Remnants of naturalness in a reclaimed land of central Italy

Wetlands are among the most fragile habitats on Earth and have often undergone major environmental changes. As a study case in this context, the present work aims at increasing the floristic knowledge of a reclaimed land now turned into an agricultural lowland with scarce patches of natural habitats. The study area is named Piana di Rosia, and it is located in southern Tuscany (Italy). The compiled checklist consists of 451 specific and subspecific taxa of vascular plants. The life-form spectrum shows a predominance of hemicryptophytes, followed by therophytes. The chorological spectrum highlights a co-dominance of Euri-Mediterranean and Eurasian species along with many widely distributed species. The checklist includes seven species of conservation concern, three Italian endemics (Crocus etruscus Parl., Polygala vulgaris L. subsp. valdarnensis (Fiori) Arrigoni, and Scabiosa uniseta Savi), 41 alien species, 21 segetal species, and 11 aquatic macrophytes of which five helophytes and six hydrophytes. This study suggests that irreversible land-use changes in wetlands can lead towards a simplification of the flora. However, despite the deep transformations that the former wetland has undergone, the presence of some aquatic and protected taxa is interesting. From a conservation point of view, the natural value of this agricultural area could be enhanced and its current management partly reconsidered, thus preserving the remnants of naturalness present.

Download Full-text

Check-list of Vertebrates in the “Tenuta dei Massimi” nature reserve (Rome, central Italy) with some remarks on local conservation priorities

Natural History Sciences ◽

10.4081/nhs.2014.23 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 25 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Corrado Battisti

Keyword(s):

Nature Reserve ◽

Central Italy ◽

Conservation Priorities ◽

Check List ◽

Local Conservation ◽

Mosaic Landscape ◽

Data Set ◽

Species Of Conservation Concern ◽

Bibliographic Data ◽

Conservation Concern

We reported a complete check-list of Vertebrates for the “Tenuta dei Massimi” nature reserve, a protected area well representing a remnant agro-forest heterogeneous mosaic landscape of the “Campagna Romana”. Data were obtained from a large original and bibliographic data-set on a large time-span (1991-2012). This reserve represents an area with a high value of species richness when compared to the surrounding metropolitan areas, also including a large number of species of conservation concern at different scales. We obtained evidences for the occurrence of 141 species (one fish, six amphibians, 12 reptiles, 101 birds, 21 mammals). Among them, some species are of conservation concern at European, regional or local scale. Further research should be focused on a set of fragmentation-sensitive species to verify the long-term viability of their local small populations [e.g. Hyla intermedia Boulenger, 1882, Bufo lineatus Ninni, 1879, Muscardinus avellanarius (Linnaeus, 1758), Sorex samniticus Altobello, 1926)].

Download Full-text

New records and an updated checklist of snakes from Son La Province, Vietnam

Biodiversity Data Journal ◽

10.3897/bdj.8.e52779 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Anh Pham ◽

Thomas Ziegler ◽

Truong Nguyen

Keyword(s):

Morphological Characters ◽

Iucn Red List ◽

Large Area ◽

Natural Habitats ◽

Species Of Conservation Concern ◽

Wide Range ◽

Data Book ◽

Conservation Concern ◽

High Level ◽

First Time

Son La Province is located in north-western Vietnam and the province contains a large area of 440,000 hectares of natural forest. A wide range of elevations and the complexity of landforms have given this province a great diversity of natural habitats and a high level of biodiversity potential. However, the snake fauna of Son La province is still poorly studied. Previous studies documented 56 species of snakes from this province. As a result of our field surveys in Phu Yen, Song Ma, Thuan Chau and Van Ho districts, we report five species of snakes for the first time from Son La Province, northern Vietnam, namely Boiga cyanea, B. guangxiensis, Lycodon meridionalis (Colubridae), Protobothrops cornutus and P. mucrosquamatus (Viperidae), with novel data about morphological characters. In addition, we provide an updated checklist of 61 snake species from Son La Province. The snake fauna of Son La Province also contains a number of species of conservation concern: 11 species listed in the Red Data Book of Vietnam (2007), four species listed in the IUCN Red List (2020) and four species listed in the Vietnam Governmental Decree No. 06 (2019).

