Mediterranean Territories Research Articles

Epidamnus/Dyrrahchium (Durres) coins and hoard in the Mediterranean territories from 4th to 3rd centuries BC: A spatial distribution analysis

The study of the territorial distribution of Epidamnus/Dyrrahchium coins is a relevant topic in the context of the study of the history of Antiquity, because by studying the history of numismatics, a number of general historical conclusions can be made. The purpose of this article is to study and analyze the territorial distribution of Epidamnus/Dyrrahchium coins in the 4th-3rd centuries BC. In the course of conducting this research, a number of methods were used, in particular: analysis, synthesis, comparison, specification and generalization. As a result of the study, the history of the coinage of Epidamnus/Dyrrahchium was considered, and the characteristic features of the first coins were determined. All the finds of Epidamnus/Dyrrahchium coins were also framed and displayed on the map. It was determined that the coins of the 4th century BC were mostly spread on the coastal area of the Adriatic Sea, which is evidence of maritime trade, and also in Sicily, which is the result of military campaigns. In the 3rd century BC coins of Epidamnus/Dyrrahchium appear in the territory of modern Romania and Bulgaria, which indicates the development of overland trade routes. Many coins were also found in the territory of coastal cities, which indicates a stronger development of sea trade. This article is the first comprehensive study of the territorial distribution of Epidamnus/Dyrrahchium coins, and is useful for historians studying the economic and military aspects of Antiquity.

Arthrocnemum Moq.: Unlocking Opportunities for Biosaline Agriculture and Improved Human Nutrition.

(1) Background: This study provides novel insights into the elemental content and biomineralization processes of two halophytic species of the genus Arthrocnemum Moq. (A. macrostachyum and A. meridionale). (2) Methods: Elemental content was analyzed using ICP-MS, while biominerals were detected through electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) and X-ray diffraction. (3) Results: The elemental content showed significant concentrations of macronutrients (sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium) and micronutrients, especially iron. Iron was consistently found as ferritin in A. macrostachyum chloroplasts. Notably, A. macrostachyum populations from the Center of the Iberian Peninsula exhibited exceptionally high magnesium content, with values that exceeded 40,000 mg/kg d.w. Succulent stems showed elemental content consistent with the minerals identified through X-ray diffraction analysis (halite, sylvite, natroxalate, and glushinskite). Seed analysis revealed elevated levels of macro- and micronutrients and the absence of heavy metals. Additionally, the presence of reduced sodium chloride crystals in the seed edges suggested a mechanism to mitigate potential sodium toxicity. (4) Conclusions: These findings highlight the potential of Arthrocnemum species as emerging edible halophytes with nutritional properties, particularly in Western European Mediterranean territories and North Africa. They offer promising prospects for biosaline agriculture and biotechnology applications.

Ephedra strongylensis (Ephedraceae), a new species from Aeolian islands (Sicily)

Ephedra strongylensis, a new species from the islands of Stromboli and Strombolicchio (Aeolian Archipelago, Sicily), is described and illustrated. It is morphologically well differentiated from the other species occurring in the Mediterranean territories, showing some relationships especially with Ephedra aurea, chiefly for the articles scabrous-wrinkled and not fragile at the nodes. However, significant features distinguish the new species from the latter, chiefly regarding the size and shape of twigs, leaves, male and female cones, ovules, seeds, fruiting strobili and pollen grains. Its ecology, conservation status and taxonomic considerations with other allied Mediterranean species are provided too.

‘Having drunk heresy with their (mother’s) milk’: English Protestant converts to Catholicism in Malta, 1600–1798

This article analyses the conversion of 379 English Protestants to Catholicism in Malta between 1600 and 1798. It explores the motivations behind their recantation, the agents of their conversion and the role of dissimulation in discarding their Protestant faith. It ends with two remarks. First, people in the Mediterranean ‘knew no religious frontiers’.1 Malta, like other Mediterranean territories was a place with a mixed religious profile. Second, though English Protestants considered themselves to be the ‘elect’ and their country the new Israel, the two faiths were not mutually exclusive and could find common ground over the defence of Christendom.

