Plant Diversity in Archaeological Sites and Its Bioindication Values for Nature Conservation: Assessments in the UNESCO Site Etruscan Necropolis of Tarquinia (Italy)

Abstract

In archaeological sites, plants can be a risk for monument conservation. However, in these sites, a refugium for plant biodiversity is often detected, such as in the UNESCO site Etruscan necropolis of “Monterozzi” in Tarquinia, which still holds a Special Protection Area for bats. In this site, we previously evaluated the positive and negative effects of vascular plants on the conservation of the hypogeal tombs. To contribute in assessing the role of archaeological sites in supporting plant diversity and interpreting its bioindication values for nature conservation, we analyse in this relevant place the floristic interest and richness and the plant communities growing on tumuli, trampled, and less disturbed areas. The results revealed the presence of several plants with high naturalistic interest, such as the community’s representative of synanthropic and natural Mediterranean grasslands, which arise both from the present and the past uses of the area. The high naturalistic values of the site are also assessed, considering its remarkable richness of species/area compared with the well-known archaeological sites of Rome. These findings further indicate that plant diversity needs to be considered in planning management activities in archaeological sites to also protect their natural values.

Vegetation Analysis in the Archaeological Area of Pasargadae WHS (Iran) Enhancing the Naturalistic Value of the Site within the Occurring Environmental Changes

“…Previous studies on the flora of the Pasargadae site and its interaction with stone monuments revealed the importance of understanding the microhabitat of plant colonization on the remaining structures as a tool for controlling biodeterioration phenomena [17,49]. Additionally, the plant diversity of the site [6] and the distribution of the endemic species with conservation interest emphasized the importance of conservation strategies that consider both the natural and cultural values of the site [5,18,24,33,84]. This is particularly important in the context of plant diversity, as the conservation of these sites can help to ensure the protection of plant diversity [39,85].…”

“…The nomenclature followed the "World of Flora Online" [57]. (11,12,14,29,32), remnants of the Royal Garden watercourses (16)(17)(18), semi-natural grasslands and shrublands under several edaphic conditions (4)(5)(6)(7)10,24,26,28,31,33), and stony and rocky hills (8,9,13,15,(19)(20)(21)(22)27,30).…”

“…A dendrogram was derived to illustrate the dissimilarities between samples and species, sorted according to the distance matrices [59]. Furthermore, to study the ecological gradients between the vegetation clusters, an ordination graph of sampling sites was (11,12,14,29,32), remnants of the Royal Garden watercourses (16)(17)(18), semi-natural grasslands and shrublands under several edaphic conditions (4)(5)(6)(7)10,24,26,28,31,33), and stony and rocky hills (8,9,13,15,(19)(20)(21)(22)27,30).…”

“…Furthermore, wild plants can also show indications of buried archaeological structures, thus adding information to the history of the site [27][28][29][30][31]. In addition, archaeological areas, being better protected from anthropogenic disturbance compared to other human-managed areas, have proven to be valuable refuges for biodiversity conservation [5,6,32,33]. The permanence of natural habitats and the floristic richness found in these areas is considerable, with the occurrence of a high number of species of conservation interest [6,32,[34][35][36][37].…”

“…WHS of Pasargadae, Fars Province (Iran): map of the 33 surveys carried out within the site. The sampling locations covered: highly disturbed areas near the monuments (1-3,23,25), dry riverbed area(11,12,14,29,32), remnants of the Royal Garden watercourses(16)(17)(18), semi-natural grasslands and shrublands under several edaphic conditions(4)(5)(6)(7)10,24,26,28,31,33), and stony and rocky hills(8,9,13,15,(19)(20)(21)(22)27,30).…”