The Massaciuccoli Holocene pollen sequence and the vegetation history of the coastal plains by the Mar Ligure (Tuscany and Liguria,Italy)

A 90 m deep core from the Massaciuccoli lake basin (Tuscany, Italy) offers new material for improving the knowledge of the Holocene vegetation history in the coastal plains in Tuscany and Liguria bordering the Mar Ligure (Ligurian sea). In this paper, an assessment of the upper part of the core is presented. During the Holocene, the area was covered by woodlands whose composition changed in time. Numerous oscillations of the tree taxa were recorded which can probably be connected to sea level variations that had a strong influence on the depth of the water table. Human impact is evident particularly at ca. 4200–2500 b.p. when traces of opening of the woodland accompanied by noticeable pollen percentages of Vitis could suggest an early agricultural practice favouring this native plant. The new data have been integrated with previous palaeobotanical and archaeobotanical research. The occurrence of coastal wetlands has been shown. Throughout the Holocene, Mediterranean evergreen vegetation is generally poorly represented; it becomes widespread only in the late Holocene, suggesting that its establishment was probably favoured by the management practices in the coastal plains, particularly land reclamations, starting from the Roman period.     

The flora of the island Piana (Sardinia,Italy)

Abstract

The author reports the results of the herborizations carried out on the island Piana (northeastern Sardinia) located between Cape Ceraso and Cape Coda Cavallo. The flora consists of 250 entities distributed in 154 genera, inclusive of 54 families. The author gives information regarding the mail features of the vegetal coverage, and points out the presence of two species: Limonistrum monopetalum (L.) Boiss. and Omithoga-lum arabicum L., which are extremely rare in the little islands.     

Implications of location specific data and their usefulness in conservation planning: an example from Indian Himalayan Region (IHR)

The present study evaluated the usefulness of collection of location specific data for assessing patterns of species diversity and endemism based on a dataset for the 10 temperate flowering plant families from the Indian Himalaya Region. Analysis was based on 818 grid cells (15 × 15′) representing throughout the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR). Based on the existing information on diverse aspects of the selected plant families four indices, i.e., species richness, weighted endemism, 1–4 cell endemism and corrected weighted endemism were developed and mapped for selected plant families. Analysis revealed that endemism is significantly (P < 0.001) correlated with species richness (1–4 cell endemic index: r = 0.85; weighted endemism; r = 0.58). On the basis of four different indices, potential areas have been identified for conservation. Data of each indices have been overlaid to each other for identification and prioritization of endemic rich areas in the Indian Himalayan Region.     

Species diversity,endemism and conservation of the family Caryophyllaceae in Greece

The family Caryophyllaceae includes world-wide 86 genera and approximately 2100 species. Greece is one of its most important centres of diversity and endemism. A total of 428 Caryophyllaceae taxa are distributed in Greece, 161 of them being endemic to the Greek political territory. The endemic element represents approximately 5% of the global diversity of the family at the species level. The aim of this paper is to discuss the distribution patterns of the Greek endemic Caryophyllaceae, as well as those with a limited distribution range to the neighbouring areas of the Balkans and Anatolia, on the basis of the phytogeographical regions of Greece in order to identify the important regions for their conservation. The majority of the Greek endemic Caryophyllaceae (64.6%) are distributed in only one single phytogeographical region, or even a smaller area indicating the extremely restricted distribution ranges of the endemic plants in Greece. Actually 83 Greek endemic Caryophyllaceae can be grouped on cytotaxonomic criteria. Most of them belong to the category of schizoendemics (91.6%), indicating that the endemism of Caryophyllaceae in Greece has mainly originated in an active way. Cluster analysis has been used to classify the phytogeographical regions according to their floristic similarities. Two iterative complementarity methods were used to evaluate the importance of each phytogeographical region in the conservation of the endemic Caryophyllaceae in Greece. Peloponnisos, Kriti-Karpathos and Sterea Ellas are the most important phytogeographical regions in this respect, followed by North Central and North East. When adding the Balkan-Aegean-Anatolian endemics to the analysis, Peloponnisos, North Central, Kriti-Karpathos, North East and Eastern Aegean result as the most important areas. In every case, an elevated number of sites are required for the conservation of Caryophyllaceae in Greece, reflecting the great dissimilarities in the floristic composition of the various phytogeographical regions. The results provided by the different methods are compared. A catalogue of the Greek endemic Caryophyllaceae is appended.     

