Implementation of an online information system for the “Flora Critica d’Italia”

Since the early 2000s, within the Italian Botanical Society was discussed the opportunity to realize collaboratively a modern Flora articulated in monographs on the model of others under construction or recently completed in several European countries (1). This initiative had a milestone in 2007 with the institution of the “Fondazione per la Flora Italiana”, with the aim of supporting the activities of study, conservation and cultural and scientific enhancement of the flora of Italy and of sensitizing the national community about the many functions that it implements, in the context of natural and semi-natural ecosystems. The “Foundation for the Italian flora” is responsible for the publication of the "Flora critica d’Italia". During the course of the project, it became apparent the diminishing impact of the hard copy in favour of an online information system more flexible and upgradeable and thus more suited to the current needs of the research but also in all fields of everyday life. Last 25th February the first 3 contributions, concerning the families of Isoetaceae, Heliotropiaceae and Hydrophyllaceae (2, 3, 4) have been published online (http://www.floraditalia.it/index.php? page=flora_critica). These early contributions were prepared in the traditional way with a text editor. In order to create the online information system, under the indications of the Editorial Committee, the Board of Directors decided to rely on the experience gained by the staff of Palermo in the field of biological databases (5, 6) and to support by itself the development of a specific software. It is currently under construction and implementation a relational database that serves as a base for the entire project. It include information related to nomenclature, taxonomy, description, keys, distribution, images, karyology, uses, vernacular names, etc. Data and tables are standardized according to TDWG (Taxonomic Database Working Group) standards (http://www.tdwg.org) and comply with the The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data architecture. The system is composed by two main parts: a database and a web application. The database currently contains 16 relations (although more will be built within the end of the project) and relies onto MySQL Database Management System. The web application is built using PHP scripting language and the CakePHP framework for the server-side part, running on a Linux server. The client-side part leverages onto Javascript and Jquery library. It follows the MVC1 (Model View Controller) design paradigm. It deals with the database manipulation in terms of data management and data presentation along with user management. The whole system addresses several main security issues such as passwords hashing, accesses logging and code injection protections. Data inputting is online by a web browser. The authors will input data in user friendly forms or to import tables. Outputs produced include online ones coming from queries and pdf production to be done periodically to fix what done or to prepare chapters of the volumes to be eventually printed and included in a hard copy volume

Vascular flora evolution in the Soqotra Archipelago (Indian Ocean)

The main floristic and vegetational features of the Soqotra Archipelago are outlined. The theories of vicariance and dispersal are commented with the support of examples suggesting the idea that both are complementary in the establishment and evolution of the flora of Soqotra. Finally the relation of alien vs natural elements of the flora is analyzed

A new species of Anthemis sect. Hiorthia (Asteraceae) from SE Sicily

A new species of Anthemis sect. Hiorthia (Asteraceae) is described from Sicily. This taxon, named A. pignattiorum, is confined to a restricted area of the Hyblaean territory (SE Sicily), in the Natural Reserve of Cava Grande (Cassibile, Siracuse), where it takes shelter on carbonate rocky habitat and participates, with other Sicilian endemic taxa, to the composition of a termophilous chasmophytic community (Putorio calabricae–Micromerietum microphyllae)

Bryophytes collected during the 12th “Iter Mediterraneum” (Tunisia, 24 March – 4 April, 2014). First contribution

Part of the bryophytes collected during Iter Mediterraneum XII is listed. Some noteworthy species were found: Dicranella howei, had so far been recorded only doubtfully from Tunisia; Funaria hygrometrica, Grimmia laevigata, Grimmia trichophylla, Imbribryum alpinum, Pogonatum nanum, Rhynchostegium riparioides, Scleropodium touretii, Scorpiurium circinatum, Thamnobryum alopecurum, Timmiella barbuloides, Tortella squarrosa, Tortula muralis and Tortula vahliana, had not been reported from that country for more than half a century

First record of Euphorbia graminea (Euphorbiaceae) in Italy

Euphorbia graminea Jacq. (Euphorbiaceae), a species native from Central America through northern South America, from Northern Mexico to Peru, has been found naturalized near Palermo (Sicily). This is the first record for Italy and Europ

Vascular flora evolution in the major Mediterranean islands

Characteristics of Mediterranean island floras are analyzed with stress on endemic units. On these bases the main relationships between the major Mediterranean areas and the inland territories with the strongest floristic affinities are analyzed. Finally the role of aliens in Mediterranean island floras and threats are discussed

Names of Italian vascular plants published by Michele Lojacono Pojero

Michele Lojacono Pojero (1853-1919) is among the most prolific Italian authors of plant names of his era. A list is presented of the names of 581 new Italian (almost invariably Sicilian) vascular plant taxa he published (303 species, 272 varieties, 6 formae), with reference to existing lectotype designations

First results on the phenotypic analysis of wild and cultivated species of Pyrus in Sicily

Phenotypic analysis of Pyrus in Sicily using a set of 19 characters on 71 accessions belonging to 7 species is here reported. Results show a high level of morphological variation in this genus. Cluster analysis of the morphological characters allows to identify two groups: the first closely related to wild pears and the latter related to P. communis s. l. and P. sicanorum. It is likely to think that many Ethno-Varieties, usually attributed to P. communis, on the contrary are attributable to wild Sicilian pears and belong to indigenous germplasm

Spatial representation of vegetation and floristic diversity at landscape scale: the Italian experience

The application of phytosociology to the analysis of vegetation and landscape diversity has greatly developed in Italy during the past 60 years. The analysis of the scientific production of this period is therefore fundamental for a reflection on vegetation mapping and may be useful to forecast future scenarios of this discipline (Bruno et al., 2003). Many different documents related to the plant species distribution and diversity became available over time from different land units of Italy. In particular, interesting examples of mixed floristic and vegetation maps have been produced in a pilot project for the province of Palermo (Sicily) and used in the diagnosis of environmental heterogeneity, as well as as to streamline the zonation of the Madonie regional park (Raimondo, 2000). After a critical review on the available documents, as well as on the relationship between vegetation maps and floristic maps, the evolutionary trends in the production of this kind of thematic maps will be considered, along with some reflections on the information contents, limits and utility of different approaches at different scales. The hypothesis that landscapes are a geo-botanical (meta-ecosystemic) matrix, in which all organisms (including humans) interact, is at the basis of the current shift from vegetation maps to functional maps, in which the description of landscapes as a patchwork (mosaic) of vegetation units, even though spatio-temporally related and subject to their own dynamic, becomes obsolete and the observed complexity is, instead, expressed in terms of functional diversity and ecosystem services (Farina et al.,2005). Along with this semiotic and cognitive process, the progress of technology boosted the current debate on landscape mapping, by making available improved multi- scale sampling techniques (using satellite imagery, aerial photography and field data to stratify landscape units and ―keystone ecosystems‘‘), smaller minimum mapping units (< 0.02 ha) in automatized analyses, an unbiased sampling design based on double sampling, improved mathematical models including species-area curves corrected for habitat heterogeneity, and GIS-based ecological models (Stohlgren et al., 1997). To date, despite continued advances in techniques and technologies, the production of new maps on landscape/vegetation/plant species diversity still relies significantly on manual labor and requires great professional skill and sensitivity, particularly when setting, testing and training the automatized analyses, as well as in the evaluation of results