Gianmaria Bonari

Wikiplantbase #Toscana, breaking the dormancy of floristic data

The online platform “Wikiplantbase #Toscana” provides a framework where the full set of georeferenced floristic records of Tuscany (central Italy) can be entered, stored, updated and freely accessed through the Internet. As of 5 January 2015, the database stores 67,360 floristic records, referable to 3578 accepted specific and subspecific taxa. Most records are based on published data (80.6% of the total), then by published herbarium specimens (15.1%) and on unpublished field data (3.8%); unpublished herbarium records account only for 0.5% of the stored data. At present, the most represented species is the fern Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn subsp. aquilinum (Dennstaedtiaceae) with 234 records for 219 localities, but 625 species are still represented only by one record for a single locality. Data acquisition is far from complete, but in slightly more than one year a massive amount of data was accumulated, and can be maintained up-to-date with relatively little effort. This could power several researches such as, for example, (1) taxonomic researches especially on species and genera in Tuscany and Italy; (2) studies on the distribution of diversity across administrative or ecological boundaries; (3) evaluation of conservation status of endangered taxa; and (4) static and dynamic range modelling and evolution niche studies.

Habitat conservation prioritization: A floristic approach applied to a Mediterranean wetland network

Abstract The importance of plant communities for conservation purposes is recognized in their inclusion in the “Habitat Directive” (92/43 EEC), that relates habitat types to plant community syntaxonomic units. However, habitat definitions in the Habitat Directive lead to several inaccuracies in local habitat characterization. Several wetland plant communities (and their corresponding habitats), rare in the Mediterranean basin, are not included in the Habitat Directive. This study proposes criteria for assessing the conservation importance of habitats. It deals with plant community types at the alliance level, as promising units for setting conservation priorities. The principle criteria considered as drivers for setting alliance conservation values are the distribution and abundance of plant species of conservation interest and their fidelity to a plant community. Multivariate methods were used, and a quantitative floristic index of alliance conservation priority was created. This procedure was applied to an important wetland in central Italy. Results emphasize: (i) high conservation values of some alliances not listed in the Habitat Directive, confirming various gaps in the current conservation law affecting Mediterranean wetlands; (ii) that habitats widely distributed in other biogeographical areas, may greatly underestimate their conservation importance in Mediterranean region; (iii) need to consider regional peculiarities when setting conservation priorities.

Concordance between plant species, oribatid mites and soil in a Mediterranean stone pine forest

Biological interactions between above-ground and below-ground organisms are not clearly defined among communities with regard to compositional patterns. The study investigates the concordance of species assemblages between vascular plants and oribatid mites and soil chemical properties with special attention to the role of vegetation structure, i.e. tree, shrub and herbaceous cover, for biological components. Data were collected in a Mediterranean coastal Nature Reserve using sampling design based on random selection of plots with cover of stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) exceeding 15%. Agreement of distribution patterns was verified by Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient applied to pairs of matrices of plot scores by principal component analysis (plants, mites and soil) and the Mantel test. The feasible role of vegetation cover on plant and mite assemblages was tested by redundancy analysis (RDA). Significant correlations were found for biological assemblages, indicating congruent plant–mite compositional patterns. On the other hand, the hypothesis of concordance between biological communities and soil was rejected. Moreover, RDA showed that vegetation cover was a driver of both plant and oribatid mite assemblages. In particular, herbaceous cover proved to be a good proxy for the two biological communities investigated, with different taxa linked to forest clearings and to areas with denser tree cover. Our results indicate that soil features were not of primary importance for below-ground and above-ground community assemblages in the study area. In the light of our findings and ongoing threats in coastal areas, we recommend that management measures be directed at maintenance of diversified vegetation structure, which may ensure above-ground and below-ground biodiversity with diverse biological community assemblages.

The porcupine as "little Thumbling": The role of Hystrix cristata in the spread of Helianthus tuberosus

Abstract The spread of alien invasive plants deserves strong and applied attention by conservation biologists, because it is regarded as one of the main causes of loss of native biodiversity. Herbivore species may be involved in the dispersal of invasive plants through zoochory. The Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus is an invasive species in Europe, which has been introduced from North America and has shown a rapid spread in newly colonized areas. Crested porcupine Hystrix cristata mainly feed on this species (seeds and tubers) during its flowering period (i.e., late summer, early autumn) and it is suggested to be responsible for its spread through endozoochory. In this paper, the germination rate of the Jerusalem artichoke from faecal pellets of crested porcupines was analysed. Faecal pellets, collected between September and November 2016, were left to germinate at environmental conditions in sterile potting soil. After two weeks, germinated seedlings were genetically identified through DNA barcoding analyses. We reported the first case of endozoochory by the crested porcupine. The results showed a low germination rate (i.e., 16.7% out of 12 excrements), possibly because the digestive tract of crested porcupines affects the propagule viability. Despite this, the Jerusalem artichoke is showing a rapid and alarming increasing trend in our study area, suggesting that a potential role by wildlife may have been occurred. Given the high invasive potential of this plant species, further researches are required to assess and quantify the potential role of herbivores as dispersal agents.

Contributi per una flora vascolare di Toscana.VIII (440-506).

Jsou předkladany nove lokality a/nebo potvrzeni týkajici se 67 rostlinných taxonů toskanske flory cevnatých rostlin, ktere patři k 59 rodům a 37 celedim.