Marina Allegrezza

Effects of nitrogen enrichment, plant litter removal and cutting on a species-rich Mediterranean calcareous grassland.

Abstract Semi‐natural calcareous grasslands are of great interest in conservation because of their high species richness, but presently they are threatened by both land abandonment and nitrogen eutrophication. The paper reports on a three‐year field experiment conducted in a species‐rich Mediterranean grassland to study the effects of nitrogen application coupled with removal of plant litter and artificial cutting on plant species diversity. Vegetation treatments were applied both to abandoned and adjacent long‐term mowed grassland, to evaluate their restoration value and impact of management abandonment. Cutting significantly increased species diversity in the abandoned area by positively affecting the cover of almost all annual and biennial species and several perennial forbs. Cutting strongly reduced the dominance of perennial grasses. Litter removal had similar effects to cutting, although it was far less effective in increasing species diversity. In the mowed area, cutting abandonment did not reduce species diversity, although the perennial grasses started to increase their cover, while several rare species reduced their abundance. Surprisingly, nitrogen enrichment did not affect species diversity both in the abandoned and mowed area. Our results provided evidence that, within three years, annual cutting can partially restore the species diversity of abandoned grasslands.

New and validated syntaxa for the checklist of Italian vegetation

We drew up a checklist of the Italian vegetation (http://www.prodromo-vegetazione-italia.org/), up to the syntaxonomical rank of alliance. During the compilation of this checklist, we observed that some syntaxa were invalidly published. For this reason, in this article we validated some syntaxa names and, at the same time, described new syntaxa of different hierarchical levels. Therefore, 10 new orders, 1 new suborder, 18 new alliances, 3 new suballiances and 5 new associations are described here. These new syntaxa belong to the following classes: Adiantetea capilli-veneris, Parietarietea judaicae, Thlaspietea rotundifolii, Artemisietea vulgaris, Stellarietea mediae, Galio aparines–Urticetea dioicae, Mulgedio alpini–Aconitetea variegati, Trifolio medii–Geranietea sanguinei, Festuco-Seslerietea, Salicetea herbaceae, Festuco valesiacae–Brometea erecti, Molinio-Arrhenatheretea, Cisto cretici–Micromerietea julianae, Rhamno catharticae–Prunetea spinosae, Salici purpureae–Populetea nigrae, Salicetea purpureae, Quercetea ilicis and Querco roboris–Fagetea sylvaticae.

Assessing the impact of land abandonment, nitrogen enrichment and fairy-ring fungi on plant diversity of Mediterranean grasslands

Semi-natural calcareous grasslands are of great conservation interest because of their high species richness, but they are threatened by land abandonment and nitrogen eutrophication. These plant communities evolved as a result of a long history of human activity, which generated and maintained these habitats by extensive grazing and mowing. Calcareous grasslands are listed as a priority for conservation in the EC Habitats Directive. However, the effects of different management regimes, nitrogen enrichment, and soil-borne pathogens on plant species diversity are less clear for grasslands of the Mediterranean Basin, compared to meadows in Northern and Central Europe. In this study, we assessed the impact of land abandonment, nitrogen enrichment, and fairy-ring fungi on species diversity in semi-natural grasslands found in the Mediterranean Basin by comparing the available literature with findings from recent studies carried out in Central Italy. In a series of field experiments, the cutting of abandoned grassland consistently reduced the living biomass of the dominant perennial grasses, such as Brachypodium rupestre and Bromus erectus, and promoted a rapid increase in species richness and diversity by allowing the establishment of rare species. There was a similar, but less effective, restoration of species diversity and composition in mowed grassland after litter removal. We also show that nitrogen enrichment at levels comparable to atmospheric deposition depresses species diversity, which also hampers the positive effects of litter removal. Our findings are consistent with previous results achieved in Northern and Central Europe, which however, mainly focused on grasslands with intermediate to high primary productivity levels. The limited availability of data from low-productivity, drought-prone Mediterranean grasslands requires further studies to assess the impact of land abandonment and nitrogen eutrophication in such ecosystems. Finally, we discuss the role of fairy-ring fungi in the maintenance of plant diversity in species-rich grassland. We show that fairy-ring fungi (e.g. Agaricus campestris) critically affect the spatial distribution and diversity of coexisting plant species. By killing the dominant perennial herbs, these radially growing plant pathogens produce empty niches for rare, short-lived species, thus affecting the vegetation pattern. Overall, our results are of interest for environmental managers, as they provide guidelines for the restoration of abandoned areas and the conservation of these species-rich habitats.

