New national and regional Annex I Habitat records: from #60 to #82

New Italian data on the distribution of the Annex I Habitats are reported in this contribution. Specifically, 8 new occurrences in Natura 2000 sites are presented and 49 new cells are added in the EEA 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Campania, Calabria, Marche, Piedmont, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany and Umbria. Relevés and figures are provided as Supplementary material respectively 1 and 2

New national and regional Annex I Habitat records: from #45 to #59

New Italian data on the distribution of Annex I Habitats are reported in this contribution. Specifically, 8 new occurrences in Natura 2000 sites are presented and 27 new cells are added in the EEA 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Apulia, Campania, Calabria, Lazio, Tuscany, Umbria, Sardinia, and Sicily

Shedding light on typical species : implications for habitat monitoring

Habitat monitoring in Europe is regulated by Article 17 of the Habitats Directive, which suggests the use of typical species to assess habitat conservation status. Yet, the Directive uses the term “typical” species but does not provide a definition, either for its use in reporting or for its use in impact assessments. To address the issue, an online workshop was organized by the Italian Society for Vegetation Science (SISV) to shed light on the diversity of perspectives regarding the different concepts of typical species, and to discuss the possible implications for habitat monitoring. To this aim, we inquired 73 people with a very different degree of expertise in the field of vegetation science by means of a tailored survey composed of six questions. We analysed the data using Pearson's Chi-squared test to verify that the answers diverged from a random distribution and checked the effect of the degree of experience of the surveyees on the results. We found that most of the surveyees agreed on the use of the phytosociological method for habitat monitoring and of the diagnostic and characteristic species to evaluate the structural and functional conservation status of habitats. With this contribution, we shed light on the meaning of “typical” species in the context of habitat monitoring

New national and regional Annex I Habitat records: from #83 to #101

New Italian data on the distribution of 17 Annex I Habitats are reported in this contribution. Specifically, 11 new occurrences in Natura 2000 sites are presented and 30 new cells are added in the EEA 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Apulia, Campania, Calabria, Lazio, Sardinia, Sicily and Tuscany

Contributi per una flora vascolare di Toscana. XI (664-738)

