Search

Conservation translocations are becoming common conservation practice, so there is an increasing need to understand the drivers of plant translocation performance through reviews of cases at global and regional levels. The establishment of the Italian Database of Plant Translocation (IDPlanT) provides the opportunity to review the techniques used in 186 plant translocation cases performed in the last 50 years in the heart of the Mediterranean Biodiversity Hotspot. We described techniques and information available in IDPlanT and used these data to identify drivers of translocation outcomes. We tested the effect of 15 variables on survival of translocated propagules as of the last monitoring date with binomial logistic mixed-effect models. Eleven variables significantly affected survival of transplants: life form, site protection, material source, number of source populations, propagation methods, propagule life stage, planting methods, habitat suitability assessment, site preparation, aftercare, and costs. The integration of vegetation studies in the selection of suitable planting sites significantly increased the success of translocation efforts. Although posttranslocation watering had a generally positive effect on translocation outcome, other aftercare techniques did not always increase transplant survival. Finally, we found that how funds were spent appeared to be more important than the actual amount spent. Plant translocations in Italy and in the Mediterranean area should account for the complexity of speciation, gene flow, and plant migrations that has led to local adaptations and has important implications for the choice and constitution of source material.

We announce the formation of the “GLORIA ITALIA NETWORK” and present an overview of the Italian alpine plant communities changes that have occurred in the last 20 years. This network will provide coordination between Italian GLORIA sites and enhance public awareness of changes in alpine plant diversity under climate change.

IDPlanT is the Italian Database of Plant Translocation, an initiative of the Nature Conservation Working Group of the Italian Botanical Society. IDPlanT currently includes 185 plant translocations. The establishment of a national database on plant translocation is a key step forward in data sharing and techniques improvement in this field of plant conservation. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2021.1985004.

Resurrecting extinct species is a fascinating and challenging idea for scientists and the general public. Whereas some theoretical progress has been made for animals, the resurrection of extinct plants (de-extinction sensu lato) is a relatively recently discussed topic. In this context, the term ‘de-extinction’ is used sensu lato to refer to the resurrection of ‘extinct in the wild’ species from seeds or tissues preserved in herbaria, as we acknowledge the current impossibility of knowing a priori whether a herbarium seed is alive and can germinate. In plants, this could be achieved by germinating or in vitro tissue-culturing old diaspores such as seeds or spores available in herbarium specimens. This paper reports the first list of plant de-extinction candidates based on the actual availability of seeds in herbarium specimens of globally extinct plants. We reviewed globally extinct seed plants using online resources and additional literature on national red lists, resulting in a list of 361 extinct taxa. We then proposed a method of prioritizing candidates for seed-plant de-extinction from diaspores found in herbarium specimens and complemented this with a phylogenetic approach to identify species that may maximize evolutionarily distinct features. Finally, combining data on seed storage behaviour and longevity, as well as specimen age in the novel ‘best de-extinction candidate’ score (DEXSCO), we identified 556 herbarium specimens belonging to 161 extinct species with available seeds. We expect that this list of de-extinction candidates and the novel approach to rank them will boost research efforts towards the first-ever plant de-extinction.

Italy is among the European countries with the greatest plant diversity due to both a great environmental heterogeneity and a long history of man–environment interactions. Trait-based approaches to ecological studies have developed greatly over recent decades worldwide, although several issues concerning the relationships between plant functional traits and the environment still lack sufficient empirical evaluation. To draw insights on the association between plant functional traits and direct and indirect human and natural pressures on the environmental drivers, this article summarizes the existing knowledge on this topic by reviewing the results of studies performed in Italy adopting a functional trait approach on vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens. Although we recorded trait measurements for 1418 taxa, our review highlighted some major gaps in plant traits knowledge: Mediterranean ecosystems are poorly represented; traits related to belowground organs are still overlooked; traits measurements for bryophytes and lichens are lacking. Finally, intraspecific variation has been little studied at community level so far. We conclude by highlighting the need for approaches evaluating trait–environment relationship at large spatial and temporal scales and the need of a more effective contribution to online databases to tie more firmly Italian researchers to international scientific networks on plant traits.

