Reperti delle colonie italiane nel Museo di Zoologia dell’Università di Modena

The link between the citizens of Modena and the Zoology Museum of the local University was particularly strong from the second half of the 19th century up to the first decades of the 20th century, as witnessed by numerous finds presented by travellers from Modena. Besides local specimens, there are several exotic collections that were put together during journeys and sojourns overseas. The finds coming from Italian Eastern Africa and Libya were mostly sent by military men. This study takes into account the collections of Vertebrates (Reptiles, Birds and Mammals) hunted in Eritrea in 1892-1894 by lieutenant of the Bersaglieri corps Ettore Martini and by Dr. Guido Corni when he was Governor of Italian Somaliland (1928-1931)

Nuova stazione di Utricularia sp. (Lentibulariaceae) per il Modenese

The presence of Utricularia sp. was observed in a pond during a survey in some small water bodies in the Modena Apennines (Italy). This ecosystem was sampled and observed in order to apply the IBEM index, which allows judging the quality of these habitats on the basis of their biodiversity. A specific taxonomic determination was not possible because of the lack of the flower on the individuals; nevertheless, some features led to U. australis. However, it was decided to report the new finding since all species of the genus Utricularia have become quite rare in Italy

La Scuola e il Museo di Veterinaria a Modena

The Veterinary School and Museum of Modena. The Veterinary School of Modena (Italy) was one of the first to be opened in Italy. Duke Francesco III – who enterprised the reformation of Modena University in 1772 – wished to established also a Veterinary School, which was eventually founded by his son Ercole III. For this purpose, he sent two of his physicians (Vincenzo Veratti and Luigi Maria Mislej) to study veterinary medicine in Ferrara for two years. Afterwards, the two doctors were sent for another two years to Lyon to get a specialization. Lessons began in Modena in 1791 and a small Veterinary Museum was also set up. During the French occupation, the School became autonomous from the University but in 1807 was closed. Under the rule of Francesco IV, from 1814 to 1826, there were four private schools of veterinary, which in 1827 merged in a single school attached to Modena University. Thanks to professors Antonio Riccardi, Lodovico Gibellini and, later on, Antonio Ghiselli, a Veterinary Museum was set up with a collection that in 1862 reached 1547 pieces. After the unity of Italy, the Veterinary School of Modena lost progressively importance, until in 1923 it was definitely abolished. In 1925, the Experimental Institute of Zootechnics was founded in its place. In 1964, the Museum bequeathed most of its specimens to Parma University. Eventually, in 1998, the Experimental Institute was moved to the nearby village of San Cesario with the few specimens left in the Museum

Progetto per una chiave interattiva per l’identificazione delle libellule italiane

La Società Italiana per lo Studio e la Conservazione delle Libellule (ODONATA.IT) ha tra i suoi scopi quello di promuovere lo studio odonatologico di base e applicativo, di promuovere la diffusione delle conoscenze sull'argomento e di adoperarsi alla loro divulgazione. Nel 2014 pubblica l’Atlante delle libellule italiane, volume che rappresenta la prima mappatura delle specie di libellule in Italia e che offre un quadro aggiornato e reale della conoscenza sulla composizione e la distribuzione degli odonati in Italia. Dall'ottobre dello stesso anno poi, aderisce alla piattaforma Ornitho.it per la raccolta dati sul territorio nazionale. Il processo di segnalazione prevede una fase di verifica e validazione dei dati da parte di esperti che, grazie alla possibilità da parte del segnalatore di poter allegare immagini, vengono facilitati nello svolgimento del loro compito. Infatti, con l'apertura a un pubblico anche di meno esperti alla raccolta dei dati, la possibilità di ricevere informazioni inesatte è sempre dietro l'angolo. Quindi se da un lato la piattaforma Ornitho.it apre enormi possibilità sul piano del monitoraggio, della raccolta di informazioni e della loro divulgazione, dall'altro diventa anche una possibile fonte di dati erronei. Per questo motivo si è resa da subito evidente la necessità di formare o poter fornire strumenti che aiutino un pubblico anche meno esperto, ma comunque estremamente appassionato, nella determinazione delle libellule osservate. Si è pensato perciò di creare una chiave dicotomica che aiuti e faciliti il grande pubblico nell'identificazione degli adulti di libellula italiani. La chiave sarà costruita attraverso la struttura del progetto KeyToNature, appongiandosi alla versione italiana Dryades. KeyToNature è un progetto europeo, coordinato dall'Università di Trieste e finanziato dalla Commissione Europea nell'ambito del Programma eContentplus, centrato sullo sviluppo di strumenti innovativi per l'identificazione degli organismi e sulla loro introduzione nel mondo della scuola, dalle elementari all'università. Il sito web di Dryades permette l'accesso a guide interattive per l'identificazione di piante funghi e animali, ad archivi iconografici e a diverse banche dati sulla biodiversità dell'Italia. Oltre a essere un perfetto strumento da affiancare alla piattaforma Ornitho.it sarà anche una grande opportunità di sensibilizzazione e diffusione delle conoscenze sul mondo delle Libellule. Per la realizzazione del progetto sarà chiesto il coinvolgimento di tutti i soci di ODONATA.IT per il reperimento della parte iconografica, fondamentale per lo sviluppo e la realizzazione della chiave e per la fase di test, che servirà ad affinare e a migliorare il prodotto in modo tale che sia di facile utilizzo e comprensione sin da subito

