Monitoring biomass in two heterogeneous mountain pasture communities by image based 3D point cloud derived predictors

Abstract Primary productivity is a robust indicator of ecosystem functioning because of its close relationships with the stability of the ecological systems. In ecological research, the above ground biomass (AGB) is the most commonly used proxy of primary productivity. However, despite their ecological relevance, the estimates of primary productivity are not addressed by current protocols for monitoring the conservation status of the habitats of Community interest. In this paper, we analyse the accuracy of AGB measurements obtained by image-derived 3D reconstructions of two contrasting mountain grasslands listed as habitats of Community interest in the Annex I of the Habitats Directive. More specifically, we compared the accuracy of the AGB estimates provided by four models, based on four different predictors (height, volume, volume adjusted, and cover volume), in order to evaluate their robustness against within- and between-community heterogeneity. Our study revealed that AGB measures computed from 3D vegetation reconstructions can be an effective way to evaluate primary productivity in herbaceous communities with complex structure and composition patterns. In particular, the vegetation height showed to have the highest correlation with direct AGB measurements. However, the vegetation volume, once adjusted by the coefficient of density, resulted to be the most effective proxy due to the lowest error level. Therefore, such a parameter could be routinely used as a non-destructive indicator for monitoring habitats of particular conservation concern. As a major limitation for this approach, we detected some loss of predictivity power at very low productivity rates

Contribution to the knowledge of the veterinary science and of the ethnobotany in Calabria region (Southern Italy)

BACKGROUND: A series of preliminary research projects on plants used in Calabria (Southern Italy) in veterinary science and in other ethno-botanical fields (minor nourishment, domestic and handicraft sector) was carried out in the last twenty years. From the ethno-botanical point of view, Calabria is one of the most interesting region, since in the ancient times it was subject to the dominant cultures of several people (Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans etc.). Until some decades ago the road network was poorly developed and villages were isolated, so that the culture of the "subsistence" and some archaic customs were kept. METHODS: Data were collected by means of "open" interviews to farmers, shepherds and housewives in the last twenty years. More than 100 informants were interviewed, mostly over 50 years old. Plants were identified by local informants through gathering in the area or through examination of the fresh plants collected by the researchers. The collected data were compared with pharmacobotanical papers mainly of southern Italy and with other studies, in order to highlight novelties or concordances of uses. RESULTS: The use of 62 taxa distributed into 34 families are described. Among these, 8 are or were employed in veterinary science, 8 as anti-parasitic agents, 19 in minor nourishment, 5 as seasoning, 38 for other uses. Some toxic species for cattle are also mentioned. CONCLUSION: Among the major findings: the use of Helleborus bocconei for bronchitis of bovines and of Scrophularia canina for lameness in veterinary science; Nerium oleander and Urginea maritima as anti-parasitic agents; Epilobium angustifolium, Centaurea napifolia L. and C. sphaerocephala L. in minor nourishment

Relating Trait Variation to Species and Community Productivity in Contrasting Oro-Mediterranean Pastures: A 7-Years Study in the Pollino National Park (S-Italy)

Understanding how functional traits influence community assemblage and functioning is crucial for assessing the effects of global change on vegetation composition. We studied the functional composition (i.e., plant size (SIZE), leaf area (LA), specific leaf area (SLA), and leaf dry matter content (LDMC)) of a xerophile pasture and a mesophile grassland in southern Italy, and recorded species richness (SR), plant cover (COV) and flowering rates (FLOW) over a 7-year period. Both communities revealed the dominance of stress-tolerators, probably reflecting an adaptation to the Mediterranean climate. The functional classification of species distinguished three groups. Species from the mesophile community had larger SIZE and LA, while those from the xerophile pasture showed higher LDMC; SLA was not connected to the source community. Community-level analyses confirmed such patterns, but with higher SLA in the mesophile grassland. While SR was comparable, COV and FLOW varied between the communities. At the species level, LDMC was positively related to FLOW and the inter-annual variability of COV and FLOW. At the community level, SIZE, LA and SLA were positively related to COV, while LDMC was positively related to FLOW. Trait variations can significantly contribute to the xerophile-mesophile shift in Mediterranean mountain vegetation, by regulating the productivity of species and communities in the two contexts and, possibly, their responsiveness to global change

Surveying pasture communities in diachronic analyses by 3D models: the diachronic canopy variation model

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Pyrrolizidine alkaloid profiles of the Senecio cineraria group (Asteraceae).