26 februari 2021, Contains fulltext : 235930.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)

Italy has a rich natural heritage, which is dangerously under pressure. In recent years, there is an increased awareness of the crucial role of plants in ecosystem functioning and in providing ecosystem services. Consequently, an updated Red List of the Italian vascular flora was compiled in this work, at the request of the Ministry for Environment, Land and Sea Protection, with the scientific support of the Italian Botanical Society. The IUCN Red List criteria were applied to 2,430 Italian native vascular plant taxa to assess their current extinction risk and to highlight the major threats affecting the Italian flora. Our results revealed that 54 taxa (2.2% of the assessed taxa) are extinct or possibly extinct at regional level, while 590 taxa (24.3%) were assigned to a risk category. Moreover, 404 taxa (16.6%) were categorized as Data Deficient. The Italian vascular flora is primarily threatened by habitat modifications due to anthropic disturbance and, especially, to agriculture, tourism and residential development. Coastal areas and lowlands, where anthropogenic impacts and ecosystem destruction are more pronounced, host the greatest number of extinct or declining taxa. Our results represent an important baseline to establish conservation priorities, legislative choices and intervention strategies on a national scale.

The results of the 4th National Report for the Italian flora under the 92/43/EEC ‘Habitats’ Directive are presented. The outcomes showed a general negative conservation status for plant species, with the worst situation being in the Mediterranean bioregion. At the National level, significant monitoring and conservation activities are required.

Effects of climate change are particularly important in the Mediterranean Biodiversity hotspot where rising temperatures and drought are negatively affecting several plant taxa, including endemic species. Assisted colonisation (AC) represents a useful tool for reducing the effect of climate change on endemic plant species threatened by climate change. We combined species distribution models (SDMs) for 188 taxa endemic to Italy with the IUCN red listing range loss threshold under criterion A (30%) to define: (a) the number of AC (measured as 2 × 2 km grid cells that should be occupied by new populations, i.e. grid cells = new populations) required to fully compensate for predicted range loss and to halt the decline below the 30% of range loss; (b) The number of cells necessary to compensate for range loss was calculated as the number of currently occupied cells lost under future climate due to unsuitable conditions. We used two representative concentration pathways, +2.6 and +8.5 W/m2, optimistic and pessimistic scenarios respectively. Availability of suitable areas for AC was also assessed within the current species distribution and within protected areas. Under the optimistic scenario, no taxa would lose more than 30% of their range and AC would not be required. Under the pessimistic scenario, roughly the 90% of taxa showed a cell loss higher than 30%. Eight taxa were predicted to lose >95% of their range. For these species, AC was required from 13 to 16 new populations (=13–16 grid cells) per taxon to cap the range loss at 30%. For currently VU or EN species, an average number of 32–35 AC attempts would be necessary to fully compensate their range loss under a pessimistic scenario. Suitable recipient sites within protected areas falling in their projected range were identified, allowing for short-distance AC. Synthesis. Combining species distribution models and red listing thresholds under Criterion A has enabled the strategic planning of multiple species assis

The results of a project for the identification of species-specific monitoring protocols for the Italian plant species protected under the Habitats Directive (Annexes II/IV/V) are presented. The project led to the development of 118 monitoring factsheets, providing an operational guidance for 107 vascular taxa, 10 bryophytes and 1 lichen taxon. Each factsheet includes information on the species (distribution, biology, ecology, conservation status, threats, etc.) and the description of field methodologies for the detection of the two main reporting parameters, i.e. population size and habitat quality. Practical information to plan field activities are also given. Protocols were designed to address the requirements of the European reporting system with the aim to standardize future monitoring activities, optimize efforts at national scale and overcome some current problems related to data heterogeneity and discrepancies from the EC standards. More than 60 botanists collaborated to identify the best practices and to design an operational field survey format through several stages of discussion and sharing. The protocols, developed by ISPRA and Scientific Societies and shared with the Italian institutions responsible for the Directive application, were published in a dedicated National handbook. The work provides a first uniform technical basis for future national monitoring plans.

