Quaderni del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Ferrara, ISSN 2283-6918, 2018, vol. 6, 2018
Abstract
Road infrastructures are one of the biggest manmade changes to the natural environment. ... more Abstract
Road infrastructures are one of the biggest manmade changes to the natural environment. They promote the loss of biodiversity in a constantly
threatened world. This study set out to estimate the road mortality of vertebrates (roadkill) along two roads (the RA8 and Via Comacchio) in
the Eastern Po River plain that lead from the city of Ferrara to the Northern Adriatic coast, crossing a territory rich in natural areas. The goals
were to investigate which factors enhance or, on the contrary, reduce vertebrate mortality and ultimately to study possible mitigation measures
that could help to contain the phenomenon. The RA8 is a highway used by high levels of trucks and cars, while Via Comacchio is a provincial
road mainly used by local residents. The RA8 was affected by 46 roadkills (km-1year-1). Via Comacchio was affected by 10 roadkills (km-1year-1).
The most important explanatory variables were the road morphology (such as the presence of underpasses and road barriers and the level of the
road), the proximal habitat (such as rows of trees and reed beds) and the intensity of the traffic. Mitigation measures should focus on factors that
decrease the numbers of casualties, for example underpasses, external fences and rows of trees. This kind of study could make it possible in the
future to understand how to contain roadkill and how to decrease the ecological barrier effect of roads. Ecological, economic and road safety
benefits could be relevant.
Key words: Road ecology, vertebrates, roadkill, Po River delta.
Riassunto
Mortalità stradale della fauna selvatica nei pressi di aree di interesse conservazionistico nella Pianura Padana orientale
Le strade rappresentano una delle maggiori alterazioni apportate dall’uomo agli ambienti naturali e favoriscono la perdita di biodiversità in un
mondo ricco di altre minacce. Questo studio vuole stimare e confrontare la mortalità stradale dei vertebrati lungo due strade (RA8 e Via Comacchio)
nella Pianura Padana orientale che collegano la città di Ferrara alla costa adriatica settentrionale, attraversando il medesimo territorio ricco
di aree naturali. Lo scopo è quello di individuare quali fattori incrementano o, al contrario, diminuiscono la mortalità dei vertebrati e di fornire
elementi per trovare possibili mitigazioni per contenere il fenomeno. RA8 è un raccordo autostradale intensamente percorso da automobili e camion,
mentre Via Comacchio è una strada provinciale percorsa per lo più da traffico locale. RA8 ha fatto registrare 46 vittime km-1anno-1 contro
le 10 vittime km-1anno-1 della Via Comacchio. Le variabili esplicative più influenti sono risultate la morfologia stradale (con la presenza di barriere
e sottopassi e l’elevazione della strada), le caratteristiche degli habitat prossimali (come la presenza di alberi e canneti) e l’intensità di traffico. Le
misure di mitigazione dovrebbero concentrarsi sui fattori che riducono il numero di vittime, per esempio sottopassi, barriere esterne e filari di
alberi. Con questo tipo di studi in futuro sarà possibile comprendere come contenere i roadkill e come diminuire l’effetto barriera ecologica delle
strade. I benefici ecologici, economici ed in termini di sicurezza potrebbero essere rilevanti.
Parole chiave: ecologia delle strade, vertebrati, mortalità stradale, Delta del Po.
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Papers by Carla Corazza
Riassunto Il lavoro aggiorna il censimento degli stagni per la macerazione della canapa tessile realizzato da Provincia e Museo di Storia Naturale di Ferrara nel 2004-2008. L'aggiornamento si è basato su cartografia digitale e foto aeree liberamente disponibili online. Inoltre, vengono presi in conside-razione due parametri che descrivono i maceri da un punto di vista paesaggistico: il parametro ɣ 1 , che descrive la compattezza geometrica degli stagni e quindi il grado di esposizione della zona centrale dei bacini rispetto alla matrice ambientale circostante, e la connessione spaziale dei bacini fra di loro e rispetto ai principali corpi idrici di altro tipo. È emerso che nel censimento 2004-2008 il numero di bacini esistenti è stato sottostimato del 27%: al momento attuale sono più di 1900. Rimane incerta l'attribuzione di diversi specchi d'acqua ora utilizzati per l'alleva-mento ittico. Nel periodo 2004-2019 sono stati chiusi 87 stagni. Il tasso di chiusura provinciale è di 5,8 maceri/anno. Il comune capoluogo, che risente di maggiori pressioni antropiche, ha visto la chiusura di 2,3 maceri/anno. Nel 23% dei casi il parametro ɣ 1 è risultato vicino al valore previsto per il cerchio, indicando maceri di forma estremamente compatta, mentre si è mantenuto al di sotto del valore soglia di 0,031 per l'8% dei bacini, indicando che questi ultimi sono ormai dei fossati lunghi e stretti. Solamente 4 maceri sono risultati privi di connessioni spaziali con altri corpi idrici.Il volume di acqua complessivamente raccolto da questi bacini può raggiungere i 3,7 milioni di metri cubi. Il lavoro permetterà di definire strategie per la conservazione di questi importanti ecosistemi. La mappa è disponibile su richiesta al link https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344743075_remainingpondscorazzaragosta2020simple. Parole chiave: stagni per la canapa, Ferrara, paesaggio, connessione, connettività.
