Ricerc@Sapienza

We studied the size distribution of ions (Cl−, NO3−, SO4=, Na+, NH4+, K+, Mg++, Ca++) and elements (As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cs, Cu, Fe, Li, Mn, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sb, Se, Sn, Sr, Ti, Tl, V, Zn) during the winter and summer seasons of seven consecutive years (2008–2014) in an area of the Po Valley (Northern Italy) characterised by industrial, agricultural and urban settings. The study included the collection and analysis of 41 series of size-segregated samples (MOUDI sampler, 10 stages, cut sizes from 0.18 to 18 μm).

BACKGROUND:

In 2011 the European Commission (EC) released specific ‘Guidelines’ describing the methods to quantify and subtract the contribution of natural sources from the PM10 values regulated by the European Air Quality Directive (2008/50/EC). This work investigates the applicability to Italy of the EC-Methodology suggested for desert-dust, describes main limitations encountered and proposes specific modifications embedded within a ‘revised-Methodology’ to extend/improve its use.

ACKGROUND:
A number of studies which have investigated isolation patterns in human populations rely on the analysis of intra- and inter-population genetic statistics of mtDNA polymorphisms. However, this approach makes it difficult to differentiate between the effects of long-term genetic isolation and the random fluctuations of statistics due to reduced sample size.
AIM:
To overcome the confounding effect of sample size when detecting signatures of genetic isolation.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS:

In recent years, interest in availability of georeferenced vegetation plots has stimulated or reinvigorated national initiatives to compile these data. In Italy, eleven vegetation databases are currently registered in the Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases (GIVD). In this paper we describe the Vegetation Plot Database - Sapienza University of Rome (VPD-Sapienza; GIVD code EU-IT-011), which started in 2012 and rapidly became one of the most prominent ones with a total of 21,917 georeferenced vegetation plots spanning across the country.

Habitat loss and fragmentation are threatening amphibians by increasing population isolation. However, artificial waterbodies created for livestockmay contrast this phenomenon by providing surrogate habitats for amphibians. Here, we performed a genetic study on an amphibian species, Lissotriton vulgaris meridionalis, in a rural area in central Italy where natural wetlands are disappearing and drinking troughs for cattle watering are widespread.

Human-carnivore coexistence is a multi-faceted issue that requires an understanding of the diverse attitudes and perspectives of the communities living with large carnivores. To inform initiatives that encourage behaviors in line with conservation goals, we focused on assessing the two components of attitudes (i.e., feelings and beliefs), as well as norms of local communities coexisting with Apennine brown bears (Ursus arctos marsicanus) for a long time.

BumbleKey is a matrix-based, interactive key to all 45 species of bumblebees of Italy and Corsica. The key allows to identify adult males and females (queens and workers) using morphological characters. The key is published online, open-access, at http://www.interactive-keys.eu/bumblekey/default.aspx.

Although there are various checklists of Italian mammals, there is not yet a synthesis of those mammals
that are endemic to Italy. Therefore, we provide for the first time a detailed review on Italian mammal
endemic species including endemic taxa deserving additional studies. This review is based on the most
recent taxonomic revisions obtained using Scopus and Google Scholar databases. We also considered
the age of endemic species. Some aspects of mammalian conservation are also provided and discussed.

1. Levels of endemism are usually expressed as percentage of endemics among all species recorded in a given area. Endemism levels also vary among taxa, yet inter-taxon variation in endemism levels has received much less attention. 2. We used the Italian tenebrionids to investigate how endemism levels vary among different but related lineages.