Michele Aleffi

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.

Lichens and bryophytes as indicators of old‐growth features in Mediterranean forests

Abstract This study is focused on the selection of variables affecting lichen and bryophyte diversity in Mediterranean deciduous forests. Plots representing two forest types (Fagus sylvatica and Quercus cerris forests) and two forest continuity categories (old‐growth (OG) and non‐OG forests) were selected in the Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park (Italy). The presence and the abundance of bryophytes and epiphytic lichens were recorded. Structural variables of the forests and vascular plant species richness have been used as predictors. A strong positive correspondence between the two groups of organisms was found. Higher species richness and the distribution of rare species are related to OG stands, while a qualitative (species composition) rather than a quantitative (species richness) difference between the two forest types was observed. Some species elsewhere considered as indicators of forest continuity, such as Lobaria pulmonaria, Antitrichia curtipendula, and Homalothecium sericeum, are associated with OG forests, independently from forest type, suggesting that they can be regarded as suitable indicators also in Mediterranean forests. Finally, our results suggest that old trees, high levels of basal area, a broad range of diameter classes, and high understory diversity are the main structural features affecting cryptogamic communities, while no correlation was found with the occurrence of deadwood.

New national and regional bryophyte records, 40

1. Aneura pseudopinguis (Herzog) PocsContributor: K. HylanderEthiopia: Kaffa, Bonga, Gimbo, Meligawa, Barta forest, 3 km ENE of Bonga, moist Afromontane forest, among other bryophytes on dead wood,...

New national and regional bryophyte records, 41

Dicranum spurium has been recorded for the first time in Croatia. In neighbouring countries it is known from Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro (Cortini Pedrotti, 1992 ; Sabovljevic´ et al., 2008 ; Papp et al., 2010). In Hungary, it is treated as VU (vulnerable) (Papp et al., 2010), in Montenegro as DD (data-deficient) (Sabovljevic´ et al., 2004), and further in the Balkans as EN (endangered) in Romania (Stefanut¸ & Goia, 2012). Dicranum spurium was found on Papuk Mountain (northeastern Croatia). Ninety-five per cent of Papuk Mountain is covered by forest vegetation, the yearly mean temperature is between 8 and 11C, and annual precipitation varies between 800 and 1300 mm. Almost the whole of the mountain is protected as a Nature Park. The locality in Svinjarevac where D. spurium occurred is beech forest (Fagus sylvatica L.), unique in Croatia, with a dense cover of Sphagnum quinquefarium (Braithw.) Warnst. on the forest floor. The bedrock is quartzite and gneiss, sloping between 35 and 45, and exposed to the northwest. This Fagus-Sphagnum quinquefarium forest was spread over 2.4 ha., with a poorly developed layer of herbaceous plants. Sphagnum platyphyllum was recorded during an extensive survey of spruce forests throughout Croatia. It was found in Stirovaca, a plateau in the central part of Velebit Mountain. The locality for this first record of S. platyphyllum for Croatia is just near the border of the Northern Velebit National Park (The whole Velebit Mountain is protected as a Nature Park). According to Dull et al. (1999), Sabovljevic (2006), and Sabovljevic et al. (2008), the species has not been recorded from Croatia, although it is known to occur in neighbouring countries: Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia (Cortini Pedrotti, 1992 ; Sabovljevic et al., 2008 ; Papp et al., 2010). In many of these countries, it is red listed: as VU (vulnerable) in Hungary, Slovenia, and Serbia (Martincicc, 1992 ; Sabovljevic et al., 2004 ; Papp et al., 2010) and further in the Balkans as NT (near threatened) in Romania (Stefanut & Goia, 2012). This part of Velebit Mountain is characterized by cool and long winters, with 1900 mm average annual precipitation and an average annual temperature of 3.5C. The natural vegetation consists of beech-fir and spruce forests and some of the forest stands are still primeval. Sphagnum platyphyllum occurred in a wet spruce (Picea abies (L.) H.Karst.) forest, where it grew in dense carpets covering the forest floor and the banks of shallow depressions (ca 100 m2) filled with water. The collection site in Stirovaca is the only known locality for this unique spruce forest community with peat mosses in Croatia. Sphagnum teres was found at two localities in Croatia, in or near the National Park Plitvicka jezera lakes, but in different habitats within the belt of beech-fir forests. The climate is moderately temperate, with 1500 mm annual precipitation and an average temperature of 7.9C. This is the first record of this species for Croatia, although in the neighbouring countries, it is known from Italy, Slovenia, Hungary and Serbia, and further to the south-east, in FYR Macedonia, Bulgaria and Greece (Papp et al., 2010 ; Sabovljevic et al., 2008). S. teres has been recently recorded as new for Albania (Marka & Sabovljevic, 2011), Bosnia- Herzegovina (Sabovljevic´ et al., 2010) and Montenegro (Martincic, 2006), and is red listed as CR (critically endangered) in Hungary (Papp et al., 2010), and as VU (vulnerable) in Serbia (Sabovljevic et al., 2004). The first locality, Ljeskovacˇke bare, is within the National Park Plitvicka jezera lakes. Here, the species occurred in transitional peat bog belonging to the community Drosero-Caricetum echinatae and occupying an area of ca 1 ha., S. teres was the dominant Sphagnum species. Sphagnum squarrosum Crome, S. palustre L., S. centrale C.E.O.Jensen and S. flexuosum Dozy & Molk. were also relatively abundant. The bog is wet throughout the year, but mostly without open water. Depending on the amount of precipitation, it can be flooded during winter and spring. The bog is not shaded ; it is completely exposed to the sun, but partially overgrown by Molinia coerulea Moench, which is mowed in the management of the Park. Some other species characteristic for this site were Drosera rotundifolia L., Carex echinata Murray, C. lasiocarpa Ehrh., and Menyanthes trifoliata L. The second locality, Vrhovinsko polje, is situated near the eastern border of Plitvicˇka jezera lakes National Park. It is a typical karst field, with the lowest, central part periodically flooded during winter and early spring. It is covered with grassland vegetation of different communities reflecting gradients of water and soil pH. The flora was very rich. In the lowest part of the field were several shallow depressions with a perimeter of 10–20 m overgrown by sedges, mostly Carex vesicaria L. On the edges of these depressions were scattered peat moss hummocks of Sphagnum palustre L., S. capillifolium (Ehrh.) Hedw., and S. subnitens Russow & Warnst. Among them, S. teres (Schimp.) Angstr. also occured, but in much lower abundance.

