Search results for "mediterranean"
showing 10 items of 3196 documents
MAP OF 3D DISTRIBUTION OF HYDROCARBONOCLASTIC BACTERIA IN MEDITERRANEAN SEA
2013
The obligate hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria (OHCB) have been recognized and shown to play a significant role in the biological removal of hydrocarbons from polluted marine waters. The introduction of oil or hydrocarbons into seawater leads to successive blooms of a relatively limited number of indigenous marine bacterial genera (Alcanivorax, Marinobacter, Thallassolituus, Cycloclasticus and Oleispira) which are present at low or undetectable levels before the polluting event. The types of OHCB that bloom depend directly from level and type of pollution and from parameters as the latitude/temperature, salinity, redox etc.... In this work, using data present in GeneBank we have create a virtual…
On the pyrophytism in the Mediterranean area
2015
Authors briefly present some observations and reflections on the “seeding strategy” of some plant species (Cistus spp., Cistaceae, in particular) in the Mediterranean area in relation to fire: they conclude it does not seem a specific adaptation to wildfires (as suggested in a relevant part of the recent literature), but a generalistic adaptation to open, high energy and variable habitats with aleatory fluctuations. The difference is important both for theoretical and applied aspects, e.g. for the correct management of Cistus species and of other Mediterranean species and habitats. Fire is undoubtedly a major ecological factor in the Mediterranean area. Many botanists have postulated the re…
Climatology of the stability and humidity terms in the Haines Index to improve the estimate of forest fire risk in the Western Mediterranean Basin (V…
2014
The stability and moisture content of the different atmospheric levels are commonly used to assess the risk index in the propagation and evolution of a hypothetical forest fire. The Haines Index (HI) combines these terms to determine the environmental potential for wildfire growth. In this paper the environmental stability and humidity associated with the lower atmospheric layers in the Western Mediterranean Basin are investigated by analysing HI calculations over a 29-year period. The HI climatology can be applied to the study of plume-dominated forest fires. These fires tend to present very erratic propagation behaviour and create highly dangerous situations for fire brigades. Thus the kn…
Terrestrial growth and marine dispersal? Comparative phylogeography of five coastal plant species at a European scale
2005
The phylogeography of five flowering plant species (Cakile maritima, Eryngium maritimum, Salsola kali, Halimione portulacoides, Crithmum maritimum) widespread along the European coasts was investigated across their entireEuropean range using AFLP evidence. Both similarities and dissimilarities were found. All species contain a distinct Black Sea/Aegean Sea cluster, and all except E. maritimum contain a distinct Adriatic Sea cluster or group of genetically very similar clusters. All species except Cr. maritimum contain a distinct Atlantic Ocean/North Sea/Baltic Sea cluster clearly separate from the Mediterranean material. In Ca. maritima a distinct Baltic Sea subcluster was found. In the wes…
Searching for the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective potential of natural food and nutritional supplements for ocular health in the …
2021
Adherence to a healthy diet offers a valuable intervention to compete against the increasing cases of ocular diseases worldwide, such as dry eye disorders, myopia progression, cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, or age macular degeneration. Certain amounts of micronutrients must be daily provided for proper functioning of the visual system, such as vitamins, carotenoids, trace metals and omega-3 fatty acids. Among natural foods, the following have to be considered for boosting eye/vision health: fish, meat, eggs, nuts, legumes, citrus fruits, nuts, leafy green vegetables, orange-colored fruits/vegetables, olives-olive oil, and dairy products. Nutritional supplements have received muc…
Effects of ozone on the foliar histology of the mastic plant (Pistacia lentiscus L.)
2004
[EN] An open-top chamber study was conducted to investigate the tissue and cellular-level foliar effects of ozone (O-3) on a Mediterranean evergreen species, the mastic plant (Pistacia lentiscus L.). Plants were exposed at three different O-3 levels, and leaf samples were collected periodically from the beginning of the exposure. Although no visible foliar injury was evident, alterations of the plastids and vacuoles in the mesophyll were observed. Senescence processes were accelerated with an anomalous stacking of tannin vacuoles, and a reduction in the size and number of the chloroplasts. Overall, most of the modifications induced by O-3 were consistent with previously reported observation…
Biodegradation Potential of Oil-degrading Bacteria Related to the Genus Thalassospira Isolated from Polluted Coastal Area in Mediterranean Sea
2021
Three bacterial species related to the genus Thalassospira (T. lucentensis, T. xianhensis and T. profundimaris), isolated from polluted sediment and seawater samples collected from Priolo Bay (eastern coast of Sicily, Ionian Sea), were analyzed for their biotechnological potential. For this purpose, the presence of specific catabolic genes associated to aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbon metabolism, the production of biosurfactants and emulsification activity, the capability to degrade oil-derived linear, branched, cyclic alkanes, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were evaluated. Alkane hydroxylase gene (alkano-monoxygenase alkb and citocrome P450) were present in genome of all st…
Overlooked cryptic endemism in copepods: Systematics and natural history of the calanoid subgenus Occidodiaptomus Borutzky 1991 (Copepoda, Calanoida,…
2012
Abstract Our comprehension of the phylogeny and diversity of most inland–water crustaceans is currently hampered by their pronounced morphological bradytely, which contributed to the affirmation of the “Cosmopolitanism Paradigm” of freshwater taxa. However, growing evidence of the existence of cryptic diversity and molecular regionalism is available for calanoid copepods, thus stressing the need for careful morphological and molecular studies in order to soundly investigate the systematics, diversity and distribution patterns of the group. Diaptomid copepods were here chosen as model taxa, and the morphological and molecular diversity of the species belonging to the west-Mediterranean diapt…
Polymerase chain reaction in the diagnosis and prognosis of Mediterranean visceral leishmaniasis in immunocompetent children.
2002
Objective. To assess the usefulness of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay amplifying the small subunit rRNA coding region of Leishmania species performed on peripheral blood (PB) and bone marrow (BM) aspirates for the diagnosis and follow-up of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in children living in the Mediterranean basin. Design. A prospective study was conducted on children consecutively hospitalized over a 1-year period at our Infectious Diseases Department in Sicily (Italy) presenting with fever, hepatosplenomegaly, and/or pancytopenia and a positive Leishmania serology (≥1:40). Results. Among the 14 patients hospitalized with signs and symptoms suggestive of the disease and a positive …
Historical Landscape Ecology of the Favorita Park in Palermo (Sicily)
2021
Historical Landscape Ecology of the Favorita Park in Palermo