Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Appartenente alla famiglia dei Fasianidi, ordine dei Galliformi, il genere Alectoris è diffuso nelle regioni a clima secco e continen-tale del bacino del Mediterraneo, del Medio Oriente, del Nord Africa, e dell'Asia (CRAMP e SIMMONS,... more
Appartenente alla famiglia dei Fasianidi, ordine dei Galliformi, il genere Alectoris è diffuso nelle regioni a clima secco e continen-tale del bacino del Mediterraneo, del Medio Oriente, del Nord Africa, e dell'Asia (CRAMP e SIMMONS, 1980). In Europa sono state ca-talogate ben ...
A survey of wild boar shot during two consecutive years (hunting seasons 2002-2004) was carried out in order to evaluate which somatic measurements are most significant in identifying and discriminating among different morphotypes in... more
A survey of wild boar shot during two consecutive years (hunting seasons 2002-2004) was carried out in order to evaluate which somatic measurements are most significant in identifying and discriminating among different morphotypes in central Italy. Biometric data from 688 wild boars was ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Several studies have focused on the impact of ungulates on agricultural systems, but the magnitude of their antagonistic role in forest renovation dynamics has long been underestimated and is rarely considered. The abundance of ungulate... more
Several studies have focused on the impact of ungulates on agricultural systems, but the magnitude of their antagonistic role in forest renovation dynamics has long been underestimated and is rarely considered. The abundance of ungulate species is susceptible to seasonal variations according to their autecology, human management choices, and territorial planning. Therefore, the appropriate choice of counting period is crucial. In this case study, we used camera traps to assess the seasonal abundance variations of wild boar and roe deer in a 560-hectares hunting-ban beech forest (95.48%) in southern Tuscany managed for timber production. Camera-trapping sessions were performed in both early summer and autumn. The roe deer abundance index is higher in early summer, although statistically not significant, potentially affecting seedling survival. Inversely, wild boars significantly (F = 79.125; p = 0.001) increase their abundance at the local scale in autumn when probably, according to ...
As immune cells are often subjected to hyperthermia that can easily occur either after intense and/or prolonged exercise or during defense against pathogens, in this paper we analysed whether superoxide anion production occurred in... more
As immune cells are often subjected to hyperthermia that can easily occur either after intense and/or prolonged exercise or during defense against pathogens, in this paper we analysed whether superoxide anion production occurred in lymphocytes exposed to high temperature and, consequently, if antioxidants could exert any protective function. The results demonstrated that an increase of superoxide anion was induced in rabbit lymphocytes exposed to 42 degrees C for 1h, although cell viability was no affected. However, suppression of either Pokeweed mitogen (PWM)-driven cell proliferation, or immunoglobulin production or IL-2 synthesis was observed. To evaluate the capacity of antioxidants to restore the immune suppressed responses, two vitamins, alpha-tocopherol and ascorbic acid, were added to PWM-stimulated cultures following heat treatment. The data demonstrated that alpha-tocopherol was able to totally abrogate the inhibitory effects mediated by thermal stress, while ascorbic acid...