Farming practices and biodiversity: Evidence from a Mediterranean semi-extensive system on the island of Lemnos (North Aegean, Greece)

Georgiadis, Nicholas M.; Dimitropoulos, George; Avanidou, Kalliopi; Bebeli, Penelope J.; Bergmeier, Erwin; Dervisoglou, Sofia; Dimopoulos, Thymios; Grigoropoulou, Dimitra; Hadjigeorgiou, I.; Kairis, Orestis; Kakalis, Eletherios; Kosmas, Konstantinos; Meyer, Stefan; Panitsa, Maria; Perdikis, Dionisios; Sfakianou, Danae; Tsiopelas, Nikos; Kizos, Thanasis

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.114131

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…In our research, traditional, economically underdeveloped agricultural areas harbored a considerably higher α-diversity in winter arable fields, and also appeared to be the refuge for arable species of conservation interest. This evidence previously emerged from studies on smaller areas (Fanfarillo et al 2019b;Georgiadis et al 2022), and we can speculate that it is related to the low intensity of arable farming in such vanishing agricultural contexts. We had signals that some conservation hotspots in central Apennines are disappearing due to land abandonment, as highlighted by the co-occurrence of threatened arable plants like Adonis flammea, Agrostemma githago, and Asperula arvensis and species from semi-natural habitats like Alyssum alyssoides, Cerastium tomentosum, and Ranunculus monspeliacus.…”

Section: Implications For Arable Plant Diversity Conservation and Res...supporting

confidence: 66%

Drivers of diversity of arable plant communities in one of their european conservation hotspots

et al. 2023

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The changes of agriculture led to deep transformations of arable plant diversity. The features of arable plant communities are determined by many anthropic, environmental, and geographic drivers. Understanding the relative importance of such drivers is essential for conservation and restoration purposes. In this work, we assessed the effects of agronomic, climatic, geographic, and landscape features on α-diversity, β-diversity, and composition of winter arable plant communities across continental Italy, a European hotspot of arable plant diversity. Using redundancy analysis and variation partitioning, we observe that the selected groups of variables explained a restrained to moderate proportion of the variation in diversity and composition, depending on the response (5.5–23.5%). We confirm previous evidence that climate and geographic location stand out in determining the features of arable plant communities in the country, followed by the type of rural area. The surrounding landscape has a subordinate influence but affects both α and β-diversity. The α-diversity is higher in traditional agricultural areas and in landscapes rich in woody vegetation, while it is lower in warmer areas. Species composition is determined by climate, latitude, and the type of rural area, but not by landscape. Total β-diversity is mainly explained by climate and latitude, and subordinately by the agricultural context and landscape. Its components are explained by latitude and climate (replacement) and agricultural context and climate (richness difference). The local contribution to β-diversity of single sites suggested a good conservation status of the studied communities. We discuss the implications of our findings in the light of conservation and restoration of vanishing arable plant communities.

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Section: Implications For Arable Plant Diversity Conservation and Res...supporting

confidence: 66%

Drivers of diversity of arable plant communities in one of their european conservation hotspots

et al. 2023

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“…Consequently, the national legislation of Greece has made provisions for the legal hunting of wild rabbits from late August to early March in this specific area (FEK 3515 B' 2 August 2021), aiming to control overpopulation via hunting pressure. This wild rabbit population gained scientific attention in terms of their geographical distribution and the reasons that led to their overpopulation, its effects on agro-ecosystems [56,58], the body condition variation in the population, and the possible management plans to ensure control or conservation [59], including the way that this problem could be turned to opportunity through marketing and tourism [60] and its veterinary and public health importance [61,62].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hepatic Coccidiosis in Wild Rabbits in Greece: Parasite Detection on Liver Imprints and the Associated Biochemical Profile

