Decomposition of woody debris in Mediterranean ecosystems: the role of wood chemical and anatomical traits

Plant and Soil - Data about woody debris (WD) decomposition are very scarce for the Mediterranean basin. The specific aim of this work is to explore the relationships between WD traits with the...     

Reworking the idea of chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) cultivation in Roman times: New data from ancient Campania

Abstract

Charcoal analysis was carried out in two archaeological sites on the north slope of the Somma-Vesuvius volcano, not far from Naples. Both sites were inhabited between the 2nd century AD and AD 472, when a great Vesuvius eruption (so called Pollena eruption) buried them. In both sites, Castanea sativa wood was largely used for architectural structures as well as firewood. Ten ¹⁴C dates, spanning between the 1st and the 5th century AD, testify to a continuative use of this wood throughout the life of the sites. The comparison between archaeobotanical and pollen data from other sites in southern Italy suggests that chestnut woods were close to the sites studied and had a restricted spreading, possibly in a refugium area on Vesuvius' foothills. The match between archaeological charcoals and pollen data suggests that the Romans did not spread chestnut cultivation in the entire Campania region and that chestnut probably became a common timber in Campania starting from the 5th–6th century AD.     

Growth hormone action in rat insulinoma cells expressing truncated growth hormone receptors

Transfection of the insulin-producing rat islet tumor cell line RIN-5AH with a full length cDNA of the rat hepatic growth hormone (GH) receptor (GH-R1-638) augments the GH-responsive insulin synthesis in these cells. Using this functional system we analyzed the effect of COOH-terminal truncation of the GH receptor. Two mutated cDNAs encoding truncated GH receptors, GH-R1-294 and GH-R1-454, respectively, were generated by site-directed mutagenesis and transfected into the RIN cells. Both receptor mutants were expressed on the cell surface and displayed normal GH binding affinity. Whereas GH-R1-638 had a molecular mass of about 110 kDa, GH-R1-294 and GH-R1-454 showed molecular masses of 49 and 80 kDa, respectively. Cells expressing GH-R1-454 internalized GH to a similar extent as cells transfected with the full length receptor and the parent cell line, but GH-R1-294-expressing cells showed a markedly reduced capability of GH internalization. In contrast to cells transfected with GH-R1-638, none of the cell lines expressing truncated GH receptors exhibited any increase of the GH-stimulated insulin production. We conclude that domains within the COOH-terminal half of the cytoplasmic part of the GH receptor are required for transduction of the signal for GH-stimulated insulin synthesis, whereas cytoplasmic domains proximal to the transmembrane region are involved in receptor-mediated GH internalization.     

Farming in a rural settlement in central Italy: cultural and environmental implications of crop production through the transition from Lombard to Frankish influence (8th–11th centuries a.d.)

Plant macrofossil (carpological) and morphometric analyses were carried out on plant remains from the medieval castle of Miranduolo, Siena, a rural settlement in central Italy with a long sequence of occupation between the 8th and the 11th centuries a.d. The presence of Triticum aestivum/durum and Vicia faba var. minor from the first phase of the Lombard farming village suggests continuity with the agricultural tradition of the preceding Roman world, and the use of good cultivation techniques that allowed quality yields to be obtained from rather poor soils. At the same time, the significant presence of the primitive cereal T. monococcum, compared with the archaeobotanical literature of north-central Italy, allows to us consider it as a “cultural” element of Lombard farming. In the next cultural phases, with the Carolingian manor and then with the feudal castle, the stable presence of T. aestivum/durum and the reduction of T. monococcum in favour of more productive cereals such as Secale cereale and Hordeum vulgare indicate a further improvement in productivity. This is also confirmed by the appearance of fruits and nuts such as Castanea sativa, Vitis vinifera and Prunus persica. The increase in caryopsis sizes of T. monococcum and T. aestivum/durum in the transition from the village to the manorial phase is a consequence of the improvements in farming. The decrease in caryopsis size of T. monococcum from the manor phase to that of the castle testifies the decreasing importance of this cereal. The good date resolution of this research allows us to detect the crops, the storage and the processing practices, as well as the changing role of crop plants in the rural economy. This highlights the geographical, historical-cultural and political factors of the medieval transition from the Lombard to the Carolingian and then to the feudal period in central Italy.     

Predicting nitrogen mineralization from organic amendments: beyond C/N ratio by 13C-CPMAS NMR approach

Plant and Soil - The processes of nitrogen (N) mineralization from organic amendments (OA) is important to provide mineral forms (NH4+ and NO3?) of N for plants. Assessment of N...     

Archaeobotany at Oplontis: woody remains from the Roman Villa of Poppaea (Naples, Italy)

The Vesuvius area near Naples, southern Italy, is one of the richest places for archaeological finds from Roman times. The a.d. 79 volcanic eruption also caused the preservation of a huge quantity of archaeobotanical material. In this paper the available wood and charcoal remains from the timber structures as well as from the garden soils of the Villa of Poppea at Oplontis are presented. The analyses provide new evidence of the history of some significant trees of the Mediterranean region, such as Abies alba and Cupressus sempervirens, and allow us to put forward hypotheses about wood use during the Roman period. The identification of the building material confirms that the Romans had a good knowledge of the technological properties of wood and mainly used local resources. There is also evidence of trade in high quality timber, in particular Picea abies. The strong presence of climbing plants and of branches and small size stems of wild trees together with typical ornamental plants in the two gardens of the villa reveals a lack of regular gardening maintenance. This evidence is in agreement with the absence of occupants at the moment of the eruption, since the villa was under restoration after the a.d. 62 earthquake.