Floristics and environmental factors determining the geographic distribution of epiphytic bromeliads in the Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest

We investigated how epiphytic species and subfamilies of Bromeliaceae change along the extent of the Atlantic Rain Forest, to answer the questions: (i) How do the epiphytic genera and subfamilies of Bromeliaceae change along the domain? (ii) How similar are the different regions of the Atlantic Rain Forest in relation to the epiphytic species of bromeliads? (iii) Which environmental variables are the most important factors in determining species composition along the domain? We found 114 species of Bromelioideae and 73 of Tillandsioideae. The predominance of Bromelioideae was unexpected, because they are not wind-dispersed as would be expected for most epiphytes. The smaller number of species of Tillandsioideae, and the high frequency of species of Vriesea with limited geographic distributions indicated that epiphytes with rather limited geographic distributions predominate in this domain. Species similarity was divided into one block of south–southeastern localities, and a second block of northeastern–southeastern localities. These results suggest that the distribution of epiphytic bromeliad species resembles that of the phorophyte trees, more than a previous pattern suggested for all epiphytes in the domain. Latitude, temperature and altitude were important factors affecting the species composition along the domain. In general, our results differ from those of other studies in Latin America, and we suggest that historical and evolutionary events generated these differences.     

Patterns of diversity,endemism and conservation: an example with Mexican species of Ternstroemiaceae Mirb. ex DC. (Tricolpates: Ericales)

The Ternstroemiaceae is a family of vascular plants with many taxonomic problems, basically in the delimitation of some of its species. Little is known about its world distribution and about the real state of conservation of its species. An analysis of the distribution patterns of the Mexican species was undertaken to provide information about the present status of species and possible conservation areas. Also, an analysis of the species richness, endemism centres, extension and location of the areas occupied by these species with a 1:50000 chart index was made. Finally, we propose some of the species of this family to be included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and in the next Mexican Norma Oficial Mexicana 059.     

The Lower-Middle Pleistocene succession of the Coastal Tuscany (Central Italy): new stratigraphic and palaeoecological data based on the ostracod fauna

The Lower-early Middle Pleistocene succession of the Coastal Tuscany is known to comprise three marine cycles: (I) a Santernian-Emilian cycle; (II) a Sicilian (“small Gephyrocapsa” Zone) cycle; (III) a third cycle, referred through stratigraphic and palaeoethnological arguments to the late Sicilian-early Middle Pleistocene, including the fluvial-transitional San Marco fm and the shoreface to backshore sandy-arenitic deposits of the correlatable Bibbona and Casa Saracino formations, outcropping in the Bibbona (Lower Cecina Valley) and Rosignano areas respectively. Conversely to the older cycles the third one has been poorly studied and its chronology and depositional history have remained somewhat uncertain. With the aim to fill this gap of knowledge the sedimentary record exposed in the Rosignano and Bibbona areas was the object of new on field investigations and microfaunal content (chiefly ostracods) analyses. Furthermore, this has represented a good opportunity to enhance our knowledge of the Pleistocene Mediterranean ostracods. The main results achieved are in synthesis the followings. (1) Stratigraphic and palaeoenvironmental significance of ostracods from the first cycle is consistent with literature data. Unexpectedly the recovered assemblages comprise both warm-temperate species (e.g. Cytherelloidea beckmanni Barbeito-Gonzales, Propontocypris solida Ruggieri, Verrucocythereis bulbuspinata (Uliczny), which suggest a relatively warm climate phase, and an yet undescribed species of Ruggieria, a genus previously thought to be represented in the Italian Lower Pleistocene only by Ruggieria nuda Moyes. (2) In agreement with previous studies, sediments of the San Marco fm in the Rosignano area are referable to a floodplain-coastal lagoonal setting. Divergently from literature data, in the Bibbona area the unit exhibits vuggy carbonate glaebules and rizhoconcrections and yields very rare fresh-brackish water ostracods and marine microfaunas regarded as reworked. Despite interpretation of these sediments still poses many problems, we speculate that they represent marine deposits reworked in a poorly drained continental-transitional environment, which experienced pedogenic alteration. Furthermore, the common occurrence of the ostracode Aurila puncticruciata Ruggieri seems to support the supposition that reworked deposits included marine Sicilian sediments completely eroded and presumably correlatable to the Fabbriche fm. (3) Lithological-sedimentological features and absence of autochthonous macro-microfossils indicate that the Casa Saracino fm and most of the Bibbona unit accumulated in a backshore environment dominated by aeolian deposition. Only locally the latter unit includes shallow marine deposits with fairly rich ostracod faunas, which confidently indicate an age not younger than the Sicilian sensu Ruggieri and Sprovieri [Riv. Mineraria Siciliana 151/153 (1975) 1]. Thus, it seems possible that the Coastal Tuscany succession includes two marine cycles, which developed within the Sicilian.     

