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Limodorum trabutianum Batt. is an orchid species of the Italian flora, with a central-western stenomediterranean distribution, that is sporadic in the western part of the distribution area of the more common L. abortivum (L.) Sw., an eurimediterranean species. It occurs in Italy only with a few populations in Tuscany, Latium, Umbria, Sicily and Sardinia [1], often with L. abortivum [2], [3], [4] from which it is easily recognizable only during anthesis for the denser inflorescence spike, the ribbon-like lip without differentiation in epychile and hypochile, and for the spur that is very short or absent [5]. On the contrary, the identification of these two taxa during the fruiting phase is rather difficult or even impossible. The aim of this study is to verify the taxonomic value of Limodorum seeds, particularly of their shape, as highlighted from recent studies for other orchids [6], [7], in order to establish its usefulness for recognizing the two species. We have identified 5 Italian populations of the two taxa: 2 populations of L. trabutianum, one within the Marturanum Regional Park (Barbarano Romano, Viterbo), the other near Cortona (Arezzo), and 3 populations of L. abortivum, near S. Martino al Cimino (Viterbo), in the M. Casoli Reserve (Bomarzo, Viterbo), and in the same site of L. trabutianum within the Marturanum Park. The phenology of these populations was monitored to collect mature seeds from naturally dehiscing capsules. The intra- and interspecific variability of seed shapes was analyzed with the methodology of Elliptic Fourier descriptors [8], which allows to describe in terms of harmonics each two-dimensional shape with a closed outline. For this outline analysis we used the software package SHAPE 1.3 [9]. An average of 100 seeds from each species and from each site was photographed with a NIKON Coolpix 5000 camera mounted on a LEITZ-ARISTOPLAN microscope, obtaining 500 digital images with a resolution of 300 dpi and a size of 800 x 1000 pixels. All images were prepared using Adobe Photoshop 7.0: as a first step, every foreign element was eliminated from the picture, thereby isolating the single seed, then its contrast with the background was maximized, and finally all images were saved in .bps format (24bit). The color images were converted to binary with Chain Coder before tracing the outlines in Chain-code, a coding system that describes the geometrical information of the shapes. Then the Chain-code file was transformed into a Normalized Elliptic Fourier file using Chc2Nef using 20 harmonics. The matrix of the harmonic coefficients underwent a process of data normalization based on the first harmonic, to transform the data into shape variables. Subsequently, a PCA was performed on the variancecovariance matrix of normalized coefficients using PrinComp, which gives a graphical output of the principal components (average shape ± standard deviations). The first results of the outline analysis confirm a low intraspecific variability of seed shape, but show a very high interspecific variability: L. abortivum seeds are very elongated, from fusiform to filiform, while L. trabutianum seeds are much wider and have a very lower length/ width ratio. These results allow to distinguish between these two species even during the fruiting phase, simply using seed shape as a diagnostic character, avoiding the use of traditional morphometric analysis which need microscopic measurements.

The Marturanum Regional Park is a small protected area (1,240 hectares), however it is placed along the interface between two of the main lithological units of Lazio, hence featuring a high diversity of flora, vegetation and landscape. Further, it includes a small part of theMonti dellaTolfa, a 30,000 hectares hilly rangewhich features an exceptionally low population density. The Tolfa hills are a biodiversity hotspot of C-Italy and show a very distinctive landscape pattern. The present paper outlines a phytosociological classification and syntaxonomical discussion of the numerous plant communities found in theMarturanumPark.The presentwork describes also the different role of the natural constraints and of the historical and cultural processes that have led to the peculiar landscape patterns nowadays found in the area, and in particular to the differentiation between the two landscape systems of the pyroclastic flow and the Tolfa flysch. Parco regionale Marturanum

Chestnut stands are among the main forest formations in Italy. The aim of this work is to assess the floristic diversity of chestnut coppice stands of Sabatini Mts. (central Italy), highlighting the relationships between the silvicultural system and the ecological processes. In the management of these coppices almost exclusive importance has been given to the wood production, rating the stands on the basis of the rotation that maximizes the production of the most valuable assortments. The assessment carried out is based on floristic and dendrometric surveys within permanent circular plots (10 meters radius) randomly selected within three chronological strata. Surveys have been realized on a total of 15 plots, 5 for each stratum. Indices of floristic richness and diversity have been elaborated to point out variations of forest types and to suggest possible alternatives to the current management to mitigate its impact on biodiversity. L'articolo è disponibile sul sito dell'editore www.sisef.it

In this contribution, new data concerning the distribution of native vascular flora in Italy are presented. It includes new records and confirmations to the Italian administrative regions for taxa in the genera Allium, Arabis, Campanula, Centaurea, Chaerophyllum, Crocus, Dactylis, Dianthus, Festuca, Galanthus, Helianthemum, Lysimachia, Milium, Pteris, and Quercus. Nomenclature and distribution updates, published elsewhere, and corrections are provided as supplementary material.

