scholarly journals Gradual replacement of wild bees by honeybees in flowers of the Mediterranean Basin over the last 50 years

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos M. Herrera
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Cultivated Plants ◽  
Wild Bees ◽  
Wild Bee ◽  
Mediterranean Countries ◽  
Long Run ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Pollinator Declines

AbstractEvidence for pollinator declines largely originates from mid-latitude regions in North America and Europe. Geographical heterogeneity in pollinator trends combined with geographical biases in pollinator studies, can produce distorted extrapolations and limit understanding of pollinator responses to environmental changes. In contrast to the declines experienced in some well-investigated European and North American regions, honeybees seem to have increased recently in some areas of the Mediterranean Basin. Since honeybees can impact negatively on wild bees, it was hypothesized that a biome-wide alteration in bee pollinator assemblages may be underway in the Mediterranean Basin involving a reduction in the importance of wild bees as pollinators. This hypothesis was tested using published quantitative data on bee pollinators of wild and cultivated plants from studies conducted between 1963-2017 in 13 circum-Mediterranean countries. Honeybee colonies increased exponentially and wild bees were gradually replaced by honeybees in flowers of wild and cultivated plants. Proportion of wild bees at flowers quadruplicated that of honeybees at the beginning of the period, the proportions of both groups becoming roughly similar fifty years later. The Mediterranean Basin is a world biodiversity hotspot for wild bees and wild bee-pollinated plants, and the ubiquitous rise of honeybees to dominance as pollinators could in the long run undermine the diversity of plants and wild bees in the region.

scholarly journals Gradual replacement of wild bees by honeybees in flowers of the Mediterranean Basin over the last 50 years

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1921) ◽  
pp. 20192657 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos M. Herrera
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Relative Number ◽  
Cultivated Plants ◽  
Wild Bees ◽  
Wild Bee ◽  
Long Run ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

Evidence for pollinator declines largely originates from mid-latitude regions in North America and Europe. Geographical heterogeneity in pollinator trends combined with geographical biases in pollinator studies can produce distorted extrapolations and limit understanding of pollinator responses to environmental changes. In contrast with the declines experienced in some well-investigated European and North American regions, honeybees seem to have increased recently in some areas of the Mediterranean Basin. Because honeybees can have negative impacts on wild bees, it was hypothesized that a biome-wide alteration in bee pollinator assemblages may be underway in the Mediterranean Basin involving a reduction in the relative number of wild bees. This hypothesis was tested using published quantitative data on bee pollinators of wild and cultivated plants from studies conducted between 1963 and 2017 in 13 countries from the European, African and Asian shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The density of honeybee colonies increased exponentially and wild bees were gradually replaced by honeybees in flowers of wild and cultivated plants. The proportion of wild bees at flowers was four times greater than that of honeybees at the beginning of the period, the proportions of both groups becoming roughly similar 50 years later. The Mediterranean Basin is a world biodiversity hotspot for wild bees and wild bee-pollinated plants, and the ubiquitous rise of honeybees to dominance as pollinators could in the long run undermine the diversity of plants and wild bees in the region.

scholarly journals New Distributional Data of Butterflies in the Middle of the Mediterranean Basin: An Area Very Sensitive to Expected Climate Change

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Stefano Scalercio
Keyword(s):  
Climate Warming ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Large Datasets ◽  
Environmental Perturbations ◽  
Mediterranean Countries ◽  
Pest Outbreaks ◽  
Butterfly Fauna ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

Butterflies are known to be very sensitive to environmental changes. Species distribution is modified by climate warming with latitudinal and altitudinal range shifts, but also environmental perturbations modify abundance and species composition of communities. Changes can be detected and described when large datasets are available, but unfortunately only for few Mediterranean countries they were created. The butterfly fauna of the Mediterranean Basin is very sensitive to climate warming and there is an urgent need of large datasets to investigate and mitigate risks such as local extinctions or new pest outbreaks. The fauna of Calabria, the southernmost region of peninsular Italy, is composed also of European species having here their southern range. The aim of this dataset paper is to increase and update the knowledge of butterfly distribution in a region very sensitive to climate warming that can become an early-warning area.

