CAN PALYNOLOGY CONTRIBUTE TO PLANT DIVERSITY CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES? THE WETLAND PLANTS IN SOUTHERN PO PLAIN AS A CASE STUDY

The vegetation of the Po Plain has long been modified by natural and human factors. The present plant landscape is almost entirely anthropogenic. Many hydro-hygrophilous species, quite common until a few decades ago, are now very rare and in danger of extinction, so conservation programmes are necessary for their protection and maintenance. It is known that the former vegetation can be reconstructed thanks to palynological data, but assessing the real presence of a given species is not always possible. This work aims to understand whether palynology can give information about the presence and identification of hydro-hygrophilous species, supporting the classical flora analyses commonly conducted on herbarium data. In some cases, these species are well characterized from a morphopalynological and phytogeographical viewpoint: the plant occurrence may be suggested even by pollen findings in surface-samples. discovering the presence of some of these species by pollen morphotypes offers a real opportunity to gear the reintroduction/reinforcing programmes, but ecological analysis will obviously be essential to ascertain the real suitability of the chosen sites, according to the ecological requirements of the species. Our analysis refers to wetlands of the southern Po plain within the Modena Province, where detailed palynological data about present and historical local flora were available

La Xiloteca Storica dell’Orto Botanico di Modena

Nell’ambito dei progetti di valorizzazione museale delle collezioni storiche, in corso presso l’Orto Botanico dell’Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, un recente intervento ha riguardato la Xiloteca Storica e, in particolare, 345 campioni di legno acquisiti nel periodo 1890-1969, provenienti sia da esemplari abbattuti nell’Orto Botanico modenese che da raccolte effettuate in natura oppure da donazioni da parte di istituzioni o privati

Le Piante e la Gloria: una mostra tra Botanica e Filosofia

L’Orto Botanico di Modena collabora da quattro anni con il Festival-Filosofia Modena/Carpi/Sassuolo, ospitando nella sua suggestiva cornice diverse esposizioni e iniziative artistiche e organizzando laboratori per bambini attinenti al tema della manifestazione. Nel 2014 per il tema Gloria è stata proposta la mostra “Gloria in Cielo, Verde sulla Terra. Iconologia vegetale nelle immaginette sacre”, presentando oltre trecento “santini” (1800-1930), da collezioni private, con simboli vegetali caratterizzanti legati a figure sacre e momenti del rito cristiano. Sono così nate le varie sezioni della mostra: il giglio, la palma, la rosa, la vite e l’uva, l’erbario e il giardino mariano, le piante della Passione ecc. La collocazione nelle vetrine dell’Aula Storica dell’Orto ha permesso di affiancare a immaginette e poster i vegetali, freschi o essiccati, dando così materialità al legame tra botanica e gloria celeste. Ancora una volta l’associazione piante-arte si è dimostrata un grande catalizzatore d’interesse e curiosità, portando i visitatori a vivaci scambi tra loro e con il personale addetto all’esposizione

Charcoal Kilns in the Northern Apennines (Italy): Forest Exploitation by Past Societies in Mountain Areas

Anthracological analyses were carried out on charcoal platforms located in the Monte Cimone and Corno alle Scale mountain areas in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines (Northern Italy), at high altitude. Analyses of charcoal fragments contained in these man-made structures have allowed the reconstruction of human-forest relationships over the last centuries, in particular the exploitation of forests for charcoal production. Comparison of our anthracological results with ethnobotanical and historical-social information has made possible an improvement in our knowledge of this activity that was fundamental for the past mountain economy

High H2O Content in Pyroxenes of Residual Mantle Peridotites at a Mid Atlantic Ridge Segment

Global correlations of mid-ocean-ridges basalt chemistry, axial depth and crustal thickness have been ascribed to mantle temperature variations affecting degree of melting. However, mantle H2O content and elemental composition may also play a role. How H2O is distributed in the oceanic upper mantle remains poorly constrained. We tackled this problem by determining the H2O content of orthopyroxenes (opx) and clinopyroxenes (cpx) of peridotites from a continuous lithospheric section created during 26 Ma at a 11°N Mid-Atlantic Ridge segment, and exposed along the Vema Transform. The H2O content of opx ranges from 119 ppm to 383 ppm; that of cpx from 407 ppm to 1072 ppm. We found anomalous H2O-enriched peridotites with their H2O content not correlating inversely with their degree of melting, although H2O is assumed to be incompatible during melting. Inverse correlation of H2O with Ce, another highly incompatible component, suggests post-melting H2O enrichment. We attribute a major role to post-melting temperature-dependent diffusion of hydrogen occurring above the melting region, where water-rich melt flows faster than residual peridotites through dunitic conduits cross-cutting the uprising mantle. Accordingly, estimates of the H2O content of the MORB mantle source based on H2O in abyssal peridotites can be affected by strong uncertainties

