Lorenzo Lazzaro

University of Florence | UNIFI · Dipartimento di Biologia

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...

Grasslands represent biodiversity hotspots in temperate Europe and, for this reason, have been extensively studied in the last century. As diversity is the result of a multitude of processes that shape communities, the adoption of a multi-faceted approach (i.e., encompassing taxonomic and functional facets simultaneously) is fundamental to assessin...

New localities and/or confirmations concerning 85 specific and subspecific plant taxa of Tuscan vascular flora, belonging to 68 genera and 36 families are presented: Amaranthus (Amaranthaceae); Allium (Amaryllidaceae); Bifora, Bupleurum (Apiaceae); Arisarum (Araceae); Maianthemum, Ruscus (Asparagaceae); Bidens, Crepis, Galinsoga, Senecio, Taraxacum...

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

We analysed two different plant communities hosting Ionopsidium savianum (Brassicaceae), a species of EU interest included in the Habitats Directive 92/43/CEE annexes, for which specific studies on the ecology of communities where the species grows are lacking and more in-depth knowledge is needed. We examined two important sites of occurrence of...

Carpobrotus acinaciformis and C. edulis are well-known invasive alien plants native to South Africa, whose detrimental effects on native communities are widely documented in the Mediterranean basin and thus largely managed in coastal ecosystems. Most of the literature on these species focuses on their impacts on habitats of sandy coastal dunes, whi...

Grasslands represent biodiversity hotspots in temperate Europe and, for this reason, have been extensively studied in the last century. Because such diversity is the result of a multitude of processes that shape communities, the adoption of a multifaceted approach (i.e., encompassing taxonomic and functional facets simultaneously) is fundamental to...

Narrow endemic plants constitute a pivotal group for conservation, being often reduced to a small contingent of individuals and frequently threatened. However, effective conservation actions require reliable basic information about distribution range, ecological requirements, and population traits. Nevertheless, such knowledge results are incomplet...

This study aims to investigate, for the first time, the multiple diversity harbored in plant communities dominated by P. australis, discriminating between lentic and lotic habitats. We focused on the incidence of alien species on taxonomical, phylogenetic and functional diversity. Although it was hypothesized that ecological differences between hab...

Aims Plant mortality associated with the growing frequency and intensity of heatwaves and dry spells is increasingly occurring in various ecosystems worldwide. However, the impacts of extreme events on plant communities of ultramafic soils are still unknown. Here, we describe a first case of plant mortality on serpentine outcrops in Italy following...

In this study, we carry out a revision of the Italian specimens belonging to Juncus L. subgenus Agathryon Raf. sect. Tenageia Dumort stored in the Herbarium Centrale Italicum of the Museum of Natural History of the University of Florence. By re-examining the 650 specimens present, we find that all the taxa belonging to this section are present in t...

Semi-natural grasslands are characterized by high biodiversity and require multifaceted approaches to monitor their biodiversity. Moreover, grasslands comprise a multitude of microhabitats, making the scale of investigation of fundamental importance. Despite their wide distribution, grasslands are highly threatened and are considered of high conser...

With this work we present some updates to the vascular flora of the Island of Giglio, thanks to recent field collections (carried out in 2018 and 2020) and herbarium investigations. We confirmed 30 native taxa historically reported for the Island but not recorded in the last 100 years, and the presence of a native species of phytogeographic interes...

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.

Altitudinal gradients have been widely studied, especially on mountains, in order to investigate diversity patterns occurring among and within communities, on the basis of abiotic and biotic factors. Taking into account taxonomic diversity and functional diversity simultaneously is fundamental to shed light on the drivers that shape communities [3]...

The project LETSGO GIGLIO "Less alien species in the Tuscan Archipelago: new actions to protect Giglio island habitats" is a Life Natura project co-funded by the European Commission (www.lifegogiglio.eu). The project sees the collaboration of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park, the Department of Biology of the University of Florence, and the Comp...

Human-induced biological introductions pose a major threat to global biodiversity, and this is especially frequent in the eastern Mediterranean region, which is a globally important biodiversity hotspot area of high conservation value. To predict at which level introduced species in this region might become invasive under current and projected clim...

Aims Understanding fine-grain diversity patterns across large spatial extents is fundamental for macroecological research and biodiversity conservation. Using the GrassPlot database, we provide benchmarks of fine-grain richness values of Palaearctic open habitats for vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens and complete vegetation (i.e., the sum of the...

