Our study aimed at clarifying the current and previous occurrence, distribution and status (nativ... more Our study aimed at clarifying the current and previous occurrence, distribution and status (native vs. introduced) of Euphorbia lathyris L., the caper spurge, in S Italy and Sicily: most of the recent Italian floras and checklists, in fact, do not report this species for this area. To do this, a multi-disciplinary research was carried out taking into account not only botanical but also ethnobotanical and dialectological sources and a survey of the main herbaria of central and southern Italy. Our results point out that E. lathyris was much more frequent, well-known and commonly used in the whole southern Italy and in Sicily until 2-3 centuries ago, and that it probably experienced isolated cases of short naturalization at that time. Nowadays the caper spurge still occurs with few, small and scattered populations only in Molise and Calabria
As is well known, invasive alien species pose a major global threat to the conservation of biodiv... more As is well known, invasive alien species pose a major global threat to the conservation of biodiversity, causing the extinction of native species and modifying ecosystem functions: this is true also for aquatic habitats, particularly susceptible to invasion due to usually high disturbance regimes and easy dispersal of propagules. The island of Sicily is one of the main hotspots of plant biodiversity, in the center of the Mediterranean basin; it hosts different types of freshwater habitats, both lentic (coastal wetlands, saltworks, temporary ponds, lakes, reservoirs) and lotic (springs, streams, permanent and seasonal rivers). As a first step of our analysis of the effects of the alien vascular plant species on the aquatic habitats of the island, an updated list of these alien species reported for the Sicilian aquatic habitats has been compiled, including archeophytes (to be considered a minor threat because of the long amount of time since their introduction) and neophytes; we used the term \u201caquatic plants\u201d in its broadest sense to include all plants that occur in permanently or seasonally wet environments, distinguishing emergent, submergent and floating species. As regards floating species, in the last years new alien species, such as Lemna minor L., and new populations of already reported alien species, such as Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms, have been reported. A similar trend has been verified also for the emergent species (e.g. the new alien species Typha laxmannii Lepech.). From available data it is clear that additional research on the field is needed. We focused our attention on wetlands in protected areas; in fact they usually are delicate areas hosting rare species and/or ecosystems. The study of functional traits (such as gas exchange, leaf area index, leaf nutrient and chlorophyll concentrations, etc.) of invasive alien species can aid in predicting their impact on the evolution of natural wetlands. We specifically studied the following sites: the coastal wetlands in the Petrosino area and the saltworks of Trapani and Paceco (both of them Ramsar sites, in the western part of Sicily), and the small mountain lakes in the Nebrodi Park, above 1200 m a.s.l., in the north-eastern part of the island. Here we assessed the impact of alien vascular plants on wild habitats, considering their ways of dispersal and colonization in the different geographic and anthropic contexts
Abstract New data on the geographical distribution and ecology of two rare taxa of Carex collecte... more Abstract New data on the geographical distribution and ecology of two rare taxa of Carex collected in the area of the Nebrodi Mountains (Sicily) are provided; the Sicilian populations of both taxa are at the border of their respective ranges, and their regional distribution is still poorly known. The new population of Carex × boenninghausiana reported here confirms the presence of this hybrid in Sicily, but at the same time it represents the only known population currently occurring in Italy; in fact, the other – so far only – known Italian population is considered extinct. The second report concerns Carex grioletii, recently considered doubtful for the Sicilian flora, whose new population here reported is the only confirmed and currently present population in the island; the assessment of extinction risk and conservation status, carried out at regional (Sicilian) level according to the IUCN criteria for the latter taxon, showed that it is Critically Endangered (CR).
ABSTRACT New data on the distribution, biology, intra- and inter-population variability and conse... more ABSTRACT New data on the distribution, biology, intra- and inter-population variability and conservation state of Sicilian populations of Anacolia webbii are provided. Two new localities are reported, so that total five fragmented populations occur in the island, all of them in a rather small area in the western part of the province of Palermo. They live on wet limestone or sandstone cliffs with base at 900–1200m a.s.l. and N, N-NE aspect, within communities of Aceri campestris-Querco-ilicis sigmetum. The plants are particularly vigorous, but some data suggest a condition of vulnerability of the populations. In fact, in addition to specificity to a rare habitat on the island, a morphometric and allozyme analysis showed a very low genetic and morphological diversity. One population (Costa Lunga), showing small morphological differences with respect to the other populations, diverges from this pattern, showing the highest mean number of alleles per locus (1.5), the highest polymorphism (50%) and intra-population diversity (H ¼ 0.249). In one of the larger populations (Mount Kumeta), moreover, a remarkable presence of sterile plants, a paucity of male plants as well as a low production of sporophytes and a high rate of aborted archegonia have been recorded.
