Aims
We examined the importance of litter quality and microclimate on early-stage litter mass loss, analysed the importance of interactions among environmental factors in determining key ...decomposition parameters and compared the variation in decomposition rates in vegetation types and sites with similar climate.
Methods
Following the Tea-Bag Index approach, 464 tea-bags were incubated in the soil in 79 sites, distributed across Italy, which included six vegetation types and a broad range of microclimatic conditions.
Results
Litter type exerted a stronger control on mass loss compared to climatic factors. The effects of soil moisture were not the same for high and lower quality litter. In addition, the effects of temperature on the decomposition rate depended on soil moisture. The stabilization factor was strongly temperature-dependent, but the influence of temperature differed among vegetation types: those dominated by small-size plants showed a strong decrease in the potential amount of plant material entering into the soil stock under warmer temperatures. The lowest variation in decomposition rate was found in sites characterised by low temperatures, and, among the vegetation types, in alpine snowbeds.
Conclusions
The role of litter quality and of the interactions among environmental conditions can potentially determine significant shifts in the expected patterns of ecosystem carbon fluxes.
Adverse food reactions include immune-mediated food allergies and non-immune-mediated intolerances. However, this distinction and the involvement of different pathogenetic mechanisms are often ...confused. Furthermore, there is a discrepancy between the perceived vs. actual prevalence of immune-mediated food allergies and non-immune reactions to food that are extremely common. The risk of an inappropriate approach to their correct identification can lead to inappropriate diets with severe nutritional deficiencies. This narrative review provides an outline of the pathophysiologic and clinical features of immune and non-immune adverse reactions to food-along with general diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Special emphasis is placed on specific nutritional concerns for each of these conditions from the combined point of view of gastroenterology and immunology, in an attempt to offer a useful tool to practicing physicians in discriminating these diverging disease entities and planning their correct management. We conclude that a correct diagnostic approach and dietary control of both immune- and non-immune-mediated food-induced diseases might minimize the nutritional gaps in these patients, thus helping to improve their quality of life and reduce the economic costs of their management.
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•3D models allow for a fine above ground biomass (AGB) estimation.•Canopy height-derived AGB estimations are little affected by variations of cloud point density.•A meaningful error ...level affects the biomass estimates at very low AGB.•Adjusting the volume by the coefficient of density is the best option in order to estimate AGB.
Primary productivity is a robust indicator of ecosystem functioning because of its close relationships with the stability of the ecological systems. In ecological research, the above ground biomass (AGB) is the most commonly used proxy of primary productivity. However, despite their ecological relevance, the estimates of primary productivity are not addressed by current protocols for monitoring the conservation status of the habitats of Community interest. In this paper, we analyse the accuracy of AGB measurements obtained by image-derived 3D reconstructions of two contrasting mountain grasslands listed as habitats of Community interest in the Annex I of the Habitats Directive. More specifically, we compared the accuracy of the AGB estimates provided by four models, based on four different predictors (height, volume, volume adjusted, and cover volume), in order to evaluate their robustness against within- and between-community heterogeneity. Our study revealed that AGB measures computed from 3D vegetation reconstructions can be an effective way to evaluate primary productivity in herbaceous communities with complex structure and composition patterns. In particular, the vegetation height showed to have the highest correlation with direct AGB measurements. However, the vegetation volume, once adjusted by the coefficient of density, resulted to be the most effective proxy due to the lowest error level. Therefore, such a parameter could be routinely used as a non-destructive indicator for monitoring habitats of particular conservation concern. As a major limitation for this approach, we detected some loss of predictivity power at very low productivity rates.
