Towards a functional phytosociology: the functional ecology of woody diagnostic species and their vegetation classes in Northern Italy

Zanzottera, M.; Fratte, Michele Dalle; Caccianiga, Marco; Pierce, Simon; Cerabolini, Bruno E. L.

doi:10.3832/ifor3730-014

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Trachycarpus fortunei is highly competitive due to its huge, evergreen leaves and its extreme shade tolerance during the juvenile stage (Ishii et al., 2016; Zanzottera et al., 2021). We expect that these traits make the competition for light and space a central mechanism of the spread of T. fortunei , reducing native plant species richness and diversity at highly invaded sites.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The alien Chinese windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) impacts forest vegetation and regeneration on the southern slope of the European Alps

Fehr,

Conedera,

Fratte

et al. 2024

Applied Vegetation Science

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QuestionsDoes the non‐native evergreen Chinese windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) affect native plant community and forest regeneration in deciduous forests? Are effects modulated by soil moisture? What are the implications for forest management and nature conservation?LocationBroadleaved deciduous low‐elevation forests on the southern slope of the Alps across the Swiss–Italian border region.MethodsWe compared the native herbaceous and woody plant composition, species richness, Shannon diversity and abundance at ten deciduous forest sites on two moisture conditions (six mesic–moist sites and four mesic–dry sites). Each site consisted of three plots measuring 400 m2 along a gradient of T. fortunei presence, ranging from “dominant”, to “present but not dominant” to “absent”.ResultsIn mesic–moist forests with high densities of T. fortunei, species richness and Shannon diversity of native plants and recruiting woody species in the herb and shrub layers were significantly reduced compared to similar sites where T. fortunei is absent or not dominant. However, in mesic–dry forests these variables did not differ between palm‐invaded and uninvaded plots. The abundance of recruiting woody individuals did not differ between plots invaded by palms and uninvaded control plots in either forest type.ConclusionsWe expect detrimental consequences for plant diversity in mesic–moist alluvial forests with high T. fortunei densities and few detrimental consequences in the more widespread non‐alluvial forests. We recommend multifaceted management, including targeted eradication in alluvial forests identified as hotspots of native plant diversity, accompanied by hands‐off management of T. fortunei in non‐alluvial forests, recognizing the ongoing and inevitable “laurophyllisation”; a biome shift toward mixed‐evergreen forest that may increase ecosystem climate resilience under ongoing climatic warming.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The alien Chinese windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) impacts forest vegetation and regeneration on the southern slope of the European Alps

Fehr,

Conedera,

Fratte

et al. 2024

Applied Vegetation Science

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“…The study of the vegetation likely captures the habitat complexity that is not identified otherwise, making the study of vegetation a very helpful way to select suitable planting sites. In many Mediterranean countries (e.g., Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Petraglia & Tomaselli, 2007; Tomaselli et al., 2000; Zanzottera et al., 2021), there is a deep understanding of species associations and their relationships with abiotic factors (Coppi et al., 2015) that makes vegetation studies very informative.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Best practices, errors, and perspectives of half a century of plant translocation in Italy

D'Agostino,

Cao Pinna,

Carboni

et al. 2024

Conservation Biology

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Conservation translocations are becoming common conservation practice, so there is an increasing need of understanding the drivers of plant translocation performance through reviews of cases at global and regional levels. The establishment of the Italian Database of Plant Translocation (IDPlanT) provides the opportunity to review the techniques used in 186 plant translocation cases performed in the last fifty years in the heart of the Mediterranean Biodiversity Hotspot. In this study, we describe techniques and information available in IDPlantT and use these data to identify drivers of translocation outcomes. To this end, we tested the effect of 15 variables on survival translocated propagules at the last monitoring date, using binomial logistic Mixed Effect Models. The analysis revealed that 11 variables significantly affected survival of transplants, namely: life form, site protection, material source, number of source populations, propagation methods, propagule life stage, planting methods, habitat suitability assessment, site preparation, aftercare and costs. Plant translocations in Italy and in the Mediterranean area should consider the complexity of speciation, gene flow and plant migrations that has led to local adaptations with important implications on the choice and constitution of source material. The integration of vegetation studies for the selection of suitable planting sites can significantly increase the success of translocation efforts. Whilst post‐translocation watering has a general positive effects on traslocation outcome, other aftercare techniques do not always increase transplant survival. Finally, we found that how funds are spent appears to be more important than their actual amount.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

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“…Our findings pointed out that the growth forms and plant functional types inferred by plant functional space can be used as easy and fast tools to predict the potential bioenergy use of IAPS, which was our first objective. Herbaceous IAPS showed more acquisitive/ruderal characteristics, contrary to woody ones, which exhibited a more conservative/stress-tolerant nature [ 30 ]. As expected, herbaceous IAPS were more suitable for biochemical processes (low C:N), while woody IAPS were better suited for thermal ones (high GHV) (e.g., [ 17 ]).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Plant Functional Traits to Define the Biomass Energy Potential of Invasive Alien Plant Species

Ceriani,

Dalle Fratte,

Agosto

et al. 2023

Plants

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The eradication of invasive alien plant species (IAPS) is mandatory worldwide, but the resulting biomass is still considered waste. The energy use of biomasses obtained from IAPS eradication may represent ecological and economic benefits, creating synergies with restoration projects. We evaluated whether the growth forms and functional types identified using the functional space of 63 IAPS corresponded to a possible bioenergy use through multivariate analysis techniques. We extracted leaf and nutrient traits and Grime’s CSR plant strategies from an existing database. We calculated the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C:N) and gross heating value (GHV) as indicators of biochemical or thermal processes, respectively. For 10 species, we measured the above-ground biomass C:N and GHV (including leaves, stems and branches) and correlated them with those of leaves and with plant adaptive strategies. We identified four groups of IAPS indicative of the main trade-offs between plant economics and size variation, which respectively correlated with C:N and GHV. Herbaceous IAPS were better suited to biochemical processes, and woody IAPS to thermal ones. Overall, Grime’s CSR strategies were the best tool to define the IAPS bioenergy potential. In the long term, competitive and ruderal IAPSs can represent a reusable feedstock until their complete eradication.

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Towards a functional phytosociology: the functional ecology of woody diagnostic species and their vegetation classes in Northern Italy

Cited by 9 publications

References 46 publications

The alien Chinese windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) impacts forest vegetation and regeneration on the southern slope of the European Alps

The alien Chinese windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) impacts forest vegetation and regeneration on the southern slope of the European Alps

Best practices, errors, and perspectives of half a century of plant translocation in Italy

Using Plant Functional Traits to Define the Biomass Energy Potential of Invasive Alien Plant Species

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