This study provides the first documentation of petrifying (tufa-forming) springs in Cyprus and describes their floristic composition and habitat classification in detail. Field surveys conducted in 2024–2025 identified six active tufa-forming sites across five catchments in the southwestern part of Cyprus. Each locality exhibited alkaline, calcium-rich waters and ongoing precipitation of calcium carbonate. Vegetation analysis revealed consistent assignment of the recorded plant assemblages to the association Eucladio–Adiantetum (alliance Adiantion, class Adiantetea), dominated by the diagnostic species Eucladium verticillatum and Adiantum capillus-veneris. Based on indicator species and structural attributes, this vegetation type corresponds to EUNIS habitat H3.41 (U3D) “Mediterranean wet inland cliffs” and meets the criteria for the description of the EU priority habitat type 7220* “Petrifying springs with tufa formation (Cratoneurion)”. This represents the first evidence of this rare groundwater-dependent habitat on the island and provides baseline data for its biogeographic characterization and conservation assessment.
Long-term vegetation plot datasets, including historical data and repeated surveys, are essential tools for detecting and understanding spatial and temporal changes in community diversity, structure, and functioning. Here, we present the central ADRIAtic coastal VEGetation database (AdriaVeg), a georeferenced database comprising 1,000 vegetation plots, both published and unpublished, including re-surveyed and single-survey records, collected between 1985 and 2025 along the sandy coasts of Abruzzo, Molise, and northern Apulia (Italy). The database encompasses the main coastal dune habitats, with shifting dunes representing 42.3% of plots, followed by fixed dunes (29.2%), transitional dunes (20.9%), and salt marshes (7.6%). In total, AdriaVeg includes 301 vascular plant taxa (species and subspecies), of which 286 are native or archaeophytes and 15 are neophytes (86.7% invasive and 13.3% naturalized). In AdriaVeg, each taxon is linked with 21 standardized attributes, including taxonomic classification, vernacular names (Italian and English), alien status and residence time in Italy, chorology for native species and area of origin for alien species, growth habit, life form, growth form, lifespan, European ecological indicator values, and disturbance indicator values. The dataset structure enhances data interoperability and can support comparative ecological research. AdriaVeg provides an open and scalable framework for monitoring coastal dune habitats across protected, unprotected, and restored areas. It offers sound support for the analysis of long-term vegetation dynamics, restoration effectiveness, and changes in species composition and community structure under anthropogenic and climatic pressures.
Semi-natural grasslands are high-value biodiversity hotspots that provide critical ecosystem services, yet land-use changes and shifting precipitation patterns increasingly threaten them. Understanding the ecological stability of these habitats requires high-resolution data integrating taxonomic and functional perspectives. This paper presents a multi-proxy dataset (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19052795) collected within the “CAROLINA: Impact of land-use change on climate resilience of semi-natural grasslands” project, focusing on the short-term impacts of grazing exclusion and simulated drought across three distinct Italian climatic zones: Mediterranean plains (San Rossore), Central Apennine hills (San Venanzo), and Alpine mountains (Tesino). The experimental design employs a manipulative approach using three treatment levels: grazed, as a control, grazing exclusion, and grazing exclusion + drought, with the latter simulated via rain-out shelters following the International Drought-Net protocol. The dataset integrates taxonomic diversity from floristic-vegetational surveys (88 plot × 164 species), leaf morphological functional traits for 39 species (leaf area, LA, specific leaf area, SLA, leaf dry matter content, LDMC, and plant height, H), and ecophysiological functional traits based on carbon and nitrogen elemental and stable isotope composition (δ13C, δ15N) from 37 surveyed species across the three sites. This comprehensive repository provides a foundational resource for long-term monitoring and ecological modelling of grassland responses to global change, supporting the development of effective conservation practices.
In this contribution, 10 records with new data concerning the distribution of 9 different Annex I Habitats in Italy are reported. In detail, they include 6 new occurrences in Natura 2000 Sites and 11 new cells in the EEA 10 km × 10 km Reference grid, referring to the Administrative Regions of Apulia, Latium, Lombardy, Piedmont, Sicily, Umbria, and Veneto.
