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Gap analysis revealed a low efficiency of Natura 2000 network for the conservation of endemic species in Mediterranean temporary freshwater habitats

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Simonetta Bagella at Università degli Studi di Sassari
Simonetta Bagella
Maria Carmela Caria at Università degli Studi di Sassari
Maria Carmela Caria
Rossella Speranza Filigheddu at Università degli Studi di Sassari
Rossella Speranza Filigheddu
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Abstract

Listed and rare species are abundant in temporary freshwater habitats. Among them, the endemic contingent represents a crucial conservation target particularly in the areas characterized by abundant endemic flora for which the local administrations have a high level of responsibility. The aim of this research was to test how the endemic plants found in Mediterranean temporary ponds were represented in Natura 2000 network in a biodiversity hotspot of the Mediterranean region. The results of our research at regional scale pointed out that the existing Nature 2000 sites provide a limited degree of protection and that the gap analysis should be taken into account when conservation priorities are set.
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Gap analysis revealed a low efficiency of Natura 2000
network for the conservation of endemic species in
Mediterranean temporary freshwater habitats
S. Bagellaa, M.C. Cariaa & R. Filigheddua
a Dipartimento di Scienza della Natura e del Territorio, University of Sassari, I-07100,
Sassari, Italy
Accepted author version posted online: 28 Oct 2013.Published online: 21 Nov 2013.
To cite this article: S. Bagella, M.C. Caria & R. Filigheddu , Plant Biosystems - An International Journal Dealing with all
Aspects of Plant Biology (2013): Gap analysis revealed a low efficiency of Natura 2000 network for the conservation of
endemic species in Mediterranean temporary freshwater habitats, Plant Biosystems - An International Journal Dealing with all
Aspects of Plant Biology: Official Journal of the Societa Botanica Italiana, DOI: 10.1080/11263504.2013.860055
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2013.860055
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Plant Biosystems, 2014
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2013.860055
Gap analysis revealed a low efficiency of Natura 2000 network for the
conservation of endemic species in Mediterranean temporary fresh-
water habitats
S. BAGELLA, M.C. CARIA, & R. FILIGHEDDU
Dipartimento di Scienza della Natura e del Territorio, University of Sassari, I-07100 Sassari, Italy
Abstract
Listed and rare species are abundant in temporary freshwater habitats. Among them, the endemic contingent represents a
crucial conservation target particularly in the areas characterized by abundant endemic flora for which the local
administrations have a high level of responsibility. The aim of this research was to test how the endemic plants found in
Mediterranean temporary ponds were represented in Natura 2000 network in a biodiversity hotspot of the Mediterranean
region. The results of our research at regional scale pointed out that the existing Nature 2000 sites provide a limited degree of
protection and that the gap analysis should be taken into account when conservation priorities are set.
Keywords: Habitat Directive, responsibility, temporary ponds, threatened species, wet habitats
Introduction
Freshwater habitats represent one of the main target
of the conservation policies at global scale because the
great variety of rare species (Ernandes & Marchiori
2012; Minggagud & Yang 2012) and vegetation types
(Asensi & Dı
´ez-Garretas 2011; Costa et al. 2011;
Lumbreras et al. 2011; Sburlino et al. 2011; Nucci
et al. 2012) they host were dramatically reduced in the
last decades (Iberite et al. 2011; Zuccarini & Kampus
ˇ
2011; Buffa & Villani 2012; Croce et al. 2012;
Manolaki & Papastergiadou 2012).
In recent years, a growing attention was given to
the temporary freshwater habitats and their strategic
role for the conservation of the overall freshwater
biodiversity was stressed (Williams et al. 2004)
because they harbor not only species specialized to
live in temporary waters but also generalist of
freshwater habitats or terrestrial species (Caria
et al. in press) for which they could represent a
refuge (Rhazi et al. 2006). Listed and rare species are
abundant in these habitats (Rhazi & Grillas 2010),
and among them, the endemic contingent represent a
crucial conservation target particularly in the areas
characterized by abundant endemic flora for which
the local administrations have an high level of
responsibility (Bacchetta et al. 2011).
Despite the European Community (Council of
Europe 1992) listed temporary freshwater habitats
in the Habitat Directive (codex 3120, 3130, and
3170*), they are often poorly identified and their
importance is largely unappreciated, leaving them
vulnerable also to unintentional destruction
(Grillas et al. 2004).
