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Functional diversity has proven to be more responsive than traditional taxonomic diversity to alterations for a wide set of communities, especially in aquatic ecosystems. Habitat alterations are among the most relevant causes of biodiversity loss in freshwater ecosystems, nevertheless their effect on functional diversity has been scarcely investigated so far. In this study, functional diversity of fish communities in the River Po basin, north Italy, were related to habitat quality at different spatial scales. Land use and riparian vegetation were identified as the most influent factors on freshwater fish functional diversity. On the other hand, habitat descriptors at smaller scale did not influence functional diversity of fish. The evidenced responses were driven by the contribution of exotic species, which maximized ecological niche occupancy, either by exploiting increased habitat heterogeneity or by interaction with native species. Moreover, traits filtering, disadvantaging large predators such as salmonids, was also observed in the studied communities, but likely this effect was related to other factors than habitat alterations. Overall, this study confirms that land use changes can be considered as valid proxies for anthropogenic alterations. Moreover, possible effects at ecosystem level, also related to the spread of exotic species, could be hypothesized, giving that traits mostly influencing the observed patterns of diversity in communities were related to trophic niche, a factor that has been associated with crucial processes like nutrient cycling or energy transfer.

In the title, it should be Oryza instead of Oriza.

The untargeted metabolomic profile of five pigmented whole rice varieties, namely Ermes, Orange, Nerone, Venere, and Violet, was investigated. Samples were cooked to a comparable starch gelatinization level through an electric commercial rice cooker and in vitro digested to evaluate the fate of rice compounds during in vitro starch digestion. The untargeted metabolomics profiling depicted a broad phytochemical profile of rice grains, including phenolic compounds, terpenoids, and phytosterols, among others. Interestingly, the metabolomic profile showed distinctive shaping following cooking and in vitro digestion in a variety-dependent manner. Multivariate statistics revealed that glycosylated flavonoids and hydrolysis-products of tannins (such as 1,2-digalloyl-beta-D-glucopyranose) were the most discriminant compounds of the in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. The combination of cooking and simulated digestion was found to affect, in a matrix-driven manner, the profile of amino acids and lipids derivatives, together with sterols and terpenoids. Cooked Violet rice grains showed the lowest starch hydrolysis index (i.e., 58.2) and the highest resistant starch content (i.e., 4.8 g/100 g) compared to the other samples. Non-pigmented phenolic compounds could be included among discriminant compounds. After combining cooking and enzyme hydrolysis, Violet rice distinctively showed positive average LogFC values for flavonoids and phenolic acids. Overall, water-soluble anthocyanins were the most retained class of polyphenols following the cooking process, with peonidin 3-(6”-acetyl-glucoside) showing the highest discriminant potential (VIP score = 1.64).

Time-dependent geolocalized analysis of pollution data allows to better understand their dynamics over time and could suggest strategies to restore a good ecological status of contaminated area. This research analyzes concentrations of pollutants in surface waters and groundwater monitored by the Regional Environment Protection Agency of Lombardy from 2017 to 2020. Lombardy is one of the richest and populous region of Europe, providing an interesting example of the impact of environmental pollutants due to anthropogenic and industrial activities, not only for Italy but also for all Europe. Results show that groundwater displays more sites with heavy metals above the legal limit with respect to surface waters, including As, Ni, Cr and Zn. Furthermore, the spatio-temporal analysis of the data clearly shows that the introduction of more restrictive laws is a proper policy to improve the ecological status of the water.

Peucedanum ostruthium (L.) W.D.J.Koch (Apiaceae) is an alpine medicinal plant traditionally used as a panacea to treat various ailments. For the first time, its phytotoxic and nematotoxic properties were investigated. The inhibitory activity toward germination and seedling growth of the weeds Echinochloa oryzoides (Ard.) Fritsch and Lolium multiflorum Lam. was evaluated by two in vitro assays, carried out on filter paper and soil, using different aqueous extract concentrations (1, 10, and 20 %) and 0.25 g of powder of P. ostruthium leaves, inflorescences, and rhizomes. The study showed that all samples were more effective on L. multiflorum than E. oryzoides with p-values = 0.000 on both substrate types. Nevertheless, in all cases, the soil mitigated the P. ostruthium effects. Regarding nematicidal activity, the leaf extract was the most active against larvae and adults of the nematode Panagrolaimus rigidus. According to the motility test, their death was 85.6 ± 2.7 % and 90.5 ± 3.1 % 24 h after treatment. Lastly, NMR and UPLC-HR-MS analyses led to the identification of several compounds in the aqueous extracts, including mono- and di-substituted chlorogenic acids, flavonol glycosides, coumarins, and furanocoumarin glycosides. 5-Caffeoylquinic acid was the most abundant phenolic component in all plant organs.

