Domenico Gargano

Is legal protection sufficient to ensure plant conservation? The Italian Red List of policy species as a case study

The conservation of species listed in the Bern Convention and European Directive 1992/43/EEC (so-called policy species) is mandatory for European Union (EU) countries. We assessed the conservation status of Italian policy species, based on the IUCN categories and criteria, to evaluate the effectiveness of existing protection measures at the national level. Among the 203 vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens evaluated, 41.9% are categorized as threatened, and one is already extinct, indicating that the protection measures for policy species are inadequate. Our results for the Italian policy species are consistent with those of an assessment at the EU level. Conservation priorities should be established at both the national and regional scales. An effective conservation strategy is needed, and in situ and ex situ actions focused on threatened species should be promoted.

The status of Sarcopoterium spinosum (Rosaceae) at the western periphery of its range: Ecological constraints lead to conservation concerns

This paper considers the demography, ecology, and conservation perspectives of the western populations of the clonal dwarf-shrub Sarcopoteriumspinosum (L.) Spach. While in the Middle East the species dominates large areas, westwards it is less common and many populations have become extinct since the late 19th century. We highlight the ecological limitations and their implications for the conservation of the species at the periphery of its range. In southern Italy we studied the demographic traits of two populations and the age spatial structure of a third. Ramet density and lifespan appear to be lower than in the Middle East. The floristic analysis of the stands studied and a climatic analysis over the whole range of S.�spinosum provide a key for the interpretation of such differences. Given that summer drought stress decreases westwards, both the sprouting vigor and the ecological space available for S.�spinosum become limited by increasing competition. This makes the populations more likely to become extinct in changing landscapes, as revealed by the decreasing extent of occurrence and area of occupancy due to habitat loss. Although S.�spino- sum is not at risk in the Middle East, at the western border of its range it qualifies as an endangered species.

Are Red Lists really useful for plant conservation? The New Red List of the Italian Flora in the perspective of national conservation policies

“The New Red List of the Italian Flora” includes all the Italian policy species and other species of known conservation concerns for a total of 400 taxa, 65% of which are threatened with extinction. The Red List is based on a huge georeferenced data-set useful for conservation purposes.

Conserving plant diversity in Europe: outcomes, criticisms and perspectives of the Habitats Directive application in Italy

Habitat Directive is the core strategy of nature conservation in Europe aiming at halting biodiversity loss. In this study the results of the third Italian assessment regarding the conservation status (CS) of plants listed in the Habitat Directive (Flora of community interest—FCI) was presented. Data was collected from several sources related to plant distribution, population data, habitats and pressures. Following the official European procedure, all parameters were evaluated and combined to give the CS of each taxon in each biogeographical region of presence. A comparison between the recent Italian IUCN and Reporting assessments was performed in order to evaluate the consistency between these two assessments. The official EU checklist comprises 113 Italian plant taxa, 107 of which were examined in this study. Our results showed a critical situation with only 34% of favourable CS, while 50% were unfavourable (40% inadequate plus 10% bad) and 16% unknown, in particular in the Mediterranean bioregion, where the unfavourable assessments reach the 65%. The results of the Report were consistent with those of the IUCN assessment, in which 41.9% of plants were threatened with extinction. This report highlighted some benefits and criticisms at national level, but it may have a wider significance. Although a general advance of knowledge, a great effort is needed to reach the Habitats Directive goals. Despite the limited resources, monitoring activities needs to be improved in order to close information gaps for several plants. A positive outcome was the development of a specific national project funded by the Italian Ministry of Environment, with the ambitious target to set future monitoring activities for FCI and optimize monitoring efforts.

Dianthus ferrugineus Mill. vs. D. guliae Janka : nomenclatural considerations on the Italian yellow carnation

The name Dianthus guliae Janka is typified. This name has to be applied to the Italian yellow carnation, formerly known as D. ferrugineus Mill. The latter name is here instead shown to be applicable to an Iberian endemic currently known as D. crassipes R. Roem. Rejection of the name D. ferrugineus Mill. is discussed.

Footprint of the eastern euroasian past in Italian populations of Cryptotaenia thomasii (Ten.) DC

BackgroundThe knowledge of the genetic architecture of closely related species and/or populations of a single species can be very useful to shed light on the processes that led to their current distributions. The present study provides a preliminary evaluation of the conservation status of the populations of Cryptotaenia thomasii, a very narrow endemic species occurring in southern Italy. Previous studies showed that C. thomasii was phylogenetically closely related to C. flahaultii, endemic species of Caucasus, and to evaluate its conservation status and the genetic variability of plant species the internal transcribed spacers (ITSs) of nuclear ribosomal DNA were sequenced and the SNPs were analyzed.ResultsThe restriction analysis of nrDNA with the restriction enzymes allowed to detect the presence of two single mutations (SNPs) among the sequences of two species. Our molecular analysis pointed out that C. thomasii and C. flahaultii, in spite of their geographical disjunction, show a sign of an ancient contact as an extreme case of geographical disjunction Italian-Caucasus.ConclusionFrom the evolutionary history of the species and its distribution pattern one can reconstruct a possible scenario with some hypotheses that explain the hypothetical ancestral area where the two species were in contact. We speculate the two species may have originated from fragmentation of a common ancestor widespread in the Western Palearctic zone and have survived in two separated refuge areas limited by important mountain systems. This hypothesis is supported by our molecular analysis, in fact, the analysis of SNPs showed that some C. thomasii populations retain the signs of an ancient link with C. flahaultii.

