fecal nitrogen and dietary quality relationships in fallow deer

Fecal nitrogen of free ranging and captive herbivores is correlated with dietary nitrogen, as well as other dietary chemical characteristics. Besides, only few experimental studies examined in depth the precision of these relationships. This study investigates the correlation between fecal and dietary nitrogen in fallow deer (Dama dama), using data from 38 feeding trials collected from captive subjects. Significant linear regressions were found for all the dietary and fecal chemical components, but only nitrogen showed a noteworthy result (R2=0.76), very similar to the results obtained by several authors in other deer species (Robbins, 1993). Use of fecal nitrogen however, has been criticised because plant secondary compounds, such as tannin, may artificially inflate levels of fecal nitrogen; moreover, the binding effect of tannin is strongly reduced in mixed diets. After all, fecal nitrogen confirms its usefulness in studies about feeding strategies of free living ruminants

Control of bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) and feeding preferences in pastures grazed by wild ungulates in an area of the Northern Apennines (Italy)

The diminution of pastoral activities in marginal areas, and consequently of livestock grazing, implies a strong encroachment of invasive vegetation. The conservation of the open areas is however particularly important for wildlife management. With this aim, this paper describes the results obtained in a protected area on the Apennine mountains (Italy), encroached by Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn. Two restoration practices were carried out by the Administration of the Regional Park of the Laghi di Suviana e Brasimone (Bologna, Italy), in order to reverse the infestation of bracken and restore pastures within the park. The pasture, only grazed by wild animals, was improved through different treatments (ploughing followed by cuttings vs harrowing), each followed by seeding of a forage mixture. Our results showed better performance of the ploughing both as pastoral value of recovered pasture and as botanical composition. Some differences in the effects of the two restoration techniques were also found on the biodiversity index and on floristic richness. Data about grazing selection of the single botanical species have also been collected. The tesults also showed different behaviour in feeding preferences for wild ungulates in comparison to domestic stocks, giving a better evaluation of the real forage availability for wild herbivores

The castle of Tutino (Le): a case study on knowledge of the Apulian heritage

[EN] This study aims to investigate the relationship between a castle located in the Apulian region (Southeastern Italy) and its historical and territorial background. The subject of the research deals with a multilayered monumental complex located in the lower Salento, in the territory of the town of Tricase, which includes five castles. This currently presents itself as an irregularly shaped fence marked by five towers, whose original structure dates back to at least the fifteenth century. In particular, on one side of the castle a baronial palace was built by the Trani family in the eighties of the sixteenth century. As far as it concerns the history of the entire complex it should be noticed that it has undergone various enlargements and modifications due to changes of its property and use. This process is both documented at the archival-bibliographic level, and experienced by the analysis of the masonry stratigraphy, thanks to which it has been possible to identify the various stages of the historical-constructive development of the castle. In conclusion, the analysis carried out intends to clarify how the historical dynamics occurred in the region of Apulia influenced the final stage of the castle of Tutino; to this end it will be considered the evolution of constructive techniques and perspectives belonging to the local tradition, in order to demonstrate the impact on the features of this castle.Ponzetta, A. (2020). Il castello di Tutino (Le): una lettura storico-architettonica per la conoscenza del patrimonio pugliese. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1351-1358. https://doi.org/10.4995/FORTMED2020.2020.115171351135

Protection of social rights between domestic system and EU: uncertain aspects and future prospects.

Il presente lavoro di ricerca verte sulla tematica dei diritti sociali dei lavoratori nel contesto della crisi economica. La crisi economica ha posto al centro del dibattito dottrinale la problematica della sostenibilità dei diritti sociali, in un momento in cui l’allarmante livello raggiunto dai debiti pubblici statali di alcuni Paesi europei ha spinto l’UE a rafforzare la governance economica, imponendo agli Stati di rispettare misure particolarmente rigorose. Come noto, in Italia, a partire dal 2011 sono state adottate riforme nel campo del mercato del lavoro e delle pensioni, nell’ottica, sia di combattere l’elevato livello di disoccupazione, sia di ridurre la spesa pubblica, come indicato, peraltro, dall’UE. Soprattutto negli anni della crisi economica, numerose sono state le critiche rivolte all’UE, alla quale viene contestato uno scarso livello di democraticità, e, altresì, un, quasi, esclusivo interesse per gli aspetti economici e finanziari. Quale spazio, dunque, per i diritti sociali all’interno dello spazio europeo? Quale ruolo ha svolto la Carta dei diritti fondamentali dell’UE nella tutela dei diritti sociali dei lavoratori così come in essa riconosciuti e tutelati? Per tentare di trovare una risposta a tali quesiti, si è scelto di analizzare la giurisprudenza della Corte di giustizia successiva all’entrata in vigore del Trattato di Lisbona in materia di politica sociale europea. I risultati raggiunti permettono di constatare che i diritti sociali dei lavoratori vengono valorizzati in maniera più soddisfacente quando essi risultino funzionali alla libertà di circolazione o, in ogni caso, allo sviluppo dei principi fondamentali sui quali l’UE si è storicamente costruita, tra i quali, ad esempio, il principio di uguaglianza formale. Il cammino dei diritti dei lavoratori, dunque, risulta incerto, ma non interrotto. Tuttavia, risultati più soddisfacenti potrebbero essere perseguiti laddove la Corte considerasse tali diritti come strumentali alla piena realizzazione dello sviluppo della persona e non, invece, del mercato.This study deals with the issue of workers’ social rights in the background of the economic crisis. The economic crisis has highlighted a set of problems about the sustainability of social rights, in a period in which the worrying level reached by public debts of many European States has led EU to reinforce the economic governance, imposing upon the States to respect some unflexible measures. As is known, in Italy, since 2011, some reforms are being adopted in the field of the work market and pensions, in the perspective both of tackling the high level of the unemployment and to decrease public expenses, as recommended by EU. Above all, during the period of the economic crisis, many criticisms have been addressed against Europe, because of its lacking level of democracy and, also, of an almost exclusive interest on economic and monetary aspects. Which space is reserved to social rights inside the European legal system? What kind of role has been conducted by the Charter of Nice on the protection of workers’ social rights, recognised by that document? In order to find a answer to these questions, it has been chosen to examine the Court of justice’s jurisprudence, after the Treaty of Lisbon’s came into force, with regards to the European social policy. The results of this research allow to prove that workers’ social rights are enhanced in a more satisfying way when they are functional to the growth of the historical fundamental principles of the EU, as, for example, the formal equality principle. The road of workers’ social rights seems uncertain, but not interrupted. Nevertheless, more satisfying results could be pursued if the Court considered those rights as a means for the fulfillment of the human being and not, instead, of the market

