An evidence of asp viper (Vipera aspis) consumption by a western European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) on Elba Island (Italy)

We report a record of consumption of an asp viper by a western European hedgehog. The observation took place in Elba Island, providing the first evidence for Italy and, to our knowledge, only the second ever in support to previous anecdotal accounts.

Co-creating Sustainable Urban Mobility Solutions for Guests and Citizens: The Experience in the Elba Island

This chapter illustrates a co-creation approach engaging stakeholders and citizens to develop a shared agenda of sustainable transport solutions, responding to travel needs which are qualitatively and quantitatively different for residents and tourists. The chapter is articulated in three sections. The first section illustrates the co-creation approach and the topics addressed in all six DESTINATIONS demonstration sites where this approach has been used to a greater or lesser extent. The second section describes more extensively the application of the co-creation approach in the Elba island case, illustrating the process and its main outcomes, including the definition of a strategic agenda of goals and actions included in a draft Sustainable Mobility Plan for the whole Elba island, and a hypothesis of new bus services operating in the high season co-created with the engagement of managers from the regional Public Transport Authority (Osservatorio della Mobilità—Provincia di Livorno) and from the Transport Operator (CTT-Nord). The third section discusses some lessons that can be drawn from the successes and failures of the co-creation approach in the Elba case. The application has demonstrated the feasibility and suitability of the co-creation process to effectively engage stakeholders and groups of visionary citizens (the “change agents”) in the formulation of sustainable mobility plans and agendas. On the other hand, follow-up was lacking—no formal procedures to implement decisions based on the shared agenda were initiated—and the concluding section of the chapter discusses some reasons for this failure, and possible remedies for better anchoring the co-creation approach in future policymaking

The Making of a Gravel Beach (Cavo, Elba Island, Italy)

This paper presents the history and evolution of the different projects carried out from 1999 to 2008 at Cavo beach in the Elba Island, Italy. The village of Cavo almost completely lost its beach in the 1970s due to the reduction of sedimentary input, and the backing coastal road was defended by a revetment and two detached breakwaters. Such severe erosion processes continued in the following years and impeded any possibility of beach tourist development. In 1999, a project based on the removal of existing breakwaters and beach nourishment works based on the use of gravel as borrow sediment and the construction of two short groins to maintain nourished sediment, raised environmental concern and did not find the approval of the stakeholders. They were worried about the characteristics of the sediments, i.e., waste materials from iron mining rich in red silt and clay. Such sediment fractions made the sea red during the nourishment and deposited on the Posidonia oceanica meadow in front of the beach, with a potential environmental impact. Furthermore, they cemented the gravel fraction forming a beach rock. Between 2006 and 2008, these materials were covered with better quality gravel, extending and raising the beach profile, which required the elevation and lengthening of the two existing groins. Beach evolution monitoring following the second project, based on morphological and sedimentological data acquired before, during and after the works, demonstrated the great stability of the newly created beach. The wider beach has allowed the construction of a promenade and the positioning, in summer, of small structures useful for seaside tourism, increasing the appeal of this village. Data presented in this paper shows an interesting study case, since few examples exist in international literature regarding gravel nourishment projects monitoring and evolution.

Reconsidering the Variscan basement of southern Tuscany (inner Northern Apennines)

<p>The Pre-Mesozoic units exposed in the inner Northern Apennines mostly consist of middle-late Carboniferous-Permian successions unconformably deposited on a continental crust consolidated at the end of the Variscan (i.e. Hercynian) orogenic cycle (Silurian-Carboniferous). In the inner Northern Apennines, exposures of this continental crust, Cambrian?-early Carboniferous in age, have been described in the Northern Tuscany, Elba Island (Tuscan Archipelago) and, partly, in scattered and isolated outcrops of southern Tuscany. In this contribution, we reappraise the most significative succession (i.e. Risanguigno Formation) exposed in southern Tuscany and considered by most authors as part of the Variscan Basement. New stratigraphic and structural studies, coupled with palynological analyses, allow us to refine the age of the Risanguigno Fm and its geological setting and evolution. Based on the microfloristic content, the structural setting and the fieldwork study, we attribute this formation to late Tournaisian-Visean (middle Mississipian) time interval and conclude it is not showing evidence of a pre-Alpine deformation. These results, together with the already existing data, allow us to presume that no exposures of rocks involved in the Variscan orogenesis occur in southern Tuscany.</p>

