The jumps in population size due to the occurrence of an unfavorable physical environment (e.g. the effects of periodic climate disaster on the population size), or due to the intrinsic physiological and reproductive mechanisms of the population (e.g. the seasonal reproduction of most animal populations), can be called impulsive perturbations. A two-phenotype evolutionary game dynamics with imp...

Introduction Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an autosomalrecessive disorder characterized by recurrent attacks of fever and serositis common in eastern Mediterranean population. Over 160 mutations have been identified in MEFV gene responsible for FMF. The most common mutations in MEFV gene are E148Q, M694I, M694V, V726A and M680I. The distribution pattern of MEFV mutation along the Medite...

We present the global phylogeography of the black sea urchin Arbacia lixula, an amphi-Atlantic echinoid with potential to strongly impact shallow rocky ecosystems. Sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase gene of 604 specimens from 24 localities were obtained, covering most of the distribution area of the species, including the Mediterranean and both shores of the Atlantic. Genetic d...

Thr red colour of many of the soils in the Mediterranean region was the main reason that in the past the broad term “Red Mediterranean soils”, occasionally “terra rossa”, became quite a common indication for all soils in the region (YAALON, 1997). BRESSON (1993) stated that Red Mediterranean soils resulted from a bisiallitic type of weathering with the release of high amounts of iron oxides clo...

Several individual components of the Mediterranean diet have been shown to offer protection against prostate cancer. The present study is the first to investigate the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and the relative risk of prostate cancer. We also explored the usefulness of the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) in a non-Mediterranean population. FFQ data were obtained from...

This study presents a tool - the Landscape Identity Implicit Association Test (LI-IAT) - devoted to measure the implicit identification with European and Mediterranean landscapes. To this aim, a series of prototypical landscapes was selected as stimulus, following an accurate multi-step procedure. Participants (N = 174), recruited in two Italian cities, performed two LI-IATs devoted to assess t...

BACKGROUND Adherence to a Mediterranean diet may improve longevity, but relevant data are limited. METHODS We conducted a population-based, prospective investigation involving 22,043 adults in Greece who completed an extensive, validated, food-frequency questionnaire at base line. Adherence to the traditional Mediterranean diet was assessed by a 10-point Mediterranean-diet scale that incorpor...

An ecosystem modelling approach was used to understand and assess the Mediterranean marine ecosystem structure and function as a whole. In particular, 2 food web models for the 1950s and 2000s were built to investigate: (1) the main structural and functional characteristics of the Mediterranean food web during these 2 time periods; (2) the key species/functional groups and interactions; (3) the...

Marine caves are widely acknowledged for their unique biodiversity and constitute a typical feature of the Mediterranean coastline. Herein an attempt was made to evaluate the ecological significance of this particular ecosystem in the Mediterranean Sea, which is considered a biodiversity hotspot. This was accomplished by using Porifera, which dominate the rocky sublittoral substrata, as a refer...