Vegetation Analysis in the Archaeological Area of Pasargadae WHS (Iran) Enhancing the Naturalistic Value of the Site within the Occurring Environmental Changes

This study provides pioneering research on the vegetation of archaeological areas in Iran to enhance its naturalistic and bioindication values by selecting the Pasargadae World Heritage Site (WHS). Vegetation surveys were carried out in different homogeneous habitats, analyzing the plant communities through statistical elaboration, syntaxonomic role, mapping, and enhancement of plants with conservation interest. In an ecological approach, the study included an analysis of the recent climate changes and human interventions influencing the water resources. Results revealed seven main vegetation types reflecting ecological gradients shaped by environmental, edaphic, and anthropogenic factors. The syntaxonomic analysis showed a primary subdivision in semi-natural grasslands and synanthropic vegetation. Several key species were identified as bioindicators of multiple factors, such as: Launaea acanthodes, Stipa barbata, Alhagi maurorum, Bellevalia saviczii, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Convolvulus arvensis, and Hordeum murinum. The vegetation map showed how the hilly grassland communities hosted the highest number of species with conservation interest and their need to be better protected. Bio-climatic data, such as the construction of dams and the exploitation for irrigation purposes, pointed to the increasing xeric conditions, which make urging conservation efforts for the site's historical and naturalistic values. The study underscores the importance of preserving places with high plant diversity for effective site management, and enhances the intricate relationship between vegetation and natural features in the occurring environmental changes

Summer roadside vegetation dominated by Sorghum halepense in peninsular Italy: survey and classification

Sorghum halepense is a synanthropic tall grass distributed worldwide from tropical to temperate zones, and it is often considered an invasive alien. It is a perennial, rhizomatous plant that tends to form dense stands derived from vegetative and sexual propagation. Despite roadside plant communities dominated by Sorghum halepense are very common in southern Europe, their phytosociological aspects are scarcely studied. In this work, we present the results of a vegetation survey in peninsular Italy, carried out by means of the phytosociological method. In total, we carried out 73 releves in Liguria, Tuscany, Latium, Campania, Basilicata, and Apulia. We statistically compared our releves to those from the Balkans classified in the Cynodonto-Sorghetum halepensis, an association of agricultural annual weed vegetation of the class Stellarietea mediae s.l. used in the past as a reference for Italian S. halepense-dominated communities. Our results show that the Italian communities are different from the Cynodonto-Sorghetum halepensis communities, since the latter are rich in annual species, while the former are rich in perennial species. From the syntaxonomic point of view, the Italian communities are better classified in the class Artemisietea vulgaris. We describe the new (sub-)ruderal association Potentillo reptantis-Sorghetum halepensis, including a meso-hygrophilous variant with Urtica dioica and an agricultural variant with Elymus repens. We have evidence that the Potentillo-Sorghetum occurs in Italy, Kosovo and Slovenia, but its distribution is possibly wider due to conspicuous presence of cosmopolitan species characterizing the association. Our work provides a baseline for the knowledge of an alien-dominated plant community that can invade habitats with high conservation value

Differential effects of increasing temperature on the germination of five wild species with varying range sizes in a Carrara marble quarry

Assessing the performance of spontaneous plants in abandoned quarries under future environmental scenarios is important for successful restoration practices. Air warming is one of the most relevant ongoing climatic changes in the Mediterranean. We tested the effects of increasing temperature on the germination of five species spontaneously colonising the abandoned sectors of a Carrara marble quarry (Tuscany, central Italy). We selected five plant species with different widths of their distribution range, from local endemic to invasive alien: Santolina pinnata, Globularia incanescens, Hypericum coris, Helichrysum italicum, and Buddleja davidii. Seeds were collected in situ and their germination was tested in laboratory conditions at 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30°C. The effects of temperature and species on germination percentage (GP) and mean germination time (MGT) were tested through two-way ANOVA. Increasing temperatures negatively affected the GP of S. pinnata and H. coris. G. incanescens performed better at intermediate temperatures, while H. italicum benefited from increasing temperatures. B. davidii showed a similar high GP under all the treatments. MGT decreased with increasing temperature for all the species, except for S. pinnata, which showed an increase of MGT with increasing temperature. We highlighted that, under future warmer climatic conditions, the two endemic species will be disadvantaged with respect to the species with a wider distribution range and the non-native species in the studied quarry. This evidence is relevant for restoration planning since seeding the two endemic species could be unsuccessful under future environmental scenarios, when H. italicum and B. davidii will be more competitive in the colonisation of the quarry

