0000000000301762
AUTHOR
Sandro Pignatti
Ellenberg’s Indicator values for the Flora of Italy – first update: Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae and Monocotyledoneae
Ellenberg’s indicator values are an useful tool to delineate the relationship between plants and environment, recognising to each species a functional role as biological indicator. In the frame of the second edition of the Pignatti’s “Flora d’Italia”, some new informative systems are under preparations, in order to support geobotanical/applied studies, including a complete and updated review of the Ellenberg’s indicator values for the whole bulk of species mentioned in the flora of Italy. This first contribution includes a list of 380 species of Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae and Monocotiledoneae that complete the first assignment of the Ellenberg’s indicator values to the flora of Italy, publi…
A revision of Helichrysum panormitanum s.l. (Asteraceae) in the Italian and Maltese floras
As part of the ongoing researches on Asteraceae for the new edition of the Italian Flora, a revision of Helichrysum panormitanum s.l. is presented here. On the basis of previously published morphological and chemical data, as well as our morphological and chorological observations, we hereby propose to recognize six subspecies under H. panormitanum: subsp. panormitanum, subsp. stramineum, subsp. brulloi subsp. nov., subsp. messeriae, subsp. latifolium, and subsp. melitense comb. nov. All these taxa are endemic to Sicily and Egadi Islands (Italy), except H. panormitanum subsp. melitense which is endemic to Gozo island (Maltese archipelago). A diagnostic key for the six accepted subspecies is…
""Flora Italiana Digitale": an interactive identification tool for the Flora of Italy
The digital facilities of the second edition of Pignatti's "Flora d'Italia" are presented. A software, called FID (i.e. "Flora Italiana Digitale") will link together a random-access interactive identification tool, a thesaurus, synoptic tables and one template for each single species, including a distribution map (referred to the Italian regions), "ecograms", a text-box and up to 24 high-resolution colour images. The FID follows a "shareware phylosophy". All contents and images can be integrated and/or replaced over time, in order to continuously improve the diagnostic and qualitative performance of the utilities provided. Ideally, the community of users should interact on the web, so that …
A Territorial Contradiction
Spatial planning and environmental restoration are essential corollaries to the management of protected natural areas; however, without a sound awareness of the evolutionary consistency of biocoenoses, the harmonious integration between human activities and ecosystem preservation remains an unattainable utopia. The theorisation of a balanced welfare, inspired by the universal tendency of ecosystems to reach a steady state, has to go along with the defection from any economic greed. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015.
Reliability and effectiveness of Ellenberg’s indices in checking flora and vegetation changes induced by climatic variations
Two methods are proposed to assess the significance of time-spanned local variations of Ellenberg’s indicator values in floristic and phytosociological data sets respectively. Both methods are based on frequencies and averages of the indicator values within and among data sets. Main goal of proposed methods is to determine the threshold above which the observed variations are to be considered significant. In order to relate the observed floristic variations to recent climatic changes, attention was focused on the Ellenberg’s indices dealing with the main climatic variables: heliophany, temperature and precipitation. Study-cases from Zannone Island (Pontine Archipelago, Mediterranean region)…
Anthosart Green Tool: Selecting Species for Green Infrastructure Design
The environmental and economic costs of greenery depend on the planning criteria adopted and on the plants used. These costs can become more sustainable and can also be significantly lowered by using native flora and getting inspired by local plant communities. Nature-based solutions entail the use of species that co-occur naturally, thus replicating a model of coexistence consolidated by the evolutionary coherence of the biosphere. Planning, using and (re-)producing – getting inspired by natural ecosystems – may foster the dissemination of ecological awareness, with gardens, avenues, rooftops, walls and balconies seen as spaces available for the urban reconciliation with nature. The Anthos…
Spatio-temporal variations in the application of the Braun-Blanquet approach in Europe
An historical overview on the affirmation of the phytosociological method in Europe is presented. Some methodological and procedural differences in the application of the Braun-Blanquet approach, from the selection of the sampling plots to the assignment of relevés to existing or newly described units, are briefly commented. The main advantages and limitations of the phytosociological vegetation classification are reviewed and discussed, also in the light of their applications for vegetation mapping and monitoring.
Urban Services to Ecosystems - Green Infrastructure Benefits from the Landscape to the Urban Scale
The aim of this book is to bring together multidisciplinary research in the field of green infrastructure design, construction and ecology. The main core of the volume is constituted by contributions dealing with green infrastructure, vegetation science, nature-based solutions and sustainable urban development. The green infrastructure and its ecosystem services, indeed, are gaining space in both political agendas and academic research. However, the attention is focused on the services that nature is giving for free to and for human health and survival. What if we start to see things from another perspective? Our actions shall converge for instance to turn man-made environment like cities f…