Oat (Avena sativa L.) is widely appreciated for its beneficial properties for human health, which have led to the introduction of more food products on the market, including oat beverages. The fibre components found in the oat are recognized for their beneficial effects, despite other bioactive compounds with healthy properties being present. This work aimed to evaluate the metabolites profile of a commercial oat beverage, either fermented with lactic bacteria or not, following in vitro gastro-intestinal digestion. UHPLC-QTOF untargeted metabolomics allowed investigation of the bioaccessibility of health-related metabolites from the oat beverage at the intestinal level. The results identified flavonoids, phenolic acids (avenanthramides), amino acids and steroids as the major classes of compounds. In particular, after in vitro digestion, amino acids, peptides, and phenolic acids showed the highest increases. The co-fermentation of oat milk by Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp. strains decreased the levels of both lignans and phytic acid, while increased the levels of some polyphenols like avenanthramides. Furthermore, fermentation by microorganisms increased the bioaccessibility of specific amino acids, vitamins, and polyphenols (flavonoids and phenolic acids). Interestingly, despite lacking a significant part of beta-glucans, the HPAEC-PAD profiling of our oat beverage evidenced that the fermentation process did not alter the oligosaccharides profile, thus preserving its prebiotic potential. The phytochemical profile of oat milk was shown to have a functional potential. Nonetheless, the fermentation by bacterial strains changed the profile of metabolites during in vitro digestion, thus offering an interesting option in the future development of cereal-based beverages.

Rice cultivation, particularly prone to weed issues, requires practices able to effectively control them, however reducing the use of herbicides, responsible for damage to human health and ecosystem sustainability. Alternative strategies for weed management can be based on plant-plant interaction phenomena. In this context, a group of organic farmers has developed a pragmatic approach for weed containment using Lolium multiflorum Lam. as a cover crop before rice. The present study aimed to confirm the farmer field observations reporting a preferential inhibitory effect of L. multiflorum on Echinochloa oryzoides (Ard.) Fritsch, one of the most yield-damaging rice weed, compared with Oryza sativa L. The study showed that L. multiflorum was able to significantly reduce the seed germination of E. oryzoides. It was found to be more susceptible than O. sativa both to the effect of the aqueous extract and powder of L. multiflorum leaves (23–79% vs. 3–57% and 26–100% vs. 23–31%, respectively). In addition, the leaf extract was able to affect E. oryzoides growth starting from 20% concentration both in relation to the root and shoot length while O. sativa exhibited differences compared with the control only under the influence of extract 50%. The L. multiflorum leaf characterization by NMR and UPLC-HR-MS analyses led to the identification of 35 compounds including several polyphenols, glycosyl flavonoids and glycosyl terpenoids, as well as different amino acids and organic acids. Some of them (e.g. protocatechuic and gallic acids) are already known as allelochemicals confirming that L. multiflorum is a source of plant growth inhibitors.

In the Southern Alps, the role of landscape context on meadows plant diversity was evaluated using a multi-model information theoretic approach and five competing hypotheses of landscape context factors: habitat quality (H1), matrix quality (H2), habitat change (H3), matrix quality change (H4) and topography-environmental conditions (H5)- measured at three spatial scales (125, 250 and 500 m). Shannon diversity index and species richness represented plant diversity obtained in 34 plots (100 m2 size). Landscape context affected plant diversity measures differently. Matrix quality change at larger scale (500 m) was the most supported hypothesis explaining Shannon diversity index, while species richness responded mostly to topography-environmental conditions in the immediate surroundings (125 m). No effects of present-day habitat and matrix quality (H1 and H2) were found. Matrix quality change affected positively Shannon diversity index through an effect of landscape neighbourhood context on farming management practices. Due to the importance of exposure and inclination of slopes, topography-environmental conditions influenced species richness mostly through energy-driven processes and farming management strategies. In terms of scale, matrix quality change was the strongest hypothesis explaining Shannon diversity index at all scales, while the underlying process affecting species richness changed with scale (H5 or H3). Overall, landscape context explained only 25-28 % of the variation in plant diversity, suggesting that landscape management may support biodiversity conservation when comprised in a global strategy including farming practices. In the study area, change in landscape diversity may be a good indicator for Shannon diversity index and south-eastern facing meadows should be preserved. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

The loss of permanent meadows in the lowlands of the European Alps due to land use/land cover changes is a major underestimated process, which affects the status of these habitats and their provision of ecosystem services. In the Italian Valtellina valley (80km2) change detection analysis estimated meadows loss and spatial bivariate analysis and GIS-based logistic regression model analysed the spatial environmental drivers behind meadows loss in the period 1980-2000. A strong decrease in meadows (-18.5%) was found, in a context of agricultural land decrease and human settlements increase. This was the land cover type with highest loss and conversion rate during the study period. Meadows were converted to human settlements (urban, industrial and roads), other agriculture uses (cultivation, orchard, vineyard), bushland and uncultivated land. Meadows loss occurred mainly in soils with good land capability, low slope, exposed to south and in proximity of roads, urban settlements and bushland. Densities of urban, industrial and bushland and land capability were the only significant drivers for meadows loss, while distance to meadow edge, meadows density, distance to roads and soil degradation were the only significant drivers for meadows preservation. The conflict by land in locations densely occupied by other land cover types with good land capability is the major threat to meadows and avoidance of fragmentation may be a good strategy for its preservation. The meadows habitat needs a well-designed landscape and farming planning, which should account the economic value of the ecosystem services provided by this habitat.