Vengono presentate nuove località e/o conferme relative 75 taxa specifici e sottospecifici di piante vascolari della flora vascolare toscana, appartenenti a 67 generi e 41 famiglie: Delosperma (Aizoaceae), Dysphania (Amaranthaceae), Leucojum, Nothoscordum (Amaryllidaceae), Bupleurum, Coriandrum (Apiaceae), Araujia (Apocynaceae), Lemna (Araceae), Hydrocotyle (Araliaceae), Aristolochia (Aristolochiaceae), Bellevalia (Asparagaceae), Asphodelus (Asphodelaceae), Artemisia, Crepis, Eclipta, Erigeron, Hieracium, Senecio, Symphyotrichum, Tolpis (Asteraceae), Symphytum (Boraginaceae), Alyssum, Cardamine, Eruca, Isatis (Brassicaceae), Valerianella (Caprifoliaceae), Petrorhagia, Scleranthus (Caryophyllaceae), Commelina (Commelinaceae), Dichondra (Convolvulaceae), Sedum (Crassulaceae), Diospyros (Ebenaceae), Moneses (Ericaceae), Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae), Medicago, Trifolium (Fabaceae), Myriophyllum (Haloragaceae), Juncus (Juncaceae), Salvia, Teucrium (Lamiaceae), Broussonetia (Moraceae), Spiranthes (Orchidaceae), Phelipanche (Orobanchaceae), Papaver (Papaveraceae), Passiflora (Passifloraceae), Cedrus, Pseudotsuga (Pinaceae), Bromopsis, Calamagrostis, Cenchrus, Drymochloa, Melica, Oloptum, Phleum, Sporobolus, Tragus (Poaceae), Stuckenia (Potamogetonaceae), Lysimachia (Primulaceae), Anemone, Aquilegia (Ranunculaceae), Eriobotrya (Rosaceae), Crucianella (Rubiaceae), Verbascum (Scrophulariaceae), Typha (Typhaceae), Urtica (Urticaceae), Viola (Violaceae). Infine, viene discusso lo status di conservazione delle entità e gli eventuali vincoli di protezione dei biotopi segnalati.New localities and/or confirmations concerning 75 specific and subspecific plant taxa of Tuscan vascular flora, belonging to 67 genera and 41 families are presented: Delosperma (Aizoaceae), Dysphania (Amaranthaceae), Leucojum, Nothoscordum (Amaryllidaceae), Bupleurum, Coriandrum (Apiaceae), Araujia (Apocynaceae), Lemna (Araceae), Hydrocotyle (Araliaceae), Aristolochia (Aristolochiaceae), Bellevalia (Asparagaceae), Asphodelus (Asphodelaceae), Artemisia, Crepis, Eclipta, Erigeron, Hieracium, Senecio, Symphyotrichum, Tolpis (Asteraceae), Symphytum (Boraginaceae), Alyssum, Cardamine, Eruca, Isatis (Brassicaceae), Valerianella (Caprifoliaceae), Petrorhagia, Scleranthus (Caryophyllaceae), Commelina (Commelinaceae), Dichondra (Convolvulaceae), Sedum (Crassulaceae), Diospyros (Ebenaceae), Moneses (Ericaceae), Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae), Medicago, Trifolium (Fabaceae), Myriophyllum (Haloragaceae), Juncus (Juncaceae), Salvia, Teucrium (Lamiaceae), Broussonetia (Moraceae), Spiranthes (Orchidaceae), Phelipanche (Orobanchaceae), Papaver (Papaveraceae), Passiflora (Passifloraceae), Cedrus, Pseudotsuga (Pinaceae), Bromopsis, Calamagrostis, Cenchrus, Drymochloa, Melica, Oloptum, Phleum, Sporobolus, Tragus (Poaceae), Stuckenia (Potamogetonaceae), Lysimachia (Primulaceae), Anemone, Aquilegia (Ranunculaceae), Eriobotrya (Rosaceae), Crucianella (Rubiaceae), Verbascum (Scrophulariaceae), Typha (Typhaceae), Urtica (Urticaceae), and Viola (Violaceae). In the end, the conservation status of the units and eventual protection of the cited biotopes are discussed

Integrating low-altitude drone based-imagery and OBIA for mapping and manage semi natural grassland habitats

International audienceMonitoring semi-natural grasslands is difficult and costly because they occur in highly dynamic and extremely complex habitat mosaics. We combined the use of a low-cost unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry to acquire high spatial resolution (∼1.5 cm pixel) RGB imagery. After image classification through Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA), we accurately were able to distinguish three semi-natural grassland types, one of which is a habitat of conservation concern. The use of orthomosaics, digital elevation models (DEMs), and canopy height models (CHMs) yielded excellent overall classification accuracies (>89%) assessed through both remotely validated and ground-truthed points. We identified two layers of woody vegetation with a user's (UA) and producer's (PA) accuracies >73% and three grassland types: closed grassland (UA = 94%; PA = 97%), open grassland habitat (UA = 97%; PA = 93%) and open grasslands with soil erosion (UA = 96%; PA = 98%). The grassland types differed substantially in the cover of vegetation, rocks, stones, and bare soil measured in the field, as well as in the number and relative cover of the habitat diagnostic species. The proposed methodology is highly promising for mapping and monitoring semi-natural grassland of conservation concern in support of tailored management actions

Contribution to the knowledge of the vascular flora of Miniera di Murlo area (southern Tuscany, Italy)