Abstract Monitoring of the possible effects on wildlife after the cyclotouristic event "Bike Night Ferrara-Mare" "Bike Night" is a wide project consisting of cyclo-touristic events planned by the society Witoor s.r.l. The project includes the event called "Bike Night Ferrara-Mare" that was held during the night between 16th and 17th June 2018. The itinerary caught our attention since it extended along the "Destra Po", a cycle path running on the border of the site Natura 2000 "Fiume Po da Stellata a Mesola e Cavo napoleonico". The Museum decided to monitor the possible road mortality of animals. From the data analysis, we found no significant differences between the two monitoring days. The road kills observed can be attributed to vehicle impacts on the provincial road, in corrispondence of the two deviations from the bicycle lane. On the balance, Bike Night could be considered a sustainable event according to the planning method used this year and to the weather conditions.
laguna di Venezia e prime osservazioni di Megachile sculpturalis
Smith 1853 (Hymenoptera Apoidea) nella provincia di Ferrara
First observations of Ceratina dallatorreana Friese 1896 in the Lagoon of Venice and first records of Megachile sculpturalis Smith 1853
(Hymenoptera Apoidea) in the province of Ferrara (Italy)
The first records of Ceratina dallatorreana Friese 1896 in the Venezia Lagoon and of Megachile sculpturalis Smith 1853 in the province of Ferrara (Italy) are reported.
Road infrastructures are one of the biggest manmade changes to the natural environment. They promote the loss of biodiversity in a constantly
threatened world. This study set out to estimate the road mortality of vertebrates (roadkill) along two roads (the RA8 and Via Comacchio) in
the Eastern Po River plain that lead from the city of Ferrara to the Northern Adriatic coast, crossing a territory rich in natural areas. The goals
were to investigate which factors enhance or, on the contrary, reduce vertebrate mortality and ultimately to study possible mitigation measures
that could help to contain the phenomenon. The RA8 is a highway used by high levels of trucks and cars, while Via Comacchio is a provincial
road mainly used by local residents. The RA8 was affected by 46 roadkills (km-1year-1). Via Comacchio was affected by 10 roadkills (km-1year-1).
The most important explanatory variables were the road morphology (such as the presence of underpasses and road barriers and the level of the
road), the proximal habitat (such as rows of trees and reed beds) and the intensity of the traffic. Mitigation measures should focus on factors that
decrease the numbers of casualties, for example underpasses, external fences and rows of trees. This kind of study could make it possible in the
future to understand how to contain roadkill and how to decrease the ecological barrier effect of roads. Ecological, economic and road safety
benefits could be relevant.
Key words: Road ecology, vertebrates, roadkill, Po River delta.
Riassunto
Mortalità stradale della fauna selvatica nei pressi di aree di interesse conservazionistico nella Pianura Padana orientale
Le strade rappresentano una delle maggiori alterazioni apportate dall’uomo agli ambienti naturali e favoriscono la perdita di biodiversità in un
mondo ricco di altre minacce. Questo studio vuole stimare e confrontare la mortalità stradale dei vertebrati lungo due strade (RA8 e Via Comacchio)
nella Pianura Padana orientale che collegano la città di Ferrara alla costa adriatica settentrionale, attraversando il medesimo territorio ricco
di aree naturali. Lo scopo è quello di individuare quali fattori incrementano o, al contrario, diminuiscono la mortalità dei vertebrati e di fornire
elementi per trovare possibili mitigazioni per contenere il fenomeno. RA8 è un raccordo autostradale intensamente percorso da automobili e camion,
mentre Via Comacchio è una strada provinciale percorsa per lo più da traffico locale. RA8 ha fatto registrare 46 vittime km-1anno-1 contro
le 10 vittime km-1anno-1 della Via Comacchio. Le variabili esplicative più influenti sono risultate la morfologia stradale (con la presenza di barriere
e sottopassi e l’elevazione della strada), le caratteristiche degli habitat prossimali (come la presenza di alberi e canneti) e l’intensità di traffico. Le
misure di mitigazione dovrebbero concentrarsi sui fattori che riducono il numero di vittime, per esempio sottopassi, barriere esterne e filari di
alberi. Con questo tipo di studi in futuro sarà possibile comprendere come contenere i roadkill e come diminuire l’effetto barriera ecologica delle
strade. I benefici ecologici, economici ed in termini di sicurezza potrebbero essere rilevanti.
