Revision of Famennian-Tournaisian (Late Devonian – Early Carboniferous) conodont biostratigraphy of Sardinia,Italy

Conodont biostratigraphy of the Famennian and Tournaisian of Sardinia is provided on the basis of all data available in the literature. More than 130 conodont taxa documented from this time-interval allow recognition of nineteen conodont biozones. The zonation scheme adopted here is broadly similar to the standard zonation schemes used in the Upper Devonian and Lower Carboniferous, though a few variations are needed to better accommodate the species occurrences in Sardinia: the velifer Zone and the styriacus Zone have been reintroduced, even though with slightly different meanings than previously used; the Lower praesulcata Zone is expanded to include the Middle praesulcata interval. The Upper praesulcata Zone and the sulcata Zone are missing. All zones are described and discussed and a complete list of bioevents is provided.     

A synoptic review of the Eocene (Ypresian) cartilaginous fishes (Chondrichthyes: Holocephali,Elasmobranchii) of the Bolca Konservat-Lagerstätte,Italy

Here, we review and discuss the records and taxonomy of the Ypresian (Eocene) chondrichthyans from the famous Bolca Konservat-Lagerstätte in northeastern Italy. Despite the outstanding diversity and the numerous studies focusing on the actinopterygian faunas from Pesciara and Monte Postale, the current knowledge about the systematics, taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships of the cartilaginous fishes from these Eocene sites remains elusive and largely inadequate. The celebrated Eocene Bolca Lagerstätte has yielded several exquisitely preserved articulated remains of chondrichthyan fishes in which delicate structures and soft tissues are preserved, as well as isolated teeth. The cartilaginous fish assemblage of Bolca comprises at least 17 species-level taxa belonging to 10 families in 6 orders, including selachians (Carcharhiniformes, Lamniformes), batoids (Torpediniformes, Myliobatiformes, Rajiformes) and holocephalans (Chimaeriformes). The occurrence of holocephalans represented by an isolated fin-spine of the chimeroid Ischyodus in the Bolca assemblage is reported here for the first time and represents the first record of chimeroids in the Eocene of Italy and also southern Europe. The Bolca chondrichthyan assemblage is remarkably different from those of other contemporaneous Boreal or Tethyan deposits, suggesting that its taxonomic composition is largely influenced by the palaeoenvironmental context. However, this synoptic review also highlights the importance of detailed revisions of all chondrichthyan remains from the Bolca Konservat-Lagerstätten.     

Metacercariae of Galactosomum lacteum (Jägerskiöld, 1896) Looss, 1899 (Heterophyidae) from marine teleosts in the Gulf of Cagliari (southern Sardinia, Italy)

Galactosomum lacteum (J?gerski?ld, 1896) Looss, 1899 metacercariae, encysted on the optic nerve, on the brain and/or on the muscle and the connective of the pharynx and oesophagus, were found in Spicara maena L., S. flexuosa Rafinesque, 1810, S. smaris L. (Centracanthidae), Gobius cruentatus Gmelin, 1789 (Gobiidae), Symphodus tinca L., S. mediterraneus L. (Labridae), Serranus cabrilla L. (Serranidae), Diplodus sargus L. and D. annularis L. (Sparidae) caught in the Gulf of Cagliari (southern Sardinia, Italy). Excysted specimens were identified by some distinctive morphological features: more or less expanded forebody, depending on whether the specimens were living or fixed; tubular excretory bladder extending to the posterior border of the ovary; two-chambered seminal vesicle; asymmetrical and parenchymatous ventral sucker with lines of spines within its cavity; and unarmed gonotyle. Comparison has been made with the congeneric species metacercaria, G. timondavidi Pearson & Prévot, 1971, also registered in the Mediterranean Sea.     

