Giovanni Spampinato

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• Professor of Environmental and Applied Botany
• Professor (Full) at University of Reggio Calabria

Sicily is a Mediterranean island with an exceptional natural heritage, where gypsum outcrops are widespread and associated with an endemic flora. These ecosystems are prioritized by the European Habitats Directive (Mediterranean gypsum steppes, 1520*) in the Mediterranean Basin. Some studies have revealed the physiological mechanisms in gypsophile...

We present ReSurveyDunes — the first database of Italian coastal dune vegetation plots, developed through a collaborative network of Italian vegetation scientists. This paper describes the scope of the initiative, provides an overview of the available data, and highlights its key features, research applications, and future potential. ReSurveyDunes...

Background: In many rural areas of the Mediterranean, spontaneous plants play an essential role in everyday sustenance. However, knowledge of the use of spontaneous plants is gradually disappearing owing to socioeconomic changes that do not allow the enhancement of ethnobotanical traditions. The aim of this work was to collect, preserve, and enhanc...

This paper presents a comprehensive overview of ethnobotanical knowledge in Calabria, southern Italy. The diverse plant uses and knowledge in the region stem from the cultural contributions of various populations that have inhabited the area since ancient times. To achieve the stated objective, an in-depth review of 16 bibliographic sources publish...

The results of a syntaxonomic study regarding the vegetal perennial associations with a pioneer character, occurring on loose substrata of different types (screes, gravels, sands, metamorphic and volcanic clasts, etc.), from S Italy and Sicily are given. These plant communities are rich in chamaephytes and hemicryptophytes and occur from the coasts...

The Mediterranean basin harbours a vast number of plant species, many of which are endemic and hold various traditional uses for food purposes. Calabria is one of the Italian regions partially studied from an ethnobotanical point of view. The objective of this work is to provide an overview of the food uses of plants known up to now in Calabria. We...

The Mediterranean coasts are threatened by human activities that alter habitats structure and functionality, modifying vegetation and causing the loss of typical species. The definition of the conservation status of coastal habitats is essential to preserve these fragile environments through planned policies. This study aims to assess the conservat...

Assessing the degree of genetic diversity and differentiation of rare or endangered endemic species is essential to evaluate the conservation status of populations and successively implement appropriate conservation strategies. We investigated the population structure of Salvia ceratophylloides Ard., a scapose hemicryptophyte endemic to Calabria (s...

New Italian data on the distribution of the Annex I Habitats are reported in this contribution. Specifically, 9 new occurrences in Natura 2000 sites are presented and 34 new cells are added in the EEA 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Abruzzo, Apulia, Calabria, Latium, Lombardy, Marche, Sardin...

Given the high number of non-native plants that are being introduced worldwide and the time required to process formal pest risk analyses, a framework for the prioritization of management actions is urgently required. We therefore propose a framework for a replicable and standardized prioritization for management actions (eradication, control and m...

Grasslands differ in many types depending on the diversity of climatic conditions and substrates. Due to the great wealth of species found in semi-natural grasslands, they conserve an essential part of the biodiversity of the European Union (EEC 43/92), defined as habitats of community interest. Using the region of Calabria (southern Italy) as a ca...

Despite the wide amount of scientific contributions published on alien plant species, their diffusion dynamics, and their interactions with native taxa, it is increasingly difficult to slow down their spreading and their negative impact on habitats. Last recent years, in fact, a sharp rise in the number of new alien plant taxa introduced in Italy a...

Nitrophilous communities dominated by Glebionis coronaria and Glebionis discolor in the European Mediterranean area were studied. The nomenclature was corrected according to the current taxonomy, following the International Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature (ICPN). The statistical analysis revealed six new associations and one subassociation,...

A single paragraph of about 200 words maximum. For research articles, abstracts should give a pertinent overview of the work. We strongly encourage authors to use the following style of structured abstracts, but without headings: (1) Background: Place the question addressed in a broad context and highlight the purpose of the study; (2) Methods: bri...

