SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES IN DUNE HABITATS BETWEEN TUSCAN AND DOBROGEAN COASTS (NORTH-WESTERN ITALY VERSUS ROMANIA & NORTHERN BULGARIA)

We report and compare the foredune habitats of some areas located along the coasts of Tuscany (It) and Dobrogea (Ro, Bu), focusing on the floristic and phytocoenotic features, through phytosociological surveys carried out along the two coasts, very different from the biogeographical point of view. Both coasts are about 300 km long and have approximately 200 km of sandy beaches. Among dune habitats (sensu Directive 92/43/EEC) only those of the foredunes (upper beach and mobile dunes) seemed to be shared. The comparison of phytosociological relevés performed in the two areas and concerning these foredune habitats, have highlighted: a) a high floristic and phytocoenotic diversity even in the same habitats of the two different sandy coasts; b) a tendency for the floristic differences to increase from ephemeral dune habitats (annual vegetation of drift lines) to the inner dunes (white dunes); c) diagnostic species of habitats are shared significantly only for habitat 1210

SPARTINA VERSICOLOR FABRE IN COASTAL AREAS OF TUSCANY (ITALY)

This paper aims to present an overview of Spartina versicolor Fabre populations in the coastal areas of Tuscany (Italy), in relation to its ecology and phytosociology. Geobotanical surveys were carried out on the sedimentary coasts along the whole region. Data show that the species grows in embryo dunes, retrodunal sandy lowlands and surrounding wet areas that are moderately saline. In all cases observed, the species exhibited also a high sterility and clonal spread. Phytosociological data show different associative behaviours of S. versicolor in different environment types. In particular it is possible to identify three different phytocoenoses strictly related to the environmental typologies (dunal, interdunal/retrodunal or wet) and also to soil salinity. In addition, the observations led us to describe a new subassociation

The forested agricoltural landscape of Pisdan plain: the Coltano estate

The frequency and coverage of individuals of L. nobilis has reached values over time such as to induce the scientific community and local governments to establish in the northern sector, a nature reserve of about 9 ha called " Forest of laurels ", considered by some authors, one of the few wild and spontaneous stations of Laurus nobilis of peninsular and insular Ital

Ecological and phytosociological aspects of foredune vegetation in a neogenic beach of Tuscany coast (Italy)

An investigation of foredune vegetation of a 2 km long stretch of coast of North West Tuscany (Italy) is conducted. This area has geomorphological features that are very peculiar and different from the rest of the sandy shores of the Tuscan coast. The current beach of about 22 ha, is the result of recent deposits (from the early decades of the last century), derivatives of the production of soda and mainly made from waste carbonate (CaCO3 mainly) that are still discharged into the sea from a chemical factory nearby to the coast. This results in a marked progradation of this stretch of coastline, with a major development of dune vegetation in contrast with neighboring coastal areas. The vegetation analysis and zonation of plant communities show strong anomalies when compared with dune habitats of the nearby beaches. It has been noted that associations typical of ephemeral and embryonic dune such as Salsolo-Cakiletum and Echinophoro - Elymetum, are almost absent. These characteristic associations have now been replaced with extended surfaces of Sporobolus virginicus and an anomalous distribution of Echinophoro-Ammophiletum. This seems partly due to the significant human interference but also to the particular type of substrate.When human interference is absent and the soil type changes, we see the recovery of normal zonation

Floristic and vegetational characterization of degraded areas in the province of Pisa: the case of a dismissed quarry and the neighboring territory (Municipality of Vecchiano)

The natural restoration of abandoned mining areas is one of the most complex environmental challenges due to the multiplicity of issues involved. In general, the spontaneous dynamics of renaturation in the quarry areas are very slow and altered because of limiting environmental conditions. So, recovery actions should promote ecological processes interrupted by mining and then the acceleration of the natural dynamics. Presently, in the province of Pisa several abandoned quarries have not undergone the necessary environmental recovery and, for this reason, they are classified as "areas of geophysical degradation". These include the former quarry C.E.I. dismissed in 1992 and located on the Monti d’Oltre Serchio in the municipality of Vecchiano (PI). The present work was focused on the flora and vegetation of this area. The study area, including the quarry (2.9 ha), the remaining sides of the Poggio dei Cavoli and the adjacent ridge of "Sassi Grossi", is characterized by limestone formations of the non metamorphic Tuscan Falda. It is characterized by a rather hard carsism, with almost no soil and high pH in the quarry area, while it is rich in oxides and lacking humus in the outer portions. Inside the cave, however, the scarcity of vegetation cover and the strong albedo, due to the light-colored rock, cause a different microclimate, characterized by dryness and higher temperature. The flora consists of more than 200 vascular species, of which about 50 are restricted to the quarry and 85 to adjacent areas. Particularly important is the number of floristic emergences, including rare orchids and ferns, which induced some scientists to propose the inclusion of the study area within the Regional Park of Migliarino-San Rossore-Massaciuccoli. This makes the site interesting from an environmental perspective and therefore, worthy of further valorisation and protection. The analysis of aerial photographs and surveys conducted in the field has allowed the identification of the main types of vegetation (Fig. 1). In the territory outside the extraction site, the Mediterranean Macchia (high, medium and low) with evergreen sclerophyllous (Quercion ilicis) in catenal contact with the Garrigue (Rosmarinetalia officinalis and Thero-Brachypodietalia), and the mixed forest with dominant oak and transitional pruneto (referable to the alliance Quercion pubescentis- petraeae Br. Bl. 1931), can be found. The quarry area is, instead, dominated by a pioneer vegetation that is hygrophile on the plain of the quarry, and lithophile on the front. This latter, at least in part, has species in common with the surrounding garrigues. This is interpreted as the initial stage of the series of vegetation that should lead to the reconstitution of the original forest cover, represented by the actual vegetation of the adjacent areas. The widespread presence of species such as Rubus ulmifolius, Clematis vitalba and Dittrichia viscosa (L.) Greuter, and of invasive exotic species, such as Cortaderia selloana, Robinia pseudoacacia, Buddleja davidii and Ailanthus altissima, reveal that, without proper action, it is difficult to imagine a fast around the quarry

