European standards for the protection of forests from ozone (O3) are based on atmospheric exposure (AOT40) that is not always representative of O3 effects since it is not a proxy of gas uptake through stomata (stomatal flux). MOTTLES "MOnitoring ozone injury for seTTing new critical LEvelS" is a LIFE project aimed at establishing a permanent network of forest sites based on active O3 monitoring at remote areas at high and medium risk of O3 injury, in order to define new standards based on stomatal flux, i.e. PODY (Phytotoxic Ozone Dose above a threshold Y of uptake). Based on the first year of data collected at MOTTLES sites, we describe the MOTTLES monitoring station, together with protocols and metric calculation methods. AOT40 and PODY, computed with different methods, are then compared and correlated with forest-health indicators (radial growth, crown defoliation, visible foliar O3 injury). For the year 2017, the average AOT40 calculated according to the European Directive was even 5 times (on average 1.7 times) the European legislative standard for the protection of forests. When the metrics were calculated according to the European protocols (EU Directive 2008/50/EC or Modelling and Mapping Manual LTRAP Convention), the values were well correlated to those obtained on the basis of the real duration of the growing season (i.e. MOTTLES method) and were thus representative of the actual exposure/flux. AOT40 showed opposite direction relative to PODY. Visible foliar O3 injury appeared as the best forest-health indicator for O3 under field conditions and was more frequently detected at forest edge than inside the forest. The present work may help the set-up of further long-term forest monitoring sites dedicated to O3 assessment in forests, especially because flux-based assessments are recommended as part of monitoring air pollution impacts on ecosystems in the revised EU National Emissions Ceilings Directive.

Current climate change projections made by IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) suggest an increase in frequency and extent of climate extremes. In Mediterranean Basin, and therefore in Tuscany, one of the main challenges is related to minimizing drought and heat wave impacts while increasing environmental resilience (from agricultural production to natural resources conservation, water in particular). In the last few years the availability of satellite images at high spatial and temporal resolution, joint to improved computation capacity, increased the interest towards the development of integrated systems for monitoring water resources and vegetation growth of different agricultural species. In this context, IBIMET-CNR and LaMMA Consortium promoted a research activity in a tomato field situated in Roselle (Grosseto), Central Italy, during the 2018 growing season. This species was selected because tomato is largely cultivated in Italy, following both traditional and biologic principles and it is an irrigated crop with high water requirements. The objective of the experiment is to set a monitoring system able to support an efficient irrigation management and to monitor the growth and production of tomatoes, integrating remote sensing information and field measurements. To complete the required local dataset, a fully equipped agrometeorological station was installed in the pilot site, together with ten probes, placed at different soil depths, able to measure the soil water content on hourly basis during the whole crop growing season. Sentinel-2 images (10 m resolution) are routinely downloaded and processed for the computation of vegetation indices, which are used to follow tomato's water requirements and as input into a crop growth and yield model. The effectiveness of the management support methodology was evaluated comparing the performance of the integrated system acting to optimise the watering dose of a single irrigation line with the rest of the tomato field, managed by traditional criteria. The current presentation is focused on the methodological framework of the experiment and on the first results obtained.

Global warming events have coincided with turnover of plant species at intervals in Earth history. As mean global temperatures rise, the number, frequency and duration of heat-waves will increase. Ginkgo biloba was grown under controlled climatic conditions at two different day/night temperature regimes (25/20 °C and 35/30 °C) to investigate the impact of heat stress. Photosynthetic CO2-uptake and electron transport were reduced at the higher temperature, while rates of respiration were greater; suggesting that the carbon balance of the leaves was adversely affected. Stomatal conductance and the potential for evaporative cooling of the leaves was reduced at the higher temperature. Furthermore, the capacity of the leaves to dissipate excess energy was also reduced at 35/30 °C, indicating that photo-protective mechanisms were no longer functioning effectively. Leaf economics were adversely affected by heat stress, exhibiting an increase in leaf mass per area and leaf construction costs. This may be consistent with the selective pressures experienced by fossil Ginkgoales during intervals of global warming such as the Triassic - Jurassic boundary or Early Eocene Climatic Optimum. The physiological and morphological responses of the G. biloba leaves were closely interrelated; these relationships may be used to infer the leaf economics and photosynthetic/stress physiology of fossil plants.