Indagine multidisciplinare sul codice “It. 1005 =α.R.9.24 – Raccolta di animali per lo più volatili miniati” della Biblioteca Estense Universitaria di Modena

This paper presents the results of multidisciplinary research carried out on the code “It.1005 = α.R.9.24 – Collection of illuminated animals mostly birds”, kept in the Estense Library of Modena (Italy). The study addressed both the codicological and the scientific aspects, with the identification of the animal species represented and the analysis of the pigments and materials used

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

Which future for Italian high altitude lakes?

Abstract: High altitude lakes and their fauna are one of the most threatened and less investigated ecosystems in Italy. Alpine lakes are highly influenced by climate harshness and by air pollution, and because of their small dimensions are extremely vulnerable to global climate warming. Italy, in addition to the Alps, hosts another mountain range: the Apennines, reaching in some cases comparable altitudes, and therefore subject to the same risks. Moreover, the gentler slope of the Apennines makes them extremely vulnerable even to direct human impacts. In the present work, for the first time, high altitude lakes belonging to the Alps and to the Apennines are compared to highlight which meteo-climatic or chemical characteristics could be considered key drivers for their macrinvertebrate structure. The study area was explicitly focused on natural lakes placed above 1300 m of altitude and above the 44° parallel, thus in the alpine area and subject to a continental climate. 25 lakes were chosen (19 in the central-western Alps and 6 in the Modenese Apennines) with surface areas lower than 1 km2 and with maximum depths lower than 15 m. Physico-chemical parameters and macroinvertebrates were studied and compared. Samples were taken through the use of an hand-net (250 μm mesh size) along the littorals on different substrates following standardised methodologies during the richerfauna season to allow an easier identification of species. Parallel to that, water samples were collected and analysed. Species richness and the Taxonomic Distinctness Indices were applied to underline the different complexity of the community structure of the two areas. Results showed different macroinvertebrates communities with peculiar characteristics and highlighted a more structured and diverse composition on the Apennines. Predictive models on the future climate scenarios show how the peninsular portion of Italy will be even more affected by the increase in temperatures than the Alpine area. Thus, this work could be highly informative, mainly for central Italy, where proximity to towns encourage tourists to reach these type of lakes, even if placed in protected areas or parks. Therefore, protection and management plans, and conservation efforts of high altitudes cannot overlooked a thorough understanding of the biological diversity of these environments, which still appears fragmented and limited to some sector of the Alps. Furthermore, the fundamental role of high altitude lakes as water resource needs a specific management regime, as they are not included under the monitoring programs of the Water Framework Directive legislation

Status quo of knowledges on Italian high altitude lacustrine macroinvertebrates

High altitude lakes and their fauna are one of the most threatened and less investigated ecosystems in Italy. Alpine lakes are highly influenced by climate harshness and by air pollution, and because of their small dimensions are extremely vulnerable to global climate warming. Italy, in addition to the Alps, hosts another mountain range: the Apennines, reaching in some cases comparable altitudes, and therefore subject to the same risks. Moreover, the gentler slope of the Apennines makes them extremely vulnerable even to direct human impacts. In the present work, for the first time, high altitude lakes belonging to the Alps and to the Apennines are compared to highlight which meteo-climatic or chemical characteristics could be considered key drivers for their macroinvertebrate structure. The study area was explicitly focused on natural lakes placed above 1300 m of altitude and above the 44\ub0 parallel, thus in the alpine area and subject to a continental climate. 25 lakes were chosen (19 in the central-western Alps and 6 in the Modenese Apennines) with surface areas lower than 1 km2 and with maximum depths lower than 15 m. Physico-chemical parameters and macroinvertebrates were studied and compared. Samples were taken through the use of a hand-net (250 \u3bcm mesh size) along the littorals on different substrates following standardised methodologies during the richer-fauna season to allow an easier identification of species. Parallel to that, water samples were collected and analysed. Species richness and the Taxonomic Distinctness Indices were applied to underline the different complexity of the community structure of the two areas. Results showed different macroinvertebrates communities with peculiar characteristics and highlighted a more structured and diverse composition on the Apennines. Predictive models on the future climate scenarios show how the peninsular portion of Italy will be even more affected by the increase in temperatures than the Alpine area. Thus, this work could be highly informative, mainly for central Italy, where proximity to towns encourage tourists to reach these type of lakes, even if placed in protected areas or parks. Therefore, protection and management plans, and conservation efforts of high altitudes cannot overlooked a thorough understanding of the biological diversity of these environments, which still appears fragmented and limited to some sector of the Alps. Furthermore, the fundamental role of high altitude lakes as water resource needs a specific management regime, as they are not included under the monitoring programs of the Water Framework Directive legislation