Giovanna Pezzi

Habitat conservation in Italy: the state of the art in the light of the first European Red List of Terrestrial and Freshwater Habitats

The importance of taking into account ecosystems, plant communities and habitats for the development of biodiversity conservation strategies is increasingly acknowledged. Recently, the first ever European Red List of Habitats was produced, which provided an evaluation of the extinction risk of EUNIS-based natural and semi-natural habitats in Europe. As assessment unit, it used the habitat intended as a plant community, thus representing a landmark for the role of vegetation science in nature conservation. In the present paper, the results of the European Red List of Habitats are analyzed at the national scale with specific reference to the terrestrial and freshwater habitat types occurring in Italy. More than three-quarters of the assessed European habitat types were recognized for the Italian territory. The distribution of the threat categories reflects approximately the situation at the EU28 level. About 35% of the assessed habitat types are referred to a threat category; no critically endangered habitat is present in Italy. The most frequently used criteria are those related to a reduction in quantity. Some critical issues arising from the analyses are discussed. In particular, the presence of knowledge gaps is pointed out, with remarkable reference to the poor availability of spatial and quantitative data, severely affecting the application of the criteria adopted for the assessment. Descriptions of habitat types from Italy are reported, some of which are representative, emblematic or even exclusive to the Italian territory. The outcomes of the analysis represent the starting point for the future development of a national-scale Red List of Habitats. Results also emphasized how habitat types with a too broad definition pose a limit to a proper evaluation of the regional biogeographic variability, often very high in Italy, with local floristic and phytocoenotic peculiarities which do not find room in the adopted European typology. This is the reason why the development of national subtypes stands as a necessary step for the development of a realistic and effective assessment at the national scale.

Land cover changes and impact on ecosystems services. The case study of Rimini (Italy)

Vengono presentati i risultati di un’analisi diacronica di paesaggio effettuata mediante il confronto fra carte di uso del suolo. L’area di studio e il comune di Rimini e il periodo di indagine (1955- 2003) e significativo dei principali cambiamenti avvenuti nei paesaggi del Mediterraneo negli ultimi 60 anni. Scopo dell’indagine e valutare intensita, pattern e gradiente di tali cambiamenti nonche valutare la perdita di servizi ecosistemici. Nel caso in esame, solo il 29% del paesaggio ha conservato i suoi caratteri iniziali e le trasformazioni sono state particolarmente intense nel periodo 1955-1976. L’analisi diacronica, unitamente alla valutazione dei servizi ecosistemici, puo fornire dati utili per una futura pianificazione sostenibile del territorio in esame

Biogeography and ecology of the genus Turbinicarpus (Cactaceae): environmental controls of taxa richness and morphology

The biogeography and the ecology of the genus Turbinicarpus are scarcely known and the taxonomic segregation of the genus Rapicactus from Turbinicarpus has been debated. The present study aims to (i) evaluate the distribution of all taxa of Turbinicarpus in the full distributional range of the genus (NE Mexico); (ii) investigate the potential ecological divergence between Rapicactus and Turbinicarpus; and (iii) analyse the influence of environmental variables on plant morphology. The distribution pattern of all taxa belonging to the genus Turbinicarpus s.l. (Turbinicarpus + Rapicactus) was mapped using information from 12 herbaria, as well as unpublished databases. The study area was divided into cells of 25 km × 25 km. The relationships between taxa richness, sampling effort and environmental variables were tested by using grid data, via spatially explicit models. The elevational distribution of populations and the effects of climate, latitude and elevation on the mean steam diameter of the populations were separately investigated for Turbinicarpus and Rapicactus. Turbinicarpus s.l. taxa richness is highest within 100°W and 101°W longitude, about 2500 km north of the equator, with maximum diversity in areas with a mean annual temperature of 17–19 °C and a mean annual rainfall of 550–650 mm. A significant relationship was observed between taxa richness and sampling effort, and between taxa richness and longitude, mean annual rainfall and calcium-rich substrate. Rapicactus taxa were found to grow at higher elevations compared with Turbinicarpus. Body size of the plants showed a negative relationship with latitude and elevation in Turbinicarpus, and a positive one with latitude in Rapicactus. The results showed that the genus Turbinicarpus s.l. presents diversity hotspots in the floristic regions of Chihuahuan Desert and Sierra Madre Oriental. The responses of Rapicactus and Turbinicarpus to latitudinal and elevational gradients were different, supporting the segregation of Rapicactus from Turbinicarpus.

Ten years of citizen science data collection of wetland plants in an urban protected area

Abstract Floodplain landscape is the result of man’s presence over a long period of time. This has caused the degradation, or even loss, of several habitats, especially wetlands, which frequently preserve rare biodiversity, even though they are subjected to intense human presence. Human activities can be of value, but can also cause problems in species preservation. The protected area “Ansa e Valli del Mincio” (northern Italy) is an outstanding case study in this respect: it is located in a densely urbanized context, but has great value from a conservation standpoint. This paper presents the results of 10 years of monitoring (2003–2012) of the spatial distribution of two native species (Trapa natans and Nymphaea alba) and the invasive Nelumbo nucifera. Data collected by volunteers from the protected area were processed in GIS and analysed using a number of configurational landscape metrics. Nymphaea alba and N. nucifera became more widespread; T. natans underwent a serious decline, mostly due to the interference of N. nucifera. An oscillating trend of this species is visible until 2008, followed by substantial stability. Furthermore, the potential area of each species was calculated. On the whole, citizen science is a valuable tool to enhance biodiversity knowledge and safeguarding, especially in wetlands that are used for tourism and surrounded by residential areas. As in other contexts, the volunteer contribution was particularly helpful in data collection on a local scale, over a considerable time span.