Search results for "Mediterranean islands"
showing 10 items of 56 documents
Stipa valdemonensis (Poaceae), a new species from Sicily
2012
A new species of Stipa, endemic to Sicily, is here described and named Stipa valdemonensis. The new taxon is related to S. crassiculmis. Owing to the small number of individuals observed, in few restricted localities only, it is assigned the IUCN threat status “vulnerable”
Valantia deltoidea (Rubiaceae) sulle Madonie (Sicilia)
2011
Valantia deltoidea, a therophyte endemic to Sicily, so far known only from its locus classicus on the Rocca Busambra (Palermo, Province) has recently been found at the foot of the Serre di Quacella (Madonie, on dolomite rock, about 1300 m altitude. Besides outlines of taxonomical characteristics of such species, the data on the new locality and the updated distribution are provided here.
Hydrophytic vegetation aspects in the Nebrodi Mountains (Sicily).
2011
A study of the hydrophyte communities of some small ponds in the beech-wood belt of the higher Nebrodi Mts is presented. A new association of shallow stagnant water bodies, the Utriculario-Potametum natantis, is described. Its biological structure, biogeographical characteristics, syntaxonomic position, phytosociological relationships and dynamic links are discussed.
An account on the non-malacostracan crustacean fauna from the inland waters of Crete, Greece, with the synonymization of Arctodiaptomus piliger Brehm…
2019
The Mediterranean bioregion is widely recognised as a biodiversity hotspot and its inland waters are among the species richest ecosystems of the northern hemisphere. However, the extent of such biodiversity has not been totally unravelled, especially in the Mediterranean islands. Here we present a first account of the crustaceans inhabiting 21 permanent and temporary ponds in Crete, the largest of the Greek islands and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The ponds, sampled between 2009 and 2018, cover all the island surface even though their number cannot be considered exhaustive to represent the entire non-malacostracan fauna of the island. Nevertheless, 46 taxa were identif…
"This is Babel": Sicily, The Mediterranean Islands and Southern Italy (1450-1550)
2016
This essay focuses on period from the 15th to the 16th centuries, a period, moreover rich in documents that can be related to many still extant monuments. This period regarded as a critical phases from European civilization, offers the opportunity to sched light on equally striking artistic achievements in the heart of the Mediterranean area: in Southern Italy, Sicily and the nearby islands. The topic of ornament is particolarly suitable for explicating the key features, boundaries, and tensions characteristics of this region, as well, as for addressing the presents of vernacular elements that ought to find their place in the larger artistic histories of the period. the choise of the subjec…
Scansar le frodi. Prede corsare nella Sicilia del decennio inglese (1808-1813)
2013
This essay discusses the topic of fraud linked to the prizes taken by corsairs in the Mediterranean during the period of the Continental Blockade, from the viewpoint of the Kingdom of Sicily, where the Bourbon court was sheltering under the English protectorate. The Tribunale delle prede (1808-1813) judged the legitimacy of the prizes taken by armed Sicilian corsair vessels from ships flying enemy or neutral flags, in a complex juridical framework which also involved the Health and Police authorities, at a time when in the rest of Europe similar institutions were being created. The documents produced by the Tribunale offer a penetrating insight into the dynamics of the fraud and into the pr…
Environmental effects of tourism and its seasonality on Mediterranean islands: the contribution of the Interreg MED BLUEISLANDS project to build up a…
2020
AbstractThe Mediterranean basin is amongst the world’s main tourist destination, and its islands are a major attraction, being sites of historical, cultural and naturalistic importance. This is beneficial for the local economies, but it may also represent a great burden on the coastal environment, where other human pressures are concentrated. The awareness of detrimental side effects of tourism together with the importance to take into account social and economic facets has led to the concept of sustainable tourism, which, however, represents a goal far from being attained. A good opportunity to promote sustainable tourism was provided by the Interreg MED BLUEISLANDS project, whose main aim…
Carbon stock increases up to old growth forest along a secondary succession in Mediterranean island ecosystems.
2019
The occurrence of old-growth forests is quite limited in Mediterranean islands, which have been subject to particularly pronounced human impacts. Little is known about the carbon stocks of such peculiar ecosystems compared with different stages of secondary succession. We investigated the carbon variation in aboveground woody biomass, in litter and soil, and the nitrogen variation in litter and soil, in a 100 years long secondary succession in Mediterranean ecosystems. A vineyard, three stages of plant succession (high maquis, maquis-forest, and forest-maquis), and an old growth forest were compared. Soil samples at two soil depths (0-15 and 15-30 cm), and two litter types, relatively undec…
The state of water resources in major mediterranean islands
2014
This work analyses the state of water resources in six Mediterranean islands: Corsica, Crete, Cyprus, Mallorca, Malta and Sicily. The analysis is focused on the prevailing social, economic and hydroclimatological characteristics of these islands in order to identify the main common features affecting water availability, demand and use. A detailed analysis of the state of water resources in all the considered islands has been carried out. A background of current conditions relating to freshwater availability, quality and use has been established. Different strategies to face water scarcity and enhance water quality in theislands have been assessed in a context of climate change which is a co…
The impact of alien vascular plants in the aquatic habitats of a mediterranean island: preliminary data and observations in Sicily
2016
As is well known, invasive alien species pose a major global threat to the conservation of biodiversity, causing the extinction of native species and modifying ecosystem functions: this is true also for aquatic habitats, particularly susceptible to invasion due to usually high disturbance regimes and easy dispersal of propagules. The island of Sicily is one of the main hotspots of plant biodiversity, in the center of the Mediterranean basin; it hosts different types of freshwater habitats, both lentic (coastal wetlands, saltworks, temporary ponds, lakes, reservoirs) and lotic (springs, streams, permanent and seasonal rivers). As a first step of our analysis of the effects of the alien vascu…