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This paper introduces the rationale and aims of the Europewide biodiversity informatics PESI [1] project. PESI defines and coordinates strategies to enhance the quality and reliability of European biodiversity information by integrating the infrastructural components of four major community networks on taxonomic indexing, namely those of marine life, terrestrial plants, fungi and animals, into a joint work programme. This will include functional knowledge networks of both taxonomic experts and regional focal points, which will collaborate on the establishment of standardised and authoritative taxonomic (meta-) data. In addition PESI will coordinate the integration and synchronisation of the European taxonomic information systems into a joint e-infrastructure and the creation of a common userinterface disseminating the pan-European checklists and associated userservices results.

This paper presents the results of a study on air pollution by SO2 in the Veneto Region (North Eastern Italy), using the "Calibrated Lichen lndex of Air Quality" (I.A.P.) proposed by Liebendoerfer et al. (1988). This index, based on the frequency of epiphytic lichen species within a sampling grid of 10 units, has been tested by the authors in two preliminary studies carried out in two different areas of Northern ltaly (the town of La Spezia and the northern part of the province of Vicenza), revealing a high degree of correlation with pollution by SO2, measured by automatic recording gauges. The index has been computed for 662 stations scattered throughout the Region of Veneto, whose surface area is of 18,364 km2. The average number of relevés in each station is 3.7, with a total number of 2,425 relevés. The tree genus selected for sampling is Tilia. Altogether, 80 lichen species have been recorded during the survey, with a prevalence of nitrophytic and neutro-basiphytic lichens indicating a diffuse secondary eutrophication of the bark by agricultural activities. Pollution maps for the seven provinces and for the entire region are presented. The evaluation of pollution levels is based on the correlations between the index and SO2 levels found in the preliminary studies. All maps have been drawn by programs of automatic mapping. The results show that in 93.7% of the regional territory there is a very low probability of the occurrence of SO2 concentrations higher than the thresholds established by law; this part of the region has yearly means of the 98th percentiles lower than 84 μg/m3. 25% of the region has moderate pollution levels, 23.4% a low pollution, and 44.9% a very low air pollution. The most polluted areas are located in the Southwestern part of the region. The pollution pattern agrees very well with the location of the main sources of pollution, and with the directions of the prevailing winds. The study presents also the computerized distribution maps of eight selected species (Candelaria concolor, Candelariella xanthostigma, Hypogymnia physodes, Parmelia exasperatula, Parmelia sulcata, Physcia adscendens, Physcia orbicularis, Xanthoria parietina), that are discussed in relation with the main pollution patterns. The lichens species can be subdivided into three main groups, according to their distribution patterns. The main factors affecting the distribution of lichens in the survey area are air pollution and the eutrophication of bark by agricultural activities. A monitoring strategy where bioindicators and instrumental recording of air pollution are used jointly is proposed as a good solution to air pollution mapping aver vast areas. LICHENI COME BIOINDICATORI DI INQUINAMENTO ATMOSFERICO NELLA REGIONE DEL VENETO (ITALIA NORD ORIENTALE). Questo lavoro presenta i risultati di uno studio sull'inquinamento da S02 nella Regione del Veneto, svolto utilizzando l' "Indice lichenico calibrato di qualità dell' Aria" (I.A.P.) proposto da Liebendoerfer et al. (1988). Tale indice, basato sulla somma delle frequenze delle specie licheniche epifite in un reticolo di 10 unità, è stato preliminarmente saggiato in due diverse aree dell' Italia settentrionale (città di La Spezia ed Alto Vicentino), rivelando un'alta grado di predittività rispetto alla contaminazione da anidride solforosa, misurata da apposite centraline. L'indice è stato calcolato per 662 stazioni (per un totale di 2425 rilievi) sparse per un'area di 18.364 km2. Tutti i rilievi sono stati effettuati su Tiglio in un periodo di un anno, compreso tra il Settembre del 1989 ed il Settembre del 1990. Sono state rinvenute 80 specie di licheni, la maggior parte dei quali cresce di norma su substrati eutrofizzati, a reazione neutro-basica, ed è caratteristica dell'alleanza Xanthorion parietinae. Ciò indica una diffusa eutrofizzazione dei substrati dovuta in primo luogo all'intensa attività agricola. Vengono presentate carte della contaminazione dell'aria da anidride solforosa per le sette provincie amministrative, e per l'intera Regione del Veneto. La stima dei livelli d'inquinamento si basa sulle correlazioni, ottenute negli studi preliminari, tra i valori di I.A.P. e le effettive concentrazioni di S02 in atmosfera rilevate da centraline. Le carte sono state ottenute attraverso programmi di cartografia automatica. I risultati dimostrano che nel 93.7 % del territorio regionale la probabilità di superamento delle soglie di SO2 stabilite per legge è bassa o molto bassa (medie annue dei 981 percentili minori di 84 μg/m3). Il 25 % del territorio regionale presenta un moderato inquinamento atmosferico, il 23.4 % un inquinamento modesto, il 44.9 % ha livelli di inquinamento trascurabili. Le aree maggiormente inquinate, quelle cioè in cui maggiore è la probabilità del superamento delle soglie previste dalla legge, si trovano nella porzione sudoccidentale del Veneto, nelle provincie di Padova, Rovigo e Verona. L' andamento generale dell'inquinamento evidenziato dalle carte è in buon accordo con la localizzazione delle principali fonti inquinanti e con la direzione dei venti prevalenti. Lo studio include anche le carte di distribuzione di otto specie licheniche (Candelaria concolor, Candelariella xanthostigma, Hypogymnia physodes, Parmelia exasperatula, Parmelia sulcata, Physcia adscendens, Physcia orbicularis, Xanthoria parietina), anch'esse ottenute per via automatica, che vengono discusse in relazione alla distribuzione spaziale dell'inquinamento atmosferico nel territorio regionale. Si possono distinguere tre gruppi principali di specie, con differenti patterns di distribuzione nell' ambito della regione. I fattori principali che condizionano la distribuzione dei licheni nella Regione Veneto sono l'inquinamento atmosferico e l'eutrofizzazione delle scorze conseguente all'attività agricola. L'utilizzazione congiunta di bioindicatori e del rilevamento strumentale viene proposta come la strategia più appropriata al monitoraggio dell'inquinamento atmosferico su vasta scala.

