Viable and not viable spore concentrations in National Gallery of Umbria (Italy)

AbstractThe conservation actions towards artworks holding a common patrimony for the community are of primary importance, but also those related to their "container" as museums, libraries or archives are to consider. Fungal spores and bacteria carried by air flows to the artwork surface can colonize it causing biodeterioration through physical and/or chemical alterations of the materials with the irreversible loss of their value. The quality control of the indoor air surrounding the historic building is essential, as well as for the protection and conservation of the artwork, also for the protection of the health of operators and visitors. The aim of this study was to monitor airborne fungal particles, through volumetric spore traps, for improving the knowledge about the conservation and protection of artworks in the museum environment analysing the principal relationships between indoor environmental conditions and potentially biodeteriogen fungal spore growth. The evidence of no significant relationships between spore concentrations and environmental conditions recorded inside the different expositive rooms testified the regular and correct maintenance of the air conditioning system inside the considered building (National Gallery of Umbria, central Italy). Moreover, in a specific museum room a significant spore concentration decreasing trend was recorded mainly due to a structural modification in the same building

Preventive Conservation of Cultural Heritage: Biodeteriogens Control by Aerobiological Monitoring

Artefact conditions need to be continuously monitored to avoid degradation effects naturally caused by time and public exploitation in order to increase the value of cultural assets. In this way, the atmospheric analysis of both biological and chemical pollutants potentially present inside conservation environments represents valid support for the adoption of preventive conservation actions by evaluating periodically the presence of risk for the same artefacts. The aim of the present study was to analyze the fungal particles, potentially biodeteriogen, through aerobiological volumetric monitoring, particularly inside valuable historical, artistic, and cultural sites. Different exposition and conservation typologies of the artefacts with different flows of visitors were considered. The applied methodologies have furnished a reliable description of biological air pollution due to the presence of fungal spores—moreover, they have allowed for the prevention of risk situations and the measurement of their evolution in order to limit degradation processes. Through aerobiological monitoring, it was possible to provide important indications for interventions of prevention, conservation and restoration of cultural heritage in indoor environments

Meteorological and Salix species (S. acutifolia, S. smithiana, S. viminalis) phenological trends in central Italy

Plant phenology, through opportune observing and interpreting techniques can be useful to interpret the eventual plant vegetative and reproductive adaptation to climate changes. Some plants of Salix acutifolia Willd., S. smithiana Willd. and S. viminalis L. were considered in a phenological garden in central Italy for analysing their phenological growth stages according to the International gardens network indications during a 10-year period (2008-2017) which allowed us to realize some preliminary trend analyses. The 3 Salix species showed different behaviours in the same cultivation area. S. acutifolia manifested no trend for spring and autumnal phases, S. viminalis presented low significant trends while S. Smithiana was that with the more evident tendencies for all the considered vegetative phases during the study period. The reproductive phase (BBCH 65) showed no significant trend for any Salix species during the study period not being influenced by the different meteorological variables and suggesting that photoperiod in this case may play an important role. The more evident phenological trends were represented for 2 Salix species by the advance of the leaf development during spring and by the progressive delay of the senescence during the last part of the summer, with the fallen leaves phase that was recorded averagely 2 weeks later during the last years of the study period

Spring Influences on Olive Flowering and Threshold Temperatures Related to Reproductive Structure Formation

Several bioclimatic studies have been developed over recent years considering temperature trends and their influence on vegetative and reproductive phenomena during plant growth. In the applied aerobiology laboratory of Perugia University, various studies of olive (Olea europaea L.) flowering and its relationship with climatic variables have been conducted. Since 1999, a flowering monitoring network in central–southern Italy has been working to track the biological phenomena over the years, the possible differences between the monitoring stations, and the relationships with climate. Olive flowering was monitored in 15 monitoring stations located in four Italian regions (Campania, Calabria, Puglia, and Sicily) representing ≈90% of national olive territories. The flowering phenophase was studied through pollen emission monitoring, making use of scientific instruments that capture defined volumes of atmosphere and allow us to ascertain the pollen emission trends, thereby determining daily average pollen concentrations (pollen grains/m3). The combined analysis of pollen monitoring and meteorological data permitted identifying various groups of stations characterized by the fact that better relationships between reproductive structure development and growing degree-days are obtained with different spring threshold temperatures (low 7 to 10 °C or high 11 to 14 °C). Moreover, the study permitted demonstrating particular meteorological and biological behaviors, providing useful information about plant–climate relationships in a species of economic interest affected by interincompatibility

