Ragweed presence in Trieste: clinical and aerobiological data

Summary Studies on ragweed have been carried out in the province of Trieste (Northern Italy) in which it is becoming widespread. The floristic records, the increasing amount of airborne pollen monitored and the relevant skin reactivity are reported. This phenomenon, though still at the beginning, is actually showing an upward trend due to man's intervention over wider and wider areas which as a consequence become suitable for the settlement of these anthropophitic species. The aerobiological data are compared to the skin reactivities of allergic subjects.     

Aerobiology of Urticaceae pollen in Trieste (NE Italy)

The aerobiological behaviour of Urticaceae in Trieste and the correlations with the meteorological parameters were examined. Airborne pollen was collected from 1990 to 1999 using a Hirst type spore trap (Burkard) and the data interpretation was performed according to the standard method adopted by the Italian Aeroallergen Network. The main pollen season of Urticaceae in Trieste goes from mid-April to mid-September. The highest values occur in May and June. Although different seasonal patterns are found every year, the main peak occurs on average at the beginning of May, followed by other decreasing peaks until September. Thecumulative counts vary greatly over the years, with a mean value of 18.315 p/m³. The maximum annual total pollen grains was registered in 1996 and the minimum in 1991. Spearman's correlation was used to establish the relationship between the daily pollen counts and the daily meteorological data both considering their original quantitative values and transformed values according to their day by day changes. Daily pollen concentrations present usually positive correlation with temperature, negative with rainfall and wind speed and no correlation with humidity. Better results were obtained with transformed values.     

Aerobiology of Fagaceae pollen in Trieste (NE Italy)

The aerobiological behaviour of Fagaceae in Trieste and the correlations with the meteorological parameters were examined. Airborne pollen grains of Castanea, Fagus and Quercus were collected from 1990 to 2003 using a Hirst type spore trap. The main pollen season (MPS) takes place in April and May for Quercus and Fagus, in June and July for Castanea. The highest values occur in year 1993 for Quercus, in 1998 for Castanea and in 1992 for Fagus. The Fagaceae content of the air is mainly due to Quercus and Castanea pollen, Fagus usually having a scarce pollen shedding in Trieste. The highest counts of Fagaceae pollen grains are found from late April to mid May and are mainly due to the pollen shedding of oaks. The cumulative counts vary over the years, with a mean value of 2.719 pollen grains, a lowest total of 1.341 in 2002 and a highest total of 4.704 in 1993. No positive nor negative long-term trends in pollen shedding are found. No cyclic variations were observed. Spearman’s correlation was used to establish the relationship between the daily pollen counts and the daily meteorological data. Daily pollen concentrations present sometimes positive correlation with temperature, negative with rainfall and wind speed, and no correlation with humidity. Fagus and Quercus start dates result positively correlated between themselves. Significant correlations are found between the start of MPS and the mean and maximum temperature in March for Fagus and Quercus, and May for Castanea.     

Fruit and Seed Structures in Menodora (Oleaceae): a Comparison with Jasminum

The fruit development in Menodora agrees largely with that in Jasminum, except for the final stages. The seed coat resembles that of Jasminum in the presence of ribbon-shaped wall thickenings in the mesotestal layers, a character not known from any other Oleaceae. In several characters there is more similarity between Menodora and Jasminum sect. Alternifolia, or between Menodora and J. nudiflorum, than there is among the species of Jasminum. This supports the idea that Jasminum might be paraphyletic, if Menodora is retained as a separate genus.     

