A comparative analysis of functional traits in semi-natural grasslands under different grazing intensities

ArticleThe reduction of traditional management practices is a major threat for the conservation of permanent grasslands in many European marginal areas. The ecological importance of grasslands is acknowledged by the European Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC (1992) which includes many natural or semi-natural grassland types, and by the growing attention of society towards functions and services provided by these ecosystems. Nonetheless, the efficiency of conservation policies is questioned also for the lack of local-scale information on trends and state of grasslands hampers the definition of local-tailored schemes. The main objective of this work is to assess the potential of a set of functional traits in discriminating between different management intensities and their capacity to describe the dynamics occurring in semi-natural grasslands. The research was carried out in a hilly area of Tuscany (Italy) on four grassland sites characterized by similar environmental features (soil, climate, topography), and by different management practices for 10 or more years. The survey concerned collection and analysis of different functional traits related to foliar features, litter and botanical composition. The functional traits were able to differentiate the four sites under different management practices, but their effectiveness was different. Results support the possibility to perform a rapid appraisal of grassland successional stages based on leaf functional traits of dominant species and by the assessment of presence of a reduced number of species among those occurring in the community

Evolution of productive and biodiversity features in lucerne fields of different ages

Received: January 10th, 2022 ; Accepted: February 23rd, 2022 ; Published: April 1st, 2022 ; Correspondence: [email protected] sativa is a legume forage crop characterized by high production of forage, with a notable nutritive value, but in mountain areas duration of the crop could be remarkably affected by severe environmental conditions. To assess the vegetation evolution of lucerne crops in relation to crop age, data from fields of lucerne of different ages were collected. The aim is the evaluation of lucerne productive performances, evolution of forage quality and assessment of recovery by autochthonous species that naturally recolonize the studied areas in relation to age of the cropped species. With increasing years, lucerne population was significantly decreased and replaced by different functional types of plants, such as perennial graminoids and short-lived forbs. Biodiversity increased significantly along time, and evolution of similarity indices demonstrated an evolution of vegetation toward that represented by reference grassland of the area. Productive characteristics of forage, in terms of aboveground biomass and quality, were negatively affected by age. Results permitted to assess the evolution of different features of lucerne for a mountain environment and to hypothesize the appropriate management for this resource, that could contemplate also the evolution towards the reconstitution of the reference habitat for the studied area

Evolution of production and forage quality in sown meadows of a mountain area inside Parmesan cheese consortium

Received: January 5th, 2021 ; Accepted: April 7th, 2021 ; Published: May 4th, 2021 ; Correspondence: [email protected] meadows, encompassing alfalfa and grass-legume mixtures, are the forage crops on which is based Parmesan cheese production system in the mountain area of the Apennines (central Italy). These grassland types experience, during their development, deep changes in terms of production potentiality, botanical composition and forage quality, thus these meadows have to be periodically renewed to guarantee adequate productive and qualitative performances. To have an accurate assessment of this evolution along time, a survey was performed in different mountain farms inside the Parmesan cheese consortium, analysing alfalfa meadows and grass-legumes mixtures of different ages. Grasslands were monitored during 2019, performing three samplings during growing season. Aboveground biomass production, botanical composition and crude protein content were collected during the survey. Results permitted to evaluate the level of production decrease along years, the evolution of analysed parameters among cutting dates and the dependence of productive and qualitative features on botanical composition and presence of sown species in the swards. Results were useful to hypothesize the composition of future mixtures, to improve management issues and to delineate the possible duration of sown meadows for the area with respect to different purposes in terms of desired productive or qualitative objectives

Assessment of management effect on grasslands characteristics in an area of the Apennines (North Italy)

