Search results for "alien species"
showing 10 items of 104 documents
Parasites in sympatric populations of native and invasive freshwater bivalves
2021
An increasing threat to local, native freshwater mussels (Unionida)—an ecologically important but globally alarmingly declining group— is the invasion by exotic bivalves. The Enemy Release Hypothesis predicts that introduced species should benefit from enemy-mediated competition because they are less likely to be harmed by natural enemies, such as parasites, than their native competitors. We investigated within-site differences in parasitism between sympatric native (tot. five spp.) and invasive (tot. three spp.) bivalves in eight northern European waterbodies, which harboured totally 15 parasite taxa. In paired comparisons using within-site averages, the mean number of parasite species in …
Invasions of the non-indigenous red alga Lophocladia lallemandii (Montagne) F. Schmitz off the Island of Ischia (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy)
2021
This paper describes the distribution and spread of the non-indigenous red alga Lophocladia lallemandii (Montagne) F. Schmitz along the coast of the Island of Ischia (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy). Lophocladia lallemandii was monitored through surveys from July 2019 to January 2020 at the Capo Sant’Angelo (Ischia), where L. lallemandii was observed, but not reported, in the years preceding the invasion of the upper rocky infralittoral shore reported here. It is noteworthy that a large portion of the study area is included within one of the two “B no-take” zones of the Marine Protected Area of the “Regno di Nettuno” (“Neptune’s Realm”). During the surveys, the alga was first observed in the middle …
Notes about the naturalization in Sicily of Paulownia tomentosa (Paulowniaceae) and remarks about its global spread
2019
Paulownia tomentosa is native to different regions of East Asia. Here, the first case of natural regeneration in Sicily is reported. Although Paulownia is not still invading typically Mediterranean areas, mainly due to ecological constraints, its recognized invasiveness at a global level imposes the need to monitor the ongoing process.
First record of Temnosewellia minor (Platyhelminthes, Temnocephalidae) in Sicily, with a plea for a re-examination of the identity of the publicly av…
2021
Author(s): Vecchioni, Luca; Chirco, Pietro; Bazan, Giuseppe; Marrone, Federico; Arizza, Vincenzo; Arculeo, Marco | Abstract: Ectosymbiotic temnocephalan flatworms belonging to the genus Temnosewellia Damborenea and Cannon, 2001 were collected on Cherax destructor Clark, 1936 in an aquaculture farm in Sicily, Italy. This represents the first record of a temnocephalan species for the fauna of the island. Morphological and molecular identification of the collected specimens proved that they belong to the allochthonous species Temnosewellia minor Haswell, 1888, which was introduced along with crayfishes bred in aquaculture farms. The phylogenetic analyses carried out for the molecular identific…
Stem-injection of herbicide for control of Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle: a practical source of power for drilling holes in stems
2013
Abstract: Ailanthus altissima is a well-known invasive tree in many parts of the world showing an outstanding ability to establish within woodlands and other less-disturbed habitats. Previous studies have reported that control of this species is very difficult because of its strong resprouting. Indeed, effective control can be achieved only by mechanical treatment followed by the application of a systemic herbicide. Operating drills or saws and other mechanical equipment require electric power supply which is not readily available in many invaded sites, notably shrubslands and woodlands. In two study sites, we evaluated control obtained by glyphosate through a stem-injection technique and c…
Food Habits of the Javelin Sand Boa Eryx jaculus (Linnaeus 1758; Serpentes, Erycidae) in Sicily, Italy
2021
The Javelin Sand Boa, Eryx jaculus, is reported to be a predator of mammals, lizards and their eggs, and occasionally of birds and invertebrates, but data on its diet are scarce and fragmentary. Here we describe some aspects of the feeding behavior of E. jaculus on the Mediterranean island of Sicily. A total of 132 individual snakes were examined. Prey remains were found in 43% of them, both in their feces (82.5%) and gut contents (17.5%). The number of snakes observed and their feeding rate decreased in August, probably as a result of the relatively higher temperatures. Feeding rate increases were observed in adult females in September, perhaps to enhance body reserves before hibernation. …
Invasive Aliens in Italy: Enumeration, History, Biology and Their Impact
2021
Italy includes two large islands, Sardinia and Sicily, and a peninsula separated from the European continent by the Alpine Arch. At national level ISPRA (Instituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale, Higher Institute for Environmental protection and research) is the instrument of the Ministry of Environment and for the Protection of the Territory and the Sea to carry out its mission, including the study, monitoring, and control of invasive alien species. Universities, Scientific Societies, and ONGs play a vital role in basic research. The interest in the study of alien plants is of a theoretical nature, as regards the migrations of living beings and interactions with native…
Unpublished Mediterranean records of marine alien and cryptogenic species
2020
Este artículo contiene 18 páginas, 4 figuras.
Interactions among introduced and indigenous submerged macrophytes in a Mediterranean shallow system
2011
In Termini Imerese H. stipulacea has been recorded inside artificial basins, characterized by a sandy bottom (0.80‐2.5 m depth). H. stipulacea in good health conditions shows a competition strategy with C. nodosa. But during winter denudations, C. racemosa var. cylindracea seems to negatively interfere with the rhizomes of H. stipulacea.
Avian mite dermatitis: an Italian case indicating the establishment and spread of Ornithonyssus bursa (Acari: Gamasida: Macronyssidae) (Berlese, 1888…
2015
Background Avian mite dermatitis is a skin disease caused in mammals by the incidental bites of blood-sucking mites which customarily parasitize wild and domestic birds. It manifests in the form of pruritic, erythematous, or urticarial papules, with a central sting mark, in skin regions normally covered by clothing. The species mainly implicated in human bite cases are Dermanyssus gallinae, Ornithonyssus sylviarum and, less frequently, Ornithonyssus bursa. The latter is mainly a tropical and subtropical mite and its – presumably transitory – presence has been recorded only once in Europe, in migratory birds. Case report We report a case of avian mite dermatitis in a 70-year-old man, an owne…