Monitoring of Plant Species and Communities on Coastal Cliffs: Is the Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Suitable?

Cliffs are reservoirs of biodiversity; therefore, many plant species and communities of inland and coastal cliffs are protected by Council Directive 92/43/EEC (European Economic Community), and their monitoring is mandatory in European Union countries. Surveying plants on coastal cliff by traditional methods is challenging and alternatives are needed. We tested the use of a small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) as an alternative survey tool, gathering aerial images of cliffs at Palinuro Cape (Southern Italy). Four photo-interpreters analysed independently the derived orthomosaic and plotted data needed for the monitoring activity. Data showed to be not affected by photo-interpreters and reliable for the prescribed monitoring in the European Union (EU). Using the GIS analysis tools, we were able to: (a) recognise and map the plant species, (b) derive and measure the area of distribution on the cliff of habitat and species, and (c) count Eokochia saxicola individuals and gather quantitative data on their projected area. Quality of the images represented the main constraint, but incoming technological improvements of sensors and UAVs may overcome this problem. Overall results support the use of UAVs as an affordable and fast survey technique that can rapidly increase the number of studies on cliff habitats and improve ecological knowledge on their plant species and communitie

Hopping or Jumping on the Cliffs: The Unusual Phylogeographical and Demographic Structure of an Extremely Narrow Endemic Mediterranean Plant

Several past and recent climatic and geological events have greatly influenced the current distribution of coastal species around the Mediterranean Basin. As a consequence, the reconstruction of the distributional history of these species is challenging. In this study, we used both chloroplast and nuclear SNPs to assess the levels of genetic differentiation, contemporary/historical levels of gene flow, and demographic history for the three only known (one mainland and two insular) populations of Eokochia saxicola, a rare Mediterranean coastal rocky halophyte. Plastid genome analysis revealed very low intraspecific haplotype variation and partial admixture among Capri and Palinuro populations with at least two independent colonization events for the Strombolicchio islet. Nuclear SNPs variation consistently identified three distinct genetic clusters corresponding to our sampling localities. Furthermore, strong genetic isolation was confirmed by both historical and contemporary levels of migration among the three populations. The DIYABC analysis identified two introductions temporally separated from Palinuro to Capri (ca.25 Mya) and subsequently to Strombolicchio (ca.09 Mya) as the most likely hypothesis for the current distribution of E. saxicola. Regardless of their small population sizes, all study sites supported high-genetic diversity maintained by outcrossing and random mating between individuals owing largely to wind pollination, an exclusive trait among Mediterranean narrow endemics. In conclusion, the patterns observed confirm that some Mediterranean endemics are not necessarily “evolutionary dead-ends” but rather represent species that have extensive demographic stability and a strong evolutionary legacy

Hand Hygiene Knowledge, Hand Contamination and Practice of Italian Nursing and Medical Students

Background: Our objective was to measure hand bacterial contamination in a group of Italian nursing and medical students attending clinical wards for practical training, in order to verify the reliability of the information on hand hygiene (HH) adherence obtained by a self-reporting questionnaire. This questionnaire was administered with the aim of exploring the effectiveness of basic education. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, an anonymous questionnaire designed to investigate HH knowledge and practices was administered to a convenience sample of 100 nursing and 100 medical students. Data collected was combined with hand bacterial contamination measured both at the point of entry and exit from the ward. Results: HH practices and knowledge were significantly higher in nursing compared to medical students. The most effective procedure in reducing bacterial contamination was the alternate use of hand washing and hand rubbing compared to only one practice and the absence of hand hygiene (geom. mean: 180.3, 410.2 and 907.4 CFU/hand respectively, p<0.001). Hand contamination was significantly higher in students who declared to have hardly ever/never implemented HH teaching during clinical practice compared to those who stated to have done it frequently/always (geom. mean: 716 vs 277.1 CFU/hand, p<0.02). ConclusionS: Our investigation adds something new to the topic of HH that is the measure of bacterial hand contamination to verify the reliability of the information obtained by questionnaire. The findings, pointing out some critical aspects in HH teaching among healthcare students, highlight that solid knowledge results in correct behaviour, and consequently in a reduction of hand contamination

A contribution to the characterization of Ruppia drepanensis (Ruppiaceae), a key species of threatened Mediterranean wetlands

To elucidate the taxonomic status of Ruppia drepanensis Tineo ex Guss. (Alismatales, Ruppiaceae), we performed morphological analysis and DNA barcoding of historical materials (including the lectotype) and fresh samples (including those from a recently discovered population near the locus classicus in Sicily, Italy). We conclude that R. drepanensis is a separate species, closely related to R. spiralis L. ex Dumort., that occurs in temporary inland waters from the western to central sectors of the Mediterranean region. We also highlight the importance of vouchers and the need to link molecular investigations to field, ecological, and morphological investigations

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

At the intersection of cultural and natural heritage: Distribution and conservation of the type localities of Italian endemic vascular plants

We conducted a GIS spatial analysis with the aim of providing the first quantitative large-scale overview of the distribution patterns of 1536 type localities (loci classici) of 1216 Italian endemic vascular plants and their relationship with a set of descriptive variables. Whereas some variables were used to model the presence-absence distribution patterns of the type localities for the whole set of endemics as well as for the subset of narrow endemics, others (e.g., presence inside or outside protected areas and Italian Important Plant Areas) were considered with the purpose of assessing potential assets or risks for conservation. The largest number of type localities was found within the Mediterranean biogeographic region (1134), followed by the Alpine region (306) and Continental region (96). A total of 670 locations are located on islands, whereas 866 are located on the Italian mainland (139 and 124 in the case of narrow endemics, respectively). A large number of type localities are located in mountainous areas and along the coastline, which can be seen as a potential risk for conservation. On the contrary, we detected a positive correlation with the distance from roads, which might be considered to be an asset. Importantly, 1030 type localities fall inside protected areas, whereas 506 localities fall outside protected areas, with 259 of these unprotected localities on islands. We propose considering the results of the analysis of the distribution of type localities of Italian endemics to be a strategic tool for conservation planning and resource management. Application of plant micro-reserves and integration of diverse legislation tools are suggested to strengthen efforts and increase conservation success

Identifying bottlenecks in the life cycle of plants living on cliffs and rocky slopes : lack of knowledge hinders conservation actions

Long term survival of plant populations relies on successful reproductive cycle to obtain generation turnover. Focusing on plant species of conservation concern, we brought together a group of plant conservationists from different countries to assess whether the already available information on plant reproductive biology and autecology is adequate for identifying which phases of single species life cycle might act as bottleneck. We compiled a list of 80 plant species of conservation concern living on European cliffs and rocky slopes, for which biological and autecological information was collected from scientific literature, technical reports, and expert knowledge. Results have shown that the available information on species reproductive biology and autecology is inadequate to identify bottlenecks in the life cycle of many species and to provide insights for the practical conservation of many more. Available knowledge is mainly referred to the flowering phase, less on seed production and much less on seedling establishment and on cloning. Meanwhile and noteworthy, flowering resulted to be the less critical phase for the fulfilment of the species life cycle. Overall, with this perspective article we aim to encourage a constructive debate among the scientific community members and policymakers to set up novel concerted strategies for the conservation of plant species of conservation concern. The challenge of the discussion is the implementation of the current approach with new biological and ecological information to be exclusively targeted at identifying the constraints that limit the generation turnover and furnishing specific indications for active management.peer-reviewe