ENDOLITHIC LICHENS ON LIMESTONE MONUMENTS - This paper briefly illustrates the main features of endolithic lichens growing on limestone, with particular regard to some species which have been found growing on monuments. The action of endolithic lichens on stone is also discussed, with some remarks on the possible harmful effects of the application of biocides to remove endolithic lichens from monuments.

The lichen vegetation of the Cathedral of Orvieto (Centrai ltaly) has been studied on the basis of 29 phytosociological releves carried out on different parts of the church, and on different substrates. The species by releves matrix has been submitted to classification and ordination to detect different community-types and to study possible ecological gradients. The ecology of the community-types has been studied by means of the ecological indices derived from Wirth (1980). The main causes of lichen growth in different parts of the church, the main aesthetic damages, and the possible measures for eliminating and preventing lichen growth are discussed. LA VEGETAZIONE LICHENlCA DEL DUOMO DI ORVIETO. La vegetazione lichenica del duomo di Orvieto è stata studiata sulla base di 29 rilievi fitosociologici effettuati in diverse parti della chiesa, e su diversi substrati. La matrice delle specie e dei rilievi è stata sottoposta a classificazione ed ordinamento al fine di individuare diversi tipi di vegetazione e di evidenziare possibili gradienti ecologici. L'ecologia dei diversi tipi di vegetazione è stata studiata utilizzando le diagnosi ecologiche proposte da Wirth (1980) per le singole specie. Vengono discussi le principali cause che determinano la crescita dei licheni nelle diversi parti del Duomo, i principali danni estetici da essi creati, e possibili misure di intervento per eliminare e prevenire la crescita dei licheni nella parti maggiormente colpite.

