Search results for "biodiversity."
showing 10 items of 2292 documents
Extremophilic microbial communities on photovoltaic panel surfaces: a two‐year study
2020
Solar panel surfaces can be colonized by microorganisms adapted to desiccation, temperature fluctuations and solar radiation. Although the taxonomic and functional composition of these communities has been studied, the microbial colonization process remains unclear. In the present work, we have monitored this microbial colonization process during 24 months by performing weekly measurements of the photovoltaic efficiency, carrying out 16S rRNA gene high‐throughput sequencing, and studying the effect of antimicrobial compounds on the composition of the microbial biocenosis. This is the first time a long‐term study of the colonization process of solar panels has been performed, and our results…
BEST-2K Method for Characterizing Dual-Permeability Unsaturated Soils with Ponded and Tension Infiltrometers
2019
This study presents a new method (BEST-2K) that extends the existing BEST methods for use in characterizing the water retention and hydraulic conductivity functions of matrix and fast-flow regions in dual-permeability soils. BEST-2K requires input information from two water infiltration experiments that are performed under ponded (Beerkan) and unsaturated (tension infiltrometer) conditions at the surface. Other required inputs include water content measurements and the traditional BEST inputs (particle size distribution and bulk density). In this study, first, a flowchart of the BEST-2K method was developed and illustrated with analytically generated data for a synthetic dual-permeability s…
First record of Hemidiaptomus (Gigantodiaptomus) superbus (Schmeil, 1895) in Italy, with notes on distribution and conservation status (Copepoda, Cal…
2011
Hemidiaptomus (Gigantodiaptomus) superbus (Schmeil, 1895) was found in a temporary pool in the Pineta di Classe coastal pine-wood (Ravenna, northern Italy). This is the first official record of a species belonging to the subgenus Gigantodiaptomus of Italian fauna, and it widens the known distribution of this rare diaptomid to the Mediterranean basin. In order to supply data on this rare and poorly known species, original drawings for the Italian population have been provided, and some overlooked morphological features have been highlighted. In light of the growing evidence of the existence of a number of cryptic species in the Diaptomidae family, and considering the variability observed in …
Fruit Trees and Bushes as a Biodiversity Element in the “Górażdże” Quarry Reclaimed Areas
2019
The assumption of biological land reclamation in the forest direction is to introduce trees and shrubs on the reclaimed area so as to bring it as close as possible to the natural state based on the species characteristic for forest communities. While assessing the concept of biodiversity resulting from the naturalistic approach to the forest as a timeless good, it is necessary to take into account the diversity of plantings used and their multifunctionality. One of the functions is to designate crops for utility purposes, by creating a natural undergrowth, birdhouses, forest fringe plantings and enclaves of edible fruit plants. As part of the research, implementing the biodiversity of midfo…
Baseline Gut Microbiota Composition Is Associated With Schistosoma mansoni Infection Burden in Rodent Models
2020
In spite of growing evidence supporting the occurrence of complex interactions between Schistosoma and gut bacteria in mice and humans, no data is yet available on whether worm-mediated changes in microbiota composition are dependent on the baseline gut microbial profile of the vertebrate host. In addition, the impact of such changes on the susceptibility to, and pathophysiology of, schistosomiasis remains largely unexplored. In this study, mice colonized with gut microbial populations from a human donor (HMA mice), as well as microbiota-wild type (WT) animals, were infected with Schistosoma mansoni, and alterations of their gut microbial profiles at 50 days post-infection were compared to …
Metabarcoding Analysis of Fungal Diversity in the Phyllosphere and Carposphere of Olive (Olea europaea)
2015
The fungal diversity associated with leaves, flowers and fruits of olive (Olea europaea) was investigated in different phenological stages (May, June, October and December) using an implemented metabarcoding approach. It consisted of the 454 pyrosequencing of the fungal ITS2 region and the subsequent phylogenetic analysis of relevant genera along with validated reference sequences. Most sequences were identified up to the species level or were associated with a restricted number of related taxa enabling supported speculations regarding their biological role. Analyses revealed a rich fungal community with 195 different OTUs. Ascomycota was the dominating phyla representing 93.6% of the total…
Retention forestry and biodiversity conservation: a parallel with agroforestry
2013
In forested landscapes two general management systems – retention forestry and agroforestry – have been proposed as potentially efficient components of landscape approaches to ease the conflict between biodiversity objectives and human needs. In two recent reviews, Gustafsson et al. (2012) and Lindenmayer et al. (2012) provide a global overview of current knowledge about the practice and ecological roles of retention forestry. A few years ago, Bhagwat et al. (2008) produced a similar review addressing the role of agroforestry in biodiversity conservation. Here we draw a parallel between research on the ecological effects of retention forestry and agroforestry. We argue that conservation sci…
Biodiversity of Antarctic echinoids: a comprehensive and interactive database
2005
Eighty-one echinoid species are present south of the Antarctic Convergence, and they represent an important component of the benthic fauna. “Antarctic echinoids” is an interactive database synthesising the results of more than 100 years of Antarctic expeditions, and comprising information about all echinoid species. It includes illustrated keys for determination of the species, and information about their morphology and ecology (text, illustrations and glossary) and their distribution (maps and histograms of bathymetrical distribution); the sources of the information (bibliography, collections and expeditions) are also provided. All these data (taxonomic, morphologic, geographic, bathymetri…
New Mediterranean Marine biodiversity records (December, 2013)
2013
M. Bilecenoglu [et al.]
Quality of autochthonous Sicilian plums
2015
Thirty four plum local varieties and accessions obtained from different growing area of the Sicilian island were analyzed for their qualitative and nutraceutical properties and three commercialcultivar were used as references. These properties included the fruit fresh weight (g), the pulp firmness (FFF), the total soluble solids (TSS), the titratable acidity (TA), the total anthocyanins,the phenolics content and the antioxidant activity.This preliminary study showed significantly differeces among the plums; Zuccarato giallo and Prunu Niuru presented TSS higher than the commercial cultivars (24.9 and 21.6 °Brix respectively)and interesting data obtained on the nutraceutical compounds values …