The aim of this research was to test how the
endemic plants found in Mediterranean temporary
ponds were represented in Natura 2000 network in a
biodiversity hotspot of the Mediterranean region.
Material and methods
Study area
The study was carried out in the island of Sardinia,
Western Mediterranean biogeographic subregion
(Blasi & Frondoni 2011), which is included in the
biodiversity hotspot of the Thyrrenian islands
(Grillas et al. 2004). In the island, 122 Natura
2000 sites were designated (http://www.
minambiente.it).
Correspondence: S. Bagella, Dipartimento di Scienze della Natura e del Territorio, University of Sassari, Via Piandanna 4, I-07100 Sassari, Italy. Tel: þ39 079
228641. Fax: þ39 079 233600. Email: sbagella@uniss.it
q 2013 Societa
` Botanica Italiana
Downloaded by [University Di Sassari] at 07:33 25 November 2013
2 S. Bagella et al.
Table I. List of the endemic plants found in Sardinian
Mediterranean temporary ponds and relative percentage of the
point of presence outside Natura 2000 sites.
% points
of presence
outside Natura
2000 sites
Bellium bellidioides L. 45
Carex caryophyllea Latourr. ssp. insularis
(Christ ex Barbey) Arrigoni 38
Cerastium palustre Moris 81
Colchicum verlaqueae Fridl. 0
Crocus minimus DC. in Re
`doute
´ 48
Festuca morisiana Parl. 21
Festuca sardoa (Haeckel in Barbey) Richter 0
Leucojum roseum Martin 50
Mentha requienii Benth. ssp. requienii 20
Morisia monanthos (Viv.) Asch. ex Barbey 80
Myosotis soleirolii Godr. in Gren. et Godr. 25
Nananthea perpusilla (Loisel.) DC. 11
Oenanthe lisae Moris 66
Ornithogalum corsicum Jord. et Fourr. 64
Ranunculus cordiger Viv. ssp. cordiger 17
Ranunculus cordiger Viv. ssp. diffusus
(Moris) Arrigoni 51
Ranunculus cymbalarifolius Balbis et Moris 56
Ranunculus revelieri Boreau subsp. revelieri 36
Romulea bocchierii Frignani & Iiriti 0
Romulea requienii Parl. 42
Romulea revelieri Jord. et Fourr. 14
In Sardinian Mediterranean temporary ponds,
186 plant species/subspecies were found (Bagella &
Caria 2012), of which 21 were listed as endemic
(Table I) (Arrigoni et al. 1977 –1991; Frignani &
Iiriti 2008; Fridlender 2009). The distribution data
(i.e. the points of presence) of these entities were
available in a Geographic Information System
(Mestroni 2012).
Gap analysis
In order to test how the endemic plants growing in
Mediterranean temporary ponds were represented in
Natura 2000 network, we applied the gap analysis
(Rosati et al. 2008). First, we overlapped the
shapefile of the distribution data of each entity to
the shapefile of the Natura 2000 network (www.
minambiente.it) using ArcGIS 10.1 Second, we
evaluated for each entity the percentage of sites
outside Natura 2000 sites.
Results
The 21 entities were located in 40 Natura 2000 sites.
Against 716 points analyzed, about half were located
outside Natura 2000 network. The species with the
higher percentage of points outside Natura 2000
network (around 80%) were Cerastium palustre and
Morisia monanthos, while Festuca sardoa and Romulea
bocchieri did not have any point outside the network
(Table I).
Discussion and conclusions
Capotorti et al. (2012) emphasized the essential role
of National Park network for biodiversity conserva-
tion in Italy encouraging a deeper level study
throughout the system of national protected areas
to provide more detailed information. The results of
our research at regional scale on a selected group of
species pointed out that the existing Nature 2000
sites provide a limited degree of protection. This
finding is in agreement with other studies evaluating
the effectiveness of the Natura 2000 system (Arau
´jo
2004; Maiorano et al. 2006; Jantke et al. 2011). New
opportunities for the conservation of habitat and
species were nevertheless recently offered by the IPA
project which was effective in filling some gaps in the
system of the protected areas (Blasi et al. 2011).