Are Red Lists really useful for plant conservation? The New Red List of the Italian Flora in the perspective of national conservation policies

“The New Red List of the Italian Flora” includes all the Italian policy species and other species of known conservation concerns for a total of 400 taxa, 65% of which are threatened with extinction. The Red List is based on a huge georeferenced data-set useful for conservation purposes.

New national and regional bryophyte records, 42

New national and regional bryophyte records, 42 L. T. Ellis, M. Aleffi, V. A. Bakalin, H. Bednarek-Ochyra, A. Bergamini, P. Beveridge, S. S. Choi, V. E. Fedosov, R. Gabriel, M. T. Gallego, S. Grdović, R. Gupta, V. Nath, A. K. Asthana, L. Jennings, H. Kürschner, M. Lebouvier, M. C. Nair, K. M. Manjula, K. P. Rajesh, M. Nobis, A. Nowak, S. J. Park, B.-Y. Sun, V. Plášek, L. Čı́hal, S. Poponessi, M. G. Mariotti, A. Sabovljević, M. S. Sabovljević, J. Sawicki, N. Schnyder, R. Schumacker, M. Sim-Sim, D. K. Singh, D. Singh, S. Majumdar, S. Singh Deo, S. Ştefănuţ, M. Suleiman, C. M. Seng, M. S. Chua, J. Váňa, R. Venanzoni, E. Bricchi, M. J. Wigginton Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, UK, University of Camerino, Camerino (MC), Italy, Botanical Garden-Institute, Vladivostok, Russia, Laboratory of Bryology, Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Biodiversity & Conservation Biology, Birmensdorf, Switzerland, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, New Zealand, National Institute of Ecology, Seocheon, Korea, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia, Azorean Biodiversity Group — CITAA, DCA — University of the Azores, Portugal, Departamento de Biologı́a Vegetal (Botánica), Universidad de Murcia, Spain, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, India, Conservation Biogeography and Macroecology Group, SGE — University of Oxford, UK, Freie Universität Berlin, Institut für Biologie, Systematische Botanik und Pflanzengeographie, Germany, CNRS UMR 6553, Université de Rennes 1, France, Department of Botany, The Zamorin’s Guruvayurappan College, Kozhikode, Kerala, India, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland, University of Opole, Poland, Department of Life Sciences, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, Korea, University of Ostrava, Czech Republic, University of Genova, Genova, Italy, Institute of Botany and Botanical Garden, University of Belgrade, Serbia, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland, Institut für Systematische Botanik, Universität Zürich, Switzerland, Department of Botany, University of Liège, Belgium, Centre for Environmental Biology, University of Lisbon, Portugal, Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata, India, Botanical Survey of India, Central National Herbarium, Howrah, India, Institute of Biology Bucharest of Romanian Academy, Romania, Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, University Malaysia, Sabah, Malaysia, Department of Botany, Charles University, Czech Republic, University of Perugia, Italy, Warmington, Peterborough, UK