In many regions of Europe, semi-natural grasslands not properly utilized face different threats, concerning changes in botanical composition and structural evolution, which can lead to a reduction of the qualitative value of forage biomass or, in the mid-long term, forest recovery. The present paper assesses various semi-natural grasslands within a mountain public property located in Tuscany (North Apennines, Italy) subjected to different types of utilization. Some of them are managed through cattle grazing during summer, whereas some others are only periodically mowed and utilization is performed only by wildlife occurring in the area. The paper analyses the importance of resource management and its impact on botanical composition and on qualitative value of forage production. Data collection of studied areas was conducted by means of vegetation assessment performed with a fast procedure that simplifies the botanical composition sampling. Results show the relevance of some environmental factors on grasslands evolution and on their composition (such as altitude and slope) and the importance of management on grassland quality and on level of shrub encroachment

Use of Annual Self-Reseeding Legumes in an Oak Forest in Central Italy

A trial has been carried out for three years in an oak coppice geometrically thinned out of Mediterranean Central Italy, about the functioning of a pastoral system made by four different resources: native pasture, subterranean clover (Trifolium brachycalycinum Katzn. et Morley) in pure stand, strips thinned out and firebreaks improved with oversown subclover, all grazed by sheep. Subclover increased the forage yield and improved the palatabilty of the pasture and the regularity of grazing; the higher biomass intake by animals reduced the quantity of dried biomass in summer and contributed to keep low either fire hazards or flame diffusion speed. Data underlined the importance of deferred grazing and of the combination of different native or improved resources on the seasonal distribution of production and animal intake

Accident scenarios caused by lightning impact on atmospheric storage tanks

In recent years, severe natural events raised the concern for the so-called NaTech (natural-technological) accident scenarios: Technological accidents caused by the impact of a natural event on an industrial facility or infrastructure. Severe scenarios typical of the process industry, as fires, explosions, toxic releases, and water pollution were reported as the consequence of natural events in industrial areas. The historical analysis of accidental scenarios triggered by lightning shows that the impact of a lightning on an atmospheric storage tank might be the initiating event of a severe accident. The analysis of past accident evidences that several alternative damage mechanisms and accident scenarios may follow lightning impact. Although lightning hazard is well known and is usually considered in the risk analysis of chemical and process plants, well accepted quantitative procedures to assess the contribution of accidents triggered by lightning to industrial risk are still lacking. In particular, the approaches to the assessment of accident scenarios following lightning strike are mostly based on expert judgment. In the present study, a detailed methodology is presented for the assessment of quantified event trees following lightning impact on an atmospheric tank. Different damage mechanisms have been considered in order to assess the frequencies of loss of containment due to lightning strikes. The results were used in a case study to assess the overall risk due to lightning impact scenarios in typical lay-outs of tank farms of oil refineries. Copyright © 2013, AIDIC Servizi S.r.l

Valutazione di inerbimenti in alcune aree toscane interessate dal passaggio del metanodotto

Abstract: Revegetation assessment on different areas of methane pipeline in Tuscany. Degraded areas due to extra-agricultural activity (such as quarries, dumps, ski runs, methane tracks, etc.) or to natural events (such as landslides) are present in a wide part of Italian territory and for this reason is extremely necessary an effective restoration in order to reduce erosion risks and to permit their better integration in the surrounding landscape. Revegetation is usually performed using commercial mixtures constituted by species with a forage aptitude. The aim of this work was to analyse the evolution of revegetation performed on different areas of methane pipeline in Tuscany (central Italy), both in Mediterranean environments and in mountain areas. Knowledge of mixture used during revegetation and time of intervention allowed, on one hand, to discriminate species introduced by revegetation from those coming out from native recolonisation of tracks, on the other hand, to know the age of canopies at time of botanical analysis. The following variables were assessed on the studied herbaceous resources: ground cover, floristic composition, biodiversity, level of recolonization by native species, similarity with natural areas. Data collection permitted the evaluation of efficiency of studied revegetation, the awareness of the role played by sown and native species, the estimation of the level of native species in order to integrate the restoration with the environment and the analysis of most important parameters that affect vegetal evolution in these peculiar settings

Evolution of revegetated ski slopes in different environments

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