Download Full-text

Ecological and Biological Properties of Satureja cuneifolia Ten. and Thymus spinulosus Ten.: Two Wild Officinal Species of Conservation Concern in Apulia (Italy). A Preliminary Survey

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants10091952 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 1952 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Enrico V. Perrino ◽

Francesca Valerio ◽

Shaima Jallali ◽

Antonio Trani ◽

Giuseppe N. Mezzapesa

Keyword(s):

Biological Properties ◽

Scientific Data ◽

Point Of View ◽

Wild Plant ◽

Natural Agents ◽

Synthetic Chemicals ◽

Species Of Conservation Concern ◽

Wild Plant Species ◽

Increasing Demand ◽

Conservation Concern

This study evaluated the effects of ecology (plant community, topography and pedology), as well as of climate, on the composition of essential oils (EOs) from two officinal wild plant species (Lamiales) from Apulia, namely Satureja cuneifolia Ten. and Thymus spinulosus Ten. Few scientific data on their chemical composition are available, due to the fact that the first has a limited distribution range and the second is endemic of southern Italy. Results for both species, never officially used in traditional medicine and/or as spices, showed that the ecological context (from a phytosociological and ecological point of view) may influence their EO composition, and hence, yield chemotypes different from those reported in the literature. S. cuneifolia and Th. spinulosus can be considered good sources of phytochemicals as natural agents in organic agriculture due to the presence of thymol and α-pinene. Overall, the obtained trend for EOs suggests a potential use of both species as food, pharmacy, cosmetics and perfumery. Hence, their cultivation and use represent a positive step to reduce the use of synthetic chemicals and to meet the increasing demand for natural and healthier products.

Download Full-text

Some effects of environmental changes on Sihwa Reclaimed Land on the inhabit of Spot-billed Ducks

The Korean Journal of Ornithology ◽

10.30980/kjo.2018.12.25.2.87 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 87-93 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Seon-Deok Jin ◽

In Hwan Paik ◽

Chi Young Park ◽

Seong Hoon Choi ◽

Jae Pyeong Yu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Changes ◽

Reclaimed Land

Download Full-text

Climatic Variables Differentially Influence Neotropical Plant Species of Conservation Concern

Journal of Sustainable Forestry ◽

10.1080/10549811.2021.1944878 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-16

Author(s):

Pablo Antúnez ◽

Christian Wehenkel ◽

Collins Byobona Kukunda ◽

José Ciro Hernández-Díaz

Keyword(s):

Plant Species ◽

Climatic Variables ◽

Species Of Conservation Concern ◽

Conservation Concern

Download Full-text

Late-Holocene landscape evolution and human presence in the northern Danube delta (Chilia distributary lobes)

The Holocene ◽

10.1177/09596836211019121 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 095968362110191

Author(s):

Luminița Preoteasa ◽

Alfred Vespremeanu-Stroe ◽

Anca Dan ◽

Laurențiu Țuțuianu ◽

Cristian Panaiotu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Middle Ages ◽

Economic History ◽

Late Holocene ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Sedimentary Facies ◽

The Black Sea ◽

Danube Delta ◽

Human Presence ◽

Historical Texts

This paper documents the Late-Holocene environmental changes and human presence in the northern Danube delta using a multidisciplinary approach that combines geoscientific data with archaeological findings, historical texts, and maps. It follows the formation and progression of the Chilia distributary and the reconfiguration of socioeconomic activities. Sedimentary facies identified on five new cores by changes in texture properties, magnetic susceptibility, geochemistry, and macro- and microfauna composition together with the newly obtained chronology constrain the complex evolution of the Chilia branch as filling in a long-lasting bay and then of a giant lagoon (Thiagola) which covered most of the northern delta since the Old Danube lobe inception (ca. 7500 yrs BP) till modern Chilia development. It initiated during the Greek Antiquity (ca. 2500 yrs ar BP) at the delta apex, while in Roman times (ca. 1800 yrs BP) it pursued its slow flowing into the vast Thiagola Lagoon. The most dramatic transformations occurred in the last 800 years when the river passed east of the Chilia promontory, rapidly went through the present-day Matița-Merhei basin (several decades), and created its first open-sea outlet. Solid discharge increased in two distinct periods, once in the Middle Ages (ca. 750 yrs BP) and then in the Modern Period (ca. 150 yrs BP) due to human-induced land-use changes in the Danube watershed. The chronology of the cultural remains on the pre-deltaic Chilia promontory and the multiproxy analysis of a sediment core retrieved nearby downstream suggest the terrestrial connection of the island with the mainland in ancient times. The hitherto contended issue of the old Thiagola Lagoon and its location are redefined here, as are the original identifications of ancient and medieval toponyms and hydronyms, especially for Chilia-Licostomo, Byzantine, Genoese, Moldavian, Ottoman, and Russian trading point of great importance in the political and economic history of the Black Sea and neighboring regions.