Alkaloid profiles of five Senecio species (Asteraceae), including S. ambiguus subsp. ambiguus, S. ambiguus subsp. nebrodensis, S. gibbosus subsp. bicolor, S. gibbosus subsp. gibbosus, and S. gibbosus subsp. cineraria, were studied. Eleven pyrrolizidine alkaloids were identified and their content was evaluated by GLC-MS and GLC analysis. Otosenine and florosenine were found to be the major alkaloids in all studied species. It is interesting that only S. ambiguus subsp. nebrodensis was characterized by a high content of the alkaloids jacobine, jacoline, jaconine, and jacozin

Notulae to the Italian native vascular flora: 5.

In this contribution, new data concerning the distribution of native vascular flora in Italy are presented. It includes new records and confirmations to the Italian administrative regions for taxa in the genera Allium, Arabis, Campanula, Centaurea, Chaerophyllum, Crocus, Dactylis, Dianthus, Festuca, Galanthus, Helianthemum, Lysimachia, Milium, Pteris, and Quercus. Nomenclature and distribution updates, published elsewhere, and corrections are provided as supplementary material

Notulae to the Italian flora of algae, bryophytes, fungi and lichens: 7

In this contribution, new data concerning algae, bryophytes, fungi, and lichens of the Italian flora are presented. It includes new records and confirmations for the algae genus Chara, the bryophyte genera Cephalozia, Conardia, Conocephalum, Didymodon, Sphagnum, Tetraplodon, and Tortula, the fungal genera Endophyllum, Gymnosporangium, Microbotryum, Phragmidium, and Pluteus, and the lichen genera Candelariella, Cladonia, Flavoplaca, Lichenothelia, Peltigera, Placolecis, Rinodina, Scytinium, and Solenopsora

Notulae to the Italian flora of algae, bryophytes, fungi and lichens: 12

In this contribution, new data concerning bryophytes, fungi and lichens of the Italian flora are presented. It includes new records, confirmations or exclusions for the bryophyte genera Acaulon, Campylopus, Entosthodon, Homomallium, Pseudohygrohypnum, and Thuidium, the fungal genera Entoloma, Cortinarius, Mycenella, Oxyporus, and Psathyrella and the lichen genera Anaptychia, Athallia, Baeomyces, Bagliettoa, Calicium, Nephroma, Pectenia, Phaeophyscia, Polyblastia, Protoparmeliopsis, Pyrenula, Ramalina, and Sanguineodiscus

Notulae to the Italian flora of algae, bryophytes, fungi and lichens: 13

In this contribution, new data concerning bryophytes, fungi and lichens of the Italian flora are presented. It includes new records and confirmations for the bryophyte genera Bryum, Cryphaea, Didymodon, and Grimmia; the fungal genera Bryostigma, Cercidospora, Conocybe, Cortinarius, Endococcus, Inocybe, Psathyrella, and Sphaerellothecium; the lichen genera Agonimia, Anisomeridium, Bilimbia, Diplotomma, Gyalecta, Huneckia, Lecidella, Lempholemma, Myriolecis, Nephroma, Pannaria, Pycnothelia, Pyrrhospora, Rinodina, Stereocaulon, Thalloidima, Trapelia, Usnea, Variospora, and Verrucaria

Lista bibliografica

Questa lista bibliografica contiene il secondo aggiornamento della bibliografia della Lisy e deriva dall’assemblaggio da parte della redazione (M. Serdoz ed E. Panfili) dei contributi parziali stilati dai gruppi regionali