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The results of the 4th National Report for the Italian flora under the 92/43/EEC ‘Habitats’ Directive are presented. The outcomes showed a general negative conservation status for plant species, with the worst situation being in the Mediterranean bioregion. At the National level, significant monitoring and conservation activities are required.

The present work is aimed at presenting the data, methods and criteria that are being used for the assessment of ecosystem collapse risk in Italy.

In Mediterranean mountains, the abandonment of traditional land-uses is promoting a rapid forest expansion. This trend may be exacerbated by nature reserves, which further limit human disturbance in mountain contexts. We investigated whether ecological parameters, landscape structure, and management policy influenced vegetation cover/dynamics over a 14-year period in the Pollino National Park, a large protected area in southern Italy. Based on remote sensed and field data we obtained land-cover maps referred to 2004, 1997, and 1990. Canonical ordination related patterns of vegetation cover/dynamics to ecological (elevation, slope, climate) and structural (spatial heterogeneity) landscape traits. Higher change rate regarded scrublands (decrease) and forests (expansion). Spatial heterogeneity declined over the study period, while the average area of forest patches increased. A non-spatial transition matrix model revealed that the decline of pastures/scrublands, and forest recovery accelerated in th...

Recent work, based on morphological and cytotaxonomical information, claimed the independence of Plantago brutia Ten., a narrow endemic of South Italy, with respect to Plantago media L. Here, we present a further evaluation of the systematic relationships occurring between these two taxa as revealed by molecular studies. We sampled P. brutia in most of the known populations and P. media in several European stands, from Sweden to the Iberian Peninsula and Balkans. We then investigated the relationships among the sampled populations by using as molecular markers the internal transcribed spacer regions ITS1 and ITS2. Furthermore, we considered cpDNA to gain further insight into the relationships among P. brutia/P. media populations. Based on nrDNA data, P. brutia appeared to be nested within the P. media complex, but as a well distinct subunit. This is congruent with a subspecific rank for this taxon within P. media. The cpDNA revealed the occurrence of several haplotypes in the studied material. Mo...

The Italian populations and communities of Pinus leucodermis Antoine were studied in the Pollino National Park (Calabria/Basilicata, southern Italy). The relationships between the structure of P. leucodermis populations, and physical and biotic factors were evaluated. The species revealed a three-component pattern in the studied areas. Each component is characterized by a specific spatial distribution, community composition and population structure. The mature populations of P. leucodermis showed low recruitment rates. Moreover, we recorded young populations of P. leucodermis, which mostly occur close to the lower part of its altitudinal range, suggesting a downward expansion that appears to be connected with fire events. A suitability model based on Mahalanobis distances was built using topographic and climatic continuous variables. The predictive model showed that P. leucodermis occurs in less than 10% of its potential distribution area within the Pollino National Park. The species does not app...

This study evaluated the genetic structure, on a small spatial scale, of Campanula pollinensis along a heterogeneous altitudinal gradient on the Apennines of southern Italy. This endemic species inhabits territories in the Pollino National Park and is classified as a taxon of ‘Least Concern’. Along the elevation transect of Mt Cozzo del Pellegrino, the genetic profile of three subpopulations was examined using nuclear (ISSR) and chloroplast (SSR) markers. The subpopulation of the more elevated site showed maximuzm ISSR and minimum cpSSR diversity, while the opposite was found in the other two subpopulations. Differentiation values between subpopulations were indicative of restricted gene flow. The pollen flow/seed flow ratio suggested that pollen movements are less efficient than seed movements. At the same time, the haplotype pattern found along the altitudinal gradient could be the consequence of historical events, like the Quaternary glaciations. This study demonstrates that the use of two dif...