Inquadramento fitosociologico di alcune formazioni prative del territorio collinare anconetano

Abstract Phytosiciological identification of some meadow formations of the hill territory around Ancona - A phytosociological study of some meadow formations found in the hill territory near the city of Ancona in the Marches region, is presented. Two new associations of meso-hygrophilous meadows are described. These associations are related respectively to the climactic series of the peliticousarenaceous substrata (Asparago acutifolii-Ostryeto carpinifoliae sigmetum) and to the edaphous-hygrophilous substratum of the recent alluvial terraces (Symphyto bulbosi-Ulmeto minoris sigmetum): Senecio erucifolii-Inuletum viscosae and Pastinaco urentis-Arrhenatheretum elatioris. The marked presence of mediterranean species allows both the associations to be distinguished from analogous associations spread throughout the other areas of Europe having a temperate climate. In addition, the new submediterranean alliance Inulo viscosae-Agropyrion repentis is proposed, uniting the post-cultivation associations of the marl...

Validation of some syntaxa of Italian vegetation

In this study, we validated some syntaxa, the published names of which were regarded as invalid on the basis of the International Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature. The validations concern syntaxa of different hierarchical levels, belonging to different phytosociological classes. Most validations regard syntaxa that are invalid with respect to art. 5 of the Code. Indeed, the nomenclatural types were not indicated in the correct form (typus, holotypus, lectotypus, and neotypus).

II paesaggio vegetale del territorio collinare anconetano

Abstract Plant landscape of the hill territory around Ancona. — The phytosociological study of the vegetation of the arenaceous, peliticous-arenaceous, arenaceous-peliticous and alluvial lands of the hilly Ancona sector, in the eastcentral part of the Italian peninsula on the Adriatic side, permitted the reconstruction of different vegetation series which are distributed in close relationship with the areas lithological formations. The edaphous-xerophilous series of the arenaceous substrata corresponds to the Roso sempervirentis-Queroeto pubescentis sigmetum; the climatophilous series of the peliticous-arenaceous substrata is represented by the Asparago acutifolii-Ostryeto carpinifoliae sigmetum, while the climatophilous series of the Lonicero xylostei-Querceto cerridis sigmetum is found on the arenaceous-peliticous substrata. The flood plain series of the oldest alluvial terraces corresponds to the Rubio peregrinae-Carpineto betuli, while in more recent ones the edaphous-hygrophilous series of the Symph...

New syntaxonomic contribution to the Vegetation Prodrome of Italy

In the course of the project “Syntaxonomic checklist of the Italian classes, orders and alliances (Vegetation Prodrome of Italy)”, promoted in 2012 by the Italian “Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea Protection” in collaboration with the “Italian Society of Botany”, it arises that some syntaxa are not validly published according to the International Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature rules. For this reason, these syntaxa names are validated in this paper. Furthermore, other new syntaxa of different hierarchical levels are here described for the first time. Therefore, one new order, two new suborders, six new alliances, two new suballiances and three new associations are here described. These new syntaxa belong to the following classes: Juncetea maritimi, Stellarietea mediae, Trifolio medii–Geranietea sanguinei, Alnetea glutinosae and Salici purpureae–Populetea nigrae. Finally, the syntaxonomic arrangement of Alnion incanae is here discussed.

Geosynphytosociological analysis of the plant landscape of an area with high geomorphology variability on the central Italian Adriatic coast

Abstract This study of the plant landscape of a sub-coastal hilly area in southern Marche, Italy, has allowed the proposal of two main models that are highly correlated with the geomorphological and bioclimate variations of the area. This study area is very complex from a geological point of view. The synphytosociological analysis reveals the changes that occur locally within each lithological unit. This confirms the strong correlation between vegetation series and lithological characteristics of the substrate, and also the high value and quality of such plant communities as bioindicators.

Effect of snowpack management on grassland biodiversity and soil properties at a ski resort in the Mediterranean basin (central Italy)

Abstract In the Mediterranean basin, the activity of ski resorts below 2000 m of altitude strongly affects grassland ecosystems because of the increasing use of artificial snow (AS). In a representative ski resort of central Apennines (Italy), we studied soil, vegetation and topographic variables of three adjacent grasslands: undisturbed grassland (UG), ski-runs with natural snow and ski-runs with amassed and AS. The winter temperature at the soil surface was colder in the ski-runs (even more in AS) than in the UG with an increase in dissolved organic matter and a biomass decrease. We identified 21 diagnostic species and 14 functional bioindicators linked to soil indicators like surface temperature and moisture. Conversely to observations made in the Alps and in other sites of the Apennines, we did not record any significant decrease in the floristic diversity between ski-runs and UG. Ski-run management aimed to prolong the snowpack duration-induced higher soil humidity and a short vegetative growth that produced a significant shift of the natural structure and composition of the grassland. To preserve key habitats for biodiversity, the construction and extension of ski resorts below the altitude of 2000 m should be avoided in the climatic belt of the Apennines.