Substrate Preferences of Ruderal Plants in Colonizing Stone Monuments of the Pasargadae World Heritage Site, Iran

Plant colonization on archaeological structures is limited by the substrate conditions of stone surfaces. Despite its relevance for ecological studies and the management plans of archaeologi- cal sites, the knowledge on monuments substrate (e.g., stones, microhabitats, microsites), which could be suitable sites for plant establishment, is an underestimated topic. Here, we aim to identify the sub- strate preference of plants in colonizing stone surfaces as a first step in evaluating the biodeterioration risk. We selected the Pasargadae World Heritage Site (WHS) for its variety of different conditions, and we assessed the substrate preference of 142 ruderal plants occurring on nine monuments, two types of stones, and eight microsites. Our data indicated that stone typology and microsite conditions affected species composition, diversity, and richness. The porosity of the different limestone and the progressive weathering phenomena resulted as relevant factors in plant colonization. Significantly, microsites as a junction of two stone blocks (M1a) and big fractures covered by soil (M3) hosted the most favorable conditions, which needed periodic monitoring during the maintenance activities of the site. Evaluating the substrate preference of ruderal plants can contribute to the identification of the high-risk areas for plant colonization, which need to be considered in the management plans of archaeological sites

Plant Diversity in Archaeological Sites and Its Bioindication Values for Nature Conservation: Assessments in the UNESCO Site Etruscan Necropolis of Tarquinia (Italy)

In archaeological sites, plants can be a risk for monument conservation. However, in these sites, a refugium for plant biodiversity is often detected, such as in the UNESCO site Etruscan necropolis of “Monterozzi” in Tarquinia, which still holds a Special Protection Area for bats. In this site, we previously evaluated the positive and negative effects of vascular plants on the conservation of the hypogeal tombs. To contribute in assessing the role of archaeological sites in supporting plant diversity and interpreting its bioindication values for nature conservation, we analyse in this relevant place the floristic interest and richness and the plant communities growing on tumuli, trampled, and less disturbed areas. The results revealed the presence of several plants with high naturalistic interest, such as the community’s representative of synanthropic and natural Mediterranean grasslands, which arise both from the present and the past uses of the area. The high naturalistic values of the site are also assessed, considering its remarkable richness of species/area compared with the well-known archaeological sites of Rome. These findings further indicate that plant diversity needs to be considered in planning management activities in archaeological sites to also protect their natural values

Trees and the significance of sacred grove imagery in Etruscan funerary paintings at Tarquinia (Italy)

The funerary paintings at Tarquinia, recognized for their extraordinary cultural and artistic importance, reflect the Etruscan aristocracy's outlook on life, funeral rites, and their concept of the afterlife, such as their relationship with nature. Despite their recurrence, a botanical analysis of the painted trees was lacking. Here, we analysed 34 Etruscan-painted tombs, looking at the arboreal plants, studying their characteristic architecture, and providing key elements resulting from abstractions from real features for understanding how different species are represented. The identification was supported by a bibliography of Etruscan iconography and botanical atlas and online databases useful for the comparison with the diagnostic elements present in the represented trees. The results show that myrtles (Myrtus communis) and laurels (Laurus nobilis) were the most commonly depicted arboreal species in the fifth and fourth century BC tombs, respectively. Myrtles were prominent in funerary celebrations due to the plant's Dionysian connection, and laurel was sacred within Apollonian rites. To a lesser extent, we also found palms, with their auspicious symbolism (hybrid forms combining Chamaerops humilis and Phoenix dactylifera), and single occurrences of fig (Ficus carica), and fir (Picea cfr. excelsa). These findings help to better comprehend the role of trees in Etruscan culture, which here seem to contribute to the representation of a sacred space within the funerary tomb, in keeping with the ancient concept of the sacred forests or "nemora". The regular repetition of trees also helps to project sequences of temporal events and the progress of time in human life

What community completeness can tell about the conservation status of ecosystems: a test on vascular plants in Fagus sylvatica forests

Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forests are among the habitats with the highest naturalness in Europe (1). Theyare often considered as species-poor ecosystems since beech is highly competitive especially for light, butexamples of species-rich beech forests are also well-documented. It is unclear if the lack of species in manybeech forests is due to natural drivers or to anthropic management. In this study we investigated the patternsof plant community completeness (2) in the beech forests of Tuscany, central Italy. Floristic and structuralattributes were surveyed in 155 circular plots of 8 m radius in 2020-2021. The regional species pool of beechforests was retrieved from about 1,100 vegetation relevés available in the literature. We built a series ofStructural Equation Models based on Generalized Linear Modelling to assess the direct and indirect effectsof anthropogenic and environmental variables on beech forests’ community completeness. We tested if sucheffects differed according to forest types on the groups resulting from a modified TWINSPAN clusteranalysis: 1) species-rich, low-elevation and basiphilous beech forests characterized by Cardamine bulbifera,Hedera helix, Mercurialis perennis; 2) species-poor acidophilous beech forests characterized by Festucaheterophylla, Luzula pedemontana, Veronica officinalis; 3) species-poor microthermal beech forestscharacterized by Oxalis acetosella, Rubus idaeus, Dryopteris dilatata. For the whole dataset, the lack ofspecies at a given site was due to both anthropic and natural factors (Fig. 1): 1) silvicultural management(low DBH, indicating coppicing or recent cuts in high forests) that disadvantages understorey species; 2) lowslopes that naturally promote litter accumulation suppressing understory species; 3) increasing elevation,with a natural loss of species. The selected predictors had different effects on the community completenessof the three forest types, with the main causes of species absence being high elevations in type 1, none of theselected predictors in type 2, and silvicultural management and low slopes in type 3. We conclude thatcommunity completeness can be used as an indicator of the conservation status of beech forests, since testingthe role of different drivers in relation to forest type allows distinguishing natural lacks of species from thoseinduced by human influences

Brain microstructure and connectivity in COVID-19 patients with olfactory or cognitive impairment

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected millions worldwide, causing mortality and multi-organ morbidity. Neurological complications have been recognized. This study aimed to assess brain structural, microstructural, and connectivity alterations in patients with COVID-19-related olfactory or cognitive impairment using post-acute (time from onset: 264[208–313] days) multi-directional diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI). Methods: The study included 16 COVID-19 patients with cognitive impairment (COVID-CM), 35 COVID-19 patients with olfactory disorder (COVID-OD), and 14 controls. A state-of-the-art processing pipeline was developed for DW-MRI pre-processing, mean diffusivity and fractional anisotropy computation, fiber density and cross-section analysis, and tractography of white-matter bundles. Brain parcellation required for probing network connectivity, region-specific microstructure and volume, and cortical thickness was based on T1-weighted scans and anatomical atlases. Results: Compared to controls, COVID-CM patients showed overall gray matter atrophy (age and sex corrected p = 0.004), and both COVID-19 patient groups showed regional atrophy and cortical thinning. Both groups presented an increase in gray matter mean diffusivity (corrected p = 0.001), decrease in white matter fiber density and cross-section (corrected p < 0.05), , and COVID-CM patients also displayed an overall increased diffusivity (p = 0.022) and decreased anisotropy (corrected p = 0.038) in white matter. Graph-based analysis revealed reduced network modularity, with an extensive pattern of connectivity increase, in conjunction with a localized reduction in a few connections, mainly located in the left hemisphere. The left cingulate, anterior cingulate, and insula were primarily involved. Conclusion: Expanding upon previous findings, this study further investigated significant alterations in brain morphology, microstructure, and connectivity in COVID-19 patients with olfactory or cognitive disfunction. These findings suggest underlying neurodegeneration, neuroinflammation, and concomitant compensatory mechanisms. Future longitudinal studies are required to monitor the alterations over time and assess their transient or permanent nature

Additional file 1 of Cerebral autoregulation in traumatic brain injury: ultra-low-frequency pressure reactivity index and intracranial pressure across age groups

Additional file 1. Additional Methods

Notulae to the Italian native vascular flora: 7

In this contribution, new data concerning the distribution of native vascular flora in Italy are presented. It includes new records, confirmations and status changes to the Italian administrative regions for taxa in the genera Acer, Alchemilla, Andrachne, Bromus, Clinopodium, Colchicum, Damasonium, Erodium, Festuca, Hieracium, Hyparrhenia, Ipomoea, Linaria, Lolium, Narcissus, Ranunculus, Sisymbrium, Stipa, Valerianella, Vicia, and Zannichellia. New combinations in the genus Ziziphora (Z. sardoa and Z. corsica) and the new subspecies Ulmus minor susbp. canescens are proposed. Furthermore, the name Calamintha alpina var. sardoa is here lectotypified. Nomenclatural and distribution updates, published elsewhere, and corrigenda are provided as Suppl. material 1