- Degree in Natural Sciences (1961). Researcher in West Berlin, Institute fȕr Angewandte Botanik, Technische Universitȁ... moreDegree in Natural Sciences (1961).
Researcher in West Berlin, Institute fȕr Angewandte Botanik, Technische Universitȁt (1966-1969).
Assistente Ordinario of Botany, University Napoli (1970-1980)
Full Professor of Botany (1980-1986) and Ecology (1986-2010), University of Napoli, Federico II.
President of the Italian Society of Ecology (1999-2002).
Co-ordinator of the PhD Course in Terrestrial Ecology, Plant and Soil and the PhD course in Applied Biology, University of Napoli, Federico II. Member of many evaluation Committees.
Main research lines: 1) mechanisms of plant adaptation to aridity, 2) litter decomposition and nutrient dynamics, 3) fire effects on soil, 4) heavy metal biomonitoring in terrestrial ecosystems .edit
Abstract. The internai parenchyma of the leaf and rhizome in 36 species of Sansevieria is made of dead cells and living cells arranged in a regular pattern. Intercellular spaces are Iacking. The walls of dead cells consist of an inner... more
Abstract. The internai parenchyma of the leaf and rhizome in 36 species of Sansevieria is made of dead cells and living cells arranged in a regular pattern. Intercellular spaces are Iacking. The walls of dead cells consist of an inner amorphous layer positive to the ftuorescence test for callose, a middle suberin-like layer and an outer fibrillar layer. In about half of the
species examined, the inner layer forms distinctive thickenings. Detached leaves of Sansevieria lose water very slowly, and are able to recover it quickly. The pattern of leaf dehydration appears to be related to Ieaf morphology, whereas no relation is evident between the pattern of leaf rehydration and leaf morphology. Neither leaf dehydration nor leaf
rehydration pattern is affected by the presence of wall thickenings in the dead parenchyma cells. The fresh weight per uni t volume of both turgid and droughted leaves is nearly l, denoting that the dead cells are filled
with water and do not undergo substantial cavitation during drought. The data indicate that the dead parenchyma cells of Sansevieria are a specialized water-storing system.
species examined, the inner layer forms distinctive thickenings. Detached leaves of Sansevieria lose water very slowly, and are able to recover it quickly. The pattern of leaf dehydration appears to be related to Ieaf morphology, whereas no relation is evident between the pattern of leaf rehydration and leaf morphology. Neither leaf dehydration nor leaf
rehydration pattern is affected by the presence of wall thickenings in the dead parenchyma cells. The fresh weight per uni t volume of both turgid and droughted leaves is nearly l, denoting that the dead cells are filled
with water and do not undergo substantial cavitation during drought. The data indicate that the dead parenchyma cells of Sansevieria are a specialized water-storing system.
Fire is a disturbance in the Mediterranean region associated with frequent drought periods, and can affect the soil microbial community, which plays a fundamental role in nutrient cycling. In the present study the effect of low-and... more
Fire is a disturbance in the Mediterranean region associated with frequent drought periods, and can affect the soil microbial community, which plays a fundamental role in nutrient cycling. In the present study the effect of low-and high-severity experimental fires on the soil microbial community was evaluated in an Italian Mediterranean maquis. Burned and unburned soils were compared for functional diversity, specific activities, microbial biomass, fungal mycelia and fungal fraction of microbial carbon, during the first year after fire. In the first week after fire, changes in the functional diversity were observed in burned soils, differing also between low-and high-severity fires. Respiration responses to specific organic compounds were generally lower in burned soils during the whole study period, with a percentage of changed responses from 2 to 70%. The general reduction in burned soils of the fungal fraction of microbial carbon (19–61%) and active mycelia (16–55%), together with the increase in microbial biomass carbon (29–42%) during the first 3 months after fire, suggest a larger and longer effect of fire on fungi than on bacteria. The results indicate a rapid recovery of functional diversity in soil after burning despite the persistent reduction of microbial community activity and the change in its structure.