Deforestation and intensive land use managementwith plantations of fast-growing tree species, like Populus spp., may endanger native trees not only by eliminating or reducing their habitats, but also by diminishing their species integrity via hybridization and introgression. The genus Populus has persistent natural hybrids because clonal and sexual reproduction is common. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of land use management of poplar plantations on the spatial genetic structure and species composition in poplar stands. Specifically, we studied the potential breeding between natural and cultivated poplar populations in the Mediterranean environment to gain insight into spontaneous hybridization events between exotic and native poplars; we also used a GIS-based model to evaluate the potential threats related to an intensive land use management. Two study areas, both near to poplar plantations (P. × euramericana), were designated in the native mixed stands of P. alba, P. nigra and P. × canescens within protected areas. We found that the spatial genetic structure differed between the two stands and their differences depended on their environmental features. We detected a hybridization event with P. × canescens that was made possible by the synchrony of flowering between the poplar plantation and P. × canescens and facilitated by the wind intensity and direction favoring the spread of pollen. Taken together, our results indicate that natural and artificial barriers are crucial to mitigate the threats, and so they should be explicitly considered in land use planning. For example, our results suggest the importance of conserving rows of trees and shrubs along rivers and in agricultural landscapes. In sum, it is necessary to understand, evaluate, and monitor the spread of exotic species and genetic material to ensure effective land use management and mitigation of their impact on native tree populations.

In the framework of the LIFE + DEMETRA (LIFE08/NAT/IT/342) project, aimed at defining a methodology to monitor possible collateral effects of genetically modified (GM) crops on natural and semi-natural environments, a survey on plant biodiversity within the "Migliarino, San Rossore, Massaciuccoli" Regional Park - Tuscany (Italy) was carried out. Activities focused on: a) evaluating how phenological features may be influenced by different environments; b) detecting wild species subject to potential breeding with cultivated oilseed rape (Brassica napus L. var. oleifera D.C.); c) allowing a proper planning of crop plantation. Permanent plots were designed in six selected sites; phenological data were collected from March to October 2010 and then compared with meteorological data provided by three weather stations. Results showed that Sinapis arvensis L. and Cardamine hirsuta L. turned out to have a flowering period overlapping with B. napus var. oleifera. The phenological observations allowed the identification of three phenological groups. Some phenological variations between environments were highlighted, although it wasn't possible to outline a clear relationship with the examined meteorological variables.