Body measurements from selective hunting: biometric features of red deer (Cervus elaphus) from Northern Apennine, Italy

Morphometric studies on European red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) living in sub-Mediterranean areas are rare. In this paper, we provide the first morphometric description of red deer from Apennine living in Prato Province, as well as a description of its skeletal growth pattern. We analysed 18 body, cranial and antler measurements from 905 deer carcasses, collected during 12 hunting seasons (2000–2012). The body size of red deer from Prato appeared comparable to that of other populations from Northern Apennine and Central Alps. A significant variation in weight during the hunting season was detected only in adult stags: they were estimated to lose 23% of their eviscerated body weight from the beginning of the rutting season until the end of winter. The relationship between eviscerated body weight (EW) and whole body weight (WW) was highly significant in both sexes within every age class (R2 always higher than 0.75), thus linear regressions were assessed in order to estimate EW from WW, allowing to complete datasets when such information is missing. Growth equations were utilised to describe the development of a subset of skeletal measures (height at shoulder, hind foot length, mandible length, head–trunk length) commonly collected on hunted cervids. Hind foot length was the measure which first ceased to grow and with the highest growth constant; although the relationship between cohort hind foot length and environmental, climatic and demographic variables has to be tested for red deer from Apennine, these bones appeared a suitable biological indicator for long-term monitoring of the species

Environmental improvement and conservation of useful pastures for wild herbivores in a Regional Park on the Apennines mountains

In order to investigate some effects of the environmental management with faunistic purpose on pastures located on the Apennines mountains, in open areas subjected to bracken fern (Pteridium aqulinum) infestation, samples of vegetation were taken for three years on an open area in the Regional Park of "Laghi di Suviana e Brasimone" (BO). Experimental samples, taken before and after the agronomical works, showed the effects of the pasture improvement on botanical composition, richness and biodiversity. The agronomical pasture management produced a considerable decrease in bracken density and an increase on biodiversity, and the final average value of the Pastoral Value index was quadruplicate. These results confirmed the effectiveness of the actions carried out and the importance of maintaining a continuous programme of pasture management through annual clearing of vegetation

Habitat improvements with wildlife purposes in a grazed area on the Apennine mountains

In many European countries, the abandonment of traditional practices in the last decades produced remarkable effects on agricultural land use. In marginal mountain lands, one of the most evident outcomes is the reduction of the surfaces occupied by open habitats, mostly represented by meadows and pastures. The ecological consequences of reduced grazing in the pastures concerned not only the vegetation structure but also the floristic composition and the biodiversity of the herbaceous component, which is modified by the progressive establishment of woody species. For these reasons, it is important to carry out specific programs of habitat improvements in order to restore and maintain herbaceous vegetation, both for faunistic purposes and biodiversity conservation. In this note we describe the effectiveness of agronomical intervention carried out to enhance pasture quality in a protected area, once grazed by domestic animals, now utilised exclusively by wild fauna. The study was carried out for five years in a Regional Park (Parco Regionale dei Laghi di Suviana e Brasimone, Emilia Romagna, central Italy), in an experimental area where the vegetation was characterised by a high presence of bracken fern. Agronomical operations consisted of the restoration of a pasture, using an appropriate forage mixture. After the restoration, data collection concerned botanical composition, floristic richness and biodiversity of vegetation. Moreover, the utilization of single species by wild fauna was assessed by means of the defoliation rate methodology in order to evaluate the real consumption of each plant species. The results obtained in the studied area confirmed the efficiency of the improvement in terms of botanical composition and pastoral value of the pasture and they provided detailed information about selection of different plant species by wild ungulates