Permian sporomorphs from upper Palaeozoic succession of Southern Tuscany (Italy): new constraints for the stratigraphy and palaeogeographic setting of the Tuscan Domain

<p>Recent biostratigraphic and sedimentological studies in the inner Northern Apennines (Italy) permit to refine the upper Palaeozoic successions of southern Tuscany, allowing new hypothesis to frame these formations in the palaeogeographic scenario inherited by the Variscan orogenesis. The Tuscan pre-Triassic successions, now exposed in the Monticiano-Roccastrada Unit, are generally barren or scarce in term of biomineralized fossiliferous content. They were mostly affected by HP-LT to LP-HT metamorphism that, together with their limited exposures, made difficult the stratigraphic correlations. This presentation is focused on three units (i.e. Falsacqua, Torrente Mersino and Carpineta formations) which age attribution and correlation were strongly debated. The Falsacqua Formation is mainly characterized by black to dark-grey phyllite, metasiltstone and metasandstone with dark metacarbonate intercalation. Due to the lack of biomineralized fossil content, by lithostratigraphic correlation with other Tuscan successions, this formation was referred to late Carboniferous-early Permian or Devonian. The Torrente Mersino Formation mainly consists of black to dark-grey quartz-phyllite, quartz metaconglomerate, light-grey quartzite, green phyllite and quartzite and light-grey phyllite. This formation is barren of fossil content and has been alternately assigned to Ordovician-Silurian, Silurian-Devonian, late Carboniferous-Permian and Triassic by lithostratigraphic correlation with other Tuscan and Sardinian successions. The Carpineta Formation is characterized by graphite-rich mudstones with carbonate-siltitic nodules. This unit was referred to the upper Visean-Serpukhovian based on its palaeontological content within the carbonate nodules. The first finding of a well-preserved microflora of middle Permian age in the Falsacqua and Torrente Mersino formations and of middle-late Permian age in the Carpineta Formation adds more constrains to the age attribution. This new age assignment permits to correlate the investigated Falsacqua and Torrente Mersino formations with the coeval ones belonging to southern Tuscany (i.e. Farma and Poggio al Carpino formations) and Elba Island (Rio Marina Formation) characterized by a similar microfloral content and to support a younger deposition of the Carpineta Formation than the Farma Formation one. Moreover, the occurrence of Gondwana-related sporomorphs in all the considered formations proposes a new palaeogeographic scenario for the northern Gondwana margin. Specifically, the present integrated study suggests that the northern margin of Gondwana fragmented through a series of transtensional phases. In this framework, the investigated upper Palaeozoic formations recorded marine siliciclastic sedimentation within either coeval pull-apart basins or laterally related facies of the same basin.</p><p><strong> </strong></p>

Reconsidering the Variscan Basement of Southern Tuscany (Inner Northern Apennines)

The Pre-Mesozoic units exposed in the inner Northern Apennines mostly consist of Pennsylvanian-Permian successions unconformably deposited on a continental crust consolidated at the end of the Variscan orogenic cycle (Silurian-Carboniferous). In the inner Northern Apennines, exposures of this continental crust, Cambrian?-Devonian in age, have been described in Northern Tuscany, Elba Island (Tuscan Archipelago) and, partly, in scattered and isolated outcrops of southern Tuscany. This paper reappraises the most significant succession (i.e., Risanguigno Formation) exposed in southern Tuscany and considered by most authors as part of the Variscan Basement. New stratigraphic and structural studies, coupled with analyses of the organic matter content, allow us to refine the age of the Risanguigno Fm and its geological setting and evolution. Based on the low diversification of palynoflora, the content of sporomorphs, the structural setting and the new field study, this formation is dated as late Tournaisian to Visean (Middle Mississippian) and is not affected by pre-Alpine deformation. This conclusion, together with the already existing data, clearly indicate that no exposures of rocks involved in the Variscan orogenesis occur in southern Tuscany.

