An Indicator to Evaluate the Environmental Impact of Olive Oil Waste Water's Shedding on Cultivated Fields

Several climatic, soil and topographic factors need to be considered when evaluating the impact of human actions on the environment. Such variables may be related in a complex way to environmental impact, thus making its evaluation difficult. Problems of this type emerge when evaluating the risks olive oil waste water pose to the environment when shed on cultivated soils. This paper proposes a fuzzy expert system to calculate a modular indicator, ICARO, which allows an evaluation of the potential environmental impact of the application of olive oil waste water in a field. Five modules were formulated, one ("Waste water") reflecting the nature of the waste water, two ("Groundwater", "Surface water") reflecting the risk for the most sensitive agro-environmental compartments (groundwater, surface water), one ("Crop") reflecting possible consequences on the cropping system adopted, and one ("Soil") reflecting the soil aptitude to receive waste waters.The input variables are therefore waste water amount and properties, site-specific conditions, and characteristics of the application considered. For each input variable, two functions describing membership to the fuzzy subsets Favorable (F) and Unfavorable (U) have been defined. The expert system calculates the value of each module according to both the degree of membership of the input variables to the subsets F and U, and a set of decision rules. The five modules can be considered individually or can be aggregated (again according to level of membership to fuzzy subsets F and U and a set of decision rules) into the synthetic indicator ICARO. Outcomes of a sensitivity analysis are presented. The system is flexible and can be used as a decision aid tool to authorize waste water's shedding or subordinate the distribution on fields to acceptance of some limitations (amount, timing, site, etc)

Effect of forest structure and management on the functional diversity and composition of understorey plant communities

Questions Do forest structural parameters related to stand heterogeneity enhance functional diversity (FD) of understorey plant communities? Do FD and functional composition of understorey plant communities vary between high-forest (HF) and old coppices-with-standard (oldCWS) management types? Are HF stands characterized by a higher FD than oldCWS? Location Submediterranean beech forests of Montagne della Duchessa Reserve (central Italy). Methods We sampled 57 (20 m × 20 m) forest plots, 29 oldCWS and 28 HF stands, where we recorded plant species cover abundance. We used Leaf–Height–Seed and clonal traits, and run multiple separate linear models to quantify the effect of forest structural parameters and management types on FD and functional composition of understorey plant communities. Results We found that increasing lying deadwood enhanced FD of specific leaf area (SLA) through micro-environmental heterogeneity of soil fertility regardless of management type. We also found that increased horizontal stratification filtered the range of plant sizes, probably through light reduction. HF management enhanced FD of SLA and clonal traits through micro-environmental heterogeneity, while reducing the FD of plant size and seed mass. HF tended to select plant communities characterized by high resource acquisition strategies but lower persistence between ramets, possibly as an effect of more mature forest conditions. Conclusion Our study suggests that understorey plant community diversity and composition change in response to forest structure and management. Combining Leaf–Height–Seed with clonal traits offers a promising framework for understanding and predicting plant response to management practices

Conservation with local people: Medicinal plants as cultural keystone species in the Southern Alps

The concept of “cultural keystone species” (CKS) combines ecological and socioeconomic aspects and has a great potential for improving the overall success of conservation and restoration of ecosystems. In our study, we combined an ecological analysis of traditional medicinal plant species with an explorative analysis of the stakeholder landscape to understand the importance of plants for local communities. We investigate the feasibility of the CKS concept for traditional medicinal plants using the Southern Alps (Northern Italy) as a case study. Based on a comprehensive survey of traditional medicinal plants, we analyzed the habitats where they occur and their significance as CKS candidates. We applied the index of identified cultural influence (ICI). We identified some of the relevant stakeholders and their potential interest in traditional medicinal plants. From a total of 273 native medicinal species, we ranked the 10 most important CKS candidates. These comprised species with different ecology such as the herbs Achillea millefolium agg., Alchemilla xanthochlora, Arnica montana, Hypericum perforatum, Matricaria chamomilla, Peucedanum ostruthium, Urtica dioica, the shrub Juniperus communis, and the tree species Betula pendula. By merging their importance for the local communities with their occurrences in the habitats of South Tyrol, the concept of CKS can stimulate species and habitat conservation, and ecosystem restoration

Competition for Light Affects Alfalfa Biomass Production More Than Its Nutritive Value in an Olive-Based Alley-Cropping System

Cropping among trees with perennial legumes is one option for increasing agro-ecosystem services, such as improving the nitrogen supply and increasing soil protection by herbaceous vegeta-tion. Moreover, cropping under the canopy of olive trees should diversify the farm production, compared to the traditional fallow management. Among perennial legumes, alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) produces abundant biomass under Mediterranean rainfed condition. Based on this, a two-year field experiment was implemented in southern Tuscany in a rainfed olive orchard to test the competition for light effects on alfalfa biomass production and nutritive value. Light availability under the tree canopy was measured by hemispherical photos. In both years, the alfalfa yield of under-canopy varied according to the tree presence. A significant relationship between biomass production and light availability was recorded. The nutritive value of under-canopy alfalfa was similar to that of the open-grown alfalfa. However, same significant differences did however occur, between shaded and sole crop. When differences were found, under-canopy herbage was characterised by a higher content of crude protein and a lower content of fibre with respect to open-grown. In a hilly silvoarable olive orchard, alfalfa biomass accumulation was reduced mainly due to scarce light availability, therefore tree management such as pruning and plantation layout can enhance the herbage productivity. Studying shade tolerant forage legumes in order to enhance the yield and nutritive value of herbage production in rainfed agroforestry systems is essential

