Theme 2 & 3 Bioarea by Francesca Graziani https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2 en-us 2019-01-12 17:44:03 UTC 2025-10-15 02:14:10 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Templeball.png THEME 2. Exploring biodiversity STEP 1. ACTIVATE YOUR PRIOR KNOWLEDGE - assess the problem francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/319966993 THE CORRECT ANSWER IS N°3 :  The wolves were brought in because the increased elk population was overgrazing the deciduous, woody species such as aspen and cottonwood.



]]> 2019-01-12 17:43:38 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/319966993 Examples of animals with a predator-prey relation: francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/324652492 1) Euscorpius carpathicus praying a 
millipede ]]> 2019-01-27 09:58:43 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/324652492 VISITED MUSEUM: francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/324654626 The zoological section of the Natural History Museum of the University of Florence "La Specola" ]]> 2019-01-27 10:22:00 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/324654626 francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/324655518 Euscorpius carpathicus collected in Sardinia, from the collections of The Natural History Museum of the University of Florence.

]]> 2019-01-27 10:33:50 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/324655518 Examples of animals with a predator-prey relation: francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/324694074 2) Falco eleonorae and Apus apus  esemplify the predator prey relation. The first one is a bird of prey that nests in Sardinia, the second a common bird that is one of the most frequent prey of the falcon during the reproductive period (see attached italian Ministry of environment document). Falco eleonorae in fact often nests on cliffs; flying for some kilometers out to sea it easily finds preys in 
migratory birds, like Apus apus (the common swift) who are flying over the mediterranean. ]]> 2019-01-27 16:31:29 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/324694074 francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/324697722 Falco eleonorae

Photo by Enrico Puddu]]> 2019-01-27 16:55:50 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/324697722 francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/324698848 Apus apus
Photo by Paweł Kuźniar 

]]> 2019-01-27 17:04:23 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/324698848 Two parasitic organisms francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/324699602 1) Batracobdella algira which often parasitizes sardinian Hydromantes species (see attached paper)]]> 2019-01-27 17:10:02 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/324699602 francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/324701134 2) Pinna nobilis molluscs have been recently discovered to be parasitized by a new species of Protozoan (see attached paper)]]> 2019-01-27 17:19:55 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/324701134 francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/324701433 Pinna nobilis photographed in Sardinia Photo by Stefania Coppa]]> 2019-01-27 17:22:14 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/324701433 The ecological niche of two characteristic animals; francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/324701640 1)The  flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)
Phoenicopterus roseus nests in several Sardinian wetlands (Molentargius, Cabras... ). It has a particular way of  feeding, as this species finds in brackish water invertebrates like small crustacean and insects larvae. Its diet is mainly composed by chironomid larvae and the crustacean Artemia salina. Given the small size of the organisms they feed on, flamingos need a large amount of Artemia and chironomids for their livelihood. Evolution has therefore endowed the flamingo of a very particular beak, whose form is a direct consequence of its way of feeding itself. Thanks to numerous lamellae present on the inner edge of the beak and to the tongue, which works like a pump, the flamingo filters the water in search of food passing most of its day with its head immersed in salt water.

Photo by G.P. Vargiu]]> 2019-01-27 17:24:14 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/324701640 francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/325035717 2) The sardinian deer (Cervus elaphus corsicanus)

The Deer present in Sardinia has been described as a distinct subspecies (corsicanus), whose spread on the island (and nearby Corsica), given the complete lack of fossil remains, can be explained by the introduction of deer coming from the Middle East occurred in ancient times, probably already in the late Neolithic (S. Toso in Spagnesi & Toso 1999).
The subspecies occupies an area of less than 10000 km2 stable or slightly expanding. The population has more than 6,000 mature individuals and is growing, thanks to the conservation and reintroduction interventions to which it is subject. Therefore the subspecies does not qualify for a threat category and is evaluated for Least Concerns (LC).