An updated inventory of the non-native flora of Sardinia (Italy)

We provide an updated inventory of the non-native flora of the Italian island of Sardinia, including accepted names, family, synonyms, biological form, fruit type, introduction pathway and native origin. This inventory was performed by reviewing the available literature and conducting dedicated field surveys across the entire island. The inventory catalogues 931 non-native taxa, including 31 cryptogenic species, 901 species, 14 subspecies, 13 varieties, two forms and one cultivar. We utilised the position on the introduction–invasion continuum concept and meta-population criterion to further label each species. Based on these frameworks, the non-native flora of Sardinia can be divided into 274 casual, 169 naturalised, 19 invasive, 440 exclusively planted and 29 unobserved after 1950. There are 204 archaeophytes and 727 neophytes. The majority of the non-native species (791) were introduced to the island voluntarily, and 140 species were introduced accidentally. The present inventory identifies 72 additional non-native taxa not previously reported in the literature.     

Human influence on the vascular flora of the Veggiano territory (Padova - Italy)

Abstract

This paper is the result of 10 years of floristic research carried out in the Veggiano area (Padova). A floristic list of 612 taxa was drawn from bibliography (BEGUINOT, 1909–1914). According to our data (1990) 386 taxa are still present, with a loss of approximately 40%. The main cause of this loss is the disappearance of certain habitats (i.e. wood) and the alteration of others due to human influence.     

Genetic studies in the Garfagnana population (Tuscany, Italy)

The relationship between geographic isolation and historical-demographic features and genetic structure and pattern of variation of genetic markers was analyzed in the population of Garfagnana, a semi-isolated mountainous area in the province of Lucca (Italy), taking into account hierarchical subdivisions. A random sample of unrelated individuals, whose parents were both born in this area, was typed for AB0, MN, Kell, Rh, AK, EsD, 6-PGD, AcP and ABH secretor status. The village samples were aggregated into larger population units: Two districts and six subdistricts. Comparisons were performed with population samples of the plain and the coastal area of the same province (Lucca). Phenotype and genetic differentiations among and within subdivisions were studied using G2, R statistic, Nei's method, Harpending & Ward's method and analysis of genetic distance and similarity matrices. The various parameters consistently show significant heterogeneity among the subdivisions, both at district and at subdistrict level. As expected, the gene diversity between and within subdivisions varies according to their distinctive features of isolation.     

Foraminifer communities and environmental change in marginal marine sequences (Pliocene,Tuscany, Italy)

Fossil abundance data on foraminifer communities were collected in marginal marine sediments of the Pliocene Valdelsa succession, in Tuscany, Italy. This succession is organized in a hierarchy of elementary and composite depositional sequences. Multivariate techniques allowed to analyse the dataset and reconstruct gradients in species distributions. Species‐level data available on modern environmental distributions were used to reconstruct Pliocene environmental gradients and to infer absolute palaeodepths and palaeosalinities. Estimates were then compared with the sequence‐stratigraphic interpretation to check for consistency. The high‐resolution stratigraphic framework allowed us to test the stability of foraminifer communities against ecological variations related to high‐frequency glacio‐eustatic cycles. The results confirm that fossil distributions of foraminifer species can be used as a fine tool to detect environmental change and that multivariate techniques allow their interpretation in terms of absolute variations of controlling parameters. Salinity is the main contributor to the sum of depth‐related factors that regulate foraminifer distributions in coastal facies. In the same setting, nutrient levels and the presence of a sea grass cover are responsible for secondary changes in shallow‐water distributions. Below the wave base, however, depth‐related parameters other than salinity explain the largest variations. This study indicates that foraminifer communities are random associations of species that respond individualistically to environmental change.     

Weeds flora demographic analysis of date palm orchards in El-Bahariya,El-Frafra and Siwa oases