Phytogeography of parasteppic vegetation in the high Friulian Plain (NE Italy)

The vascular flora of pedologically conditioned, extensive dry grasslands occurring in a very rainy area of northeastern Italy, was submitted to phytogeographic analysis. The distributional ranges of 144 species were digitized into two presence-absence matrices of species and Operational Geographic Units (quadrants), one covering Europe, the other, limited to 56 species with extra-European distributions, extended to the Northern Hemisphere north of the Tropic of Cancer. These matrices were submitted to numerical classification, obtaining clusters of species with similar distributional patterns (chorotypes). For each cluster of species, the percent occurrencies in each quadrant were processed by a program of automatic mapping, producing a series of isoporic maps showing the joint distribution of the species of each cluster. The species can be subdivided into six main phytogeographical groups: (1) Narrow-ranging (34% of the total), including the endemic, subendemic, Illyrian-Balcanic and NW submediterranean elements, (2) Southern European-Submediterranean (18.8%), (3) Wide-ranging European (16.6%), (4) Eastern-Pontic (7.6%), (5) Southern Eurasiatic (10.5%), (6) Northern Eurasiatic (12.5%). The phytogeographic originality of the investigated grasslands is high, with more than one third of the species having narrow distributional ranges. Particularly relevant are the connections with the Balkanic-Illyrian and the eastern Alpine regions.Nomenclature: Pignatti (1982).     

An anatomical investigation of calcicolous endolithic lichens from the Trieste karst (NE Italy)

ABSTRACT

The anatomy of five endolithic lichens (Acrocordia conoidea, Petractis clausa, Rinodina immersa, Verrucaria baldensis, and V. marmorea) from the Trieste Karst (north-eastern Italy) was thoroughly investigated. Samples already used in previous ecophysiological studies were examined by histological and mineralogical techniques, and by SEM. Biomineralisation products were searched for by X-ray diffractometry, X-ray microdiffractometry, and Fourier Transformed Infrared spectrophotometry. The results confirm that the photobiont layer is located approximately at the same depth in the substratum, although the species occur in habitats with strongly different light regimes; the thallus development is relatively constant within populations of a single species, but differs considerably among species. Several peculiarities of each species were revealed, such as the presence of large clews of hyphae in the inner layer of P. clausa, forming large voids in the substratum, or the development of morphologically different oil-hyphae. Calcium oxalate crystals were not detected. Some terms currently used to describe the anatomy of endolithic lichens are critically discussed, and the new term “lithocortex” and “pseudo-medulla” are introduced.     

Mapping invasive plants with citizen science. A case study from Trieste (NE Italy)

A citizen science initiative was launched in the province of Trieste, aimed at mapping the distribution of Ailanthus altissima, Ambrosia artemisiifolia and Senecio inaequidens. The reliability of citizen data was tested against control data obtained by trained personnel with a stratified random sampling. In spite of the lack of a strict sampling strategy, citizen data were highly correlated with control data. This was mainly due to: 1) the easy identification of the species and 2) the instructions given to citizens for selecting their observation areas and for avoiding duplicate records. The three species tend to be most frequent in disturbed areas; Ailanthus is highly concentrated in the urban area, Senecio is widely distributed but avoids the city centre, with the highest frequency in the industrial area and along the railways, Ambrosia has a similar pattern, but is most frequent in areas with calcareous substrata. The interpretation of the distribution patterns in terms of land use and ecological factors proved to be quite easy when the three species are considered together (higher frequency in disturbed areas), less so when they are considered separately, most probably because of historical and sociological factors, such as incomplete migration into the survey area, and “gentrification effects”.     

Airborne Pollen Sampling in Trieste (Italy)

A qualitative and quantitative analysis of airborne pollen in Trieste City is presented, with special attention being paid to allergenic species. A trap constructed according to Cour (1974) was located on top of a building in the middle of the town. Pollen was collected weekly for three years. Separate records were kept for 16 taxa which are particularly relevant, either as allergenic factors, or as major components in the local vegetation. Cupressaceae and Gramineae are found to be the most abundant in the atmosphere. Genera of waste land such as Artemisia, Rumex and Parietaria are also frequent. The pollen composition largely reflects the man-made environment as vegetation of gardens, parks and roadsides; the natural vegetation of the surrounding country is scarcely represented.     

