Contributo alla conoscenza della flora brilogica delle Murge Tarantine (Taranto, Puglia): la Gravina di Petruscio ed il Bosco delle Pianelle

Bryophytes: a powerful source of biologically active compounds

Bryophytes are generally considered the first plants appeared on the Earth. Taxonomically, they are placed between Algae and Pteridophytes. The medicinal traditional use of bryophytes has been documented for a long time in many countries. Bryophytes contain numerous potentially useful compounds and strong antioxidative enzymatic machinery, which help them to cope up with extreme climates and stresses, and, in several cases, the total antioxidant amount was found higher than in other antioxidant common sources even if not yet fully known. Thus, a positive correlation between the folklore use and the scientific evaluation could generate an alternative source of novel medicinal compounds, whic…

1, 10, 100, how many floristic databases are there in Italy?

The Group for Floristics of the Italian Botanical Society (SBI) prepared a questionnaire to be distributed among all those concerned. On the whole about three dozens feedbacks were collected and analysed.

La flora briofitica dell’area archeologica di Selinunte (Sicilia sud-occidentale).

The bryophyte flora settled on the ancient ruins and other habitats of the archaeological area of Selinunte has been studied. The study showed that the bryophyte flora consists of 51 specific and infraspecific taxa (44 mosses and 7 liverworts). The analysis points out that the bryophyte flora of Selinunte is the richest from the taxonomic point of view. moreover, it is characterized by a prevalence of mediterranean taxa and has a distinctly photophilous, thermophilous, xerophilous and calcicolous-neutrophilous connotation. Biodeteriogenic species potentially more dangerous for their spread, abundance and reproductive capacity are highlighted.

First record of Anacolia webbii (Bartramiaceae, Musci) in Italian peninsula.

Bryophyte diversity in some Sicilian protected areas

The results of some investigations carried out in two Sicilian protected areas characterized by chalky reliefs are reported. These are the Serre di Ciminna and Monte Conca reserves. The Oriented Nature Reserve of Serre di Ciminna is located in northwestern Sicily, in the province of Palermo. Established in 1997 to protect the interesting karst phenomena in a vast macro-crystalline gypsum outcrop of the Messinian age, the series of "collapse valleys" and a swallowtail, the reserve falls within the Rocche di Ciminna, Site of Community Importance (SIC) (code ITA 020024). It includes some habitats of Community interest: pseudo-steppes with grasses and annuals of the Thero-Brachypodietea (code 6…

The Bryophyte flora of the Sicilian archaeological areas

Species and habitat biodiversity measure and conservation at different scale in small Mediterranean islands

Small islands are geographically and ecologically well-defined areas in which biological processes are easier to schematize than in the mainland. There is a vast range of biodiversity measures, due to the large concept of biodiversity and the range of spatial, temporal and taxonomic scales used. Many existing measures are well designed and informative. But, very often they are inadequate for purposes beyond those for which they were specifically designed. Knowledge on trends in biodiversity loss is hindered by the absence of reliable basic data for most groups of organisms as well as habitats. Plants are primary producers and key structural elements for most ecosystems and islands are among…

Plant landscape and phytodiversity in the archeological area of Segesta (NW Sicily)

In the system of Sicilian archaeological parks, the area of Segesta - an ancient city of western Sicily referring to the Carthaginian eparchy, - represents, together with Selinunte, Erice and Mothia, another integrated hotspot of biodiversity and archeaology. The current plant landscape is strongly influenced by a millenary anthropic transformation. There are no residual expressions of the original plant covering that, with reference to the environmental potential of the area, can be traced back to the evergreen Mediterranean forest dominated by Quercus ilex, presently only sporadically occurring in the area of the ruins, together with other species related to associations and upper syntaxa…

STEM education and digital instruments of the scientific museums and botanical gardens

Indagini briologiche in aree urbane: diversità briofitica dei centri abitati di Erice (Trapani) e Belmonte Mezzagno (Palermo).

Bryologic surveys in urban areas: bryophyte diversity of the population centers of Erice (province of Trapani) and Belmonte Mezzagno ((province of Palermo). The bryophytic flora of the towns of Erice (Trapani) and Belmonte Mezzagno (Palermo) have been studied. The first consists of 53 taxa (42 mosses and 11 liverwort), two of which are new for the province of Trapani, the second of 40 taxa (38 mosses and 2 liverworts), one of which new for the province of Palermo. A comparison between the studied bryofloras and those of other Sicilian urban areas shows that Erice’s bryophytic flora is, given its size, rich in species and families.

New national and regional bryophyte records, 43

During the examination of a collection made by the authors in 2009 in San Pedro de Atacama (Antofagasta Region, Chile) one specimen was identified as Bryum incacorralis Herzog, a moss not previously known from Chile (Müller, 2009) and easily confused with some species of Philonotis Brid. (Ochi, 1980). Comparison with the type material confirmed its identity (Holotype: Bolivia, Cochabamba: an Felsen der "Estradillas" bei Incacorral, 3000 m, Herzog s.n., JE! no. 04003475). Bryum incacorralis was first described by Herzog (1909) based on material collected in Cochabamba (Bolivia), and later recorded by Griffin (1977) and O'Shea (2010) from Venezuela. It is placed in the so-called sect. "Alpini…

School gardens as a resource to be exploited for learning Botany in primary and kindergarten school

Flora italiana di interesse comunitario: risultati del IV Report e Piano nazionale di monitoraggio

New national and regional bryophyte records, 65

Pseudoamblystegium subtile (Hedw.) Vanderp. & Hedenäs. CONTRIBUTORS: R. Gabriel, M. Kubová, C. Sérgio and I. Soares Albergaria. PORTUGAL, AZORES: Terceira Island, Angra do Heroísmo, municipal garden ‘Jardim Duque da Terceira’, 38° 39′ 24.0′′N, 27°13′ 05.99′′W, 31 m a.s.l, on the base of a shrub, in acidic conditions, 7 April 2017, leg. Michaela Kubová s.n. (AZU). A new understanding of the pleurocarpous moss species Pseudoamblystegium subtile was proposed by Vanderpoorten and Hedenäs (2009). The new genus is separated from the other Amblystegiaceae primarily due to its phylogenetic consistency and is characterised by the possession of leaves with a very short nerve, and erect capsules (Vand…

Environmental quality assessment of the Sicilian coast using a multi-disciplinary approach

A multidisciplinary approach for the assessment of the environmental quality of the Sicilian coast is presented. This approach can be adopted for any Mediterranean coastline. The territory was divided into elementary areas and for each of them we reported the most important taxa, belonging to fauna and vascular, bryophytic and algal flora, from a biogeographic point of view in order to evaluate punctual and general levels of biodiversity conservation. The comparative analysis showed that the main circumsicilian islands and the carbonate promontories of the Tyrrhenian coast present the highest degree of biodiversity. The coastal lagoons located in the south-eastern Sicily, even though charac…

Project for a Sicilian Bryophyte Red List.

Due to its location, Sicily has always represented an important biogeographic bridge between floras of temperate and tropical climates as well as between those of the western and eastern Mediterranean. Its central position in the Mediterranean was also key factor of a millenary history of human settlements which resulted in profound landscape changes in the past, but even at present human pressure continues to be very heavy. In spite of this, Sicily is part of one of the 10 most important hotspots in Mediterranean Basin, thanks to plant richness and endemism (Médail & Quézel 1999: Conserv. Biol. 13(6): 1510-1513). The bryophyte flora, including ca. 600 taxa (almost half of Italian bryof…