. The aim of the study is to stimulate the prevalence of dangerous alcohol consumption and examine the associated factors in a cohort of nursing students from the University of Palermo. METHODS: The study employed a cross-sectional study design. On March 2020, a survey was provided to all nursing students of University of Palermo of the three years of course who attend daily lessons. The questionnaire was structured into two parts. The first section investigates on socio-demographic information. In the second part of the survey, the Alco…
Sustainable tourism: Measures, evidence and future prospects.
2021
The Chapter aims to provide a critical review of the quantitative approaches so far introduced in literature to measure the sustainable tourism. We focus on both variables and methods employed to obtain synthetic indicators of sustainable tourism and aim to provide some critical insights on potential new challenges caused by the current pandemic. For example, some dimensions of tourism sustainability may become more relevant in future due to the increasing attention by people on health and safety. Finally, a focus on the studies on measurement of sustainable tourism in the Mediterranean area will be provided.
Critical range of soil organic carbon in southern Europe lands under desertification risk.
2021
Soil quality is fundamental for ecosystem long term functionality, productivity and resilience to current climatic changes. Despite its importance, soil is lost and degraded at dramatic rates worldwide. In Europe, the Mediterranean areas are a hotspot for soil erosion and land degradation due to a combination of climatic conditions, soils, geomorphology and anthropic pressure. Soil organic carbon (SOC) is considered a key indicator of soil quality as it relates to other fundamental soil functions supporting crucial ecosystem services. In the present study, the functional relationships among SOC and other important soil properties were investigated in the topsoil of 38 sites under different …
Syntaxonomical survey of Geranio-Cardaminetalia hirsutae: Semi-natural therophytic vegetation of the Mediterranean region
2007
A syntaxonomical scheme, including geographical range and synonymies of all the associations ascribed to Geranio-Cardaminetalia hirsutae, is presented. This order, framed into the class Stellarietea mediae, groups sciaphilo-subnitrophilous annual vegetation of natural and semi-natural habitats, commonly occurring on substrata rich in organic matter, accumulating on stone-walls, shaded rocks and initial soils, often under the canopy of shrubs and trees. Twelve new associations from Sardinia, Sicily, Egean islands and Israel are here described for the first time.
Past aquatic environments in the Levant inferred from stable isotope compositions of carbonate and phosphate in fish teeth
2019
Here we explore the carbon and oxygen isotope compositions of the co-existing carbonate and phosphate fractions of fish tooth enameloid as a tool to reconstruct past aquatic fish environments and harvesting grounds. The enameloid oxygen isotope compositions of the phosphate fraction (δ18OPO4) vary by as much as ~4‰ for migratory marine fish such as gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), predominantly reflecting the different saline habitats it occupies during its life cycle. The offset in enameloid Δ18OCO3-PO4 values of modern marine Sparidae and freshwater Cyprinidae from the Southeast Mediterranean region vary between 8.1 and 11.0‰, similar to values reported for modern sharks. The mean δ13C …
Verde pensile estensivo ad alto valore ecologico in ambiente mediterraneo. Aspetti progettuali e funzionali
2013
Green areas are open spaces holding an unexpected kind of local biodiversity within the city, linked to species and habitats frequently found in human settlements. Green roofs can be an important means for environmental mitigation and, if designed according to the principles of restoration ecology, can improve the thermodynamic performance / hydraulic system and at the same time encouraging the development of urban biodiversity. With this work, we propose a methodology approach for green roofs in Mediterranean areas, that integrate aesthetic values with the functional traits of native species, in order to make green roofs “local tanks of biodiversity”.
What is a tree in the Mediterranean Basin hotspot? A critical analysis
2019
Background: Tree species represent 20% of the vascular plant species worldwide and they play a crucial role in the global functioning of the biosphere. The Mediterranean Basin is one of the 36 world biodiversity hotspots, and it is estimated that forests covered 82% of the landscape before the first human impacts, thousands of years ago. However, the spatial distribution of the Mediterranean biodiversity is still imperfectly known, and a focus on tree species constitutes a key issue for understanding forest functioning and develop conservation strategies. Methods: We provide the first comprehensive checklist of all native tree taxa (species and subspecies) present in the Mediterranean-Europ…
Suspended particulate matter fluxes along with their associated metals, organic matter and carbonates in a coastal Mediterranean area affected by min…
2016
International audience; A study of suspended particulate matter (SPM) fluxes along with their associated metals, organic matter and carbonates, was conducted off the Mejerda River outlet in May 2011 and in March and July 2012 at depths of 10, 20 and 40 m using sediment traps. SPM fluxes are more significant near the Mejerda outlet, especially in winter, but dissipate further offshore. Normalization reveals that the Mejerda is a major source of Pb, Zn, Cd, Cu, Ni, and Co, all of which are the result of human activities. In contrast, Fe, Mn and N are of authigenic origin. The enrichment factor shows that Pb, Zn and especially Cd are the most highly polluting metals off the Mejerda outlet. Thi…
Leishmaniasis in travelers: A literature review.
2014
Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne protozoan infection whose clinical spectrum ranges from asymptomatic infection to fatal visceral leishmaniasis. Over the last decades, an increase in imported leishmaniasis cases in developed, non-endemic countries, have been pointed-out from a review of the international literature. Among the possible causes are increasing international tourism, influx of immigrants from endemic regions and military operations. The main area for the acquisition of cutaneous leishmaniasis, especially for adventure travelers on long-term trips in highly-endemic forested areas, is represented from South America, whereas popular Mediterranean destinations are emerging as the mai…