Twenty years of biophysics of photosynthesis in Padova, Italy (1984–2005): A tale of two brothers

This paper tells the history of two brothers, almost a generation apart in age, who met again, after having followed different academic paths, to introduce biophysical research in photosynthesis at the University of Padova. The development of two research groups, one in the Chemistry Department, the other in the Biology Department led to a comprehensive interdisciplinary group across academic barriers. The group of Giovanni Giacometti developed in Physical Chemistry, during the years before his retirement, with some roots which can be traced to the famous Linus Pauling school of the mid 1950s, and made possible, by the work of many students (especially Donatella Carbonera and Marilena Di Valentin) and of an older associate (Giancarlo Agostini). The group participated quite actively with a number of European and American laboratories in the application of physical techniques, especially Electron Spin Resonance (EPR) associated with Optical Spectroscopy (Optically Detected Magnetic Resonance; ODMR), and contributed to the development of the understanding of the structure-function relationships in photosynthetic membrane complexes, stimulated by the determination of the X-ray structure of the purple photosynthetic reaction center in the mid 1980s ( J. Deisenhofer, H. Michel, R. Huber and others). The younger brother of Giovanni, Giorgio Mario Giacometti, came to Padova after obtaining biochemical knowledge from the Rossi-Fanelli school in Rome, where Jeffries Wyman, Eraldo Antonini and Maurizio Brunori were the world masters of hemoglobin research. In Padova, together with a group of young scientists (at first Roberto Bassi and Roberto Barbato, now leaders of their own groups in Verona and in Alessandria respectively, followed soon by brilliant coworkers such as Fernanda Rigoni, Elisabetta Bergantino and more recently Ildikò Szabò and Paola Costantini), Giorgio approached more biochemical themes of oxygenic photosynthesis, such as purification and characterization of antenna chlorophyll-protein complexes, Photosystem II (PS II) particles and subunits, having always in mind structural and molecular problems at the level of the largest integrated particles, which are more difficult to investigate in detail by the spectroscopic techniques.This paper is dedicated to the late Arnold J. Hoff; it may be considered Part 2 of ‘Photosynthesis Research in Italy’, and Giorgio Forti et al.’s (2006) paper as Part 1.     

A new genus and species of fossil scorpion (?Euscorpiidae) from the Early–Middle Eocene of Pesciara (Bolca,Italy)

Fossil scorpions are among the oldest terrestrial arthropods known from the fossil record. They have a worldwide distribution and a rich fossil record, especially for the Paleozoic. Fossil scorpions from Mesozoic and Cenozoic deposits are usually rare (except in amber-deposits). Here, we describe the only fossil scorpion from the Early to Middle Eocene Pesciara Lagerstätte in Italy. Eoeuscorpius ceratoi gen. et sp. nov. is probably a genus and species within the family Euscorpiidae. This may be the first fossil record of the Euscorpiidae, which are so far only known from four extant genera. Eoeuscorpius ceratoi gen. et sp. nov. was found in the “Lower Part” of the Pesciara Limestone, which is actually dated Late Ypresian stage (between 49.5 and 49.7 Ma). Besides a possible pseudoscorpion, the here-described fossil scorpion is the second arachnid species known from the Bolca Locality.     

Acaulon fontiquerianum Casas et Sérgio (Musci,Pottiaceae) new to Sardinia (Italy)

Acaulon fontiquerianum Casas et Sérgio (Pottiaceae) was found in the course of bryological research conducted in a coastal area of southeastern Sardinia. The ecological characteristics of the site and the current distribution of the species in the Mediterranean basin are reported.     

Diversity of macrofungi and exploitation of edible mushroom resources in the National Park “Appennino Lucano,Val D'Agri,Lagonegrese” (Italy)

An investigation on the macrofungal diversity of the National Park “Appennino Lucano, Val D'Agri, Lagonegrese” (Basilicata, southern Italy) was carried out, together with an evaluation of wild edible mushrooms in agro-forest ecosystems and their possible exploitation as a new source of food and revenue in rural and under-developed areas of this region. An unpublished list of 249 mushroom taxa (229 Basidiomycota and 20 Ascomycota), mostly belonging to the genera Tricholoma, Tuber, Russula, Amanita, Boletus, Lactarius, Mycena, Agaricus, Clitocybe and Hygrophorus, growing in this important natural area is provided together with ecological characterization of the recorded specimens. Inonotus obliquus is a new record for Basilicata, while Mycena bresadolana is reported for the first time from southern Italy. The presence of Amaurodon mustialaënsis, an extremely rare species of the northern hemisphere reported for the first time on white fir, is noteworthy. Among the previous findings, 116 species of edible mushrooms are presented and discussed in view of their relative abundance and edibility.     

