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

CCRL2 Expression by Specialized Lung Capillary Endothelial Cells Controls NK-cell Homing in Lung Cancer

Patterns of receptors for chemotactic factors regulate the homing of leukocytes to tissues. Here we report that the CCRL2/chemerin/CMKLR1 axis represents a selective pathway for the homing of natural killer (NK) cells to the lung. C-C motif chemokine receptor-like 2 (CCRL2) is a nonsignaling seven-transmembrane domain receptor able to control lung tumor growth. CCRL2 constitutive or conditional endothelial cell targeted ablation, or deletion of its ligand chemerin, were found to promote tumor progression in a Kras/p53Flox lung cancer cell model. This phenotype was dependent on the reduced recruitment of CD27- CD11b+ mature NK cells. Other chemotactic receptors identified in lung-infiltrating NK cells by single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), such as Cxcr3, Cx3cr1, and S1pr5, were found to be dispensable in the regulation of NK-cell infiltration of the lung and lung tumor growth. scRNA-seq identified CCRL2 as the hallmark of general alveolar lung capillary endothelial cells. CCRL2 expression was epigenetically regulated in lung endothelium and it was upregulated by the demethylating agent 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-Aza). In vivo administration of low doses of 5-Aza induced CCRL2 upregulation, increased recruitment of NK cells, and reduced lung tumor growth. These results identify CCRL2 as an NK-cell lung homing molecule that has the potential to be exploited to promote NK cell-mediated lung immune surveillance

Comparison between sampling methods for the assessment of rangeland resources in eastern Italian Alps

The paper reports the results of the comparison between two sampling methods to assess pasture vegetation: i) a stratified sampling, which represents the commonly adopted method for the evaluation of pastures, and ii) a systematic sampling, which is more used in forest inventories. The study was carried out in the Comelico region (Veneto, Northern Italy) over an area of 1250 ha (including forests). The two methods showed significant differences in the estimate of pasture surfaces, whilst no significant differences were found as for the estimate of other important parameters, like floristic composition, pastoral value and pasture stocking rate

Layman’s report - Selvicoltura innovativa per accrescere stabilità e biodiversità dei popolamenti artificiali di pino nero - Innovative silviculture to improve both stability and biodiversity of artificial stands of black pine

Il pino nero di cui si è interessato il SelPiBioLife (Pinus nigra var. austriaca Hoss. e Pinus nigra var. calabrica Delam.) è diffuso su oltre 200.000 ettari in Italia e più di 800.000 ettari in Europa. In Italia, dal 1880 ai primi anni ‘70, si è impiegata questa specie per realizzare rimboschimenti con lo scopo di recuperare terreni montani superficiali, poco fertili e/o degradati dal pascolo. La maggior parte delle piantagioni di pino nero, pressoché pure, ha oggi un’età compresa tra 47 e 67 anni. Il problema che le riguarda, e che è stato affrontato dal progetto SelPiBioLife, è che a pochi anni dall’impianto dovevano essere effettuati diradamenti che non sono mai stati fatti. La forte densità iniziale ha determinato la crescita di piante con tronchi lunghi e sottili, generalmente poco stabili, ma oggi ancora più a rischio per gli eventi estremi originati dal cambiamento climatico. Il forte ombreggiamento delle chiome, a sua volta, causando un ridotto afflusso di luce, potrebbe avere provocato anche una limitata biodiversità al suol

Characterization of an abandoned pastoral area in the Northern Apennines, Italy

This paper reports the first results of an investigation carried out within the research project "Study and improvement of woods and shrubbery derived from abandoned agricultural areas" (RiSelvItalia Project). Changes occurred in the past 50 years in the pastoral area of S. Paolo in Alpe (Appennino Romagnolo, Northern Apennines, Italy) were described on the grounds of photo-interpretation of three sets of aerial photos (1955, 1976, 1997). A high reduction of the surface of sowable lands and pastures (from 80% to 33%) was pointed out, together with an increase of shrubbery (from 5% to 18%) and woods (from 0 to 42%). The characterization of woods, shrubbery and pastures was performed through structural transects and phyto-sociological investigations. Thus it was possible to reconstruct the dynamic series of vegetation, from grasslands belonging to the association Centaureo bracteatae-Brometum erecti (Festuco-Brometea) to woods referable to the association Aceri obtusati-quercetum cerridis (Querco-Fagetea). Investigations on meadows revealed also a good quality of pastures, not only in open grasslands (mean pastoral value - VP - of 30), but even in partially shrubby areas (VP 21). Some guidelines for a multi-purpose exploitation of the site are suggested, taking into account not only economic aspects, but also the conservation of environment and landscape