A thorough research on the scientific activity of Guglielmo Gasparrini, Giovanni Gussone and Augu... more A thorough research on the scientific activity of Guglielmo Gasparrini, Giovanni Gussone and Augustin Pyramus De Candolle allowed the authors to adress a research in several European herbaria looking for the type of the name Senecio pygmaeus DC. The original specimen sent by Gussone and mentioned in the protologue by Candolle is still kept at G-DC and is designated as the lectotype, whilst three other herbarium sheets, preserved at NAP-GUSS, PAL and PAV herbaria respectively, in all probability belong to the same gathering, and are considered as isolectotypes. The authors provide an updated description of this taxon in order to better point out its diagnostic characters. However, further biosystematic and phytogeographic surveys are needed to ascertain the taxonomic value and the distribution range of S. pygmaeus. Indeed, it might represent just a dwarfed, salt-tolerant ecotype of S. leucanthemifolius Poir. or S. vulgaris L., hence be more widespread than previously reported, counti...
The huge biodiversity of inland waters and the many different aquatic habitats or ecosystems occu... more The huge biodiversity of inland waters and the many different aquatic habitats or ecosystems occurring there are particularly threatened by human impacts. In this Special Issue, ten articles have been collected that show new data on the distribution and ecology of some rare aquatic macrophytes, including both vascular plants and charophytes, but also on the use of these organisms for the monitoring, management, and restoration of wetlands.
FIGURE 1. Lectotype of Calendula maritima Guss. (BOLO) (reproduced with permission of the Herbari... more FIGURE 1. Lectotype of Calendula maritima Guss. (BOLO) (reproduced with permission of the Herbarium, University of Bologna, Italy).
Our study aimed at clarifying the current and previous occurrence, distribution and status (nativ... more Our study aimed at clarifying the current and previous occurrence, distribution and status (native vs. introduced) of Euphorbia lathyris L., the caper spurge, in S Italy and Sicily: most of the recent Italian floras and checklists, in fact, do not report this species for this area. To do this, a multi-disciplinary research was carried out taking into account not only botanical but also ethnobotanical and dialectological sources and a survey of the main herbaria of central and southern Italy. Our results point out that E. lathyris was much more frequent, well-known and commonly used in the whole southern Italy and in Sicily until 2-3 centuries ago, and that it probably experienced isolated cases of short naturalization at that time. Nowadays the caper spurge still occurs with few, small and scattered populations only in Molise and Calabria
As is well known, invasive alien species pose a major global threat to the conservation of biodiv... more As is well known, invasive alien species pose a major global threat to the conservation of biodiversity, causing the extinction of native species and modifying ecosystem functions: this is true also for aquatic habitats, particularly susceptible to invasion due to usually high disturbance regimes and easy dispersal of propagules. The island of Sicily is one of the main hotspots of plant biodiversity, in the center of the Mediterranean basin; it hosts different types of freshwater habitats, both lentic (coastal wetlands, saltworks, temporary ponds, lakes, reservoirs) and lotic (springs, streams, permanent and seasonal rivers). As a first step of our analysis of the effects of the alien vascular plant species on the aquatic habitats of the island, an updated list of these alien species reported for the Sicilian aquatic habitats has been compiled, including archeophytes (to be considered a minor threat because of the long amount of time since their introduction) and neophytes; we used the term \u201caquatic plants\u201d in its broadest sense to include all plants that occur in permanently or seasonally wet environments, distinguishing emergent, submergent and floating species. As regards floating species, in the last years new alien species, such as Lemna minor L., and new populations of already reported alien species, such as Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms, have been reported. A similar trend has been verified also for the emergent species (e.g. the new alien species Typha laxmannii Lepech.). From available data it is clear that additional research on the field is needed. We focused our attention on wetlands in protected areas; in fact they usually are delicate areas hosting rare species and/or ecosystems. The study of functional traits (such as gas exchange, leaf area index, leaf nutrient and chlorophyll concentrations, etc.) of invasive alien species can aid in predicting their impact on the evolution of natural wetlands. We specifically studied the following sites: the coastal wetlands in the Petrosino area and the saltworks of Trapani and Paceco (both of them Ramsar sites, in the western part of Sicily), and the small mountain lakes in the Nebrodi Park, above 1200 m a.s.l., in the north-eastern part of the island. Here we assessed the impact of alien vascular plants on wild habitats, considering their ways of dispersal and colonization in the different geographic and anthropic contexts
Abstract New data on the geographical distribution and ecology of two rare taxa of Carex collecte... more Abstract New data on the geographical distribution and ecology of two rare taxa of Carex collected in the area of the Nebrodi Mountains (Sicily) are provided; the Sicilian populations of both taxa are at the border of their respective ranges, and their regional distribution is still poorly known. The new population of Carex × boenninghausiana reported here confirms the presence of this hybrid in Sicily, but at the same time it represents the only known population currently occurring in Italy; in fact, the other – so far only – known Italian population is considered extinct. The second report concerns Carex grioletii, recently considered doubtful for the Sicilian flora, whose new population here reported is the only confirmed and currently present population in the island; the assessment of extinction risk and conservation status, carried out at regional (Sicilian) level according to the IUCN criteria for the latter taxon, showed that it is Critically Endangered (CR).