Parole chiave: ecologia delle strade, vertebrati, mortalità stradale, Delta del Po.
The Coleoptera Carabidae were sampled with pitfall traps in 8 ancient artificial ponds, used in the past for the treatment of hemp (Cannabis sativa).
The traps were put among trees and shrubs and reeds around the ponds. 10 environmental parameters were measured. Statistical analyses have
denied possible effects of the vegetation on Carabid beetles communities. The most influent parameters were: connectivity, fragmentation, surface
area, the presence of other ponds in a radius of 500 m, average width of the surrounding strip not used by man and the type of management in
the surrounding fields. 3 ponds were well distinguished from the others and dominated by dimorphic or brachypterous species. Among them, the
pond with the highest connectivity and fragmentation showed species typical of forests, including Abax continuus, an Italian endemic species: it is
possible that the recent landscape fragmentation didn’t show its heaviest consequences yet. Another pond, even if grouped together with the basins
dominated by winged species, proved that a wide strip without the man’s influence together with a low-impact management of the surrounding
fields can shape the community of beetles. The shores of the ponds proved to be relatively stable habitats, which give an important contribution
to the biodiversity of the agricultural ecosystems.
Ferrara e la ditta TechSigno s.r.l., ha avviato una sperimentazione sull’applicazione di tecnologie ITC al proprio
patrimonio per migliorare la gestione delle collezioni e facilitare le normali procedure dell’operatore museale.
E’ stata scelta la tecnologia RFId (Radio Frequency Identification) con l’applicazione di “tags” (etichette) a due
collezioni ornitologiche del Museo. La comparazione tra le procedure tradizionali e i risultati ottenibili con l’introduzione
dei tags consente di proporre, attraverso l’analisi dei bisogni dei diversi operatori e applicando una
metodologia caratteristica dello “user-centered design”, nuovi modelli procedurali e nuovi prototipi di strumenti
specificatamente concepiti per le diverse tipologie di collezioni naturalistiche.
banks host some different annual pioneer vegetation rich in alien species. Hygrophilous tall herb fringe communities colonize the river borders and dams with varying degrees of nutrient uptake; they are followed dynamically and structurally
by bushy or woody riparial formations, i.e. pioneer wood fringes (Salicetum albae) or, rarely, alluvial oak-elm woods (Querco roboris – Ulmetum minoris). The management of the river, banks and dams has a negative impact on the vegetation patterns and dynamics: the worst effects are caused by industrial poplar plantations, due to which the whole ecosystem has become trivial and vulnerable to flooding.
The ponds for retting the hemp (Cannabis sativa) are typical artificial ecosystems of the Eastern part of the Po River plain. They were built in the past centuries and abandoned after World War Two. Now in the province of Ferrara (Italy) there are about 1420 ponds still remaining. They are used as water storage for irrigation, for the drainage of excessive water from the cultivated fields or they are completely abandoned. They have great importance as cultural heritage and as “stepping stones” for the water fauna and flora inside the ecological networks.
In 2009, the Ecological Station of the Natural History Museum of Ferrara started a sampling program of the invertebrate fauna, which was collected with a 1 mm mesh net in 63 ponds. The presence of aquatic Vertebrate species and 17 environmental variables were also recorded. The environmental data of 47 ponds were analyzed by a cluster analysis. A Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) was performed on the presence/absence data of thefauna, together with the environmental variables characterizing each pond. The most influent parameter resulted to be the presence or the absence of a connection to the network of the surface channels, made of about 4200 km of canals used for both the water drainage and the agricultural watering.
The ponds connected to the freshwater network, that receives water from the Po River, are invaded by alien species, whilst the most precious species (autochthonous gastropods, water beetles, amphibians and reptiles) prefer the ponds not connected to the channel network.
However it resulted that, when a pond is surrounded by a large, not exploited strip, with a well developed terrestrial vegetation with a relatively high number of species, some important native species can coexist with alien species even in ponds that communicate with the channel network.
Some interesting species were recorded, such as Gyraulus laevis and G. acronicus, two gastropods that are vulnerable to extinction in some European countries. Two species of water beetles, Hygrotus decoratus and Copelatus haemorroidalis, new to the province of Ferrara, were collected. It was
possible to list both the native species which can cope high trophic levels and the coexistence with invasive alien species and, on the other side, the native species with higher ecological requirements. The ponds have proved to be highly sensitive to global climate change effects.
