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Bosco Fontana is an ancient primary woodland and represents one of the last remnants of the original Po plain forest. The historic events that have influenced the area are the fragmentation and the decrease of the forest habitat surface, the modification in the forest composition and structure. One of the most relevant events happened is the heavy storm in 1949, which uprooted more than 1500 m3 of wood, leaving "naked" a 50 ha area. The consequent reforestation with allochthonous species (plane tree and red oak) constitutes another alteration of the natural ecosystem. The allochthonous species are progressively eliminated to reconstitute the original oak-hornbeam woodland. From a faunistic point of view, the area represents a "tank" of forest species disappeared or extremely rare in the other areas. The central grassland, used for grazing till 70s, is now treated with scheduled mows.

Understanding how biotic mechanisms confer stability in variable environments is a fundamental quest in ecology, and one that is becoming increasingly urgent with global change. Several mechanisms, notably a portfolio effect associated with species richness, compensatory dynamics generated by negative species covariance and selection for stable dominant species populations can increase the stability of the overall community. While the importance of these mechanisms is debated, few studies have contrasted their importance in an environmental context. We analyzed nine long-term datasets of grassland species composition to investigate how two key environmental factors - precipitation amount and variability - may directly influence community stability and how they may indirectly influence stability via biotic mechanisms. We found that the importance of stability mechanisms varied along the environmental gradient: strong negative species covariance occurred in sites characterized by high precipitation variability, whereas portfolio effects increased in sites with high mean annual precipitation. Instead of questioning whether compensatory dynamics are important in nature, our findings suggest that debate should widen to include several stability mechanisms and how these mechanisms vary in importance across environmental gradients.

The Macrosite "IT08 Subalpine Lakes" includes a group of lakes located at the southern border of the Alps. The lake typologies are represented by large and deep lakes (Orta, Garda, Maggiore, Como and Iseo) and by a lake of smaller size and shallow depth (Candia). Topics common to all the research sites include the impact of eutrophication and climate change, the composition, structure and dynamics of biological communities (plankton, necton and littoral communities), trophic webs, paleolimnology, ecotoxicology, ecological status and remote sensing. Scientific investigations are supported by a wide availability of technological infrastructures and laboratories located in the reference institutions, and by a wide range of technological equipment for fieldwork. These facilities, funded within the individual institutes involved in the research, have allowed not only to maintain, but also to update the classical approaches used in scientific monitoring, while opening up new research fields (especially molecular ecology, microbial ecology, metabolomic profiling, antibiotic resistance genes, high frequency monitoring by sensor technology). Over the last decade, the continuity and regularity of investigations have been facilitated by the availability of both external and ordinary funds. The variety of research activities carried out on the IT08 macrosite is evidenced by the publication of numerous scientific papers, as well as contributions (oral or poster) presented at national and international conferences, and by the presence in the mass media. In this context, the scientific monitoring is a key element of LTER research, including not only data collection (basic monitoring), but also data interpretation, modeling, and experimental manipulation, with particular attention to key groups of selected variables in order to identify the most significant environmental stressors and the degree of change at the level of ecosystems, communities, species and populations.

This macrosite (protection status: SIC-ZPS) consists of 2 research sites: the Sacca di Goro and the Valli di Comacchio. The Sacca di Goro is one of the largest brackish lagoons in the Upper Adriatic. The internal part of the Sacca is characterized by fine sediments (clayey and silty), while sandy bottoms are found near the mouths at sea. The Valli di Comacchio are the largest complex of brackish wetlands in the Emilia-Romagna region. The seabed consists of clays, silts and bioclastic materials, rarely from sand. Communications with the sea occur through a system of channels. The two lagoons that constitute the macrosite are different as typology, being the Sacca di Goro an "open lagoon" (leaky), while the Valli di Comacchio are a "closed lagoon" (choked). The aims of the LTER studies on the two sites are different. The Sacca di Goro is important for the study of the introduction of alien species, as the lagoon is particularly vulnerable to this problem. The Valli di Comacchio are important for the study of environmental stress, also as a result of climate change, on the biotic component of the ecosystem.

Bosco Fontana is an ancient primary woodland and represents one of the last remnants of the original Po plain forest. The historic events that have influenced the area are the fragmentation and the decrease of the forest habitat surface, the modification in the forest composition and structure. One of the most relevant events happened is the heavy storm in 1949, which uprooted more than 1500 m3 of wood, leaving "naked" a 50 ha area. The consequent reforestation with allochthonous species (plane tree and red oak) constitutes another alteration of the natural ecosystem. The allochthonous species are progressively eliminated to reconstitute the original oak-hornbeam woodland. From a faunistic point of view, the area represents a "tank" of forest species disappeared or extremely rare in the other areas. The central grassland, used for grazing till 70s, is now treated with scheduled mows.

