Giuseppe Bazan

• Professor
• Professor (Associate) at University of Palermo

Daucus L. (Apiaceae) is a genus distributed worldwide, with the Mediterranean area serving as the centre of its diversity. Daucus muricatus (L.) L. is an annual plant growing primarily in the temperate biome. For the first time, in this research the chemical composition of the essential oil (EO) from flowers and roots of a Sicilian accession of thi...

We present ReSurveyDunes — the first database of Italian coastal dune vegetation plots, developed through a collaborative network of Italian vegetation scientists. This paper describes the scope of the initiative, provides an overview of the available data, and highlights its key features, research applications, and future potential. ReSurveyDunes...

New Italian data on the distribution of some of the Annex I Habitats are reported in this contribution. Specifically, 16 records are presented including 9 new occurrences in Natura 2000 sites, and 27 new cells are added in the EEA 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Abruzzo, Apulia, Latium, Marc...

The genus Asparagus L. (Asparagaceae) has a wide geographical distribution being present in Europe, Africa, and Asia to N. Australia. The use of Asparagus ssp. dates since Ancient Grecians and Romans and several ethnopharmacological properties have been reported for many species. Asparagus pastorianus Webb & Berthel is a taxon described for the flo...

New Italian data on the distribution of the Annex I Habitats are reported in this contribution. Specifically, 9 new occurrences in Natura 2000 sites are presented and 34 new cells are added in the EEA 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Abruzzo, Apulia, Calabria, Latium, Lombardy, Marche, Sardin...

The use of Nigella damascena seeds in the culinary field or as aerial parts infusions in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic fields is widely reported. The biological activity of this plant, as demonstrated over the years, is closely related to its phytochemical content. This investigation focused on the comparative study of the same plants of N. damas...

This study aims to analyze the dynamics of change in settlement models from the Roman, late antique, and Byzantine periods, focusing on how these transformations influenced the formation of Islamic societies in the rural landscapes of western Sicily. The study is centered around the territory of Corleone in the Sicani Mountains (central-western Sic...

New Italian data on the distribution of 17 Annex I Habitats are reported in this contribution. Specifically, 11 new occurrences in Natura 2000 sites are presented and 30 new cells are added in the EEA 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Apulia, Campania, Calabria, Lazio, Sardinia, Sicily and Tus...

The results of the annual excursion of the Working Group for Vegetation Science of the Italian Botanical Society, held in the Egadi Islands, Mount San Giuliano and Mount Cofano (W Sicily) on April 23–27 2022, are presented. This paper includes: (1) general information on the visited sites; (2) geology and geomorphology; (3) climatology and bioclima...

New Italian data on the distribution of the Annex I Habitats are reported in this contribution. Specifically, 8 new occurrences in Natura 2000 sites are presented and 49 new cells are added in the EEA 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Campania, Calabria, Marche, Piedmont, Sardinia, Sicily, Tus...

The genus Thymus L., belonging to the Lamiaceae family, contains about 220 species with a distribution that mainly extends in Europe, northwest Africa, Ethiopia, Asia, and southern Greenland. Due to their excellent biological properties, fresh and/or dried leaves and aerial parts of several Thymus ssp. have been utilized in the traditional medicine...

In this paper, based on fieldwork and herbaria surveys, new data concerning the presence of 32 native and alien vascular species for Sicily (Italy) are provided. Among the native species, the occurrence of the following taxa is reported for the first time or confirmed after many decades of non-observation: Aira multiculmis, Arum maculatum, Carex fl...

New Italian data on the distribution of Annex I Habitats are reported in this contribution. Specifically, 8 new occurrences in Natura 2000 sites are presented and 27 new cells are added in the EEA 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Apulia, Campania, Calabria, Lazio, Tuscany, Umbria, Sardinia, a...

Although the Mediterranean area is a well-known hotspot of biological diversity, the crustacean assemblages inhabiting inland waters of the Mediterranean islands are to date unevenly known, and detailed information is missing for most taxa and areas. In the frame of this paper, we provide a checklist and a characterization of the copepod fauna of t...

In this contribution, Italian new data concerning the distribution of the Annex I Habitats 3150, 3170*, 3260, 4090, 91L0, 91M0, 9340 are reported. In detail, 20 new occurrences in Natura 2000 sites are presented and 30 new cells are added in the EEA 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Campania,...

From the local to the global scale, human impact is the real protagonist of the Anthropocene [...]