The Belgrade Forest, located in the European part of Istanbul, represents an ecological and biogeographical transition zone where nemoral and Mediterranean elements coexist. Although comprehensive phytosociological studies have been conducted in the study area, differences in data structure, sampling intensity, and nomenclatural problems have prevented the establishment of a unified vegetation classification. In the present study, a total of 685 relevés derived from previous surveys were compiled and digitized in TURBOVEG, standardized, and analysed using numerical classification and ordination methods. The vegetation data were classified by TWINSPAN, and diagnostic species were identified based on the phi coefficient and constancy ratio. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) was applied to determine major compositional gradients, and Ellenberg-type indicator values were used to interpret ecological differentiation. The analysis resulted in four forest associations and one pseudomaquis community, corresponding to Alnus glutinosa-Carpinus betulus riparian forest, Acer campestre-Carpinus betulus forests on humid soils, meso-thermophilous mixed beech-oak-hornbeam forests, and pseudomaquis vegetation. Among these associations, Equiseto telmateiae-Alnetum glutinosae ass. nov. and Hyperico calycini-Ericetum arboreae ass. nov. are here described as new. The principal ecological gradient reflected a transition from humid to relatively dry site conditions, consistent with slope aspect (site exposure to solar radiation) and soil depth variations. The resulting syntaxonomic scheme provides a harmonized framework for the classification and monitoring of forest vegetation in the Belgrade Forest and offers a baseline for assessing future ecological change and restoration priorities.
In this editorial, we announce the journal’s return to the Scopus database following the change of its name, and we comment on its performance in the first year under the new name Vegetation Ecology and Diversity (VED), including the number and type of papers published, the authors’ nationality, and the turnaround times. Furthermore, we present the Editors’ choice article as well as articles that were both most viewed and most cited. We also present new members of the editorial board, a new permanent collection, and we thank the VED reviewers 2025. Finally, we are pleased to announce that we are seeking a linguistic editor.
Wetlands are essential ecosystems increasingly threatened by human activities and climate change. This study presents a method for classifying and monitoring wetland habitats in the Čiližská Radvaň protected area (Slovak Republic) using RGB drone imagery and the Natural Numerical Network (NatNet), a mathematically based supervised deep learning approach. The primary aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of NatNet in identifying target habitat types and to assess the impact of ongoing revitalisation efforts. Habitat types were classified using RGB drone imagery and ground-truth training polygons that represented the dominant vegetation communities in Čiližská Radvaň wetland. The NatNet achieved the training classification success rate exceeding 97%, allowing the creation of relevancy maps successfully identifying spatial habitat distribution. Relevancy maps verified in the field reached classification accuracy of 0.88 and F1 score of 0.90 across all habitats together. Results showed observable shifts in habitat extent and structure after one year of restoration, confirming the suitability of the method for detecting ecological changes in wetland environments.
Riverine habitats play a vital ecological role, offering key ecosystem services, regulating hydrology, and supporting high biodiversity, including species and habitats of conservation concern. This study aimed to identify Annex I habitats under the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) within a former protected area along the mid-upper Elsa River (Tuscany, central Italy). From 2021 to 2023, 85 vegetation relevés were collected to classify habitats, map their distribution, and assess major threats. Multivariate analyses revealed 15 Annex I habitats, including 32A0, reported here for the first time in Italy, and three priority habitats (7220*, 91E0*, 91AA*). Habitat 32A0, officially included in Annex I following the accession of Croatia to the EU, shows distinct ecological and structural features compared to habitat 7220*, despite sharing some bryophyte species. While the two often occur in close proximity or form mosaics, habitat 32A0 develops in active waterfalls with constant flow and low carbonate deposition, whereas habitat 7220* forms in slow-dripping areas with high tufa accumulation. The absence of habitat 32A0 from the Italian Habitat Manual underscores the need to revise national habitat classifications to improve identification accuracy and conservation strategies. Our study enhances knowledge of riverine habitats and stresses the importance of adaptive management to safeguard the Elsa River ecosystem. Key actions include continuous monitoring and control of invasive alien species. Incorporating the area into a nearby Special Area of Conservation would strengthen long-term protection in line with the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.
