Robotic monitoring of dunes: a dataset from the EU habitats 2110 and 2120 in Sardinia (Italy).

This data descriptor presents a novel dataset collected using the quadrupedal robot ANYmal C in the Mediterranean coastal dune environment of the European Union (EU) habitats 2110 and 2120 in Sardinia, Italy. The dataset mainly consists of photos, videos, and point clouds of the coastal dunes, providing valuable information on the structure and composition of this habitat. The data was collected by a team of robotic engineers and plant scientists as result of a joint effort towards robotic habitat monitoring. The dataset is publicly available through Zenodo and can be used by researchers working in both the fields of robotics and habitat ecology and conservation. The availability of this dataset has the potential to inform future research and conservation efforts in the EU habitats 2110 and 2120, and it highlights the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in the field of habitat monitoring. This paper serves as a comprehensive description of the dataset and the methods used to collect it, making it a valuable resource for the scientific community.

Different observers introduce not negligible biases in comparative karyomorphological studies.

Within a practical course of cytotaxonomy organized in Pisa (Italy) on February 2024 by the Group for Floristics, Systematics and Evolution of the Italian Botanical Society, we tested whether using image analysis softwares possible biases are still introduced by different observers. We conclude that observer bias selectively applies in possibly overestimating the length of short arms in a karyotype. As a consequence, the parameters most sensitive to these possible errors are CVCI and CVCL, and to a less degree MCA and THL. To achieve more stable results among observers, a still lacking standardized measurement protocol could be helpful.