Future water-related risks and management options in the Mediterranean basin 

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianela Fader ◽  
Carlo Giupponi ◽  
Selmin Burak ◽  
Hamouda Dakhlaoui ◽  
Aristeidis Koutroulis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Change ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Demand Management ◽  
Climate And Environmental Change ◽  
Mediterranean Countries ◽  
The Future ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

<p>The presentation will summarize the main findings of the chapter “Water”[1] of the report “Climate and Environmental Change in the Mediterranean Basin – Current Situation and Risks for the Future”. This report was published in November 2020 and prepared by 190 scientists from 25 countries, who belong to the scientific network “Mediterranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change”.</p><p>Water resources in the Mediterranean are scarce, unevenly distributed and often mismatching human and environmental needs. Approx. 180 million people in the southern and eastern Mediterranean countries suffer from water scarcity (<1000 m<sup>3</sup> capita<sup>-1</sup> yr<sup>-1</sup>). The main water use is for agriculture, and more specifically on the southern and eastern rim. Water demand for both tourism and agriculture peak in summer, potentially enhancing conflicts in the future. Municipal water use is particularly constrained in the south and will likely be exacerbated in the future by demographic and migration phenomena. Northern countries face additional risks in flood prone areas where urban settlements are rapidly increasing.</p><p>Climate change, in combination with demographic and socio-economic developments, has mainly negative consequences for the water cycle in the Mediterranean Basin, including reduced runoff and groundwater recharge, increased crop water requirements, increased conflicts among users, and increased risk of overexploitation and degradation. These impacts will be particularly severe for global warming higher than 2°C.</p><p>Adequate water supply and demand management offers some options to cope with risks. Technical solutions are available for improving water use efficiency and productivity, and increasing reuse. Seawater desalination is increasingly used as adaptation measure to reduce (potable) water scarcity in dry Mediterranean countries, despite known drawbacks in terms of environmental impacts and energy requirements. Promising solar technologies are under development, potentially reducing emissions and costs. Reuse of wastewater is a solution for agriculture and industrial activities but also recharge of aquifers. Inter-basin transfers may lead to controversies and conflicts. Construction of dams contributes to the reduction of water and energy scarcities, but with trade-offs in terms of social and environmental impacts.</p><p>Overall, water demand management, which increases water use efficiency and reduces water losses, is crucial for water governance for a sustainable development. Maintaining Mediterranean diet or coming back to it on the basis of locally produced foods and reducing food wastes may save water but also carbon emissions while having nutritional and health benefits.</p><div><br><div> <p>[1] <strong>Fader M.</strong>, Giupponi C., Burak S., Dakhlaoui H., Koutroulis A., Lange M.A., Llasat M.C., Pulido-Velazquez D., Sanz-Cobeña A. (2020): Water. In: Climate and Environmental Change in the Mediterranean Basin – Current Situation and Risks for the Future. First Mediterranean Assessment Report [Cramer W, Guiot J, Marini K (eds.)] Union for the Mediterranean, Plan Bleu, UNEP/MAP, Marseille, France, 57pp, in press. Download</p> </div> </div>

scholarly journals Analysis of Trade Flows of Ornamental Citrus Fruits and Other Rutaceae in the Mediterranean Basin and Potential for Xantomonas citri Introduction

Agriculture ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 171
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Timpanaro ◽  
Mariarita Cammarata ◽  
Arturo Urso
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Plant Protection ◽  
Citrus Fruit ◽  
Citrus Canker ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Basic Scenario ◽  
Mediterranean Countries ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

