Fitosociologia 47 (1) 2010

M. Terzi¹, R. Di Pietro², F. S. D’Amico³

¹Institute of Plant Genetics, National Research Council (CNR), Via Amendola, 165/A, 70126, Bari, Italy. e-mail: massimo.terzi@igv.cnr.it;

²Dipartimento I.T.A.C.A., Università di Roma “La Sapienza”, Via Flaminia 70, I-00196 Roma. e-mail: romeodipietro@uniroma.it;

³Dipartimento delle Produzioni Vegetali, Museo Orto Botanico, Università di Bari, Via E. Orabona 4, 70126 Bari, Italy. e-mail: damico@botanica.uniba.it

Application of Indicator Species Analysis to communities with Stipa austroitalica Martinovsky and relevant syntaxonomic problems.
According to the “Habitat” European Directive, Stipa austroitalica Martinovsky is a priority species. Its distributional range covers a large part of the south of Italy where the most representative populations occur in Apulia and Basilicata regions. Previous phytosociological studies which have regarded the Stipa austroitalica communities of southern Italy included these latter in Hippocrepido-Stipion austroitalicae (Scorzonero-Chrysopogonetalia, Festuco-Brometea), and, for a minor part, in Hyparrhenion hirtae (Hyparrhenietalia hirtae, Lygeo-Stipetea). In the present paper, new phytosociological data concerning some areas of great biogeographical importance such as Murge Plateau and Subappennino Dauno are presented.
The new relevés were included in a larger data-set composed of all the Stipa austroitalica communities relevés published so far. The new matrix was further subjected to multivariate analysis procedures. Differently from the past, where the diagnostic species were chosen through traditional methods, in the present paper the Indicator Species Analysis (Dufrêne & Legendre, 1997) was applied in order to identify by “objective” criteria both community types and relative diagnostic species. The results have shown new groups of character species for the various community types identified. Furthermore a critical analysis of the syntaxonomical relationship between Scorzonero-Chrysopogonetalia and Hyparrhenietalia hirtae orders was discussed. In particular, the phytosociological comparison amongst the various Stipa austroitalica communities described so far, suggests the possibility to reconsider the syntaxonomical hypothesis proposed by Horvatić (1975) who divided Scorzonero-Chrysopogonetalia into two new orders where one of these, Koelerietalia splendentis, included the more termophilous Mediterranean types.

L. Lastrucci, F. Paci & M. Raffaelli

Dipartimento di Biologia Evoluzionistica dell’Università di Firenze Biologia Vegetale, Via La Pira 4, 50121 Firenze

The wetland vegetation along the Arno River between Castelluccio (Capolona) and S. Giovanni Valdarno in the Arezzo province (Tuscany, Central Italy) is described according to the phytosociological method. The study area includes two Natural Reserves (Ponte a Buriano-Penna and Valle dell’Inferno-Bandella). This survey shows the presence along the river of hydrophytic communities (Lemnetea and Potametea classes), helophytic swampy communities (Phragmito-Magnocaricetea class), hygrophilous and hygro-nitrophilous perennial communities (Molinio-Arrhenatheretea, Galio-Urticetea and Artemisietea vulgaris classes), hygro-nitrophilous annual communities (Bidentetea tripartitae class) and riparian wet deciduous woodland and willow communities (Salici purpureae-Populetea nigrae class). A new association is proposed: Leersio oryzoidis-Juncetum effusi, a swampy community dominated by Juncus effusus subsp. effusus with the presence of Leersia oryzoides.

S. Pesaresi, E. Biondi

Department of Environmental and Crop Sciences, Marche Polytechnic University, Via Brecce Bianche – I 60131 Ancona, Italy.

A web application (www.ortobotanico.univpm.it/habitat) is presented that is easy to use for a wide audience, and which allows graphics processing of data in the standard form of the Natura 2000 sites, available in the database of the Ministry for the Environment, Land Protection and the Sea. This application allows mapping of the distribution of habitats of the Natura 2000 network in Italy, and their description using statistical centrographic analysis that highlights the centre and anisotropy of the distribution. This achieved according to the provisions of the recent Italian manual of habitat interpretation following Directive 92/43/EEC.

¹F. M. Tardella, ²A. Vitanzi, ¹R. Gatti, ²S. Cesaretti, ¹A. Catorci

¹Scuola di Scienze Ambientali, Università di Camerino, via Pontoni 5, I-62032 Camerino (MC); e-mail: andrea.catorci@unicam.it

²School of Advanced Studies, PhD Course in Environmental Sciences and Public Health, Università di Camerino, via Lili 55, I-62032 Camerino (MC)

The plant landscape of Monte S. Pancrazio ridge (Umbria – Central Italy). Results of a geosynphytosociological study regarding Monte S. Pancrazio calcareous ridge (Umbria – Central Italy) are here presented. The study area is located in the southern part of Umbria Region, Terni Province, under the influence of temperate and mediterranean climate, with three bioclimatic belts (upper mesomediterranean, lower and upper mesotemperate). The vegetation study has been performed throught 121 phytosociological relevés. All data were submitted to multivariate statistical analysis. The phytosociological analysis allowed to describe woods, shrub vegetation and grasslands in terms of phytosociological units (syntaxa). On the whole 15 syntaxa – 6 of which forest syntaxa, 6 of shrub vegetation and 3 of grasslands – were recognized. The study of the dynamic relationships among the plant communities allowed to define the vegetation series. The correlation among vegetation series and geological, geomorphological and bioclimatic characteristics of the territory allowed to describe the plant landscape units (geosigmeta) of the study area.