Networks of protected areas are fundamental for biodiversity conservation, but many factors determine their conservation efficiency. In particular, on top of other human-driven disturbances, invasions by non-native species can cause habitat and biodiversity loss. Jointly understanding what drives patterns of plant diversity and of non-native species in protected areas is therefore a priority. We tested whether the richness and composition of native and non-native plant species within a network of protected areas follow similar patterns across spatial scales. Specifically, we addressed three questions: (a) what is the degree of congruence in species richness between native and non-native species? (b) do changes in the composition of non-native species across ecological gradients reflect a similar turnover of native species along the same gradients ? (c) what are the main environmental and human disturbance drivers controlling species richness in these two groups of species? Species richness and composition of native and non-native plant species were compared at two spatial scales: the plot scale (10m × 10m) and the Protected Area scale (PA). In addition, we fit Generalized Linear Models to identify the most important drivers of native and non-native species richness at each scale, focusing on environmental conditions (climate, topography) and on the main sources of human disturbance in the area (land use and roads). We found a significant positive correlation between the turnover of native and non-native species composition at both plot and PA scales, whereas their species richness was only correlated at the larger PA scale. The lack of congruence between the richness of native and non-native species at the plot scale was likely driven by differential responses to fine scale environmental factors, with non-natives favoring drier climates and milder slopes (climate and slope). In addition, more non-native species were found closer to road-ways in the reserve network. In contrast, the congruence in the richness of native and non-native species at the broader PA scale was mainly driven by the common influence of PA area, but also by similar responses of the two groups of species to climatic heterogeneity. Thus, our study highlights the strong spatial dependence of the relationship between native and non-native species richness and of their responses to environmental variation. Taken together, our results suggest that within the study region the introduction and establishment of non-native species would be more likely in warmer and dryer areas, with high native species richness at large spatial scale but intermediate levels of anthropogenic disturbances and mild slope inclinations and elevation at fine scale. Such an exhaustive understanding of the factors that influence the spread of non-native species, especially in networks of protected areas is crucial to inform conservation managers on how to control or curb non-native species.

In this contribution, new data concerning the distribution of vascular flora alien to Italy are presented. It includes new records, and confirmations for Italy or for Italian administrative regions of taxa in the genera Albizia, Anredera, Bougainvillea, Cardamine, Cenchrus, Cephalaria, Ceratochloa, Cytisus, Datura, Delosperma, Euonymus, Freesia, Hylotelephium, Lantana, Musa, Physalis, Rotala, Styphnolobium, Trachycarpus, and Tradescantia. Nomenclature and distribution updates, published elsewhere, and corrections are provided as supplementary material.

In this contribution new data concerning the distribution of native vascular flora in Italy are presented. It includes new records, exclusion, extinction and confirmations to the Italian administrative regions for taxa in the generaAndrosace,Artemisia,Fragaria,Melampyrum,Myosotis,Petrorhagia,Phillyrea,Rosa,Rumex,Spiranthes,Trifolium, andVicia. Furthermore, a new combination in the genusOmalothecais proposed.

In this contribution, new data concerning the Italian distribution of alien vascular flora are presented. It includes new records, exclusions and confirmations for Italy or for Italian administrative regions for taxa in the genera Ageratum, Aster, Buddleja, Cedrus, Centranthus, Cephalotaxus, Clerodendrum, Cotoneaster, Cyperus, Honorius, Lantana, Ligustrum, Morus, Muscari, Oenothera, Opuntia, Platycladus, Plumbago, Pseudotsuga, Sedum, Sporobolus, Stachys, Ulmus and Yucca. A nomen novum, Stachys talbotii, is proposed as a replacement name for Sideritis purpurea.

Since landscape attributes show different patterns at different spatial extents, it is fundamental to identify how the relation between landscape structure and plant species diversity at local scale varies with scale. Then, it is fundamental to assess the appropriate extent at which landscape factors affect plant species richness at the local scale. To investigate this relation, data on plant species richness of forest communities at plot scale were extracted from a large data set and landscape metrics were calculated around the same plots for a range of extents (250–3000 m). Then, multiple regression models and variance partitioning techniques were applied to assess the amount of variance explained by the landscape metrics on plant species richness for a range of extents. In general, we found that increasing extent of the surrounding landscape analyzed, improved the strength of relationship between the landscape metrics and the properties of plant communities at plot scale. The medium-large extent was most informative as it combined a decent total variance explained with high variance explained by the pure fractions of complexity, fragmentation and disturbance and the minimum of collinearity. In conclusion, we found that it is possible and beneficial to identify a specific extent, where the redundancy in the predictor variables is minimized and the explanatory power of the pure fractions (or single groups) maximized, when examining landscape structure effects on local plant species richness.