Athanasiou

Tsokana

Doukas

et al. 2023

Veterinary Sciences

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(1) Background: Rabbit hepatic coccidiosis, caused by Eimeria stiedae, is a devastating disease with high morbidity and mortality rates. The disease is well described in rabbits, but little is known about E. stiedae infection in wild rabbits. In this study, we investigated the presence of E. stiedae infection in wild rabbits from the island of Lemnos, Greece, where this species is overpopulated, and the effects of infection on common hepatic biomarkers. (2) Methods: We used liver impression smears to detect the coccidian oocysts, and we defined the liver biochemical profile of the infected individuals. (3) Results: Overall, 13.3% of the liver imprints examined were positive for the presence of coccidial oocysts. The activities of liver enzymes, that is, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and glutamyltransferase (GGT), as well as globulins (GLOB), were increased while the concentrations of albumins (ALB), total proteins (TP) and the albumin to globulin (A/G) ratio were decreased in the infected individuals compared to the non-infected ones. (4) Conclusions: This study adds to the current knowledge on the pathogens affecting wild rabbits and those circulating in this population on the island of Lemnos, Greece. Moreover, we showed that E. stiedae infection exerts pathological effects on the hepatocyte integrity and liver function of wild rabbits, as reflected by the abnormal values of liver injury and dysfunction biomarkers.

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“…This hiking route (Figure 5), starting from the picturesque village of Kontopouli with the traditional stone houses and churches, reaches the southern edge of the national significance geosite Alyki Lake (W08; Table 3, Figures 3, 4 and 9a,b), a natural salt pan, which is the largest seasonal water surface on an Aegean island, with annual salinity ranging between 3.5 and 25‰ and indigenous flora comprising of Arthrocnemum glaucum, A. fruticosum, Chenopodium sp., Cynodon dactylon, Phragmites australis, Plantago sp., Salsola kali, Scirpus holoschoenus, Suaeda maritima, Trachomitum venetum, Allium bourgeaui and Phyla nodiflora [79], and important avifauna, e.g., Tadorna ferruginea and Burhinus oedicnemus [93]. At its southeastern edge, a sand spit can be seen, inhabited by rich avifauna.…”

Section: Hiking "Geo-archaeo-route" 4: Kontopouli-kavalarismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Τhe statue of Maroula of Lemnos in the church yard was made in honor of the heroine Maroula, who fought bravely in 1478 during the siege of the Kotsinas fortress by the Ottomans. Northwest of the Kotsinas settlement, the route leads to Sourladika (W09; Table 3, Figures 3 and 4), which denotes a rare wetland system, consisting of several seasonal small brackish to fresh water lakes formed in cavities between the coastal sand dunes [93,101]. The area hosts rich vegetation, and among other faunal elements, a large number of wild rabbits.…”

Section: Road "Geo-archaeo-route" 1: Kotsinas-faraklo-gomatimentioning

confidence: 99%

“Geo-Archaeo-Routes” on the Island of Lemnos: The “Nalture” Experience as a Holistic Geotouristic Approach within the Geoethical Perspective

Triantaphyllou,

Firkasis,

Tsourou

et al. 2023

Geosciences

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The geosites of Lemnos represent local touristic products that, beyond their high aesthetic value, display significant scientific links to the geological past as well as prehistory and history, archaeology, mythology and religious heritage of the island. The unique wealth of Lemnos geosites in combination with the abundance of archaeological sites, cultural monuments and museums composes the basis of what we define here as “Geo-Archaeo-Routes”: certain routes that can be geographically defined, offered, guided and finally followed by the touristic masses. The outcome of the performed quantitative Lemnos geosite assessment enables decision making, thus providing a toolbox useful for sustainable Geo-Archaeo-tourism development at a local level and forms the basis for designing “Geo-Archaeo-Routes”. “Geo-Archaeo-Routes” are particularly favorable of environmentally friendly alternative types of tourism, attracting naturalists, hikers, fans of cultural or religious tourism and many others who represent a major part of the touristic needs of the 21st century. The established hiking and road “Geo-Archaeo-Routes” on Lemnos Island may represent a distinctive touristic product as they offer a high level of “nalture” entertainment, blending “nature with culture” in the framework of a holistic geotouristic approach.

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Farming practices and biodiversity: Evidence from a Mediterranean semi-extensive system on the island of Lemnos (North Aegean, Greece)

Cited by 8 publications

References 57 publications

Drivers of diversity of arable plant communities in one of their european conservation hotspots

Drivers of diversity of arable plant communities in one of their european conservation hotspots

Hepatic Coccidiosis in Wild Rabbits in Greece: Parasite Detection on Liver Imprints and the Associated Biochemical Profile

“Geo-Archaeo-Routes” on the Island of Lemnos: The “Nalture” Experience as a Holistic Geotouristic Approach within the Geoethical Perspective

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