The conservation of the studied species, which
are not listed anywhere as policy species and then are
not protected under the legislative point of view,
could go through the conservation of the habitats
listed in the Annex 1 of the Habitat Directive
(Council of Europe 1992). The three habitat types
related to temporary waters (3120, 3130, and 3170*)
in which they grow could act as umbrella for them
but unfortunately these habitats are in turn not well
represented in the Natura 2000 network (Bagella
et al. 2009, 2010; Bagella & Caria 2013).
Our results suggest that in setting conservation
priorities on the basis of regional responsibility, it is
advantageous taking into account how the species are
represented in the Habitat 2000 sites. Indeed,
following (Bacchetta et al. 2011) Cerastium palustre,
endemic to Sardinia subprovince, deserves particular
attention as this species is listed in a high threat
category. Morisia monanthos, endemic to Sardinian –
Corsican Province and listed by the same authors in a
low threat category, probably would be worth
considering if the gaps in the Natura 2000 network
were included in the evaluation. On the other hand,
for the two species represented 100% inside the
Natura 2000 network, i.e. Romula bocchieri and
Festuca sardoa, this type of information could be
unfavorable if not taken into account the point
distribution areal: Romula bocchieri is endemic to the
Sardinian sub-province and was found just in one site
(Frignani & Iiriti 2008)while Fes tuca sard oa is endemic
to Sardinian–Corsican Province but, in Sardinia, they
grow just in one site (Arrigoni et al. 1977– 1991).
Besides the implementation of priority list at
regional scale, the data collected could be a source of
information for national databases (Landucci et al.
Downloaded by [University Di Sassari] at 07:33 25 November 2013
3
2012), systematic spatial decision support systems
(Guillet et al. 2012) and media application (Nimis
et al. 2012). The latter could be an opportunity to
increase public awareness to neglected habitats, such
as temporary wetlands.
Acknowledgements
This research was funded by the PAULIS project
(Regione Sardegna, CRP-24943).
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Full-text available
  • Jan 2023
Alessandro Ruggero-The endemic flora of the western coasts of Gallura (northern Sardinia, Italy). The status of the endemic flora of the western coasts of Gallura (northern Sardinia) is here described. In this area, anthropic sites, mostly related to touristic holiday resorts, are interspersed with places still little frequented. Biblio-graphic data show that the area is rich in endemic plant species. Nonetheless, field surveys, that started since 1998 and lasted up to 2021, highlighted that previous knowledge was only partial, since during this research seven species previously never noticed, and new populations of rare taxa, were found. Along this coastal stretch, 53 endemic taxa grow, five of which are exclusive of this area; three species are included in the annex II of the "Habitat" Directive , while 47 taxa were previously inserted in the "Red List of the Italian vascular flora". Moreover, it is here reported the local extinction of two taxa (Ophrys sphegodes subsp. praecox and Artemisia caerulescens subsp. densiflora). The analysis of the biological forms shows a predominance of the hemicryptophytes and chamaephytes (28,3%), followed by geophytes (24,5%), while the chorological spectrum highlights the dominance of Sardinian-Corsican (37,04%) and Sardinian (24,07%) endemics. Riassunto-Alessandro Ruggero-La flora endemica delle coste occidentali della Gallura (Sardegna settentrio-nale, Italia). Si descrive lo status della flora endemica della costa occidentale della Gallura (Sardegna settentrionale), nella quale si alternano zone antropizzate e sfruttate soprattutto per il turismo balneare ad aree ancora poco frequentate. La bibliografia mostra che il territorio è ricco di endemismi; ciononostante, le ricerche sul campo, iniziate dal 1998 e protrattesi fino al 2021, hanno evidenziato che tali conoscenze erano parziali, poiché è qui evidenziata la presenza di sette specie mai segnalate in precedenza e sono rilevate nuove popolazioni di entità rare. Il tratto costiero in esame consta oggi di 53 endemiti, di cui 5 esclusivi di questo territorio; tre specie sono elencate nell'allegato II della Diret-tiva "Habitat" e 47 sono annoverate nella "Lista Rossa della Flora italiana". Inoltre, si segnala la probabile scomparsa dall'area di due taxa (Ophrys sphegodes subsp. praecox e Artemisia caerulescens subsp. densiflora). L'analisi delle forme biologiche mostra un netto dominio di emicriptofite e camefite (28,3%), seguite dalle geofite (24,5%), mentre lo spettro corologico evidenzia una prevalenza degli endemismi sardo-corsi (37,04%) e sardi (24,07%). Parole chiave: flora protetta, Gallura, Sardegna, Taxa endemici, ZSC.
