Search results for "forest"

Trying to link vegetation units with biomass data: the case study of Italian shrublands

2014

Although their carbon stock is relevant in assessing the baseline for the negotiation of future agreements with respect to carbon balance, there still are few available studies concerning the biomass and the net ecosystem exchange capacity of Mediterranean shrublands. In this chapter a preliminary overview on the biomass values concerning Italian shrubland communities and/or their dominant/ characteristic woody species is provided. Many useful data on above- and belowground biomass issued from investigations carried out in other Mediterranean countries and concerning plant communities, which share the same ecological, floristic and structural traits of Italian shrublands. A preliminary find…

Management of Mediterranean reforestations and the energetic use of the biomass: the case study of the Sicani Mountains (Western Sicily)

2015

Adaptation of the tropical hybrid Euphorbia×lomi Rauh to the exposure to the Mediterranean temperature extremes

2014

Abstract Poysean ( Euphorbia × lomi Rauh) has been introduced in the Mediterranean countries as an ornamental plant for indoor uses. When used outdoor, few information is available about its ability to withstand the Mediterranean temperature extremes. An experiment in an open stand was performed to evaluate poysean tolerance to the winter and summer temperatures of the thermo Mediterranean climate and its ornamental value for urban greening. Two genotypes of poysean (Nguen Muang, NM; and Soi Budsanin, SB) with similar bracts and flower colours were grown at either 2 or 3 plants per pot during 23 months. Number of flower racemes and leaves per plant and plant height were recorded monthly. Ov…

Emerging contaminants related to the occurrence of forest fires in the Spanish Mediterranean

2017

Forest fires can be a source of contamination because, among others, of the use of chemicals to their extinction (flame retardants, FRs), or by the production of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) derived from high temperature alteration of organic matter. Up to our knowledge, this study is the first to assess the direct (PAHs 16 on the USA EPA's priority list), and indirect [tri- to hepta- brominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), organophosphorus flame retardants (PFRs) and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs)] contamination related to forest fires. The abundance and distribution of these contaminants were monitored on two Mediterranean hillslopes, one burned and one unburned, near Azuébar (S…

The impact of Pinus halepensis mill. afforestation on mediterranean spontaneous vegetation: do soil treatment and canopy cover matter?

2012

We investigated central Mediterranean Pinus halepensis plantations under semi-arid climate in order to evaluate the combined effect of soil treatment and afforestation practices on spontaneous plant species composition, richness and evenness, and on the trend and speed of vegetation dynamics. Phytosociological releves of three different plot typologies, i.e. (1) soil-treatment and plantation, (2) only soil-treatment, (3) no soil-treatment and no plantation, were compared by (a) multivariate analysis and (b) with reference to species richness and evenness. Moreover, in order to compare vegetation dynamics within the plantations with those ones ongoing in semi-natural garrigue communities, we…

Mid- and late-Holocene vegetation and fire history at Biviere di Gela, a coastal lake in southern Sicily, Italy

2009

The vegetation and fire history of few coastal sites has been investigated in the Mediterranean region so far. We present the first paleoecological reconstruction from coastal Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. We analysed pollen and charcoal in the sediments of Biviere di Gela, a lake (lagoon) on the south coast of Sicily. Our data suggest that the area became afforested after a marine transgression at ca. 7200 cal b.p. (5250 b.c.). Build-up of forest and shrublands took ca. 200–300 years, mainly with the deciduous trees Quercus, Ostrya and Fraxinus. Juniperus expanded ca. 6900 cal b.p. (4950 b.c.), but declined again 6600 cal b.p. (4650 b.c.). Afterwards, evergreen trees…

Long-term organic farming on a citrus plantation results in soil organic carbon recovery

2019

[ES] Se ha demostrado que el manejo del suelo bajo agricultura ecológica puede aumentar el contenido de carbono orgánico en el suelo moderando el incremento de los gases de efecto invernadero, pero hasta la fecha las evaluaciones cuantitativas basadas en mediciones a largo plazo han sido escasas, especialmente bajo condiciones mediterráneas. En esta investigación se examinaron los cambios en el contenido de carbono orgánico como respuesta a la agricultura ecológica con cobertura vegetal en una plantación de cítricos en el área mediterránea, utilizando una base de datos de 21 años. El incremento de contenido de carbono orgánico en el suelo fue más evidente tras cinco años desde el cambio del…

The Emergence of Arboriculture in the 1st Millennium BC along the Mediterranean’s “Far West”

2021

This paper presents the history of the introduction and expansion of arboriculture during the 1st millennium BC from the South of the Iberian Peninsula to the South of France. The earliest evidence of arboriculture at the beginning of the 1st millennium hails from the south of the Iberia from where it spread northward along the peninsula’s eastern edge. The different fruits (grape, olive, fig, almond, pomegranate and apple/pear) arrived together in certain areas in spite of uneven distribution and acceptance by local communities. Grape was the crop with the greatest diffusion. The greater diversity of crops in the southern half of the peninsula is also noteworthy. Their development paved th…

Long‐Term Durum Wheat‐Based Cropping Systems Result in the Rapid Saturation of Soil Carbon in the Mediterranean Semi‐arid Environment

2016

Climate, soil physical–chemical characteristics, land management, and carbon (C) input from crop residues greatly affect soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. According to the concept of SOC saturation, the ability of SOC to increase with C input decreases as SOC increases and approaches a SOC saturation level. In a 12-year experiment, six semi-arid cropping systems characterized by different rates of C input to soil were compared for ability to sequester SOC, SOC saturation level, and the time necessary to reach the SOC saturation level. SOC stocks, soil aggregate sizes, and C inputs were measured in durum wheat monocropping with (Ws) and without (W) return of aboveground residue to the…

Non-chemical weeds management in two Mediterranean culinary herbs

2009

Weeds management is one of the most relevant constraints to the cultivation of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, especially when they’re cultivated with “organic” methods, that, according to EU regulations, do not allow the use of chemicals. A strong interest is therefore devoted to pointing out “alternative” (agronomical and physical) methods for weeds control. This work reports the results of a trial performed in 2003-04 and 2004-05 in order to evaluate the effects on Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) and Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) of four non-chemical methods for weeds control: FS (False seeding), PD (Flaming), MZ (Mechanical weeding), SM (Hand weeding) compared with two untreated co…