Books by Carla Corazza
The hoverflies, the Syrph the Net database and a dicotomic key to the
Italian genera of Syrphidae
When studying biodiversity, biological indicators in the form of living organisms observed in the field can be the best tools for collection of information about species diversity.
A good biodiversity bioindicator should: have high species (or other taxa) richness in a wide spectrum of habitats and ecological niches; show taxonomic stability; possess biological features linked to the environmental parameter under study; be readily identifiable; be amenable to standardised sampling methods; have its ecology
and geographical distribution adequately known. The Syrphidae (hoverflies) are a family of Diptera Aschiza which satisfies these criteria. There are more than 6000 described species of hoverfly in the world, approximately 900 of which are found in Europe. In the Italian syrphid fauna there are 94 genera and 520 known species.
Our work shows the use of hoverflies as bioindicators of biodiversity, thanks to the “Syrph the Net” database and to the dichotomous key for the identitification of the Italian genera of Syrphidae.
Syrph the Net (StN) is a database which uses the Microsoft Excel and Word softwares. Its development started in 1990. From the beginning, its aim was to produce a predictive tool to assess the capacity of sites and their habitats to support biodiversity
and to aid in identifying priorities in the management of biodiversity itself. A review of its first 20 years is included in this volume.
A central premise of the StN database is that syrphid species are sufficiently closely associated with particular habitats for each habitat (in a CORINE sense) to have its own characteristic assemblage of syrphids, making it possible to predict the potential syrphid fauna of a site from the habitats occurring there. Syrphid larval biology is
unusually diverse and different syrphid species have larvae in most parts of nearly all freshwater and terrestrial macrohabitats. They are only absent from the deeper water of large water bodies like lakes and rivers and from cave s ystems. In consequence, a site list of syrphid species can provide information about most parts of nearly all the macrohabitats found there. The links between syrphids and macrohabitats and
syrphids and microhabitats make prediction of site faunas possible. Comparison between the observed and predicted syrphid fauna can then be used to identify which parts of a site are “underperforming” in maintaining its potential biodiversity and which parts instead have a good Biodiversity Maintenance Potential (BMP).
In the years 2003-2011 the Ecological Station of the Natural History Museum of Ferrara coordinated the study of the hoverfly fauna of 12 localities in the province of Ferrara. Sampling was performed in a standard manner using Malaise traps operated for at least 8 months in each locality. The hoverflies were collected in 70° ethanol, sorted and then dry mounted if necessary for species identification. All the
material from these surveys is stored in a collection at the Museum.
Presence/absence data were used in multivariate analyses and to perform the StN procedure. Cluster analysis divided the sampled sites into three well defined clusters: the first one is coincident with the Natura 2000 SCI “Bosco della Panfilia”, a forest located on the left bank of the Reno river and clearly different from the other sites. The second cluster gathers 6 sites that are still disturbed by man’s activities
or were heavily disturbed until recently. The last cluster is made up by 5 localities, three of them are forest ecosystems inside the SCI-SPA Natura 2000 site of the Po River, another one is a natural oasis with restored wetland and forest habitats and the last one is an almost undisturbed area still under Army management, characterised by hedges and meadows that are cut for forage once or twice a year. MDS
analysis confirmed the alignment of the localities along a gradient ranging from the forested habitat of the Bosco della Panfilia to a conventional agricultural ecosystem called “Fondo Rastello”.
Some very interesting species were collected: Anasimyia contracta and Tropidia scita are typical of marsh habitats, Brachyopa scutellaris and Ferdinandea cuprea are species of forests with old trees, Epistrophe melanostoma is found in periodically submerged forests and Xanthogramma citrofasciatum is typical of dry clearings
with good soil drainage. Pipiza festiva was detected for the first time in the floodplain of the river Po.
The StN procedure has been performed both for single localities and for selected sites grouped together, in cases where it was possible to detect a common reference habitat: as in the 4 localities belonging to the SCI-SPA of the Po river and the 3 localities with an urban park function, in the surround to the city of Ferrara. The values of BMP were never high, even if good situations were not lacking. The best preserved area proved to be the military area Palmirano zona radar (BMP = 61%). Three sites along the Po river were well preserved (Isola Bianca BMP =
60%, Acquedotto and Bosco di Porporana BMP = 51%), while the Cave riverine site, located in an area with many infrastructural intrusions, was one of the worst performing, with BMP = 24%. However, the floodplain forests taken as a whole have shown a good level of performance, with BMP= 62%. The forest Bosco della Panfilia has PMB = 46%, an intermediate value probably relating to the absence of
old trees. As a group the urban parks had BMP = 56%, even though individually the three sites had low values (24, 34 and 39%): the different habitats considered together have a good potential for the preservation of biodiversity in the urban ecosystem. A pond ecosystem in an agricultural landscape had BMP = 35%. Both the sites “Traghetto” and “Oasi Valentini”, that show a mix of forest and recently restored wetland ecosystems, reached BMP = 44%: these ecosystems are still rather
young but the sites host many unexpected species that prefer forest habitats (“Traghetto”) or species requiring high environmental quality (“Oasi Valentini”), proving that the sites are developing.
