The main hypothesis of this work was that Sicilian forestry resources are suitable for the production of equipment to be used in cheese making and indigenous milk lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are able ...to develop stable biofilms providing starter and nonstarter cultures necessary for curd fermentation and cheese ripening, respectively. Hence, the present work was carried out with deproteinized whey to evaluate LAB biofilm formation on different woods derived from tree species grown in Sicily. Microbiological and scanning electron microscopy analyses showed minimal differences in microbial levels and compositions for the neoformed biofilms. The specific investigation of
spp.,
,
, coagulase-positive staphylococci (CPS), and sulfite-reducing anaerobes did not generate any colony for all vats before and after bacterial adhesion. LAB populations dominated all vat surfaces. The highest levels (7.63 log CFU/cm
) were registered for thermophilic cocci. Different colonies were characterized physiologically, biochemically, and genetically (at strain and species levels). Six species within the genera
,
,
, and
were identified. The species most frequently present were
and
LAB found on the surfaces of the wooden vats in this study showed interesting characteristics important for dairy manufacture. To thoroughly investigate the safety of the wooden vat, a test of artificial contamination on new Calabrian chestnut (control wood) vats was carried out. The results showed that LAB represent efficient barriers to the adhesion of the main dairy pathogens, probably due to their acidity and bacteriocin generation.
This study highlights the importance of using wooden vats for traditional cheese production and provides evidence for the valorization of the Sicilian forest wood resources via the production of dairy equipment.
Background:
Today, old citrus fruit varieties with traits suited to a market more attentive to a limited territorial distribution of certain species and the preservation of biodiversity are being ...promoted. One of these is the Portugal orange. The name 'Portugal' disappeared from the writings on citrus fruit growing in the first half of the last century, systematically replaced by the name 'Common Blond'.
Methods:
One hundred fruits of ‘Portugal’ and ‘Common Blond’ oranges come from two varietal collections found in Sicily. Physico-chemical and sensory analyses were carried out to evaluate the qualitative characteristics of both varieties and to confirm or confute the previous hypothesis.
Results:
These analyses confirm that from the point of view of fruit quality, there are no significant differences between 'Portugal' and 'Common Blond' oranges. The differences found can be attributed to the different growing environments,
i.e
. cultural practices, microclimate, fertilization,
etc
.
Conclusion:
Furthermore, the historical information provided also supports the hypothesis that the 'Portugal' orange simply changed its name to 'Common Blond', even though there were numerous bud variations that led to the selection of different clones.
Clarifying which factors cause an increase or decrease in soil organic carbon (SOC) after agricultural abandonment requires integration of data on the temporal dynamics of the plant community and ...SOC. A chronosequence of abandoned vineyards was studied on a volcanic island (Pantelleria, Italy). Vegetation in the abandoned fields was initially dominated by annual and perennial herbs, then by Hyparrhenia hirta (L.) Stapf, and finally by woody communities. As a consequence, the dominant photosynthetic pathway changed from C3 to C4 and then back to C3. Conversion of a plant community dominated by one photosynthetic pathway to another changes the 13C/12C ratio of inputs to SOC. Using the time since abandonment and the shift in belowground δ13C of SOC relative to the aboveground δ13C plant community, we estimated C3-C and C4-C changes during secondary succession.
SOC content (gkg−1) increased linearly (R2=0.89 and 0.73 for 0–15 and 15–30cm soil depth) with the age of abandonment, increasing from 12gkg−1 in cultivated vineyards to as high as 26gkg−1 in the last stage of the succession. δ13C increased in the bulk soil and its three aggregate fractions (>250, 250–25, and <25μm) during succession, but the effect of soil depth and its interaction with succession age were significant only for soil aggregate fractions. Polynomial curves described the change in δ13C over the chronosequence for both depths. δ13C in the bulk soil had increased from −28‰ to −24‰ by 35years after abandonment for both depths but then decreased to −26‰ at 60years after abandonment (corresponding with maturity of the woody plant community). Overall, the results indicate that abandoned vineyards on volcanic soil in a semi-arid environment are C sinks and that C storage in these soils is closely related to plant succession.
► Volcanic soils of semi-arid vine old fields may be C sinks. ► Soil organic carbon increases linearly with abandonment age. ► Soil organic carbon increases the most in the micro-aggregate fraction. ► With increasing time since abandonment, micro-aggregate mass increases. ► New C replaces old C in all soil aggregate fractions, except for the smallest one.
Abandonment of agricultural land leads to several consequences for ecosystem functions. Agricultural abandonment may be a significant and low cost strategy for carbon sequestration and mitigation of ...anthropogenic CO2 emissions due to the vegetation recovery and increase in soil organic matter. The aim of this study was to: (i) estimate the influence of different Soil Regions (areas characterized by a typical climate and parent material association) and Bioclimates (zones with homogeneous climatic regions and thermotype indices) on soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics after agricultural land abandonment; and (ii) to analyse the efficiency of the agri-environment policy (agri-environment measures) suggested by the European Commission in relation to potential SOC stock ability in the Sicilian Region (Italy). In order to quantify the effects of agricultural abandonment on SOC, a dataset with original data that was sampled in Sicily and existing data from the literature were analysed according to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) methodology. Results showed that abandonment of cropland soils increased SOC stock by 9.03MgCha−1 on average, ranging from 5.4MgCha−1 to 26.7MgCha−1 in relation to the Soil Region and Bioclimate. The estimation of SOC change after agricultural use permitted calculation of the payments for ecosystem service (PES) of C sequestration after agricultural land abandonment in relation to environmental benefits, increasing in this way the efficiency of PES. Considering the 14,337ha of abandoned lands in Sicily, the CO2 emission as a whole was reduced by 887,745Mg CO2. Therefore, it could be concluded that abandoned agricultural fields represents a valid opportunity to mitigate agriculture sector emissions in Sicily.