A new species ofFontanesia (Oleaceae) from China and taxonomic revision of the genus

Fontanesia longicarpa K.-J. Kim is newly described from China. This distinctive species is known only from the Zhejiang province and differs from other species in the genus by the size and shape of its fruit. As currently circumscribed, the genus now consists of three taxa;F. longicarpa, F. philliraeoides Labill. var.philliraeoides andF. philliraeoides var.fortunei (Carr.) Koehne. A revisionary study of the genus is provided, including a key and pertinent synonymy.     

Phenological and aerobiological monitoring of allergenic flora in padua (Italy). Preliminary data

A phenological study on allergenic plants was carried out in Padua during 1995 in order to identify spontaneous and cultivated allergenic species in an urban area and their distribution, and to evaluate the relationship between anthesis length and airborne pollen concentrations. In some cases, there was no temporal overlap between phenological and aerobiological data, in particular forCorylaceae, Betulaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Amaranthaceae, Polygonaceae and Fagaceae.     

African species of Chionanthus L.(Oleaceae) hitherto included in Linociera Swartz

Chionanthus L.(1753) and Linociera Swartz (1791) being considered congeneric.nine continental African species and three Madagascan species hitherto included in Linociera are transferred to Chionanthus .Synonymy, concise statements of distribution and a key are provided. Chionanthus richardsiae is a new species from Zambia; a biographical note on its collector, Mary Richards (1885–1977), is included.     

Differential patterns of morphological and molecular hybridization between Fraxinus excelsior L. and Fraxinus angustifolia Vahl (Oleaceae) in eastern and western France

We examined large‐scale patterns of morphology, genetic structure and ecological correlates of Fraxinus excelsior and the closely related species Fraxinus angustifolia in France, in order to determine the degree of hybridization between them. We sampled 24 populations in two putative hybrid zones (Loire and Saône), and five control populations of each species. We measured foliar characteristics of adult trees and used five nuclear microsatellites as molecular markers. Canonical discriminant analysis indicated that the two species differ in morphology, but that intermediate types are common in the Loire region but less frequent in the Saône region. Bayesian population assignment identified one F. angustifolia and two F. excelsior gene pools. Most Loire individuals clustered genetically with the F. angustifolia gene pool. In contrast, the Saône region presented individuals belonging mostly to F. excelsior pools, although the F. angustifolia type was frequent in certain populations. The lowest F_ST values were found between the Loire and F. angustifolia controls that also exhibited no significant isolation by distance. The proportion of the F. angustifolia gene pool in each locality was negatively correlated with winter temperatures, suggesting that a cold climate may be limiting. Hybridization is probably favoured by the intermediate climatic conditions in the Loire region that allow both species to occur, but is somewhat hampered by the harsher winters in the Saône area where morphological introgression has apparently not yet occurred.     

Pollen concentrations in central Italy (Ascoli Piceno and Perugia)

Summary Air-borne pollen grains were collected using Hirst volumetric spore traps in both Ascoli Piceno and Perugia during the March–November 1983 period. Similar types of pollens were recorded in both towns. In Perugia, higher total amounts of Cupressaceae/Taxaceae pollens were recorded in March and of Quercus, Gramineae, Urticaceae and Oleaceae in May–June. However, the pollen concentration in the Ascoli Piceno atmosphere was higher in the August–October period owing to the pollen of the ?summer weeds?.

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Riassunto I granuli di polline aerodiffusi sono stati campionati con trappole volumetriche tipo Hirst sia in Ascoli Piceno che in Perugia durante il periodo marzo–novembre 1983. In entrambe le città sono stati rilevati tipi di polline simili. In Perugia sono state registrate concentrazioni di polline in atmosfera più elevate rispetto ad Ascoli Piceno in marzo per la pollinazione di Cupressaceae/Taxaceae e in maggio–giugno per la pollinazione di Quercus, Gramineae, Urticaceae e Oleaceae. In Ascoli Piceno, invece, la concentrazione di polline in atmosfera è state più elevata di Perugia nel periodo agosto–ottobre per la pollinazione delle ?erbe estive?.