Our research shows that, in spite of a monotonous landscape in the Eastern part of the Po River plain, some areas still remain as important sources of biodiversity.
We go from the heavily disturbed and poor sites such as “Fondo Rastello” and “Cave” to other localities such as Palmirano and Acquedotto, where the number of hoverflies species doubles, or the forest “Bosco della Panfilia” that hosts as many as
5 exclusive species out of 83 collected. But each site could improve its performance in supporting biodiversity if adequately managed and the importance of no area should be underestimated, in ameliorating landscape connectivity.
The list of Syrphidae recorded from Ferrara Province has been compared with the list of Italian species expected in association with the CORINE habitats recorded in the province. The StN procedure applied to a larger area (Ferrara Province) highlighted the types of habitat in a better state of preservation. In addition a list of expected species for the Ferrara Province has been produced.
The volume includes a dichotomous key to the genera of the Italian hoverflies: this should be a tool useful in preliminary analyses of the communities of Syrphidae, making it easier to adopt the hoverflies as bioindicators of biodiversity.
Finally, the book is completed by a checklist of the 94 hoverfly species found in the Province of Farrara during this study, and by others in the period 2003-2011. Distribution maps have also been prepared for the species, using a database managed with ArcView 3.2. The maps are available on line in the Museum’s website at the URL http://storianaturale.comune.fe.it/index.phtml?id=564.
Riassunto Il lavoro aggiorna il censimento degli stagni per la macerazione della canapa tessile realizzato da Provincia e Museo di Storia Naturale di Ferrara nel 2004-2008. L'aggiornamento si è basato su cartografia digitale e foto aeree liberamente disponibili online. Inoltre, vengono presi in conside-razione due parametri che descrivono i maceri da un punto di vista paesaggistico: il parametro ɣ 1 , che descrive la compattezza geometrica degli stagni e quindi il grado di esposizione della zona centrale dei bacini rispetto alla matrice ambientale circostante, e la connessione spaziale dei bacini fra di loro e rispetto ai principali corpi idrici di altro tipo. È emerso che nel censimento 2004-2008 il numero di bacini esistenti è stato sottostimato del 27%: al momento attuale sono più di 1900. Rimane incerta l'attribuzione di diversi specchi d'acqua ora utilizzati per l'alleva-mento ittico. Nel periodo 2004-2019 sono stati chiusi 87 stagni. Il tasso di chiusura provinciale è di 5,8 maceri/anno. Il comune capoluogo, che risente di maggiori pressioni antropiche, ha visto la chiusura di 2,3 maceri/anno. Nel 23% dei casi il parametro ɣ 1 è risultato vicino al valore previsto per il cerchio, indicando maceri di forma estremamente compatta, mentre si è mantenuto al di sotto del valore soglia di 0,031 per l'8% dei bacini, indicando che questi ultimi sono ormai dei fossati lunghi e stretti. Solamente 4 maceri sono risultati privi di connessioni spaziali con altri corpi idrici.Il volume di acqua complessivamente raccolto da questi bacini può raggiungere i 3,7 milioni di metri cubi. Il lavoro permetterà di definire strategie per la conservazione di questi importanti ecosistemi. La mappa è disponibile su richiesta al link https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344743075_remainingpondscorazzaragosta2020simple. Parole chiave: stagni per la canapa, Ferrara, paesaggio, connessione, connettività.
Abstract Monitoring of the possible effects on wildlife after the cyclotouristic event "Bike Night Ferrara-Mare" "Bike Night" is a wide project consisting of cyclo-touristic events planned by the society Witoor s.r.l. The project includes the event called "Bike Night Ferrara-Mare" that was held during the night between 16th and 17th June 2018. The itinerary caught our attention since it extended along the "Destra Po", a cycle path running on the border of the site Natura 2000 "Fiume Po da Stellata a Mesola e Cavo napoleonico". The Museum decided to monitor the possible road mortality of animals. From the data analysis, we found no significant differences between the two monitoring days. The road kills observed can be attributed to vehicle impacts on the provincial road, in corrispondence of the two deviations from the bicycle lane. On the balance, Bike Night could be considered a sustainable event according to the planning method used this year and to the weather conditions.
laguna di Venezia e prime osservazioni di Megachile sculpturalis
Smith 1853 (Hymenoptera Apoidea) nella provincia di Ferrara
First observations of Ceratina dallatorreana Friese 1896 in the Lagoon of Venice and first records of Megachile sculpturalis Smith 1853
(Hymenoptera Apoidea) in the province of Ferrara (Italy)
The first records of Ceratina dallatorreana Friese 1896 in the Venezia Lagoon and of Megachile sculpturalis Smith 1853 in the province of Ferrara (Italy) are reported.