To artificially simulate the impacts of ground-level ozone (O-3) on vegetation, ozone FACE (Free Air Controlled Exposure) systems are increasingly recommended. We describe here a new-generation, three-dimensional ozone FACE, with O-3 diffusion through laser-generatedmicro-holes, pre-mixing of air and O-3, O-3 generator with integral oxygen generator, continuous (day/night) exposure and full replication. Based on three O-3 levels and assumptions on the pre-industrial O-3 levels, we describe principles to calculate relative yield/biomass and estimate impacts even at lower-than-ambient O-3 levels. The case study is called FO3X, and is at present the only ozone FACE in Mediterranean climate and one of the very few ozone FACEs investigating more than one stressor at a time. The results presented here will give further impulse to the research on O-3 impacts on vegetation all over the world. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Visible foliar injury by ozone (ozone visible injury) is known as a biomarker to assess potential phytotoxicity of ozone. We investigated ozone visible injury in an ozone-sensitive poplar (Oxford clone) under a 2-year free-air controlled exposure (FACE) experiment and calculated three ozone indices (i.e., accumulative ozone exposure over 40ppb during daylight hours (AOT40), phytotoxic ozone dose above a flux threshold of 0nmolm-2s-1 (POD0), and the cumulative value of the ratio of hourly ozone uptake to net photosynthesis (SigmaU/P n ) to assess the critical level (CL) at the time of the first symptom onset of ozone visible injury. We tested the hypothesis that ozone injury depends both on the amount of ozone entering a leaf and on the capacity for biochemical detoxification or repair with photosynthesis as a proxy. The CLs at the time of the first symptom onset of ozone visible injury were 19ppmh for AOT40, 26mmolm-2 for POD0, and 1.2molmol-1 for SigmaU/P n in Oxford clone at the ozone FACE experiment. Our findings were then verified by 4-year observation-based data in central Italy on Oxford clone and white poplar (Populus alba L.). These observation-based data indicated that we found ozone visible injury in Oxford clone even though AOT40 was relatively low (11.7ppmh). On the other hand, when values of POD0 and SigmaU/P n exceeded over the CLs, the occurrence of initial symptoms in Oxford clone was shown. White poplar did not show ozone visible injury. SigmaU/P n of white poplar at the field sites reached ~1.0molmol-1 (less than the CL=1.2molmol-1, which was obtained from O3 FACE) during May-September, although the values of POD0 were relatively high in white poplar (44-47mmolm-2 during May-September). The result implies that ozone injury may have occurred in poplars when stomatal ozone flux exceeded the critical range of tolerance due to the assimilate shortage for repair and defense against ozone stress.

Lo studio del clima degli ambienti naturali ipogei riveste notevole importanza per motivi biologici e naturali e assume maggior rilievo per le grotte che sono, o stiano per diventare, turistiche. È evidente che per consentire la presenza dei visitatori, con le opere di accoglienza e di sicurezza necessarie, si variano le condizioni fisico-chimiche dell'atmosfera e delle acque della grotta, inducendo alterazioni sia sulla sua morfologia sia sui sistemi biologici, in essa presenti. Nel caso delle grotte risulta, in generale, molto delicato l'equilibrio fra la salvaguardia dei beni ambientali e fruizione. A tal fine le autorità preposte alla gestione dei beni ambientali dovrebbero tenere presente che la frequentazione antropica deve rispettare la resilienza della grotta considerata. In questo lavoro sono state considerate due grotte costiere della Sardegna: Grotta Verde (costa nord-occidentale) e Grotta del Bue Marino (costa centro-orientale). Lo studio, condotto dal CNR-IBIMET in collaborazione con il DIPNET-Università di Sassari, vuole promuovere la valutazione della biodiversità cavernicola, la conservazione biologica e morfologica delle grotte e la valorizzazione economica sostenibile di queste risorse naturali che possono svolgere un ruolo centrale nell'incentivare il turismo in aree carsiche. Le valutazioni derivanti da questi studi consentono di stabilire la resilienza dell'ambiente carsico analizzato e di adeguare a questo il carico turistico. In questo contesto, compito dell'IBIMET è la definizione quali-quantitativa dei parametri fisico-atmosferici all'interno delle Grotte, in presenza e in assenza di frequentazione antropica. Nel caso della Grotta Verde il confronto è svolto fra i valori dei parametri ambientali misurati durante la stagione turistica e la stagione invernale. Nel caso della Grotta del Bue Marino, non essendo possibile l'accesso nel periodo invernale, il confronto è fatto fra valori dei parametri rilevati contemporaneamente all'interno della Grotta e fuori da essa, durante la stagione turistica.

