ALBERT

Description: Rafflesia speciosa is a threatened endo-holoparasitic species. It has several populations in the Central Panay Mountain Range (CPMR) of Panay island and a single population on Negros Island. Because R. speciosa is the only Philippine species of the genus that is not endemic to an individual island, it is a suitable species for improving our understanding of the factors underlying the high island endemism of Philippine Rafflesia. For this purpose and to inform the conservation management of R. speciosa, patterns of genetic diversity and differentiation were studied using 15 microsatellite loci and samples from nine populations. None of these populations shows evidence of inbreeding and R. speciosa has similar levels of heterozygosity as generally observed in outcrossing or perennial plant species. The results of AMOVA and Bayesian cluster analyses indicate that the Negros population is genetically differentiated from the CPMR populations. In addition, it has lower genetic diversity than similar-sized R. speciosa populations. These findings suggest that sea straits potentially provide significant reproductive barriers to Rafflesia species, and are perhaps responsible for their high island endemism. The general lack of genetic differentiation among the CPMR populations as suggested by the AMOVA, PCoA, and STRUCTURE results indicates recent gene flow among them and this finding improves our understanding of the geographical scale and context at which gene flow between Rafflesia populations occurs. Conservation efforts should be targeted towards avoiding further habitat degradation in the Negros population. We also recommend protective status for the entire CPMR and reforestation efforts to mitigate the severe habitat fragmentation, destruction, and degradation in this area.

Description: We report detailed morphometric observations on several MIS 5.5 and a few older (MIS 11, 21, 25) fossil tidal notches shaped along carbonate coasts at 80 sites in the central Mediterranean Sea and at an additional six sites in the eastern and western Mediterranean. At each site, we performed precise measurements of the fossil tidal notch (FTN) width and depth, and of the elevation of its base relative to the base of the present tidal notch (PTN). The age of the fossil notches is obtained by correlation with biologic material associated with the notches at or very close to the site. This material was previously dated either through radiometric analysis or by its fossiliferous content. The width (i.e. the difference in elevation between base and top) of the notches ranges from 1.20 to 0.38 m, with a mean of 0.74 m. Although the FTN is always a few centimetres wider than the PTN, probably because of the lack of the biological reef coupled with a small erosional enlargement in the FTN, the broadly comparable width suggests that tide amplitude has not changed since MIS 5.5 times. This result can be extended to the MIS 11 features because of a comparable notch width, but not to the MIS 21 and 25 epochs. Although observational control of these older notches is limited, we regard this result as suggesting that changes in tide amplitude broadly occurred at the Early-Middle Pleistocene transition. The investigated MIS 5.5 notches are located in tectonically stable coasts, compared to other sectors of the central Mediterranean Sea where they are uplifted or subsided to ~100m and over. In these stable areas, the elevation of the base of the MIS 5.5 notch ranges from 2.09 to 12.48 m, with a mean of 5.7 m. Such variability, although limited, indicates that small land movements, deriving from slow crustal processes, may have occurred in stable areas. We defined a number of sectors characterized by different geologic histories, where a careful evaluation of local vertical land motion allowed the selection of the best representative elevation of the MIS 5.5 peak highstand for each sector. This elevation has been compared against glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) predictions drawn from a suite of ice-sheet models (ICE-G5, ICE-G6 and ANICE-SELEN) that are used in combination with the same solid Earth model and mantle viscosity parameters. Results indicate that the GIA signal is not the main cause of the observed highstand variability and that other mechanisms are needed. The GIA simulations show that, even within the Mediterranean Basin, the maximum highstand is reached at different times according to the geographical location. Our work shows that, besides GIA, even in areas considered tectonically stable, additional vertical tectonic movements may occur with a magnitude that is significantly larger than the GIA.

Description: Published

Description: 600-623

Description: 5A. Ricerche polari e paleoclima

Description: JCR Journal

Description: We present and discuss the genesis, age and evolution of indented landforms carved at sea level in correspondence of carbonatic headlands in three sites of the central Mediterranean coasts, between Marseille (France) and Balzi Rossi (Italy), the island of Tavolara (Sardinia, Italy) and the promontory of Tindari (Sicily, Italy). The shape of these anomalous notches landforms can be referred to is very similar to tidal notches, despite their genesis and morphometric parameters are different from those suggested by other Authors for the central Mediterranean area. Two of these sites are located in tectonically stable areas, while the third falls is located in an uplifting area. Those The notches we investigated along the coast of southern France, are submerged notch-type landforms located in the vicinities surroundings of current modern tidal notches. At Tavolara island, these anomalous notches are placed at about 25 m b.s.l. these landforms and have the shape of “mushroom-like notches”. Finally, those investigated along the metamorphic-carbonatic promontory of Tindari, are marine and abrasional notches, that have been uplifted, likely during the Holocene