Dear colleagues, The open access journal Land (ISSN 2073-445X, IF 3.398) is pleased to announce that we have launched a new Special Issue entitled "Resilience in Historical Landscapes”. I am serving as Guest Editor (with Castrorao Barba A., Diarte Blasco P. and Castro Priego M.) for this issue. Given the depth of your expertise in this field, I...

The host-parasite system “Emys trinacris – Placobdella costata – Haemogregarina stepanowi” is known for Sicily, but scarce information is available to date about the distribution of the two parasites on the island. Therefore, an extensive sampling effort through visual census and collection and analysis of blood smears of the endemic Sicilian pond...

This review is a systematic scientific work on medicinal and traditional use, on the chemical composition of specialized metabolites, volatile and non-volatile, on aspects related to toxicology and phytotherapy of Nigella damascena L. The genus Nigella (Ranunculaceae) is distributed throughout the Mediterranean basin, extending to northern India, a...

The Harvesting Memories project aims to investigate the historical landscape dynamics in an inner area of the Sicani Mountains district in Western Sicily (Contrada Castro, Corleone-Palermo). The interdisciplinary approach of the project allowed us to combine and integrate methods from different disciplines such as historical ecology, landscape arch...

From 2017, an unknown rural settlement in Contrada Castro at Corleone (Palermo Province, western Sicily) was investigated as part of the ‘Harvesting Memories Project’. The stratigraphic sequence, supported by radiocarbon dating, has demonstrated a reoccupation of a pre-Roman site during the transition between the Byzantine and Islamic periods. In p...

New Italian data on the distribution of the Annex I Habitats 1510*, 2130*, 2250*, 3180*, 3260, 5230*, 6410, 7140, 7220*, 9320 are reported in this contribution. Specifically, 14 new occurrences in Natura 2000 sites are presented and 20 new cells are added in the EEA 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regi...

Field investigation carried out by the Sicilian botanists in the last 20 years enabled them to identify eight habitat types of high biogeographic and conservation interest, neglected by the Directive 92/43, which deserve ad hoc conservation measures. For each of these habitats, a syntaxonomic interpretation of the corresponding plant communities, t...

The only Palearctic representative of the leech genus Placobdella Blanchard, 1893 is P. costata, an ectoparasite of freshwater turtles. To date, no conclusive evidence about the possible presence of coevolutionary patterns between this leech and its turtle hosts is available due to the paucity of DNA sequence data available for P. costata; moreover...

The Mediterranean islands and their population history are of considerable importance to the interpretation of the population history of Europe as a whole. In this context, Sicily, because of its geographic position, represents a bridge between Africa, the Near East, and Europe that led to the stratification of settlements and admixture events. The...

New Italian data on the distribution of the Annex I Habitats 3170*, 6110*, 91E0*, 9320, 9330 are reported in this contribution. Specifically, one new occurrence in Natura 2000 sites is presented and six new cells are added in the European Environment Agency 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Sa...

Habitat monitoring in Europe is regulated by Article 17 of the Habitats Directive, which suggests the use of typical species to assess habitat conservation status. Yet, the Directive uses the term “typical” species but does not provide a definition, either for its use in reporting or for its use in impact assessments. To address the issue, an onlin...

Monumental olive trees, with their longevity and their remarkable size, represent an important information source for the comprehension of the territory where they grow and the human societies that have kept them through time. Across the centuries, olive trees are the only cultivated plants that tell the story of Mediterranean landscapes. The same...

This paper presents an operational methodology to map and analyze the floristic richness of “target species” in Natura 2000 sites, making use of G.I.S. tools and procedures. A Floristic diversity map (scale 1:50,000), covering an area of 612 km2, was produced by a team of experts as part of the management plans of “Madonie Mountains” Sites of Commu...

Within the project ‘Harvesting Memories: Ecology and Archaeology of Monti Sicani Landscapes’, this paper aims to reconstruct human–environment interactions in the inland areas of Western Sicily during the Early Middle Ages through a comparative analysis of environmental archaeological data. We analyse carpological and anthracological finds and faun...

Ectosymbiotic temnocephalan flatworms belonging to the genus Temnosewellia were collected on Cherax destructor in an aquaculture farm in Sicily, Italy. This represents the first record of a temnocephalan species for the fauna of the island. Morphological and molecular identification of the collected specimens proved that they belong to the allochth...

