Responses of plant, insect and spider biodiversity to local and landscape scale management intensity in cereal crops and grasslands

The aim of this study was to determine the relative effects of landscape scale management intensity, agroecosystem type, local management intensity and edges on diversity patterns of functional groups of plants, carabid beetles, spiders and grasshoppers. Nine landscapes were selected differing in percent intensively used agricultural area (IAA), each with a pair of organic and conventional winter wheat fields and a pair of organic and conventional mown meadows. Within fields, plants were surveyed in the edge and in the interior. Carabid beetles and spiders were captured by funnel traps, while grasshoppers were sweep-netted in the meadows. Diversity patterns of study organisms were affected both by local variables (local management, agroecosystem type and within-field position) and by landscape scale management intensity. Species richness of grasses, presumably because of sowing low-diversity mixtures, and hunting spiders decreased with percent cover of IAA. Meadows differed from wheat fields in that they had higher species richness of forbs and grasses, as well as higher densities of hunting spiders. In contrast, more carabid individuals, especially of non-carnivore species, were captured in wheat fields. In field edges with their reduced management intensity and increased immigration, species richness of plants, carabids and spiders was higher than in the interiors regardless of agroecosystem type and management. Organic management enhanced forb richness and cover in both agroecosystem types. Organic management also increased grass cover in wheat fields, but not in meadows, and promoted species richness of non-carnivore carabids and hunting spiders, but not grasshoppers. The results show that agri-environmental management needs to be targeted to the agroecosystem's field size, because higher edge area led to higher species richness. Organic management affected several functional groups positively (forbs, non-carnivore carabids, hunting spiders), while lower landscape scale management intensity only increased species richness of grasses and spiders. The great differences in responses of functional groups to local cereal and grassland as well as landscape management suggest implementing more scale and group specific targets for agri-environmental schemes to improve their efficiency.     

Modelling spatial distribution of hard bottom benthic communities and their functional response to environmental parameters

In this study we analyzed and modelled spatial distribution of hard bottom benthic communities in the Lagoon of Venice, and used the model to derive functional response of these communities to changing environmental conditions.     

Kitchen waste valorization through a mild-temperature pretreatment to enhance biogas production and fermentability: Kinetics study in mesophilic and thermophilic regimen

Biowaste valorization through anaerobic digestion is an attractive option to achieve both climate protection goals and renewable energy production.In this paper,a complete set of batch trials was carried out on kitchen waste to investigate the effects of mild thermal pretreatment,temperature regimen and substrate/inoculum ratio.Thermal pretreatment was effective in the solubilisation of macromolecular fractions,particularly carbohydrates.The ability of the theoretical methodologies in estimating...     

Safe caves and dangerous forests? Predation risk may contribute to salamander colonization of subterranean habitats

Recent studies suggest that many organisms actively colonize the subterranean environment to avoid climatic stress, exploit new ecological opportunities and reduce competition and predation. Terrestrial salamanders are known to colonize the more stable subterranean habitats mainly to escape external climatic extremes, while the role of predation avoidance remains untested. To better understand the importance of predation, we used clay models of the cave salamander Speleomantes strinatii to compare the predation occurring in woodland and subterranean habitats. Models were positioned in three forests and in three caves in NW Italy. One-hundred eighty-four models were retrieved from the field and 59 (32%) were attacked by predators. Models were attacked on their head more often than expected by chance and, therefore, were perceived by predators as real prey items. In the woodlands, clay models showed a four-time higher probability of being attacked in comparison to caves, suggesting a different level of potential predation risk in these surface habitats. These findings are one of the first experimental evidences that, in terrestrial ecosystems, predation avoidance may contribute to the salamander underground colonization process.     

Ecotoxicity evaluation of selected sulfonamides

Sulfonamides (SAs) are a group of antibiotic drugs widely used in veterinary medicine. The contamination of the environment by these pharmaceuticals has raised concern in recent years. However, knowledge of their (eco)toxicity is still very basic and is restricted to just a few of these substances. Even though their toxicological analysis has been thoroughly performed and ecotoxicological data are available in the literature, a systematic analysis of their ecotoxicological potential has yet to be carried out. To fill this gap, 12 different SAs were chosen for detailed analysis with the focus on different bacteria as well as non-target organisms (algae and plants). A flexible (eco)toxicological test battery was used, including enzymes (acetylcholinesterase and glutathione reductase), luminescent marine bacteria (Vibrio fischeri), soil bacteria (Arthrobacter globiformis), limnic unicellular green algae (Scenedesmus vacuolatus) and duckweed (Lemna minor), in order to take into account both the aquatic and terrestrial compartments of the environment, as well as different trophic levels. It was found that SAs are not only toxic towards green algae (EC₅₀ = 1.54-32.25 mg L⁻¹) but have even stronger adverse effect on duckweed (EC₅₀ = 0.02-4.89 mg L⁻¹) than atrazine - herbicide (EC₅₀ = 2.59 mg L⁻¹).     

Concentrations of PCDD/PCDF in soil close to a secondary aluminum smelter

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDDs/Fs) were analyzed in samples of the emissions from a secondary aluminum smelter (ALS) and soil samples around the plant. The purpose was to estimate the impact of the emissions on the surrounding environment.PCDD/F soil concentrations were higher in the proximity of the plant, exceeding the limit adopted in Italy in soils for green areas and residential uses and the upper limit of several reference concentrations. The most contaminated sites were less than 500 m from the plant and the dioxin concentration with the distance from the ALS.Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that emissions from the ALS were the source of PCDD/F contamination in the soils closest to the plant. Multivariate data analyses such as PCA are therefore useful to identify sources of emission causing contamination.     

Assessing the recovery potential of alpine moss-sedge heath: reciprocal transplants along a nitrogen deposition gradient

The potential of alpine moss-sedge heath to recover from elevated nitrogen (N) deposition was assessed by transplanting Racomitrium lanuginosum shoots and vegetation turfs between 10 elevated N deposition sites (8.2-32.9 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) and a low N deposition site, Ben Wyvis (7.2 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). After two years, tissue N of Racomitrium shoots transplanted from higher N sites to Ben Wyvis only partially equilibrated to reduced N deposition whereas reciprocal transplants almost matched the tissue N of indigenous moss. Unexpectedly, moss shoot growth was stimulated at higher N deposition sites. However, moss depth and biomass increased in turfs transplanted to Ben Wyvis, apparently due to slower shoot turnover (suggested to result partly from decreased tissue C:N slowing decomposition), whilst abundance of vascular species declined. Racomitrium heath has the potential to recover from the impacts of N deposition; however, this is constrained by the persistence of enhanced moss tissue N contents.