Description: Published

Description: 4-16

Description: 3A. Geofisica marina

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Recent works (Evelpidou et al., 2012) suggest that the modern tidal notch is disappearing worldwide due sea level rise over the last century. In order to assess this hypothesis, we measured modern tidal notches in several of sites along the Mediterranean coasts. We report observations on tidal notches cut along carbonate coasts from 73 sites from Italy, France, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, Malta and Spain, plus additional observations carried outside the Mediterranean. At each site, we measured notch width and depth, and we described the characteristics of the biological rim at the base of the notch. We correlated these parameters with wave energy, tide gauge datasets and rock lithology. Our results suggest that, considering ‘the development of tidal notches the consequence of midlittoral bioerosion’ (as done in Evelpidou et al., 2012) is a simplification that can lead to misleading results, such as stating that notches are disappearing. Important roles in notch formation can be also played by wave action, rate of karst dissolution, salt weathering and wetting and drying cycles. Of course notch formation can be augmented and favoured also by bioerosion which can, in particular cases, be the main process of notch formation and development. Our dataset shows that notches are carved by an ensemble rather than by a single process, both today and in the past, and that it is difficult, if not impossible, to disentangle them and establish which one is prevailing. We therefore show that tidal notches are still forming, challenging the hypothesis that sea level rise has drowned them.

Description: Published

Description: 66-84

Description: 6A. Monitoraggio ambientale, sicurezza e territorio

Description: JCR Journal

Description: restricted

Description: The coast of the Mediterranean provide several remnants of ancient coastal quarries, which are now useful to study sea level change occurring during the last millennia. Millstones quarries were exploited with same quarrying techniques from rocks like beachrocks, sandstones or similar lithologies, were shaped to be suitable to grind olives, seeds and wheat, to produce oil and flour, or to break apart soft rocks. In this study we integrated historical sources, aerial photography, field surveys and palaeo sea-level modelling to investigate a number of millstones quarries with the aim to asses the intervening sea level change that occurred since the quarries were abandoned. We investigated on their chronology, spatial distribution and spatial relationship to the sea-level. Our results indicate that most of these were carved close to sea level between 1.45 ka and 0.25 ka cal BP, but mainly around 0.45 cal ka BP. Despite the uncertainties associated with the chronology in, we found good agreement between their lowest elevation (between 0.33 m and −0.06 m) and the paleo sea-levels, as predicted by the GIA models.

Description: Published

Description: 102-116

Description: 3SR. AMBIENTE - Servizi e ricerca per la Società

Description: JCR Journal

Description: The coasts of Italy still preserve several remnants of coastal quarries built in antiquity, that now provide insights into the intervening sea-level changes occurred during the last millennia. In this paper, we show and discuss a new class of sea level indicator consisting of millstones carved along the rocky coast of southern Italy since 2500 BP, that are currently submerged. They were extracted from beachrocks, sandstones or similar sedimentary rocks, easier for carving by ancient carving tools. Our study focuses on 10 coastal sites located at Capo d’Orlando, Avola, and Letojanni, in Sicily; Soverato, Tropea, and Capo dell’Armi, in Calabria; Castellabate, Palinuro, and Scario, in Campania; and Polignano San Vito, in Apulia. Unfortunately, only limited archaeological information is available for these anthropic structures. Scario, one of these millstone quarries discussed here, has been dated through independent archaeological remains, allowing us to restrict the exploitation age to the end of XVII century. Present day elevations of these coastal sites were obtained through geo-archaeological surveys calibrated using the nearest tidal stations, together with geomorphological and tectonic interpretations. Data were compared against the latest sea level predictions based on glacio-hydro-isostatic models. Our results allow proposal of the age-range of these millstone quarries and to estimate the intervening relative sea level changes since the time when they were carved.

Description: Published

Description: 126-142

Description: 3A. Ambiente Marino

Description: JCR Journal

Description: restricted

Description: Based on its morphology and in accordance with modern circumscriptions of genera among the Gleicheniaceae, a new combination in Sticherus is made for the Papua New Guinean fern originally described as Gleichenia hooglandii.

Description: Thismia is a mycoheterotrophic genus in the family Thismiaceae. We report a new family record for Andaman and Nicobar Islands and a new species for India. A detailed description along with conservation assessment, colour photos, distribution map, and key to the species from India are provided.

Description: A new species of hairy tree fern (Dicksoniaceae - Cyatheales) is described and illustrated: Dicksonia utteridgei from stunted ridge forest in central New Guinea. The species is the only one in the genus with a combination of fully pinnate to bipinnate-pinnatifid pinnules and bristly spreading petiole hairs.

Description: Timor-Leste is one of the world’s newest nations, but the island of Timor has a long history of human habitation and land use which has played a significant role in shaping the 15 current vegetation and flora. Movement of people, plants and materials has seen the introduction of hundreds of plants to Timor from foreign lands, many of which have established naturalised populations, with some exerting detrimental impacts on Timorese agriculture, the environment and livelihoods. Plant health surveys conducted by Timorese and Australian biosecurity agencies have enabled compilation of an inventory of more than 20 500 naturalised and pest plant species based largely on recent field collections (now lodged in herbaria) supplemented by observational and literature records. The composition of the naturalised flora in terms of plant family and life form is described and the origin status of introduced plant species is referenced and summarised by continental region and likely mode of introduction.