The 10th International Symposium Monitoring of Mediterranean Coastal Areas: problems and measurements techniques was organized by CNR-IBE in collaboration with Italian Society of Silviculture and Forest Ecology , and Natural History Museum of the Mediterranean and under the patronage of University of Florence, University of Catania, Accademia dei L...

New Italian data on the distribution of 17 Annex I Habitats are reported in this contribution. Specifically, 11 new occurrences in Natura 2000 sites are presented and 30 new cells are added in the EEA 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Apulia, Campania, Calabria, Lazio, Sardinia, Sicily and Tus...

The results of the annual excursion of the Working Group for Vegetation Science of the Italian Botanical Society, held in the Egadi Islands, Mount San Giuliano and Mount Cofano (W Sicily) on April 23–27 2022, are presented. This paper includes: (1) general information on the visited sites; (2) geology and geomorphology; (3) climatology and bioclima...

New Italian data on the distribution of the Annex I Habitats are reported in this contribution. Specifically, 8 new occurrences in Natura 2000 sites are presented and 49 new cells are added in the EEA 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Campania, Calabria, Marche, Piedmont, Sardinia, Sicily, Tus...

Habitat loss is a potential long-term effect of projected climate change for Mediterranean forest ecosystems. Here, we investigated the effectiveness of a close-to-nature silvicultural practice to conserve an old-growth white oak forest patch in Sicily (Italy) and promote regeneration dynamics. The study area, although small, is distinctive for its...

Invasive alien species are among the main global drivers of biodiversity loss posing major challenges to nature conservation and to managers of protected areas. The present study applied a methodological framework that combined invasive Species Distribution Models, based on propagule pressure, abiotic and biotic factors for 14 invasive alien plant...

This study aims to clarify the taxonomic doubts, which have varied over the centuries, on the only two endemic species of the genus Pimpinella growing in Italy: P. anisoides and P. gussonei. For this purpose, the main carpological characters of the two species were examined, analyzing the external morphological traits and their cross-sections. Four...

The 92/43/EEC Habitats Directive is the main European Union legal tool concerning nature conservation. The habitat types listed in Annex I to the Directive are phytosociology-based. It is widely acknowledged that phytosociological analysis is a crucial approach for habitats characterization and for monitoring their conservation status. Based on bib...

In many rural areas of the Mediterranean Basin, wild plants still play an essential role (Gentile et al. 2022). This study aimed to collect ethnobotanical information on the medicinal uses of wild plants in the Graecanic area (Reggio Calabria, S-Italy) to preserve and enhance traditional knowledge. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using an...

Identifying areas susceptible to invasion by an alien species is a strategy of prevention. We used national herbaria and global databases to assess the invasion trends of the two aquatic invasive species Ludwigia hexapetala and Ludwigia peploides subsp. montevidensis in Italy. We defined the invasion status with invasions curves and predicted poten...

Human activities and climate change are the main factors causing habitat loss, jeopardising the survival of many species, especially those with limited range, such as endemic species. Recently, species distribution models (SDMs) have been used in conservation biology to assess their extinction risk, environmental dynamics, and potential distributio...

The morphological characteristics, phytochemical composition of Pimpinella anisoides fruits was investigated. The morphological analysis of the monocarps contributed to distinguish P. anisoides from other related Pimpinella species used for commercial purposes, in particular P. anisetum and P. anisum. Our study showed that these fruits are differen...

This paper describes a bryosociological study on the gypsicolous bryophyte communities of the Mediterranean area and central Europe, characterized by Tortula revolvens, the only bryophyte that is strictly gypsophytic. The cluster analysis has emphasized the occurrence of four associations belonging to the class Psoretea decipientis, well differenti...

New Italian data on the distribution of Annex I Habitats are reported in this contribution. Specifically, 8 new occurrences in Natura 2000 sites are presented and 27 new cells are added in the EEA 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Apulia, Campania, Calabria, Lazio, Tuscany, Umbria, Sardinia, a...

