Search results for "Mediterranean."
showing 10 items of 3129 documents
Multifunctional role of medicinal and aromatic plants: Perspectives and constraints
2008
Multifunctionality is one of the newest claims addressed to agricultural practices, that are nowadays requested to overpass their classical role to furnish food and fibers for human needs, also addressing to the fulfillment of other human necessities, such as to accomplish recreational services and to give a contribute for environmental safeguard. Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) may be an important tool for the advancement of agricultural practice towards multifunctionality: they represent a mean for crop (and economical) diversification, contribute to land valorization by means of their aesthetical value, may fit into integrated agro-industrial pathways, may give raw matters and inter…
Trophic niche features influence microplastic ingestion in Mediterranean fish species
2022
Widespread microplastic (MP) contamination in the marine environment has raised global concern in the last decade. Scientific evidence of the adverse effects of MP on organisms is growing fast and there is urgent need to fulfil the knowledge gaps about the trophic drivers that lead to such contamination processes and resulting impacts. Fish are considered good bioindicators of MP contamination due to their easy availability, high ecological and commercial value, however our understanding of how trophic niche influences MP ingestion is limited. Here, we investigated the occurrence and abundance of MP in the gastrointestinal tract of 8 commercial fish species (Boops boops, Engraulis encrasico…
Taxonomy and conservation ofPancratium maritimum(Amaryllidaceae) and relatives in the Central Mediterranean
2015
Pancratium maritimum L. (Amaryllidaceae) is a geophyte occurring in the Mediterranean region, from the Black Sea to part of the Atlantic coast. This plant is receiving much attention from the international scientific community due to its value as a bioindicator, the potential industrial value of its chemical compounds, and its use as a commercial ornamental plant. Plant morphometry and sequences of three plastid DNA regions (rbcL, matK, trnH-psbA) were used to assess the phenotypic and genetic variability of this taxon and its closest congeneric species (in particular Pancratium linosae, from the volcanic island of Linosa) in the Central Mediterranean (Sicily, Tunisia and surrounding island…
Late Pleistocene vertebrate - bearing deposits at San Teodoro Cave (North-Eastern Sicily): Preliminary data on faunal diversification and chronology
2008
Abstract This paper deals with the chronology and the possible correlations among levels of different excavated areas in the Pleistocene vertebrate-bearing deposits at the large San Teodoro Cave (North-Eastern Sicily). Two trenches have been excavated along the eastern side of the cave, located at a distance from the entrance, respectively, of 8 m ( α trench) and 28 m ( β trench) and at different depths. Lithological features, biometrical data from small mammals and ecological data from molluscs point to similar environmental conditions for the α trench deposits and those located along the eastern wall of the cave in the eastern part of the β trench. The same evidence, and the taphonomic fe…
Citizen and scientsts work together to monitor marine alien species in Sicilian waters (central Mediterranean)
2017
We report on the experience of two citizen science projects: the Project “Caulerpa cylindracea – Egadi Islands” and the Project “Invasive Algae”, included within the “Seawatchers” platform. The first one, sponsored by the STEBICEF Department of the University of Palermo and by the Egadi Islands Marine Protected Area (MPA), aims at creating a database on the spread dynamics of C. cylindracea within the Egadi Islands MPA. The second one, coordinated by the Institute of Marine Sciences of Barcelona (CSIC, Spain), collects data on 10 marine invasive alien species. The results of these projects highlighted the important role that citizen science campaigns can have as early-warning systems. We al…
Monthly precipitation and runoff series of Begura de Salma River (Mallorca, Spain): January 2015-October 2018
2020
Here we provide the data set obtained as described in detail in Estrany et al. (2020, doi:10.5194/nhess-2019-304); a brief description is presented below. A hydrometric gauging station is located where the Begura de Salma River enters Sant Llorenç des Cardassar, a village located in the northeastern part of Mallorca island (Spain). The station was built by the water authority in the 1970s. After years of abandonment, in 2015 the MEDhyCON Research Group installed within the gauge house a Hobo Water Level U20L-04, which measures the water stage by 1-minute readings, accumulating 15-minute average values. The station is located at the very beginning of the concrete channel that takes the river…
A new species within the Centaurea busambarensis complex (Asteraceae, Cardueae) from Sicily
2022
The Centaurea busambarensis group is made up by eight species endemic to Sicily. We statistically evaluated a population found on the Nebrodi Mountain (NE Sicily) to verify if the observed morphological differences with the already known taxa justified the description of a new one. It resulted in being sufficiently distinct to deserve recognition at the species level. Centaurea valdemonensis, a new species endemic to Sicily is described and illustrated here. It is confined to the Nebrodi Mountains (NE Sicily). The distinction of this taxon from the others belonging to the C. busambarensis complex has been supported with the aid of statistical analyses on morphological characters. The differ…
Environmental features of deep-sea habitats linked to the genetic population structure of a crustacean species in the Mediterranean Sea
2009
The deep-sea habitat, from 200 to 2000 m depth, has long been thought as an ecosystem where biotic and abiotic factors vary very little and consequently species are not disturbed by processes and phenomena which could promote fast evolutionary mechanisms. Unfortunately, biological information relating to deep water is limited, especially regarding the population genetics of species inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea, and general patterns cannot be inferred. In this study we report data on the population genetic structure of Aristeus antennatus, a deep-sea decapod crustacean species which has been widely studied due to its important economic value. We surveyed and examined the variation in a 3…
STUDY OF LARGE PELAGIC FISH LIFE-HISTORY TRAITS IN THE CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN SEA AND PROJECTION UNDER FUTURE CLIMATE CHANGE SCENARIOS
2022
One of the most sensitive life periods for each species is the first life stages (larval and juvenile). The survival rates of pelagic fish larvae in these phases are usually very low and subject to fluctuations, consequently affecting the recruitment of new generations. From historical Tuna landing data, the stock's abundance is fluctuating, especially for Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (ABT) (Thunnus thynnus, Linnaeus, 1758) Eastern stock. It is the largest Mediterranean Tuna and one of the most expensive species in the world. Some studies hypothesized that the fluctuations are dictated by environmental factors, particularly in the early life stages. Therefore, it appears necessary to better unders…
Unveiling the Relationship Between Sea Surface Hydrographic Patterns and Tuna Larval Distribution in the Central Mediterranean Sea
2021
Thunnus thynnus (Atlantic bluefin tuna, ABT) and other tuna species reproduce in the Mediterranean Sea during the summer period. Despite the Central Mediterranean Sea, the Strait of Sicily in particular, being a key spawning site for many tuna species, little is known on the effects of oceanographic variability on their larval distribution in this area. The abundance and presence-absence of larval specimens for three tuna species (ABT, bullet tuna and albacore) were modeled in order to examine their relationships with environmental factors, by analysing historical in situ information collected during seven annual surveys (2010–2016). The results revealed that most tuna larvae for the three …