NB: Appendice scaricabile su file separato. This study is based on the measure of the 134 Cs and 13 7 Cs content in 298 samples belonging to 120 species of macromicetes, collected in 37 stations throughout the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region (North Eastern Italy) in September-October 1986. Significant differences in contamination have been recorded both among species collected in the same station, and among average values of the stations themselves. The differences among species of the same stations seem to depend on the depth of the mycelium in the soil: contamination is highest in the fungi with superficial mycelium, lowest in those that are in symbiosis with deep-rooting deciduous trees. This is related to the fact that most of the radionuclides are presently concentrated in the upper horizon of the forest soil, as demonstrated by the analysis of 59 soil samples collected in the 37 stations. The differences among stations are well correlated to the amount of precipitation in the days following the Chernobyl disaster. This allowed the elaboration of a contamination map of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region based on precipitation and contamination data: the most polluted areas are located in the Carnian and Julian Pre-Alps, whereas the lowland has been but little affected by radioactive deposition. The average ratio 137 Cs/134 Cs in mushrooms is 2. 7, which is probably due to the presence in the materiai of 137 Cs deriving from nuclear tests.

The botanical exploration of the Majella National Park has a long tradition dating back to the eighteenth century. However, the lichen biota of this area is still poorly investigated. To provide a baseline for future investigations, in this annotated checklist, we summarised all available information on the occurrence of lichens in the Majella National Park, retrieved from previous literature, herbarium material and original data produced by recent research.The checklist includes 342 infrageneric taxa. However, seven taxa are considered as dubious, thus setting the number of accepted taxa at 335, i.e. 45.8% of those currently known to occur in the Abruzzo Region. This checklist provides a baseline of the lichens known to occur in the Majella National Park, highlighting the potential of this area as a hotspot of lichen biodiversity, especially from a biogeographical point of view as indicated by the occurrence of several arctic-alpine species that form disjunct populations in the summit area of the massif.

In this contribution, new data concerning bryophytes, fungi and lichens of the Italian flora are presented. It includes new records, confirmations or exclusions for the bryophyte genera Acaulon, Campylopus, Entosthodon, Homomallium, Pseudohygrohypnum, and Thuidium, the fungal genera Entoloma, Cortinarius, Mycenella, Oxyporus, and Psathyrella and the lichen genera Anaptychia, Athallia, Baeomyces, Bagliettoa, Calicium, Nephroma, Pectenia, Phaeophyscia, Polyblastia, Protoparmeliopsis, Pyrenula, Ramalina, and Sanguineodiscus.

Based on the analysis of both historical and recent collections, this paper reports an annotated list of taxa which are new to the lichen biota of Italy or of its administrative regions. Specimens were identified using a dissecting and a compound microscope; routine chemical spot tests and standardized thin-layer chromatography (TLC or HPTLC). The list includes 225 records of 153 taxa. Twenty taxa are new to Italy, the others are new to one or more administrative regions, with 15 second records and 5 third records for Italy. Some of the species belong to recently-described taxa, others are poorly known, sterile or ephemeral lichens which were largely overlooked in Italy. Several species are actually rare, either because of the rarity of their habitats (e.g. old-growth forests), or because in Italy they are at the margins of their bioclimatic distribution. The picture of the lichen biota of Italy has now new pixels, but its grain is still coarse. Further analysis of historical collections, increased efforts in the exploration of some areas, and the taxonomic revision of critical groups are still necessary to provide more complete distributional data for new biogeographic hypotheses, taxonomic and ecological research, and biodiversity conservation.

In this contribution, new data concerning bryophytes, fungi, and lichens of the Italian flora are presented. It includes new records and confirmations for the bryophyte genera Aneura, Aulacomnium, Dumortiera, Fossombronia, Hennediella, Hygrohypnella, Pohlia, Porella, Riccardia, Tortella, and Tortula, the fungal genera Cortinarius, Mycena, Naucoria, Trichoglossum, and Tubaria and the lichen genera Agonimia, Blastenia, Chaenotheca, Cladonia, Endocarpon, Gyalecta, Lecanographa, Parmeliella, Porpidia, Stenhammarella, and Thelidium.

In this contribution, new data concerning bryophytes, fungi, and lichens of the Italian flora are presented. It includes new records and confirmations for the bryophyte genera Encalypta, Grimmia, and Riccia, for the fungal genera Hericium, Inocybe, Inocutis, Pluteus, and Russula, and for the lichen genera Bryoria, Farnoldia, Hypocenomyce, Lecania, Paracollema, Peltigera, Sarcogyne, and Teloschistes.