The Effects of Anthropogenic Pressure on Rivers: A Case Study in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria

In the second half of the twentieth century, after the end of the Second World War, a considerable anthropogenic pressure was observed in most of the Mediterranean territories. This process has caused the expansion of existing settlements and the construction of numerous new towns, often located very close to rivers. A frequent consequence of this process is the transformation of several rivers through planform changes, narrowing, channelization and culverting to recover spaces where inhabited centers expanded, and the construction of structures interacting with rivers. This issue is very important in territories such as the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria, in southern Italy, which is an interesting case study due to the considerable anthropogenic pressures observed in the last 70 years. The main goal of this paper is to evaluate the effects of anthropogenic pressure in the last 70 years on some rivers of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria in terms of the following issues: planform changes, channelization, culverting, and the presence of structures and infrastructures interacting with rivers. The specific goals of this paper are the quantification of the effects of anthropogenic pressure on the rivers of the study area analyzing sixteen parameters, the identification of possible conditions of hydraulic hazard through the analysis of past events, and the proposal of structural and non-structural mitigation interventions. In many rivers of the study area, the significant effects of anthropogenic pressure are visible through rivers that pass above highways, barred rivers, rivers replaced by roads and numerous crossing roads with a missing levee.

Shoreline change and coastal erosion: The role of check dams. First indications from a case study in Calabria, southern Italy

Currently, most of the world’s coastal territories are subject to erosive processes, often caused by an alteration of sediment balance due to both natural and anthropogenic factors. This issue is relevant in many Mediterranean territories such as Calabria region, in southern Italy. Here, considerable anthropogenic pressures affect about 750 km of coast on which debouch short torrential rivers locally termed ‘fiumare’. The regional climate, hydrology and geomorphology leads to intensive fiumare catchment erosion and high fluvial solid loads.The work focuses on the Gallico fiumara, chosen as case study affected by an intense hydraulic regulation programme in order to investigate the poorly studied effects of engineering control works on shoreline changes.The paper has considered the effects of the 264 check dams (completely filled a few years after their realization) only investigating the relationships between the volume retained by the structures and shoreline change during the several arrangement campaigns. Although the work does not consider the other processes that explain the complexity of the watershed-coast sediment balance, it has been clearly demonstrated an influence of check dam system on the evolution of the shoreline, especially due to the hydraulic works installed in the lower part of the watershed. In the light of the results obtained, it would be desirable to promote a debate on the opportunity to convert or demolish the check dams in the torrent reaches closest to the coast, where, moreover, the engineering control most reduced the already limited natural riverbed slope.

Blazing the trail: Social innovation supporting wildfire-resilient territories in Catalonia (Spain)

Mediterranean territories have co-evolved and been shaped by fire throughout history. However, global environmental change conditions are increasing the size, intensity and severity of wildfires, which have gone from a regular natural disturbance to a serious threat for civil protection, surpassing firefighting capacities. Therefore, building resilience in fire-prone territories is an increasingly relevant policy and management objective. However, the notion of resilience has been criticized for paying insufficient attention to key social issues such as socio-political dynamics, power imbalances and societal change. At the same time, social science contributions to wildfire research are still rather limited. In this paper, we bridge social innovation theory to resilience theory in order to create a territorially embedded and socially sensitive framework for assessing socio-ecological resilience. From this perspective, we then examine how Forest Defence Groups (ADFs, by their Catalan acronym) have evolved from grassroots, bottom-up initiatives to well-established bottom-linked institutions and we evaluate their contributions to socio-ecological resilience in the territories where they operate. Our results show that ADFs contribute in several aspects to socio-ecological resilience and that the pave the way for opening up spaces of dialogue and collaboration through which local communities can engage with the issues that directly affect them, such as wildfires.

