Global and Regional IUCN Red List Assessments: 6

In this contribution, the conservation status assessment of four vascular plants according to IUCN categories and criteria are presented. It includes the assessment of Epipactis maricae (Croce, Bongiorni, De Vivo & Fori) Presser & S.Hertel at global level, and the regional assessment of Cerinthe retorta Sm. (Italy), Platanthera kuenkelei H.Baumann subsp. kuenkelei (Europe) and Typha elephantina Roxb. (Egypt)

Global and Regional IUCN Red List Assessments: 1

In this contribution, the conservation status assessment of six plant species according to IUCN categories and criteria are presented. It includes the assessment at global level of Linaria tonzigii Lona, Allium garganicum Brullo, Pavone, Salmeri & Terrasi, Ferula arrigonii Bocchieri, Orchis patens Desf. subsp. patens and Armeria saviana Selvi and the assessment at regional level (Italy) of Viola jordanii Hanry

Red Listing plants under full national responsibility: Extinction risk and threats in the vascular flora endemic to Italy

Taxa endemic to a country are key elements for setting national conservation priorities and for driving conservation strategies, since their persistence is entirely dependent on national policy. We applied the IUCN Red List categories to all Italian endemic vascular plants (1340 taxa) to assess their current risk of extinction and to highlight their major threats. Our results revealed that six taxa are already extinct and that 22.4% (300 taxa) are threatened with extinction, while 18.4% (247; especially belonging to apomictic groups) have been categorized as Data Deficient. Italian endemic vascular plants are primarily threatened by natural habitat modification due to agriculture, residential and tourism development. Taxa occurring in coastal areas and lowlands, where anthropogenic impacts and habitat destruction are concentrated, display the greatest population decline and extinction. The national network of protected areas could be considered effective in protecting endemic-rich areas (ERAs) and endemic taxa, but ineffective in protecting narrow endemic-rich areas (NERAs), accordingly changes to the existing network may increase the effectiveness of protection. For the first time in the Mediterranean Basin biodiversity hotspot, we present a comprehensive extinction assessment for endemic plants under the full responsibility of a single country. This would provide an important step towards the prioritization and conservation of threatened endemic flora at Italian, European, and Mediterranean level. A successful conservation strategy of the Italian endemic vascular flora should implement the protected area system, solve some taxonomical criticism in poorly known genera, and should rely on monitoring threatened species, and on developing species-specific action plans

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

<i>Aegilops</i> (Poaceae) in Italy: taxonomy, geographical distribution, ecology, vulnerability and conservation

<div><p>ABSTRACT</p><p><i>Aegilops</i> L. includes wild species from which, over millennia, man has cultivated forms of <i>Triticum</i> L. Ten species of <i>Aegilops</i> occur in Italy. Three species are allochthonous and eight out of ten species are recorded in the Apulia region. Five out of the ten species have been included in Red Lists. Each taxon is presented and discussed, citing old and new sites of occurrence, by examining specimens from many different herbaria, and describing their ecology and habitats, according to the Directive 92/43 EEC. A new taxonomic key, for the identification of all <i>Aegilops</i> species growing in Italy, is provided. The occurrence of <i>Aegilops caudata</i> L., <i>A. peregrina</i> (Hack. in J. Fraser) Maire & Weiller and <i>A. speltoides</i> Tausch in Italy is doubtful.</p></div

The GIS approach to detect the influence of the fresh water inflows on the marine-coastal waters: the case of the Apulia Region (Italy) through standard monitoring data

The water quality in the marine coastal areas is affected by “natural” features (geomorphology, hydrology) as well as by the “human” use of land. Understanding the linkage between water quality and river catchments is fundamental for the evaluation of different options in the coastal zone management. Monthly monitoring surveys were performed by ARPA Puglia during the January 2008-December 2009 period, both in the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. Spatial and temporal patterns of water chemical-physical parameters and the trophic index (TRIX) were investigated using the GIS approach for the evaluation of the influence of freshwaters inflows on the coastal area. The results indicate the effectiveness of standard monitoring activities in the water quality control and the usefulness of the GIS tool in order to detect the influence of the river’s runoff

Characterization and Antimicrobial Properties of Essential Oils from Four Wild Taxa of Lamiaceae Family Growing in Apulia

