Emilio Badalamenti

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• Ph.D
• Researcher at University of Palermo

Based on literature data and new field investigations, a checklist of the ornamental vascular flora of Sicily is presented. Trees, shrubs, herbaceous, and succulent plants growing in street trees, parks, private gardens, and historic villas of Sicily are included in the checklist. For each taxon, information on growth forms, geographical and biome...

Questo contributo mira non solo a denunciare l'estre-mo degrado di buona parte degli ecosistemi dunali della Si-cilia, ma anche a suggerire strategie efficaci per una corretta salvaguardia e gestione sostenibile di ciò che ne rimane. Il paesaggio dei litorali sabbiosi è il frutto del complesso e delicato equilibrio dinamico fra i processi di erosio...

We recorded the occurrence of Duranta erecta L. in the Aeolian Islands (Sicily, Italy), where it currently behaves as a casual alien. At the global scale, however, this woody species has shown highly invasive behaviour in different island ecosystems. On the basis of this evidence, we have investigated which ecological and biological traits may have...

Two exsiccata sampled at the end of the 19th century, and wrongly identified as Pyrus torminalis or Sorbus torminalis in the herbarium of Francesco Tornabene at Catania, belonged to a woody species never reported to occur in Sicily, Crataegus coccinea. This hawthorn, native to eastern North America, grew in two different sites located on the foothi...

Introduction The Mediterranean is the European region with the lowest woody cover and the highest level of habitat degradation, being highly susceptible to climate change effects and desertification risk. In such worrying conditions, increasing woody cover and restoring forests is a major goal established in several international commitments. Howev...

It is unquestionable that some alien woody plant species are a major issue for biodiversity conservation. However, being alien species generally adapted to warmer conditions than natives, they could be particularly suited to cope with the new environmental and climatic conditions that are also forecasted in the coming decades in Sicily. This poses...

A large portion of the Mediterranean basin suffers from a lack of organic carbon in the soil and low woody cover percentages, resulting in a very high risk of desertification. In such conditions, knowing the effects on below and above ground carbon sequestration of pioneer woody species is of great importance, although barely assessed at the indivi...

Pantelleria is a volcanic island located in the Sicily Channel (Italy), between Sicily and Tunisia. The island, designated a National Park in 2016, hosts an interesting vascular flora of over 600 species including 9 narrow endemics. The island's incredible biodiversity is, however, at risk due to anthropogenic influences, climate change, and, recen...

Invasive non-native trees (INNTs) are increasingly recognized to have negative effects on biodiversity and ecosystem services in protected areas. The management of INNTs is one of the major challenges to preserving native species and ecosystems, to which more and more efforts and resources are bound to be destined in the coming decades. Indeed, the...

Many forest tree species have been moved outside their native range to provide goods and services elsewhere, but some of them have become invasive, causing negative impacts on biodiversity and human activities. The assessment and knowledge on the degree and scale to which forest ecosystems are invaded by non-native trees is of paramount importance...

Although Prunus dulcis has been frequently listed in non-native floras all around the world, its naturalization has been rarely studied in the field. Probably, because this species has generally invaded synanthropic habitats. We assessed the density of natural regeneration of almond, biometric parameters (height and basal stem diameter), and the di...

Leucaena leucocephala is worldwide used for wood production, reforestation and for feeding livestock. To assess the potential use of leucaena for animal nutrition, we analysed the composition of methanolic extracts of leaf samples of two varieties occurring in Sicily (Mediterranean area), also determining the presence of mimosine.

Betula aetnensis is an endemic tree of high conservation value, which thrives on the nutrient-poor volcanic soils of Mount Etna. Since plant–microbe interactions could play a crucial role in plant growth, resource uptake, and resistance to abiotic stresses, we aimed to characterize the root and rhizosphere microbial communities. Individuals from na...

I report here the first record of Heptapleurum arboricola Hayata (syn. Schefflera arboricola (Hayata) Merr.) (Araliaceae) as a casual non-native plant throughout the Mediterranean area. I observed the natural regeneration in urban areas at Castellammare del Golfo, a small coastal town in northwest Sicily (Mediterranean Italy). Due to the lack of se...

Habitat monitoring in Europe is regulated by Article 17 of the Habitats Directive, which suggests the use of typical species to assess habitat conservation status. Yet, the Directive uses the term “typical” species but does not provide a definition, either for its use in reporting or for its use in impact assessments. To address the issue, an onlin...

With this contribution, an updated picture of the rapid expansion of Leucaena leu-cocephala subsp. glabrata in Sicily is provided. On the one hand, this is a quite worrying sign, as this woody species figures among the world's worst invasive alien species. On the other hand, the species shows interesting potential for production purposes (for wood,...

