UNSEEN REALMS
Camilla Brogi (artist)
Scarica PDF
Marinella Perosa
Abstract: Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile, the Mediterranean's endemic seagrass, is one of the most ancient and ecologically irreplaceable organisms on Earth. A survivor of geological upheavals, mass extinctions and millennia of environmental changes. This review synthesizes current knowledge of its evolutionary origins, unique biological characteristics, and the multiple pressures now threatening its persistence. Drawing on recent literature spanning genomics, ecophysiology, climate science and conservation biology, we examine the dual reproductive strategy that has sustained clonal meadows, and the mounting evidence of simultaneous direct and indirect anthropogenic impacts across the Mediterranean basin. The challenge is to survive at compounding climate drivers as thermal stress, ocean acidification, stratification, and sea level rise. Despite a 34% regression of meadow extent in the last 50 years, the species retains adaptive potential through epigenetic stress memory, phenotypic plasticity, and stress-induced mass flowering. The convergence of climate change with coastal development, pollution, invasive species and overexploitation, however, is occurring at a pace that far exceeds the species' capacity for recovery. Effective conservation requires urgent, coordinated action across the 21 Mediterranean nations, before the trajectory becomes irreversible.
Scarica PDFAlessia Merialdi, Marino Prearo, Alessandra Maganza, Camilla Mossotto, Giuseppe Esposito, Bruno Aimone, Barbara Rizzioli, Elena Bozzetta, Paolo Pastorino, Alice Gabetti
Abstract: Alpine lakes are lentic ecosystems located above 1500 m a.s.l., characterized by particularly harsh environmental conditions and generally oligotrophic waters due to low organic matter input. Whitin these systems, which have relatively simple biotic communities, benthic macroinvertebrates play an essential role in organic matter processing and constitute a food source for higher trophic levels. They are widely used as indicators of environmental change and anthropogenic pressure. This study provides a checklist of benthic macroinvertebrates from three alpine lakes (Nero Lake, Clot-Foiron Lake and Fontanafredda Lake) located within Special Area of Conservation (SAC) IT1110058 “Cima Fournier – Lago Nero” (Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC), Italy. Each lake was sampled once during the summers of 2024 and 2025 using a standardized Surber net. Samples were preserved in ethanol, sorted under a stereomicroscope, and organisms were identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level. The observed communities are aligned with those reported for other alpine lakes, characterized by the dominance of Chironomidae and Oligochaeta. Nero and Fontanafredda Lakes exhibit higher taxonomic richness than Clot-Foiron Lake, indicating a wider variety of littoral microhabitats. These findings contribute to improving knowledge of biodiversity in high-altitude lake ecosystems.
Scarica PDF