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Target 2 of the European Biodiversity Strategy to 2020, whose aim was to maintain and restore ecosystems and their services, deals in practical terms with the mapping and assessment of ecosystems and their services, with the development of green infrastructure and with halting the loss of biodiversity at the EU, national, and subnational levels. The aim of this short communication was to show the activities currently being carried out in Italy that are related to this target, focusing on the contribution of vegetation science skills to the national implementation process. In particular, we outline noteworthy inputs in ecosystem mapping, in the assessment of ecosystem conservation status, in the individuation of priorities for the restoration of ecosystems, and in the settingup of an ecological framework to promote green infrastructure. An overview of the process outcomes and their relevance within the national and international contexts is also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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 eachsyntaxon. The short declaration highlights the physiognomy, synecology, syndynamics and distribution of the plant communities that belong to thesyntaxon. 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. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article provides general information and original data on the period of first introduction in Europe (1823–1825) and in Italy (first half of the 19th century), and on the current distribution and impacts in Italy of the invasive macrophyteEichhornia crassipes. Two main pathways are responsible for the presence of this species in Italy: (i) introduction as an ornamental and (ii) research and use for phytoremediation. After a time lag of more than 100 years,E. crassipeshas recently started invading the Italian freshwaters. A specific action plan for this species is required, including local eradication and awareness campaigns. Furthermore, regulations in the trade sector of invasive aquatic plant species need to be introduced and the possibilities for biological or integrated control evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The new speciesIsoëtes sabatinais described and illustrated. Morphological, anatomical, and ecological characters are given. It differs from the similarI. echinosporaby several characters, such as megaspore ornamentation and size, microspore size, velum extension and form, and also for its ecology. A table showing the main differential characters of the new species compared with those of the other European aquatic species is presented. So far, the species is known from a single locality (Bracciano Lake, central Italy), having a peculiar ecology and within the Mediterranean bioclimate. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The most commonly used old-growth forest indicators are structural attributes; nevertheless, they do not necessarily represent the biodiversity value of old-growth forests. The aim of this study is to analyse the relationships between species richness data of different taxa and structural indicators of old-growth and to identify taxonomic/functional groups, species and structural attributes that may be used as indicators of old-growth. To achieve this goal we sampled forest structure, vascular plants, lichens, bryophytes, fungi, saproxylic beetles and birds in mature and old-growth stands in southern Italy. We calculated Spearman's correlation coefficients between species richness data and structural attributes. Analyses of indicator species, co-occurrences and two-way clusters were performed on the multi-taxonomic list. The group of vascular plants most significantly correlated with other groups in terms of species richness; furthermore, it displays the highest proportion of between-group co-occurrences. The resulting multi-taxonomic list of potential indicators may serve as an effective means of detecting and monitoring forest ecosystems; however, for this goal, structure-based indicators, such as forest structural attributes and vascular plant species composition, are of primary importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]