A comparative analysis of the riparian vegetation dominated by Alnus glutinosa in Italy and Tyrrhenian islands, based on literature data and unpublished relevés, is presented. A total of 456 phy-tosociological relevés were processed. For the definition of plant communities and alliances, hierarchical clustering was performed by using Bray-Curtis co...

In this contribution, new data concerning the distribution of native vascular flora in Italy are presented. It includes new records, confirmations, and status changes to the Italian administrative regions. Nomenclatural and distribution updates, published elsewhere, and corrigenda are provided as Suppl. material 1.

A phytosociological study on the gypsicolous bryophyte communities of Sicily was carried out. The surveyed communities are: Tortuletum revolventis , Trichostomo crispuli-Tortuletum revolventis , Crossidio squamiferi-Aloinetum aloidis of the order Barbuletalia unguiculatae , and Crossidio crassinervis-Tortuletum obtusatae of the order Tortulo brevis...

This book brings together studies and research carried out by the authors over a period of about 20 years on vegetation, forest types and silviculture. The forest types in Calabria are analysed, highlighting their peculiarities. In particular, because of their importance in the region's economy, the following are analysed: Silver Fir forests, oro-...

This work presents the results of an ethnobotanical research carried out in the territory of Serre Calabre, province of Vibo Valentia (Calabria, southern Italy). In this territory, the bond between the residents and the rural environment is still strong, because the small urban centers are placed in a predominantly agricultural and forestry environ...

We analysed the invasion history of two North American macrophytes (Elodea canadensis and E. nuttallii) in Italy, through an accurate census of all available herbarium and field records, dating between 1850 and 2019, and a rich literature collection describing the initial introduction and naturalisation phase that supports the results obtained by t...

This work establishes the relationship between bioclimatology and agronomy. Bioclimatic indices are obtained for several areas under olive cultivation and correlated with olive yields. Due to the effect of climate change on cultivation and the high economic losses it produces, we propose a sustainable development model for the territorial classific...

Designing, building and operating a “green” building means that it considerably reduces the negative impacts and increase the positive ones on the climate and the natural environment. Thanks to green buildings it is possible to preserve natural resources and improve the quality of people’s life.Ethnobotany is a science that describes the relationsh...

Understanding how changes of any origin interact with the structure and survival of entire populations is very important for the protection and conservation of threatened, rare and/or endemic species. In this study, structure and population dynamics of Salvia ceratophylloides Ard., a precious endemic species, belonging to the subgenus Sclarea (Moen...

Crocus is a taxonomically complex genus, characterized by high intra- and inter-specific variability. Five wild Crocus taxa - Crocus biflorus, C. longiflorus, C. neapolitanus, C. siculus and C. thomasii from three different areas of Southern Italy (Calabria, Basilicata and Sicily) have been investigated. We considered both flower morphological trai...

In this contribution, new data concerning the distribution of vascular flora alien to Italy are presented. It includes new records, confirmations, exclusions, and status changes for Italy or for Italian administrative regions. Nomenclatural and distribution updates published elsewhere are provided as Suppl. material 1.

An updated checklist of the Calabrian alien vascular flora is presented. By way of field, bibliographic, and herbarium research, we recorded 382 alien taxa (representing almost 14% of all regional flora), of which 371 are angiosperms, nine gymnosperms, and two ferns. In relation to the state of spread, the majority of alien species are casual (207...

GYPWORLD: A Global initiative to understand gypsum ecosystem ecology - III Workshop. Book of abstracts and modelling course Guide. Almería (Spain) 9-13 may, 2022. University of Almería. ISBN: 978-84-1351-141-2.

GYPWORLD: A Global initiative to understand gypsum ecosystem ecology - III Workshop. Book of abstracts and modelling course Guide. Almería (Spain) 9-13 may, 2022. University of Almería. ISBN: 978-84-1351-141-2.

Place names, or toponyms, provide a useful geographical reference system; they can help analyse past landscapes, recover history and understand changes. Among place names, plant place names (phytotoponyms) can be used to analyse the current and past distribution of plants and plant communities and to highlight changes in land use due to human impac...