A 19 to 17 Ma amagmatic extension event at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge: Ultramafic mylonites from the Vema Lithospheric Section

A >300 km long lithospheric section (Vema Lithospheric Section or VLS) is exposed south of the Vema transform at 11°N in the Atlantic. It is oriented along a seafloor spreading flow line and represents ∼26 Ma of accretion at a single 80 km long segment (EMAR) of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The basal part of the VLS exposes a mantle unit made mostly of relatively undeformed coarse-grained/porphyroclastic peridotites that were sampled at close intervals. Strongly deformed mylonitic peridotites were found at 14 contiguous sites within a ∼80 km stretch (∼4.7 Ma interval); they are dominant in a time interval of 1.4 Ma, from crustal ages of 16.8 to 18.2 Ma (mylonitic stretch). Some of the mylonites are "dry," showing anhydrous high-T deformation, but most contain amphibole. The mylonitic peridotites tend to be less depleted than the porphyroclastic peridotites on the basis of mineral major and trace elements composition, suggesting that the mylonites parent was a subridge mantle that underwent a relatively low degree of melting. The Sr, Nd, and O isotopic composition of the amphiboles is MORB-like and suggests either that seawater did not contribute to their isotopic signature or that their isotopic ratios re-equilibrated during fluid circulation in the upper mantle. Four 40Ar/39Ar ages, on three amphiboles separated from the peridotites, are close to crustal ages predicted from magnetic anomalies, confirming that the amphiboles formed close to ridge axis. We propose that crustal accretion at the EMAR segment has been mostly symmetrical for the 26 Ma of its recorded history, except for the ∼1.4 Ma interval of prevalent ultramafic mylonites (mylonitic stretch) that may record a period of quasi-amagmatic asymmetric accretion of oceanic lithosphere close to the ridge–Vema transform intersection, possibly with development of detachment faults. This interval may correspond to a thermal minimum of the subridge upwelling mantle, marking the transition from a period of decreasing to one of increasing mantle melting below the EMAR segment

THE “NEW” TOURIST-ENVIRONMENTAL MAP OF THE SALSE DI NIRANO REGIONAL RESERVE (MODENA APENNINES, NORTHERN ITALY)

La Riserva Naturale Regionale delle Salse di Nirano, visitata annualmente da circa 50.000 persone, ricade in un territorio di bassa collina (quote fra i 140 e i 308 m) al margine dell'Appennino modenese a circa 30 km da Modena. Le salse sono delle emissioni di fango freddo prodotte dalla risalita in superficie di acqua salata e fangosa frammista ad idrocarburi principalmente gassosi (metano) ed, in piccola parte, liquidi (petrolio) lungo faglie e fratture del terreno. La nuova Carta Turistico-Ambientale è una carta pieghevole, tascabile, stampata fronte/retro, con note illustrative sintetiche in italiano e in inglese, i cui elementi caratterizzanti sono una Carta Geoturistica e un'immagine ad effetto 3D del territorio della Riserva realizzati in ambiente ESRI ArcGIS. La Carta Geoturistica coniuga la rappresentazione dei più evidenti aspetti geomorfologici che possono essere osservati e riconosciuti anche da persone non esperte con l'indicazione delle informazioni turistiche fondamentali. L'immagine tridimensionale, elaborata sovrapponendo ortofoto aeree al modello digitale del terreno, permette di apprezzare la morfologia della Riserva e delle aree circostanti. Gli altri contenuti della Carta Tu ristico-Ambientale sono: i) testi esplicativi che descrivono, oltre ai prodotti appena citati, la riserva e il fenomeno delle salse, i percorsi escursionistici e didattici, fauna, flora e vegetazione, il Centro visite Cà Tassi e l'Ecomuseo Cà Rossa; ii) fotografie degli aspetti ambientali più significativi; iii) informazioni logistiche sul Centro Visite Cà Tassi, l'Ecomuseo Cà Rossa e sui punti di ristoro ed alloggio; iv) indicazioni sintetiche sulle attrattive turistiche dei dintorni. Si tratta di una "nuovo" documento turistico in quanto una precedente Carta Turistico-Ambientale è stata pubblicata all'inizio del 2004 e la realizzazione di una nuova Carta si è resa necessaria in quanto negli ultimi anni la Riserva è stata soggetta a diversi cambiamenti sia nel paesaggio che nelle strutture. La Carta Turistico-Ambientale testimonia come la ricerca scientifica possa efficacemente contribuire alla realizzazione di documenti per il settore del Turismo.The Natural Reserve of Salse di Nirano, which has about 50.000 visitors per year, is located in a low hill territory (elevation from 140 m to 308 m a.s.l.) of the Modena Apennine margin about 30 km from Modena. The salse are emissions of cold mud due to the ascent to the surface of salty and muddy waters mixed with gaseous (methane) and, in minor part, fluid hydrocarbons (petroleum veils) along faults and fractures. The new Tourist – Environmental map is a foldable, pocket-size, front/rear printed map with explanatory notes in Italian and English; the characterising documents are a Geotourist map and a 3D image of the Reserve which have been implemented by means of ESRI ArcGIS. The Geotourist map combines the most evident geomorphological features – which can be observed and recognised even by non-experts – with fundamental tourist information. The 3D image, computed overlapping aerial orthophotos to a Digital Terrain Model, allows to appreciate the morphology of the Reserve and its surroundings. The other contents of the Tourist – Environmental map are: i) explanatory notes describing synthetically, beside the above mentioned products, the Reserve and the salse phenomenon, the excursion and educational trails, fauna, flora and vegetation, Cà Tassi Visitor Centre and Cà Rossa Ecomuseum; ii) photographs of the most significant environmental sites; iii) logistic information on Cà Tassi Visitor Centre and and Cà Rossa Ecomuseum, on refreshment and overnight stay sites; iv) short information on tourist attractions in the nearby. This is a new Tourist – Environmental map because a previous one was edited at the beginning of 2004; the implementation of this new map was necessary as in the last years several changes occurred in the landscape as well as in the structures of the Reserve. The Tourist – Environmental map witnesses how scientific research can effectively contribute to the creation of maps utilisable in the tourism field