The paper presents the results of a phytogeographic, ecological, phytosociological, and management-oriented study on the maquis vegetation dominated by Periploca angustifolia (class Quercetea ilicis) occurring along of southern coast of mainland Sicily. The species is a South-Mediterranean shrub, previously known in Europe only from some small islands surrounding Sicily (Linosa, Lampedusa, Pantelleria, and the Aegadian, and the Maltese Archipelagos), as well as from southeastern Spain and the Aegean islands of Crete, Khrisi, and Gavdos. Along with providing an updated overview of the species’ distribution, the study explores the historical reasons for its presence in Sicily, where it is part of a diverse group of biogeographically related species mainly found along the southern coasts. This further supports the hypothesis of connection routes contracted with North Africa during the drying of the Mediterranean in the Messinian period. Based on a synoptic comparison with similar associations present in the central-Mediterranean, the plant community investigated is proposed as a new syntaxon (association Asparago albi–Periplocetum angustifoliae ass. nov.), framed within the alliance Periplocion angustifoliae (order Pistacio–Rhamnetalia alaterni). Its role as a vicariant association with respect to the association Periploco angustifoliae–Euphorbietum dendroidis (occurring on the small islands of the Sicilian Channel) is also discussed, together with floristic, synecological, syndynamic, and conservation data. Finally, issues concerning afforestation with alien species—often carried out on a large scale throughout the Mediterranean area—are discussed, as such interventions may sometimes negatively affect ecosystems typical of endemic or particularly rare species. This is precisely the case of Periploca angustifolia in the study area, whose residual population had been brought to the brink of extinction by conifer plantations, leading to the alteration and consequent disappearance of its habitats.
The alpine tree line represents one of the most climate-sensitive ecological boundaries, where multiple interacting factors determine vegetation distribution at its upper limit. This study investigates the spatio-temporal dynamics of the tree line in the Senales Valley (South Tyrol, Italy) between 1985 and 2023, combining multi-temporal Landsat imagery, Random Forest (RF) classification, and visual orthophoto interpretation performed by manually delineating the forest boundary to assess both spatial and elevational shifts. Climatic variables (temperature, precipitation, snow cover, and growing season length) were analysed using linear models (LM) and generalized additive models (GAM) to identify long-term trends and potential drivers of tree line migration. The results reveal a consistent increase in forest cover in all 16 study areas, averaging +44%, with the largest expansions occurring on slopes facing W. Elevational advances were recorded in 15 of 16 areas, averaging +32 m for Landsat-derived data and +45 m for orthophotos. Elevated minimum temperatures during spring and autumn, alongside warmer summers and a significant rise in precipitation during the same season, created conditions which maintained soil moisture and reduced water stress—factors known to facilitate tree line advancement. Wind exposure from the N-NW sector and associated föhn effects appeared to limit tree line expansion on S-SE facing slopes. Comparison between manual and RF-derived tree lines revealed overall high agreement, with deviations below one Landsat pixel (30 m) in most cases. This confirms that Landsat imagery combined with RF algorithms provides a robust, cost-effective method for assessing long-term tree line dynamics in heterogeneous alpine environments.
Ponds are widespread yet highly vulnerable freshwater habitats that support diverse aquatic and terrestrial plant communities influenced by land use and water characteristics. The PONDY (Pond vegetation data and water physico-chemical parameters) dataset integrates vegetation and water physico-chemical data that have been collected to understand the responses of vegetation to environmental parameters. The dataset comprises 575 plots, of which 232 are aquatic and 343 are terrestrial, derived from 115 ponds across continental and insular areas of Italy. The dataset includes 743 vascular plant taxa and 5 macroalgae encompassing 364 genera and 89 families. Terrestrial plots host 690 taxa belonging to 87 families, while aquatic plots host 117 taxa belonging to 36 families. The dataset includes 10 taxa belonging to the Italian Red List and 39 alien species. Moreover, 11% of the aquatic plots have been classified in a Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC habitat type, while 48% have been classified in a EUNIS habitat type. The dataset contains, for each plot, measurements of physico-chemical water variables such as dissolved oxygen, water depth, and temperature, pH, turbidity, conductivity, and nutrient concentration. The PONDY dataset provides comprehensive information on plant diversity and abundance, community composition, habitat types, and water chemistry in Italian ponds, serving as a key resource for studying plant–environment relationships, developing predictive models, and supporting freshwater conservation efforts.
The vegetation resurvey is considered a valid approach for assessing how species composition, abundance, and distribution have evolved in response to anthropogenic pressures, climate change, and habitat alterations over recent decades. ReSarDu – Resurvey Sardinian Dunes – is the first regional database compiled from resurveys of coastal dune systems across Sardinia (Italy). It includes 418 resurveys ranging in size from 1 to 400 m2, collected between 2023 and 2025, based on 188 historical phytosociological relevés dating back to the 1970s. ReSarDu has been created to understand long-term vegetation changes in Sardinian coastal dune systems. By integrating historical and newly collected phytosociological data, we provide a comprehensive tool for assessing biodiversity trends and supporting effective conservation and restoration strategies.