New data on the Cricetidae from the Miocene “Terre Rosse” of Gargano (Apulia,Italy)

The Gargano “Terre Rosse” deposits are paleokarst fissure fillings found in the Mesozoic limestone of the Apricena-Poggio Imperiale area. They are an important source of information for evolutionary and paleobiogeographic studies. The Late Miocene-Early Pliocene assemblages found in the Terre Rosse attest the complex history of endemic faunal distribution in a paleoarchipelago. Based on the cricetid samples from six distinct fissures (F15, F21a, F21b, F21c, F1, F9, NBS) stored in the Department of Earth Sciences of the University of Florence, three species of endemic cricetids are described: the small-sized Hattomys beetsi, the middle-sized Hattomys nazarii, and the large-sized Hattomys gargantua. The specimens from fissure F15 are attributed to H. beetsi, those from F21a-b to the transitional form Hattomys beetsi-nazarii, those belonging to NBS are ascribed to H. nazarii, whereas those from F1 and F9 are classified as H. gargantua. F21c is considered contaminated with material from different fissures. In line with previously published results, the analysis confirms that the endemic cricetids underwent a remarkable increase in size through time. The morphological variations show a marked trend towards increasing enamel thickness, but also the tendency of the cusps to assume a carved-in aspect. The variations of the morphological characters confirm that the three species likely belong to the same lineage.     

Genetics of osteoarticular disorders,Florence, Italy, 22–23 February 2002

Osteoporosis (OP) and osteoarthritis (OA), the two most common age-related chronic disorders of articular joints and skeleton, represent a major public health problem in most developed countries. They are influenced by environmental factors and exhibit a strong genetic component. Large population studies clearly show their inverse relationship; therefore, an accurate analysis of the genetic bases of one of these two diseases may provide data of interest for the other disorder. The discovery of risk and protective genes for OP and OA promises to revolutionize strategies for diagnosing and treating these disorders. The primary goal of this symposium was to bring together scientists and clinicians working on OP and OA in order to identify the most promising and collaborative approaches for the coming decade. This meeting put into focus the importance of an adequate genetic approach to several areas of research: the search for the genetic determinants underlying new susceptibilities, the optimization of previously acquired data; the establishment of correlations between genetic polymorphism and functional variants, and gene–gene and gene–environment interactions (particularly those between genes and nutrients). An adequate genetic approach is also essential with regard to determining more selective criteria for phenotypic definition of familial OP, in order to obtain more homogeneous and statistically powerful family-based studies. The symposium concluded with an interesting overview of the future perspectives offered by DNA microarray technologies for identifying novel candidate genes, for developing proteomics and bioinformatics analyses and for designing low-cost clinical trials.     

Microbial Deterioration of Artistic Tiles from the Façade of the Grande Albergo Ausonia &; Hungaria (Venice,Italy)

The Grande Albergo Ausonia &; Hungaria (Venice Lido, Italy) has an Art Nouveau polychrome ceramic coating on its façade, which was restored in 2007. Soon after the conservation treatment, many tiles of the façade decoration showed coloured alterations putatively attributed to the presence of microbial communities. To confirm the presence of the biological deposit and the stratigraphy of the Hungaria tiles, stereomicroscope, optical and environmental scanning electron microscope observations were made. The characterisation of the microbial community was performed using a PCR–DGGE approach. This study reported the first use of a culture-independent approach to identify the total community present in biodeteriorated artistic tiles. The case study examined here reveals that the coloured alterations on the tiles were mainly due to the presence of cryptoendolithic cyanobacteria. In addition, we proved that the microflora present on the tiles was generally greatly influenced by the environment of the Hungaria hotel. We found several microorganisms related to the alkaline environment, which is in the range of the tile pH, and related to the aquatic environment, the presence of the acrylic resin Paraloid B72® used during the 2007 treatment and the pollutants of the Venice lagoon.     