The potential of field hyperspectral remote sensing data for non-destructive assessment of hay meadow biomass and vascular plant diversity has been investigated. Spectrometric and agronomic data were acquired at peak biomass over 34 sites distributed at diverse elevation and slopes over an area of 220 km2 in the Central Alps (Valtellina, Northern Italy). Different modelling approaches were tested to evaluate the predictive performance of spectral measurements: (i) the use of two band ratios of reflectance as input in ordinary least square regression models and (ii) the use of all reflectance bands as input in multivariate partial least square regression models. Each model was subjected to leave-one-out cross-validation and evaluated using the cross-validated coefficient of determination and the root mean square error. Fresh biomass and fuel moisture content were predicted with an average error of

Due to decades of loss of grassland diversity across Europe, there is a need to identify factors affecting species composition and diversity in managed meadows. The aim of the current study was to assess how ecological, landscape and management factors may affect plant species composition, biodiversity and forage value in Alpine hay meadows. Species composition, Shannon index and forage value were obtained from phytosociological relevés. Twenty explanatory variables were selected from a set of ecological, landscape and management factors. Their effects on plant species composition, Shannon index and forage value were analysed by applying the variation partitioning approach. Plant species composition was related to sixteen factors, explaining 35·6% of the variability. Shannon index and forage value were related to eleven factors, explaining 47·8 and 40·8% of their total variation respectively. Ecological factors were the main set explaining species composition and diversity, whereas none of the three individual groups of factors (ecological, landscape, management) significantly explained variability within forage value. Overall, the effects of the three groups of factors accounted for 70% of the total variability in plant species composition, but less than half that of Shannon index and of forage value. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

In the Southern Alps, the role of landscape context on meadows plant diversity was evaluated using a multi-model information theoretic approach and five competing hypotheses of landscape context factors: habitat quality (H1), matrix quality (H2), habitat change (H3), matrix quality change (H4) and topography-environmental conditions (H5)- measured at three spatial scales (125, 250 and 500 m). Shannon diversity index and species richness represented plant diversity obtained in 34 plots (100 m2 size). Landscape context affected plant diversity measures differently. Matrix quality change at larger scale (500 m) was the most supported hypothesis explaining Shannon diversity index, while species richness responded mostly to topography-environmental conditions in the immediate surroundings (125 m). No effects of present-day habitat and matrix quality (H1 and H2) were found. Matrix quality change affected positively Shannon diversity index through an effect of landscape neighbourhood context on farming management practices. Due to the importance of exposure and inclination of slopes, topography-environmental conditions influenced species richness mostly through energy-driven processes and farming management strategies. In terms of scale, matrix quality change was the strongest hypothesis explaining Shannon diversity index at all scales, while the underlying process affecting species richness changed with scale (H5 or H3). Overall, landscape context explained only 25-28 % of the variation in plant diversity, suggesting that landscape management may support biodiversity conservation when comprised in a global strategy including farming practices. In the study area, change in landscape diversity may be a good indicator for Shannon diversity index and south-eastern facing meadows should be preserved. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of MODIS normalized difference vegetation index hypertemporal data analysis for assessing Mediterranean pasture conditions in North Western Sardinia (Italy). During the seasons 2006 to 2007 and 2007 to 2008, field observations were carried out to classify 67 pasture sites in three condition classes based on expert knowledge. The local net primary productivity scaling (LNS) method was applied, and its potential for discriminating the pasture condition classes was evaluated by logistic regression models (LRM). Yearly and average LNS maps were generated for the period 2000 to 2008, and analyzed to identify areas that exhibited persistently low LNS values (hotspots). The LNS method proved useful to discriminate pastures in different conditions (LRM bootstrapped Nagelkerke pseudo R2 = 0.52). The analysis of persistence of low LNS values allow identifying regional hotspots of degradation. A qualitative evaluation of the main hotspots on aerial photographs revealed that approximately 62% of the hotspots were clearly characterized by pasture degradation patterns, whereas the remaining were associated to highly fragmented landscapes or to errors in the land cover map. This result emphasizes the importance of using multiscale approaches by integrating the LNS regional assessment with high spatial resolution remote sensing data analysis. © 2012 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).

Analisi e proposte per la tutela del patrimonio agricolo nelle aree periurbane italiane