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... Gap analysis was frequently used in various studies (Rodrigues et al. 2004;Gruber et al. 2012; Abellan and Sanchez-Fernandez 2015; Orlikowska et al. 2016) revealing different success of protected areas in safeguarding local diversity. Some studies described great efficacy of protected areas in preserving different species (e.g., birds of prey (Mazaris et al. 2013), freshwater crayfish (Lovrenčić et al. 2020), and butterflies (Verovnik et al. 2011)), while others showed many gaps (e.g., temporary freshwater habitats (Bagella et al. 2013), vertebrates (Maiorano et al. 2006(Maiorano et al. , 2015, and flora (Mendoza-Fernández et al. 2009)). ...
How Well Do Protected Areas Safeguard Endangered White-Clawed Crayfish in Croatia?
Article
  • Dec 2022
Croatian freshwaters are inhabited by four native European crayfish species. One of them is the white-clawed crayfish which is distributed in the waterbodies draining to the Adriatic Sea. This species is endangered by anthropogenic pressures on its habitats, climate change and the introduction and spread of non-native invasive crayfish species and their pathogens, with several documented declines occurring in a number of populations. Consequently, it is declared endangered and protected by international and national legislation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of the pan-European Natura 2000 network and national protected areas in conserving the white-clawed crayfish diversity in Croatia through a GIS-based approach that overlays a map of protected areas with species distribution data, also known as a gap analysis. The analysis revealed that 66% of the white-clawed crayfish populations are covered by protected areas (including Natura 2000 sites). Results of this study are useful for the evaluation of protected areas in the conservation of this key freshwater species, and for direct future management plans.
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... A recent inventory of strictly hydro-and hygrophilous vascular plants in Italy, identified for Sardinia, 119 species equal to 42.6% and 37.9% of the richness estimated at the Italian and European scale, respectively [29]. Unfortunately, part of them are threatened and unprotected [30,31]. Sardinian wetlands also represent a network of important stopover sites for migratory birds along the Mediterranean flyways [32]. ...
Investigating Plant–Bird Co-Occurrence Patterns in Mediterranean Wetlands: Can They Reveal Signals of Ecosystem Connectivity?
Article
Full-text available
  • Mar 2022
  • Diversity
Interspecific biotic interaction is believed to be a fundamental phenomenon in ecology. However, despite the increasing efforts, interaction mechanisms are still not clearly understood. We compiled a database of 323 birds and 844 vascular plants in 30 wetlands from Sardinia. This was complemented with seed dispersal features and plant structures (suitability for nesting), and with site-level traits, such as wetland surface area, distance from the sea, percentage of open water, protection level, and number of human impacts. The percentage of non-random co-occurrences was then measured, and the relative importance of each trait in determining it was modelled. We found that non-random co-occurrences among sites decreased with the site extent and increase with the percentage of open water, bird zoochory was positively correlated with co-occurrences, nesting birds showed higher rates of co-occurrence than non-nesting birds, and plants with habits suitable for nesting displayed more co-occurrences than the rest of the plants. These results are a small contribution to the complex topic of species co-occurrence and connectivity within an ecosystem. Species co-occurrence is a promising but debatable approach that may provide insightful clues to species interactions within ecological systems.
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... Contrary, study by Lovrenčić et al. (2020) that evaluated representation of the stone crayfish (Austropotamobius torrentium) by protected areas in Croatia, revealed its much greater coverage compared to the results of this study. The effectiveness of the protected areas, especially Natura 2000 network, in fulfilling their role of protecting biodiversity has been evaluated through gap analysis in numerous studies at global or regional scales with the varying outcomes VeroVniK et al., 2011;gruber et al., 2012;bagella et al., 2013;abellan & SanChez-Fer-nanDez, 2015;Maiorano et al., 2015;orliKowSKa et al., 2016;yang et al., 2020;ahMaDi et al., 2020;Spiliopoulou et al., 2021). Some studies reported great effectiveness of protected areas and/or Natura 2000 in safeguarding various groups on the European level, such as butterflies (VeroVniK et al., 2011), birds of prey (MazariS et al., 2013), plants (FoiS et al., 2017, and freshwater crayfish (Lovrenčić et al., 2020). ...