Potential contribution of distant sources to airborne Betula pollen levels in Northeastern Iberian Peninsula

Betula (birch) pollen is one of the most important causes of respiratory allergy in Northern and Central Europe. While birch trees are abundant in Central, Northern, and Eastern Europe, they are scarce in the Mediterranean territories, especially in the Iberian Peninsula (IP), where they grow only in the northern regions and as ornamental trees in urban areas. However, the airborne birch pollen patterns in Catalonia (Northeastern IP) show abrupt high concentrations in areas with usually low local influence. The intensity of the derived health problems can be increased by outbreaks due to long-range pollen transport. The present work evaluates the different potential contributions to Catalonia from the main source regions: Pyrenees, Cantabria, and the forests of France and Central Europe. To this end, we computed the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) back trajectories of air masses associated with the main Betula pollen peaks occurring simultaneously over different Catalan monitoring stations, and we studied their provenance over a 15-year period. The Vielha aerobiological station on the northern slopes of the Central Pyrenees was used to identify the dates of the pollen season in the Pyrenean region. In order to better understand the role of the Pyrenees, which is the nearest of the four birch forested regions, we classified the pollen peaks in the other Catalan stations into three groups based on the relationship between the peak and the pollen season in the Pyrenees. Our analysis of back-trajectory residence time, combined with the associated pollen concentration, reveals that two principal routes other than the Pyrenean forest sustain the northerly fluxes that enter Catalonia and carry significant concentrations of Betula pollen. This study has also allowed quantifying the differentiated contributions of the potential source regions. In addition, the Weather Research Forecast (WRF) mesoscale model has been used to study three specific episodes. Both models, HYSPLIT and WRF, complement each other and have allowed for better understanding of the main mechanisms governing the entry of birch pollen to the region.

Bioactive Compounds in Salicornia patula Duval-Jouve: A Mediterranean Edible Euhalophyte.

Many halophytes have great nutritional and functional potential, providing chemical compounds with biological properties. Salicornia patula Duval-Jouve is a common euhalophyte from saline Mediterranean territories (Spain, Portugal, France, and Italy). In the present work we quantified for the first time the bioactive compounds in S. patula (total phenolic compounds and fatty acids), from Iberian Peninsula localities: littoral-coastal Tinto River basin areas (southwest Spain, the Huelva province), and mainland continental territories (northwest and central Spain, the Valladolid and Madrid provinces). Five phenolic acids including caffeic, coumaric, veratric, salicylic, and transcinnamic have been found with differences between mainland and coastal saltmarshes. S. patula contain four flavonoids: quercetin-3-O-rutinoside, kaempferol/luteolin, apigenin 7-glucoside, and pelargonidin-3-O-rutinoside. These last two glycosylated compounds are described for the first time in this genus of Chenopodiaceae. The fatty acid profile described in S. patula stems contains palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids in high concentrations, while stearic and long-chain fatty acids were detected in low amounts. These new findings confirm that S. patula is a valuable source of bioactive compounds from Mediterranean area.

Attitude and Actual Behaviour towards Water-Related Green Infrastructures and Sustainable Drainage Systems in Four North-Western Mediterranean Regions of Italy and France

Water-related green infrastructures (WrGIs), also known as blue infrastructures, and sustainable drainage systems (SuDSs) offer services such as stormwater runoff management, water purification, water storage at the intersection of the built environment, and natural systems by mimicking natural hydrological processes. While several papers document the reliability of such infrastructures in providing a variety of water-related services, few studies investigated the actual behaviour and the attitude of different stakeholders to understand the limitations and barriers in WrGIs/SuDSs implementation. In this paper, we investigated these issues by posing a set of questions to 71 qualified stakeholders in three Italian regions (Toscana, Liguria, and Sardegna) and one French region (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur) in the northwestern Mediterranean. The results of the investigation largely show a lack of knowledge on these innovative solutions, although there is a general interest in their implementation both in the Italian and French regions. Barriers are also constituted by the scarcity of the demonstrators implemented, little knowledge on construction and maintenance costs, the absence of a proper regulatory framework, and of fiscal and financial incentives to support private citizens and companies. We finally suggest tools and soft measures that, in our opinion, may contribute to supporting the implementation of WrGIs/SuDSs, especially in view of adapting Mediterranean territories to the challenges posed by climate change. The results of our analyses may be reasonably up-scaled to the whole Mediterranean coastal region.

The Mediterranean Diet: From an Environment-Driven Food Culture to an Emerging Medical Prescription.