La presente ricerca, svolta presso la Banca del Germoplasma della Tuscia è finalizzata al raggiungimento di efficaci azioni di protezione di un gruppo eterogeneo di Pteridofite a rischio di estinzione della flora italiana: Ophioglossum azoricum C. Presl., Ophioglossum vulgatum L., Osmunda regalis L. e Dryopteris tyrrhena Fraser‐Jenk. & Reichst. Per la ricerca è stato scelto un approccio multidisciplinare che ha affrontato la tematica complessa della conservazione della biodiversità pteridofitica da diversi punti di vista (tassonomia, biologia della riproduzione, ecologia, distribuzione, stato di rischio), così da ottenere un quadro di conoscenze completo e aggiornato delle specie oggetto di studio, indispensabile per l’individuazione delle situazioni critiche e per avviare interventi mirati di conservazione in situ ed ex situ. Presso la Banca del Germoplasma della Tuscia sono conservate spore per la conservazione a lungo termine. Tutte le specie scelte sono state riprodotte in vitro per ottenere sporofiti da conservare ex situ in vivo e studiarne il ciclo riproduttivo così da poterne valutare potenzialità o criticità dal punto di vista conservazionistico. Inoltre, è stata verificata la possibilità di utilizzare spore raccolte da exsiccata così da ottenere piante per eventuali reintroduzioni, utilizzando germoplasma autoctono e senza intaccare le già esigue popolazioni: per la prima volta è stata riprodotta una specie con spore clorofilliane, Osmunda regalis, dopo 5 anni di conservazione in erbario, e Dryopteris tyrrhena dopo 21‐31 anni. La conservazione ex situ delle spore di Osmunda regalis ha fornito risultati di grande valore per la definizione di un protocollo per la conservazione a lungo termine per le spore clorofilliane in banche del germoplasma. Per la risoluzione delle criticità tassonomiche evidenziate nel genere Ophioglossum è stata sperimentata la possibilità di affiancare agli studi tradizionali, un metodo moderno come la morfometria geometrica che è ancora poco usato in campo botanico e che non era mai stato applicato prima d’ora allo studio di Pteridofite. Tramite la procedura di assessment IUCN è stato assegnato a Dryopteris tyrrhena lo status di rischio Endangered [EN] secondo le categorie ed i criteri IUCN 3.1, sia a livello globale che a livello regionale, in Italia. This research, developed at the Bank of Germplasm of Tuscia, aims effective protection actions of some threatened Pteridophytes of the Italian flora: Ophioglossum azoricum C. Presl., Ophioglossum vulgatum L., Osmunda regalis L., and Dryopteris tyrrhena Fraser‐Jenk. & Reichst. A multidisciplinary approach was chosen to study the conservation of pteridophytic biodiversity from different points of view (taxonomy, reproductive biology, ecology, distribution, statements) in order to obtain a complete and updated knowledge of the species, which is essential for the identification of critical situations and to project conservation actions. Spores of all the species are long‐term preserved in the Tuscia Germplasm Bank. All the species were propagated in vitro to produce sporophytes for ex situ conservation, and to study their reproductive cycle, to assess potentiality or criticism for their conservation. Furthermore, it was verified the possibility of using spores collected from exsiccata in order to obtain plants for eventual reintroductions, using indigenous germplasm, and without affecting the wild populations: for the first time, a species with chlorophyllous spores, Osmunda regalis, has been reproduced after 5 years of storage in herbarium, and Dryopteris tyrrhena after 21‐31 years. Ex situ conservation of spores of Osmunda regalis has provided results of great value for defining a protocol for long‐term preservation of chlorophyllous spores in germplasm banks. The possibility to combine traditional studies with a modern method, such as geometric morphometry has been tested for the resolution of taxonomic criticism highlighted in the genus Ophioglossum. Using the IUCN assessment procedure has been assigned the status of risk Endangered [EN] to Dryopteris tyrrhena, according to the IUCN categories and criteria version 3.1, both globally and regionally, in Italy. Per la risoluzione delle criticità tassonomiche evidenziate nel genere Ophioglossum è stata sperimentata la possibilità di affiancare agli studi tradizionali, un metodo moderno come la morfometria geometrica che è ancora poco usato in campo botanico e che non era mai stato applicato prima d’ora allo studio di Pteridofite. Tramite la procedura di assessment IUCN è stato assegnato a Dryopteris tyrrhena lo status di rischio Endangered [EN] secondo le categorie ed i criteri IUCN 3.1, sia a livello globale che a livello regionale, in Italia. Dottorato di ricerca in Ecologia forestale