Frequency of Occurrence and Ingested Biomass of Different Prey of the Barn Owl Tyto alba in an Island Ecosystem

The Barn Owl Tyto alba is commonly reported as a non-selective predator of small mammals, and its diet has been thoroughly analyzed also to assess the small mammal assembly composition in many study areas. The aim of this work was to analyze the diet of the Barn Owl in the Elba island through the analysis of 161 pellets collected in September 2020. Undigested fragments were isolated and compared with reference collections. We confirmed that the Barn Owl is a typical predator of field mice (62% of relative frequency), with synanthropic murid rodents as the second category of prey. The frequency of consumption of shrews increased by 9% with respect to the previous work, suggesting that the natural environment of Elba island is still in a good health status. Moreover, fragments of two newborn hares were detected, increasing the knowledge on the local trophic spectrum of the Barn Owl. Finally, the skull of a Geoffroy’s Myotis Myotis emarginatus confirmed the presence of this species in Elba island after over 60 years from the first unconfirmed record. Repeated studies conducted in the same study site may provide useful information on prey population trends and local environmental status.

Updated distribution of the invasive Megachile sculpturalis (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) in Italy and its first record on a Mediterranean island

Megachile sculpturalis (Smith, 1853) (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) is an invasive solitary bee that is rapidly spreading all over Europe. The present study aims to update the distribution of this species in Italy. The research led to the collection of 177 records, obtained through bibliographic research and data-mining from websites, blogs and social networks. We here present the first record of M. sculpturalis on a Mediterranean island and discuss its possible effect on the native ecosystem. Given the particular discovery of M. sculpturalis on Elba Island (Tuscany), we suggest possible monitoring, containment and possible eradication measures of the species.

Guest or pest? Spatio-temporal occurrence and effects on soil and vegetation of the wild boar on Elba island

Where allochthonous large mammals, such as the wild boars, occur in high density, human-wildlife conflicts may arise. Thus, assessing their spatio-temporal patterns is paramount to their management. We studied the wild boars on Elba island, Italy, where they have been introduced and are perceived as pests to address their occurrence and impact of foraging on natural habitat. We surveyed the western island with three camera trapping surveys within one year. We found that the species' estimated occupancy probability was higher in summer-autumn (0.75 ± 0.14) and winter-early spring (0.70 ± 0.10) than in spring–summer (0.53 ± 0.15), whereas detection probability did not vary. Occupancy was significantly associated with lower elevation and woodland cover. Lower site use of wild boars during spring–summer might reflect lower food availability in this season and/or boars’ movements towards landfarms outside the sampled area. Detectability increased with proximity to roads during spring–summer and decreased with humans’ relative abundance in other periods. Boars were mainly nocturnal, with decreasing overlap with human activity when human presence was higher in the park. Soil degradation caused by wild boars was higher in pine plantations, which is the cover with a lower conservation interest. The spatio-temporal activity of wild boars on the island appears driven by seasonal preferences for food-rich cover and avoidance of human disturbance. The lowered site use in months with lower resources could partially reflect increased proximity to settled and farmed areas, which may trigger crop-raiding and the negative perception by residents.

The furnace and the goat—A spatio-temporal model of the fuelwood requirement for iron metallurgy on Elba Island, 4th century BCE to 2nd century ce

Scholars frequently cite fuel scarcity after deforestation as a reason for the abandonment of most of the Roman iron smelting sites on Elba Island (Tuscan Archipelago, Italy) in the 1st century bce. Whereas the archaeological record clearly indicates the decrease in smelting activities, evidence confirming the ‘deforestation narrative’ is ambiguous. Therefore, we employed a stochastic, spatio-temporal model of the wood required and consumed for iron smelting on Elba Island in order to assess the availability of fuelwood on the island. We used Monte Carlo simulations to cope with the limited knowledge available on the past conditions on Elba Island and the related uncertainties in the input parameters. The model includes both, wood required for the furnaces and to supply the workforce employed in smelting. Although subject to high uncertainties, the outcomes of our model clearly indicate that it is unlikely that all woodlands on the island were cleared in the 1st century bce. A lack of fuel seems only likely if a relatively ineffective production process is assumed. Therefore, we propose taking a closer look at other reasons for the abandonment of smelting sites, e.g. the occupation of new Roman provinces with important iron ore deposits; or a resource-saving strategy in Italia. Additionally, we propose to read the development of the ‘deforestation narrative’ originating from the 18th/19th century in its historical context.