In this contribution, new data concerning the distribution of native vascular flora in Italy are presented. It includes new records, confirmations, exclusions, and status changes to the Italian administrative regions for taxa in the genera Ajuga, Chamaemelum, Clematis, Convolvulus, Cytisus, Deschampsia, Eleocharis, Epipactis, Euphorbia, Groenlandia, Hedera, Hieracium, Hydrocharis, Jacobaea, Juncus, Klasea, Lagurus, Leersia, Linum, Nerium, Onopordum, Persicaria, Phlomis, Polypogon, Potamogeton, Securigera, Sedum, Soleirolia, Stachys, Umbilicus, Valerianella, and Vinca. Nomenclatural and distribution updates, published elsewhere, and corrigenda are provided as Suppl. material 1.

In this contribution, new data concerning algae, bryophytes, fungi, and lichens of the Italian flora are presented. It includes new records and confirmations for the algae genusChara, the bryophyte generaHomalia,Mannia, andTortella, the fungal generaCortinarius,Russula, andStereum, and the lichen generaCetrelia,Cladonia,Enterographa,Graphis,Lecanora,Lepraria,Multiclavula,Mycomicrothelia,Parmelia,Peltigera,Pleopsidium,Psora,Scytinium,Umbilicaria, andRhizocarpon.

In this contribution, new data concerning algae, bryophytes, fungi, and lichens of the Italian flora are presented. It includes new records and confirmations for the algae genusChara, the bryophyte generaCephalozia,Conardia,Conocephalum,Didymodon,Sphagnum,Tetraplodon, andTortula, the fungal generaEndophyllum,Gymnosporangium,Microbotryum,Phragmidium, andPluteus, and the lichen generaCandelariella,Cladonia,Flavoplaca,Lichenothelia,Peltigera,Placolecis,Rinodina,Scytinium, andSolenopsora.

This work provides an overview of the ecology of all bipartite cyanolichens of Italy, exploring the relationships between ecological factors and species traits. A matrix of 205 species and several ecological descriptors was subjected to multivariate analyses (classification and ordination). Six groups of species with similar ecology were delimited, arranged along a gradient of decreasing aridity and light intensity, from extreme dry habitats on sunny calcareous rocks to very humid and shaded habitats on tree bark. The relationships between ecological species groups and traits were assessed by Principal Component Analysis, carried out on a matrix of ecological species groups and percent occurrences of 11 morpho-biological traits in each group. Along the gradient from arid to humid environments, and from more primeval substrata (rocks, mineral soils) to more recent ones (organic soils, tree bark), morphologically simpler, sexually reproducing cyanolichens are gradually replaced by more complex, often asexual species, which suggests that the current ecology of cyanolichens may retain a phylogenetic signal, indicative of the evolutionary footprint in species adaptation processes.

open 5 no An outline of the main distribution patterns of lichens in the ecoregions of Italy, accounting for their climatic, geographic, and environmental features, is still missing. On the basis of a GIS-based analysis, we summarized: (1) the main features (e.g., surface, climate, landscape, topographic heterogeneity, bedrock, eutrophication) of the 9 ecoregions adopted in ITALIC, the information system on Italian lichens, and (2) the patterns of richness, functional traits, and ecological requirements of lichens in the ecoregions. Our GIS-based analysis describes for the first time the main features of the 9 ecoregions adopted in ITALIC, highlighting differences which could explain the main lichen patterns. Overall, the exploration of the Italian lichen biota is still a work in progress, some regions being still underexplored, especially in the South, with new taxa being reported every year. Our research could provide a baseline for further advancements in the understanding of species richness and community composition of Italian lichens, at a regional scale. none Martellos S.; d'Agostino M.; Chiarucci A.; Nimis P.L.; Nascimbene J. Martellos S.; d'Agostino M.; Chiarucci A.; Nimis P.L.; Nascimbene J.

