Search results for "endemism"
showing 10 items of 206 documents
Checklist of gypsophilous vascular flora in Italy
2018
Our understanding of the richness and uniqueness of the flora growing on gypsum substrates in Italy has grown significantly since the 19th century and, even today, new plant species are still being discovered. However, the plants and plant communities, growing on gypsum substrates in Italy, are still a relatively unknown subject. The main aim of this paper was to elaborate a checklist of the Italian gypsophilous flora, to increase knowledge about this peculiar flora and for which conservation efforts need to be addressed. Through a structured group communication process of experts (application of the Delphi technique), a remarkable number of experienced Italian botanists have joined togethe…
Improving the conservation of Mediterranean Chondrichthyans : the ELASMOMED DNA barcode reference library
2017
Cartilaginous fish are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic stressors and environmental change because of their K-selected reproductive strategy. Accurate data from scientific surveys and landings are essential to assess conservation status and to develop robust protection and management plans. Currently available data are often incomplete or incorrect as a result of inaccurate species identifications, due to a high level of morphological stasis, especially among closely related taxa. Moreover, several diagnostic characters clearly visible in adult specimens are less evident in juveniles. Here we present results generated by the ELASMOMED Consortium, a regional network aiming to sample …
A new gypsophilous species ofChaenorhinum(Antirrhinaceae) from the south-east of the Iberian Peninsula
2014
A new strict gypsophilous species of Chaenorhinum, Ch. gamezii, is described. It is an annual to perennial species found in extremely arid locations upon Triassic gypsic habitats in the south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. This species has an eglandular heterotrichous indumentum, which is related to Ch. segoviense and Ch. flexuosum. However, Ch. gamezii has a characteristic combination of vegetative and micromorphological features (trichomes and ornamentation of the seeds) that are not present in any other taxon of the genus. Herein, the affinities and differences with related species are studied and discussed. For its differentiation, an original key is presented with comparative figures of in…
At the intersection of cultural and natural heritage: Distribution and conservation of the type localities of Italian endemic vascular plants
2017
Abstract We conducted a GIS spatial analysis with the aim of providing the first quantitative large-scale overview of the distribution patterns of 1536 type localities ( loci classici ) of 1216 Italian endemic vascular plants and their relationship with a set of descriptive variables. Whereas some variables were used to model the presence-absence distribution patterns of the type localities for the whole set of endemics as well as for the subset of narrow endemics, others (e.g., presence inside or outside protected areas and Italian Important Plant Areas) were considered with the purpose of assessing potential assets or risks for conservation. The largest number of type localities was found…
Forest snail faunas from Transylvania (Romania) and their relationship to the faunas of Central and Northern Europe
2011
Forty-three forest sites in seven sampling areas in mountainous parts of Transylvania were sampled to obtain inventories of their snail faunas, and to make comparisons between these and the faunas of similar sites further north along the Carpathian chain. Sampling areas ran from close to the Ukrainian border in the north to Retezat in the south-west. Altogether, 83 species were found, as well as between 19 and 40 species at individual sites. Sites within the same sampling area had more species in common than in among-area comparisons, although differences between areas did not relate to the distance between them. Such differences appear to be related more to ecological factors than to geogr…
Floristic distinctiveness and endemic richness of woody plants highlight the biodiversity value of the herriza among all Mediterranean heathlands
2018
Background: Heathlands are relatively abundant in the landscape of the western Mediterranean region, especially in the Strait of Gibraltar region, where it is locally known as herriza. They are ass...
An integrative approach challenges species hypotheses and provides hints for evolutionary history of two Mediterranean freshwater palaemonid shrimps …
2021
25 pages; International audience; The Mediterranean Region is a biodiversity/endemism hotspot whose freshwater fauna remains largely unexplored. Our integrative study challenges the taxonomic status of two freshwater palaemonid shrimps, Palaemon antennarius and Palaemon minos. Three molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) were defined based on 352 cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences and 88 haplotypes. Two belonged to P. antennarius: one inhabiting the Apennine Peninsula and Sicily, and the other from the Balkan Peninsula. Palaemon minos was the third MOTU, found on Crete. The Balkan MOTU of P. antennarius was genetically closer to P. minos than to the other conspecific MOTU. …
Staying alive on an active volcano: 80 years population dynamics of Cytisus aeolicus (Fabaceae) from Stromboli (Aeolian Islands, Italy)
2020
Abstract Cytisus aeolicus is a narrow endemic species restricted to the Aeolian archipelago (SE Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) and it is one of the most evolutionarily isolated plants in the Mediterranean flora. Historical and literature data suggest that both metapopulations and isolated individuals of C. aeolicus are gradually shrinking. Field investigations and drone images demonstrate that the C. aeolicus metapopulation from Stromboli experienced a strikingly fast increase during the last decades. As of 2019, more than 7000 ± 3000 mature individuals occur on Stromboli, i.e. 14 to 20 times more than those counted during the last census, 25 years ago. The diachronic analysis of aerial photos conc…
At the Central European-Balkan transition: forest land snail faunas of the Banat contrasted with those of the Carpathian chain
2015
Twenty-nine forest sites in six sampling areas in the Banat region of Romania, adjacent to Serbia, were sampled to obtain inventories of their snail faunas and to make comparisons between these and previously studied faunas in the mountains from the Sudetes in the north-west to the Southern Transylvanian Carpathians in the south. 65 species were recorded overall, with between 13 and 33 at individual sites. Among the six sampling areas that on Schist rock at high altitude differed markedly from the others, and contained mainly species also found in Carpathian forests further north. The remainder, mainly on limestone, also differed among themselves, but contained more species endemic to the r…
Phylogenetic relationships among tetraploid species of Bellevalia (Asparagaceae) endemic to south-central Mediterranean
2017
AbstractIn the south-central Mediterranean four tetraploid species of Bellevalia occur: B. dolichophylla, B. galitensis, B. mauritanica, and B. pelagica. Another group of plants, morphologically similar to B. dolichophylla, has been recently recovered in Zembra Island (Tunisia). A phylogenetic reconstruction involving all these tetraploid taxa was performed using both plastidial and nuclear markers (trnL-trnF and ITS, respectively). For all these taxa, an allopolyploid origin involving B. romana and B. dubia is supported. Regarding plants from Zembra, they may fall within the variability of B. dolichophylla.