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Critical and updated alien species inventories are crucial to properly manage and contrast biological invasions. After 6 years, a second update to the inventory of the vascular flora alien to Italy is presented. It provides details on the occurrence at administrative regional level and, for the first time, floristic data for San Marino. The checklist includes 1782 taxa (1673 species, 28 subspecies, 69 hybrids and 12 cultivar groups not attributable to a specific binomial), distributed in 786 genera and 159 families; 2 taxa are lycophytes, 13 ferns and fern allies, 37 gymnosperms and 1730 angiosperms. Among these, 154 taxa are archaeophytes and 1628 neophytes. The alien taxa currently established in Italy are 899 (649 naturalized and 250 invasive), while 796 taxa are casual aliens, 1 is not assessed, 38 have not been confirmed in recent times, 4 are considered extinct or possibly extinct in the country, 40 are doubtfully occurring in Italy, 4 are of unknown regional distribution and 110 are reported by mistake and to be excluded at national level. This checklist allows to establish an up-to-date number (10,023) of taxa currently constituting the whole (either native or alien) Italian flora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critical species inventories provide primary biodiversity data crucial for biogeographical, ecological, and conservation studies. After six years, a second update to the inventory of the vascular flora native to Italy is presented. It provides details on the occurrence at regional level and, for the first time, floristic data for San Marino. The checklist includes 8,241 species and subspecies, distributed in 1,111 genera and 153 families; 23 taxa are lycophytes, 108 ferns and fern allies, 30 gymnosperms, and 8,080 angiosperms. The species/subspecies endemic to Italy are 1,702, grouped in 71 families and 312 genera. The taxa currently occurring in Italy are 7,591, while 545 taxa have not been confirmed in recent times, 94 are doubtfully occurring in the country, 11 are data deficient, and 236 are reported by mistake and to be excluded at national level. Out of the 545 not confirmed taxa, 28 are considered extinct or possibly extinct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing genetic diversity of narrow endemic plants is essential for their conservation. Gymnospermium scipetarum subsp. eddae (Berberidaceae) is an Italian endemic limited to a narrow forest area in the southern Apennines. Here we used random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers to investigate population genetic differentiation and diversity in relation to distribution and microhabitat conditions. In all five extant populations and 134 individuals analysed we found a relatively low level of population genetic diversity (average Shannon-Weaver diversity index = 0.280; mean percentage of polymorphic bands = 57.45%; mean Nei's gene diversity He = 0.187). Percentage of polymorphic bands (PPB) at species level was higher than at the population level (83.33%), while total species diversity (He = 0.210) was comparable to that found in the two southernmost subpopulations. AMOVA revealed a weak differentiation among populations, which shared three genetic pools in their genetic structure. The estimated gene flow among populations was relatively high (mean Nm = 5.320), while the Mantel test revealed no significant correlation between geographical and genetic distances at the population level. We argue that information on genetic diversity of G. eddae have important implications for conservation programmes, particularly for the establishment of ex-situ collections and restocking conservation actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An updated inventory of the vascular flora alien to Italy, providing details on the occurrence at regional level, is presented. The checklist includes 1597 species, subspecies, and hybrids, distributed in 725 genera and 152 families; 2 taxa are lycophytes, 11 ferns and fern allies, 33 gymnosperms, and 1551 angiosperms. 157 taxa are archaeophytes and 1440 neophytes. The alien taxa currently established in Italy are 791 (570 naturalized and 221 invasive), while 705 taxa are casual aliens, 4 are not assessed, 7 are of unknown regional distribution, 47 have not been confirmed in recent times, 3 are considered extinct or possibly extinct in the country, and 40 are doubtfully occurring in Italy. This checklist allows to establish an up-to-date number (9792) of taxa constituting the whole (native and alien) Italian flora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An updated inventory of the native vascular flora of Italy, providing details on the occurrence at regional level, is presented. The checklist includes 8195 taxa (6417 species and 1778 subspecies), distributed in 1092 genera and 152 families; 23 taxa are lycophytes, 108 ferns and fern allies, 30 gymnosperms and 8034 angiosperms. The taxa currently occurring in Italy are 7483, while 568 taxa have not been confirmed in recent times, 99 are doubtfully occurring in the country and 19 are data deficient. Out of the 568 not confirmed