The ReSurveyChaMon dataset provides a unique set of resurveyed vegetation plots spanning the sharp ecological transition between the Arid Chaco woodlands and the Monte steppe in central-western Argentina. The original plots were established in 1990 along a 300-km east-west transect covering a strong precipitation gradient, from xerophytic woodlands to desert shrublands, and were resurveyed in 2025 using the same protocol and plot size. In total, 104 vegetation plots are included in the dataset (52 original and 52 resurveyed). The dataset contains 164 vascular plant taxa from 113 genera and 41 families, with Poaceae, Fabaceae, and Cactaceae being the richest families. Species were assigned to life forms and chorotypes, and their native and endemic status (4 non-native and 39 endemic taxa) was also documented. All plots have been georeferenced, allowing integration with remote sensing and environmental data for future temporal and spatial analyses. ReSurveyChaMon offers an unprecedented opportunity to explore fine-scale vegetation dynamics across one of South America’s least studied dryland regions and provides a valuable baseline for biodiversity monitoring, conservation planning, and assessment of climate- and land-use-driven changes in arid and semi-arid ecosystems.
This contribution presents new data on the distribution of Annex I Habitats in Italy. A total of 10 records are reported, including 6 within Natura 2000 sites and the addition of 15 new cells to the EEA 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new records refer to the administrative regions of Apulia, Marche, Piedmont, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany and Veneto.
Invasive alien species are a major threat to biodiversity, prompting management actions. Here, we present the first two years of monitoring Natura 2000 habitats on Capraia Island (Tuscan Archipelago, Italy), in relation to control measures for the invasive plant Opuntia stricta, within the LIFE TETIDE project (Turning Eradication Targets into Durable Effects). We randomly sampled 25 permanent 100 m² macroplots in the areas most affected by Opuntia stricta, recording the vegetation macrocategory and cover values of Opuntia stricta and Natura 2000 habitats. Within each macroplot, we surveyed two 4 m² subplots for compositional analyses. We used Linear Mixed-Effects Models to assess temporal and vegetation effects on Opuntia stricta and habitat cover; multivariate ordination and PERMANOVA to evaluate community composition, with environmental variables linked to the ordination; and Wilcoxon tests to validate habitat classification accuracy using species of the reference physiognomic combination according to the Italian Habitats Interpretation Manual. Our results indicate spatial heterogeneity in Opuntia stricta distribution, with a slight increase in coastal habitats. We recorded an ecological preference for coastal vegetation and low maquis, particularly on habitats 1240 “Vegetated sea cliffs of the Mediterranean coasts with endemic Limonium spp.”, 5320 “Low formations of Euphorbia close to cliffs”, and 5330 “Thermo-Mediterranean and pre-desert scrub”. We recorded a substantial representation of reference species across all habitats, except for 8220 “Siliceous rocky slopes with chasmophytic vegetation”, which requires further investigation. Data collected provide a useful pre-intervention snapshot of Capraia’s habitats, pivotal for the full evaluation of the impacts of the project actions.
The central Italian Stipa mountain grasslands are a fascinating vegetation type of notable biogeographic interest, having remained along the Apennine chain since the last Pleistocene glacial phases. The present study focuses on the phytosociological description of grasslands dominated by Stipa dasyvaginata subsp. apenninicola, an endemic Apennine species. We sampled twenty-five plots in the Velino Massif and surrounding areas facing the northwestern side of the Fucino Basin and performed a cluster analysis combining our dataset with all published relevés of Stipa dasyvaginata subsp. apenninicola dominated communities in the Italian peninsula. The floristic and environmental differences between our dataset and the other communities led us to describe the new association Sileno bellidifoliae-Stipetum apenninicolae (class Helianthemo cani-Seslerietea nitidae), showing a xerophilous ecology. We further analyzed the variance in environmental data within our dataset, as well as its biological and chorological spectra. The peculiar floristic and ecological characteristics of these steppic grasslands highlight the need of preserving this type of vegetation, which may represent a valuable example contributing to the understanding of the formation of the contemporary vegetation landscape.