Oases are a specific ecosystems which date palm Phoenix dactylifera are the mainly crop growing for its fruits and others tree parts. Palm orchards are infested by many pests, including weeds species and exposed within time to the challenging invasive weeds to control. The heavy incidence of weeds negatively affects palm productivity, especially in small plantation and divergent distances, while the established orchards, palm trees shading cause deprives from the process of weeds photosynthesis to be lower competitive. The survey was conducted in El-Bahariya and El-Frafra than Siwa oases of which 375 plots were taken. Vegetative analysis in oases altogether demonstrate 91 weed specimens were encountered of which 18 perennial, 42 were broad leaved, and 30 narrow leaved as well as one parasitic weed species belonging to 22 families, whereas Poaceae is the most plentiful family displayed by 38.5% from all families, occurred in date palm orchards during the study. The geographical differentiation affected coefficient of similarity whereas, it in oases recorded the highest between El-Bahariya and El-Frafra than Siwa and El-Bahariya, while El-Frafra Oasis was the most diverse and richness than the others which have the middle soil properties, fertility, and structure. The correlation analysis of weed flora between both El-Bahariya and El-Frafra was higher and more than El-Bahariya and Siwa oases. Under the unique closed agroenvironment of oases, weeds population dynamics are a stable approximately. Regardless of the diversity of annual weed species, perennials species represent the highest dominant number and the pattern of grown weeds was more dominant than wild desert and some invasive weed species. The control action should be taken of perennial weeds and proactive as well as long term prevention for invasive species.     

Diversity, dispersal and biogeography of bryophytes (mosses)

Bryophytes disperse by small unicellular spores between 7 μm und usually less than 100 μm. A large percentage of species is sterile and propagates vegetatively either by special brood bodies or fragments of whole plants. It is shown that there is no difference in the effectiveness between generative and vegetative propagation. Size and weight of the diaspores suggest that both must easily be dispersed and the species must therefore have wide ranges. This does, however, not result in ubiquitous occurrence. This is only true for part of the species. Many, even sterile species show wide transcontinental ranges. On the other hand, there are many examples of limited to very limited distribution in spite of a rich production of diaspores. These are explained by narrow ecological niches, age of taxa, local extinction or historical events such as ice ages. Conspicuously, species can loose the ability for dispersal for unknown (perhaps genetic) reasons, which may ultimately lead to extinction. Special Issue: Protist diversity and geographic distribution. Guest editor: W. Foissner.     

Distribution,ecology and conservation survey on Trifolium michelianum Savi (Fabaceae) in Sicily (Italy)

We report the identification of four residual stations for Trifolium michelianum Savi (Fabaceae) in Sicily, whereas the species was documented to be extinct at the Gorgo Cerro station (western Sicily), the only locality previously reported in the literature. In addition to an update on the distribution of the species, a survey on the new Sicilian populations led to their biological, ecological and phytosociological characterization, as well as to an assessment of the risk factors. The species, here relegated to the limit of its distribution area, occurs in particularly sensitive and vulnerable environments, such as the “Mediterranean temporary ponds”, considered “priority” by the Council Directive 92/43/EEC. Moreover, a new Sicilian association (Trifolio micheliani–Glycerietumspicatae ass. nova), framed in the alliance Glycerio-Sparganion (class Phragmito-Magnocaricetea), is described.     

The flora of the Bontebok National Park in regional perspective

Six-hundred-and-fifty plant species from 280 genera and 85 families have been recorded as indigenous to the Bontebok National Park (BNP), which lies 5 km south of Swellendam, in the Western Cape. Twenty-nine of these plant species are globally threatened with extinction and another 23 are species of conservation concern. Three species (Aspalathus burchelliana, Diosma fallax, Erica filamentosa) are endemic to the park. The Asteraceae, Iridaceae and Fabaceae ranked high as speciose families, in line with the Cape Floristic Region (CFR) as a whole, while the Asphodelaceae, Crassulaceae, Poaceae and Cyperaceae were overrepresented, and the Rutaceae, Proteaceae and Ericaceae underrepresented at BNP. The largest genera were Aspalathus (19 species), Crassula (17), Pelargonium (16), Erica (15), Oxalis (12), Moraea (11), Helichrysum (10) and Hermannia (10). Geophytes were the dominant growth form (23% of species recorded), followed by dwarf shrubs (20%), herbs (16%), graminoids (15%), shrubs (13%), succulents (8%), trees (3%) and climbers (2%). Forty alien plant species were recorded (likely an underestimate of true numbers) with the Poaceae most speciose and arguably the biggest invasive threat at the park. With 20 plant species/km², the flora of BNP is richer than expected based on its location within the south-eastern CFR. Similarity with floras of other lowland and montane protected areas in the region is low (< 33% and < 20% respectively), demonstrating that a large component of BNP's flora is not conserved elsewhere. Within a landscape context, BNP forms part of a cluster of connected core sites for Renosterveld conservation. This work confirms the high importance of BNP for flora conservation nationally and even globally.     

