Search results for " phytosociology"
showing 10 items of 45 documents
Spatio-temporal variations in the application of the Braun-Blanquet approach in Europe
2018
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.
Contribution to the knowledge of Mediterranean wetland vegetation: Lemnetea and Potamogetonetea classes in Western Sicily
2021
The freshwater aquatic vegetation of the Lemnetea and Potamogetonetea classes in Western Sicily was surveyed and analyzed. 85 lakes and small pools were investigated collecting 147 phytosociological unpublished relevés to integrate the very scarce available data (only 3 relevés). By applying statistical analyses on abundances data and on the bases of physiognomy and dominant species, two alliances (Lemnion minoris and Stratiotion) and four different coenoses have been identify for the Lemnetea class; while 11 associations, assigned to two orders (Potamogetonetalia pectinati and Callitricho hamulatae-Ranunculetalia aquatilis) and four alliances (Potamogetonion, Nymphaeion albae, Ranunculion …
Circummed pine forest database: An electronic archive for mediterranean and submediterranean pine forest vegetation data
2019
Large thematic databases of vegetation plots are increasingly needed for vegetation studies and biodiversity research. In this paper, we present the CircumMed Pine Forest Database (GIVD ID: EU-00-026), which in November 2018, comprised records from 6317 pine-dominated vegetation plots (relevés) and associated vegetation types from 20 countries of the Mediterranean Basin, Near East and Crimea. These vegetation plots were collected through a detailed literature search for plots not previously included in the European Vegetation Archive (EVA), in order to fill geographic gaps in data coverage. The database comprises Mediterranean (including Oromediterranean) pine-forest vegetation plots from b…
Phytosociological survey vegetation map of Sicily (Mediterranean region)
2016
ABSTRACTWe present the results of a study aimed at developing a vegetation map of Sicily (Italy) including the smaller circum-Sicilian islands, for an area of approximately 25,703 km2. The work is a synthesis of studies carried out in accordance with the survey methodology of phytosociology in the last 40 years over the whole study area. The vegetation map of Sicily was compiled in a Geographical Information Systems (GIS) environment, in order to produce a cartographic representation at a scale of 1:10,000 (reduced to a scale of 1:250,000). The physiognomic-structural characteristics of the plant landscape of Sicily are analyzed, providing a general and, at the same time, detailed overview …
Additional insights on the ecology of the relic tree Zelkova sicula di Pasquale, Garfì et Quézel (Ulmaceae) after the finding of a new population
2011
Abstract In early autumn 2009 a new population of Zelkova sicula, a very threatened tree species endemic to Sicily, has been found some 17 km east from the first and unique population previously known. The abiotic (slope, rock and stone outcrop cover, environmental stress, etc.) and biotic (plant species composition, vegetation mean height, total cover, etc.) features of 30 plots selected within the two populations were investigated in order to contribute at clarifying the actual and potential eco-geographic range of this species. Data analysis showed that the floristic differences among the sampled plots mostly relate to the rather high micro-habitat amplitude of the target species and the…
A methodological protocol for Annex I Habitats monitoring: the contribution of Vegetation science.
2016
The methodological foundations of the recently published Manual for Annex I Habitats monitoring in Italy, edited by the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) with the scientific support of the Italian Society for Vegetation Science (SISV), are here presented, discussed and related to the most consolidated and acknowledged scientific advances in the field of Vegetation science. The proposed methodologies aim at offering simple, yet effective, protocols and procedures towards a harmonized data collection, by way of standardized and shared technical tools, resulting in comparable evaluations of the conservation status of Annex I Habitats. The methodological framew…
Syntaxonomical analysis of the beech forests from Sicily
1999
The results of a phytosociological investigation on the beech forests occurring in Sicily are given. On the basis of literature and unpublished data, four well differentiated associations have been identified and classified within the Doronico-Fagion, alliance of Querco-Fagetea. All the surveyed woodlands are localized in the mountain belt of North and North-Eastern Sicily. The associations have been examined from the floristical, ecological, chorological and nomenclatural point of view. Besides, a numerical analysis applied to the phytosociological relevés emphasizes the differences among the associations.
VegItaly: Technical features, crucial issues and some solutions
2012
VegItaly is at present the largest Italian vegetation database. It is the result of a collaborative project aspiring to represent a major reference for the Italian vegetation scientists. The paper emphasizes its benefits for phytosociological data management and describes the solutions adopted to solve several technical problems, like the treatment of different vegetation stratification systems, the conversion of vegetation cover values, taxonomic and syntaxonomic issues, data import and access. The structure of the taxonomic list produced to support the storing of data is described. It allows an easy management of synonymic relationships and is constantly updated according to new publicati…
The orophilous communities of the Pino-Juniperetea class in the Central and Eastern Mediterranean area
2001
Orophilous plant communities of the Pino-Juniperetea class, occurring in the Central and Eastern Mediterranean area, are examined. This vegetation is characterized by the dominance of trees and shrubs, mostly represented by conifers belonging to the genera Juniperus, Abies and Pinus. These communities are nowadays relegated to the supra- and oromediterranean belt, and show a fragmentary distribution, which is an evident proof of their relict connotation. The comparison among these communities, based on original and literature data, has highlighted a remarkable floristic and structural homogeneity, together with a series of geographical vicariances. From the phytosociological point of view, …
Plant communities, synusiae and the arithmetic of a sustainable classification
2022
We propose an equation to evaluate the efficiency of a classification as a function of the effort required and the population size of data collectors. The formula postulates a “classification efficiency coefficient”, which relates not only to the complexity of the object to be classified, but also to the data availability and representativeness. When applied to the classification of phytocoenoses, the equation suggests that a classification system based on vascular plants offers the best compromise between sampling effort, resolution power and data availability. We discuss the possibility of basing a vegetation classification on plot records for all macroscopic photoautotrophic organisms co…