Sustainable forest management and habitat of diurnal raptors in the SIC Alpe della Luna-Bocca Trabaria (province of Pesaro and Urbino).

For the definition of methodology in a naturalistic silviculture in a Site of Community Importance (Marche Region), documents relating to the physiognomic-structural data of forest vegetation and ecological requirements of 4 species of raptors (Goshawk, Sparrow hawk, Buzzard, Honey Buzzard) were superimposed. A wildlife suitability index of forest habitats (IIHF) was calculated, according to which forestry interventions, aimed at improving and preserving the raptor habitats, are proposed

Atlas of birds in the Province of Ancona

In the years 2005-2006 the monitoring of breeding birds populations in the province of Ancona, on 66 quadrants of land measuring about 36 square kilometers was carried out. 126 nesting species were detected, of which 120 confirmed and 6 probable. 17% of the species is included in Birds Directive Annex I. The progressive increase in species richness with increasing altitude excursion, and the considerable expansion of the species linked to wetlands is highlighted

Natural variability of biochemical biomarkers in the macro-zoobenthos: Dependence on life stage and environmental factors

Biomarkers are widely used in ecotoxicology as indicators of exposure to toxicants. However, their ability to provide ecologically relevant information remains controversial. One of the major problems is understanding whether the measured responses are determined by stress factors or lie within the natural variability range. In a previous work, the natural variability of enzymatic levels in invertebrates sampled in pristine rivers was proven to be relevant across both space and time. In the present study, the experimental design was improved by considering different life stages of the selected taxa and by measuring more environmental parameters. The experimental design considered sampling sites in 2 different rivers, 8 sampling dates covering the whole seasonal cycle, 4 species from 3 different taxonomic groups (Plecoptera, Perla grandis; Ephemeroptera, Baetis alpinus and Epeorus alpicula; Tricoptera, Hydropsyche pellucidula), different life stages for each species, and 4 enzymes (acetylcholinesterase, glutathione S-transferase, alkaline phosphatase, and catalase). Biomarker levels were related to environmental (physicochemical) parameters to verify any kind of dependence. Data were statistically elaborated using hierarchical multilevel Bayesian models. Natural variability was found to be relevant across both space and time. The results of the present study proved that care should be paid when interpreting biomarker results. Further research is needed to better understand the dependence of the natural variability on environmental parameters. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;9999:1-10. \ua9 2017 SETAC

Combined Effects of Pesticides and Electromagnetic-Fields on Honeybees: Multi-Stress Exposure

Honeybee and general pollinator decline is extensively reported in many countries, adding new concern to the general biodiversity loss. Many studies were addressed to assess the causes of pollinator decline, concluding that in most cases multi-stress effects were the most probable ones. In this research, the combined effects of two possible stress sources for bees, pesticides and electromagnetic fields (multi-stress conditions), were analyzed in the field. Three experimental sites were chosen: a control one far from direct anthropogenic stress sources, a pesticide-stress site and multi-stress one, adding to the same exposure to pesticides the presence of an electromagnetic field, coming from a high-voltage electric line. Experimental apiaries were monitored weekly for one year (from April 2017 to April 2018) by means of colony survival, queen activity, storage and brood amount, parasites and pathogens, and several biomarkers in young workers and pupae. Both exposure and effect biomarkers were analysed: among the first, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS); and among the last, DNA fragmentation (DNAFRAGM) and lipid peroxidation (LPO). Results showed that bee health conditions were the worst in the multi-stress site with only one colony alive out of the four ones present at the beginning. In this site, a complex picture of adverse effects was observed, such as disease appearance (American foulbrood), higher mortality in the underbaskets (common to pesticide-stress site), behavioral alterations (queen changes, excess of honey storage) and biochemical anomalies (higher ALP activity at the end of the season). The overall results clearly indicate that the multi-stress conditions were able to induce biochemical, physiological and behavioral alterations which severely threatened bee colony survival