The reintroduction of a plant species regionally extinct in the wild poses a stimulating conservation challenge. If the species is dioecious and the ex situ preserved population is only of one sex, the challenge is even more difficult. To assess whether the female population of Stratiotes aloides originally studied requires a reinforcement to increase its genetic variation, and to determine from which source male individuals should be taken to re-establish a viable population, the genetic structure of nine different accessions of S. aloides across Europe and Asia were analysed - six native populations and the last three Italian populations, preserved ex situ. Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprinting of 190 individuals from these populations was performed using six primer combinations and chromosome counts. AFLP markers revealed medium to high values of genetic diversity at the population level, unexpectedly including residual ex situ accessions. Neighbour-joining tree, PCoA and STRUCTURE analyses indicate the presence of three genetic patterns identifiable in the central-western, central and eastern Europe-Asian populations. Chromosome counts revealed the presence of diploid (2n=24) and tetraploid (2n=48) populations. Similarity between populations belonging to different hydrographical basins, and differences between neighbouring populations could be explained through long-distance bird-mediated dispersal events. Genetic analysis showed that reinforcement with female individuals from other European populations to increase the genetic diversity of the Italian female population is not necessary. Surprisingly, the geographically closest male population (Bavaria) to the Po basin is not the best option for male reintroduction. Instead, male individuals should be reintroduced from the Rhine basin (Netherlands) and eastern part of the Danube basin (Romania)

Global plant diversity is at risk due to anthropogenic changes to ecosystems, but given severely limited conservation resources, a reliable prioritisation strategy for species and sites is needed. Our objective was to identify key areas for conserving the phylogenetic diversity (PD) of threatened vascular plants in Italy, one of the most species-rich regions of the Mediterranean Basin. We used spatial data and the conservation status of 995 threatened vascular plants and applied a phylogenetically informed spatial planning to minimize conservation costs. We then determined the degree of overlap with existing protected areas and evaluated whether this PD-based prioritisation of areas provides adequate protection for threatened phylogenetically distinctive species (EDGE). The cost-effective procedure identified as priority for conservation 12% of the study territory while achieving over 90% of conservation targets (total PD). We showed that priority areas and protected areas are moderately spatially mismatched. We also showed that not all top-EDGE species were met by the procedure applied, hence we conclude that the PD-based model indicated key areas for protection, but nevertheless additional attention is needed to protect top-EDGE species. This study represents one of the most comprehensive analyses, to date, for the conservation of the native flora in the Mediterranean, incorporating both spatial distribution and evolutionary relationships. Our work on the prioritisation of threatened plant species across Italy can serve as a guide for future conservation applications.

The conservation of species listed in the Bern Convention and European Directive 1992/43/EEC (so-called policy species) is mandatory for European Union (EU) countries. We assessed the conservation status of Italian policy species, based on the IUCN categories and criteria, to evaluate the effectiveness of existing protection measures at the national level. Among the 203 vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens evaluated, 41.9% are categorized as threatened, and one is already extinct, indicating that the protection measures for policy species are inadequate. Our results for the Italian policy species are consistent with those of an assessment at the EU level. Conservation priorities should be established at both the national and regional scales. An effective conservation strategy is needed, and in situ and ex situ actions focused on threatened species should be promoted.

Re-introduction of the four leaf clover in the agricultural context of the Po River Plain, Italy

Climate change can have significant impacts on the survival of plant species. However, it is seldom included in the assessment of the extinction risk according to IUCN Red List criteria. Lack of data and uncertainties of predictions make difficult such inclusion. In our paper we present an approach, in which the effect of climate change on plant species spatial distribution is used to prioritize conservation within IUCN categories. We used, as a case study, 37 Italian policy species, relevant for conservation, and listed in the Habitat Directive and Bern Convention, and for which a Red List (RL) assessment was available. A stochastic SDM incorporating data on plant dispersal, generation length, and habitat fragmentation was used to predict a range shift due to climate change according to two climatic scenarios (RCP 2.6 and 8.5). No species was predicted to become extinct in the considered timespans (2050 and 2070) due to climate change, and only two were characterized by critical decline probabilities. However, all taxa were potentially affected by climate change through a reduction of their range. In all RL categories, species with the highest predicted reduction of range were those from lowlands, where fragmentation of natural habitats has occurred in the last decades. In these cases, despite some limitations, assisted migration can be considered a suitable conservation option.