New national and regional bryophyte records, 46

L. T. Ellis1, A. K. Asthana2, P. Srivastava2, I. Omar2, K. K. Rawat2, V. Sahu2, M. J. Cano3, D. P. Costa4, E. M. Dias5,8, N. Dias dos Santos5,6, J. B. Silva5, V. E. Fedosov7, M. N. Kozhin7, E. A. Ignatova7, S. R. Germano8, E. O. Golovina9, N. J. M. Gremmen10, R. Ion11, S. Ştefǎnuţ11, M. von Konrat12, M. S. Jimenez13,14, G. M. Suárez13,15, T. Kiebacher16, M. Lebouvier17, D. G. Long18, D. Maity19, R. Ochyra20, I. Parnikoza21, V. Plášek22, L. Fialová22, Z. Skoupá22, S. Poponessi23, M. Aleffi23, M. S. Sabovljević24, A. D. Sabovljević24, P. Saha25, M. N. Aziz25, J. Sawicki26,22, M. Suleiman27, B.-Y. Sun28, J. Váňa29, T. Wójcik30, Y.-J. Yoon31, J. Żarnowiec32, J. Larraín33

New national and regional bryophyte records, 48

Andreaea rothii has been recorded for the first time in Croatia. It is a boreo-temperate suboceanic species (Hill et al., 2007) relatively rare in SE Europe, since it is known only from Romania (Ellis et al., 2014d), Slovenia and Serbia (Sabovljevic´ et al., 2008 ; Hodgetts, 2015). The species was found in the Papuk Mountains, situated in the mainly lowland area of NE Croatia. In this region Papuk is the largest and highest mountain range, with peaks between 800 and 900 m a.s.l. They are characterized by high geological diversity dominated by metamorphic rocks, such as different types of schists, as well as granites. The climate is temperate, moderately warm without an explicit dry period. About 60% of the almost totally forested area is covered by different communities of beech forests. The well-developed black patches of A. rothii cover an area ca 2 m× 0.5 m on a steep north-facing cliff on the edge of an acidothermophilic sessile oak (Quercus petraea agg.) forest. The specimens of A. rothii grew on the bare rock with the following bryophyte species: Cynodontium polycarpon (Hedw.) Schimp., Dicranella heteromalla (Hedw.) Schimp., Dicranum scoparium Hedw., Polytrichum piliferum Schreb. ex Hedw. and Rhabdoweisia (cf.) fugax (Hedw.) Bruch & Schimp. The population is very small with an extremely high risk of extinction, therefore we propose CR as Red List status for the taxon in Croatia. According to the last checklist of the moss flora of Croatia (Sabovljevic´, 2006), only Andreaea rupestris Hedw., collected from just one locality in 1927 (Horvat, 1932 and ZA), was reported for the genus. The locality is very interesting from the point of view of the vegetation of Croatia, because it is within 100 m of the second stand of Fagus sylvatica L.-Sphagnum quinquefarium (Braithw.) Warnst. forest (Alegro et al., 2015). The second occurrence of Dicranum spurium Hedw. (Ellis et al., 2014d) and Rhabdoweisia fugax (Papp et al., 2013) in Croatia are also found here. Another interesting moss is S. capillifolium (Ehrh.) Hedw., that forms small red patches within the thick carpets of S. quinquefarium under the open oulder scree forest in the neighbourhood.

New National and Regional Bryophyte Records, 49

Paper presents couple of new national and regional bryophyte records accross the world, including our new record of Pseudocalliergon lycopodioides in the Carpathians (Czarny Dunajec); the only recent record for the Carpathians.

An information system on Italian liverworts, hornworts and mosses

The checklist of hornworts, liverworts and mosses of Italy is available online as a federated database, which can be queried by combining taxonomic and distributional information. Several digital identification keys have been included in the system, which will be part of the forthcoming Italian Biodiversity Network.