Search results for "Mediterranean region."
showing 10 items of 210 documents
Reviewing the identity of the Maltese Polypodium (Polypodiaceae) – new evidence from morphology and flow cytometry
2020
The first record of Polypodium from Gozo (Maltese Islands) was described as a new endemic taxon, Polypodium vulgare subsp. melitense, based on its unique set of morphological characters. It was treated as a novelty and designated as a subspecies of P. vulgare mainly due to the lack of paraphyses, the presence of 10–16 annular cells, and a mean spore length of 64 μm. The fern was reassessed by us employing a more rigid morphological analysis and the application of flow cytometry. The absence of paraphyses was confirmed, but the number of annular cells (5–11) and the spore length (70–79 μm) differed from the previous study. These and other morphological traits, the phenology (leaf-shedding in…
Identification and climatology of cut-off lows near the tropopause.
2008
Cut-off low pressure systems (COLs) are defined as closed lows in the upper troposphere that have become completely detached from the main westerly current. These slow-moving systems often affect the weather conditions at the earth's surface and also work as a mechanism of mass transfer between the stratosphere and the troposphere, playing a significant role in the net flow of tropospheric ozone. In the first part of this work we provide a comprehensive summary of results obtained in previous studies of COLs. Following this, we present three long-term climatologies of COLs. The first two climatologies are based on the conceptual model of a COL, using European Centre for Medium-range Weather…
Metabolomics Suggests That Soil Inoculation with Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Decreased Free Amino Acid Content in Roots of Durum Wheat Grown under N…
2015
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have a major impact on plant nutrition, defence against pathogens, a plant's reaction to stressful environments, soil fertility, and a plant's relationship with other microorganisms. Such effects imply a broad reprogramming of the plant's metabolic activity. However, little information is available regarding the role of AMF and their relation to other soil plant growth-promoting microorganisms in the plant metabolome, especially under realistic field conditions. In the present experiment, we evaluated the effects of inoculation with AMF, either alone or in combination with plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), on the metabolome and changes in metabo…
Notes on the karyology, genetics and ecology of Genista sect. Voglera in Sicily
2012
To investigate the biosystematic and genetic relationships among Sicilian species of Genista sect. Voglera, four populations of three species, Genista aristata C. Presl, Genista cupanii Guss., and Genista madoniensis Raimondo, have been studied. Genista madoniensis is tetraploid, with a chromosome number of 2n = 48, as are the other two species. An isozyme study showed that G. madoniensis is taxonomically closer to G. aristata than to G. cupanii, the latter possessing four unique alleles. The results are discussed in the context of the ecological characteristics of each species.
Pseudococcidae and Monophlebidae
2012
The families Pseudococcidae (mealybugs) and Monophlebidae include small scale insects (Coccoidea: Hemiptera) that suck out plant sap. The bodies of young instars and adult females are covered with a wax secretion, whereas adult males carry a pair of small wings. Feeding by these pests can cause premature leaf, flower, and fruit drop, reduce plant vigour and discolour tissues. In addition, they secrete honeydew upon which sooty-mould fungi grow, reducing photosynthesis and the market value of the product. Six species of Pseudococcidae, namely Planococcus citri (Risso), Pseudococcus cryptus Hempel, Ps. longispinus (Targioni Tozzetti), Ps. calceolariae (Maskell), Ps. viburni (Signoret) and Nip…
Host specificity ofOschmarinella rochebruniandBrachycladium atlanticum(Digenea: Brachycladiidae) in five cetacean species from western Mediterranean …
2010
AbstractWe investigated patterns of specificity of liver flukes (fam. Brachycladiidae) in a community of cetaceans from the western Mediterranean. The liver and pancreas of 103 striped dolphins,Stenella coeruleoalba, 18 Risso's dolphins,Grampus griseus, 14 bottlenose dolphins,Tursiops truncatus, 8 common dolphins,Delphinus delphis, and 5 long-finned pilot whales,Globicephala melas, were analysed for brachycladiid species. Two species were found:Oschmarinella rochebruniin striped dolphins (prevalence (P): 61.2%; mean intensity (MI) (95% CI): 34.2 (25.7–45.6)), andBrachycladium atlanticumin striped dolphins (P: 39.8%; MI: 7.1 (4.8–13.1)) and a single individual of common dolphin (P: 12.5%; in…
Growth and development of succulent mixtures for extensive green roofs in a Mediterranean climate.
2022
Green roof systems, aimed at reducing anthropic impact on the environment, are considered environmental mitigation technologies and adopted by many countries across the world to strengthen urban ecosystem services. This study evaluates two mixtures of succulent: one of Crassulaceae and the other of Aizoaceae, used in the creation of a continuous and homogenous plant groundcover in Mediterranean environments. To assess the species mixtures, the parameters plant height, growth index, cover percentage and flowering were observed. Hydrological observations were also carried out to evaluate the rainfall retained by the test system in any given month. All data were subjected to analysis of varian…
Risky consumption of alcohol in nursing students
2019
BACKGROUND: abuse of alcohol among students is a problem that has not to be undervalued because it can damage mental and global health and, as a consequence, it can negatively influence the academic and training performance roping at the end on patients’ health. Our study focused particularly on nursing students of the University of Palermo of the three years of course with the aim to estimate the prevalence of risky alcohol consumption and to analyze the associated factors. MethODs: in april 2019 a questionnaire was administered to all the nursing students of University of Palermo of the three years of course, accompanied by informed consent. Multivariable logistic regression was performed…
Study of the Evolutionary Relationships among Limonium Species (Plumbaginaceae) Using Nuclear and Cytoplasmic Molecular Markers
2000
The genus Limonium, due to the patchiness of the natural habitats of its species as well as the high frequency of hybridization and polyploidy and the possibility of reproduction by apomixis, provides an example of all the principal mechanisms of rapid speciation of plants. As an initial study of evolution in this genus, we have analyzed intra- and interspecific variability in 17 species from section Limonium, the largest in the genus, based on RFLPs of cpDNA and nuclear rDNA ITS sequences. In the cpDNA analysis, 21 restriction enzymes were used, resulting in 779 fragments, 490 of which were variable and 339 parsimony informative. L. furfuraceum exhibited two relatively divergent cpDNA hapl…
Pseudomonas litolaris sp. nov., isolated from mediterranean seawater
2012
Strains 2SM5T and 2SM6, two strictly aerobic chemo-organotrophic gammaproteobacteria, were isolated from Mediterranean seawater off the coast of Vinaroz, Castellón, Spain, in February, 1990. They were extensively characterized by a polyphasic study that placed them in the genus Pseudomonas. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that both strains shared 100 % sequence similarity and were closely related to members of the Pseudomonas pertucinogena clade, with less than 97.3 % similarity to strains of established species; Pseudomonas xiamenensis was the closest relative. Analysis of sequences of three housekeeping genes, rpoB, rpoD and gyrB, further confirmed the phylogenetic…