Contribution of fossil Lagomorpha (Mammalia) to the refinement of the late Miocene–Quaternary palaeobiogeographical setting of Italy

Fossil lagomorphs are very useful palaeogeographical indicators. In the last 15 years, several papers centered on fossil lagomorphs contributed to improve the Italian late Miocene–Quaternary palaeogeographical setting, solving palaeobiogeographical enigmas debated for decades, and providing new, challenging palaeogeographic data. The high number of endemic fossil lagomorphs of Italy is due in part to its complex tectonic history (insular endemisms), and in part to the semi-isolation and the physiography of the Peninsula (continental endemisms). In Italian lagomorphs, a direct causal relationship between dispersal and turnovers is not observed, except for the Toringian. Actually, species replacements are customarily due to archipelago effect (late Miocene), phyletic speciation (Pliocene of Sardinia and Italian mainland) or occur after the extinction of older congeneric species (early Pleistocene).     

Zooplankton–phytoplankton relationships in shallow subtropical versus temperate lakes Apopka (Florida,USA) and Trasimeno (Umbria,Italy)

This study compares and contrasts the dynamics of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and nutrients in two of the largest shallow lakes in the USA (Lake Apopka, Florida) and Europe (Lago Trasimeno, Umbria, Italy) and considers particularly the biomass ratio of zooplankton to phytoplankton (BZ:BP) in relation to nutrient levels and in the context of data from other subtropical and temperate lakes. Lake Apopka is hypereutrophic with higher concentrations of total phosphorus (TP), nitrogen (TN), and nearly an order of magnitude higher BP than Lago Trasimeno. However, combined data from the two lakes can be fit to a single log–log regression model that explains 72% of the variability in BP based on TP. In contrast, BZ has a significant positive log–log relationship with TP only for Lago Trasimeno, and is much lower than expected based on the TP concentrations observed in Lake Apopka. Lake Apopka has a fish assemblage that includes high densities of gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) and threadfin shad (D. petenense), similar to other eutrophic Florida lakes that also have extreme low BZ. The ratio BZ:BP is below 0.01 in Lake Apopka, 10-fold lower than in Trasimeno and among the lowest values reported in the literature. Although stress of high water temperature and a greater proportion of inedible cyanobacteria may be contributing factors, the collective results support an emerging view that fish predation limits the biomass of crustacean zooplankton in subtropical lakes. Handling editor: S. I. Dodson     

Contribution to the knowledge of the coastal vegetation of the SIC IT9110005 “Zone Umide della Capitanata” (Apulia,Italy)

An overview of the coastal vegetation of Site of Community Importance “Zone Umide della Capitanata” (Puglia Region) is here presented. Original relevés were performed in different locations of the site. On the basis of the in-field observations (142 original relevés) and of literature data, 44 plant communities have been defined, belonging to the following classes: Lemnetea minoris, Ruppietea maritimae, Potametea pectinati, Phragmito-Magnocaricetea, Cakiletea maritimae, Ammophiletea, Helichryso-Crucianelletea maritimae, Juncetea maritimi, Sarcocornietea fruticosae, Saginetea maritimae, Thero-Suaedetea, Tuberarietea guattatae, Nerio-Tamaricetea. For each vegetation unit, the distribution area at local and regional level and the relation to habitat types of the 92/43 EEC Directive are provided.     

International migrations toward the city of Parma (Northern Italy): Evolution during a decade (1989–2000)

The population of Parma can be considered a paradigm in order to describe the rapid demographic transformations characterizing Northern Italy communities, in which immigration flows play undoubtedly an important role. The present study uses data from the ‘Osservatorio Biodemografico’ (Biodemographic Observatory), a data bank set up in 1989 with the aim to analyze longitudinally the dynamics of that urban population. This data bank traces individual and family life-histories since 12 years, updating them year by year. The presence of migrants has significantly risen in this last decade: at the beginning of 1989, foreign people living in Parma were 1.341 (751 men and 590 women; 0.78% of the resident population); in the year 2000 foreign residents were 6.491 (3.583 men and 2.908 women; 3.9% of the resident population). Immigrants can be analyzed since their arrival in the city (or, better, since their inclusion in the Population Register) according to their characteristics and modalities of arrival, duration of permanence in Parma, co-residential patterns, dynamics of family rejoining. Numerous profiles, characterized by different and very complex individual and familial trajectories, have been described. Actually, despite of a common region of origin, migratory trajectories differ greatly one each other, in consequence of complex dynamics involving, sex age and kinship. We wish to thank the Fyssen Foundation, thanks to which the post doctoral studies of Dott.ssa Pellegrino are carried out.     

