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Functional diversity has proven to be more responsive than traditional taxonomic diversity to alterations for a wide set of communities, especially in aquatic ecosystems. Habitat alterations are among the most relevant causes of biodiversity loss in freshwater ecosystems, nevertheless their effect on functional diversity has been scarcely investigated so far. In this study, functional diversity of fish communities in the River Po basin, north Italy, were related to habitat quality at different spatial scales. Land use and riparian vegetation were identified as the most influent factors on freshwater fish functional diversity. On the other hand, habitat descriptors at smaller scale did not influence functional diversity of fish. The evidenced responses were driven by the contribution of exotic species, which maximized ecological niche occupancy, either by exploiting increased habitat heterogeneity or by interaction with native species. Moreover, traits filtering, disadvantaging large predators such as salmonids, was also observed in the studied communities, but likely this effect was related to other factors than habitat alterations. Overall, this study confirms that land use changes can be considered as valid proxies for anthropogenic alterations. Moreover, possible effects at ecosystem level, also related to the spread of exotic species, could be hypothesized, giving that traits mostly influencing the observed patterns of diversity in communities were related to trophic niche, a factor that has been associated with crucial processes like nutrient cycling or energy transfer.

Time-dependent geolocalized analysis of pollution data allows to better understand their dynamics over time and could suggest strategies to restore a good ecological status of contaminated area. This research analyzes concentrations of pollutants in surface waters and groundwater monitored by the Regional Environment Protection Agency of Lombardy from 2017 to 2020. Lombardy is one of the richest and populous region of Europe, providing an interesting example of the impact of environmental pollutants due to anthropogenic and industrial activities, not only for Italy but also for all Europe. Results show that groundwater displays more sites with heavy metals above the legal limit with respect to surface waters, including As, Ni, Cr and Zn. Furthermore, the spatio-temporal analysis of the data clearly shows that the introduction of more restrictive laws is a proper policy to improve the ecological status of the water.

The expansion of urban agglomerates is causing significant environmental changes, while the demand and need for sustainability keep on growing. In this context, urban and peri-urban agriculture can play a crucial role, mainly if associated with an agroecological approach. Indeed, the extensive use of living fences and tree rows can improve the environmental quality, assuring ecosystem services (ES), developing a sustainable urban food system and increasing local productions and the related socio-economic improvements. This study aims to assess the benefits of an agroecological requalification of a dismissed peri-urban area in the South Milan Agricultural Regional Park (Italy), by evaluating two possible scenarios, both involving planting trees and shrubs in that area. The software I-Tree Eco simulates the ecosystem services provision of planting new hedgerows, evaluating the benefits over 30 years. The study underlines the difference between the two scenarios and how the planted area becomes an essential supplier of regulating ecosystem services for the neighbourhoods, increasing carbon storage and air pollution removal. Results were then analysed with a treemap, to better investigate and understand the relationship between the different ecosystem services, showing a notable increase in carbon sequestration at the end of the simulation (at year 30). The study shows a replicable example of a methodology and techniques that can be used to assess the ES in urban and peri-urban environments.

Rice cultivation, particularly prone to weed issues, requires practices able to effectively control them, however reducing the use of herbicides, responsible for damage to human health and ecosystem sustainability. Alternative strategies for weed management can be based on plant-plant interaction phenomena. In this context, a group of organic farmers has developed a pragmatic approach for weed containment using Lolium multiflorum Lam. as a cover crop before rice. The present study aimed to confirm the farmer field observations reporting a preferential inhibitory effect of L. multiflorum on Echinochloa oryzoides (Ard.) Fritsch, one of the most yield-damaging rice weed, compared with Oryza sativa L. The study showed that L. multiflorum was able to significantly reduce the seed germination of E. oryzoides. It was found to be more susceptible than O. sativa both to the effect of the aqueous extract and powder of L. multiflorum leaves (23–79% vs. 3–57% and 26–100% vs. 23–31%, respectively). In addition, the leaf extract was able to affect E. oryzoides growth starting from 20% concentration both in relation to the root and shoot length while O. sativa exhibited differences compared with the control only under the influence of extract 50%. The L. multiflorum leaf characterization by NMR and UPLC-HR-MS analyses led to the identification of 35 compounds including several polyphenols, glycosyl flavonoids and glycosyl terpenoids, as well as different amino acids and organic acids. Some of them (e.g. protocatechuic and gallic acids) are already known as allelochemicals confirming that L. multiflorum is a source of plant growth inhibitors.