In this study, we built a basic scenario for risk assessment of the introduction of Xantomonas citri (X. citri), an agent of bacterial citrus canker, through international trade activities. According to the international phytosanitary authority European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), X. citri is currently included in the European Union A1 list (quarantine pests not present in the area) of the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO). Therefore, at the moment, to counter the spread of X. citri, some pest-specific phytosanitary requirements are foreseen in the case of citrus fruit commercial activities. One possible introduction route is through some ornamental Rutaceae, which are widely cultivated in Mediterranean countries, where they are economically important and have a social impact on the employees involved and the related industries. To assess the risk of introducing X. citri, we distinguished the import and export territories and the type of import material, and formulated a basic hypothesis linked to the positive correlation between commercial dependence on citrus imports from countries of the Mediterranean Basin and potential risk of invasion.

scholarly journals Calcareous dinoflagellate turnover in relation to the Messinian salinity crisis in the eastern Mediterranean Pissouri Basin, Cyprus

2007 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarzyna-Maria Bison ◽  
Gerard J. M. Versteegh ◽  
Frits J. Hilgen ◽  
Helmut Willems
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Phytoplankton Community ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Messinian Salinity Crisis ◽  
Low Diversity ◽  
Restricted Environment ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Upper Tortonian ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

Abstract. The extent to which the Messinian salinity crisis modified the initially Tethyan, eastern Mediterranean phytoplankton community has been investigated by monitoring the fate of calcareous dinoflagellate cyst assemblages prior to, during and after the salinity crisis in the Pissouri section (Cyprus). A rich, but low diversity open oceanic assemblage, dominated by Calciodinellum albatrosianum, is found in the upper Tortonian and lower Messinian. The upper Messinian (pre-evaporitic) sediments yield only few cysts but the assemblage is much more diverse and reflects unstable more neritic conditions (Bicarinellum tricarinelloides), fluvial influence (Leonella granifera) and varying, temporally increased salinities (Pernambugia tuberosa), probably related to the increasingly restricted environment. The basal Pliocene sediments reflect the return to normal marine conditions; the dinoflagellate assemblage is rich in cysts and again has a low diversity. However, in contrast to the C. albatrosianum-dominated upper Tortonian and pre-evaporitic Messinian sediments, L. granifera clearly dominates the basal Pliocene association just after the replenishment of the Mediterranean basin. Apart from this shift in dominance, the onset of the Pliocene is furthermore marked by the first appearance of Calciodinellum elongatum, which must have immigrated from the Atlantic Ocean. Lebessphaera urania, a postulated remnant of the Tethyan Ocean survived the salinity crisis, possibly in as yet unidentified marine refuges in the Mediterranean itself. Although the environmental changes caused by the Messinian salinity crisis did not lead to an extinction of calcareous dinoflagellate species of the Pissouri Basin, it resulted in a significant change in the assemblages and contributed to a more modern character of the Pliocene dinoflagellate association in the eastern Mediterranean.

scholarly journals Economic costs of invasive alien species in the Mediterranean basin

NeoBiota ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 67 ◽  
pp. 427-458
Author(s):  
Melina Kourantidou ◽  
Ross N. Cuthbert ◽  
Phillip J. Haubrock ◽  
Ana Novoa ◽  
Nigel G. Taylor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alien Species ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Invasive Alien Species ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Economic Costs ◽  
Socioeconomic Variables ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Mediterranean Countries ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