A test of vegetation–environment relationship in serpentine soils of Tuscany, Italy

The present study evaluates the relative importance of environmental factors in affecting the species composition and abundance of the plant communities on ultramafic soils in Tuscany, Italy. We used rigorous sampling techniques to test hypotheses generated from exploratory studies performed previously. Vegetation–environmental relationships were analyzed using 50 plots, each 1 m², randomly located throughout a 22-ha area in the Upper Tiber Valley. We confirm that the exchangeable fraction of nickel in the soil is almost never high enough to affect the vegetation. However, physical factors (e.g. substrate setting and elevation) are important in controlling the distribution of plant species. Tree cover (almost exclusively due to the introduced plantation pines) also had a significant affect on the vegetation composition and on soil features such as the C/N ratio. Other important factors significantly related to the gradients in vegetation composition (e.g. rockiness and total soil nitrogen) are interpreted as factors related to the vegetation composition through a positive feedback mechanism.     

First record of Potamogeton×salicifolius for Italy,with isozyme evidence for plants collected in Italy and Sweden

Abstract

Potamogeton×salicifolius, a hybrid between P. lucens and P. perfoliatus, is identified as a new taxon for Italy. This is the first record of this hybrid from southern Europe. The Italian sample was studied in cultivation and compared with a living specimen of P.×salicifolius from Sweden, where the hybrid is rather widespread. In addition to morphological features, the most compelling evidence for the hybrid origin of these plants came from the isozyme analysis. The additive “hybrid” banding patterns of the five enzyme systems studied indicate inheritance from P. lucens and P. perfoliatus. The distribution of this hybrid in Europe coincides with the areas most severely affected by the Late Pleistocene glaciation. The relationships between environmental conditions, history of the habitat and rise of hybrids are discussed.     

Hoplitomerycidae (Ruminantia; Late Miocene,Central-Southeastern Italy): Whom and where from?

The endemic monogeneric fossil family Hoplitomerycidae currently includes six known species, the remains of which are found in Lower Tortonian coastal tidal-flat layered calcarenites at Scontrone, in Abruzzo (central Italy), as well as in karstic fissure fillings, supposedly of Messinian age, in the Gargano Promontory, Apulia (southeastern Italy). Their remains are found associated with bones of many other vertebrates which indicate the existence of a vast territory, the so-called Abruzzo-Apulia Platform, which was isolated from the nearest mainland at least from the Early Oligocene up to the latest Miocene. A recent cladistic analysis showed that the classification of the hoplitomerycids in Cervoidea, which currently enjoys vast popularity, is not justified. The family is characterized by a set of cranial and postcranial primitive traits, above all their non-parallel-sided astragalus, that suggest that the family probably stemmed from a primitive ruminant stock somewhere before the emergence of Pecora, consistent with geological evidence showing that about 29 Ma a land-bridge connected the Abruzzo-Apulia Platform with the Balkans across the Adriatic Sea, approximately where the Tremiti islands are today. The present study intended to reconnect to the results of the cladistic analysis and to extend them in the attempt to track down the possible ancestors of Hoplitomerycidae. The family expectedly radiated developing autapomorphic features that make the search quite arduous. Nonetheless, its primitive, leftover characters relate it to Oligocene basal ruminants with asymmetric astragalus. Following the distribution of the non-parallel astragalus through space and time leads to speculate a possible origin of the family from primitive Tragulina representatives that dispersed in Anatolia in the course of the Oligocene. Current reconstructions of the Early Oligocene paleogeography of the eastern Mediterranean show that the Apulian Platform was connected via a cross-Adriatic land-bridge to the Balkans, Anatolia and by that way also to middle and central Asia and central-eastern Europe.     

Total synthesis of (±)-elegansidiol, (±)-farnesiferol B,and (±)-farnesiferol D

The racemic total synthesis of elegansidiol, farnesiferol B, and farnesiferol D has been obtained following a Diels–Alder approach. Gillman addition, cross metathesis reaction are the other key steps involved in the target synthesis.     

