Search results for "syntaxonomy"

Syntaxonomy, diversity and distribution of the vegetation of rock crevices, clefts and ledges in the colline and montane belts of Central Pamir-Alai …

2021

Mountain areas are very often considered to be biodiversity hotspots. Rocks are one of the most unique habitats and serve as a suitable biotope for many endemic and specialized plant species. Here we present the results of the vegetation studies conducted in central and eastern Pamir-Alai and the south-western Tian Shan mountains in 2013‒2019. Based on 334 phytosociological relevés we propose a synopsis of the rock communities of the montane and colline zones of eastern Middle Asia. As a result of our research, we distinguish 17 communities defined into five groups of petrophytic vegetation within the Caricion koshewnikowii alliance. We describe 11 new associations: Feruletum bucharicae, Sc…

Floristic and phytosociological features of the Brachypodium rupestre communities in Italy

2018

The pale green dense Tor-grass (Brachypodium rupestre) tufts are a quite distinctive aspect of the Italian grassland pattern of the colline and submontane belts. B. rupestre is used to be found in secondary grasslands both in natural environments and in some aspects of the post-coltural environments such as forest clearances, abandoned terraced and extensive pastures. In northern Italy (Alps, Prealps and northern Apennines) B. rupestre has only sporadically been considered in the grasslands syntaxonomic frameworks. On the contrary it occurs in those regarding the central Italy where several semi-natural and post-coltural grassland associations (e.g. Polygalo flavescentis-Brachypodietum, Gal…

The vegetation of a historic road system in the suburban area of Monte Pellegrino (Palermo, Sicily)

2020

Knowledge of the processes by which plants colonize old structures is a key element for nature-based design both in urban and suburban contexts. This paper analyses the natural vegetation on walls and in other microhabitats of the roadway structures of Monte Pellegrino (606 m a.s.l.) near Palermo (Sicily), built in the first half of the 1900s. The historical road has particular construction and architectural features, and its characteristics have been maintained to this day. The route, approximately 16 kilometers long, is well integrated within a site of high naturalistic value which has been designated as a Special Area of Conservation (ITA020014) of the Natura 2000 network, and it is also…

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…

"One original thought is worth a thousand quotings" - some reflections on the age of metadata analysis

2014

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, …

A new association of relict maquis with Ptilostemon greuteri (Oleo-Ceratonion, Quercetea ilicis), located in a circumscribed area of north-western Si…

2022

This paper illustrates the results of a survey aimed at deepening available knowledge on the ecology of Ptilostemon greuteri (Asteraceae), a very rare palaeoendemic and relict nano-phanerophyte discovered about 15 years ago on Monte Inici, near Castellammare del Golfo (province of Trapani, north-western Sicily). Two plant communities characterised by P. greuteri are described in detail; they occur in the locus classicus and in a second, recently discovered stand, which is also very localised and threatened by fire. The field investigations revealed that the sites where the species grows are very similar from the ecological point of view; in fact, both of them are located on the steep slopes…

Xeric grasslands of the inner-alpine dry valleys of Austria - new insights into syntaxonomy, diversity and ecology

2021

We are grateful to the IAVS for financial support for some of the participants. We would like to give special thanks to Dr. Ernst Partl, director of the Naturpark Kaunergrat for authorizing sampling in the protected areas and for helping with the organization of the field workshop.

Syntaxonomy of the Parietarietea judaicae class in Europe.

1999

On the basis of literature and unpublished data, a syntaxonomical review about the chasmophilous sinanthropic vegetation occurring in the Mediterranean territories and in the Atlantic and Central Europe was carried out. These plant communities are linked to masonry walls and rocky faces heavily disturbed by men, which are colonized by a fairly specialized flora dominated by hemicriptophytes, chamaephytes and mosses. From the syntaxonomical point of view, in accordance with the greatest part of the authors who studied the matter, the wall vegetation must be considered in a well-distinguished class whose valid name is Parietarietea judaicae Oberd. 1977, rather than in the Asplenietea trichoma…

A phytosociological analysis of the Brachypodium rupestre (Host) Roem. & Schult. communities of Sicily.

2018

A phytosociological study on the Brachypodium rupestre grasslands in Sicily is presented. These grasslands form discontinuous secondary stands dynamically linked to the deciduous oak woods, which are widespread within the upper-colline, submontane and lower montane belts (800-1400 m) of the Tyrrhenian side of the northern Sicily and in the Sicani mountains. In the study area B. rupestre grasslands were mainly found in colluvial plains or drainage lines where relatively deep and mesic soils occur. In this paper 42 phytosociological relevés were performed and statistically analysed. Two new associations were described and classified in the alliance Polygalo mediterraneae-Bromion erecti (Brome…