Monitoring of Plant Species and Communities on Coastal Cliffs: Is the Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Suitable?

Cliffs are reservoirs of biodiversity; therefore, many plant species and communities of inland and coastal cliffs are protected by Council Directive 92/43/EEC (European Economic Community), and their monitoring is mandatory in European Union countries. Surveying plants on coastal cliff by traditional methods is challenging and alternatives are needed. We tested the use of a small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) as an alternative survey tool, gathering aerial images of cliffs at Palinuro Cape (Southern Italy). Four photo-interpreters analysed independently the derived orthomosaic and plotted data needed for the monitoring activity. Data showed to be not affected by photo-interpreters and reliable for the prescribed monitoring in the European Union (EU). Using the GIS analysis tools, we were able to: (a) recognise and map the plant species, (b) derive and measure the area of distribution on the cliff of habitat and species, and (c) count Eokochia saxicola individuals and gather quantitative data on their projected area. Quality of the images represented the main constraint, but incoming technological improvements of sensors and UAVs may overcome this problem. Overall results support the use of UAVs as an affordable and fast survey technique that can rapidly increase the number of studies on cliff habitats and improve ecological knowledge on their plant species and communitie

Diversity, relationships and conservation of Sicilian wild taxa of Brassica: an overview

Although lots of studies have been carried out through various analytical approaches and at different taxonomic levels, this overview reveals that actually a comprehensive biosystematic survey on the Mediterranean wild populations of Brassica oleracea group is still lacking

Dwarf shrub vegetation of rock ledges and clefts in the Pamir Alai Mountains (Middle Asia: Tajikistan)

The paper presents the results of phytosociological researches on rocky slope vegetation in Tajikistan with the aim to establish a comprehensive syntaxonomical classifi cation system. Field studies were conducted in 2010–2014 in Pamir Alai ranges and Pamirian plateau. Nearly 500 relevés documenting rock and scree vegetation were made according to the Braun-Blanquet method. Numerical analyses of selected 58 relevés representing dwarf shrub vegetation on rock ledges made it possible to distinguish: Ephedro glaucae- Spiraeion baldschuanicae and Ephedrion regeliano-fedtschenkoi alliances, as well as Spiraeetum baldschuanicae, Rhamnetum coriaceae, Pentaphylloidetum parvifoliae and Pentaphylloidetum dryadanthoidis associations, community of Ephedra glauca and community of Rhamnus minuta. The classification of vegetation of dwarf shrubs on rock walls occurring in the Pamir Alai Mts is proposed. Because of the species composition, physiognomy and microhabitat conditions, the plant communities were included into Artemisio santolinifoliae- Berberidetea sibiricae class Ermakov et al. 2006. The main factors determining the species composition of the classifi ed associations seem to be the elevation above sea level.The newly described syntaxa are largely defined by species restricted to very narrow ranges in Middle Asi

Aspectos de la biología floral del género Sarcocapnos DC. (Fumariaceae)

Aspectos de la biología floral del género Sarcocapnos DC. (Fumariaceae). Se describe la fenología de la floración y de la fructificación de tres especies del género Sarcocapnos, así como algunos aspectos de la biología floral (biometría de flores, carga polínica sobre el estigma, presencia de tubos polínicos sobre el mismo, número medio de granos de polen por flor, relación P/O, biometría de frutos y número medio de semillas viables por fruto) de las siete especies que integran el género. Se concluye que éstas presentan un conjunto de caracteres que favorecen la polinización cruzada, a diferencia de las afirmaciones de otros autores que las consideran predominantemente autógama

Ornamental Chasmophytes of Urumbikkara Hills, Western Ghats Region of Idukki District, Kerala, India

The present study on the ornamental chasmophytes in the rocky habitats of Urumbikkara hills of Idukki district, Kerala reveals that, there are about 52 species of ornamental chasmophytic plants belonging to 46 genera and 29 families were collected because of their aesthetic value in both domestic and rock garden practices. These chasmophytes also possess certain biological peculiarities with different interesting adaptations and flower colour which can attract many people for making domestic or rock garden for ornamental purposes and psychological beneficial

