Dipartimento Di Scienze

We reported first data on the densities and chemical composition of fishing lines and fish hooks deposited on a Mediterranean beach. On a sampling area of 1.5 ha, we removed a total of 185,028 cm of fishing lines (density 12.34 cm/m2) and 33 hooks (density 22 units/ha). Totally, 637.62 g (42.5 mg/m2) of fishing lines were collected. We sampled 120 items entangled belongings to 7 animal taxa (density 6.49 items/100 m of fishing lines). We also observed a not quantifiable number of egagropiles (Posidonia oceanica spheroids), Rhodophyceae (Halymenia sp.) and segments of reeds of Phragmites communis, trapped in the fishing lines. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used in order to identify the chemical composition of the fishing lines: 92% was made of nylon while 8.0% was determined as fluorocarbon based polymers (polyvinylidene fluoride). Because of their subtlety and reduced size, sandy beach cleaning operations should include at least two consecutive removal samplings: indeed, a part of this litter (12.14%) is not removed in the first sampling. The unexpected high density of fishing lines suggests specific management actions aimed to periodically remove this neglected anthropogenic litter.

In this note we report the first direct evidence for Europe of coypus (Myocastor coypus) feeding on freshwater algae. Coypus fed on green algae of the genus Spirogyra (Zygnematophyceae) in a Mediterranean coastal wetland of central Italy (Torre Flavia) where Spirogyra represents the most spread filamentous macroalgal stands. By analyzing Spirogyra stands, we also detected the presence of microalgae which, in turn, have been indirectly ingested by coypus: Ulnaria capitata, Navicula sp., Nitzschia sp. (Bacillariophyceae), Netrium digitus (Zygnematophyceae), and Phacus sp. (Euglenophyceae). Other taxa of green macroalgae, such as Cladophora glomerata and Ulva intestinalis (Ulvophyceae), were commonly recorded in the same area, however there is no evidence that they were consumed by coypus.

Nutria (or coypu, Myocastor coypus), is a semi-aquatic rodent that is native to South America and has been introduced almost all over the world since the end of the 19th century. In Europe, this rodent is considered an invasive species. In this report, we analyzed nutria fecal samples in a small coastal wetland of Central Italy, using different techniques (fresh smear, direct immunofluorescence, Baermann technique, flotation, ethyl acetate sedimentation) to obtain an arrangement of eukaryote endoparasites (Protozoa and Helminths) and compare them with data available in the literature for both Italy and worldwide. We recorded five taxa, with a dominant occurrence (>70%) of nematodes of the genus Strongyloides. Moreover, we reported for the first time in nutria a bronchopulmonary strongyle nematode (Muellerius vel. Angiostrongylus) and, for the first time in Italy, protozoans of the genus Cryptosporidium. Since nutria co-occurs with humans and domestic animals in the study area, we highlighted possible sanitary and management implications.

In this work, a wine-growing zone study was carried out to define a new method aimed to verify whether the Cesanese DOC area (Latium, Central Italy) is suitable for wine production and to develop a general knowledge on the main factors that influence the quality of wine. In this study, the computation of bioclimatic indexes based on Géoviticulture MCC System, was integrated with GIS (Geographic Information System) analysis based on geological, pedological and topographic data in order to define those areas with a better predisposition to the production of high-quality wine. Results indicate that most of the vineyards are located between 200 and 400 m a.s.l., in soils developed on pyroclastic deposits, which lie on stable and gentle hillslope, facing southward. A map of the wine-growing vocation of the Cesanese DOC area was produced. This map shows that more than the 60% of the present vineyards are on areas resulted to be the most suitable for high-quality wine production, but only ...