Taxa endemic to a country are key elements for setting national conservation priorities and for driving conservation strategies, since their persistence is entirely dependent on national policy. We applied the IUCN Red List categories to all Italian endemic vascular plants (1340 taxa) to assess their current risk of extinction and to highlight their major threats. Our results revealed that six taxa are already extinct and that 22.4% (300 taxa) are threatened with extinction, while 18.4% (247; especially belonging to apomictic groups) have been categorized as Data Deficient. Italian endemic vascular plants are primarily threatened by natural habitat modification due to agriculture, residential and tourism development. Taxa occurring in coastal areas and lowlands, where anthropogenic impacts and habitat destruction are concentrated, display the greatest population decline and extinction. The national network of protected areas could be considered effective in protecting endemic-rich areas (ERAs) and endemic taxa, but ineffective in protecting narrow endemic-rich areas (NERAs), accordingly changes to the existing network may increase the effectiveness of protection. For the first time in the Mediterranean Basin biodiversity hotspot, we present a comprehensive extinction assessment for endemic plants under the full responsibility of a single country. This would provide an important step towards the prioritization and conservation of threatened endemic flora at Italian, European, and Mediterranean level. A successful conservation strategy of the Italian endemic vascular flora should implement the protected area system, solve some taxonomical criticism in poorly known genera, and should rely on monitoring threatened species, and on developing species-specific action plans.

The aim of this study was to assess the genetic variation and population structure of the geophyte Leucojum aestivum L. across the Po river valley (N-Italy), to inform conservation management actions with the selection of most suitable source populations for translocation purposes. L. aestivum is self-incompatible and occurs in S-Europe in fragmented wetlands and lowland forests along rivers. The species is particularly interesting for habitat restoration practices for its simplicity of ex situ conservation and cultivation. AFLP analyses were carried out on 16 fragmented populations, using four primer combinations. Correlations between genetic variation and demographic and ecological traits were tested. AFLP produced a total of 202 bands, 95.5% of which were polymorphic. Our results suggest that L. aestivum holds low to moderate levels of genetic diversity (mean Nei’s genetic diversity: H = 0.125), mostly within-population. We found a gradient of two main biogeographic groups along western and eastern populations, while the STRUCTURE analysis found that the most likely number of clusters was K = 3, shaping a partially consistent pattern. We explain the unusual negative correlation between genetic variation and population size with the high rate of vegetative reproduction. The levels of population differentiation suggest that fragmentation in L. aestivum populations has occurred, but that an active gene flow between fragmented populations still exists, maintained by flooding events or pollinators. Conservation management actions should improve habitat connectivity, especially for pollinators that vehicle upstream gene flow. Moreover, the west–east structure due to the lithological composition of the gravel and sand forming the alluvial plain of the Po river, should be considered when selecting source populations for translocation purposes.

Contains fulltext : 168952.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)

Habitat Directive is the core strategy of nature conservation in Europe aiming at halting biodiversity loss. In this study the results of the third Italian assessment regarding the conservation status (CS) of plants listed in the Habitat Directive (Flora of community interest—FCI) was presented. Data was collected from several sources related to plant distribution, population data, habitats and pressures. Following the official European procedure, all parameters were evaluated and combined to give the CS of each taxon in each biogeographical region of presence. A comparison between the recent Italian IUCN and Reporting assessments was performed in order to evaluate the consistency between these two assessments. The official EU checklist comprises 113 Italian plant taxa, 107 of which were examined in this study. Our results showed a critical situation with only 34% of favourable CS, while 50% were unfavourable (40% inadequate plus 10% bad) and 16% unknown, in particular in the Mediterranean bioregion, where the unfavourable assessments reach the 65%. The results of the Report were consistent with those of the IUCN assessment, in which 41.9% of plants were threatened with extinction. This report highlighted some benefits and criticisms at national level, but it may have a wider significance. Although a general advance of knowledge, a great effort is needed to reach the Habitats Directive goals. Despite the limited resources, monitoring activities needs to be improved in order to close information gaps for several plants. A positive outcome was the development of a specific national project funded by the Italian Ministry of Environment, with the ambitious target to set future monitoring activities for FCI and optimize monitoring efforts.