Research Interests:
Manganese Lignin Interactions among litters Non-additive effects of litter mixing a b s t r a c t In natural conditions, litters shed from different species become mixed with each other, and decompose together. Most studies deal with... more
Manganese Lignin Interactions among litters Non-additive effects of litter mixing a b s t r a c t In natural conditions, litters shed from different species become mixed with each other, and decompose together. Most studies deal with decomposition of individual species; few studies investigate the influence of litter mixing on decomposition and nutrient dynamics; the results are contradictory as positive, negative, or no effect, of litter mixing have been observed. In this study we test the hypothesis: i) that litter mixing in the Mediterranean maquis, a nutrient poor, high diversity ecosystem, produces non-additive effects on nutrient dynamics; ii) that the effects vary with the composition in species of the mixture and with the relative amount of the species component the mixture. Two types of 3-species mixtures were set up; one contained three sclerophylls, Phillyrea angustifolia, Pistacia lentiscus and Quercus ilex; the other contained the first two species with the mesophyll Cistus. Litterbags, containing monospecific litters and even and uneven mixtures, were incubated under natural condition in situ; even mixtures had the 3 species in equal proportion, whereas uneven mixtures had one of the species as dominant (50%) and the other two species in equal proportion (25%:25%). Litterbags were retrieved after 92, 188 and 403 days; litters from the mixtures were separately analyzed for mass loss and content of nitrogen (N), potassium (K), sodium (Na), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn). Results indicate that mixing influences the dynamics of N, Mn, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu and Zn, but scarcely affects the dynamics of K and Na. The comparison of observed to expected values for changes of nutrients in litterbags indicates the occurrence of non-additive effects of litter mixing on movements of N, Fe, Cu, and Zn to or from the litterbags containing the mixtures. The effects depend on the composition in species of the mixture, whereas the relative amount of the species component the mixture is not relevant.
Research Interests:
Disturbance in Mediterranean shrub lands creates gaps that break up the shrub cover and potentially restrict productivity and other ecosystem processes. Gaps make up to about 20% of the low Macchia area at the Castel Volturno nature... more
Disturbance in Mediterranean shrub lands creates gaps that break up the shrub cover and potentially restrict productivity and other ecosystem processes. Gaps make up to about 20% of the low Macchia area at the Castel Volturno nature reserve (southern Italy). The plant community consists mainly of small annual species (legumes, grasses and forbs) that germinate in November and die out before the onset of summer drought.
The inter-annual variability in productivity and the relative abundance of legumes, grasses and forbs were assessed over 4 years (2004–2007) to evaluate main potential modifications of ecosystem processes determined by the occurrence of gaps in the shrub cover.
In the study years, at the peak production, plant mass varied from about 250 to 700 g m–2; biomass belowground allocation varied from 23% in the wettest to 44% in the driest year. Belowground/aboveground biomass ratios were negatively related to rainfall and positively related to the length of the dry period, showing that water availability controls biomass allocation patterns. Legumes were the most abundant fraction (about 60%) of the aboveground mass in the wettest year. In the drier years legumes exhibited a shorter life cycle and senesced by mid-spring. Among the three functional groups monitored, legumes were the most sensitive to water shortage and their biomass was positively related to the amount of rainfall and negatively related to the length of the dry period. The higher fraction of legume mass was associated with higher nitrogen content in plant tissues and in the soil. Senesced annual species decomposed more than senescent Phillyrea sp. leaves. The stability of organic carbon pool, evaluated through the endogenous mineralization coefficient (CEM), was lower in gaps than in understorey soils.
The inter-annual variability in productivity and the relative abundance of legumes, grasses and forbs were assessed over 4 years (2004–2007) to evaluate main potential modifications of ecosystem processes determined by the occurrence of gaps in the shrub cover.
In the study years, at the peak production, plant mass varied from about 250 to 700 g m–2; biomass belowground allocation varied from 23% in the wettest to 44% in the driest year. Belowground/aboveground biomass ratios were negatively related to rainfall and positively related to the length of the dry period, showing that water availability controls biomass allocation patterns. Legumes were the most abundant fraction (about 60%) of the aboveground mass in the wettest year. In the drier years legumes exhibited a shorter life cycle and senesced by mid-spring. Among the three functional groups monitored, legumes were the most sensitive to water shortage and their biomass was positively related to the amount of rainfall and negatively related to the length of the dry period. The higher fraction of legume mass was associated with higher nitrogen content in plant tissues and in the soil. Senesced annual species decomposed more than senescent Phillyrea sp. leaves. The stability of organic carbon pool, evaluated through the endogenous mineralization coefficient (CEM), was lower in gaps than in understorey soils.
Research Interests:
Photosynthesis, excitation energy dissipation and alternative electron sinks to carbon assimilation at different temperatures (535° C range) were studied in plants of Beta vulgaris L. grown outdoors at springtime. Gas exchange and... more
Photosynthesis, excitation energy dissipation and alternative electron sinks to carbon assimilation at different temperatures (535° C range) were studied in plants of Beta vulgaris L. grown outdoors at springtime. Gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence ...