Search results for "mediterranean"
showing 10 items of 3196 documents
Conservation genetics of insular **Podarcis** lizards using partial cytochrome b sequences
1998
Sequence data derived from a 306 bp fragment of mitochondrial cytochrome b and molecular variance estimates were used to investigate the genetic population structure of the endangered and endemic lizard Podarcis atrata of the Columbretes archipelago (Mediterranean, Spain). Our results show a very high and significant among-population genetic differentiation. FST values and phylogenetic analyses confirm the evolutionary distinctiveness of P. atrata populations, suggesting that the populations of these islands deserve special protection measures. The populations of the two islands Columbrete Grande and Mancolibre are less differentiated than those of Foradada and Lobo, and seem to have retain…
Mediterranean bioconstructions along the Italian coast
2018
Marine bioconstructions are biodiversity-rich, three-dimensional biogenic structures, regulating key ecological functions of benthic ecosystems worldwide. Tropical coral reefs are outstanding for their beauty, diversity and complexity, but analogous types of bioconstructions are also present in temperate seas. The main bioconstructions in the Mediterranean Sea are represented by coralligenous formations, vermetid reefs, deep-sea cold-water corals, Lithophyllum byssoides trottoirs, coral banks formed by the shallow-water corals Cladocora caespitosa or Astroides calycularis, and sabellariid or serpulid worm reefs. Bioconstructions change the morphological and chemicophysical features of prima…
Mediterranean rocky reefs in the Anthropocene: Present status and future concerns
2021
Global change is striking harder and faster in the Mediterranean Sea than elsewhere, where high levels of human pressure and proneness to climate change interact in modifying the structure and disrupting regulative mechanisms of marine ecosystems. Rocky reefs are particularly exposed to such environmental changes with ongoing trends of degradation being impressive. Due to the variety of habitat types and associated marine biodiversity, rocky reefs are critical for the functioning of marine ecosystems, and their decline could profoundly affect the provision of essential goods and services which human populations in coastal areas rely upon. Here, we provide an up-to-date overview of the statu…
Quotas regulation is necessary but not sufficient to mitigate the impact of SCUBA diving in a highly visited marine protected area.
2021
Abstract When effectively managed, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) can produce wide ecosystem benefits that can foster, directly and indirectly, local economies. Tourism is one of the sectors mainly benefited by the effect of conservation. SCUBA diving represents an important tourism activity, especially in the context of MPAs, where it is one of the few activities often fostered rather than limited, for its capacity to integrate environmental and socio-economic sustainability. However, SCUBA diving can also produce negative impacts on the environment when tourism frequentation exceeds a sustainable threshold, these potentially generating negative effects on the sector itself. In this study, …
An integrated assessment of the Good Environmental Status of Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas
2022
Este artículo contiene 11 páginas, 2 figuras, 2 tablas.
Current anthropogenic pressures on agro-ecological protected coastal wetlands
2015
Coastal wetlands are areas that suffer from great pressure. Much of it is due to the rapid development of the surrounding artificial landscapes, where socio-economic factors lead to alterations in the nearby environment, affecting the quality of natural and agricultural systems. This work analyses interconnections among landscapes under the hypothesis that urban-artificial impacts could be detected on soils and waters of an agro-ecological protected area, L'Albufera de Valencia Natural Park, located in the vicinity of the City of Valencia, Spain. The methodological framework developed addresses two types of anthropogenic pressure: (1) direct, due to artificialisation of soil covers that cau…
Towards health-promoting and environmentally friendly regional diets - a Nordic example
2008
AbstractBackgroundBecause most of the top determinants of the worldwide burden of disease are diet-related, the promotion of healthful diets is important for population health across the world. Furthermore, changes in eating habits may contribute to preservation of the environment.ObjectiveIn the present paper it is argued that the translation of health-promoting dietary recommendations into practical recommendations for healthful eating should be more tailored to regional circumstances. This will promote population health as well as help preserve cultural diversity in eating habits and contribute to more environmentally friendly eating. A regional Nordic diet, mimicking the Mediterranean d…
Growth and development of succulent mixtures for extensive green roofs in a Mediterranean climate.
2022
Green roof systems, aimed at reducing anthropic impact on the environment, are considered environmental mitigation technologies and adopted by many countries across the world to strengthen urban ecosystem services. This study evaluates two mixtures of succulent: one of Crassulaceae and the other of Aizoaceae, used in the creation of a continuous and homogenous plant groundcover in Mediterranean environments. To assess the species mixtures, the parameters plant height, growth index, cover percentage and flowering were observed. Hydrological observations were also carried out to evaluate the rainfall retained by the test system in any given month. All data were subjected to analysis of varian…
Italian marine reserve effectiveness: does enforcement matter?
2008
Marine protected areas (MPAs) have become popular tools worldwide for ecosystem conservation and fishery management. Fish assemblages can benefit from protection provided by MPAs, especially those that include fully no-take reserves. Fish response to protection can thus be used to evaluate the effectiveness of marine reserves. Most target fish are high-level predators and their overfishing may affect entire communities through trophic cascades. In the Mediterranean rocky sublittoral, marine reserves may allow fish predators of sea urchins to recover and thus whole communities to be restored from coralline barrens to macroalgae. Such direct and indirect reserve effects, however, are likely t…