taxa, 26 are considered extinct or possibly extinct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Muscari comosumis a widespread Mediterranean species with a long use as food. The edible part is the bitter bulb that has to be cooked. The increasing value of bulbs, also due to a renewed cultural interest toward traditional foods and their benefits for health, claims to enhance the agricultural production. Surprisingly, no agronomic studies about the best practice of propagation exist. We tested whether and how germination rate and weight and size of bulbs, after one growing season, were affected by sowing date (autumn–spring), growing condition (greenhouse, shaded greenhouse and open field), and container’s volume. Results showed that the best-sowing period ranges between September and January; following this period there is a huge decrease in germination rate. The time of seedling emergence was higher in open field than in protected environment. The longer interval of growing was observed with the sowing of October that produced heavier and larger bulbs. The best combination to obtain larger bulbs is sowing in October under greenhouse. However, under shaded conditions it was possible to obtain satisfactory results even with medium-late sowing (December and January). Containers with higher volume generally performed better. We conclude that mass propagation ofM. comosumcould be efficiently performed for agronomic purposes using nurseries. In fact, due to the high rate of germination and to the ease of obtaining the seeds from wild populations or from cultivations, there is the possibility to produce large quantities of bulbs to develop new crops of this traditional food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Italian roe deer is classified as "vulnerable" in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, as the few specimens of this endemism may have a high risk of extinction. Conservation efforts for the Italian roe deer cannot prescind from the study of the feeding habits of the taxon. Therefore, in the present study, the spring diet composition of the Italian roe deer from two protected areas was estimated by using the micro-histological technique of faecal analysis. Univariate measures of alpha and beta diversity were computed to assess spatial differences in diet composition between the sites. A total of 79 different species of plants were identified, with few species (mainly woody plants) comprising over a quarter of the diet. The most consumed species were Rubia peregrina, Quercus suber and Osyris alba in Site 1, and Q. cerris, Carpinus betulus and Crataegus monogyna in Site 2. Alpha diversity analysis showed that diet composition was quite rich and diverse in both sites, with nearly all the shared species eaten to an equal extent. Moreover, the values of alpha diversity indices were not significantly different between the sites. The degree of dietary overlap ranged from "low" to "high", as most of the identified plants were unshared, whereas the consumption of some shared plants differed between the sites. In conclusion, our results showed that that this subspecies of Capreolus is capable of exhibiting both a generalist and an opportunistic behaviour in relation of food resource availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Italian hare is a species of hare endemic to central and southern Italy and to Sicily. It has been classified as a ‘vulnerable’ species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as it is considered to have a high risk of extinction in the next decade. Despite its endangered status, little is known about its feeding habits. In the present study, the seasonal pattern of diet composition of a population of Italian hare occupying a semi-natural landscape was estimated by using the micro-histological technique of faecal analysis. The results showed that hares had a diversified diet, consuming plant parts from over 70 species. Like otherLepussp., the Italian hare consumed a large amount of herbaceous plants (e.g.Brachypodium sylvaticum,Trifolium pratense,Allium subhirsutumandFestuca arundinacea), although it complemented its diet seasonally with fruits ofPrunus spinosa,Pyrus pirasterandMalus sylvestris. Analysis of similarities (ANOSIM) evidenced significant differences among seasons, as a consequence of the seasonal occurrence of the various food items. Spring and autumn (R = 0.7482,P = 0.001), as well as spring and winter (R = 0.7398,P = 0.001), showed low diet similarities; these results were supported by similarity percentage analysis (SIMPER, average dissimilarity: > 71% between spring and autumn; > 69% between spring and winter) with taxa likeP. spinosa,Cirsium strictus,T. pratenseandRosa caninamaking the greatest contributions to these differences. Higher similarities were instead found when comparing other seasons. This seasonal pattern of diet composition was clearly depicted in the graph from nonmetric multidimensional scaling (n-MDS) ordination. Our results highlight the importance of some plant taxa in the diet of the Italian hare and could be useful in managing reintroduction programs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Cichorieae, one