E. Del Vico

Multi-taxon and forest structure sampling for identification of indicators and monitoring of old-growth forest

Abstract The most commonly used old‐growth forest indicators are structural attributes; nevertheless, they do not necessarily represent the biodiversity value of old‐growth forests. The aim of this study is to analyse the relationships between species richness data of different taxa and structural indicators of old‐growth and to identify taxonomic/functional groups, species and structural attributes that may be used as indicators of old‐growth. To achieve this goal we sampled forest structure, vascular plants, lichens, bryophytes, fungi, saproxylic beetles and birds in mature and old‐growth stands in southern Italy. We calculated Spearman’s correlation coefficients between species richness data and structural attributes. Analyses of indicator species, co‐occurrences and two‐way clusters were performed on the multi‐taxonomic list. The group of vascular plants most significantly correlated with other groups in terms of species richness; furthermore, it displays the highest proportion of between‐group co‐occurrences. The resulting multi‐taxonomic list of potential indicators may serve as an effective means of detecting and monitoring forest ecosystems; however, for this goal, structure‐based indicators, such as forest structural attributes and vascular plant species composition, are of primary importance.

Plant communities of Italy: The Vegetation Prodrome

The Vegetation Prodrome of Italy was promoted in 2012 by the Italian “Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea Protection”, in collaboration with the “Italian Society of Botany”, to provide a comprehensive and systematic catalogue and description of Italian plant communities. The Prodrome that is presented in this paper is the first full organic synthesis of the vegetation of Italy at the alliance syntaxonomic level. It fulfils several needs, the main one being a unified and comprehensive national framework that may make an important contribution to the definition of the European Vegetation Prodrome. Syntaxonomy, as well as taxonomy, is sometimes based on considerations that may in part diverge: several authors tend to favour models that are divisive or aggregative to a greater or lesser extent in terms of flora, biogeography and ecology. These different points of view stimulate the scientific debate and allow the adoption of a framework that is more widely supported. The Prodrome includes 75 classes, 2 subclasses, 175 orders, 6 suborders and 393 alliances. The classes were grouped into nine broad categories according to structural, physiognomic and synecological elements rather than to syntaxonomic criteria. The rank, full valid name, any synonymies and incorrect names are provided for each syntaxon. The short declaration highlights the physiognomy, synecology, syndynamics and distribution of the plant communities that belong to the syntaxon. The Prodrome of the Italian Vegetation is linked to the European Strategy for Biodiversity, the European Habitats Directive and the European Working Groups related to the ecosystems and their services. In addition to basic applications, the Prodrome can be used as a framework for scientific research related to the investigation of the relationships between plant communities and the environmental factors that influence their composition and distribution.

The concept of land ecological network and its design using a land unit approach

Abstract The introduction of ecological networks into nature conservation policies promotes a new planning model for maintaining biological and landscape diversity and assisting policy sectors in the conservation of natural ecosystems. We propose a method to design an ecological network of sites that satisfy the main ecological needs of species, community and ecosystems by analysing the pattern of natural elements in the land mosaic. We define the concept of land ecological network (LEN) and design the LEN in the province of Rome (Lazio, Italy) on a local scale (1:50,000). The LEN is composed of core areas, buffer zones and landscape connections each of which has its own management regime. This work was carried out as part of the province of Rome planning scheme, which represents a prescriptive document of General Provincial Territorial Plan of Rome. The LEN integrates ecological data with a hierarchical land classification and provides a scientifically sound basis for conservation strategies at different scales.