This work aims to increase the floristic knowledge of southern Tuscany by means of a floristic investigation which took place in the Miniera di Murlo (southern Tuscany, Italy). The study area, located in the province of Siena, has an extension of 2.26 km2 and hosts a heterogeneity of habitats like rocky outcrops, woodlands, meadows and riparian formations. The prevalent geological type is an acidic sedimentary rock known as diaspri formation (jasper). The checklist of vascular flora consists of 501 taxa and includes six endemics and 13 alien species, among which Vitis labrusca is a newly-found species for the Province of Siena along with the native Rosa balsamica and Rosa squarrosa. The most interesting species, such as Anthoxanthum aristatum, Gagea bohemica, Paragymnopteris marantae, Saxifraga granulata, and Teesdalia coronopifolia, are found on acidic rocks. Species of the Italian Red List, such as Ruscus aculeatus, and species of Regional conservation interest, such as Centaurea aplolepa subsp. carueliana, Ervilia loiseleurii, and Vicia nigricans, were recorded. The chorological spectrum reveals a dominance of Mediterranean species indicating warm climate conditions and mild winters whereas the life-form spectrum shows a slight dominance of hemicryptophytes followed by therophytes. However, a clear dominance of one life-form type over the other is lacking, since the acidic and dry rocky substrate partially compensates for the humidity provided by the stream. This study highlights the relevant floristic value of the Miniera di Murlo area and supports the possible creation of a protected area or its inclusion in the adjacent one

Chronicle of a death foretold: The vanishing of an emblematic cultural landscape results in the loss of its unique plant communities

Badlands are peculiar geomorphological formations shaping landscapes of high ecological and cultural value. In the last decades, land reclamation for agricultural purposes and the cessation of traditional land use, such as sheep grazing, led to their decline in extent in many areas. To quantify the changes in badland-related plant communities, we resurveyed badland vegetation in a site of the Crete Senesi (Siena, central Italy) after 16 years (2006–2022), using 48 quasi-permanent vegetation plots and by means of uni- and multivariate analysis of variance. We found an increase in the total vegetation cover of plant communities growing in former bare soil and sparsely vegetated areas, in line with an overall decrease in the extent of bare soil surfaces in the study area, which we highlighted through the analysis of multitemporal satellite images. Pioneer vegetation characterized by the endemic plant Artemisia caerulescens subsp. cretacea changed into ruderal annual grasslands, while former bare soils were colonized by such pioneer vegetation. In contrast, perennial grasslands remained stable. Grasslands with shrubs became more similar to perennial grasslands in species composition. Species richness increased in former bare soils, and using the total vegetation cover as a proxy for successional stages, we found that Shannon diversity and evenness peaked at about 90% of total cover. In all the stages of colonization, short distance dispersal species prevailed, both therophytes (Avena sterilis, Parapholis strigosa) and perennials (Artemisia caerulescens subsp. cretacea, Bromopsis erecta). Long distance dispersal species (Galatella linosyris) started colonizing at about 60% of total vegetation cover, and at high vegetation cover all the functional groups coexisted. Our results confirm that the badland landscapes of southern Tuscany and specialist plant diversity adapted to badlands are vanishing after a diminishing of active land management, suggesting the current ineffectiveness of the Natura 2000 network in their conservation

Contributi per una flora vascolare di Toscana. XV (959-1054)