Genetic and fitness consequences of interpopulation mating in Dianthus guliae Janka: conservation implications for severely depleted and isolated plant populations

Genetic constraints may increase the extinction risk in small and isolated plant populations. Introducing foreign genes may restore their genetic variability and fitness, but it could also be harmful, especially when recipient and donor populations have diverged. In such cases, data on genetic relationships and the possible consequences of different patterns of gene flow are essential for effective conservation. We examined five microsatellite loci to study the genetic relationships among three core populations and an isolated peripheral one of the threatened endemic Dianthus guliae Janka. This provided a base for further genetic analyses and experimental pollinations illustrating links between genetic richness and fitness, and the effects of inter-population mating in two contrasting populations (a large core vs. a small peripheral). Microsatellite loci did not show significant deviations from Hardy–Weinberg expectations. However, the peripheral population had lower heterozygosity, a higher inbreeding coefficient, and significant divergence from core units. Fitness and genetic data indicated an enhanced fitness, along with an improved capacity to rebound heterozygosity deficit after occasional selfing, in the core-population compared to the peripheral one. Crossing within-population did not enhance genetic diversity and fitness in the small peripheral unit, while between-population crossing improved its heterozygosity and fitness. Finally, in the study system, current genetic divergence did not preclude heterosis in the small and isolated population after mating with a larger donor unit.

Local shifts in floral biotic interactions in habitat edges and their effect on quantity and quality of plant offspring

Habitat variations influence the richness and composition of insect guilds. This affects plant reproduction, which depends upon functional relationships with insects, responsible for both pollination and predation. Major consequences can occur in composite landscapes, where forest fragmentation produces transition habitats showing a great heterogeneity over short-spatial scales. We studied herbivory and pollination in an edge-specialist carnation over a forest-open habitat gradient. Visiting insects varied over the gradient, affecting herbivory and pollination rates, and offspring quality and quantity. Our findings emphasize the role of plant-insect interactions in tuning plant fitness in edge habitats, and provide guidelines for managing such ecological contexts.

It's a long way to the top: Plant species diversity in the transition from managed to old-growth forests

Questions Do vascular plant species richness and β-diversity differ between managed and structurally complex unmanaged stands? To what extent do species richness and β-diversity relate to forest structural attributes and heterogeneity?. Location Five National Parks in central and southern Italy. Methods We sampled vascular plant species composition and forest structural attributes in eight unmanaged temperate mesic forest stands dominated or co-dominated by beech, and in eight comparison stands managed as high forests with similar environmental features. We compared plant species richness, composition and β-diversity, across pairs of stands (unmanaged vs. managed) using Generalized Linear Mixed (effect) Models (GLMMs). β-diversity was quantified both at the scale of each pair of stands using plot-to-plot dissimilarity matrices (species turnover), and across the whole dataset, considering the distance in the multivariate species space of individual plots from the centroid of the plots within the same stand (compositional heterogeneity). We modelled the relationship between species diversity (richness and β-diversity) and forest structural heterogeneity and individual structural variables using GLMMs and Multiple Regression on Distance Matrices. Results Species composition differed significantly between managed and unmanaged stands, but not richness and β-diversity. We found weak evidence that plant species richness increased with increasing levels of structural heterogeneity and canopy diversification. At the scale of individual stands, species turnover was explained by different variables in distinct stands, with variables related to deadwood quantity and quality being selected most often. Conversely, we did not find support to the hypothesis that compositional heterogeneity varies as a function of forest structural characteristics at the scale of the whole dataset. Conclusions Structurally complex unmanaged stands have a distinct herb-layer species composition from that of mature stands in similar environmental conditions; nevertheless, we did not find significantly higher levels of vascular plant species richness and β-diversity in unmanaged stands. β-diversity was related to patterns of deadwood accumulation, while for species richness the evidence that it increases with increasing levels of canopy diversification was weak. These results suggest that emulating natural disturbance, and favoring deadwood accumulation and canopy diversification may benefit some, but not all facets of plant species diversity in Apennine beech forests. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Is phenotypic canalization involved in the decline of the endemic Aquilegia thalictrifolia? Rethinking relationships between fluctuating asymmetry and species conservation status

Fluctuating asymmetry (FA), the deviation from the normal symmetrical condition of a morphological trait having specific morphological symmetry, increases in response to environmental and genetic stress, is related to phenotypic plasticity and is considered a tool for monitoring a species conservation status. However, FA–stress relations are dependent on measured traits or species-specific characteristics such as mating system and habitat. This study investigates the relationships between FA, genetic diversity, population size, density and individual fitness traits (plant height, fruit and seed set), in the endemic Aquilegia thalictrifolia, a mixed breeder that is declining, but maintaining high levels of heterozygosity. Leaf and flower FA and other traits were investigated in 10 populations of A. thalictrifolia, the whole species range. As a result, we found similar patterns of FA in leaves and flowers between populations, indicating a homogenous level of stress between populations that differed for other traits. FA and the other traits were not related, including heterozygosity. Heterozygosity was not related to individual fitness traits with the exception of plant height. In accordance with other studies, we found that the role of FA as a tool for assessing the conservation status of a species or population should be reconsidered. However, we conclude that a low level of FA should not automatically be considered an indicator of good conservation status or low level of stress, because in species that evolved in highly stable environments it may indicate a scarce ability to plastically respond to environmental changes, as a consequence of environmental and genetic canalization. Further investigation of this point is needed.