Exploring biodiversity in a metropolitan area in the Mediterranean region: The urban and suburban flora of Rome (Italy)

This work provides an overview of plant diversity in the municipality of Rome (Italy) through an assessment of the flora in urban and suburban sectors of the city. It is aimed at providing the knowledge required to support proactive action for plant conservation. On the basis of a literature-derived catalogue and of an extensive survey campaign, the flora was investigated in terms of conservation interest; habitat types and locations that require protection measures were identified according to the occurrence of valuable native plants. Valuable species exclusive of the urban sector are threatened by the compaction trend affecting the urban fabric. Such species occur mainly in ruderal environments and fallows of archaeological sites and urban parks, near river courses and in remnants of natural forests. Valuable species exclusive of the suburban sector are threatened by urban sprawl. They occur prevalently in wet environments of the subcoastal strip and in coastal sands, Mediterranean maquis, tuffaceous gorges, sulphur springs and archaeological sites. The results highlight the need to preserve the complexity of the land mosaic, especially within the urban matrix, and to strengthen the existing environmental protection tools in the suburban area against foreseeable land cover changes.

VegItaly: The Italian collaborative project for a national vegetation database

Abstract Two years after its official start, the national vegetation database VegItaly, a collaborative project supported by the Italian scientific community and developed by a large group of scientists, is presented. This article offers a concise overview of the content of the database, currently consisting of 31,100 vegetation plot, including published and unpublished data. Some basic statistics are analysed; for example, data distribution in space and time, represented vegetation types expressed as physiognomic categories. Although rather young and still in progress, VegItaly already contains data from all the Italian regions and stands as an optimal candidate for the development of an Italian national vegetation database. Its main goals,theoretical basis, technical features, functionalities and recent progresses are outlined, showing glimpses of future prospects.

The vascular flora of Rome

The aim of this paper is to document plant diversity in the metropolitan area of Rome (Italy) by providing a comprehensive inventory of the present-day vascular flora and an overview of its composition and species diversity. We compiled the floristic catalogue by including all vascular plant entities that occur spontaneously within the administrative boundaries of the Rome municipality. The data, which were gathered from extensive field surveys, from a broad review of the literature and from herbaria records, were updated and integrated in a comprehensive account. The inventory of the flora of metropolitan Rome lists 1649 entities, from 139 families and 677 genera. The flora contains 228 taxa that are non-native to the Italian flora, 81 of which are established in the study area. The overview of flora reveals a remarkable species diversity and outlines the main characteristics of the flora of Rome, which may be summarized as (1) a large number of taxa of high conservation value which occur in remnants of near-natural vegetation, (2) the loss or decline of some species, particularly of native freshwater plants, (3) a remarkably high native species richness within the urban area, which includes many native woody species and (4) a rich ruderal flora, prevalently composed of native species that are well adapted to human disturbance, along with a variety of taxa of non-native or uncertain origin. The large set of data and the overview presented in this paper represent a fundamental framework for future research and for the conservation of plant diversity in metropolitan Rome.

Submediterranean dry grasslands along the Tyrrhenian sector of central Italy: Synecology, syndynamics and syntaxonomy

Abstract Semi-natural dry grasslands are habitats of high conservation concern. These ecosystems have not been extensively explored in the Tyrrhenian sector of the Italian peninsula, particularly in the Submediterranean climatic region. In order to address this issue and to define the synecology, syndynamics and syntaxonomy of calcareous grasslands in this area, we considered 127 phytosociological relevés. Our sampling was performed in the Lazio region according to a stratified sampling scheme based on homogeneous land units, defined by means of an ecological land classification process. We analyzed the vegetation data using multivariate methods. Two new associations, whose typical aspects occur in the mesotemperate phytoclimatic belt, were identified:Erysimo pseudorhaetici-Dasypyretum villosi (Taenianthero-Aegilopion) and Scorpiuro muricati-Brometum erecti (Phleo-Bromion). Phytoclimatic belts within the Submediterranean region cause a significant degree of differentiation within Scorpiuro-Brometum, which was described at the subassociation and variant levels. The overall relevance of therophytes represents the most important feature distinguishing Scorpiuro-Brometum from the published Bromus erectus associations. At a finer scale, the presence of the two physiognomically different grassland communities is related to different soil types. All these communities are dynamically linked to Quercus virgiliana and Q. pubescens woods, and contribute to the coenological differentiation of the vegetation series related to such woodlands.

