L. Di Martino

The Quercus cerris woods of the alliance Carpinion orientalis Horvat 1958 in Italy

Abstract A phytosociological study of the alliance Carpinion orientalis in the hilly and subcoastal areas of the Italian peninsula is presented. These woods are included in the suballiances Laburno-Ostryenion and Lauro-Quercenion; the distinction between these two suballiances is not always easy also because of the conservation status of these forest ecosystems. The hilly and subcoastal Turkey oak woods of the alliance Carpinion orientalis are mainly distributed on the Adriatic side of the Italian peninsula, where they are found on neutro-basic substrata to which these coenoses are linked. The Turkey oak woods of the alliance Teucrio siculi-Quercion cerridis are strongly linked to the acidic substrata typical of the Tyrrhenian side, but are sporadically found on the Adriatic side within small enclaves with more acidic substrata. A numerical analysis allowed us to rearrange the lower hierarchical levels of the associations of Turkey oak woods of the alliance Carpinion orientalis. In particular, the association Lonicero xylostei-Quercetum cerridis is included in the alliance Carpinion orientalis, and the new subassociation festucetosum exaltatae is proposed. The subassociation rosetosum arvensis is proposed for the association Daphno laureolae-Quercetum cerridis, and the new subassociation cytisophylletosum sessilifolii of the association Aceri obtusati-Quercetum cerridis is described.

Specie vegetali esotiche negli ambienti costieri sabbiosi di alcune regioni dell'Italia Centrale

Riassunto Gli effetti dellantropizzazione diretta delle spiagge e delle dune costiere hanno portato non solo alla diminuzione ed estinzione locale di specie, ma anche alla diffusione di elementi esotici. Il presente lavoro espone i risultati preliminari sulla presenza di specie vegetali esotiche nei sistemi dunali olocenici dellItalia centrale (Lazio, Abruzzo e Molise). Il censimento della flora vascolare esotica è stato effettuato seguendo il protocollo della cartografia floristica europea. E emersa la presenza di una notevole diversità di entità esotiche distribuita nei diversi habitat della zonazione costiera psammofila. La maggior parte delle esotiche è di origine americana, anche se alcune differenze emergono dal confronto fra i due litorali considerati: su quello tirrenico si rinvengono con maggior frequenza le specie di origine tropicale mentre su quello adriatico le specie aliene sono prevalentemente di origine extra-tropicale. Delle numerose specie rinvenute ed esaminate la maggior parte sono probabilmente esotiche casuali e poche si possono considerare con una certa sicurezza invasive negli ecosistemi sabbiosi costieri.

Analysis of diaspore morphology and seed germination in Bubon macedonicum L., a rare species in Italy

Abstract Bubon macedonicum L. is a chasmophytic species of south-eastern Europe. In Italy, it has been detected only in Rocca Monforte (Campobasso, central Italy). This rare species is included in the IUCN Red Lists of Critically Endangered Italian Flora, and there are no studies relating to B. macedonicum biology. The seed germination dynamics of this species was studied with the aim of building up an appropriate germination protocol to be used in ex situ conservation. On the basis of an ISTA protocol, about 3,000 seeds were collected from Rocca Monforte in August 2013. Fifty seeds were measured. The considered parameters were seed length, width, thickness, seed surface, volume, density, surface/mass ratio and eccentricity index. The morphometric parameters examined showed morphological dormancy, where a short warm period is necessary for embryo growth and seed germination. The results showed high germination percentages under the different conditions of temperature, pH, GA3 and photoperiod. Only at 5 °C was there no germination. Finally, the seeds maintain high germination percentages from the seed storage process after 130 and 390 days. This factor can be considered of great importance for the conservation of B. macedonicum over the medium and long term.

The role of GA3 in the germination process of high-mountain endemic and threatened species: Leontopodium nivalePinguicula fiorii and Soldanella minima subsp. samnitica (central Apennines, Italy)

The ex situ conservation of biodiversity is an essential tool for environmental protection interventions. Germination studies of seeds that belong to endangered species are essential for ex situ conservation strategies. In this study, we investigate the germination responses of three high-altitude endemic and vulnerable species (Leontopodium nivale, Pinguicula fiorii and Soldanella minima subsp. samnitica). Specifically we identified potential dormancy mechanisms by investigating the responses of germination percentage and rate to different concentrations of gibberellic acid (GA3), by performing a general linear model. L. nivale reached a germination percentage of 98.0 ± 2.0% (mean ± SE) under control conditions (20°C; 12/12 photoperiod; no GA3 addition). P. fiorii showed the highest germination percentage (78.0 ± 2.0%) in the treatment with GA3 500 ppm. S. minima subsp. samnitica did not show sensitivity to GA3 but responded positively to cold stratification (6 month at 5°C) with a germination percentage of 90 ± 6%. This study made it possible to acquire important information on the germination process of threatened and rare endemic taxa.

Analysis of intraspecific seed diversity in Astragalus aquilanus (Fabaceae), an endemic species of Central Apennine

This work aims to study seeds of the endemic species Astragalus aquilanus from four different populations of central Italy. We investigated seed morpho-colorimetric features (shape and size) and chemical differences (through infrared spectroscopy) among populations and between dark and light seeds. Seed morpho-colorimetric quantitative variables, describing shape, size and colour traits, were measured using image analysis techniques. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was used to attempt seed chemical characterisation. The measured data were analysed by step-wise linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Moreover, we analysed the correlation between the four most important traits and six climatic variables extracted from WorldClim 2.0. The LDA on seeds traits shows clear differentiation of the four populations, which can be attributed to different chemical composition, as confirmed by Wilks lambda test (Pxa0<xa00.001). A strong correlation between morphometric traits and temperature (annual mean temperature, mean temperature of the warmest and coolest quarter), colorimetric traits and precipitation (annual precipitation, precipitation of wettest and driest quarter) was observed. The characterisation of A. aquilanus seeds shows large intraspecific plasticity both in morpho-colorimetric and chemical composition. These results confirm the strong relationship between the type of seed produced and the climatic variables.