The conservation of species listed in the Bern Convention and European Directive 1992/43/EEC (so-called policy species) is mandatory for European Union (EU) countries. We assessed the conservation ...status of Italian policy species, based on the IUCN categories and criteria, to evaluate the effectiveness of existing protection measures at the national level. Among the 203 vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens evaluated, 41.9% are categorized as threatened, and one is already extinct, indicating that the protection measures for policy species are inadequate. Our results for the Italian policy species are consistent with those of an assessment at the EU level. Conservation priorities should be established at both the national and regional scales. An effective conservation strategy is needed, and in situ and ex situ actions focused on threatened species should be promoted.
Genetic constraints may increase the extinction risk in small and isolated plant populations. Introducing foreign genes may restore their genetic variability and fitness, but it could also be ...harmful, especially when recipient and donor populations have diverged. In such cases, data on genetic relationships and the possible consequences of different patterns of gene flow are essential for effective conservation. We examined five microsatellite loci to study the genetic relationships among three core populations and an isolated peripheral one of the threatened endemic Dianthus guliae Janka. This provided a base for further genetic analyses and experimental pollinations illustrating links between genetic richness and fitness, and the effects of inter-population mating in two contrasting populations (a large core vs. a small peripheral). Microsatellite loci did not show significant deviations from Hardy–Weinberg expectations. However, the peripheral population had lower heterozygosity, a higher inbreeding coefficient, and significant divergence from core units. Fitness and genetic data indicated an enhanced fitness, along with an improved capacity to rebound heterozygosity deficit after occasional selfing, in the core-population compared to the peripheral one. Crossing within-population did not enhance genetic diversity and fitness in the small peripheral unit, while between-population crossing improved its heterozygosity and fitness. Finally, in the study system, current genetic divergence did not preclude heterosis in the small and isolated population after mating with a larger donor unit.
Several researchers recognize the importance of plants as effective tools for environmental biomonitoring. The black poplar (Populus nigra L.) often emerges as a useful bioindicator of air quality in ...urban environments, where this tree species is widely employed for urban areas. Here, we used ICP-MS analysis to assess the presence and concentration of trace elements, with a special focus on heavy metals (HMs), in black poplar leaves and soil samples from three urbanized sites showing varying degrees of environmental quality. Specifically, the foliar concentrations of Zn (173.3 ppm), Cd (0.7 ppm), Co (1.1 ppm) and As (0.2 ppm) exceeded reference values for unpolluted sites, indicating potential environmental hazards. Additionally, we correlated the foliar concentrations of HMs with those quantified in soil and with air quality data provided by the regional air quality-monitoring network. Subsequently, we estimated the values of foliar fluctuating asymmetry, and evaluated their relationships with HM concentrations in both leaves and soil. Our results suggest that element concentrations in black poplar leaves are related to soil contamination and atmospheric quality, and the extent depends on the proximity to relevant pollution sources. Furthermore, the study species showed a pronounced accumulation capacity for some HMs (i.e., Zn, Cd) commonly found in particulate matter. The extent of foliar fluctuating asymmetry is related to atmospheric quality and HM soil concentration, possibly because of the growth anomalies induced by this kind of environmental contamination. Overall, our data indicate the study species can supply an effective biomonitoring service in urbanized contexts, offering valuable insights into the occurrence and biological implications of heavy metal contamination.
Understanding how functional traits influence community assemblage and functioning is crucial for assessing the effects of global change on vegetation composition. We studied the functional ...composition (i.e., plant size (SIZE), leaf area (LA), specific leaf area (SLA), and leaf dry matter content (LDMC)) of a xerophile pasture and a mesophile grassland in southern Italy, and recorded species richness (SR), plant cover (COV) and flowering rates (FLOW) over a 7-year period. Both communities revealed the dominance of stress-tolerators, probably reflecting an adaptation to the Mediterranean climate. The functional classification of species distinguished three groups. Species from the mesophile community had larger SIZE and LA, while those from the xerophile pasture showed higher LDMC; SLA was not connected to the source community. Community-level analyses confirmed such patterns, but with higher SLA in the mesophile grassland. While SR was comparable, COV and FLOW varied between the communities. At the species level, LDMC was positively related to FLOW and the inter-annual variability of COV and FLOW. At the community level, SIZE, LA and SLA were positively related to COV, while LDMC was positively related to FLOW. Trait variations can significantly contribute to the xerophile–mesophile shift in Mediterranean mountain vegetation, by regulating the productivity of species and communities in the two contexts and, possibly, their responsiveness to global change.