Vengono presentate nuove località e/o conferme relative 96 taxa specifici e sottospecifici di piante vascolari della flora vascolare toscana, appartenenti a 77 generi e 43 famiglie: Mesembryanthemum (Aizoaceae), Alisma, Sagittaria (Alismataceae), Amaranthus, Chenopodium (Amaranthaceae), Allium (Amaryllidaceae), Torilis (Apiaceae), Nerium (Apocynaceae), Asparagus (Asparagaceae), Aposeris, Bidens, Calendula, Gamochaeta, Leucanthemum, Rhagadiolus, Taraxacum (Asteraceae), Anchusa (Boraginaceae), Hornungia, Lobularia, Rorippa, Sinapis (Brassicaceae), Campanula (Campanulaceae), Valerianella (Caprifoliaceae), Herniaria, Moehringia, Scleranthus, Silene (Caryophyllaceae), Convolvulus (Convolvulaceae), Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae), Astragalus, Hippocrepis, Lathyrus, Ornithopus, Trifolium (Fabaceae), Quercus (Fagaceae), Geranium (Geraniaceae), Phacelia (Hydrophyllaceae), Lamium, Salvia, Stachys (Lamiaceae), Malva (Malvaceae), Broussonetia (Moraceae), Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae), Nelumbo (Nelumbonaceae), Mirabilis (Nyctaginaceae), Oenothera (Onagraceae), Neotinea, Ophrys (Orchidaceae), Parentucellia (Orobanchaceae), Oxalis (Oxalidaceae), Glaucium, Papaver, Roemeria (Papaveraceae), Kickxia (Plantaginaceae), Platanus (Platanaceae), Anthoxanthum, Cortaderia, Eleusine, Eragrostis, Festuca, Hainardia, Melica, Tragus (Poaceae), Reynoutria (Polygonaceae), Potamogeton (Potamogetonaceae), Lysimachia (Primulaceae), Delphinium, Ranunculus (Ranunculaceae), Ziziphus (Rhamnaceae), Potentilla, Rosa (Rosaceae), Verbascum (Scrophulariaceae), Physalis, Salpichroa, Solanum (Solanaceae), Phyla (Verbenaceae), Vitis (Vitaceae). Infine, viene discusso lo status di conservazione delle entità e gli eventuali vincoli di protezione dei biotopi segnalatiNew localities and/or confirmations concerning 96 specific and subspecific plant taxa of Tuscan vascular flora, belonging to 77 genera and 43 families are presented: Mesembryanthemum (Aizoaceae), Alisma, Sagittaria (Alismataceae), Amaranthus, Chenopodium (Amaranthaceae), Allium (Amaryllidaceae), Torilis (Apiaceae), Nerium (Apocynaceae), Asparagus (Asparagaceae), Aposeris, Bidens, Calendula, Gamochaeta, Leucanthemum, Rhagadiolus, Taraxacum (Asteraceae), Anchusa (Boraginaceae), Hornungia, Lobularia, Rorippa, Sinapis (Brassicaceae), Campanula (Campanulaceae), Valerianella (Caprifoliaceae), Herniaria, Moehringia, Scleranthus, Silene (Caryophyllaceae), Convolvulus (Convolvulaceae), Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae), Astragalus, Hippocrepis, Lathyrus, Ornithopus, Trifolium (Fabaceae), Quercus (Fagaceae), Geranium (Geraniaceae), Phacelia (Hydrophyllaceae), Lamium, Salvia, Stachys (Lamiaceae), Malva (Malvaceae), Broussonetia (Moraceae), Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae), Nelumbo (Nelumbonaceae), Mirabilis (Nyctaginaceae), Oenothera (Onagraceae), Neotinea, Ophrys (Orchidaceae), Parentucellia (Orobanchaceae), Oxalis (Oxalidaceae), Glaucium, Papaver, Roemeria (Papaveraceae), Kickxia (Plantaginaceae), Platanus (Platanaceae), Anthoxanthum, Cortaderia, Eleusine, Eragrostis, Festuca, Hainardia, Melica, Tragus (Poaceae), Reynoutria (Polygonaceae), Potamogeton (Potamogetonaceae), Lysimachia (Primulaceae), Delphinium, Ranunculus (Ranunculaceae), Ziziphus (Rhamnaceae), Potentilla, Rosa (Rosaceae), Verbascum (Scrophulariaceae), Physalis, Salpichroa, Solanum (Solanaceae), Phyla (Verbenaceae), Vitis (Vitaceae). In the end, the conservation status of the units and eventual protection of the cited biotopes are discussed