New data on the distribution of the Annex I Habitats 3120, 3260, 6310, 9180* and 92A0 are reported in this contribution. In detail, 3 new occurrences in Natura 2000 Sites are presented and 5 new cells in the EEA 10 km x 10 km Reference grid are added. The new data refer to Italy and in particular to the Administrative Regions of Liguria, Sardinia,...

Knowledge of the processes by which plants colonize old structures is a key element for nature-based design both in urban and suburban contexts. This paper analyses the natural vegetation on walls and in other microhabitats of the roadway structures of Monte Pellegrino (606 m a.s.l.) near Palermo (Sicily), built in the first half of the 1900s. The...

Ethnobotanic surveys in the territory of Paceco (western Sicily). This study, conducted through interviews of farmers and artisans, allowed to provide new data on the traditional uses of plants linked to the local folklore of the community of Paceco, now almost entirely disappeared. In particular, this investigation has highlighted the great number...

New data on the distribution of the Annex I Habitats 3160, 7210* and 9320 are reported in this contribution. In detail, 24 new occurrences in Natura 2000 Sites are presented and 42 new cells in the EEA 10 km x 10 km Reference grid are added. The new data refer to Italy and in particular to the Administrative Regions Lombardy, Sardinia, and Sicily.

Realistic predictions of climate change effects on natural resources are central to adaptation policies that try to reduce these impacts. However, most current forecasting approaches do not incorporate species-specific, process-based biological information, which limits their ability to inform actionable strategies. Mechanistic approaches, incorpor...

New data on the distribution of the Annex I Habitats 3160, 7210* and 9320 are reported in this contribution. In detail, 24 new occurrences in Natura 2000 Sites are presented and 42 new cells in the EEA 10 km x 10 km Reference grid are added. The new data refer to Italy and in particular to the Administrative Regions Lombardy, Sardinia, and Sicily.

Since 2015, the ongoing project “Harvesting Memories” has been focused on long-term landscape dynamics in Sicani Mountains (Western Sicily). Archaeological excavations in the case study site of Contrada Castro (Corleone) have investigated a settlement which was mainly occupied during the Early Middle Ages (late 8th–11th century AD). This paper aims...

The city of Palermo and its surrounding valley is an important historic irrigated landscape, characterized by underground hydraulic structures and by a long tradition of irrigation sys- tems inherited from the Islamic presence in Sicily throughout the Middle Ages (9th-11th century). The Islamic “green revolution” radically innovated the irrigation...

Plant communities are complex and dynamic elements of the landscape, intertwined with both natural factors and human activities. Vegetation series reflect the environmental characteristics of the landscape, but also the anthropic impact, one of the exogenous forces that most profoundly affects the landscape formation process. This paper aims to inv...

This paper examines the forest communities dominated by Olea europaea L. var. sylvestris (Mill.) Lehr. that have been described up until now in the Mediterranean Region (including other isolated extrazonal areas in the northwestern Iberian Peninsula and in Northern Turkey) as more or less evolved aspects of woods, microwoods and high maquis that pr...

Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to inform you that is open the call-for-paper for the Special Issue “Historical Ecology and Landscape Archeology: Cross-Disciplinary Approaches to the Long Anthropocene” in the open access journal Sustainability (IF 2.592): https://www.mdpi.com/si/35867. Please, don’t hesitate to contact us for further information. B...

This paper presents a phytosociological study on the forest vegetation of Olea europaea var. sylvestris of Sicily and of the smaller minor islands. In Sicily, Oleaster formations show considerable climacic potentiality in the bioclimactic belts between the infra- and the thermomediterranean with single edapho-climacic penetrations that are also in...

A landscape is a palimpsest of the interactions between human activities and ecological dynamics. In an interdisciplinary perspective of dialogue between the ‘Two Cultures’ (Natural Sciences and Humanities), a study of a rural area has been carried out through a reading of plant ecosystems as signs of human impact. The purpose of this paper—as part...

The decontamination of heavy metal polluted soils is one of the major challenges that our industrialized world has to face. Remediation technologies are being developed and employed in order to reduce the potential hazards of metal and metalloid contamination. Plants capable of uptaking metals and metalloids in their tissues can be an effective to...

The "Harvesting Memories" project aims to address diachronic change in landscape and settlement patterns during the long-term in the area of Sicani Mountains in Central-West Sicily (Italy). This area is a sort of palimpsest of Mediterranean inland areas characterized by a long-term occupation of low-lying lands suitable for agriculture and hills fo...