This contribution presents new Italian data on the distribution of Annex I Habitats. Specifically, 9 records are reported, including 3 occurrences within Natura 2000 sites and the addition of 9 new cells to the EEA 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Piedmont, Sardinia, and Sicily.
We developed the DALIA relational database (DAtabase of tree, shrub and LIAna taxa), which contains records of tree, shrub, and liana taxa recorded in the Functional Urban Area of Campobasso, a small city located in the inner-Mediterranean Region of Southern Italy. The DALIA database, developed through the PostgreSQL data management system, includes 170 species and subspecies (126 native and 44 alien) belonging to 46 taxonomic families (35 native species and 23 alien species). Each taxon, whether native or alien, was classified according to multiple ecological, functional, and biogeographic groups. Moreover, the diagnostic value for Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC, the IUCN red list conservation category, and, specifically for alien taxa, residence time and invasion status are reported. We described the dataset by bar and donut charts, density plots, and box plots. Results highlighted that native taxa are mainly Eurasian deciduous and Mediterranean evergreen with a prevalent zoochorous dispersal. By contrast, alien taxa are from Temperate Asia, North America, and Tropical Asia and count many anemochorous species with winged diaspores. Alien plant taxa show different characteristics in terms of ecological and disturbance indicator values, indicating a potential greater competitiveness in highly disturbed environments than native ones. The DALIA checklist of native and alien plant taxa collects important ecological information that is useful for monitoring plant diversity, implementing ecological restoration actions, and supporting sustainable urban greenery plans and actions.
Vegetation science is a branch of community ecology that relies on species identities and abundance to classify vegetation in coherent units and to explore species coexistence and turnover dynamics. The advent of trait-based ecology has expanded vegetation science, providing a framework that allows for a better understanding of plant strategies and the functional structure of communities. These complementary disciplines have remained largely independent among Italian plant ecologists. Therefore, in 2021, we launched the ITV-net initiative, a national collaborative effort for bringing together vegetation plots and field-measured plant trait data to develop a national platform that can serve both vegetation and trait-based ecologists. In the first data call, we were able to gather trait data on two key leaf traits (i.e., Leaf Area and Specific Leaf Area) for >700 species across 1,043 georeferenced vegetation plots, complemented with species relative abundances, across eight different EUNIS habitat types. Despite this remarkable first milestone, we aim to enlarge the scope of this initiative to include more vegetation plots and functional traits across more habitat types in Italy. Here, we provide an overview of the ITV-net initiative and its underlying methodological details as a ‘manifesto’ to spread the data call to other potential contributors in the Italian community of plant ecologists. Our ultimate objective is to bridge the vegetation science and trait-based ecological research in Italy towards developing a national database of vegetation plots and plant functional traits. We believe this effort will contribute to building a solid network among Italian plant ecologists to cross the artificial boundaries of different, yet complementary, disciplines.
The future of the Mediterranean oak forests is under threat from the dangerous effects of global climate change, such as increasing droughts and heatwaves. The combined or individual action of certain climatic and environmental factors can lead to oak decline in various oak forest types. A study was conducted between 2015 and 2022 in southern Italy, encompassing thirty oak forest stands dominated by various Quercus species, including Q. cerris, Q. frainetto, Q. ilex, Q. pubescens, and affected by oak decline. The study employed field sampling, NDVI data, and remote sensing techniques. The distribution of the forest stands encompassed both the Temperate and Mediterranean bioclimatic regions. A total of 18 quantitative and 4 qualitative variables were recorded and subsequently compared with a damage severity scale based on field observations. The values of the variables were analyzed using both descriptive and multivariate statistics to ascertain their role in triggering oak decline episodes. It was found that eight variables were the most significant in explaining the occurrence of oak decline. These were the first-semester average rainfall, average maximum summer temperature, Rainfall anomaly index, Downward shortwave radiation, Root zone soil moisture, and three indicators concerning the number, amplitude, and duration of heatwaves. Quercus pubescens forests were found to be the most affected by oak decline. The years 2017 and 2022 were characterized by high levels of stress, with the combined effect of groups of diagnostic variables in exceeding the critical thresholds proving decisive in triggering episodes of oak decline. A vulnerability map was finally created reporting three vulnerability classes for oak decline: low, medium, and high. The analysis revealed that approximately 97% (116,700 hectares) of forest plots classified as vulnerable (31.7% of the total forest area in the study region) were categorized as medium or high vulnerability.