Advances in the science of bioclimatology can serve as the basis for a proper and better knowledge regarding the functional aspect of plants, communities, and populations. Detail in-depth study of various indices of bioclimatology establishes relationship between the crop and its associated indices values. However, lack of database in relation to c...

Field investigation carried out by the Sicilian botanists in the last 20 years enabled them to identify eight habitat types of high biogeographic and conservation interest, neglected by the Directive 92/43, which deserve ad hoc conservation measures. For each of these habitats, a syntaxonomic interpretation of the corresponding plant communities, t...

In this contribution, new data concerning the distribution of vascular flora alien to Italy are presented. It includes new records, confirmations, exclusions, and status changes for Italy or for Italian administrative regions. Nomenclatural and distribution updates published elsewhere are provided as Suppl. material 1.

In this contribution, new data concerning the distribution of native vascular flora in Italy are presented. It includes new records, confirmations, exclusions, and status changes to the Italian administrative regions. Nomenclatural and distribution updates, published elsewhere, and corrigenda are provided as Suppl. material 1.

An updated checklist of the Calabrian alien vascular flora is presented. The alien flora of the Calabria region (Southern Italy) representing almost 12% of the regional flora and comprises 381 alien taxa, among which there are 370 angiosperms, 9 gymnosperms and 2 ferns. In relation to the state of spread, 35 invasive alien species (IAS) have been i...

The rocky habitats of southern Portugal are ecosystems with extreme xericity conditions, associated with special abiotic strains. In these unstable ecological conditions, a considerable diversity of plant communities occurs. The objective of this study, carried out in the Algarve and Monchique, and the Mariánica Range biogeographical sectors, is to...

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...

Several studies have been conducted in the past to clarify various aspects of species in the genus Juniperus L. One critical group is Juniperus oxycedrus L., especially from the taxonomical point of view. For this reason, we have studied the ecology, taxonomy and distribution of the taxa in the J. oxycedrus group. From an ecological and distributio...

In this contribution, new data concerning the distribution of vascular flora alien to Italy are presented. It includes new records, confirmations, exclusions, and status changes for Italy or for Italian administrative regions. Nomenclatural and distribution updates published elsewhere are provided as Suppl. material 1.

In this contribution, new data concerning the distribution of native vascular flora in Italy are presented. It includes new records, confirmations, exclusions, and status changes to the Italian administrative regions. A new combination in the genus Pilosella is proposed. Nomenclatural and distribution updates, published elsewhere, and corrigenda ar...

The study of heathlands dominated by Erica australis, E. umbellata and Cistus populifolius in the centre and west of the Iberian Peninsula allows us to separate the eight shrubland communities. The taxonomic analysis of E. australis distinguishes two subspecies: E. australis subsp. australis and E. australis subsp. aragonensis. The statistical trea...

The impact of blanching on the phytochemical content and bioactivity of Hypochaeris laevigata (HL), Hypochaeris radicata (HR), Hyoseris radiata (HRA), and Hyoseris lucida subsp. taurina (HT) leaves was studied and compared to fresh plant materials and residual blanching water. For this purpose, total phenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, and chlorophyl...

Molecular diversity analysis of deciduous pubescent oaks was conducted for populations from Calabria, Sicily and Sardinia. The aims of this study were twofold. First, to provide data on the genetic diversity of pubescent oaks from an understudied area which currently exhibits one of the highest concentrations of pubescent oak species in Europe. Sec...

Salvia ceratophylloides (Ard.) is an endemic and rare plant species recently rediscovered as very few individuals at two different Southern Italy sites. The study of within-plant variation is fundamental to understand the plant adaptation to the local conditions, especially in rare species, and consequently to preserve plant biodiversity. Here, we...

Salvia ceratophylloides (Ard.) is an endemic and rare plant species recently rediscovered as very few individuals at two different Southern Italy sites. The study of within-plant variation is fundamental to understand the plant adaptation to the local conditions, especially in rare species, and consequently to preserve plant biodiversity. Here, we...

