Climate change impact studies on hydrologic regime have been until recently restricted mainly because of the coarse spatial and temporal resolution of the Global Circulation Models(GCMs)outputs. Nevertheless,local met...Climate change impact studies on hydrologic regime have been until recently restricted mainly because of the coarse spatial and temporal resolution of the Global Circulation Models(GCMs)outputs. Nevertheless,local meteorological variables can be derived from GCMs scenarios using downscaling techniques.In the present study,the Statistical DownScaling Model(SDSM)was selected for展开更多
Determining how animals respond to resource availability across spatial and temporal extents is crucial to understand ecological processes underpinning habitat selection.Here,we used a multi-scale approach to study th...Determining how animals respond to resource availability across spatial and temporal extents is crucial to understand ecological processes underpinning habitat selection.Here,we used a multi-scale approach to study the year-round habitat selection of the Crested Tit(Lophophanes cristatus)in a semi-natural lowland woodland of northern Italy,analysing different habitat features at each scale.We performed Crested Tit censuses at three different spatial scales.At the macrohabitat scale,we used geolocalized observations of individuals to compute Manly's habitat selection index,based on a detailed land-use map of the study area.At the microhabitat scale,the trees features were compared between presence and absence locations.At the foraging habitat scale,individual foraging birds and their specific position on trees were recorded using focal animal sampling.Censuses were performed during both the breeding(March to May)and wintering(December to January)seasons.At the macrohabitat scale,the Crested Tits significantly selected pure and mixed pine forests and avoided woods of alien plant species,farmlands and urban areas.At the microhabitat scale,old pine woods with dense cover were selected,with no significant difference in the features of tree selection between the two phenological phases.At the foraging habitat scale,the species was observed spending more time foraging in the canopies than in the understorey,using mostly the portion of Scots Pine(Pinus sylvestris)canopies closer to the trunk in winter,while during the breeding period,the whole canopy was visited.Overall,breeding and wintering habitats largely overlapped in the Crested Tit.Based on our findings,lowland Crested Tits can be well defined as true habitat specialists:they are strictly related to some specific coniferous woodland features.Noteworthily,compared to other tit species,which normally show generalist habits during winter,the Crested Tit behaves as a habitat specialist also out of the breeding season.Our study stressed the importance of considering multi-scale(both spatial and phenological)habitat selection in birds.展开更多
Objectives:The paper evaluates the benefit and risk for human health associated with consumption of sea cucumber Holothuria poli(H.polil from Italian coasts(Central Mediterranean Sea).Materials and Methods:Body wall(B...Objectives:The paper evaluates the benefit and risk for human health associated with consumption of sea cucumber Holothuria poli(H.polil from Italian coasts(Central Mediterranean Sea).Materials and Methods:Body wall(BW),internal tunic(ITu),muscle bands(MBs),alimentary canal(AC),gonad(Gd),and respiratory tree(RT)of H.polii were analyzed for proximate composition.Moreover,amino acids(AAs),fatty acids(FAs)and polycyclic aromatic hydrocar bons(PAHs)were determined with high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy(UPLC UV/Vis),gas chromatography-flame ionization detector(GC-FID)and gas chromatography mass spectrometry(GC-MS),respectively.Results:Differences in the contents of total amino acids(TAAs)occurred based on tissue and sex,with AC and MB of female and Gd of male showing higher contents(range 47.8-60.2 g/kg we weight(ww)).Glycine and glutamic acid were the most abundant.Polyunsaturated fatty acid(PUFA)was the major class of FAs and arachidonic acid and eicosapentenoic acid(EPA)were the predominant PUFA.n-3 PUFA showed higher content in Gd,AC,and RT,indicating higher quality.A favorable n-3/n-6 in the range of 1.04-1.67 was observed.PAHs showed values ranging from 23 to 207μg/kg ww with the highest levels in Gd and AC tissues and the lower in BW.Benzo[alpyrene,the most toxic compound,was detected in all tissues,of both sexes,at levels of 1.5-18μg/kg ww.Conclusion:All tissues of H.poli,although with differences among them,are valuable food and can contribute for a healthy diet.Excess cancer risk(CR)values for Gd and AC tissues were above the considerable CR threshold of one in 10000 established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency(USEPA)for high ingestion rate of this seafood.展开更多