Cynosurion cristati grasslands in the central Apennines (Tyrrhenian sector): A phytosociological survey in the Lepini and Prenestini mountains

Abstract Cynosurion cristati grasslands are semi‐natural habitats that have developed on mesotrophic soils with a good water supply and are found from the basal up to the mountain vegetation belts. Differences between the various communities of these grasslands in the European continent have not been fully investigated; in Italy, there is a lack of knowledge of the mesophilous pastures in the central and southern Apennines. In order to shed light on the Cynosurion hay meadows and grasslands in the central Apennines, we considered phytosociological data from the Lepini and Prenestini mountains (central Italy, Tyrrhenian sector): 58 original relevés and a synoptic table containing similar associations throughout the Italian peninsula were analysed using multivariate methods (hierarchical classifications and principal coordinates analysis). Two new associations were distinguished: Hordeum bulbosum meadows, grazed after being mown (Trifolio molinerii–Hordeetum bulbosi), and heavily grazed, unmown pastures with several thorny species (Centaureo calcitrapae–Lolietum perennis). Both these associations have been assigned to Cynosurion cristati, though they differ from the European coenoses owing to the presence of Festuco‐Brometea and Helianthemetea guttati species. Further investigations are warranted to clarify the overall syntaxonomical position of the Italian coenoses in relation to the ecological and phytogeographic variations of Cynosurion, which are considered to be related to traditional land use in mountain agricultural systems. Hay meadows, which are important elements of landscape and biodiversity conservation, particularly feel the negative effects of land abandonment and land use change.

Wild boar rooting intensity determines shifts in understorey composition and functional traits

In recent decades, the European populations of wild boar have grown substantially, as has the impact of this species, owing above all to its rooting activity. Our aim was to investigate the relationships between vascular plant understorey and wild boar rooting intensity. The questions we addressed are: does rooting intensity influence understorey species composition and diversity? Which functional traits are associated with different levels of rooting? We performed a comparative analysis of plant communities in areas with contrasting levels of rooting intensity within a Mediterranean deciduous lowland forest in central Italy. Besides comparing species composition and diversity, we tested the association between species traits and rooting levels through fourth-corner analysis. We found that contrasting levels of rooting were associated to different understorey species composition and evenness, while we observed no significant difference in species richness. In contrast with our expectations, sites with lower rooting returned i) lower evenness values and ii) a higher proportion of species characterized by traits related to resistance or response to herbivory, i.e., spinescence, clonality, endozoochory, underground storage organs, and low height values. Our findings suggest that current vegetation patterns partly depend on the legacy effect of past rooting disturbance, since the areas currently subjected to low rooting intensity were likely to be intensely rooted in the past. These areas may have developed a marked dominance of clonal thorny species that, in turn, inhibited further feeding activities by wild boar.

Quantifying Sus scrofa rooting effects on the understorey of the deciduous broadleaf forests in Castelporziano Estate (Italy)

Wild boar (Sus scrofa) rooting activities may affect several taxonomic groups. In hardwood forests, wild boar’s diet is predominantly represented by plants of the ground layer. We here report a study conducted in two Mediterranean lowland forests in central Italy (the State Reserve of Castelporziano and the Circeo National Park). The aim of our study was to evaluate whether contrasting levels of rooting (high vs. low) determine different understorey species composition and diversity. Our results show that different rooting levels determine strong differences in the understorey composition. Furthermore, we found that the occurrence of different species (e.g. Ruscus aculeatus) was associated with contrasting rooting levels. Mediterranean species were significantly more frequent in plots with high levels of rooting. Plots sampled in the Castelporziano area were also characterised by species adapted to frequent disturbance and anthropogenic influence (e.g. Piptatherum miliaceum, Conyza albida); whereas species associated to low-rooting plots were typically related to deciduous forests. We found non-significant differences in diversity indices. This study demonstrates that wild boar activities cause substantial alterations in plant communities and underscores the need for long-term exclosure experiments.