Search results for "man-made"
showing 10 items of 20 documents
EUNIS Habitat Classification: Expert system, characteristic species combinations and distribution maps of European habitats
2020
Aim The EUNIS Habitat Classification is a widely used reference framework for European habitat types (habitats), but it lacks formal definitions of individual habitats that would enable their unequivocal identification. Our goal was to develop a tool for assigning vegetation-plot records to the habitats of the EUNIS system, use it to classify a European vegetation-plot database, and compile statistically-derived characteristic species combinations and distribution maps for these habitats. Location Europe. Methods We developed the classification expert system EUNIS-ESy, which contains definitions of individual EUNIS habitats based on their species composition and geographic location. Each ha…
Man-made garbage pollution on the Mediterranean coastline
1991
Abstract Measurements of persistent litter on 13 beaches in Spain, Italy (Sicily), Turkey, Cyprus and Israel between 1988 and 1989 show that plastic items are the most abundant in the litter composition, followed by wood, metal and glass items. Remnants of fishing gear are rather rare. It appears that the quantity of litter on a beach is inversely related to its geographical distance to a population center and directly related to the number of visitors frequenting it. Seasonal fluctuations in coastal litter are caused by storm waves which wash the litter landward, leaving the beach clean during winter, and by bathers who pollute it during summer. Based on the nature of the garbage, there ar…
The vegetation of a historic road system in the suburban area of Monte Pellegrino (Palermo, Sicily)
2020
Knowledge of the processes by which plants colonize old structures is a key element for nature-based design both in urban and suburban contexts. This paper analyses the natural vegetation on walls and in other microhabitats of the roadway structures of Monte Pellegrino (606 m a.s.l.) near Palermo (Sicily), built in the first half of the 1900s. The historical road has particular construction and architectural features, and its characteristics have been maintained to this day. The route, approximately 16 kilometers long, is well integrated within a site of high naturalistic value which has been designated as a Special Area of Conservation (ITA020014) of the Natura 2000 network, and it is also…
MORPHODYNAMIC PROCESSES DOWNSTREAM OF MAN-MADE STRUCTURAL INTERVENTIONS: experimental investigation of the role of turbulent flow structures in the p…
2012
Abstract Experimental program was conducted to analyze scour – caused by a horizontal jet downstream of a rigid bed – and the flow velocity and turbulence characteristics within the scour hole. The experimental program was motivated by the fact that the knowledge of flow field, including turbulent characteristics, is fundamental to correctly simulate the bed-load transport and the temporal evolution of the scour hole and, thus, to define protective measures of scouring. In this paper some results of experiments – carried out to understand the role of flow turbulence in the prediction of scouring process and sediment movement – are reported. The analysis is conducted on the basis of detailed…
Phytoplankton assemblages in reservoirs: Is it chemical or physical constraints which regulate their structure?
1998
Data on phytoplankton assemblages and the correspondent environmental variables, collected in a limnological investigation carried out on 21 Sicilian reservoirs between 1987 and 1988, were ordered to clarify which physical (light availability, mixing depth), chemical (nutrient availability) and biological (grazing pressure) parameters modulate the structure of the assemblages. In particular, data sets were analyzed using CANOCO 3.1. The results of the analysis have shown that physical factors are more important in selecting species for those environments subject to pronounced water-level fluctuations. The reasons of such strong influence may be understood in the secondary modifications that…
Importance of water-level fluctuation on population dynamics of cladocerans in a hypertrophic reservoir (Lake Arancio, south-west Sicily, Italy)
1997
During a period of three years (1990-1991 and 1993), we studied the population dynamics of planktonic cladocerans in a hypertrophic reservoir. Weekly sampling revealed that the five most common species followed a trend which reflects the peculiar hydrological characteristics of the reservoir and their key position in the pelagic food web. In particular, 1991 was characterized by a strong water inflow which probably interfered with the reproductive activities of the dominant fish population (Rutilus rubilio) and reduced the concentration of inedible planktonic algae allowing the development of small Chlorococcales. This event was associated with higher population densities of Daphnia hyalina…
Urban Services to Ecosystems - Green Infrastructure Benefits from the Landscape to the Urban Scale
2021
The aim of this book is to bring together multidisciplinary research in the field of green infrastructure design, construction and ecology. The main core of the volume is constituted by contributions dealing with green infrastructure, vegetation science, nature-based solutions and sustainable urban development. The green infrastructure and its ecosystem services, indeed, are gaining space in both political agendas and academic research. However, the attention is focused on the services that nature is giving for free to and for human health and survival. What if we start to see things from another perspective? Our actions shall converge for instance to turn man-made environment like cities f…
Phytoplankton dynamics in two reservoirs with different trophic state (Lake Rosamarina and Lake Arancio, Sicily, Italy)
1998
Two man-made Sicilian lakes of differing trophic status were sampled weekly for a year, in order to compare their phytoplankton dynamics and to identify their driving factors. The water bodies store comparable volumes but the eutrophic Lake Arancio may be considered to be a shallow lake whereas the mesotrophic Lake Rosamarina is deep. The dynamics of their principal physical, chemical and biological features were analysed using, among others, Canonical Community Ordination. The results obtained suggest that increased nutrient availability causes an increase of phytoplankton biomass but no community change nor any alteration to the typical assemblages supported. The major influence in the mo…
Jute bioblanket as a soil rehabilitation strategy in Sorocaba, Brazil: Soil chemistry and SWOT approaches
2019
Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-29T08:28:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2019-09-01 Soil erosion and the invasion of exotic plant species are major constraints to achieve sustainable development around the world. Currently, we find few products devoted concomitantly to combatting soil erosion as well as the establishment of unwanted exotic plants. In this paper, we introduce a new product, called herein a bioblanket, that protects the soil and impedes the establishment of exotic plant species. This product is of simple design, and to manufacture it, we use two biodegradable materials: jute tissue and grass wastes. We designed this product to combat soil erosion and …
Phytoplankton assemblages in twenty-one Sicilian reservoirs: relationships between species composition and environmental factors
2000
Data collected in a limnological survey, carried out between 1987 and 1988 on 21 Sicilian reservoirs of varying trophic state, were ordinated using CANOCO 3.1 to generalise the way in which the structure of phytoplankton assemblage is conditioned by both physical and chemical variables. The results showed that in these man-made lakes, characterised by conspicuouswater-level fluctuations, the annual and interannual variability in the abundance and composition of phytoplankton may be strongly influenced by their peculiar hydraulic regimes rather than by nutrient availability. In particular, it was highlighted that, from the early summer, water abstraction often leads to increased circulation …