Natural History
2025
- New records of introduced species in the Mediterranean (February 2025)This Collective Article compiles information on nineteen (19) species recorded in seven (7) Mediterranean countries (Croatia, Cyprus, Italy, Malta, Slovenia, Syria, and Türkiye) and across…
- On the influence of plant morphology in the extensive green roof cover: A case study in Mediterranean areaThe success of green roofs in Mediterranean areas requires the selection of fast development plant species, able to grow in a shallow soilless substrate also…
- Large-scale loss of Mediterranean coastal marshes under rising sea levels by 2100Mediterranean coastal wetlands account for important biodiversity and ecosystem services. But climate-change induced sea-level rise poses a critical risk to their survival. Here, we assess…
- Potential risk of macro-plastic on the megafauna of two semi-enclosed European seasPlastic pollution, particularly macro-plastic, poses significant threats to marine ecosystems worldwide, with adverse effects on marine megafauna such as mammals, seabirds, and sea turtles. This…
- Small-scale land use effects on plant communities in Mediterranean urban ecosystemsThe spatial configuration of urban landscapes, characterized by complex mosaics of fragmented patches subjected to different land uses, shapes biodiversity and, therefore, affects ecosystem stability…
- Climate Change and Avian Diversity in the Mediterranean: Ecological Niche Modeling and Demographic ShiftsThe Mediterranean Basin is a critical biodiversity hotspot hosting numerous bird species that are likely to be sensitive to climatic changes. This study integrates ecological…
- Effects of Marine Threats on Mediterranean Marine Top PredatorsThis chapter explores the growing threats faced by top predators in the Mediterranean Sea. Climate change, overfishing, and plastic pollution may affect their migration patterns…
- Functional responses of Mediterranean flora to fire: A community‐scale perspectiveFire regime is predicted to change, particularly in Mediterranean climate regions, towards more severe and frequent fire events. From a predictive perspective, trait-based ecology offers…
- Lessepsian migration in the Mediterranean Sea in an era of climate change: Plague or boon?The eastern Mediterranean Sea has suffered severe impacts from climate change, causing the decline of native biodiversity. Based on a global systematic review, we found…
2024
- Abiotic Stress Tolerance and Invasive Potential of Ornamental Plants in the Mediterranean Area: Implications for Sustainable LandscapingSeveral ornamental species have demonstrated adaptive features that could increase their resilience to the current climate emergency but could also be linked to invasiveness in…
- Cross-Pollinating Ideas: What Bee Research in Greece Taught Me About Global Science CollaborationThis summer, I spent two months on the island of Lesvos, Greece, the setting of the National Science Foundation-sponsored Pollinators, Climate Change, and the Aegean…
- Non-Indigenous Species (NIS) Know No Geopolitical Borders—An Update of NIS in the Aegean SeaIn this work, combined efforts by Greek and Turkish scientists produced an updated validated NIS inventory of the Aegean ecoregion, covering 120 years of records…
- Indications of Understorey Management Practices impact on Vascular Plant and Arthropod Diversity in Olive Groves on Lesvos, GreeceThis study investigates the impact of three understorey management practices – herbicide application, understorey clearing, and undisturbed understorey – on the biodiversity of plant and…
- Faunistic Study of Auchenorrhyncha in Olive Orchards in Greece, Including First Records of SpeciesThe study of Auchenorrhyncha species composition in Greek olive orchards is crucial due to the potential threat of Xylella fastidiosa invading the region. Recent studies…
- New records of introduced species in the Mediterranean (August 2024)This Collective article presents 18 introduced taxa in the Mediterranean Sea, belonging to seven phyla and documented at 22 new locations and seven countries spanning…
- Wetlands in Crisis: The Silent Desertification Threat on the Greek WetlandsThis study deals with the information gap on desertification risk for wetland habitat types in Natura 2000 network sites of Greece. Using the Environmentally Sensitive…
- Notes on ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Lesvos island, GreeceWith an area of 1,633 km2 and approximately 400 km of coastline, Lesvos isthe third-largest Greek island and the eighth-largest in the Mediterranean. Situated in…