http://www.iucn.it/scheda.php?id=541213462

Photo Sardegnaambiente.it

]]> 2019-01-28 17:11:46 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/325035717 Two organisms that share the same food (niche partitioning) and the way that they manage it; francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/325800853 The "Nearly Threatened"(see IUCN http://www.iucn.it/scheda.php?id=-876450856) snake Hemorrhois hippocrepis, that lives in south Sardinia, shares in this territory the ecological niche with another snake, the more common Hierophis viridiflavus. According to the authors of the attached paper, who carefully studied habitat selection, food
habits, and body sizes of these two snakes in sympatric populations, the two species are not strong competitors due to the following factors: 
- dietary habits are different between
species (compared to Hi. viridiflavus, He. hippocrepis more frequently preys upon rodents and less frequently on lizards), but not in a way compatible with competitively induced trophic
niche partitioning. 
- They also differed in habitat selection (maquis resulted the preferred habitat for both, but Hi. viridiflavus was found significantly more often than He. hippocrepis in grasslands,
cultivations, and artificial pinewoods) but again in a non-competitively directed way.]]> 2019-01-30 12:32:00 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/325800853 Hemorrhois hippocrepis francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/325807295
Photo by Matteo Di Nicola]]> 2019-01-30 12:55:18 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/325807295 Hierophis viridiflavus francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/325807618 Photo by paolo Mazzei]]> 2019-01-30 12:56:33 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/325807618 Trophic Pyramid example francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/325830214 (species from Sardinia )]]> 2019-01-30 14:01:14 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/325830214 francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/327239732 Archaeolacerta bedriagae http://www.iucn.it/scheda.php?id=1450096042]]> 2019-02-04 11:40:20 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/327239732 Wildlife overexploitation francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/327241087 Talking about this problem in Sardinia, we can't avoid to mention the overexploitation of fish, a very serious environmental problem in all of the mediterranean and also in all the Oceans. 
Obviously, being an island, marine habitats a very important part of Sardinian wildlife. European community data are alarming regarding this matter ]]> 2019-02-04 11:44:24 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/327241087 Variety and distribution of Habitats in Sardinia francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/327241534 2019-02-04 11:46:02 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/327241534 "Masted pastures": Sclerophillous grazed forests ( Dehesas with evergreen Quercus spp) francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/327243005 Masted pastures are an important habitat in the Mediterranean area, even if their origin is not natural but it's the result of the work of men during past centuries. It hosts many wildlife species, and it's protected by the European Community Habitat Directive 43/92 (habitat annex: https://eunis.eea.europa.eu/habitats/10129)  and in Sardinia it's at risk because of the tendency to abandon traditional pasture activity (see attached link)]]> 2019-02-04 11:50:53 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/327243005 francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/327247884 2019-02-04 12:06:44 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/327247884 Alien species in Sardinia francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/327249468 Unfortunately, Sardinia has been colonized by some of the most invasive alien species arrived in Europe. It's the case of the following species, among many others:
Procambarus clarkii
Rhynchophorus ferrugineus
Myocastor coypus
Trachemys scripta

Trachemys scripta, photo by Francesca Graziani]]> 2019-02-04 12:12:52 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/327249468 Species that appear on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/327254615 Sardinia is land to 23 species that are in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, some of them already mentioned in THEME 1.
For example:
Archaeolacerta bedriagae - IUCN Status: Near threatened
Hemorrhois hippocrepis - IUCN Status: Near threatened
Euproctus platycephalus -  IUCN Status: Endangered
Speleomantes flavus -  IUCN Status: Vulnerable
Speleomantes genei -  IUCN Status: Vulnerable
Speleomantes imperialis -  IUCN Status: Near threatened
Speleomantes supramontis - IUCN Status: Endangered
Speleomantes sarrabusensis - IUCN Status: Vulnerable
Plecotus sardus - IUCN Status: Vulnerable


Graphic about Sardinian endangered species from IUCN page https://www.iucnredlist.org/search/stats?query=sardinia&searchType=species:  

]]> 2019-02-04 12:31:55 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/327254615 Possible signs of climate change francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/327268532 In the attached paper climate change in Sardina has been studied in detail. Main results predict, among other data, 

- Increases in the temperatures of
about 2 ° C especially in summer.
- Six times as much  particularly
warm days
- Reduction of precipitations
average annual 12%;
- increase of draught


(PDF) Climate change CLIMB case study Sardinia. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274714317_Cambiamento_climatico_CLIMB_caso_studio_Sardegna [accessed Feb 04 2019]

]]> 2019-02-04 13:10:34 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/327268532 Papilio hospiton francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/328649898 Papilio hospiton, a sardo-corse endemism, collected in Sardinia in 1904. From the Roger Verity collection, at the Natural history museum of Florence
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruggero_Verity)]]> 2019-02-07 10:07:34 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/328649898 Papilio hospiton francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/328650424 Papilio hospiton, a sardo-corse endemism, collected in Sardinia in 1904. From the Roger Verity collection, at the Natural history museum of Florence
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruggero_Verity)]]> 2019-02-07 10:09:20 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/328650424 Comparison to other bioareas francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/328653871 If I compare Sardinia with the Bioarea of student Luisa Restrepo, Colombia, it is poorer in Biodiversity: this is both because of the largeness of the area and because Colombia belongs to a tropical hotspot, which is naturally richer in biodiversity. In fact tropical jungles are the richest areas in the world as what concerns biodiversity. Moreover, Colombia has many more habitats than Sardinia, not only rainforest but also mountains and many more...]]> 2019-02-07 10:21:11 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/328653871 EVALUATION from another student francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/329190372 2019-02-08 14:00:11 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/329190372 Habitat loss, habitat fragmentation or habitat degradation francescagraziani78 https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/333539742 Sardinia is one of the less densely populated regions of Italy, however there are problems of habitat loss and fragmentation. In the attached figure, by Antonello Brunu from the  ISPRA (Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale) 
monography Il Sistema Carta della Natura della Sardegna (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289375823_Il_Sistema_Carta_della_Natura_della_Sardegna ) we can see a map of the fragility of environment. The most densely populated areas are obviously the most fragile.
An example of wildlife species that suffers habitat fragmentation is  the lizard Archaeolacerta bedriagae, a sardo-corse endemism, whose populations are very scattered and that is Nearly threatened according to IUCN.

]]> 2019-02-21 09:08:48 UTC https://padlet.com/francescagraziani78/35otls8mrqd2/wish/333539742