Assisted colonization is one way of facilitating range shifts for species that are restricted in their ability to move in response to climate change. Here we conceptualize and apply a new decision framework for modelling assisted colonization of plant species prior to in situ realization. Three questions were examined: A) Is species translocation useful in a certain area? b) where, and c) how long will it be successful in the future? Applying our framework to Carex foetida in Italy at the core of its distribution and its southern edge revealed that assisted colonization could be successful in short-term (2010-2039) climate conditions, partially in medium (2040-2069) but not in long-term (2070-2099) scenarios. We show that, for some species, it is likely that assisted colonization would be successful in some portions of the recipient site under current and short-term climate conditions, but over the mid- and long-term, climate changes will make species translocation unsuccessful. The proposed decision framework can help identify species that will need different conservation actions (seed banks and/or botanical gardens) when assisted colonization is unlikely to be successful. Furthermore it has broad applicability, as it can support planning of assisted migration in mountainous areas in the face of climate change.

The conservation of landraces in Europe is challenging because very often they have already disappeared or cannot be properly identified, which in turn prevents any possibility for their utilization. This work deals with the collection of molecular and historical data to identify and study the original landraces of common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench), locally cultivated in Northern Italy (Valtellina) and to date surviving among other commercial varieties, recently introduced in the same areas of the Alps. As plant materials of F. esculentum, we analyzed a number of Italian accessions along with two foreign accessions from Poland and Nepal, for a total of 174 individuals. Molecular investigations were based on a set of eight nuclear SSR marker loci. The mean observed heterozygosity over all accessions was equal to Ho = 0.466, being significantly lower than the expected heterozygosity (He = 0.764). A major finding was the recognition of a marked inbreeding rate (Fit = 0.387) and a reduced fixation index (Fst = 0.061), indicating that most genetic variation is found within populations. A significant overall gene flow among accessions was found (Nm = 3.846). Results indicated that only two of the examined accessions, the so-called “Nustran” and “Curunin”, could be considered, authentic Valtellina landraces. On the basis of results, we successfully developed a multi-locus marker system and identified a number of co-dominant marker alleles suitable for genetic traceability and authenticity certification of a “Nustran” and a “Curunin” autochthonous landraces of Valtellina and its food derivatives (i.e., Pizzoccheri, Polenta taragna).

During glacial phases of the Quaternary, Southern European and Mediterranean mountains (SEMms: Pyrenees, Apennines, Balkan Mountains, Maritime Alps, etc.) provided suitable habitats for numerous cold-adapted (boreo-alpine) plant species migrating from northern regions, which have been described as cold-stage refugia. Speciation events occurred in these refugia through adaptation and evolution by genetic differentiation; other species still survive as peripheral populations. In the current phase of climate change, SEMms are (macro-)refugia of great interest because they still host important populations of glacial relicts and alpine flora, often in isolated occurrences. Such species can be found in topographic niches generally linked to peculiar landforms such as fossil glacial cirques, scree slopes and gorges that may perform as warm-stage (micro-)refugia. We present a review on the boreo-alpine species living across SEMms with the aim to describe their genetic patterns evolved during Quaternary climatic oscillations as well to highlight the role of microtopographic/microgeomorphologic niches as microrefugium areas under the current scenario of climate change.

© The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. • Background and Aims: Glacier foreland plants are highly threatened by global warming. Regeneration from seeds on deglaciated terrain will be crucial for successful migration and survival of these species, and hence a better understanding of the impacts of climate change on seedling recruitment is urgently needed to predict future plant persistence in these environments. This study presents the first field evidence of the impact of climate change on recruitment success of glacier foreland plants. • Methods: Seeds of eight foreland species were sown on a foreland site at 2500m a.s.l., and at a site 400m lower in altitude to simulate a 2·7 °C increase in mean annual temperature. Soil from the site of origin was used to reproduce the natural germination substrate. Recruitment success, temperature and water potential were monitored for 2 years. The response of seed germination to warming was further investigated in the laboratory. • Key Results: At the glacier foreland site, seedling emergence was low (0 to approx. 40 %) and occurred in summer in all species after seeds had experienced autumn and winter seasons. However, at the warmer site there was a shift from summer to autumn emergence in two species and a significant increase of summer emergence (13-35 % higher) in all species except two. Survival and establishment was possible for 60-75 % of autumn-emerged seedlings and was generally greater under warmer conditions. Early snowmelt in spring caused the main ecological factors enhancing the recruitment success. • Conclusions: The results suggest that warming will influence the recruitment of glacier foreland species primarily via the extension of the snow-free period in spring, which increases seedling establishment and results in a greater resistance to summer drought and winter extremes. The changes in recruitment success observed here imply that