Search results for "rare"
showing 10 items of 2778 documents
Bio-ecological, phytosociological and conservation aspects of relictual and disjointed populations ofSimethis mattiazzi(Vandelli) Sacc. (Xanthorrhoea…
2012
Abstract Two populations of Simethis mattiazzi (Xanthorrhoeaceae) were recently discovered in the Channel of Sicily – (1) Punta Bassana (Marettimo Island) and (2) Mount S. Giuliano (western Sicily) – at a considerable distance from the nearest stations hitherto known, located in southern Sardinia, the Pontine Islands Archipelago and Tunisia. The taxonomical and distributive aspects of this species are analysed to highlight the relictual and biogeographical significance of the disjointed and fragmentary nuclei distributed in several small islands of the Channel of Sicily, the Italian Peninsula and North Africa. Some morphological, biological, ecological and phytosociological aspects of the t…
Changes in alpine snowbed-wetland vegetation over three decades in northern Norway
2013
We have quantified floristic changes in alpine snowbeds and wetland vegetation during three decades and analyzed to what extent these changes are related to initial variations in snow cover duration and distance to groundwater level. Vascular plant species richness and total plant cover were estimated along three transects in northern Norway. Three different vegetation zones were identified along the original transects: relatively dry snowbeds, wet snowbeds and wetlands. The resampling shows major changes in species richness and plant cover. In general, there was a net immigration of species and 13 new species were found. Five rare species with initial low cover were lost. In the dry and we…
Intercomparison of volcanic gas monitoring methodologies performed on Vulcano Island, Italy
2004
[1] Volcanic gas emissions from fumaroles on the rim of La Fossa crater, Vulcano Island, Italy, were measured simultaneously using direct sampling (for H2O, CO2, total sulfur, HCl and HF), filter packs (for SO2, HCl, HF) and short-path active-mode FTIR measurements (for H2O, CO2, SO2, HCl and HF) in an intercomparison study in May 2002. The results show that Cl/F ratios were in good agreement between all three methods, and that FTIR and direct sampling determined comparable proportions of CO2 and H2O. Amounts of total S observed in direct sampling data were approximately double the amounts of SO2 measured with filter packs and FTIR. This difference could be attributed either to the fact FTI…
Tunable diode laser measurements of hydrothermal/volcanic CO<sub>2</sub> and implications for the global CO<sub&am…
2014
Abstract. Quantifying the CO2 flux sustained by low-temperature fumarolic fields in hydrothermal/volcanic environments has remained a challenge, to date. Here, we explored the potential of a commercial infrared tunable laser unit for quantifying such fumarolic volcanic/hydrothermal CO2 fluxes. Our field tests were conducted between April 2013 and March 2014 at Nea Kameni (Santorini, Greece), Hekla and Krýsuvík (Iceland) and Vulcano (Aeolian Islands, Italy). At these sites, the tunable laser was used to measure the path-integrated CO2 mixing ratios along cross sections of the fumaroles' atmospheric plumes. By using a tomographic post-processing routine, we then obtained, for each manifestati…
Volcanic CO2 flux measurement at Campi Flegrei by tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy
2014
Near-infrared room-temperature Tunable Diode Lasers (TDL) have recently found increased usage in atmospheric chemistry and air monitoring research, but applications in volcanology are still limited to a few examples. Here, we explored the potential of a commercial infrared laser unit (GasFinder 2.0 from Boreal Laser Ltd) for measurement of volcanic CO2 mixing ratios, and ultimately for estimating the volcanic CO2 flux. Our field tests were conducted at Campi Flegrei near Pozzuoli, Southern Italy, where the GasFinder was used during three campaigns in October 2012, January 2013 and May 2013 to repeatedly measure the path-integrated mixing ratios of CO2 along cross-sections of the atmospheric…
Using the Trace Element Contents in Bronchoalveolar Lavages to Probe the Human Exposure to Inhaled Particulates
2013
Explosive volcanic eruptions eject large volumes of high surface area, metal-rich dust and ash into the atmosphere. In areas near major volcanic eruptions, humans often interact with these materials and may bioaccumulate heavy and toxic metals. To evaluate these interactions, we examine bronchoalveolar lavage samples (BAL) collected from people exposed to the paroxysmal 2001 Etna eruption. BAL samples reveal a strong enrichment of many toxic heavy metals and the capacity for trace elements released from inhaled particles to induce crystallisation of phosphatic microcryst biominerals in intraaveolar spaces. BAL rare earth element (REE) concentration patterns normalised to shale reveal a ‘V-s…
The role of competition and rarity in the restoration of a dry grassland in Finland
2001
Semi-natural grasslands have become scarce throughout Europe. Preservation of their plant species requires either the maintenance of the existing grasslands or the creation of new ones. To study the establishment and regeneration ability of plant species typical of dry grasslands we laid out an experiment on a former arable field in central Finland. We compared the success of 13 grassland species both in a theoretical situation with minimal competition and in competition with weeds. More than half of the species used were regionally rare. As a group, grassland plants reached the highest cover in the experimental plots in which outside competition was minimised by weeding. However, the total…
Diorganotin(IV) complexes ofD-galacturonic acid: solid-state and solution-phase structural study
2003
Three diorganotin(IV) complexes of D-galacturonic acid (H2GalA; R = Me, n-Bu, Ph), two of which are new derivatives (R = Me, Ph), have been synthesized and their solid-state and solution-phase investigated by IR, Mossbauer, 1H, 13C and 119Sn NMR spectroscopy. The FTIR data suggest that H2GalA, in the dialkyltin derivatives, behaves as a dianionic ligand, coordinating the tin(IV) atom through an ester-type carboxylate and deprotonated alcoholic hydroxo groups, whereas a bridging carboxylate occurs in the diphenyltin(IV) complex. Octahedral and trigonal bipyramidal local geometries on tin(IV) atoms are proposed for dialkyltin(IV)GalA and diphenyltin(IV)GalA complexes respectively on the basis…
Synthesis, characterization and conformational analysis of chloro-bis(glycylglycinate)germanium(IV) chloride
2011
Chloro-bis(glycylglycinate)germanium(IV) chloride, [Cl(glygly)2Ge]Cl, was synthesized and characterized in the solid state by elemental analysis, thermogravimetry and infrared spectroscopy. Solution studies were also performed by 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO-d6) and by electric conductivity. The structural determination of the complex and the interpretation of the spectroscopic results were performed by employing an integrated computational approach, based on a systematic conformational search analysis on the [Cl(glygly)2Ge]+ ion performed by the Systematic Conformational Search Algorithm (SCSA) code, working at the hybrid B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level. The combination of experime…
The shell matrix of the freshwater mussel Unio pictorum (Paleoheterodonta, Unionoida). Involvement of acidic polysaccharides from glycoproteins in na…
2007
13 pages; International audience; Among molluscs, the shell biomineralization process is controlled by a set of extracellular macromolecular components secreted by the calcifying mantle. In spite of several studies, these components are mainly known in bivalves from only few members of pteriomorph groups. In the present case, we investigated the biochemical properties of the aragonitic shell of the freshwater bivalve Unio pictorum (Paleoheterodonta, Unionoida). Analysis of the amino acid composition reveals a high amount of glycine, aspartate and alanine in the acid-soluble extract, whereas the acid-insoluble one is rich in alanine and glycine. Monosaccharidic analysis indicates that the in…