Invasive alien species (IAS) negatively impact the environment and undermine human well-being, often resulting in considerable economic costs. The Mediterranean basin is a culturally, socially and economically diverse region, harbouring many IAS that threaten economic and societal integrity in multiple ways. This paper is the first attempt to collectively quantify the reported economic costs of IAS in the Mediterranean basin, across a range of taxonomic, temporal and spatial descriptors. We identify correlates of costs from invasion damages and management expenditures among key socioeconomic variables, and determine network structures that link countries and invasive taxonomic groups. The total reported invasion costs in the Mediterranean basin amounted to $27.3 billion, or $3.6 billion when only realised costs were considered, and were found to have occurred over the last three decades. Our understanding of costs of invasions in the Mediterranean was largely limited to a few, primarily western European countries and to terrestrial ecosystems, despite the known presence of numerous high-impact aquatic invasive taxa. The vast majority of costs were attributed to damages or losses from invasions ($25.2 billion) and were mostly driven by France, Spain and to a lesser extent Italy and Libya, with significantly fewer costs attributed to management expenditure ($1.7 billion). Overall, invasion costs increased through time, with average annual costs between 1990 and 2017 estimated at $975.5 million. The lack of information from a large proportion of Mediterranean countries, reflected in the spatial and taxonomic connectivity analysis and the relationship of costs with socioeconomic variables, highlights the limits of the available data and the research effort needed to improve a collective understanding of the different facets of the costs of biological invasions. Our analysis of the reported costs associated with invasions in the Mediterranean sheds light on key knowledge gaps and provides a baseline for a Mediterranean-centric approach towards building policies and designing coordinated responses. In turn, these could help reach socially desirable outcomes and efficient use of resources invested in invasive species research and management.

scholarly journals EPIDEMIOLOGICAL OVERVIEW OF HODGKIN LYMPHOMA ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN BASIN

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e2014048 ◽  
Author(s):  
Massimiliano Salati ◽  
Marina Cesaretti ◽  
Matteo Macchia ◽  
Mufid El Mistiri ◽  
Massimo Federico
Keyword(s):  
Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Health Resources ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Mediterranean Countries ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) is an uncommon neoplasm of B-cell origin with an incidence that varies significantly by age, sex, ethnicity, geographic location and socioeconomic status. This complex pattern was also found to be replicated among Mediterranean basin populations. HL incidence rates progressively decreased from industrialized European countries such as France (ASR=2.61) and Italy (ASR=2.39) to less developed nations such as Albania (ASR=1.34) and Bosnia Herzegovina (ASR=1.1). Regarding HL mortality we have found that countries with the lowest incidence rates show the highest number of deaths from this cancer and viceversa. Finally, a wide gap in terms of survival was showed across the Mediterranean basin with survival rates ranged from 82.3% and 85.1% among Italian men and women, to 53.3 % and 59.3% among Libyan men and women, respectively. Factors such as the degree of socio-economic development, the exposure to risk factors westernization-related, the availability of diagnostic practices along with different genetic susceptibilities to HL may explain its variation across Mediterranean countries. Furthermore, the lack of health resources decisively contribute to the poor prognosis recorded in less developed region. In the future, the introduction of appropriate and accessible treatment facilities along with an adequate number of clinical specialists in the treatment of HL and other cancers are warranted in order to improve the outcomes of affected patients and treat a largely curable type of cancer in disadvantaged regions.

scholarly journals The Mediterranean Sea Basin as a Single Ecosystem: Problems and Prospects for International Cooperation

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 625-641
Author(s):  
Victor N. Egorov ◽  
Ludmila V. Malakhova ◽  
Andrey Kh. Degterev ◽  
Mikhail N. Yurlov
Keyword(s):  
International Cooperation ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Agricultural Waste ◽  
Oil Refining ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Mediterranean Ecosystem ◽  
Mediterranean Countries ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