The Mediterranean diet originates in the food cultures of ancient civilizations which developed around the Mediterranean Basin and is based on the regular consumption of olive oil (as the main source of added fat), plant foods (cereals, fruits, vegetables, legumes, tree nuts, and seeds), the moderate consumption of fish, seafood, and dairy, and low-to-moderate alcohol (mostly red wine) intake, balanced by a comparatively limited use of red meat and other meat products. A few decades ago, the Mediterranean diet drew the attention of medical professionals by proving extended health benefits. The first reports ascertained cardiovascular protection, as multiple large-scale clinical studies, starting with Ancel Keys’ Seven Countries Study, showed a marked reduction of atherosclerotic clinical events in populations with a Mediterranean dietary pattern. Ensuing trials confirmed favorable influences on the risk for metabolic syndrome, obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. While its health benefits are universally recognized today by medical professionals, the present state of the Mediterranean diet is challenged by major difficulties in implementing this protective dietary pattern in other geographical and cultural areas and keeping it alive in traditional Mediterranean territories, also tainted by the unhealthy eating habits brought by worldwide acculturation.

Integrated local development in Mediterranean marginal territories: The case study of Casentino (Italy), Algarve (Portugal) and Corse (France)

Today, Mediterranean marginal territories are facing tremendous challenges but at the same time they have relevant endogenous resources, which are often underutilized and unexploited and that could be pivotal for the strategic recovery and economic and social development of the whole European territory. In the last decades, they have been characterised by a progressive abandonment in favour to urban areas, with consequent high social costs such as the hydrogeological instability, degradation and soil erosion.
 This research investigates the potential active role of Mediterranean “marginal territories” with respect to the re-formulation, adaptation, interpretation and implementation of the European development policies.
 The paper aims to verify the idea that Mediterranean marginal territories, in the sense of weak, mountainous and inland, could take part at the construction of their own development trajectories and actively contribute to the harmonious development of Europe, creating new jobs opportunities and stable development patterns. Moreover, the paper aims to formulate policy implications and strategies for the studied areas and for Mediterranean marginal territories more in general. 
 The structure of this paper starts from general theoretical arguments and a short description of European policies for development; it follows with the diagnostic analysis of three local territorial contexts – i.e. Casentino (Italy), Algarve (Portugal) and Corse (France) – and then it comes back on the general European issues proposing implications and lessons learnt in the analysis of the development processes at the local level.

Taxonomic revision of the Limonium latebracteatum group (Plumbaginaceae), with the description of a new species

Limonium latebracteatum is a plant species from the central and northeastern Iberian Peninsula, characterised by an inner bract wider than long, glaucous leaves, and wide petioles, which belongs to the Limonium delicatulum group. The L. delicatulum group is a complex group formed by around fifteen Iberian and Balearic species, including endemisms with narrow distributions, which is highly diversified in the Mediterranean territories of the Iberian Peninsula. The species in that group are similar each other and occasionally they are not well-delimited morphologically. In this framework, a taxonomic revision of L. latebracteatum and close species in the Iberian Peninsula has been carried out to clarify the taxonomy of L. latebracteatum and L. carpetanicum. This revision has been based on morphological features and supported by ordination analyses such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA). In addition, a classification tree was performed to support these analyses. As a result of this study, L. latebracteatum has been separated in two differentspecies: L. latebracteatum and L. admirabile, a new species endemic to Albacete province which is described here. Finally, a diagnostic key is provided for the L. delicatulum group to allow identification of the species in this group.

Faunal dynamics in SW Europe during the late Early Pleistocene: Palaeobiogeographical insights and biochronological issues

The Pleistocene fossil record of the Mediterranean region is particularly suitable for studying the role of climate change on faunal evolution, and comparing faunal dynamics (FDy) at local and regional levels because of the complex physiographic and climatic heterogeneity of the region, and the complex history of invasions of species of varying geographical origin. This research aims to analyze and compare FDy trends in selected North Mediterranean territories (Iberian Peninsula, France, Italy, Greece), showing current differences in physiographical configuration and climate regime that may be supposed to have roughly been maintained throughout the Pleistocene, differently influencing time of dispersal and distribution patterns of mammalian species. The mammal FDy (changes in biodiversity, taxonomic composition and ecological structure) of each territory is analyzed to verify to what extent the major modifications match climatic and environmental changes. Biogeographic insights and chronological issues are discussed in the light of diachronous/asynchronous dispersal events.

