1,721,254 research outputs found
EU habitats monitoring along the coastal dunes of the LTER sites of Abruzzo and Molise (Italy)
No full textThe Italian LTER network is an integrated and shared system for ecosystem monitoring (Long Term Ecological Research-Italy). The research sites of Abruzzo and Molise are part of the LTER site 20 "Coastal sand dunes in central Italy" (www.lteritalia.it) and include 5 S.C.I. along the central Italy Adriatic coastline. The paper aims to carry out a short review of the main results recently achieved through the dune vegetation monitoring in these LTER sites and proposes a synthesis on the species composition (focal and alien species occurrence) and the spatial distribution of dune EU habitats. We recorded 17 EU dune habitats, 4 of them are priority habitats (2250â\u88\u97, 2270â\u88\u97, 3170â\u88\u97, 1510â\u88\u97). Results suggest that many EU habitats are still locally widespread, with the exception of wet slacks and evergreen woods, occurring only in residual small patches. Moreover all EU habitats host several invasive alien species and only in salt marshes they are almost absent, because of the occurrence of extreme salinity. This natural heritage is therefore vulnerable and further efforts should be made to reduce the impacts of human pressure, through increased awareness of environmental issues and the education on ecosystem services provided by the natural landscape of coastal dunes
Spatial connectivity and boundary patterns in coastal dune vegetation in the Circeo National Park, Central Italy
No full textDistribution patterns of coastal sand dune plant communities in the Circeo National Park (Central Italy) are quantified and compared by measuring spatial connectivity and richness of community boundaries along the dune profile. The purpose of this study is: (1) to evaluate patchiness and frequency of spatial links between communities; (2) to identify the communities most sensitive to disturbance; and (3) to predict probable changes due to modification of spatial zonation. Data were obtained using belt transects across the Holocene coastal dune zone. Vegetation zonation from the seashore to the foredune slacks is analysed in relation to chorological, phytosociological and life-form types. We found that under relatively undisturbed environmental conditions communities formed a sequence (communities I to 7), with the exception of a replacement community, which occupied gaps in the perennial vegetation. The spatial distribution of some communities was reduced as a consequence of disturbance; others became fragmented in small patches or even disappeared. In coastal environments with strong, complex gradients, the existence of certain communities depends on specific links (neighbourhood effects) and high connectivity values do not indicate better conservation conditions
A bridge between tourism and nature conservation: boardwalks effects on coastal dune vegetation
No full textSeveral regulatory and management tools are commonly used to prevent negative effects of human trampling on sand dune
habitats, but few studies have attempted to evaluate the effects of boardwalks on dune vegetation. We aimed to evaluate changes
of species richness and cover, floristic composition and ecological functional guilds among different dune habitats 2 years after
the boardwalks had been established, highlighting those habitats mainly affected by these changes. In a Special Protection Area
of Molise region (Italy), we sampled 53 square plots before the installation of five wooden boardwalks (control plots) and 57 plots
after the boardwalks had been set up (testing plot), across the whole dune system ranging from the upper beach to the pine forest.
We compared species richness through rarefaction curves, considering two plant functional groups: focal species (characteristic
and diagnostic) and ruderal/exotic species. We finally compared florist composition and cover changes between time intervals,
dune habitats and functional groups. In all habitats the total plant richness of testing plots was higher than in the control plots. In
beach and mobile dunes habitat focal species drive the increase in both species’ richness and cover. Dune grasslands proved to be
the most affected by the presence of ruderal and exotic species, while the more stable fixed dunes habitat was less affected by
species changes. Only 2 years after the boardwalks having been set up, we have found a rapid recovery since human trampling
was limited. The use of boardwalks could be an effective tool for reducing negative impact of bathing tourism on coastal dunes
and requires little and inexpensive maintenance
Map of vegetation series of Ponza island (central Italy)
No full textCartography, syntaxonomy and syndynamics of plant communities of Ponza island are discussed. Seventeen plant associations have been identified and their successional position was pointed out. Six potential natural vegetation units were described and the different land cover types for each units were mapped (scale 1:10 000, printed at scale 1:25.000) and evaluated. The originality of taxa combination in the plant communities allowed us to propose two new associations, (Calicotomo villosae-Rubetum ulmifolii (mantle) and Brassico fruticulosae-Brachypodietum retusi (secondary grassland), as well as two new subassociations. Although the residual woods are very fragmented and need a special protection against fires for their survival, the Ponza landscape has an important naturalistic and ecological value due to its high diversity of plant taxa and plant communities
Mediterranean dunes on the go: Evidence from a short term study on coastal herbaceous vegetation
No full textDetailed monitoring studies on permanent sites are a promising tool for an accurate evaluation of short, medium or long term vegetation dynamics. This work aims to evaluate short-term changes in coastal dune herbaceous plant species and EU Habitats through a multi-temporal analysis using permanent vegetation transects. In particular, (I) we analyze changes in species richness of coastal habitats; (II) we identify changes in plant cover of selected focal plants; and (III) we relate the changes to selected climatic variables and erosion/accretion processes. We selected one of the Italian's peninsula best preserved coastal dune areas (ca. 50 km along the Adriatic sea) with a relatively homogeneous coastal zonation and low anthropic pressure but with different erosion/accretion processes. We explored changes in richness over time using generalized linear models (GLMs). We identified different ecological guilds: focal, ruderal and alien plant species and investigated temporal trends in these guilds’ species richness. We also applied GLMs to determine how plant cover of the most important focal species have changed over time. Overall, in this study we observed that the influence of climatic variables was relatively small. However, we found remarkable different trends in response to erosion/accretion processes both at community and at species level. Thus, our results highlight the importance of coastal dynamics in preserving not only coastal vegetation zonation, but also species richness and focal species cover. Moreover, we identified the dune grasslands as the most sensitive habitat for detecting the influence of climatic variables throughout a short term monitoring survey. Information from this study provides useful insights for detecting changes in vegetation, for establishing habitat protection priorities and for improving conservation efforts for these fragile ecosystems
Temporal changes in Adriatic coastal dunes: Results from a short term vegetation monitoring
No full textSandy beaches surrounding the Molise coast, facing to the Adriatic sea, are relatively well preserved if compared with other Italian littorals. In this study we present the results from a short term monitoring analyses of coastal habitats (six/eight-years) using permanent transects as part of the LTER network (Long Term Ecological Research-Italy). Vegetation monitoring was carried out along 4 belt transects along the beach-inland ecological gradient, following the coastal zonation and ranging from pioneer annual communities on the beach to Mediterranean scrubs on fixed dunes. Plant communities were sampled in contiguous 1 m x 1 m plots using a 1-10 ordinal transform scale to estimates the species' cover-abundance. All transects were conducted in sites subjected to a similar touristic pressure. Through cluster analysis we identified 5 Habitats of community interest: Annual vegetation of drift lines (Habitat 1210), Embryonic shifting dunes (Habitat 2110), Shifting dunes along the shoreline with Ammophila arenaria (Habitat 2120), Malcolmietalia dune grasslands (Habitat 2230) and Coastal dunes with Juniperus spp. (Habitat 2250). Main temporal changes were probably related to different erosion/accretion processes acting in each transect: two transects were relatively stable (without evident coastal erosion nor accretion processes), one suffered a strong retreat while the last transect showed a slight accretion process. Moreover, our study evidences that, as coastal plant communities are highly dynamic systems, even relatively short time periods could offer useful insights of annual vegetation trends
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