A5022604783- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Botany and Plant Ecology Studies
- Plant and animal studies
- Mediterranean and Iberian flora and fauna
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Studies
- Forest ecology and management
- Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions
- Forest Management and Policy
- Pasture and Agricultural Systems
- Ruminant Nutrition and Digestive Physiology
- Sustainable Agricultural Systems Analysis
- Plant Ecology and Soil Science
- Plant Physiology and Cultivation Studies
- Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Climate change impacts on agriculture
- Agroforestry and silvopastoral systems
- Plant Parasitism and Resistance
- Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology
- Remote Sensing and LiDAR Applications
- Plant Ecology and Taxonomy Studies
- Rangeland and Wildlife Management
- Ecology and Conservation Studies
- Ecosystem dynamics and resilience
- Tree-ring climate responses
Free University of Bozen-Bolzano
2022-2025
Università di Camerino
2019-2022
Roma Tre University
2017-2020
Abstract Trait‐based ecology has already revealed main independent axes of trait variation defining spaces that summarize plant adaptive strategies, but often ignoring intraspecific variability (ITV). By using empirical ITV‐level data for two dimensions leaf form and function 167 species across five habitat types (coastal dunes, forests, grasslands, heathlands, wetlands) in the Italian peninsula, we found ITV: (i) rotated define space; (ii) increased variance explained by these (iii)...
In macroecology, shifting from coarse- to local-scale explanatory factors is crucial for understanding how global change impacts functional diversity (FD). Plants possess diverse traits allowing them differentially respond across a spectrum of environmental conditions. We aim assess macro- microclimate, stand-scale measured soil properties, forest structure, and management type, influence understorey FD at the macroecological scale. Our study covers Italian forests, using thirteen predictors...
Abstract Questions Do forest structural parameters related to stand heterogeneity enhance functional diversity (FD) of understorey plant communities? FD and composition communities vary between high‐forest (HF) old coppices‐with‐standard (oldCWS) management types? Are HF stands characterized by a higher than oldCWS? Location Submediterranean beech forests Montagne della Duchessa Reserve (central Italy). Methods We sampled 57 (20 m × 20 m) plots, 29 oldCWS 28 stands, where we recorded species...
Protected areas are recognized as a crucial tool to mitigate ongoing trends of biodiversity loss. The effect different levels protection and their subsequent conservation efficiency remains, however, largely unexplored. To fill this gap, we present here an integrated approach that combines taxonomic analysis based on typical species evaluate habitat quality functional plant traits define structure functions. We focused shrubland habitats across in two biogeographical areas. found does not...
Mediterranean high mountain grasslands are shaped by climatic stress and understanding their functional adaptations can contribute to better ecosystems' response global change. The present work analyses the plant traits of high-elevation growing in limestone mountains explore, at community level, presence different strategies for resource use (conservative vs. acquisitive) diversity syndromes (convergent or divergent). Thus, we compared composition above-ground related acquisition subalpine...
Habitat monitoring in Europe is regulated by Article 17 of the Habitats Directive, which suggests use typical species to habitat conservation status. Yet, Directive uses term “typical” but does not provide a definition, either for its reporting or impact assessments. To address issue, an online workshop was organized Italian Society Vegetation Science (SISV) shed light on diversity perspectives regarding different concepts species, and discuss possible implications habitat...
The role of plant traits in shaping community assembly along environmental gradients is a topic ongoing research. It well accepted that aboveground organs tend to be conservative stressful conditions. However, there limited understanding how belowground respond. Plants may have similar strategies above and belowground, but an intriguing possibility tradeoff between communities both ensure efficient resource‐use limit niche overlap the gradient. To test this, we asked whether response...
Abstract Understanding the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) is crucial to predicting consequences of ongoing global loss. However, what drives BEF relationships in natural ecosystems under globally changing conditions remains poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, we applied a trait‐based approach data from coastal dune plant communities distributed along environmental stress gradient. Specifically, compared relative importance below‐ground...
Since 1986, vegetation monitoring of alpine plant communities has been performed at the Gran Sasso d’Italia LTER site (https://deims.org/c0738b00-854c-418f-8d4f-69b03486e9fd) in Central Apennines, through phytosociological relevés and abundance coverage estimation vascular flora fine scale. The activities for abiotic parameters regard air soil temperatures, rainfall, snowfall snow cover persistence. A comparative analysis changes species composition, life forms, strategies morpho-functional...
Elevational gradients offer special opportunities to investigate the relative role of intraspecific and interspecific trait variations in relation stress gradients. We used an altitudinal gradient Mediterranean (Mt Velino, Central Italy) study (1) how community-weighted means (CWM) nonweighted (CM) vary with elevation for plant height, specific leaf area, seed mass; (2) variation patterns differ inter- functional variability. tested if influences community composition on basis adaptive value...
Abstract Questions What is the relative importance of interspecific and intraspecific trait variation their covariation in herb layer European temperate beech forests, how do they vary with elevation? Is there evidence convergence at higher elevations, as postulated by habitat‐filtering hypothesis, this enhanced or counteracted variation? Location National Park “Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona Campigna”, Italy. Methods We measured four functional traits – plant height, specific leaf...
ABSTRACT Aims Alpine valleys have faced escalating global changes in recent decades such as a decline of traditional management and rural expansion. Grasslands are likely the type vegetation most affected by these transformations. This study investigates multifaceted plant diversity over past four major valley Italian Eastern Alps examines whether occurred uniformly across different elevations. Location Valsugana Valley, Alps, Italy. Methods In 2022, we resurveyed 115 plots (including...
ABSTRACT Aim Forests dominated by non‐native trees are becoming increasingly common. However, their impact on biodiversity remains uncertain, with a debate whether they represent ‘green deserts’ or secondary habitats for biodiversity. We addressed this question evaluating the patterns and ecological drivers of taxonomic functional understory diversity between black pine ( Pinus nigra ) forests within outside its native distribution range. Location Europe. Methods collected continental...
We analyzed plant functional diversity (FD) and redundancy (FR) in Mediterranean high-mountain communities to explore patterns assembly rules. focused on three above-ground traits: height (H), a good surrogate of competition for light strategies, specific leaf area (SLA) dry matter content (LDMC), useful indicators resource exploitation schemes. used the georeferenced vegetation plots field-measured traits four widely spread types growing screes, steep slopes, snowbeds ridges, respectively....
Land abandonment in sub-Mediterranean grasslands causes the spread of tall-grasses, affecting biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Mowing allows recovery coenological composition after invasion, but mechanisms acting at fine-scale are poorly investigated. Since 2010 Central Apennines, we fenced a grassland invaded by Brachypodium rupestre, divided it into two areas, half each was mowed biyearly remained unmown. In 2017 selected ten 20 × cm experimental units per half-area, collecting data...
Predicting how biodiversity affects ecosystem functioning requires a multifaceted approach based on the partitioning of diversity into its taxonomic and functional facets thus redundancy. Here, we investigated species richness (S), (FD) redundancy (FR) are affected by forest structure. Sixty-eight abandoned coppice-with-standards plots were selected in two mountain areas Apennine chain. We performed linear models to quantify influence structural parameters S, FD FR clonal traits. Each facet...