Premise of the study: Stomatal control is determined by the ability to alter stomatal aperture and/or the number of stomata on the surface of new leaves in response to growth conditions. The development of stomatal control mechanisms to the concentration of CO2 within the atmosphere ([CO2]) is fundamental to our understanding of plant evolutionary history and the prediction of gas exchange responses to future [CO2]. Methods: In a controlled environment, fern and angiosperm species were grown in atmospheres of ambient (400 ppm) and elevated (2000 ppm) [CO2]. Physiological stomatal behavior was compared with the stomatal morphological response to [CO2]. Key results: An increase in [CO2] or darkness induced physiological stomatal responses ranging from reductions (active) to no change (passive) in stomatal conductance. Those species with passive stomatal behavior exhibited pronounced reductions of stomatal density in new foliage when grown in elevated [CO2], whereas species with active stomata showed little morphological response to [CO2]. Analysis of the physiological and morphological stomatal responses of a wider range of species suggests that patterns of stomatal control to [CO2] do not follow a phylogenetic pattern associated with plant evolution. Conclusions: Selective pressures may have driven the development of divergent stomatal control strategies to increased [CO2]. Those species that are able to actively regulate guard cell turgor are more likely to respond to [CO2] through a change in stomatal aperture than stomatal number. We propose a model of stomatal control strategies in response to [CO2] characterized by a trade-off between short-term physiological behavior and longer-term morphological response.

Realizzare un sistema per l'elaborazione e la visualizzazione dei dati meteo acquisiti da una piccola stazione meteorologica e dalle boe della Rete Ondametrica Nazionale che mostra, a fini didattici e quindi in modo semplice e intuitivo, sia l'evoluzione dei dati meteo attuali sia l'andamento dei dati archiviati.

Ibridazione

Information on pollen flow are necessary to assess the potential impact on ecosystems of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). For instance, pollen dispersal data are needed to evaluate the range within transgenic pollen could affect biodiversity and non-target species. This knowledge is also necessary to identify environmental conditions that might favour pollen movement. Additionally, information on pollen flow can be used to estimate the range of the pollen dispersal using dispersal simulation models. Our work focuses on pollen dispersal data of the following species (crops and trees) of which genetically modified variants can be commercially available in the near future: maize (Zea mays L.), oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.), sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), and poplar (Populus nigra x Populus deltoides). We used pollen traps to assess the distances covered by pollen granules of the selected species and a pollen dispersal simulation model to assess the potential contamination levels due to maize crops.

Breeding

Information on pollen flow are necessary to assess the potential impact on ecosystems of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). For instance, pollen dispersal data are needed to evaluate the range within transgenic pollen could affect biodiversity and non-target species. This knowledge is also necessary to identify environmental conditions that might favour pollen movement. Additionally, information on pollen flow can be used to estimate the range of the pollen dispersal using dispersal simulation models. Our work focuses on pollen dispersal data of the following species (crops and trees) of which genetically modified variants can be commercially available in the near future: maize (Zea mays L.), oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.), sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), and poplar (Populus nigra x Populus deltoides). We used pollen traps to assess the distances covered by pollen granules of the selected species and a pollen dispersal simulation model to assess the potential contamination levels due to maize crops.

In this work we studied the pollen flow of a selected range of crops which could be genetically transformed in the near future. The study is part of LIFE08 NAT/IT/342 DEMETRA project which aims at developing a quick monitoring index to rapidly assess the influence on ecosystems of transgenic crops. To do this three experimental plots were selected in the Migliarino - San Rossore - Massaciuccoli Regional Park (Tuscany, Italy). The plots were characterized by different cropped areas: maize, sunflower, oilseed rape, Italian stone pine, and poplar. Pollen traps were installed within the plots taking into account the distance from crops and wind direction. A pollen dispersal simulation model was used to assess the potential contamination levels due to maize crops. Our results show that maize pollen covered up to a distance of 160 m from the cultivated area; pollen granules of oilseed rape, sunflower, pine and poplar were detected up to a distance of 34 m, 19 m, 269 m and 380 m, respectively. The pollen dispersal simulation model provided spatial explicit estimations of the contamination levels in term of maize pollen granules concentration.