Health risk assessment related to hydrogen peroxide presence in the workplace atmosphere - analytical methods evaluation for an innovative monitoring protocol

ObjectivesHydrogen peroxide (HP) accounts for 15% of the total global chemical revenue. According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, the HP concentration immediately dangerous to human life or health is 75 ppm. Operators exposed to HP should pay attention when choosing the monitoring technique that should be specific and sensitive enough to discriminate the exposure levels from background concentrations. In order to assess the long- and short-term exposure to HP in disinfection processes, the authors compared 6 industrial hygiene monitoring methods to evaluate their efficiency in measuring airborne HP concentrations.Material and MethodsAirborne HP concentrations were evaluated using an on-fiber triphenylphosphine solid-phase microextraction method, and they were compared with those obtained using a 13-mm Swinnex titanium oxysulfate filter holder and 4 portable direct-reading electrochemical sensors. A survey carried out in wood pulp bleaching, food and beverage disinfection processing, and in a hospital department to reduce the risk of spreading nosocomial infections, was performed during routine operations to access the risk of HP occupational exposure.ResultsThrough the generation of HP gaseous dynamic atmospheres (0.1–85 ppm), the authors evaluated the consistency of the results obtained using the 6 methods described. The monitoring campaigns showed that the increase in HP could be relatively high (until 67 ppm) in food and beverage processing.ConclusionsIn the authors’ opinion, the current 8-h time-weighted average limits of 1 ppm for HP do not reflect the actual risk; a short-term exposure limit would, therefore, provide a much better protection

Fine-scale fern ecological responses inform on riparian forest habitat conservation status

The recognition of the ecological quality of ecosystems and habitats therein is increasingly important in the Anthropocene. However, there are still scarcely explored ways of how and what to assess to obtain a sound ecological status of habitats. Ferns are an understudied plant group, especially given their usefulness as ecological indicators. Disentangling biotic and abiotic factors that drive fine-scale fern distribution could provide insight into the quality of their habitats. We investigated the environmental factors affecting the distribution of different largely distributed fern species in Europe. We studied their presence and abundance at different life stages in a forest habitat of European priority conservation concern. Our aim was to understand whether fern species can be used as an ecological indicator group in riparian alderwood habitat. We sampled 120 plots of 50 m(2) in randomly selected transects along streams of a riparian forest habitat characterized by the presence of many fern species in the understory, controlling for the effects of geology and elevation. Within each plot, fern species were recorded, including vegetative and generative stages of each ramet (rosette of fronds). We modelled fern occurrence and abundance for the different fern life stages, and diversity indices of the fern community in relation to environmental predictors. We found that population- and community-level responses of ferns mainly depended on soil granulometry and, to a lesser extent, moss cover and stream orientation. We also found that the generative life stage compared to the vegetative adult stage benefits from different ecological characteristics for certain fern species. Alterations of the natural hydrology might lead to a general deterioration in habitat quality for ferns. We suggest that some fern species acting as early-warning species, and potentially their life stages, can be used as an ecological quality indicator for riparian forest habitats. This study deepened the understanding of the fine-scale ecology of an array of European ferns in riparian forests and provides valuable information to assist in the conservation of fern species and their populations

New national and regional Annex I Habitat records: from # 21 to #25

New Italian data on the distribution of the Annex I Habitats 3170*, 6110*, 91E0*, 9320, 9330 are reported in this contribution. Specifically, one new occurrence in Natura 2000 sites is presented and six new cells are added in the European Environment Agency 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Sardinia, Sicily and Umbria

Occupational exposure to antineoplastic drugs in hospital environments: Potential risk associated with contact with cyclophosphamide-and ifosfamide-contaminated surfaces

Background: Cyclophosphamide (CP) and ifosfamide (IP) contaminations have been detected in hospital environments. This study was conducted to determine if there was any contamination in the spaces (floors and door handles) between the hospital exit and the antineoplastic drugs (ADs) preparation and administration units. At the same time, the authors proposed a new automation of the analytical procedure to considerably decrease the time needed for sample preparation and analysis. Material and Methods: To evaluate the ADs contamination of surfaces, 829 wipe tests were performed in a campaign involving 3 hospitals located in Italy. Sampling was performed using an innovative kit. The levels of ADs were measured in each wipe sample using liquid chromatography/ triple quadrupole. Results: On-line solid-phase extraction guarantees the construction of a robust and reproducible analytical me-thod. The CP and IP recoveries from stainless steel, polycarbonate and polyvinyl chloride ranged >80%, and the wipe holders and the automation tested ensured desorption efficiencies close to 100% for both the ADs. Of the 552 wipes taken on the spaces between the hospital exit and the preparation, administration and pharmacy warehouse units, 22 were greater than or equal to the limit of qu-antification, all adjacent to the administration units. Conclusions: This study provides an insight into the exposure situation against ADs residues. In order to improve environmental monitoring programs, the authors propose to evaluate the ADs contamination also outside the preparation, administration and pharmacy warehouse units