Immunohistochemical analysis of adhesive papillae of Clavelina lepadiformis (Müller, 1776) and Clavelina phlegraea (Salfi, 1929) (Tunicata,Ascidiacea)

Almost all ascidian larvae bear three mucus secreting and sensory organs, the adhesive papillae, at the anterior end of the trunk, which play an important role during the settlement phase. The morphology and the cellular composition of these organs varies greatly in the different species. The larvae of the Clavelina genus bear simple bulbous papillae, which are considered to have only a secretory function. We analysed the adhesive papillae of two species belonging to this genus, C. lepadiformis and C. phlegraea, by histological sections and by immunolocalisation of β-tubulin and serotonin, in order to better clarify the cellular composition of these organs. We demonstrated that they contain at least two types of neurons: central neurons, bearing microvilli, and peripheral ciliated neurons. Peripheral neurons of C. lepadiformis contain serotonin. We suggest that these two neurons play different roles during settlement: the central ones may be chemo- or mechanoreceptors that sense the substratum, and the peripheral ones may be involved in the mechanism that triggers metamorphosis.Key words: Settlement, neurotransmitter, serotonin, β-tubulin, papillary nerves, metamorphosis.Ascidians (phylum Chordata; subphylum Tunicata) are sessile filter-feeding organisms that can be found in all benthic marine environments and develop through a swimming tadpole larva. Larvae of colonial ascidians have a short planktonic life that can vary from minutes to hours (Burighel and Cloney, 1997). Prior to metamorphosis, the larva attaches to the substratum by means of peculiar organs of ectodermic origin, located in the anterior region of the trunk. These organs, known as adhesive papillae, secrete sticky substances and effect primary adhesion of the larva to the substrate (Cloney, 1977). They have an important role in the initiation of settlement and metamorphosis and there is evidence that, at least in some species, they participate in substrate selection (Torrence and Cloney, 1983; Svane and Young, 1989; Groppelli et al., 2003). In many species, they are organised in a triangular field, whereas in others they are aligned along the mid-sagittal plane of the trunk. Adhesive papillae have been classified into two types: eversible papillae, typical of some colonial species, composed by several cell types and rapidly changing shape as they touch the substrate, and non-eversible papillae, typical of solitary species, which do not change shape after settlement (Burighel and Cloney, 1997).With few exceptions, all adhesive papillae are formed by elongated secretory and sensory cells, which are recognised as primary neurons (Cloney, 1977, 1979). It has been proposed that sensory cells may detect the chemical and physical characteristics of the substratum at potential sites for settlement and metamorphosis (Young and Braithwaite, 1980; Groppelli et al., 2003).The presence of primary neurons in the papillae has been reported in the larvae of several species such as Distaplia occidentalis, Diplosoma macdonaldi, Phallusia mammillata, Ciona intestinalis and Ascidia malaca (Cloney, 1977;Torrence and Cloney, 1983; Sotgia et al., 1998; Takamura, 1998; Gianguzza et al., 1999).These neurons have axons that join together to form the papillary nerves that enter the central nervous system at the level of the sensory vesicle (Imai and Meinertzhagen, 2007).Recently, different neurotransmitters have been localised in the sensory neurons of the papillae of different species. The presence of GABAergic neurons has been reported in the papillae of Ciona savygni (Brown et al., 2005) and of Ciona intestinalis (Zega et al., 2008), while serotonergic neurons have been localised in the papillae of Phallusia mammillata (Pennati et al., 2001) and Botrylloides leachi (Pennati et al., 2007). Moreover, it has been demonstrated that serotonin plays a role in the mechanism triggering metamorphosis in ascidians (Zega et al., 2005).After attachment, all papillae retract to draw the larva closer to the substratum. In the colonial ascidian Distaplia occidentalis, the process of retraction is reversibly inhibited by cytochalasin B, suggesting that microfilaments are involved in this process (Cloney, 1979).Clavelina lepadiformis is a colonial species, whose larvae bear non-eversible simple bulbous papillae.They have been described as being formed only by columnar glandular cells, whose secreted material is responsible for the sticky properties of the organ. These papillae do not contain sensory cells and were considered the simplest among those studied (Turon, 1991).In this work, the morphology of the adhesive papillae of C. lepadiformis and C. phlegraea was further investigated by histological analysis and immunolabelling techniques in order to clarify the actual cellular composition and function of these organs.