文摘Climate change impact studies on hydrologic regime have been until recently restricted mainly because of the coarse spatial and temporal resolution of the Global Circulation Models(GCMs)outputs. Nevertheless,local meteorological variables can be derived from GCMs scenarios using downscaling techniques.In the present study,the Statistical DownScaling Model(SDSM)was selected for
文摘Determining how animals respond to resource availability across spatial and temporal extents is crucial to understand ecological processes underpinning habitat selection.Here,we used a multi-scale approach to study the year-round habitat selection of the Crested Tit(Lophophanes cristatus)in a semi-natural lowland woodland of northern Italy,analysing different habitat features at each scale.We performed Crested Tit censuses at three different spatial scales.At the macrohabitat scale,we used geolocalized observations of individuals to compute Manly's habitat selection index,based on a detailed land-use map of the study area.At the microhabitat scale,the trees features were compared between presence and absence locations.At the foraging habitat scale,individual foraging birds and their specific position on trees were recorded using focal animal sampling.Censuses were performed during both the breeding(March to May)and wintering(December to January)seasons.At the macrohabitat scale,the Crested Tits significantly selected pure and mixed pine forests and avoided woods of alien plant species,farmlands and urban areas.At the microhabitat scale,old pine woods with dense cover were selected,with no significant difference in the features of tree selection between the two phenological phases.At the foraging habitat scale,the species was observed spending more time foraging in the canopies than in the understorey,using mostly the portion of Scots Pine(Pinus sylvestris)canopies closer to the trunk in winter,while during the breeding period,the whole canopy was visited.Overall,breeding and wintering habitats largely overlapped in the Crested Tit.Based on our findings,lowland Crested Tits can be well defined as true habitat specialists:they are strictly related to some specific coniferous woodland features.Noteworthily,compared to other tit species,which normally show generalist habits during winter,the Crested Tit behaves as a habitat specialist also out of the breeding season.Our study stressed the importance of considering multi-scale(both spatial and phenological)habitat selection in birds.
文摘Objectives:The paper evaluates the benefit and risk for human health associated with consumption of sea cucumber Holothuria poli(H.polil from Italian coasts(Central Mediterranean Sea).Materials and Methods:Body wall(BW),internal tunic(ITu),muscle bands(MBs),alimentary canal(AC),gonad(Gd),and respiratory tree(RT)of H.polii were analyzed for proximate composition.Moreover,amino acids(AAs),fatty acids(FAs)and polycyclic aromatic hydrocar bons(PAHs)were determined with high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy(UPLC UV/Vis),gas chromatography-flame ionization detector(GC-FID)and gas chromatography mass spectrometry(GC-MS),respectively.Results:Differences in the contents of total amino acids(TAAs)occurred based on tissue and sex,with AC and MB of female and Gd of male showing higher contents(range 47.8-60.2 g/kg we weight(ww)).Glycine and glutamic acid were the most abundant.Polyunsaturated fatty acid(PUFA)was the major class of FAs and arachidonic acid and eicosapentenoic acid(EPA)were the predominant PUFA.n-3 PUFA showed higher content in Gd,AC,and RT,indicating higher quality.A favorable n-3/n-6 in the range of 1.04-1.67 was observed.PAHs showed values ranging from 23 to 207μg/kg ww with the highest levels in Gd and AC tissues and the lower in BW.Benzo[alpyrene,the most toxic compound,was detected in all tissues,of both sexes,at levels of 1.5-18μg/kg ww.Conclusion:All tissues of H.poli,although with differences among them,are valuable food and can contribute for a healthy diet.Excess cancer risk(CR)values for Gd and AC tissues were above the considerable CR threshold of one in 10000 established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency(USEPA)for high ingestion rate of this seafood.