The Presidential Estate of Castelporziano stretches itself over an area of about 6100 ha and is located approximately 24 km from the city of Rome. The territory is characterized by remarkable natural features. It shows most of the typical Mediterranean ecosystems (relict strips of lowland forest with hygrophilous vegetation, deciduous and evergreen mixed oak woods, pine forests of stone pine, Mediterranean scrub, dune vegetation). Inside the Estate, there are two SCI (Sites of Community Interest): one concerning the coastal strip (IT6030027) and the other one concerning hygrophulous oak-woods (IT6030028). From a botanical point of view this area, together with the neighbouring Castelfusano territory, represents what remains of the vast forest system that covered the entire delta of the Tiber and the surrounding areas. The land is mostly flat, but in the North there are modest reliefs that are not higher than 85 m. on sea level. A complex set of ancient dunes and a chain of more recent dunes stretch out along the coastline. There are many temporary and permanent natural pools and wetland areas with seasonal floodings caused by meteoric water and groundwater, which usually dry out during summer and represent sites with the greatest biodiversity. From an ecological point of view, those "relict wetland areas" play actually a very important role for biodiversity because of plant species which are typical of hydrosoil and in the past were widespread but have now almost disappeared.

The Promontory of Portofino is placed in a particularly anthropized coastal context, characterized by multiple activities (nautical tourism, diving, bathing, fishing). Since 2005, the Marine Protected Area has been a SPAMI (Specially Protected Area of Mediterranean Interest), RAC/SPA of UNEP. The Eastern Ligurian Sea site includes the Porto Venere Regional Nature Park and the Cinque Terre National Park alongside areas with an industrial footprint and a strong environmental impact (port of La Spezia, shipbuilding, fishing, aquaculture).

The Antarctic continent plays a fundamental role in the global climate system and its role is particularly important in a climate change scenario. Since the '90s, the Ross Sea and the coastal area of Terra Nova Bay have been chosen as specific and peculiar research sites for climatic investigations within the LTER (Long-Term Ecological Research) network. Studies have been conducted by both Italian and international Universities and research centres.This macro-site area is characterized by abundant primary productivity, and zooplankton and benthonic communities. The objective of the research activities is the acquisition of long-term time series related to the biotic communities, the bio-geochemical fluxes and the physico-chemical parameters of the water column in the Ross Sea area. To this aim, four Moorings (A, B, D and H) were deployed to obtain the above-mentioned data, which will be very useful to improve the quality of the existing bio-geochemical models and to provide more precise information on the Antarctic marine ecosystem in relation to global climate change. In the Terra Nova Bay research site, the activities are devoted to the characterization of the relationship between the structure and the dynamic of the pelagic and benthonic communities and the ice cover. Numerous physical, chemical and biological data were collected from the four Moorings, the water samples retrieved at the Terra Nova Bay site and the sediments samples. Such fundamental data allowed establishing an important starting point to better understand the climate change phenomena occurred in the last twenty years, and that will occur in the future, in the Ross Sea Area.

The Presidential Estate of Castelporziano stretches itself over an area of about 6100 ha and is located approximately 24 km from the city of Rome. The territory is characterized by remarkable natural features. It shows most of the typical Mediterranean ecosystems (relict strips of lowland forest with hygrophilous vegetation, deciduous and evergreen mixed oak woods, pine forests of stone pine, Mediterranean scrub, dune vegetation). Inside the Estate, there are two SCI (Sites of Community Interest): one concerning the coastal strip (IT6030027) and the other one concerning hygrophulous oak-woods (IT6030028). From a botanical point of view this area, together with the neighbouring Castelfusano territory, represents what remains of the vast forest system that covered the entire delta of the Tiber and the surrounding areas. The land is mostly flat, but in the North there are modest reliefs that are not higher than 85 m. on sea level. A complex set of ancient dunes and a chain of more recent dunes stretch out along the coastline. There are many temporary and permanent natural pools and wetland areas with seasonal floodings caused by meteoric water and groundwater, which usually dry out during summer and represent sites with the greatest biodiversity. From an ecological point of view, those "relict wetland areas" play actually a very important role for biodiversity because of plant species which are typical of hydrosoil and in the past were widespread but have now almost disappeared.