The article justifies that the Mediterranean Basin in the broad sense (Mediterranean, Black, Azov and Marmara Seas) is a single ecosystem. The state of this ecosystem is affected by the rivers of this water intake basin, among them - the Nile, Tiber, Po, Rhone, Ebro, Danube, Don and others. The interconnection of the individual elements of the ecosystem is ensured through active water exchange and a sufficiently branched system of currents that turn the inland seas of the Mediterranean basin into communicating vessels. The paper analyzes the main anthropogenic factors, as well as the influence of climate changes on the ecological condition of the Mediterranean ecosystem. Within the framework of anthropogenic impact, special attention is paid to the negative impact of urbanization, the oil industry (production, transportation and oil refining), industrial and agricultural waste, as well as runoff waters. The problem of plastic, as well as contamination with dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) is discussed in detail. Analysis of DDT accumulations in the bottom sediments of the Mediterranean basin makes it possible to study the synchronization of anthropogenic processes and their long-term nature. Aridization (intensification of droughts) in the Mediterranean is shown as an important problem for the regional ecology, not directly related to the anthropogenic factor. The article reveals the disastrous effects of increasing droughts and climate change on Mediterranean basin countries. International cooperation to regulate transboundary environmental problems in the region is associated with a number of problems. Among them is the delimitation of sea zones between countries, first of all - the territorial claims of Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean. The problem of the shelf around the Serpents Island in the Black Sea is also considered, as well as territorial disputes in the Western Mediterranean (France/Spain). The paper widely presents successful cases of cross-boundary cooperation: the 1976 RAMOGE Agreement, the 1975 Mediterranean Action Plan and the 1995 Barcelona Convention, as well as its seven protocols. The cases of PEGASO and 4GreenInn projects, as well as the BSEC environmental projects, are considered as successful examples of cross-border academic cooperation. Promising areas of cooperation are outlined and the conclusion is made about the importance of transboundary environmental risk management, despite the political differences between the Mediterranean countries and the EU sanctions restrictions on Russia after 2014.

scholarly journals Epidemiology of West Nile Disease in Europe and in the Mediterranean Basin from 2009 to 2013

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daria Di Sabatino ◽  
Rossana Bruno ◽  
Francesca Sauro ◽  
Maria Luisa Danzetta ◽  
Francesca Cito ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West Nile Virus ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Local Resident ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Mediterranean Countries ◽  
Lineage 2 ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

West Nile virus (WNV) transmission has been confirmed in the last four years in Europe and in the Mediterranean Basin. An increasing concern towards West Nile disease (WND) has been observed due to the high number of human and animal cases reported in these areas confirming the importance of this zoonosis. A new epidemiological scenario is currently emerging: although new introductions of the virus from abroad are always possible, confirming the epidemiological role played by migratory birds, the infection endemisation in some European territories today is a reality supported by the constant reoccurrence of the same strains across years in the same geographical areas. Despite the WND reoccurrence in the Old World, the overwintering mechanisms are not well known, and the role of local resident birds or mosquitoes in this context is poorly understood. A recent new epidemiological scenario is the spread of lineage 2 strain across European and Mediterranean countries in regions where lineage 1 strain is still circulating creating favourable conditions for genetic reassortments and emergence of new strains. This paper summarizes the main epidemiological findings on WNV occurrence in Europe and in the Mediterranean Basin from 2009 to 2013, considering potential future spread patterns.

scholarly journals Prediction scenarios of past, present, and future environmental suitability for the Mediterranean species Arbutus unedo L.

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Maria Almeida ◽  
Maria João Martins ◽  
Manuel Lameiras Campagnolo ◽  
Paulo Fernandez ◽  
Teresa Albuquerque ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Range Shift ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Mediterranean Species ◽  
Arbutus Unedo ◽  
Environmental Suitability ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

AbstractClimate change is a challenge for forests in the coming decades, with a major impact on species adaptation and distribution. The Mediterranean Basin is one of the most vulnerable hotspots for biodiversity conservation under climate change in the world. This research aimed at studying a Mediterranean species well adapted to the region: the Arbutus unedo L. (strawberry tree). The MaxEnt, a presence-only species-distribution software, was used to model A. unedo’s environmental suitability. The current species potential distribution was accessed based on actual occurrences and selected environmental variables and subsequently projected for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), the Mid-Holocene (MH), and the years 2050 and 2070, considering the two Representative Concentration Pathways: RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. Results from the LGM projection suggest the presence of refugia in the core of the Mediterranean Basin, in particular the Iberian Peninsula (IP). The projections for the MH indicate increasing climatic suitability for the species and an eastward expansion, relatively to LGM. The predicted future environmental changes will most likely act as a catalyst for suitable habitat loss and a range shift towards the North is likely to occur.

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