Road infrastructures are one of the biggest manmade changes to the natural environment. They promote the loss of biodiversity in a constantly
threatened world. This study set out to estimate the road mortality of vertebrates (roadkill) along two roads (the RA8 and Via Comacchio) in
the Eastern Po River plain that lead from the city of Ferrara to the Northern Adriatic coast, crossing a territory rich in natural areas. The goals
were to investigate which factors enhance or, on the contrary, reduce vertebrate mortality and ultimately to study possible mitigation measures
that could help to contain the phenomenon. The RA8 is a highway used by high levels of trucks and cars, while Via Comacchio is a provincial
road mainly used by local residents. The RA8 was affected by 46 roadkills (km-1year-1). Via Comacchio was affected by 10 roadkills (km-1year-1).
The most important explanatory variables were the road morphology (such as the presence of underpasses and road barriers and the level of the
road), the proximal habitat (such as rows of trees and reed beds) and the intensity of the traffic. Mitigation measures should focus on factors that
decrease the numbers of casualties, for example underpasses, external fences and rows of trees. This kind of study could make it possible in the
future to understand how to contain roadkill and how to decrease the ecological barrier effect of roads. Ecological, economic and road safety
benefits could be relevant.
Key words: Road ecology, vertebrates, roadkill, Po River delta.
Riassunto
Mortalità stradale della fauna selvatica nei pressi di aree di interesse conservazionistico nella Pianura Padana orientale
Le strade rappresentano una delle maggiori alterazioni apportate dall’uomo agli ambienti naturali e favoriscono la perdita di biodiversità in un
mondo ricco di altre minacce. Questo studio vuole stimare e confrontare la mortalità stradale dei vertebrati lungo due strade (RA8 e Via Comacchio)
nella Pianura Padana orientale che collegano la città di Ferrara alla costa adriatica settentrionale, attraversando il medesimo territorio ricco
di aree naturali. Lo scopo è quello di individuare quali fattori incrementano o, al contrario, diminuiscono la mortalità dei vertebrati e di fornire
elementi per trovare possibili mitigazioni per contenere il fenomeno. RA8 è un raccordo autostradale intensamente percorso da automobili e camion,
mentre Via Comacchio è una strada provinciale percorsa per lo più da traffico locale. RA8 ha fatto registrare 46 vittime km-1anno-1 contro
le 10 vittime km-1anno-1 della Via Comacchio. Le variabili esplicative più influenti sono risultate la morfologia stradale (con la presenza di barriere
e sottopassi e l’elevazione della strada), le caratteristiche degli habitat prossimali (come la presenza di alberi e canneti) e l’intensità di traffico. Le
misure di mitigazione dovrebbero concentrarsi sui fattori che riducono il numero di vittime, per esempio sottopassi, barriere esterne e filari di
alberi. Con questo tipo di studi in futuro sarà possibile comprendere come contenere i roadkill e come diminuire l’effetto barriera ecologica delle
strade. I benefici ecologici, economici ed in termini di sicurezza potrebbero essere rilevanti.
Parole chiave: ecologia delle strade, vertebrati, mortalità stradale, Delta del Po.
The Coleoptera Carabidae were sampled with pitfall traps in 8 ancient artificial ponds, used in the past for the treatment of hemp (Cannabis sativa).
The traps were put among trees and shrubs and reeds around the ponds. 10 environmental parameters were measured. Statistical analyses have
denied possible effects of the vegetation on Carabid beetles communities. The most influent parameters were: connectivity, fragmentation, surface
area, the presence of other ponds in a radius of 500 m, average width of the surrounding strip not used by man and the type of management in
the surrounding fields. 3 ponds were well distinguished from the others and dominated by dimorphic or brachypterous species. Among them, the
pond with the highest connectivity and fragmentation showed species typical of forests, including Abax continuus, an Italian endemic species: it is
possible that the recent landscape fragmentation didn’t show its heaviest consequences yet. Another pond, even if grouped together with the basins
dominated by winged species, proved that a wide strip without the man’s influence together with a low-impact management of the surrounding
fields can shape the community of beetles. The shores of the ponds proved to be relatively stable habitats, which give an important contribution
to the biodiversity of the agricultural ecosystems.
Ferrara e la ditta TechSigno s.r.l., ha avviato una sperimentazione sull’applicazione di tecnologie ITC al proprio
patrimonio per migliorare la gestione delle collezioni e facilitare le normali procedure dell’operatore museale.