Gap analysis revealed a moderate efficiency of protected areas for the conservation of the endangered noble crayfish in Croatia
Article
Full-text available
  • Dec 2021
The noble crayfish is a native European freshwater species, endangered due to the strong anthro-pogenic influence on its habitats, climate change, and invasive crayfish species. In the present study, we aimed to assess the effectiveness of nationally designated protected areas and the pan-European Natura 2000 network in representing and maintaining over time the noble crayfish diversity using a comprehensive species occurrence dataset. Overall, our gap analysis indicated moderate efficiency of the existing protected areas in covering the noble crayfish diversity. Overlapping the distribution map of the noble crayfish with the map of protected areas revealed that protected areas encompass 50% of recorded populations. This study can serve as an evaluation of the protected areas in conservation of this key freshwater crayfish species.
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... Most of the enthusiasm for establishing new protected areas actually derived from results of analyses showing greater richness and/or abundance (or biomass) of species within than outside individual protected areas Micheli et al., 2004). Yet, other numerous studies confirmed that this fact is not universal (Bagella et al., 2013;Guidetti & Sala, 2007;Mora et al., 2011;Newmark, 1987;Parks & Harcourt, 2002;Rakitin & Kramer, 1996;Rivard et al,. 2000;Rogers & Beets, 2001;Thouless, 1998;Western et al., 2009) and stressed on the importance of also conserving biodiversity outside of protected areas . ...
Approche intégrative des enjeux de conservation de la biodiversité méditerranéenne pour la priorisation de la désignation des aires protégées. Application au cas du Liban
Thesis
  • Dec 2016
Dans le contexte Méditerranéen pluri-complexe, tant au niveau écologique que sociopolitique, la mise en place de zones protégées mobilise une grande diversité d’outils basés sur des réalités règlementaires, foncières, financières, scientifiques et techniques. L’accompagnement des décideurs dans la conception et la mise en place de réseaux d’aires protégées est donc nécessaire. Cette thèse est fondée sur le principe de priorisation des enjeux socio-écologiques de conservation pour une orientation pertinente des options de protection dans les régions du pourtour méditerranéen. Elle s’appuie sur l’exemple précis du Liban, où les initiatives de protection demeurent jusqu’à ce jour peu adaptées aux besoins écologiques de conservation, et semblent guidées par une réponse à des enjeux socio-politique locaux qui priment sur les enjeux écologiques. Le but est de proposer une démarche objective, basée sur une combinaison de descripteurs écologiques et socio-économiques, qui permettrait une orientation réfléchie et adaptée pour la future désignation des aires protégées. Ainsi, sur base d’une revue bibliographique, des descripteurs complémentaires, non redondants, faciles à renseigner, et adaptés au contexte méditerranéen, ont été identifiés (avec leurs modalités, leurs valeurs et leurs variantes). A partir de ceux-ci nous avons élaboré un outil de support à la décision (MedConserve) qui permet de structurer les priorités de conservation de la biodiversité en utilisant les meilleures connaissances disponibles. Cet outil, testé sur plusieurs sites au Liban, propose différentes alternatives de protection priorisées, parmi lesquelles l’utilisateur (ministère, municipalité, région, etc.) serait en mesure de choisir la plus appropriée en fonction du contexte sociopolitique prévalent. Ceci met l’accent sur la forte dimension politique dans la conservation, dans la mesure où, même si l’objectif est de fournir un outil pour la désignation des aires protégées, les véritables défis se situeront ensuite au niveau des choix et des décisions d’ordre politique.
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Which perspectives for Mediterranean temporary ponds in the European Union in the third millennium?
Article
Full-text available
  • Feb 2023
  • BIODIVERS CONSERV
Mediterranean Temporary Ponds (MTPs) are among the most precious habitats in the Mediterranean bioclimatic because they shelter extremely rare and isolated organisms from different taxa and are included in Annex 1 of the Habitat Directive under code 3170*. Nevertheless, their conservation is highly precarious to such an extent to be considered a disappearing ecosystem. To evaluate the perspectives of MTPs in the third millennium, we carried out a literature search, getting on the trail of the string “Mediterranean Temporary Ponds” to answer the following questions: is the focus of these research papers on MTPs sensu Habitat Directive? Do the research areas of investigation mirror the habitat distribution? Which are the main gaps in the issues analysed? Are all the components of the system considered? Our results highlighted the great interest of the scientific community in MTPs. However, it also brought out several problems and knowledge gaps related to the different features analysed: in many cases in which code 3170* is reported, it is just mentioned; the geographical distribution of the studied areas revealed gaps, particularly in the east Mediterranean and throughout the biogeographic regions; among the issues analysed a dearth of research papers related to the identification of the habitat and effects of climate change has emerged; the studies on the biotic components are strongly unbalanced on vascular plants and abiotic components, such as hydrology and water quality, are scarcely investigated. We believe that great efforts should be made to improve practical conservation actions for this habitat in the medium and long term.