Plant communities of Italy. The vegetation prodrome

The Vegetation Prodrome of Italy was promoted in 2012 by the Italian "Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea Protection", in collaboration with the "Italian Society of Botany", to provide a comprehensive and systematic catalogue and description of Italian plant communities. The Prodrome that is presented in this paper is the first full organic synthesis of the vegetation of Italy at the alliance syntaxonomic level. It fulfils several needs, the main one being a unified and comprehensive national framework that may make an important contribution to the definition of the European Vegetation Prodrome. Syntaxonomy, as well as taxonomy, is sometimes based on considerations that may in part diverge: several authors tend to favour models that are divisive or aggregative to a greater or lesser extent in terms of flora, biogeography and ecology. These different points of view stimulate the scientific debate and allow the adoption of a framework that is more widely supported. The Prodrome includes 75 classes, 2 subclasses, 175 orders, 6 suborders and 393 alliances. The classes were grouped into nine broad categories according to structural, physiognomic and synecological elements rather than to syntaxonomic criteria. The rank, full valid name, any synonymies and incorrect names are provided for each syntaxon. The short declaration highlights the physiognomy, synecology, syndynamics and distribution of the plant communities that belong to the syntaxon. The Prodrome of the Italian Vegetation is linked to the European Strategy for Biodiversity, the European Habitats Directive and the European Working Groups related to the ecosystems and their services. In addition to basic applications, the Prodrome can be used as a framework for scientific research related to the investigation of the relationships between plant communities and the environmental factors that influence their composition and distribution

Étude biosystématique d'Anthyllis hystrix de Minoerque et d'A. hermanniae de la Méditerranée orientale et centrale

The morphological, cuyological, ecologicai, phytosociological, biogeographical and nomenclatural survey camed out by the authors on Anthyllis hystrix (Willk. ex Barc.) Cardona, Contandriopoulos et Sierra, endemic of Minorca, and A. hermanniae L., distributed in the Mediterranean from Asia Minor to Sardinia and Corsica, shows the differences as well as the narrowness of the phylogenetical and paleogeographical relations between these two taxa. A. hystrix (2n = 84) is a dodecaploid and an apoendemical of A. hermanniae (2n = 14) issued from this species a long time ago. The genotypical modification has caused some distinct and constant phenotypical changes which have allowed us to confer specific status to the Anthyllis of Minorca and, at the same time, elucidate the numerous nomenclature confusions related with this taxon.Les auteurs ont effectué I'étude morphologique, caryologique, écologique, phytosociologique, biogéographique et nomenclaturale d'AnthylIis hystrix (Willk. ex Barc.) Cardona, Contandriopoulos et Sierra, endémique de Minorque, et d'A. hermanniae L. a distribution méditerranéenne disjointe: Méditerranée orientale, Corse, Sardaigne. Cette étude montre les différences et les étroites relations phylogénétiques et paléogéographiques existants entre ces deux taxons. A. hystrix (2n = 84) est un dodécapldide fortement apparenté a A. hermanniae (2n = 14). I1 peut itre considéré comme un apoendémique de ce demier et la différenciation apparait comme fort ancienne. Cette forte modification génotypique est accompagnée de changements phénotypiques apparents et constants qui nous ont permis d'élever au rang d'espkce I'endémique minorcaine et d'interpreter les nombreuses confusions nomenclaturales liées a ce taxon

Context-dependent plant traits drive fine-scale species persistence in old-growth forests

Questions: we studied old growth beech forest vegetation in Permanent Monitoring Plots (PMPs) located in Italy, with the following questions: is species turnover the main component of the observed changes or the present species assemblages is an impoverished sub-sets of the former ones?; 2) how compositional changes are reflected by specific plant functional traits? Location: we selected 4 PMPs (50 x 50 m) of the CONECOFOR network, placed along a latitudinal and climatic gradient in Italy, from south to north: CALABRIA03, CAMPANIA04, ABRUZZO01 and VENETO20. Methods: presence/absence of herb layer species were recorded in 100 permanent micro-plots of 50 x 50 cm over 12 years (1999-2011). For all sampled species we chose a set of 8 easy-to-measure functional traits. We compared the persistence, nestedness and turnover components of compositional changes. The role of plant traits explaining species persistence were analyzed by classification and regression tree. Results: Analysis in species diversity reveal antithetical ecological phenomena due to the diversity and complexity of the 4 different forest stands. ABRUZZO01 and CALABRIA03 show a clear nestedness trends over time with persistent species in ABR01 having higher seed mass and persistent species in CALABRIA03 having scleromorphic leaves and mesoporphic leaves, with large below-ground budbank. On the other hand, VENETO20 and CAMPANIA04 exibit a significant turnover trends over the 12 years characterized by persistent species in VENETO20 having helomorphic leaves, while in CAMPANIA04 large below-ground budbank and smaller SLA were the most important traits for species survival. Conclusion: Fine-scale approach highlight different mechanisms for the maintenance of species diversity in different complex forest systems driven significantly by specific traits, influenced by context-dependent factors