E’ stata scelta la tecnologia RFId (Radio Frequency Identification) con l’applicazione di “tags” (etichette) a due
collezioni ornitologiche del Museo. La comparazione tra le procedure tradizionali e i risultati ottenibili con l’introduzione
dei tags consente di proporre, attraverso l’analisi dei bisogni dei diversi operatori e applicando una
metodologia caratteristica dello “user-centered design”, nuovi modelli procedurali e nuovi prototipi di strumenti
specificatamente concepiti per le diverse tipologie di collezioni naturalistiche.
banks host some different annual pioneer vegetation rich in alien species. Hygrophilous tall herb fringe communities colonize the river borders and dams with varying degrees of nutrient uptake; they are followed dynamically and structurally
by bushy or woody riparial formations, i.e. pioneer wood fringes (Salicetum albae) or, rarely, alluvial oak-elm woods (Querco roboris – Ulmetum minoris). The management of the river, banks and dams has a negative impact on the vegetation patterns and dynamics: the worst effects are caused by industrial poplar plantations, due to which the whole ecosystem has become trivial and vulnerable to flooding.
The ponds for retting the hemp (Cannabis sativa) are typical artificial ecosystems of the Eastern part of the Po River plain. They were built in the past centuries and abandoned after World War Two. Now in the province of Ferrara (Italy) there are about 1420 ponds still remaining. They are used as water storage for irrigation, for the drainage of excessive water from the cultivated fields or they are completely abandoned. They have great importance as cultural heritage and as “stepping stones” for the water fauna and flora inside the ecological networks.
In 2009, the Ecological Station of the Natural History Museum of Ferrara started a sampling program of the invertebrate fauna, which was collected with a 1 mm mesh net in 63 ponds. The presence of aquatic Vertebrate species and 17 environmental variables were also recorded. The environmental data of 47 ponds were analyzed by a cluster analysis. A Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) was performed on the presence/absence data of thefauna, together with the environmental variables characterizing each pond. The most influent parameter resulted to be the presence or the absence of a connection to the network of the surface channels, made of about 4200 km of canals used for both the water drainage and the agricultural watering.
The ponds connected to the freshwater network, that receives water from the Po River, are invaded by alien species, whilst the most precious species (autochthonous gastropods, water beetles, amphibians and reptiles) prefer the ponds not connected to the channel network.
However it resulted that, when a pond is surrounded by a large, not exploited strip, with a well developed terrestrial vegetation with a relatively high number of species, some important native species can coexist with alien species even in ponds that communicate with the channel network.
Some interesting species were recorded, such as Gyraulus laevis and G. acronicus, two gastropods that are vulnerable to extinction in some European countries. Two species of water beetles, Hygrotus decoratus and Copelatus haemorroidalis, new to the province of Ferrara, were collected. It was
possible to list both the native species which can cope high trophic levels and the coexistence with invasive alien species and, on the other side, the native species with higher ecological requirements. The ponds have proved to be highly sensitive to global climate change effects.
The hoverflies, the Syrph the Net database and a dicotomic key to the
Italian genera of Syrphidae
When studying biodiversity, biological indicators in the form of living organisms observed in the field can be the best tools for collection of information about species diversity.
A good biodiversity bioindicator should: have high species (or other taxa) richness in a wide spectrum of habitats and ecological niches; show taxonomic stability; possess biological features linked to the environmental parameter under study; be readily identifiable; be amenable to standardised sampling methods; have its ecology
and geographical distribution adequately known. The Syrphidae (hoverflies) are a family of Diptera Aschiza which satisfies these criteria. There are more than 6000 described species of hoverfly in the world, approximately 900 of which are found in Europe. In the Italian syrphid fauna there are 94 genera and 520 known species.
Our work shows the use of hoverflies as bioindicators of biodiversity, thanks to the “Syrph the Net” database and to the dichotomous key for the identitification of the Italian genera of Syrphidae.
Syrph the Net (StN) is a database which uses the Microsoft Excel and Word softwares. Its development started in 1990. From the beginning, its aim was to produce a predictive tool to assess the capacity of sites and their habitats to support biodiversity
and to aid in identifying priorities in the management of biodiversity itself. A review of its first 20 years is included in this volume.
A central premise of the StN database is that syrphid species are sufficiently closely associated with particular habitats for each habitat (in a CORINE sense) to have its own characteristic assemblage of syrphids, making it possible to predict the potential syrphid fauna of a site from the habitats occurring there. Syrphid larval biology is
unusually diverse and different syrphid species have larvae in most parts of nearly all freshwater and terrestrial macrohabitats. They are only absent from the deeper water of large water bodies like lakes and rivers and from cave s ystems. In consequence, a site list of syrphid species can provide information about most parts of nearly all the macrohabitats found there. The links between syrphids and macrohabitats and
syrphids and microhabitats make prediction of site faunas possible. Comparison between the observed and predicted syrphid fauna can then be used to identify which parts of a site are “underperforming” in maintaining its potential biodiversity and which parts instead have a good Biodiversity Maintenance Potential (BMP).