The uneven presence of the cork oak (Quercus suber L.) within its distribution range is not only determined by its climatic requirements but also by specific edaphic needs. Although most of the natural populations thrive in acidic soils deriving from metamorphic or volcanic rock outcrops, some cork oak populations are found growing in soils derivin...

Although the expression "fast-growing species" (FGS) referred to tree species has been since long time used, a clear definition has not been adopted for decades. Starting from the Italian historical background, we searched for the definitions of FGS formulated over time at a national and international level. The mean annual increment (MAI) of 10 m...

Fast growing tree species can generate high wood production in a short time frame. However, maximum productivity is dependent on environmental and management conditions as well as intrinsic plant traits. Within this framework, our research was into tree species with the highest Mean Annual Increments (MAIs) in southern Italy, particularly in Sicily...

Persian walnut (Juglans regia L.), which is native to Central Asia, has been widely cultivated throughout Europe over millennia as a multipurpose tree. However, only recently the naturalization process outside cultivation has been studied, mostly in temperate Europe, with no information regarding the Mediterranean region. Here we provide the first...

The occurrence of old-growth forests is quite limited in Mediterranean islands, which have been subject to particularly pronounced human impacts. Little is known about the carbon stocks of such peculiar ecosystems compared with different stages of secondary succession. We investigated the carbon variation in aboveground woody biomass, in litter and...

Badalamenti, E.: Notes about the naturalization in Sicily of Paulownia tomentosa (Paulowniaceae) and remarks about its global spread.-Fl. Medit. 29: 67-70. 2019.-ISSN: 1120-4052 printed, 2240-4538 online. Paulownia tomentosa is native to different regions of East Asia. Here, the first case of natural regeneration in Sicily is reported. Although Pau...

Questo documento si inserisce nel contesto delle attività previste dalla Scheda Foreste n. 22.2 del programma Rete Rurale Nazionale 2014-2020, volte a supportare e favorire la politica di sviluppo rurale attraverso: • supporto alla partecipazione del partenariato, delle organizzazioni e delle amministrazioni all’attuazione della politica di svilupp...

Badalamenti, E. & La Mantia, T.: Handroanthus heptaphyllus (Bignoniaceae) in Sicily: a new casual alien to Italy and Europe.-Fl. Medit. 28: 331-338. 2018.-ISSN: 1120-4052 printed, 2240-4538 online. Handroanthus heptaphyllus (Bignoniaceae) is an ornamental tree native to different regions of South America (Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay)....

The genus Eucalyptus has been widely introduced into many regions of the world outside its native range and has become invasive in some Mediterranean biomes (e.g. in southern Africa and California). In the Mediterranean Basin and Europe, eucalypts were introduced at the end of the 18th century. However, natural regeneration events in these regions...

In order to invade new ecosystems, invasive alien plants need to cope with different microbial communities. Whilst the ability to avoid antagonists is well recognized, the opportunity to establish mutualistic associations is less known, even in widespread invasive species such as Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle. We sought to evaluate whether th...

Mediterranean plantations are the most suitable areas to assess vegetation dynamics and competitive interactions between native and exotic woody species. Our research was carried out in a coastal pine plantation (Sicily) where renaturalization by native species (Pistacia lentiscus L. and Olea europaea var. sylvestris) and invasion by Acacia saligna...

Fire is one of the major disturbance factors in Mediterranean-type ecosystems, where since long time man has deeply modified the natural fire regime. To know how woody species recover after fire is of prominent importance for understanding vegetation dynamics, as well as for the management of Mediterranean plantations, especially where broadleaved...

Old growth forests are increasingly considered and studied all around the world. However, the knowledge of such important forest systems is still limited in some bioclimatic regions, such as in the Mediterranean Basin. Starting from the knowledge acquired elsewhere, our research was carried out with the aim to select the most effective criteria to...

This paper provides an up-to-date overview of the naturalized alien plants of Linosa (Pelagie Archipelago, Sicily), which includes 83 taxa and accounts for 29 % of the total island’s flora. Among these plants, 6 are invasive, 49 are naturalized and 28 are casual. With respect to previous available data, our field investigations resulted in the addi...

For a long time, human impact has deeply simplified most of the forest ecosystems of the Mediterranean Basin. Here, forests have seldom had the chance to naturally develop a complex and multilayered structure, to host large and old trees and rich biological communities, approaching old-growth conditions. Also for this reason, limited information is...

Invasion of exotic species in reforestation

Abandonment of agricultural land leads to several consequences for ecosystem functions. Agricultural abandonment may be a significant and low cost strategy for carbon sequestration and mitigation of anthropogenic CO2 emissions due to the vegetation recovery and increase in soil organic matter. The aim of this study was to: (i) estimate the influenc...

