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Abstract: Atriplex halimus is found in the Mediterranean Basin along the coastal areas of Sardinia, but few data are available on its adaptability to salinity. The effects of drought and salinity under controlled conditions on two clones of A. halimus, designated MOR2 and SOR4, originating from southern and northern Sardinia, respectively, were compared with those of seedlings of A. nummularia, an Australian species widely used in the restoration of arid areas. The effects of increasing NaCl salinity above seawater concentrations and of increasing the KCl concentration gradient were tested. Plants were harvested and analysed after 10 and 20 days of NaCl and KCl treatments. All plants remained alive until the end of treatment, although growth was strongly reduced, mainly for the A. halimus MOR2 clone, under increasing concentrations of KCl. The leaves and roots of both species responded positively to increasing NaCl concentrations up to 600mM NaCl for A. halimus, whereas the optimal growth of A. nummularia was recorded at 300mM NaCl. SOR4 was more sensitive to KCl toxicity. The Na+ concentration in the plants increased with increased salinity and was higher in A. halimus than in A. nummularia, suggesting that A. halimus is an ion accumulator and may be used for phytoremediation. The sodium accumulation in the roots of the A. halimus MOR2 clone was far greater than in its leaves. This suggests that MOR2 is an Na+ excluder, either by minimising the entry of salt into the plant or by an excretion mechanism via the vesiculated hairs that play a significant role in the removal of salt from the remainder of the leaf, thereby preventing its accumulation to toxic levels in the leaves, whereas SOR4 acted as an Na+ includer. Higher levels of proline were detected in the MOR2 clone under NaCl treatments, suggesting a more developed adaptative mechanism for the selection of this characteristic in the southern part of the island, which is more exposed to abiotic stresses, particularly water stress that is either generated by salinity or by other causes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The zoonotic nematode Trichinella britovi has been documented in animals and/or humans of the Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Sardinia since 2004. From 2005 to 2007 in the Sardinia island, several surveys had shown that T. britovi was circulating among backyard and free-ranging pigs reared in the Orgosolo municipality but all attempts had failed to detect this parasite in wild susceptible animals. The aim of the present work was to investigate the circulation of T. britovi in pigs and wildlife of the Orgosolo municipality, and of surrounding municipalities and provinces in the 2010–2014 slaughtering/hunting seasons. The results show that the T. britovi circulation was still restricted to the Orgosolo municipality with a prevalence of 2.6% in free-ranging pigs and 0.2% in backyard pigs but, for the first time, this parasite was detected also in 0.4% of wild boar, and 27.6% of red foxes. No infection was detected in backyard pigs, wild boar, and red foxes of the other municipalities and provinces. Since 1978, African swine fever is endemic in Sardinia and foci of this virus are still active in the investigated areas favoring cannibalism and, consequently, the T. britovi transmission, due to the high mortality rate caused by this virus. This is the first documented report on the transmission of T. britovi between the domestic and the sylvatic cycle. The health authority of the island must provide a service to dispose animal carcasses and offal, stamping out illegal free-ranging pigs, and train hunters and pig owners to manage waste and by-products according to the EU regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]