ABSTRACT New data on the distribution, biology, intra- and inter-population variability and conse... more ABSTRACT New data on the distribution, biology, intra- and inter-population variability and conservation state of Sicilian populations of Anacolia webbii are provided. Two new localities are reported, so that total five fragmented populations occur in the island, all of them in a rather small area in the western part of the province of Palermo. They live on wet limestone or sandstone cliffs with base at 900–1200m a.s.l. and N, N-NE aspect, within communities of Aceri campestris-Querco-ilicis sigmetum. The plants are particularly vigorous, but some data suggest a condition of vulnerability of the populations. In fact, in addition to specificity to a rare habitat on the island, a morphometric and allozyme analysis showed a very low genetic and morphological diversity. One population (Costa Lunga), showing small morphological differences with respect to the other populations, diverges from this pattern, showing the highest mean number of alleles per locus (1.5), the highest polymorphism (50%) and intra-population diversity (H ¼ 0.249). In one of the larger populations (Mount Kumeta), moreover, a remarkable presence of sterile plants, a paucity of male plants as well as a low production of sporophytes and a high rate of aborted archegonia have been recorded.
A thorough research on the scientific activity of Guglielmo Gasparrini, Giovanni Gussone and Augu... more A thorough research on the scientific activity of Guglielmo Gasparrini, Giovanni Gussone and Augustin Pyramus De Candolle allowed the authors to adress a research in several European herbaria looking for the type of the name Senecio pygmaeus DC. The original specimen sent by Gussone and mentioned in the protologue by Candolle is still kept at G-DC and is designated as the lectotype, whilst three other herbarium sheets, preserved at NAP-GUSS, PAL and PAV herbaria respectively, in all probability belong to the same gathering, and are considered as isolectotypes. The authors provide an updated description of this taxon in order to better point out its diagnostic characters. However, further biosystematic and phytogeographic surveys are needed to ascertain the taxonomic value and the distribution range of S. pygmaeus. Indeed, it might represent just a dwarfed, salt-tolerant ecotype of S. leucanthemifolius Poir. or S. vulgaris L., hence be more widespread than previously reported, counti...
The huge biodiversity of inland waters and the many different aquatic habitats or ecosystems occu... more The huge biodiversity of inland waters and the many different aquatic habitats or ecosystems occurring there are particularly threatened by human impacts. In this Special Issue, ten articles have been collected that show new data on the distribution and ecology of some rare aquatic macrophytes, including both vascular plants and charophytes, but also on the use of these organisms for the monitoring, management, and restoration of wetlands.
FIGURE 1. Lectotype of Calendula maritima Guss. (BOLO) (reproduced with permission of the Herbari... more FIGURE 1. Lectotype of Calendula maritima Guss. (BOLO) (reproduced with permission of the Herbarium, University of Bologna, Italy).
The results of preliminary phytosociological investigations on freshwater communities of Sicily b... more The results of preliminary phytosociological investigations on freshwater communities of Sicily biotopes with a significant presence of Characeae are presented. In spite of the relatively frequent occurrence of Characeae, a typical Charetea intermediae vegetation is rather rare in the investigated biotopes. Indeed, the Characeae are mainly part of communities attributable to the classes Potamogetonetea, Phragmito-Magnocaricetea, Juncetea mar-itimi and Isoeto-Nanojuncetea. Some ecological and functional implications are discussed, along with some consequences on conservation measures and policies, caused by the lack of knowledge on the Characeae of Sicily.
Field investigation carried out by the Sicilian botanists in the last 20 years enabled them to id... more Field investigation carried out by the Sicilian botanists in the last 20 years enabled them to identify eight habitat types of high biogeographic and conservation interest, neglected by the Directive 92/43, which deserve ad hoc conservation measures. For each of these habitats, a syntaxonomic interpretation of the corresponding plant communities, their main ecological, physiognomic and syndynamic traits and a list of diagnostic species are provided. Their classification into the macrotypes listed in the Annex I of the Directive 92/43 and the respective correspondence in EUNIS habitat classification are proposed. The habitats here described integrate those already proposed by the Italian Botanical Society, with the hope of an adequate recognition at national at supranational level.
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