Search results for "conservation."
showing 10 items of 1994 documents
Ex situ conservation and exploitation of fungi in Italy
2011
Abstract The kingdom Fungi comprises one of the most diverse groups of living organisms. They are numerous, ubiquitous and undertake many roles both independently and in association with other organisms. Fungi display a wide diversity of forms also mirrored by functional diversity and play such a dominant role in human society that they are arguably biotechnologically the most important group of organisms. Ex situ conservation of fungi, not only guarantees correct management and conservation of biodiversity, but also its exploitation in different fields. This article describes the major biological resource centres dealing with fungi in Italy and gives several examples of fungal exploitation…
Analysing innovation in museums through qualitative comparative analysis
2019
[EN] The aim of this paper is to analyse innovation in the processes undertaken by museums in the conservation and restoration of artworks. Information from 90 conservation and restoration departments from museums in 43 countries was analysed using qualitative comparative analysis. Two theoretical concepts - knowledge bases (analytical, synthetic, symbolic) and modes of innovations (Science, Technology and Innovation; Doing, Using, and Interacting) - were used to define necessary and sufficient conditions which explain innovation in artwork restoration. Two important results were obtained from the analysis. The first indicated that innovation was explained by the combination of symbolic and…
Does work engagement physiologically deplete? Results from a daily diary study
2020
Based on the conservation of resources theory, we argue that work engagement involves resource investment, and therefore physiologically depletes resources. On this basis, we propose that work enga...
A hidden species becoming visible : biogeography and ecology of Rhynchotalona latens (Cladocera, Anomopoda, Chydoridae)
2019
A long hidden chydorid (Chydoridae, Cladocera) taxon, first found as fossil specimens and recently redefined as Rhynchotalona latens (Sarmaja-Korjonen et al., Hydrobiologia 436: 165-169, 2000) is investigated for its biogeography and ecology. Late Holocene sediment sequence from Lake Sylvilampi, NE Finnish Lapland, and R. latens spatial distribution in relation to limno-climatic attributes in Finland were examined. Principal component analyses of fossil cladoceran communities showed that R. latens is mostly affiliated with Alonella excisa-Alonopsis elongata-Alonella nana species pool. Generalized linear modeling of R. latens responses to limno-climatic variation indicated that it prefers ac…
Modelling urban networks at mega-regional scale: Are increasingly complex urban systems sustainable?
2015
Are the dynamics of mega-regions sustainable or not? We explore the hypothesis that increasing complexity in mega-regions implies less demands on resources needed to generate organized information, thereby making the systems more efficient and stable. This article aims to identify structural indicators for measuring urban networks at the mega-regional scale. We use night-time light data from the broad band near-visible infrared channel of the DMSP-OLS to monitor the dynamics of urbanization. We study the urban networks as graphs, where nodes are cities, and the main road and railway infrastructures represent the edges. We propose four indicators for measuring the complexity, polycentricity,…
The European Union can afford greater ambition in the conservation of its threatened plants
2021
The importance of Natura 2000 network for the conservation of natural habitats, wild flora and fauna at European level is undeniable. However, it may not have reached its full potential since the loss of biodiversity continues to increase year on year. Further on, a third of the plant species listed in the Habitats Directive to guide the declaration of European Union Natura 2000 network of protected areas is not threatened and there is broad agreement on the need to review and update the species list. Here, the effectiveness of Natura 2000 in the conservation of Spanish bryophytes and vascular plants included in the Habitats Directive Annex II is analysed and compared with the one offered t…
G.I.S. context analysis for environmental recovery suitability evaluation
2009
The attributes of every single patch in a land mosaic constitute the database that landscape ecologists use for processing and analysis. Nonetheless spatial and ecological relationships between adjacent patches can play a key role in understanding the overall functionality of land mosaics. Defining the ecological role of a single tessera within an ecosystem is not possible if that patch is regarded as an insular element; on the other hand global analysis on the entire land mosaic would grant just a small amount of new information on each tessera and none on its functional role. To recognize areas susceptible of improvement through environmental recovery and to define priorities for interven…
Drought-induced positive feedback in xylophagous insects: Easier invasion of Scots pine leading to greater investment in immunity of emerging individ…
2012
Abstract We studied the infestation rate of Scots pine Pinus sylvestris by xylophagous insects in relation to distance from forest lakes in eastern Latvia, northern Europe. In summers of 2008 and 2009, we felled 72 pines of approximately 65 years age. Sections of the logs were incubated in insect emergence traps. The trees located near lakes were significantly less infested by xylophagous insects than those sampled at greater distances from the lakes. We also tested the ability of Tomicus piniperda , the most abundant species of xylophagous insects in our samples, to resist the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana . The results show that beetles captured near lakes were more susceptib…
Intra- and Trans-Generational Phenotypic Responses of the Greater Wax Moth, Galleria mellonella, to a Low-Nutrition Larval Diet
2020
We investigated the intra- and trans-generational effects of larval diet on immune function, body size and development time of the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). We found that moths reared on a diet diluted with cellulose (a low-nutrition diet) were about one-third smaller, had about one-fifth longer development time and exhibited about 10% stronger encapsulation responses as compared with moths reared on the standard diet. The low-nutrition parental diet prolonged the development time of male offspring that were fed the low-nutrition diet by about 4% and the development time of female offspring that were fed the standard diet by about 1%. However, females t…
Measure of a limestone weathering degree using Laser Scanner.
2013
The weathering degree of the building materials and natural stones is generally quantified as the decrement of some mechanical features that can be measured experimentally by means of compressive tests or point load tests in the laboratory or Schmidt hammer tests carried out in situ. Such destructive or damaging tests are unacceptable in case of cultural heritage since even small amounts of damage must be avoided. This work shows a correlation between Schmidt hammer rebound values and the reflectivity that is detected by means of terrestrial scanner laser; therefore it allows assessing the weathering degree of buildings or stones in situ. The results demonstrate that such an investigation c…