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New national and regional Annex I Habitat records: from #37 to #44
Article
Full-text available
  • Jul 2022
In this contribution, Italian new data concerning the distribution of the Annex I Habitats 3150, 3170*, 3260, 4090, 91L0, 91M0, 9340 are reported. In detail, 20 new occurrences in Natura 2000 sites are presented and 30 new cells are added in the EEA 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Campania, Lazio, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany, and Umbria.
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Colchicum verlaqueae Fridlender : un colchique nouveau endémique du littoral sarde
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2009
Trois colchiques endémiques vivent en Sardaigne : C. gonarei décrit en 1978, C. actupii décrit en 1999 et enfin C. verlaqueae Fridlender sp.nov. précédemment confondu avec C. corsicum Baker. Les deux autres taxons qui poussent sur cette île (C. multiflorum et C. cupanii) possèdent une aire de distribution assez vaste en Méditerranée occidentale.
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Between global priorities and local urgencies: The important plant areas programme in Italy
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2011
Global priorities for the conservation of biodiversity assume a key role in determining the national priorities and the research agenda. The "Important Plant Areas in Italy" project, promoted by the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Nature Protection Directorate through a programme aimed at mapping the IPAs, represents an important contribution to the planning of strategies designed to enhance biodiversity conservation. The national working group, co-ordinated by the Inter-university research centre for "Biodiversity, Plant sociology and Landscape ecology" of the "Sapienza" University of Rome and composed of a network of 100 botanical experts was set up to obtain original information and draw up a detailed, nationwide picture of the situation in Italy. Important Plant Areas were identified on the basis of a range of taxonomic groups (such as vascular plants, bryophytes, freshwater algae, lichens and fungi) and habitats in order to promote an integrated model of knowledge for the conservation of plant diversity. Each of the selected vascular plants and habitats was assigned a conservation value on a regional basis. An approach based on the overlapping of the species and habitat maps was used to identify the most important areas for plant diversity and to pinpoint any "hotspots" of richness and diversity. Hence, polygons were defined within the cells of high conservation value and/or containing high vascular species and habitat richness (grid approach). A total of 320 IPAs were identified in Italy (including 8 fresh water algae community sites), covering approximately 15% of the country. Regional results highlighted the extreme heterogeneity of available data and the need for new basic research projects designed to integrate and update the information currently available on the distribution of plant species (vascular plants, bryophytes, freshwater algae, lichens), fungi and habitats in our country. Considering the global emerging issues but acting at local level, the results yielded by this project may be exploited for interventions of various kinds, ranging from the choice of protected areas to urban planning.
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Colchicum verlaqueae Fridlender: A new endemic Colchicum from Sardinia
Article
Full-text available
  • May 2009
Field studies show us that five Colchicum species occur in Sardinia. C. actupii and C. gonarei are endemic. C. multiflorum and C. cupanii are widespread throughout West Mediterranean countries. The fifth one, C. verlaqueae sp. nov. was erroneously named C. corsicum Baker.
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Small-scale patterns of plant functional types and soil features within Mediterranean temporary ponds
Article
Full-text available
  • Dec 2015
Temporary ponds (TPs) are shallow water bodies characterized by alternating phases of drought and flooding. They exhibit a small-scale zonation with a central belt (CB), an intermediate belt, and an outer belt (OB). Starting from the hypothesis that plant assemblage composition is affected by the position within TPs, our aims were to define the small-scale patterns of plant functional types, soil evolution, and soil physicochemical properties and to analyze their relationships and how they were affected by pond characteristics (i.e., elevation, substratum, total size, belt size, maximum water depth, and hydroperiod). Our results pointed out that patterns of plant functional types and soil evolution followed the position within the pond, soil physicochemical properties were weakly affected, and there was a relationship between plant functional types, soil small-scale patterns, and pond characteristics. Principal component analysis showed a positive correlation of Alfisols with CB, aquatic and amphibious species, maximum water depth, and hydroperiod, and of Entisols with OB and terrestrial species. A combined microtopography–hydrology effect was the primary factor controlling soil evolution and plant functional type patterns. As a consequence, modification in topographic shape and/or hydrologic parameters could alter TP environments. The results provide information for management strategies as an answer to the concerns surrounding continued worldwide TP decline.
