In this paper on the distribution of carabids at high altitudes, the effect of Nature 2000 habitat and landform types in driving ground beetle (Carabidae) distribution at high altitudes in the ...Western Dolomites (Brenta group, Italy) was studied. Papers studying carabid beetles in forested habitats investigated the effect of different stand composition (pure oak stands, oak–pine mixed stands, single tree admixtures of oak in pine stands, and pure pine stands) on the abundance and spatial distribution of large-sized Carabus species, as well as the effect of forest type (broad-leaved deciduous forests vs. coniferous plantations) on the diversity and community composition of ground beetles; furthermore, the effect of various forest edges (natural vs. anthropogenic edges) on the abundance of ground beetles of different habitat affinity and dispersal power was examined. The paper on predation pressure aimed to explore the predation pressure on carabids using 3D-printed decoys installed in two types of forestry treatments, preparation cuts and clear cuts, and control plots in an oak–hornbeam forest.
The Serra de São Mamede Natural Park is a biodiversity hotspot in the broad region of Alentejo, Portugal, where the influence of the Atlantic Ocean allows for the continuity of a Eurosiberian-like ...forest in the heart of a Mediterranean region. The park is therefore unique among the few protected areas in Portugal. We attempt to describe the macrofungal diversity of the park for the first time. Our results reveal a rich and diverse assembly of macrofungal species (239 taxa), and in particular, mycorrhizal species (145 taxa). Furthermore, 26 taxa are newly recorded from Portugal, while 81 taxa are newly recorded from Alto Alentejo Province. Also, the majority of these newly reported taxa were recorded in mixed stands of
Quercus pyrenaica
Willd.-a European protected habitat of limited extent-whose importance is enhanced now the rich and diverse associated macrofungal community, as shown in our study.
We evaluated the ecological impacts of the invasive alien species (IAS) Acacia saligna on the vegetation composition and structure of two coastal dunes woody habitats of Union concern (2250*: coastal ...dunes with Juniperus spp. and 2260: dunes with sclerophyllous vegetation consisting of Cisto-Lavanduletalia). We sampled 20 paired plots per habitat type under invaded (A. saligna cover > 70%) and non-invaded conditions, following a stratified random protocol. We tested the differences between invaded and non-invaded plots in terms of species composition of the entire species pool and of different ecological guilds and growth forms. Our findings showed that the invaded maquis (habitat 2260) had a significant decline in median richness (5 vs 2) and median cover (24.50 vs 8.00) of focal species and a significant increase in median cover of ruderal species (2.00 vs 5.50). The invaded juniper shrubs (EU habitat 2250*) preserved the typical species composition, but with significant variations in vegetation structure. The approach adopted in this study, accompanied by the results obtained, contribute towards fulfilling EU Regulation 1143/2014 on IAS.
Key policy insights
Results reveal worrying levels of biodiversity loss on coastal dunes due to the invasion of the invasive alien species (IAS) Acacia saligna.
We detected remarkable changes in the physiognomy of the Mediterranean maquis coastal dunes - a landscape that is losing its biological uniqueness.
The spread of A. saligna is having negative ecological effects upon the conservation status of two habitats of Union concern (codes 2250* and 2260).
Urgent preventive measures, effective control strategies and eradication of A. saligna must be implemented across the Mediterranean Nature 2000 Coastal Protected Areas Network.
The approach adopted and results obtained contribute to fulfilling EU Regulation 1143/2014 on IAS.
The present study deals with the estimation of the evolution tendency of the environmental stage of a protected habitat with predominant forest vegetation, during a short period of time, using ...techniques specific to remote sensing. Therefore, two important spectral indexes were tested while assessing the health of the forest ecosystems: i.e. the
and the
. The period of time taken into consideration for the study was, 2013 - 2019, having used medium resolution satellite photos, Landsat 8 OLI, having initially undergone standard pre-processing operations (resize data, radiometric calibration, atmospheric correction). The satellite images modified according to the Top of Atmosphere Reflectance and corrected topographically resulted into getting values for the two before mentioned indexes. The quantity-spatial results obtained, correlated to the monthly values of the precipitations processed in order to obtain the
(Standardized Precipitation Index), mostly reveal, in what SIPI and also NDVI are concerned, a slight decrease in the quality of the forest on the analysed area in the sense that the vegetation stress is increased under meteorological factors, expressed differently depending on the morphometric and pedological parameters of the habitat.
In this paper the authors show some ecological researches about the ornithofauna registered on the Piteşti Basin (part of the Argeş River Basins, site included in the Nature 2000 network) performed ...during 2003 – 2011. 189 birds’ species were identified. They belong to 17 orders, the Passeriformes order (with 88 species) being the best represented regarding the number of species. The high number of species recorded from April to September suggests that the area is favourable for many species of birds that breed or eat here in the passage period. Concerning the constancy, the most species were the accidental species and concerning the dominance, the most species were the subrecedent species. Anas platyrhynchos, Fulica atra and Larus ridibundus were the eudominant species. Generally, their number of individuals was the biggest from November to February, the Piteşti Basin representing for them an important place of wintering. 41 species belong to Annexe 1 of the Birds Directive.
A study of the bryophyte flora of the gypsum outcrops in six sites of the Nature 2000 Network of the Emilia-Romagna Region was conducted in order to contribute to the conservation of the biodiversity ...of these sites. Subsequently, the main ecological and chorological aspects of the areas were analyzed, and with this information a series of target species was identified as indicators of the conditions of naturality or of progressive anthropization and deterioration of the areas.
The present paper reports the development of a public project addressed to build up and publish a DNA barcode reference library for the animal species occurring in Italy listed in the II, IV and V ...Annexes of the “Habitats Directive” 92/43/EEC. DNA barcoding is a global standard, namely a procedure based on a gene sequence located in a standardized genome region as a diagnostic biomarker for species. DNA barcodes data have been either produced in our laboratories or collected from the literature and international gene databases. They were subsequently used to assemble a database containing both genetic data and information related to the origin of the data. This project represents the first pilot store of DNA sequence data built-in interoperability within the portal of the National Network of Biodiversity of the Italian Ministry of the Environment. The archive, called "DNA Barcode Database of Italian Nature 2000 animal species" (owned by the Zoology and Evolutionary Biology group at Tor Vergata University), was implemented in a relational DBMS with a free license program (PostgreSQL v9.3.4), mapped using the schema ABCD and the extension DNA, and then made interoperable using the software BioCASE (v3.6.0).
The current study focuses on the demographic profile research of Nature 2000 sites belonging to 28 administrative entities located in Bihor County, in northwestern Romania. For the purposes of this ...study, out of the 74 local administrative units (LAUs) holding protected areas of the type Nature 2000 while only sites that cover over 40% of the administrative entities’ area were taken into account. Starting from the interrelation of the contact between human communities and local ecosystems, the research sought to determine the interdependence level between the local residents’ lifestyle and the biodiversity-related maintenance/preservation of these protected areas.
Based on the referenced statistics, more demographic indicators were calculated (population decrement, population density, structure by age, dependency index, active population and structure by industry) and basic indicators of pressure on the environment (naturality index, human pressure through land use and forest area per capita). Each of these factors are meant to reveal how man cohabitates with nature in a balanced or disrupted manner according to the study results. Thus, considering the 28 LAUs from case to case, areas where environmental health tends to insecurity were identified, but there are cases in which it is satisfactory thanks to the existence of massive woodlands over wide areas, while also being due to a considerable demographic decrement.
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