Four taxa of the Lamiaceae family growing in Apulia (Clinopodium suaveolens, Satureja montana subsp. montana, Thymbra capitata, and Salvia fruticosa subsp. thomasii) that had not been previously studied for their potential use in the food sector, were analyzed for their essential oils (EOs) composition and antioxidant and antimicrobial properties against some microorganisms, isolated from bread and bakery products, including molds (Aspergillus niger, Penicillium roqueforti) and spore-forming bacteria (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and Bacillus subtilis). Two different sites were considered for each plant species, and the strongest antimicrobial EOs, which were active against all of the microorganisms tested, were those from one S. montana subsp. montana sample (Sm2) and both T. capitata EOs (Tc1 and Tc2) with Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values ranging between 0.093% and 0.375% (v/v) against molds, while higher values were registered for bacteria (0.75–1%). In particular, the biological activity of EOs from T. capitata and S. montana subsp. montana was maybe due to the high amount of thymol and carvacrol, which were also responsible for the highest antioxidant activity. S. fruticosa subsp. thomasii EOs had different chemical profiles but showed only a slight antibacterial effect and no antifungal activity. C. suaveolens showed no significant changes between EOs with an interesting antifungal activity (MIC 0.093%÷0.187% v/v), which may be due to the presence of pulegone. These plant species can be considered as promising sources of bioactive compounds to be exploited as biopreservatives in bread and bakery products mainly considering the low concentration needed to inhibit microorganism’s growth

Global and Regional IUCN Red List Assessments: 10

In this contribution, the conservation status assessment of two vascular plants according to IUCN categories and criteria is presented. It includes the regional assessment of Jasione orbiculata Griseb. ex Velen. for Italy and of Vachellia gerrardii (Benth.) P.J.H.Hurter subsp. negevensis (Zohary) Ragup., Seigler, Ebinger & Maslin for Iraq

New alien vascular species for the flora of southern Italy

<p>In the present work new or confirmed alien not-cultivated vascular plants are reported for the flora of the southern Italy regions: <i>Acalypha virginica</i>, <i>Alcea biennis</i> subsp. <i>biennis</i>, <i>Bidens subalternans</i>, <i>Cardamine occulta</i>, <i>Casuarina equisetifolia</i>, <i>Cedrus atlantica</i>, <i>Cedrus deodara</i>, <i>Chamaeiris orientalis</i>, <i>Cotula coronopifolia</i>, <i>Elodea canadensis</i>, <i>Eragrostis mexicana</i> subsp. <i>virescens</i>, <i>Euphorbia nutans</i>, <i>Fagopyrum esculentum</i>, <i>Ficus microcarpa</i>, <i>Hesperocyparis arizonica</i>, <i>Hesperocyparis glabra</i>, <i>Kalanchoë</i> × <i>houghtonii</i>, <i>Lantana camara</i> subsp. <i>aculeata</i>, <i>Lemna minuta</i>, <i>Ligustrum sinense</i>, <i>Lobelia erinus</i>, <i>Lonicera japonica</i>, <i>Oenothera lindheimeri</i>, <i>Panicum capillare</i>, <i>Persicaria capitata</i>, <i>Phyla nodiflora</i>, <i>Schinus molle</i>, <i>Sedum palmeri</i>, <i>Sesbania punicea</i>, <i>Solanum elaeagnifolium</i>, <i>Solanum sisymbriifolium</i> and <i>Veronica peregrina</i>. Furthermore, <i>Lantana montevidensis</i> is new for the Italian alien flora, <i>Asparagus asparagoides</i> and <i>Tradescantia pallida</i> are reported for the first time in continental Italy, whereas <i>Cucurbita moschata</i>, <i>Nandina domestica</i> and <i>Taxodium distichum</i> are new for the Italian peninsula. Moreover, field surveys in Campania allow us to update at regional level the naturalization status of <i>Euphorbia nutans</i> (naturalized) and <i>Ligustrum sinense</i> (casual). The new data confirm that new non-native species are continuously introduced into the flora of southern Italy and it is noteworthy that several species, widely used in the reforestation since the middle of the last century, have undergone naturalization in recent years.</p

Figure 11. - Violajordanii from Lake Doberdò (Friuli Venezia Giulia). Photograph by M. Castello.

Figure 11. - Violajordanii from Lake Doberdò (Friuli Venezia Giulia). Photograph by M. Castello