Phenological and aerobiological monitoring of allergenic flora in padua (Italy). Preliminary data

A phenological study on allergenic plants was carried out in Padua during 1995 in order to identify spontaneous and cultivated allergenic species in an urban area and their distribution, and to evaluate the relationship between anthesis length and airborne pollen concentrations. In some cases, there was no temporal overlap between phenological and aerobiological data, in particular forCorylaceae, Betulaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Amaranthaceae, Polygonaceae and Fagaceae.     

Dolomite flora of the Baetic Ranges glades (South Spain)

The vegetation growing on special types of rocks has long attracted the attention of botanists and ecologists. In this respect, interest in serpentine soils has led to the publication of a number of monographs on their flora and vegetation. The high levels of heavy metals, in particular of Ni, and the low proportion of Ca/Mg are generally held responsible for the severe restrictions limiting flora development on this kind of rocks. Although researchers have also studied other types of unusual bedrocks such as gypsum outcrops, little work has been done on dolomites. This is surprising because dolomites share certain features with serpentines (they are both rocks rich in Mg). This paper deals with the flora peculiar to the dolomites of the Baetic Ranges, one of the richest territories in Europe as far as flora is concerned. A number of botanists with experience in the study of this very particular flora have joined together to make a list of the plants peculiar to the dolomites. Our catalogue includes 144 species with a variable degree of “dolomitophily”, the score of which ranging from 1 to 3, the maximal value. A comparison of the taxonomical spectrum of this catalogue with the one found in territories where dolomites are dominant or with other areas of serpentines reveals that there is a given deviation or bias in favour of some families. A similar comparison between biotypes also leads to the observation that, as usually happens on ultramafic rocks, hemicryptophytes tend to be dominant on dolomites. In addition, we show that the proportion of Ca/Mg catalogued for different kinds of soils could be a key element in explaining the restrictions which dolomites and serpentines impose on plants. In dolomites this proportion shows an intermediate position (2.19) between soils derived from limestones (11.30) and serpentines (0.84) in the study area.     

Phylogeography, geographic structure, genetic variation, and potential species boundaries in Philippine slender toads

We investigated phylogeography of Philippine slender toads (genus Ansonia) and used a temporal framework for diversification, statistical tests of alternate topologies, and Bayesian approaches to test previous hypotheses concerning dispersal to, and colonization routes within, the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. Two species of Ansonia previously have been documented, with ranges separated by an east–west split corresponding to the approximate boundaries of Mindanao’s paleoisland precursors. We present new mtDNA sequence data (1946 bp from genes encoding ND1, 16S rRNA and tRNA^Leu) for 105 Ansonia specimens sampled from 20 localities on Mindanao Island. Our data suggest that Philippine Ansonia is composed of at least eight, well-supported population lineages, structured into a minimum of four highly divergent mtDNA clades. One clade corresponds to Ansonia mcgregori, a range-restricted species apparently limited to the distal portion of the Zamboanga Peninsula of western Mindanao. Two morphologically indistinguishable, but genetically divergent, lineages possibly are undescribed cryptic species from western Mindanao. We recognize the five remaining lineages as Ansonia muelleri pending data from morphology or bioacoustics that might diagnose separate species among these lineages. Regardless of their species status, the five allopatric lineages of A. muelleri should be viewed as important genetic units for future genetic conservation planning.     

Rainfall and the interaction of microclimate with larval resources in the population dynamics of checkerspot butterflies (Euphydryas editha) inhabiting serpentine grassland

Summary The interaction of host plant phenology and microclimatic heterogeneity was examined to determine its role in the population dynamics of checkerspot butterflies, Euphydryas editha, inhabiting serpentine grassland in California's outer Coast Range.Within the 2–3 hectares inhabited by a population of E. editha (Jasper Ridge Area H), microclimatic differences resulting from topographic heterogeneity largely determine the temporal and spatial pattern of senescence of the larval host plants, Plantago erecta and Orthocarpus densiflorus. Survival of larvae from hatching to diapause is extremely low as a result of unpredictable variation in the timing of larval development relative to the timing of host plant senescence, both of which are mediated by microclimatic patterns. During this study, population H declined to near extinction as a result of two consecutive years of record rainfall that apparently disrupted the tenuous temporal relationship between larval development and plant senescence. Retarded development of post-diapause larvae led to a late and extended flight season and delayed egg production; this in turn resulted in massive mortality of pre-diapause larvae due to starvation because host plant senescence occurred before larvae became large enough to enter diapause. Adult population size the following spring was the smallest in 25 years of study. This work emphasizes the importance of microclimatic heterogeneity for understanding population-level processes in small ectothermic animals and underlines the potential importance of such heterogeneity in the establishment of reserves designed to protect such animals