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Simple Summary: There is increasing interest in the study of how the ongoing climate change is affecting insect populations. However, most research has been focused on a limited number of groups that are particularly charismatic or expected to respond more clearly to climate change. Moreover, most research has been developed in a few areas (especially northern and central European countries), while others (such as the Mediterranean basin) have been largely overlooked. Therefore, more empirical research is needed, particularly on less charismatic species, groups that are expected to react less dramatically to climatic change, and key areas that are still poorly investigated. This study investigates changes in distributional and activity patterns in a common, ecologically tolerant, forest tenebrionid beetle in a region (central Italy) within the Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot, an area strongly subjected to the ongoing climate change, but for which research is still limited. By analyzing changes in elevation, latitude, longitude, and seasonal activity between 1900–1980 and 1981–2022, the results provided insights into the potential effects of climate change on this species. The beetle's average values of elevation and latitude were found to have been increased in the second period. In response to rising temperatures, the species became more frequent at higher elevation and in northern places. No strong evidence was found for an earlier species seasonal activity, but this could be due to the inclusion in the analysis of likely overwintering individuals. The findings suggest that even thermally tolerant species can undergo distributional shifts in elevation and latitude, even at a relatively small scale. There is an increasing volume of literature on the impact of climate change on insects. However, there is an urgent need for more empirical research on underrepresented groups in key areas, including species for which the effects of climatic change may seem less evident. The present paper illustrates the results of a study on a common forest tenebrionid beetle, Accanthopus velikensis (Piller and Mitterpacher, 1783), at a regional scale within the Mediterranean basin. Using a large set of records from Latium (central Italy), changes in the median values of elevation, latitude, longitude, and phenology between two periods (1900–1980 vs. 1981–2022) were tested. Records of A. velikensis in the period 1981–2022 showed median values of elevation and latitude higher than those recorded in the first period. Thus, in response to rising temperatures, the species became more frequent at higher elevation and in northern places. By contrast, A. velikensis does not seem to have changed its activity pattern in response to increased temperatures, but this might be an artifact due to the inclusion of likely overwintering individuals. The results obtained for A. velikensis indicate that even thermally euryoecious species can show changes in their elevational and latitudinal distribution, and that poleward shifts can be apparent even within a small latitudinal gradient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Plant species of a regional flora have different ecological preferences, leading to the presence of different assemblages along environmental gradients. Botanists elaborated score systems to express species preferences for environmental factors, such as temperature, light, soil moisture, etc. The most popular system is that of the 'Ellenberg indicator values' (EIVs). EIVs have been largely applied to use plant species as indicators of environmental characteristics. In this research, we adopted a different perspective, and used EIVs to study how species are filtered by variations in ecological conditions along an elevational gradient. We used the flora of a small mountain in Central Italy as our case study. We found that heat-loving species are progressively replaced by cold-adapted ones at increasing elevations. Sunlight-adapted species prevail at low and high elevations (where open habitats occur), whereas in the middle of the gradient (occupied by the beech forest) shade-loving species predominate. Variation for moisture and soil nutrient preferences followed a similar pattern since humus abundance makes forest soils moister and richer in nutrients. Preferences for pH and continentality did not follow any clear pattern, since these factors are subject to more local variations. These results highlight the possible use of EIVs to study how plant communities respond to environmental gradients. Ellenberg indicator values (EIVs) express plant preferences for temperature, light, continentality, soil moisture, pH, and soil nutrients, and have been largely used to deduce environmental characteristics from plant communities. However, EIVs might also be used to investigate the importance of filtering mechanisms in shaping plant communities according to species ecological preferences, a so far overlooked use of EIVs. In this paper, we investigated how community-weighted means (CWM), calculated with EIVs, varied along an elevational gradient in a small mountain in Central Italy. We also tested if species abundances varied according to their ecological preferences. We found that the prevalence of thermophilous species declines with elevation, being progressively replaced by cold-adapted species. Heliophilous species prevail at low and high elevations (characterized by the presence of open habitats), whereas in the middle of the gradient (occupied by the beech forest), sciophilous species predominate. Variations for moisture and soil nutrient preferences followed a similar pattern, probably because of the high moisture and nutrient levels of forest soils with a lot of humus. No distinct pattern was detected for EIVs for pH and continentality since these factors are subject to more local variations. These results highlight the possible role of EIVs to investigate how environmental gradients shape plant communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the middle of the Mediterranean, the partly still active Apennines subduction system has been usually defined using tomographic images and available shear wave splitting measurements. In this paper we describe the new seismic anisotropy dataset for Central Italy, the region where the transition between Northern and Southern Apennines occurs. The new measurements show NW-SE fast polarisation directions beneath the belt, due to the retreat of the slab, NN E -SSW orientations from proper Adriatic mantle sources, and E-W directed anisotropy, attributed to mantle convection flow at the Thyrranian side. Additionally, the new data suggest the presence of a toroidal mantle flow through a tear in the Apenninic slab, from the Adria to the Tyrrhenian side. However, mantle circulation and flows, identified by the pattern of shear wave splitting results, seem different from what was proposed in previous geodynamic models. Indeed, our results support the presence of a vertical slab tear with limited dimension. In the geodynamic model we propose, the tear acts to accommodate a differential slab retreat. The slab partitioning results in a different pattern and strength of seismic anisotropy traced from the Central Apennines with respect to the adjacent Northern and Southern Apennines. • New SKS data consistent with previously defined mantle deformation patterns • Geodynamic model for Central Mediterranean from new seismic anisotropy data • NW-SE Apenninic mantle anisotropy interrupted by a narrow well developed mantle flow • Seismic anisotropy consistent with shallow horizontal slab tear beneath central Italy [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]