of the six tribes of the sub-family Cichorioideae (Asteraceae), produces a well-recognisable fenestrate pollen type. In the Mediterranean area, the significance of high percentages of Cichorieae pollen from archaeological layers is still questioned. We assessed the presence of Cichorieae as indicators of open habitats and pasturelands in current plant communities by comparing data on vegetation composition with pollen spectra from two Hellenistic sites of Basilicata (southern Italy): Difesa San Biagio in the low valley of the river Bradano and Torre di Satriano in the Lucanian Apennines. We also analysed the pollen morphology bringing to the discrimination of size classes within the fenestrate type of Cichorieae. Pollen spectra from the considered archaeological sites have low forest cover (7% on average); Asteraceae and Poaceae are prevalent; Cichorieae account to ca. 23%; coprophilous fungal spores are varied and present high concentrations. In surface soil samples collected near the sites, Cichorieae pollen is about 12%. In current vegetation types, an increasing abundance of Cichorieae was observed from salt marshes, forests and shrublands to open habitats and grasslands. This is coherent with the actual land cover around the study sites and the findings of the archaeological sample that point to an open landscape dominated by pastures and cultivated fields. Our integrated approach confirmed that today Cichorieae are common in secondary pastures and in some types of primary open habitats of southern Italy: hence, high percentages of this pollen can be considered a good indicator of these habitats even in past environment reconstructions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypogeous fungi are common in arid and semi-arid areas of the Mediterranean basin and, in particular, they are found in Italy, Spain, northern African countries (especially in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia), and in the Middle East. These fungi and, in particular, some species belonging to the genusTuberand the desert truffles (Terfeziaspp. andTirmaniaspp.) form ascomata of considerable economic value. In this review, a panorama of hypogeous fungal diversity and information on their ecology in Mediterranean arid and semi-arid ecosystems have been reported; their economical importance and cultivation potential are also underlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we provide an overview of the distribution and invasive status of non-native species in the Italian flora across its administrative regions, biogeographic regions and main land use types, and a synthesis of current knowledge on the threats they pose within the country. The information on non-native plant species collected during the project “A survey of the non-native Italian flora” was used to compile comprehensive regional and national databases. The number of non-native species within a given administrative region increases in proportion to its size, resident population density and latitude, reaching the highest values in the intensively cultivated, heavily industrialized and urbanized Po Plain in northern Italy. The number of casual species is positively correlated with the number of yearly visitors in each region and negatively correlated with the proportion of mountainous terrain within the region. If compared with the Continental and Mediterranean biogeographic regions, the Alpine region yields the lowest number of non-native species and lowest proportion of casual species. The number and density of introduced species is highest in artificial land use types, particularly in urban areas. A negative impact is reported to be exerted by 203 species, most of which are agricultural weeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we present a comprehensive inventory of the non-native vascular flora of Italy, which was produced within the project “A survey of the Italian non-native flora”, funded by the Italian Ministry for the Environment. Previously published floristic accounts were the main source of information. Historical records were critically revised and integrated with recent literature, data from herbaria and some unpublished information, so as to obtain a complete, up-to-date catalogue of the non-native vascular plant species that occur spontaneously in Italy. The inventory lists 1023 non-native species and subspecies, which account for 13.4% of all the Italian flora. The Italian non-native flora was divided, according to its residence time, into 103 archaeophytes and 920 neophytes. According to its current invasion status, it was classified into 437 casual (42.7% of all non-native) and 524 established taxa, the latter being divided into 361 naturalized non-invasive (35.3%) and 163 invasive taxa (15.9%). The inventory includes a group of 62 species (6.1%) that lack recent records (i.e. since 1950). By combining local expertise into a unified, nationwide scheme using a standardized method and terminology, the inventory provides the essential scientific basis for the development of plant invasion research and management in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]