Background: Recent studies have evaluated the upper esophageal sphincter (UES) with high-resolution manometry (HRM) in some esophageal diseases, but not eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). The aim of our ...study was to evaluate the function of the UES across EoE, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), functional dysphagia (FD), and the relationship with esophageal symptoms, esophageal body contraction, and esophagogastric junction (EGJ) metrics. Methods: HRM was performed on 30 EoE, 18 GERD, and 29 FD patients according to the Chicago Classification 3.0. The study data were exported to the online analysis platform Swallow Gateway. The UES was assessed in terms of UES Resting Pressure (UES-RP), UES Basal Pressure (UES-BP), UES Integrated Relaxation Pressure (UES-IRP), UES Relaxation Time (UES-RT), Basal UES Contractile Integral (Basal UES-CI), Post-Deglutitive UES Contractile Integral (Post-Deglutitive UES-CI), and Proximal Contractile Integral (PCI). Results: ANOVA analysis showed significantly higher values of Post-Deglutitive UES-CI in EoE patients compared with FD patients (p = 0.001). Basal UES-CI and UES-RP showed significantly higher values in EoE (p = 0.002, p = 0.038) and GERD (p < 0.001, p = 0.001) patients compared with FD patients. Correlations between LES-CI and Post-Deglutitive UES-CI, Basal UES-CI, and UES-RP (p ≤ 0.001, p = 0.027, p = 0.017, respectively), and between LES-BP and Post-Deglutitive UES-CI (p = 0.019), independent of diagnosis, were shown. No correlations have been demonstrated between the UES, EGJ metrics, and esophageal symptoms. Conclusions: Some differences in UES metrics in the three different diseases were found. Further studies are needed to confirm the results of our pilot study and possible applications in clinical practice.
Background
The knowledge of the genetic architecture of closely related species and/or populations of a single species can be very useful to shed light on the processes that led to their current ...distributions. The present study provides a preliminary evaluation of the conservation status of the populations of
Cryptotaenia thomasii
, a very narrow endemic species occurring in southern Italy. Previous studies showed that
C. thomasii
was phylogenetically closely related to
C. flahaultii,
endemic species of Caucasus, and to evaluate its conservation status and the genetic variability of plant species the internal transcribed spacers (ITSs) of nuclear ribosomal DNA were sequenced and the SNPs were analyzed.
Results
The restriction analysis of nrDNA with the restriction enzymes allowed to detect the presence of two single mutations (SNPs) among the sequences of two species. Our molecular analysis pointed out that
C. thomasii
and
C. flahaultii
, in spite of their geographical disjunction, show a sign of an ancient contact as an extreme case of geographical disjunction Italian-Caucasus.
Conclusion
From the evolutionary history of the species and its distribution pattern one can reconstruct a possible scenario with some hypotheses that explain the hypothetical ancestral area where the two species were in contact. We speculate the two species may have originated from fragmentation of a common ancestor widespread in the Western Palearctic zone and have survived in two separated refuge areas limited by important mountain systems. This hypothesis is supported by our molecular analysis, in fact, the analysis of SNPs showed that some
C. thomasii
populations retain the signs of an ancient link with
C. flahaultii
.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
In this contribution, the conservation status assessment of four vascular plants according to IUCN categories and criteria are presented. It includes the assessment of
Ophrys normanii
J.J.Wood at ...global level, and the regional assessment of
Genista anglica
L.,
Helianthemum lippii
(L.) Dum.Cours., and
Scrophularia lucida
L. (Italy).
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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