Estudio de la severidad post-incendio en la Comunidad Valenciana comparando los índices dNBR, RdNBR y RBR a partir de imágenes Landsat 8

<p>In Mediterranean territories, with their characteristic climate that implies long periods of drought and rains often concentrated in torrential episodes, forest managers are faced with a series of decisions that can be urgent after a wildfire, some of them strongly correlated with the degree of damage caused by fire. In this sense, the object of this study was to provide a fast and reliable tool for the initial assessment of post-fire severity in these kinds of territories, by means of remote sensing techniques. Using Landsat 8 imagery, we have calculated three fire severity indices (dNBR, RdNBR, and RBR) for nine fires occurred in the Valencia region, a typical Mediterranean area. For each index, post-fire severity classification thresholds have been obtained taking into account the following categories: unburned, low, moderate, and high. These thresholds have been validated using, as ground-reference, aerial photographs taken from a helicopter. Afterwards, the degree to which post-fire severity was influenced by factors associated with pre-fire vegetation was evaluated, using a variance analysis. This analysis served to compare the three indices in terms of their robustness against the influence of these factors. With the obtained data, and with the study of classification accuracies employing the Kappa statistic, we were able to propose the most suitable index for calculating post-fire severity in the Valencia region, along with its operating thresholds. The findings suggest that the results could be extrapolated to other areas of similar characteristics.</p>

The red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii in Europe: Impacts on aquatic ecosystems and human well-being

Procambarus clarkii is currently recorded from 16 European territories. On top of being a vector of crayfish plague, which is responsible for large-scale disappearance of native crayfish species, it causes severe impacts on diverse aquatic ecosystems, due to its rapid life cycle, dispersal capacities, burrowing activities and high population densities. The species has even been recently discovered in caves. This invasive crayfish is a polytrophic keystone species that can exert multiple pressures on ecosystems. Most studies deal with the decline of macrophytes and predation on several species (amphibians, molluscs, and macroinvertebrates), highlighting how this biodiversity loss leads to unbalanced food chains. At a management level, the species is considered as (a) a devastating digger of the water drainage systems in southern and central Europe, (b) an agricultural pest in Mediterranean territories, consuming, for example, young rice plants, and (c) a threat to the restoration of water bodies in north-western Europe. Indeed, among the high-risk species, P. clarkii consistently attained the highest risk rating. Its negative impacts on ecosystem services were evaluated. These may include the loss of provisioning services such as reductions in valued edible native species of regulatory and supporting services, inducing wide changes in ecological communities and increased costs to agriculture and water management. Finally, cultural services may be lost. The species fulfils the criteria of the Article 4(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014 of the European Parliament (species widely spread in Europe and impossible to eradicate in a cost-effective manner) and has been included in the “Union List”. Particularly, awareness of the ornamental trade through the internet must be reinforced within the European Community and import and trade regulations should be imposed to reduce the availability of this high-risk species.

The endemic vascular flora of Peloritani Mountains (NE Sicily): Plant functional traits and phytogeographical relationships in the most isolated and fragmentary micro-plate of the Alpine orogeny

This study is aimed at (1) producing a complete and updated inventory of the endemic vascular flora of Peloritani Mountains, (2) defining the geographical limits of Peloritani, regarded here as a biogeographical district and (3) highlighting possible paleogeographic connections with other Mediterranean lands. The heterogeneity analysis of the endemic flora was performed by means of contingency tables, through the χ2 test. The endemic flora of this area consists of 129 specific and infraspecific taxa, of which 15 are restricted to the Peloritani Mountains. The analysis of habitats revealed that endemic taxa are most abundant on cliffs, rangelands, woods and garrigues. A large number of surveyed taxa are endemic to central-southern Italy and Sicily, while the number of endemic taxa in common with Calabria, Etna and Aeolian Islands turned out to be rather low, in spite of the geographical proximity. The endemic flora of Peloritani allows to emphasize palaeogeographical relationships not only with the neighbouring Mediterranean territories, but also with currently remote ones, such as southern Spain, Sardinia and Corsica. The phytogeographical framework substantiates the hypothesis that the Peloritani floristic district coincides with the limit given to Peloritani Mountains by structural geologists.