In the years 2003-2011 the Ecological Station of the Natural History Museum of Ferrara coordinated the study of the hoverfly fauna of 12 localities in the province of Ferrara. Sampling was performed in a standard manner using Malaise traps operated for at least 8 months in each locality. The hoverflies were collected in 70° ethanol, sorted and then dry mounted if necessary for species identification. All the
material from these surveys is stored in a collection at the Museum.
Presence/absence data were used in multivariate analyses and to perform the StN procedure. Cluster analysis divided the sampled sites into three well defined clusters: the first one is coincident with the Natura 2000 SCI “Bosco della Panfilia”, a forest located on the left bank of the Reno river and clearly different from the other sites. The second cluster gathers 6 sites that are still disturbed by man’s activities
or were heavily disturbed until recently. The last cluster is made up by 5 localities, three of them are forest ecosystems inside the SCI-SPA Natura 2000 site of the Po River, another one is a natural oasis with restored wetland and forest habitats and the last one is an almost undisturbed area still under Army management, characterised by hedges and meadows that are cut for forage once or twice a year. MDS
analysis confirmed the alignment of the localities along a gradient ranging from the forested habitat of the Bosco della Panfilia to a conventional agricultural ecosystem called “Fondo Rastello”.
Some very interesting species were collected: Anasimyia contracta and Tropidia scita are typical of marsh habitats, Brachyopa scutellaris and Ferdinandea cuprea are species of forests with old trees, Epistrophe melanostoma is found in periodically submerged forests and Xanthogramma citrofasciatum is typical of dry clearings
with good soil drainage. Pipiza festiva was detected for the first time in the floodplain of the river Po.
The StN procedure has been performed both for single localities and for selected sites grouped together, in cases where it was possible to detect a common reference habitat: as in the 4 localities belonging to the SCI-SPA of the Po river and the 3 localities with an urban park function, in the surround to the city of Ferrara. The values of BMP were never high, even if good situations were not lacking. The best preserved area proved to be the military area Palmirano zona radar (BMP = 61%). Three sites along the Po river were well preserved (Isola Bianca BMP =
60%, Acquedotto and Bosco di Porporana BMP = 51%), while the Cave riverine site, located in an area with many infrastructural intrusions, was one of the worst performing, with BMP = 24%. However, the floodplain forests taken as a whole have shown a good level of performance, with BMP= 62%. The forest Bosco della Panfilia has PMB = 46%, an intermediate value probably relating to the absence of
old trees. As a group the urban parks had BMP = 56%, even though individually the three sites had low values (24, 34 and 39%): the different habitats considered together have a good potential for the preservation of biodiversity in the urban ecosystem. A pond ecosystem in an agricultural landscape had BMP = 35%. Both the sites “Traghetto” and “Oasi Valentini”, that show a mix of forest and recently restored wetland ecosystems, reached BMP = 44%: these ecosystems are still rather
young but the sites host many unexpected species that prefer forest habitats (“Traghetto”) or species requiring high environmental quality (“Oasi Valentini”), proving that the sites are developing.
Our research shows that, in spite of a monotonous landscape in the Eastern part of the Po River plain, some areas still remain as important sources of biodiversity.
We go from the heavily disturbed and poor sites such as “Fondo Rastello” and “Cave” to other localities such as Palmirano and Acquedotto, where the number of hoverflies species doubles, or the forest “Bosco della Panfilia” that hosts as many as
5 exclusive species out of 83 collected. But each site could improve its performance in supporting biodiversity if adequately managed and the importance of no area should be underestimated, in ameliorating landscape connectivity.
The list of Syrphidae recorded from Ferrara Province has been compared with the list of Italian species expected in association with the CORINE habitats recorded in the province. The StN procedure applied to a larger area (Ferrara Province) highlighted the types of habitat in a better state of preservation. In addition a list of expected species for the Ferrara Province has been produced.
The volume includes a dichotomous key to the genera of the Italian hoverflies: this should be a tool useful in preliminary analyses of the communities of Syrphidae, making it easier to adopt the hoverflies as bioindicators of biodiversity.
Finally, the book is completed by a checklist of the 94 hoverfly species found in the Province of Farrara during this study, and by others in the period 2003-2011. Distribution maps have also been prepared for the species, using a database managed with ArcView 3.2. The maps are available on line in the Museum’s website at the URL http://storianaturale.comune.fe.it/index.phtml?id=564.