Plumbago auriculata Lam. è un piccolo arbusto sempreverde originario di diverse province del Sud Africa, incluse le regioni meridionali e orientali del Capo di Buona Speranza. P. auriculata è stata recentemente segnalata per la prima volta per il territorio regionale, per l’isola di Linosa nell’Arcipelago delle Pelagie. I primi casi di naturalizzaz...

Background and aims Carpobrotus spp. are amongst the most impactful and widespread plant invaders of Mediterranean habitats. Despite the negative ecological impacts on soil and vegetation that have been documented, information is still limited about the effect by Carpobrotus on soil microbial communities. We aimed to assess the changes in the flori...

In this note the authors report the first case of naturalization of the Malagasy smoke bush within Italian territory. Along with a description of the abiotic and biotic characteristics of the invaded site, the current demographic and dynamic trends of the detected population by means of growth-ring analysis was also assessed. Moreover, an overview...

Secondary grasslands are one of the most common vegetation types worldwide. In Europe, and in the Mediterranean basin, human activities have transformed many woodlands into secondary grasslands. Despite their recognized role in the global carbon cycle, very few data are available for estimating the biomass of Mediterranean grasslands. We developed...

Anredera cordifolia (Ten.) Steenis (Basellaceae): present status in Italy and its spreading in western Sicily Anredera cordifolia (Ten.) Steenis (Basellaceae) è una geofita rizomatosa originaria delle fore-ste e delle boscaglie xeriche del Sudamerica. Legata perlopiù a climi continentali, nei Paesi che ha invaso ha mostrato di essere capace di trar...

Tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) is regarded as invasive within urban and natural areas worldwide. Efficient methods to control it are significantly needed if we are to limit its well-known environmental and economic impacts. Up to now the use of herbicides has proven necessary since following mechanical damage, Ailanthus vigorously resprouts....

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) may promote plant invasion by enhancing plant performance and competitiveness. However, only a small number of studies have considered the interactions between local soil microbial communities and invasive plants, and even fewer have focused on alien trees. Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle is a serious problem...

In questa nota si riporta l'incipiente processo di naturalizzazione in Sicilia di Lagunaria paterso-nia (Andrews) G. Don, un albero australiano sempreverde di media grandezza appartenente alla famiglia delle Malvaceae. Per l'abbondanza e la bellezza della fioritura, simile a quella delle specie ornamentali del genere Hibiscus Linnaeus, l'elegante p...

The abiotic and biotic characteristics of the first sites where floss silk tree behaves as a casual alien plant in the Mediterranean Europe are described. The species was probably first planted in botanical gardens of southern France few decades before mid XIX century. It was introduced in Palermo in 1896, a city which appears to match very well it...

Acacia cyclops is a widespread invader in Mediterranean-climate regions. However, although its naturalization in the Mediterranean Basin dates back only a few years ago, and the invasion process has not been studied hitherto. We investigated seedlings recruitment strategy adopted by A. cyclops in a small island (Lampedusa, Italy) where its natural...

The first two cases of naturalization of Acacia cyclops are reported for Italy. Young trees were observed growing in the wild some 15 years ago on Linosa (Pelagie Islands, Strait of Sicily). A decade later, this alien plant should no longer be considered as a casual, since a very intensive process of self-sown regeneration has been observed in some...

Ailanthus altissima is a well-known invasive tree in many parts of the world showing an outstanding ability to establish within woodlands and other less-disturbed habitats. Previous studies have reported that control of this species is very difficult because of its strong resprouting. Indeed, effective control can be achieved only by mechanical tre...

This paper aims at reporting the ongoing process of naturalization of Melia azedarach L. in Sicily. In fact, over half a century after the first detection of spontaneous self-sown seedlings, an abrupt increase of naturalization cases has been recorded by the authors during the last twenty years. More in detail, M. azedarach successfully colonized m...

First case of naturalization of Pinus canariensis in Sicily and first population of Acacia cyclops on the main island. Both cases of naturalization have been recorded within the Nature Reserve “Foce del Fiume Platani” (S Sicily). Additional information on the demography and distribution of both species within the afforestations of the protected are...

Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle (Simaroubaceae) in Sicily and historical remarks on its introduction in Italy. Notwithstanding the diffuse presence of tree-of-heaven in Sicily, up to now no specific studies have been dedicated to this invasive alien tree at regional level. In order to fill this lack of knowledge, the present paper was focused o...

First evidences of naturalization of Schinus molle L. (Anacardiaceae) in Sicily (in Italian)

Tempo and mode of an undisputed invasion: Pennisetum setaceum (Forssk.) Chiov. (Poaceae) in Sicily. Some 50 years ago the first two cases of naturalization of Pennisetum setaceum (Forssk.) Chiov. were recorded at Catania and Palermo. After a short residence time, this paleotropical plant begun to spread faster and faster, so that nowadays urgent in...