Effects of drought on the agricultural system. An analytical approach based on the production function

Desertification is one of the most serious environmental priorities that affect the Mediterranean territories. The Mediterranean climate, typically characterized by an irregular rainfall pattern with hot, dry summers, may constitute a further element of imbalance. This study is focused on the measuring of temperature increases, as a consequence of climate change and as a crucial environmental factor. The methodology proposed is an attempt to give measurements of drought in the valuation of an agricultural production function. A close examination of agronomic sciences reveals that agricultural output is influenced more by heat wave distribution than by the average temperature of the heat wave. In this analysis, the probability of distribution (frequency of occurrence) of local average temperature anomalies, was conducted taking into consideration the changes of seasonal temperature in units of standard deviation (σ).

Is truffle growing a response to sustainable development and heritage issues in Mediterranean territories? The case of Uzès, southern France

The northern part of the Mediterranean Basin recently experienced major transformations. Landscapes evolved along two contrasting trends: agricultural intensification and urbanization in the plains, and disuse of marginal areas. This led to a gradual disappearance of the natural and cultural heritages associated with Mediterranean scrublands. To revitalize rural areas, promote sustainable development, and preserve social–ecological heritages and cultural landscapes, decision-makers in Mediterranean France often support “traditional iconic activities.” Based on a case study in Uzès (Languedoc-Roussillon region, southern France), this paper attempts to characterize the potential of truffle (Tuber melanosporum Vitt.) production, a symbolic but agriculturally marginal production, to respond to decision-makers' expectations. The multidisciplinary approach developed includes landscape analysis, social surveys, and plant inventories. Beyond the truffle growers and local decision-makers' discourses and strategies, this paper shows that truffle growing has limited implications in maintaining farmers and ensuring a sustainable development of the study area. Truffle growing reflects Uzès' society transformation, now more influenced by recent urban needs and values than by rural aspirations and traditions. However, our study brings in favorable arguments regarding the roles of truffle-growing ecosystems for biodiversity and landscape heterogeneity conservation.

<b>Presencia del Mediterráneo y Capri en la escritura de Neruda</b> // The Presence of the Mediterranean and Capri in Neruda's Writing

En este artículo se analiza la presencia material del Mediterráneo y la Isla de Capri en un conjunto acotado de poemas y memorias del poeta chileno Pablo Neruda (1904-1973), a través de las nociones de territorio y agenciamiento, desarrolladas por Deleuze y Guattari en Mil mesetas. En el imaginario nerudiano, el Mediterráneo adquiere la categoría de espacio vital durante el periodo europeo de exilio político del poeta (1950-1952). La escritura exiliar de Neruda es una “escritura en movimiento” que a su paso agencia con los territorios y naturalezas mediterráneas. Nos interesa la escritura mediterránea producida en relación con la estadía de Pablo Neruda y Matilde Urrutia en Capri, en 1952, específicamente, los poemarios Los versos del Capitán (1952), Las uvas y el viento (1954), La barcarola (1967), y algunos fragmentos de las memorias Confieso que he vivido (1974) y Para nacer he nacido (1978). Abstract This article analyses the material presence of the Mediterranean and the Isle of Capri in a bounded set of poems and memoirs written by the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda (1904-1973), from the notions of territory and assemblage developed by Deleuze and Guattari in A Thousand Plateaus. In Nerudian imagery, the Mediterranean acquires the category of vital space during the poet’s period of political exile in Europe (1950-1952). Neruda’s writing during his exile is a “writing in movement” which assembles, in its path, with the Mediterranean territories and nature. We are concerned with the Mediterranean writing produced in relation to Pablo Neruda and Matilde Urrutia’s stay on Capri, in 1952, specifically the poem collections Los versos del Capitán (1952), Las uvas y el viento (1954), La barcarola (1967), and some excerpts from the memoirs Confieso que he vivido (1974) and Para nacer he nacido (1978).