Phenological investigations of different winter-deciduous species growing under Mediterranean conditions

Phenological stages are the result of biorhythms and environmental factors, these last are probably the same ones that caused, during evolution, adjustments of the species to different climate. The present study was carried out in a Phenological Garden located in central Italy (Perugia, Umbria Region) which contains indicator species, common to all International Phenological Gardens. The aim of this study was to determine and analyse the average trends of development of eight plant species and their phenological adjustment to the Mediterranean environment, over a nine-year period (1997–2005). The results of the statistical analyses show a strong relationship between the temperature trends and vegetative seasonal evolutions interpreted by phenological data for all the species considered. Moreover, it was demonstrated that the plants studied may approach or close completely the timing gaps eventually created during the first phenological phases, adjusting thus the beginning of subsequent phenophases.Recherches sur la phénologie de différentes espèces décidues sous climat méditerranéen. Les stades phénologiques résultent des biorythmes et des facteurs environnementaux qui sont probablement ceux là même qui ont provoqué les changements d'aires de répartition des espèces pendant leur évolution, en réponse aux changements climatiques. La présente étude a été réalisée dans un Jardin phénologique situé dans le centre de l'Italie (Perugia, Ombrie) où l'on trouve des espèces indicatrices communes à tous les Jardins phénologiques internationaux. Le but de cette étude a été de déterminer et d'analyser les tendances moyennes de développement de huit espèces de plantes et leur ajustement phénologique à l'environnement méditerranéen, dans une période de neuf ans (1997–2005). Les résultats des analyses statistiques montrent une forte corrélation entre les tendances des températures et le développement végétatif saisonnier, pour toutes les espèces étudiées. On a également démontré que les plantes étudiées peuvent réduire ou éliminer les décalages temporels entre les premières phases phénologiques, en ajustant le début des phénophases suivantes

Aerobiology applied to the preventive conservation of cultural heritage

This work aims to provide an historical overview on aerobiology applied to the preventive conservation of cultural heritage. Bioaerosol represents a potential risk to cultural artifacts since in favorable nutritional and microclimatic conditions the settled biological particulate matter can develop and grow, thus triggering the biodeterioration. Aerobiology has become an important discipline for developing prevention and control strategies for the biological deterioration of cultural heritage. The most used equipment and methods for sampling in both indoor and outdoor environments (passive-sedimentation plates and active impactor for air, contact plates and membranes for surfaces) will be described. The aerobiological monitoring, always combined with microclimatic monitoring, along with information on the artifact and its conservation status, allows to defining situations of potential biologic risk. All the information and data gathered create the baseline for setting up management protocols, defining tailored corrective strategies aimed at preventing damage to cultural heritage and reducing risks to the health of operators and users. New perspectives for this discipline could arise thanks to (a) the development of user-friendly technologies and instrumentations for aerobiological monitoring and sampling of surfaces; (b) the definition of threshold levels of biological risk to the different types of cultural heritage; (c) the creation of a card of “biodeterioration risk” (international database)

Effects of urban tree pruning on ecosystem services performance

Pruning represents the main tree care activity in cities, where it is carried out to reduce wind-break risk, to ensure road visibility, to reduce infrastructure interactions and damages, and last but not least, for aesthetic reasons. However, pruning is also proven to increase tree susceptibility to disease and it can potentially affect their capacity to provide ecosystem services (ES). This study aims to assess the effect of three different life-long pruning scenarios on urban trees PM10 capture and CO2 stock performance. The total carbon balance of twelve tree species (Acer platanoides L., Cedrus spp., Celtis australis L., Cupressus arizonica Greene, Cupressus sempervirens L., Pinus halepensis Mill., Pinus nigra J.F. Arnold, Pinus pinea L. Platanus hybrida Brot., Populus nigra L. var. 'Italica', Quercus ilex L., and Tilia cordata Mill.) was evaluated, including the disposal of the pruning residues of the trees. In all management scenarios studied, pruning represented an opportunity to increase the crown Carbon stock up to 65 %, taking into account the full reestablishment of the crown. The results suggest considering more frequent and less intense ordinary pruning scenarios as a preferable tree management strategy to optimise the tree ES performance and minimise branch dieback occurrence. In addition, the analysis carried out on four different waste wood disposal methods showed that the open dump scenario was the lowest CO2 eq re-emission choice