     

Twenty years of aerobiological monitoring in Trentino (Italy): assessment and evaluation of airborne pollen variability

The aim of the study is to report a reliable airborne pollen spectrum composition and seasonal timings for the monitored area as a basis for allergy management and to ascertain possible modifications through the detection of trends during the 20-year time series (1989–2008). Pollen was collected at San Michele all’Adige (Trento, Italy) by means of a Hirst-type spore trap. Sampling and counting of airborne pollen grains were carried out according to a national standard. Pollen concentration data for the period were processed in order to characterize the main pollen seasons for a subset of taxa, selected on the basis of their allergenicity and local representativeness. Variations in the pollen data over the years surveyed were analyzed using non-parametric tests. The results showed the presence of 63 pollen taxa, 40 of which belonged to tree and shrub species and 23 to herbaceous species. The local pollen spectrum was characterized by the presence of highly allergenic taxa, such as Urticaceae, Graminaceae, Ostrya sp., and Cupressaceae, in terms of percentage contribution as well as mean daily pollen count or peak values over the years surveyed. A significant upward trend was observed for daily mean pollen amount, mainly due to pollen from woody species and probably ascribable to a temperature-driven increase in pollen production. Evaluation of the results presented will form the basis of further research focussed on the climate change-related causes of modifications to vegetational dynamics as well as on the phenology of flowering and on pollen production.     

Archaeobotanical investigations in Liguria: preliminary data on the early Iron Age at Monte Trabocchetto (Pietra Ligure,Italy)

The archaeological site we studied is part of an early Iron Age hill fort (8th/7th cent. b.c.), located 800 m from the coast on the top of a hill named MonteTrabocchetto. This paper concerns an excavation, called saggio O, which disclosed a very varied stratigraphy characterised by highly anthropogenic layers and by a pit, presumably used as a silo for food storage, which was very rich in charred seeds and fruits. The study of the pit content showed the dominance of Hordeum vulgare, while Triticum dicoccon, T. monococcum, T. aestivum/durum, Panicum miliaceum and Setaria italica were less strongly represented. Some edible Leguminosae were also found (Lens culinaris, Vicia faba var. minor and V. ervilia). In the frequented areas around the pit, herbaceous weeds and fruit tree macro-remains were present (Prunus cf. spinosa, Corylus avellana, Quercus sp. and Vitis vinifera ssp. sylvestris). The identification of a large number of botanical taxa has provided important information on food of plant origin and agricultural practices during the early Iron Age on the Ligurian coast, the proto-historic archaeobotanical aspects of which are largely unknown.     

Inclusion of phytosociological data in an index of vegetation fire danger: application and mapping on the Karst area around Trieste (Italy)

In this paper we propose a method to produce maps of fire danger index (FDI). The index includes in the formula a vegetation pyrogenic potential index (VPPI) based on floristic phytosociological data. The map of FDI is produced by integrating available phytosociological maps of vegetation, geomorphology and climate, using the Geographic Information System technology. The method is applied to an area of the coastal Classical Karst (NE-Italy). While fire risk maps based on the incidence of previous fires are useful for facilitating emergency operations, e.g. the allocation of fire fighting resources, we conclude that the proposed index offers an effective tool to plan actions for fire prevention.     

中国木犀科苦丁茶ISSR实验条件优化的研究

系统地研究了中国木犀科苦丁茶ISSR反应体系中的主要影响因子,建立了一套稳定的ISSR PCR反应参数。筛选出了10个有效引物,并以中国木犀科苦丁茶8个物种共21份种质材料为供试材料对优化后的反应条件的重复性、多态性进行了检测。优化后的反应体系为：10×buffer 2.5 μL,2.0~3.0 mmol·L^-1 MgCl₂,150~300 μmol·L^-1 dNTPs,Taq酶1.0~1.5 U,引物0.4~0.5 μmol·L^-1,DNA模板5~320 ng。PCR扩增程序为：94℃预变性4 min,然后按94℃变性40 s,50~54℃退火45 s,72℃延伸120 s,进行35个循环,最后72℃延伸8 min。该反应条件可应用于中国木犀科苦丁茶亲缘关系和遗传多样性分析。