The general increase of the cultivation and trade of Bt transgenic plants resistant to Lepidoptera pests raises concerns regarding the conservation of animal and plant biodiversity. Demand for biofuels has increased the cultivation and importation of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.), including transgenic lines. In environmental risk assessments (ER...

Background: Wild vegetables in the Mediterranean Basin are still often consumed as a part of the diet and, in particular, there is a great tradition regarding their use in Sicily. In this study, an ethnobotanical field investigation was carried out to (a) identify the wild native taxa traditionally gathered and consumed as vegetables in Sicily, co...

The paper presents new records for 29 vascular plant species from 12 Eurasian countries. Seven taxa (Agave sisalana, Austrocylindropuntia subulata, Lagurus ovatus subsp. nanus, Opuntia stricta, Orobanche serbica, Oxalis articulata, Vitis × instabilis) are reported from Albania, one (Allium carinatum) from the Europaean part of Russia, six (Dipsacus...

A comparison between the current surface of Beech forest in the Nebrodi Park (Northern Sicily) with the measurements performed in the past is here reported. 12.854 hectares of Beech forest were recognized against 10.336 hectares of 1959 with a percentage increase of 24.37%. The increase of forest is mainly due at the change of land use through a be...

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The “Harvesting Memories” project (funded by Bona Furtuna LLC) is focused on the long-term transformation of the cultural landscape in the central part of the Alto Belice Corleonese (Central-Western Sicily). In particular, we surveyed the area of Contrada Giardinello, Castro Valley and the western slopes of Monte Barraù (Corleone, Palermo). The fie...

In this paper we present the preliminary results of a study aimed at identifying the traditional uses of wild taxa in several communities of the island. Particularly the medicinal, veterinary and food uses are reported.

The “Harvesting Memories” project focuses on the study of the long-term transformation of the historical landscape in a rural area of Central-Western Sicily (Castro Valley and Mt. Barraù, Corleone – Palermo). In order to achieve a global comprehension of the landscape, which we consider to be a diachronic result of the interaction between humans an...

Dal 18 al 19 giugno 2016, nei territori del Parco dei Nebrodi (Santo Stefano di Camastra) e del Parco delle Madonie (Castelbuono), è stato organizzato il primo convegno nazionale sugli alberi monumentali. Il convegno è stato promosso dal Parco dei Nebrodi, dall’Università di Palermo (C.I.R.I.T.A. e Dipartimento SAF), dal Parco delle Madonie, dal Di...

The project “Harvesting Memories” is focused on the analysis of the long-term transformation of the cultural landscape in a rural area of Central-Western Sicily (Castro Valley and Mt. Barraù, Corleone – Palermo). In order to quickly outline the history of the territory with an acceptable precision, our survey aimed at covering and sampling as much...

Pancratium maritimum L. (Amaryllidaceae) is a geophyte occurring in the Mediterranean region, from the Black Sea to part of the Atlantic coast. This plant is receiving much attention from the international scientific community due to its value as a bioindicator, the potential industrial value of its chemical compounds, and its use as a commercial o...

Viene presentato un contributo riguardante la flora e la vegetazione di un interessante area situata all’interno dei Monti Sicani (Sicilia centro-occidentale) ancora poco nota. Vengono esaminati oltre ai dati bioclimatologici e geologici, la composizione floristica di questo territorio che annovera diverse emergenze e le formazioni vegetali che car...

Monte Conca.

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The diversity of life is made up not only of the diversity of plants and animal species, habitats and ecosystems, but also of the diversity of human cultures. These diversities interact with one another in complex ways and express the mutual adaptation between humans and the environment at local level. Sicilian traditional agro-ecosystems, due to t...

In recent years specific attention has been paid on the biotechnological potential of microorganisms in extreme soils, in particular in saline soils. Salinity is one of the most widespread soil degradation processes on the Earth, and saline soils can be defined as extreme soils or border line habitats in which several factors, as high salt content,...

The importance of downy oak as an integral component of the “submediterranean” woods has been underscored by many studies. Nevertheless, terms like “submediterranean” and “downy oak” are some of the most poorly understood concepts in European phytogeographic and taxonomic research. Downy oak is well known to be a problematic taxon. The name “Quercu...