Studio multidisciplinare finalizzato alla riqualificazione ambientale della valle del Rio della Rocca (Comune di Castellarano, Provincia di Reggio Emilia)

La valle del Rio della Rocca nel Comune di Castellarano (Reggio Emilia) è stata interessata a partire dagli anni ‘50 del secolo scorso da attività estrattive che in parte ne hanno profondamente modificato le caratteristiche ambientali, in particolare quelle geomorfologiche. In considerazione dell’interesse paesaggistico della valle e ai fini di una riqualificazione ambientale del territorio, è stato realizzato uno studio multidisciplinare volto a delineare i principali aspetti geologici, paleontologici, floristici e faunistici. Specifica attenzione è stata posta alla valutazione dell’instabilità dei versanti e alla individuazione dei geositi presenti nell’area. Sulla scorta dei risultati delle ricerche effettuate sono state elaborate proposte di riqualificazione del territorio che prevedono una valorizzazione della valle a fini geoturistici e ricreativi

Shaping Mediterranean landscapes:The cultural impact of anthropogenic fires in Tyrrhenian southern Tuscany during the Iron and Middle Ages (800–450 BC / AD 650–1300)

Charcoal analysis, applied in sediment facies analysis of the Pecora river palaeochannel (Tyrrhenian southern Tuscany, Italy), detected the occurrence of past fire events in two different fluvial landforms at 800–450 BC and again at AD 650–1300. Taking place in a central Mediterranean district adequately studied through palaeoenvironmental and archaeological research, the investigation determined land changes, time phases and socio-economic driving forces involved in dynamic processes of fire. The fire sequences had purely anthropogenic origins and were linked to forest opening and reduction by local communities. Introduced by the Etruscans, fires dated to 800–450 BC involved mainly the forest cover on the hilly slopes, ensuring agricultural exploitation. From AD 650, fires contributed to Medieval upstream reclamation and vegetation clearing of flat swamplands. From AD 850 to 1050, the use of fire spread over a wider area in the river valley, increasing arable lands. Between AD 1150 and 1300, fires belonged to a regional forest clearance phase. Medieval fire episodes had a paramount importance in shaping and determining the character of the Tuscan Mediterranean landscape. From AD 850, Medieval fire clearing influenced regional vegetation history contributing to the decline of the dominant deciduous Quercus woodland. Open habitats became the new form of a clearly detectable agricultural landscape from AD 950. The use of fire clearing and the resulting landscape changes in the Pecora river valley depended on the political strategies adopted by Medieval authorities and marked, in fact, the progression of a cultural landscape still characterizing central Tyrrhenian Italy

Orto Botanico Universitario Estense di Modena

L'Orto Botanico dell'Universit\ue0 di Modena fu fondato nel 1758, per volont\ue0 del Duca Francesco III d'Este, che destin\uf2 una parte del giardino di corte alla coltivazione e alla dimostrazione delle piante medicinali. Nel 1772, con la Riforma Universitaria voluta da Francesco III, l'Orto Botanico entr\uf2 sotto la giurisdizione dell'Universit\ue0. Numerosi illustri Botanici ne furono alla guida incrementandone attraverso i secoli il patrimonio scientifico, tra collezioni viventi, exsiccata, collezioni di semi, frutti, legni e altri reperti vegetali. La storia, le collezioni, gli orientamenti scientifici e i progetti attuali dell'Orto botanico universitario modenese sono descritti in questo lavoro, con numerosi riferimenti ai progetti attuali per la conservazione della biodiversit\ue0 vegetale e di diffusione della cultura naturalistica