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Romulea bocchierii Frignani & Iiriti (Iridaceae), a new species from Sardinia (Italy)
Article
  • Jan 2008
Romulea bocchierii Frignani & Iiriti, a new species from Sardinia (Italy), is described. Its taxonomic relationships with the close species Romulea ligustica Pari, and Romulea requienii Parl, are presented. An analytical identification key and a distribution map are given. This new species has been found in a humid meadow in the Codoleddu upland, a few kilometres from Cagliari. It appears to be endemic to SE Sardinia and is related to Romulea bulbocodium (L.) Sebast. & Mauri only present in the NE part of the island. The recognition of Romulea bocchierii is claimed on the basis of anatomical, morphological, ecological and phytogeographical data. Because some other endemic species of the genus Romulea Maratti are known for Sardinia, the finding of this new taxon is important to understand the systematic and phytogeography of this genus in Italy.
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Sensitivity of ephemeral wetland swards with Isoetes histrix Bory to environmental variables: Implications for the conservation of Mediterranean temporary ponds
Article
  • Apr 2013
  • AQUAT CONSERV
Small‐scale landscape elements such as freshwater ponds and pools remain poorly characterized and vulnerable to destruction, despite their significant contribution to regional aquatic biodiversity. Ephemeral wetland swards supporting Isoetes histrix , which are considered priority interest habitats by the European Habitats Directive on the conservation of wild fauna and flora (codex 3170* – Mediterranean temporary ponds), typify concave pond shorelines (Habitat A) and very shallow flat temporary ponds (Habitat B). It is hypothesized that although this sward type is highly specialized for growth in waterlogged soils, it is highly sensitive to changes in composition and seasonal dynamics related to varied environmental conditions. The present study was aimed at comparing plant assemblages, and successional processes and dynamics during the growing season between different habitat types; and identifying the key factors influencing spatial variability. Vegetation was sampled three times during the growing season in the two habitat types (i.e A and B). At each site a range of environmental variables was also recorded. PERMANOVA analysis indicated that plant assemblages differed between the two habitat types throughout the growing season. The different hydroperiod length was the main factor responsible for the specificity of the two habitats, revealed by CCA. However, the pattern of successional processes and seasonal dynamics was similar between the two habitats. The results confirmed the hypothesis, and strengthened the understanding of the relevance of hydroperiod length to plant assemblages in ephemeral ponds. The two habitats exhibit unique characteristics, and represent different aspects of priority habitat 3170*; therefore, to ensure that the highest level of biodiversity is maintained, measures must be taken to protect both sward habitats. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Wetland plant species diversity in sandy land of a semi-arid inland region of China
Article
  • Mar 2013
Though often ignored, small patches of wetland in sandy land within semi-arid inland regions can support diverse plant community types that greatly contribute to both local and regional species richness. This study characterizes the full range of wetland vegetation within the Mu Us sandy land, and compares the plant diversity and composition of different wetland plant community types. In the Mu Us sandy land, wetland vegetation types including swamps, wet meadows, and salt meadows were sampled. Clustering, dominant species analysis, and nonmetric multidimensional scaling ordination were applied to identify and compare plant community types. Over 320 species of vascular plants, comprising 72.1% of the Mu Us sandy land flora, were found in the wetland, which occupies only 12.15% of the area. Local diversity is 11 ± 1.75 species per m2 on average, much greater than in the surrounding dune. Plant community types were classified into six types, whose dominant species were Phragmites australis, Eleocharis intersita, Salix cheilophila, Carex duriuscula, Calamagrostis pseudophragmites and Achnatherum splendens. The detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) axes represent gradients of water and soil salinity. Both local species richness and compositional variation differed among the six types. The plant assemblages of the wetland make important contributions to landscape-level diversity.
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