The Mediterranean Region is among the areas of the world richest in wild and cultivated taxa. Extinctions in the Mediterranean area are bound to have occurred in historical times but they are not documented. The probable and documented cases of plant extinction in specific areas within the Mediterranean are equivalent to 0.25% of total species-by-a...

Tackling the Sicilian woody vegetation as a case-study, this work aims to verify the correspondence between Rivas-Martinez's bioclimatic units and the main vegetation series in the Mediterranean region. Following this approach, one macrobioclimate and 25 bioclimatic type belts can be recognized in Sicily. By means of a geostatistical analysis based...

L'area mediterranea ospita una ricca varietà di paesaggi culturali che sono la risultante dell'uso tradizionale del suolo e della storia del territorio. Una delle caratteristiche più espressive di questi paesaggi culturali è l'elevato livello di biodiversità. Il legame tra biodiversità vegetale e comunità locali ha trovato la sua massima espression...

Laurel woodlands in the Madonie mountains (Sicily) are characterized by the presence of Laurus nobilis, Rhamnus lojaconoi and Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris. The results of a phytosociological study are presented, and a new endemic association, Rhamno lojaconoi–Lauretum nobilis, is described. Present Mediterranean laurel communities are the resul...

The phytosociological role of taxa of Genista sect. Voglera in the vegetation context of Sicily is here examined. It was carried out on plant communities characterised by the Sicilian endemics G. aristata, G. madoniensis and G. cupanii. These taxa and their floristic settlement have been examined from the biogeographical point of view. Basing on ou...

A database for the management of the Seedbank of the Palermo's Botanical Garden has been set up. Its structure and functioning are illustrated. Since November 2010 about 2000 records relating to 460 taxa have been inputted and are accesible via web. Links with other seedbank databases and with the database of the Herbarium Mediterraneum Panormitanu...

Megaspore ornamentation is one of the few morphological characters used in the taxonomy of the genus Isoëtes. In the present work, we test the application of this character for distinguishing some Isoëtes species occurring in the Mediterranean: Isoëtes sicula, which according to some authors should be included as a variety in I. histrix, and the re...

Sorbus madoniensis, a new species of Sorbus sect. Aria, is described, so far known only from two neighbouring localities on Mt. Carbonara (Madonie mountains, Sicily). It is related to S. graeca, which also occurs in the Madonie, and indeed shares with S. madoniensis one of its localities.

The main floristic and vegetational features of the Soqotra Archipelago are outlined. The theo-ries of vicariance and dispersal are commented with the support of examples suggesting the idea that both are complementary in the establishment and evolution of the flora of Soqotra. Finally the relation of alien vs natural elements of the flora is analy...

An analysis was made to update the regional red list of endangered vascular plants in Sicily which, with 3,252 taxa (including a noteworthy number of endemic species), is one of the richest areas in the Mediterranean region. Considering previous regional and national red lists, recent taxonomic and floristic literature, and unpublished da-ta, 1,057...

The present work proposes a criterion to classify landscape into naturalness systems using four levels of conservation: High naturalness, Semi-natural, Agricultural, Artificial. As a case study Sicily (Italy) was chosen. The methodology has been applied to reclassify Corine Land Cover data and obtain a Naturalness map. The area of study has been di...

Raimondo F.M., Bazan G., 2008 – Una nuova associazione a palma nana della Sicilia sud-occidentale. – Atti 44° Congresso Società Italiana di Scienza della Vegetazione. Ravenna, 27-29 febbraio, p. 66

Vengono presentati i risultati di uno studio sulla vegetazione della Gola della Tardara, biotopo di rilevante interesse naturalistico-ambientale. Il presente contributo riguarda la vegetazione insediata sulle pareti rocciose dove le particolari condizioni microtopografiche determinano la presenza di un microgeosigmeto costituito da una comunità cas...

Plant biodiversity of Monte Gibliscemi (Mazzarino, Sicily). – The flora and vegetation of an inland area near Mazzarino (central-southern Sicily) are here analyzed. The vegetation typologies examined include: Quercion ilicis forests, shrub aspects of the Quercetalia calliprini, Cisto-Micromerietea formations, Lygeo-Stipetalia formations, spring mea...

The ornamental flora of historical Sicilian gardens, compiled on recent literature data and new investigations on representative sites is here analyzed. The catalogue of taxa with their distribution in investigated gardens is presented together with the floristic list alphabetically ordered by family. In total 736 taxa, belonging to 363 genera and...