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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]

In the Northern Apennines, the Internal Ligurian Units are considered deformed and metamorphosed fragments of the Ligure-Piemontese oceanic basin. In this paper, we report on the temperature and pressure conditions of the metamorphic peak for four Internal Ligurian Units, estimated using different geothermometers and geobarometers based on the white mica and chlorite compositions. These minerals were formed during the D1 deformation phase in the pre-Oligocene. The results indicate that the Portello and Gottero units are both characterized by metamorphic conditions pertaining to low blueschists facies, while the Colli-Tavarone and Bracco-Val Graveglia Units show a lower metamorphic imprint that produces assemblages of prehnite-pumpellyite facies. The estimated geothermal gradient for the metamorphic peak achieved by the analyzed Internal Ligurian Units during the D1 phase is 7–15 °C/Km, which is indicative of deformation in a subduction setting. Under these conditions, the D1 phase developed in these units as a result of underplating at the base of the accretionary wedge during the closure of the Ligure-Piemontese basin. These data indicate a close geodynamic correlation among the Internal Ligurian Units and the ophiolite-bearing units of the Alps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Nirano Salse in Italy is a well-studied site where natural gas seepage (NGS) and other hydrocarbon fluids and gases are emitted at the earth's surface. A novel integrated approach is applied to define a comprehensive structural interpretation of the gas seepage and flow dynamic in the mud volcano system of the Nirano Salse Regional Nature Reserve (Modena, Northern Apennines). The paper investigates the relationship between gas emissions and local structures, particularly faults and fractures, in the shallow subsurface (down to 500–600 m depth) to understand the control that structures have on fluid ascent from deep leaky hydrocarbon traps. We performed continuous monitoring of mud levels within vents; carried out geological surveys to characterize the main stratigraphic and structural discontinuities; measured the carbon emissions (CH 4 and CO 2) seepage both from volcanoes and the surrounding soil by a portable gas fluxmeter; and integrated the results with available geophysical surveys. The authors argue that the transgressive Pleistocene-Pliocene Argille Azzurre Formation hides the complex and highly structured pre-Pliocene geology of the area, in which faults and fractures act as pathways for deep fluid ascent. The emissions are aligned along a NE-SW trend at the intersection of a NE-SW fracture system and NW-SE-oriented normal faults, which are both associated to the local tensional stress field of a likely left-lateral strike-slip transfer structure or in the extrados of a fold. By examining both natural gas macroseepage and diffuse flux, it is shown that local structures control the fluid ascent and contribute to the emission of hydrocarbon gases and fluids at the Earth's surface. Understanding the structural control of carbon emissions at the Nirano Salse is also important for evaluating the carbon budget at the site, particularly in areas where there are detectable surface emissions. The study has implications for geologic, environmental, and economic issues, including hydrocarbon exploration, hazard assessment, and impact on the atmospheric carbon budget. Furthermore, the outcomes have an important implication to evaluate the potential for dangerous abrupt mud eruptions, and the site safety in proximity to the mud volcanoes. [Display omitted] • Alignment of surface mud vents with a NE-SW to ENE-WSW direction relate to a transfer strike-slip structural element in the Apennines thrust fault belt. • Green house emissions from mud volcanoes at Nirano are small compared to the anthropogenic sources of the area. • Stress concentration in the extensional quadrants of NE-SW to ENE-WSW-oriented strike-slip fault segments promotes NW-SE normal faults formation with associated fracturing and rise of CH4 and water that forms mud volcanoes. • Fluid ascent and methane emissions are related to the complex Miocene fault structures that are hidden below the Pliocene-Pleistocene marine clays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]