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•SOC after agricultural land abandonment was affected by Soil Region and Bioclimate.•IPCC factors were calculated for Soil Region∗Bioclimate interaction.•C stored in abandoned soil would offset of 6% of the agriculture Sicilian emissions.•Agro Environmental measures must be site specific to improve payments efficiency.
Vegetation natural regeneration after agricultural abandonment is changing the landscape patterns in many areas worldwide. However, the expansion rate, spatio-temporal dynamics, and the role of past ...vegetation cover in shaping such patterns are still barely quantified in fine and meso scales. Here, we aim to quantify the expansion rate and assess the spatio-temporal patterns and the effects of past cover on natural woody vegetation cover increase. We sampled woodland and shrubland cover from 1992 to 2016 in 30 ha in a formerly managed pastureland in Sicily, Italy. We combined field sampling, GIS tools, and spatial analysis to assess the spatial structure dynamics and test the effects of past cover amount and type and distance from forest or nearest woody patch on the proportional expansion of natural regeneration. After 24 years, woody cover increased 68%, despite the aggregated spatial structure in 1992 remaining almost unchanged in 2016. The past vegetation cover was the best predictor of woody vegetation expansion in two out of three plots. Distance to continuous forest and to the nearest woody patch, as well as cover type, was not relevant. Our study highlights the importance of fine-and meso-scale studies to reveal both the deterministic and stochastic facet of woody vegetation dynamics. Natural regeneration may strongly change landscape patterns even under constant herbivory pressure and long-term deforestation. The detection of cold and hotspots of regeneration provide an important prompt for the design of restoration programs and landscape management.
The present study provides a critical review of the available historical data on the distribution of
Abies nebrodensis
, a fir tree endemic to Sicily. The only (somewhat ambiguous) references to its ...occurrence on Mount Etna date back to the 1st century
bc
and refer back to the 3rd century
bc
. Although the botanical and forestry literature and the very few surviving herbarium specimens do not prove that
A. nebrodensis
grew outside the Madonie mountain range, several indications suggest its past occurrence on other Sicilian mountain ranges such as the Erei, Nebrodi, and probably also Sicani mountains. The results of the most recent pollen investigations (still ongoing) point to the disappearance of
Abies
from most of Sicily by the 1st century
bc
, and at least since the Middle Ages
A. nebrodensis
had become extremely rare even on the Madonie mountains. Publications focused on the wooden artefacts from archaeological excavations and the restoration of architectural heritage have provided some information on the past use of fir wood in Sicily, but the species identity of the firs being used remain unresolved. The present review of the past occurrence and distribution of
A. nebrodensis
suggests that it may have previously occupied a wider ecological niche.
Natural regeneration of vegetation is a frequent outcome of land abandonment, although the rate and diversity of such regeneration may be severely restricted by seed dispersal limitation, among other ...factors. In spite of this, studies aiming to quantify seed rain and test methods to enhance it, such as artificial perches, are still underrepresented in the Mediterranean. In our study, we quantified seed rain density and richness and tested the effects of artificial perches on such rain over a distance gradient on seven Mediterranean island old fields. In each of the seven sites, we positioned three sampling stations, each consisting of 1 seed trap under an artificial perch and 1 as a control on the ground, distributed at 30, 60, and 90 m from natural vegetation remnant. All traps received seeds, suggesting no overall dispersal limitation. Of the 11 seed species found, 10 were fleshy‐fruited and dispersed by vertebrates. Seed traps under perches received significantly higher seed rain of fleshy‐fruited species dispersed by birds, while ground traps received significantly more seeds of the species also dispersed by mammals, especially Rubus ulmifolius. The distance from the seed source was nonsignificant in all cases. Our study demonstrates the key role of vertebrate‐mediated seed dispersal services to overcome dispersal limitation in old fields, as well as the effective contribution of even small artificial perches in contrasting such limitation. The lack of differences over the distance gradient reveal that the upper spatial limit of dispersal limitation was not achieved.
The occurrence of old-growth forests is quite limited in Mediterranean islands, which have been subject to particularly pronounced human impacts. Little is known about the carbon stocks of such ...peculiar ecosystems compared with different stages of secondary succession. We investigated the carbon variation in aboveground woody biomass, in litter and soil, and the nitrogen variation in litter and soil, in a 100 years long secondary succession in Mediterranean ecosystems. A vineyard, three stages of plant succession (high maquis, maquis-forest, and forest-maquis), and an old growth forest were compared. Soil samples at two soil depths (0-15 and 15-30 cm), and two litter types, relatively undecomposed and partly decomposed, were collected. Carbon stock in aboveground woody biomass increased from 6 Mg ha-1 in the vineyard to 105 Mg ha-1 in old growth forest. Along the secondary succession, soil carbon considerably increased from about 33 Mg ha-1 in the vineyard to about 69 Mg ha-1 in old growth forest. Soil nitrogen has more than doubled, ranging from 4.1 Mg ha-1 in the vineyard to 8.8 Mg ha-1 in old growth forest. Both soil parameters were found to be affected by successional stage and soil depth but not by their interaction. While the C/N ratio in the soil remained relatively constant during the succession, the C/N ratio of the litter strongly decreased, probably following the progressive increase in the holm oak contribution. While carbon content in litter decreased along the succession, nitrogen content slightly increased. Overall, carbon stock in aboveground woody biomass, litter and soil increased from about 48 Mg ha-1 in the vineyard to about 198 Mg ha-1 in old growth forest. The results of this study indicate that, even in Mediterranean environments, considerable amounts of carbon may be stored through secondary succession processes up to old growth forest.
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