Salvia ceratophylloides (Ard.) is an endemic, rare, threatened plant species recently rediscovered in very few individuals in two different sites of South Italy. The study of within-plant variation more than among-plant one is fundamental to understand the plant adaptation to the local conditions, especially in rare species, and consequently to pre...

The habitat of the several territories in Ciudad Real (Castilla-La Mancha, Spain) are studued through the and mapping (scale 1:10.000) and vegetation analysis. The distribution and surface of the habitat presents in the Sites of Community Interest (SCIs), as well as pressures, threats, trends, and state of conservation are described. These site con...

The effects of herbivorous insects on a plant population are not always well tolerated. This is especially true if the herbivorous actions are directed toward rare plant species. Salvia ceratophylloides Ard. is a rare endemism of southern Italy. Observations of the plants in situ revealed that many of them were under severe stress and did not produ...

Cork is adopted to passivate green buildings by the mean of cork made panels for insulation and then to build up post carbon city [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12].

In this contribution, new data concerning the distribution of vascular flora alien to Italy are presented. It includes new records, confirmations, exclusions, and status changes for Italy or for Italian administrative regions. Nomenclatural and distribution updates published elsewhere are provided as Suppl. material 1.

Species identification within the species complex of Q. pubescens is a well-known taxonomic challenge among European botanists. Some of the specific pubescent oak binomials currently accepted in various European floras and checklists were originally described in Sicily and southern Calabria. As a consequence, several species belonging to the pubesc...

The present work is aimed at presenting the data, methods and criteria that are being used for the assessment of ecosystem collapse risk in Italy. ARTICLE HISTORY

Invasive alien plants are a major threat to biodiversity and they contribute to the unfavourable conservation status of habitats of interest to the European Community. In order to favour implementation of European Union Regulation no. 1143/2014 on invasive alien species, the Italian Society of Vegetation Science carried out a large survey led by a...

A study on the bryophyte diversity of 12 Sicilian gypsum outcrops, falling in 4 Nature Reserves and 5 Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), is presented in order to increase knowledge about this peculiar flora for which conservation efforts need to be addressed. The bryoflora consists of a total of 85 taxa, 8 liverworts and 77 mosses, most of them b...

Willow communities (genus Salix) occurring in Mediterranean Europe are presented, showing, through statistical treatment with multivariate cluster analysis, the separation of the different plant communities and their sintaxonomic affiliation. Six willow communities have been identified, whose formations include a set of plants with high heritage va...

Knowledge on alien species is needed nowadays to protect natural habitats and prevent ecological damage. The presence of new alien plant species in Italy is increasing every day. Calabria, its southernmost region, is not yet well known with regard to this aspect. Thanks to fieldwork, sampling, and observing many exotic plants in Calabria, here, we...

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus are two conditions that commonly exist together in the context of the metabolic syndrome. Several scientific advances in understanding this association have identified insulin resistance as the key point in the pathogenesis of both diseases. The first line treatment suggested in the man...

A phytosociological analysis of Tarsia Lake Regional Nature Reserve was carried out within a research project dealing with the vegetation of southern Italian wetlands. Twenty-four plant communities (19 associations and five communities not yet assigned to formal rank) were attributed to 17 alliances, 14 orders, and 11 classes. Most associations res...

In this contribution, the conservation status assessment of three vascular plants according to IUCN categories and criteria are presented. It includes the assessment of Soldanella calabrella Kress at global level, and the regional assessment of Luzula pindica (Hausskn.) Chrtek & Křísa and Romulea variicolor Mifsud (Italy).

“Dai balconi ai parchi urbani: buone pratiche per un giardinaggio consapevole”, prodotto nell’ambito del progetto LIFE ASAP, è un opuscolo di tipo tecnico-pratico che intende fornire alcune informazioni di base sulle piante esotiche invasive presenti in Italia nonché, seguendo le buone pratiche dettate nel Codice di condotta dei florovivaisti, prop...