Download Full-text

Using impact assessment study designs for addressing impacts to species of conservation concern

Wildlife Society Bulletin ◽

10.1002/wsb.179 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 36 (3) ◽

pp. 450-456 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mike E. Marshall ◽

Ashley M. Long ◽

Shannon L. Farrell ◽

Heather A. Mathewson ◽

Michael L. Morrison ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Impact Assessment ◽

Impact Assessment Study ◽

Assessment Study ◽

Species Of Conservation Concern ◽

Conservation Concern ◽

Study Designs

Download Full-text

Impacts of Land-Use Changes on Vegetation and Ecosystem Functioning: Old-Field Secondary Succession

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants10050990 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 990

Author(s):

Javier Pérez-Hernández ◽

Rosario G. Gavilán

Keyword(s):

Plant Communities ◽

Ecosystem Functioning ◽

Secondary Succession ◽

Species Coexistence ◽

Human Impacts ◽

Soil Seed Bank ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Dispersal Limitation ◽

Point Of View ◽

Old Field

The study of ecological succession to determine how plant communities re-assemble after a natural or anthropogenic disturbance has always been an important topic in ecology. The understanding of these processes forms part of the new theories of community assembly and species coexistence, and is attracting attention in a context of expanding human impacts. Specifically, new successional studies provide answers to different mechanisms of community assemblage, and aim to define the importance of deterministic or stochastic processes in the succession dynamic. Biotic limits, which depend directly on biodiversity (i.e., species competition), and abiotic filtering, which depends on the environment, become particularly important when they are exceeded, making the succession process more complicated to reach the previous disturbance stage. Plant functional traits (PFTs) are used in secondary succession studies to establish differences between abandonment stages or to compare types of vegetation or flora, and are more closely related to the functioning of plant communities. Dispersal limitation is a PFT considered an important process from a stochastic point of view because it is related to the establishing of plants. Related to it the soil seed bank plays an important role in secondary succession because it is essential for ecosystem functioning. Soil compounds and microbial community are important variables to take into account when studying any succession stage. Chronosequence is the best way to study the whole process at different time scales. Finally, our objective in this review is to show how past studies and new insights are being incorporated into the basis of classic succession. To further explore this subject we have chosen old-field recovery as an example of how a number of different plant communities, including annual and perennial grasslands and shrublands, play an important role in secondary succession.

Download Full-text

White-nose syndrome-related changes to Mid-Atlantic bat communities across an urban-to-rural gradient

BMC Zoology ◽

10.1186/s40850-021-00079-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sabrina Deeley ◽

Joshua B. Johnson ◽

W. Mark Ford ◽

J. Edward Gates

Keyword(s):

The United States ◽

Myotis Lucifugus ◽

National Capital Region ◽

Conservation Areas ◽

White Nose Syndrome ◽

Species Of Conservation Concern ◽

National Capital ◽

Park Service ◽

Bat Conservation ◽

Conservation Concern

Abstract Background White-nose Syndrome (WNS) has reduced the abundance of many bat species within the United States’ Mid-Atlantic region. To determine changes within the National Park Service National Capital Region (NCR) bat communities, we surveyed the area with mist netting and active acoustic sampling (2016–2018) and compared findings to pre-WNS (2003–2004) data. Results The results indicated the continued presence of the threatened Myotis septentrionalis (Northern Long-eared bat) and species of conservation concern, including Perimyotis subflavus (Tri-colored bat), Myotis leibii (Eastern Small-footed bat) and Myotis lucifugus (Little Brown bat). However, we documented a significant reduction in the abundance and distribution of M. lucifugus and P. subflavus, a decrease in the distribution of M. septentrionalis, and an increase in the abundance of Eptesicus fuscus (Big Brown bat). Conclusions Documented post-WNS M. septentrionalis recruitment suggests that portions of the NCR may be important bat conservation areas. Decreases in distribution and abundance of P. subflavus and M. lucifugus indicate probable extirpation from many previously occupied portions of the region.

Download Full-text

Deep genetic structure at a small spatial scale in the endangered land snail Xerocrassa montserratensis

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-87741-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Cristina Català ◽

Vicenç Bros ◽

Xavier Castelltort ◽

Xavier Santos ◽

Marta Pascual

Keyword(s):

Genetic Structure ◽

Land Snail ◽

Snail Species ◽

Small Spatial Scale ◽

Geographic Ranges ◽

Genetic Groups ◽

Species Of Conservation Concern ◽

Conservation Actions ◽

Conservation Concern ◽

Single Locality

AbstractSpecies with small geographic ranges do not tend to have a high genetic structure, but some land snail species seem to be an exception. Xerocrassa montserratensis, an endangered land snail endemic to Catalonia (northeastern Iberian Peninsula), is an excellent model to study the processes affecting the phylogeography of specialized species of conservation concern. This species is restricted to xerophilous stony slopes and occurs within a small and fragmented area of ca. 500 km2. We sequenced the COI barcode region of 152 individuals from eight sites covering the entire range of the species. We found four genetic groups mostly coincident with their geographic distribution: a central ancestral group containing shared haplotypes among five localities and three groups restricted to a single locality each. Two of these derived groups were geographically and genetically isolated, while the third and most differentiated group was not geographically isolated. Geomorphologic and paleoclimatic processes during the Pleistocene can explain the divergence found between populations of this low dispersal species with historical fragmentation and secondary contacts. Nonetheless, recent passive large dispersal through streams was also detected in the central group. Overall, our study uncovered four evolutionary units, partially matching morphologically described subspecies, which should be considered in future conservation actions.

Download Full-text