Floristic Inventory of Ethnobotanically Important Halophytes of North-Western Mediterranean Coastal Brackish Areas, Tuscany, Italy

Plants have always been used by people for multiple purposes, but over the centuries knowledge of useful plants has largely been lost. Through ethnobotanical studies it is possible to retrieve information on the uses of plants and renew the ancient attention to plants which could be useful to apply in modern applications. In this context, the ethnobotanical use of halophytes has not been explored in depth. The present study focused on the flora of two brackish areas of the north-western Mediterranean sited in Tuscany, Italy. This research aimed to identify the halophyte species of ethnobotanical interest and create a relative map database of the study areas. The floristic list of the two areas, including 78 halophyte and non-halophyte species, was created following periodic field sampling, localization of the species by GPS, and taxonomic identification. The ethnobotanical information was acquired through a bibliographic survey. Botanical, geographic, and ethnobotanical information was filed and included in floristic maps produced using the free Open Source QGIS software. Of the total wild species surveyed, 50% were halophytes with ethnobotanical properties, with a predominance for medicinal ones. Some of them are the subject of numerous studies today such as those on antioxidants. Both investigated areas showed a high floristic and ethnobotanical value. This makes them interesting as potential germplasm banks to be used in various application contexts of ethnobotany

Dune habitats vulnerability to the climate change

Italy sandy coasts are characterized by a great diversity of habitats and, at the same time, many of these coastal stretches are in erosive condition. The causes of erosion are represented by multiple factors essentially geomorphological but to which today others of a climatic change can be added. These are linked to the intensification of extreme climatic events and/or sea level rise. Therefore, it is important to understand, in areas where marine erosion is particularly strong, which are the most vulnerable and most threatened habitats. This paper sets out a summary of the results obtained up to now from the survey of dune habitats (sensu Directive 92/43/EEC) along the northern Tyrrhenian coast. This investigations, aim to point out the arrangement of these habitats in relation to extreme weather events and dune erosion and the different resilience in the face of important changes in the beach/dune system

Archaeobotanical finds from the Brina medieval castle in the lower Magra valley (La Spezia - Italy): first results

This paper presents the results of the first study of the archaeobotanical finds from the medieval settlement of Brina (X-XVI century A.D.) located in a hilly territory in the lower Magra valley near Sarzana (La Spezia - Italy) (Figure 1). These macroremains are mostly represented by a large amount of charred wheat caryopses and broad bean seeds, in addition to a small amount of seeds and / or fruits of wild species. All these macroremains were found in two distinct areas inside the settlement walls and in ground pits in a storage area and from vessels used in a sort of a ‘dry kiln’ used in the XI century AD. What remained belonged to agricultural production of crops that supposedly were not in close proximity to the settlement, given the topographical position of the castle yet in the same territory of jurisdiction of the castle

Rewetting in Mediterranean reclaimed peaty soils and its potential for phyto-treatment use

A pilot experimental field combining rewetting of reclaimed peaty soils and water phyto-treatment was set up in the Massaciuccoli Lake basin (Tuscany, Italy) to reduce the water eutrophication and peat degradation caused by almost a century of drainage-based agricultural use. In this paper, we investigated the restoration process occurring consequently to the conversion of a drained area in a natural wetland system (NWS) (the partial top soil removal, the realization of a perimeter levee to contain the waters, the rewetting with the drainage waters coming from the of surrounding cultivated areas) and the capability of the spontaneous vegetation to catch nutrients acting as a vegetation filter. To follow the restoration process over time (2012e2016), we used a mixed approach merging phytosociological surveys with ortophotos taken by an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). During the last year of observation (2016), we performed destructive sampling on the most widespread plant communities in the area (Phragmites australis and Myriophyllum aquaticum community) to quantify the biomass production and the uptake of nitrogen and phosphorus. Stands of Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. yielded more than Myriophyllum aquaticum (Vell.) Verdc. (4.94 kg m-2 vs 1.08 kg m-2). M. aquaticum showed higher nutrient contents (2.04% of N and 0.35% of P), however P. australis was able to take up more nutrients within the NWS because of its larger cover and productivity. In the perspective of maximizing the plant development and consequently the amount of nutrients extracted from treated waters, the authors suggest 4-5 year-long-harvesting turns, better occurring in spring-summer

Immunolocalisation of vasoactive intestinal peptide and substance P in the developing gut of Dicentrarchus labrax (L.)

This study was carried out on the sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) to follow, during development, the appearance and distribution of substance P (SP) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), which act on gut motility. The results suggest that SP and VIP play an important role as neuromodulators, influencing the motility of the digestive tract starting from the early stages of gut development, even prior to exotrophic feeding. In the peptidergic nervous system, the appearance of immunoreactivity to SP began at the rectum and followed a distal to proximal gradient, whereas for VIP, it began proximally and progressed along a proximal to distal gradient. The two peptides also appeared in gut epithelial cells. In some regions, all the cells were positive. From this distribution of positive cells, we conclude that these peptides may also have other roles, besides being neurotransmitters in the enteric nervous system and hormones of the gastro-entero-pancreatic system. VIP and SP might have paracrine and/or autocrine activity in the physiological maturation of the gut epithelium, as it has already been hypothesised for other peptides