- The role of fire in the germination of invasive plants in Mediterranean environments: A meta-analysisFire is a key trigger for the germination of serotinous plants in Mediterranean environments. Despite the availability of ample investigations into how fire contributes to…
- Evidencing the northward extension of loggerhead sea turtle nesting activity in the Aegean Sea, Greece: new records of sporadic nesting on Lesvos and Chios islandsThe Mediterranean Sea hosts a diverse array of marine species, including the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), a keystone species for conservation efforts. However, knowledge…
- Achieving the impossible: prevention and eradication of invasive plants in Mediterranean-type ecosystemsAn in-depth analysis of the mechanistic processes underlying the evolution and ecophysiology of typical invasive plants such as Carpobrotus spp., Acacia spp., Agave spp., and…
2023
- Alien ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) on a quest to conquer Greece: a review including an updated species checklist and guidance for future researchBiological invasions represent one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss with adverse impacts on human societies, economies and public health. More than 500 ant…
- From Colombia to Lesbos: Experiences with Bee Research and Island LifeI did not know many of these things about Lesbos when I first visited it as one of the faculty mentors of a National Science…
- Botanical Gardens and Their Role in Plant Conservation in GreeceThe botanical garden is a living museum in which documented collections of plants from all over the world are exhibited in order to study, protect,…
2022
- Assessing habitat suitability of the Persian Squirrel in the island of Lesvos, GreeceThe Persian Squirrel (Sciurus anomalus) is a Southwest Asian species of squirrel with a single European Union population on the island of Lesvos in Greece….
- Plant diversity of olive groves under different management practices: a case study on Lesbos Island (East Aegean area, Greece)The Mediterranean Basin is evolving due to human – nature interactions. The management of agroecosystems strongly affects plant diversity. Olive groves cover 19% of the…
older articles
- An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in the Greek islands of North Aegean regionGreek islands of the North Aegean Region are a group of nine inhabited islands (Lemnos, Agios Efstratios, Lesvos, Chios, Psara, Oinousses, Samos, Ikaria, and Fourni)…
- North Aegean island landscapes as ecomuseums: the case of Lesvos IslandThe main advantage of the Aegean islands, in generating national, regional, or international competitiveness, compared to the areas on the continental mainland, is their natural…
- The bryophyte flora of Lesbos, GreeceA complete list of the bryophytes known from Lesbos, Greece, is presented, of … >>> Blockeel, T.L., Nieuwkoop, J.A. Herzogia 29(1),1-34 (2016) Recent related articles…
- Land change in eastern Mediterranean wood-pasture landscapes: the case of deciduous oak woodlands in Lesvos (Greece)In Mediterranean Europe, wood-pasture landscapes with oak woodlands as emblematic ecosystems are undergoing rapid land-use change, which may threaten their … >>> Schaich, H., Kizos,…
- The Late Pliocene vertebrate fauna of Vatera (Lesvos Island, Greece)Vatera is a Late Pliocene (~2 Ma) locality in the southern part of Lesvos Island, Greece, in which a mainland fauna of large vertebrates has…
- Floristic reports from the island of Lesvos (Greece) I. Dicotyledones: Aceraceae to GuttiferaeFloristic and phytogeographical information is presented in the first of three papers on the flora of Lesvos (East Aegean, Greece). The taxa included here are…
- Contributions to the flora of the Aegean islands of Lesvos and Limnos, GreeceThe floristic results of journeys to the Aegean islands of Lesvos and Limnos over several years are presented. Retama monosperma is added to, and Asphodeline brevicaulis confirmed for the…
- Contribution to the Flora of Lesvos (Mitilini), GreeceAn annotated list of 50 taxa of vascular plants from the East Aegean island of Lesvos (Mitilini), is given. Five taxa are new for the…
- The evolution of the landscape of the island of LesvosThe paper addresses the extent to which travelers’ relations, local literary sources and scattered journalistic impressions provide information as to the aspect and composition of…