In this contribution, new data concerning the distribution of vascular flora alien to Italy are presented. It includes new records, confirmations, exclusions, and status changes for Italy or for Italian administrative regions of taxa in the generaAcalypha,Acer,Canna,Cardamine,Cedrus,Chlorophytum,Citrus,Cyperus,Epilobium,Eucalyptus,Euphorbia,Gamochaeta,Hesperocyparis,Heteranthera,Lemna,Ligustrum,Lycium,Nassella,Nothoscordum,Oenothera,Osteospermum,Paspalum,Pontederia,Romulea,Rudbeckia,Salvia,Sesbania,Setaria,Sicyos,Styphnolobium,Symphyotrichum, andTradescantia. Nomenclature and distribution updates, published elsewhere, and corrigenda are provided as supplementary material.

Nascimbene J., Nimis P.L., Mair P. & Spitale D. 2018: Climate warming effects on epiphytes in spruce forests of the Alps. – Herzogia 31: 374–384.Climate warming in the Alps is setting major challenges to biodiversity conservation, potentially threatening epiphytic bryophytes and lichens, whose poikilohydric nature makes their eco-physiology strongly dependent on ambient temperature. In this work, we used species occurrence data along steep elevational-temperature gradients within the range of Alpine spruce-dominated forests for modelling the response of epiphytes to temperature shifts. Results provide evidence for species-specific and differently shaped species-temperature relationships, indicating that the sensitiveness of single species to climate warming is likely to influence community composition. Many epiphytes that currently occur in Alpine forests are vulnerable to warming, and may soon experience local extinction. The local assessment of the current altitudinal range of species may provide a tool to monitor the effects of warming by identifying the most critical species and the locations where their conservation is expected to be more effective.

In this contribution, new data concerning bryophytes, fungi, and lichens of the Italian flora are presented. It includes new records and confirmations for the bryophyte genera Diplophyllum and Ptychostomum, the fungal genera Arrhenia, Gymnosporangium, and Sporidesmium and the lichen genera Arthonia, Coenogonium, Flavoplaca, Gyalolechia, Parmotrema, Peltigera, Pterygiopsis, Squamarina, Tornabea, and Waynea.

The European KeyToNature project has created a framework to gather large amounts of biodiversity-related digital data and metadata from cooperating providers and to make them publicly available via an advanced search engine tool. The novelty of the solution consists in the creation of specific queries for the search web service in the KeyToNature digital repository, in the implementation of a communication protocol between the client application and the repository server, and in other original solutions for metadata presentation.

The lichen flora of freshwater habitats in the Italian Alps is reviewed: 20 genera and 43 species are known, of which crustose lichens with sexual reproduction prevail. Freshwater lichen richness is highest near the treeline on siliceous substrata in exposed and well-lit sites. The importance of several ecological factors on freshwater lichen distribution and ecology is discussed.

In the last decades, several methods were proposed for assessing environmental quality — mainly air pollution — on the basis of lichen data (see chapter 4, this volume). At the end of the 80s the predictivity of 20 different methods with respect to instrumental pollution data was tested in Switzerland using multiple regression [1, 5]. The highest correlation was found with the sum of frequencies of lichen species within a sampling grid of 10 units positioned on the trunks of free-standing trees. This method was immediately and widely adopted in several other countries, esp. Italy and Germany, with some modifications, chiefly concerning the size of the sampling grid. Since 1987, hundreds of studies were carried out with this approach, which led to its standardization in the form of guidelines both in Germany [13], and in Italy [7].

Aim of the Important Plant Area (IPA) program - integral part of the CBD Global Strategy for Plant Conservation - is the constitution of a network of the most important natural or semi-natural sites for wild plant and fungi conservation. Giving lower plants and fungi the same importance as vascular plants, the program provides to individual countries a considerable freedom of action in the implementation of IPAs number. Three main principles rule the site identification: Criterion A, based on species contribution; Criterion B, based on floristic richness in relation to the biogeographic zone; Criterion C, based on threatened habitats. Italian botanists from different areas of research responded to the call comprehensively, including all the groups of plants in the definition of the IPAs. Nevertheless, experts in lichens, fungi and freshwater algae found some operational difficulties, mostly due to the incomplete knowledge of species distribution, the lack of updated databases and official red lists. In this paper, the methodological approach used to include Italian lichens in the IPA definition is discussed. Seventy two taxa were selected as species of national interest and 21 areas critical for long-term preservation of lichen populations were proposed, including an archaeological area considered representative of cultural heritages as a lichen complex habitat.