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...

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.

The threat posed by invasive non-native species worldwide requires a global approach to identify which introduced species are likely to pose an elevated risk of impact to native species and ecosystems. To inform policy, stakeholders and management decisions on global threats to aquatic ecosystems, 195 assessors representing 120 risk assessment area...

Aims We investigated whether individuals of Silene paradoxa L., grown in serpentine and non-serpentine soils, displayed variation in functional traits and adaptive strategies together with a differentiation of the gene pool. We hypothesised that individuals growing in serpentine sites may be exposed to a higher degree of stress, resulting in measur...

We present an updated taxonomic study of Euphorbia sect. Anisophyllum (Euphorbiaceae) for Italy. A comprehensive body of knowledge has been developed thanks to the examination of about 1,250 herbarium specimens from 13 Italian herbaria, field surveys, and an extensive literature analysis. As a result, our revision included 10 species considered as...

New localities and/or confirmations concerning 74 specific and subspecific plant taxa of Tuscan vascular flora, belonging to 69 genera and 28 families are presented: Bunium, Trinia (Apiaceae), Nerium (Apocynaceae), Lemna (Araceae), Artemisia, Bidens, Centaurea, Crupina, Gazania, Hieracium, Rhagadiolus, Symphyotrichum, Tagetes, Tripleurospermum (Ast...

We investigated the distribution of the alien species Senecio inaequidens in Tuscany. We verified occurrence and extent of its populations, investigating sites with ecological conditions suitable for it. In particular, we surveyed a large portion of Tuscany’s railways, which proved to be effective dispersion corridors, due to the bio-ecological cha...

The contraction of lowland forests throughout Europe began in remote times and then intensified strongly with land reclamation by agriculture and urbanization during the first half of the last century. We present a map of the Floodplain Woods of Tuscany on a scale of 1:300,000 as a synthesis of that built at the scale of 1:10,000 and the methods us...

Where allochthonous large mammals, such as the wild boars, occur in high density, human-wildlife conflicts may arise. Thus, assessing their spatio-temporal patterns is paramount to their management. We studied the wild boars on Elba island, Italy, where they have been introduced and are perceived as pests to address their occurrence and impact of f...

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...

Aim Ecoinformatics offer new opportunity to test islands as biogeographic and ecological models. In this paper we predicted three hypotheses: (1) plot‐based data issuing from vegetation surveys can be used to predict Island Species‐Area Relationships (ISARs) or island similarity; (2) the habitat area is an independent predictor of species richness...

Small-scale landforms influence plant species richness, but their mechanisms and effects in semi-natural dry grasslands have been poorly investigated. In this study we compared vascular plant richness, species composition, plant traits, soil properties and biomass nutrient content of convex (hillocks) and concave (hollows) karst landforms in a moun...

“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...

This study provides a first step toward the knowledge of the alien-dominated and co-dominated plant communities present in Italy. The first ever checklist of the alien phytocoenoses described or reported in literature for the Italian territory has been compiled, produced by data-mining in national and local thematic literature. The resulting vegeta...

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. Furthermore, three new combinations are proposed. Nomenclatural and distribution updates published elsewhere are provided a...

The integration of international, national and local regulations is one of the fundamental steps for preventing, controlling and managing biological invasions. The aim of the present study is to present and analyse, for the first time, the list of all non-native plant species that are regulated in Italy by the European, Italian and regional legisla...

We studied the secondary succession in semi-natural grasslands (dry grasslands and hay meadows) located in the eastern side of the Tuscan Apennines (Tuscany, Central Italy). We compared these habitats, investigating: (i) the changes in species richness, composition and phylogenetic diversity during the succession; (ii) whether the trends in species...

Euphorbia subsection Hypericifoliae (Euphorbiaceae, Malpighiales) comprises 365 species distributed nearly worldwide and includes E. berteroana, a species widespread in Central and South America and mistakenly reported for Italy. This species was described for the first time by Sprengel based on material collected by Bertero. In the present work we...

Prunus serotina is one of the worst invasive alien plants throughout Europe, able to rapidly replace autochthonous vegetation and form monospecific stands both in open lands and forested areas. Invasion by shrubs and trees due to abandonment of traditional management practices, is one of the major threats to the conservation of “European dry heaths...

Genus Plantago (Plantaginaceae) hosts more than 200 species with complicated nomenclature and taxonomy. Within section Coronopus the two taxa Plantago weldenii and P. commutata have either been treated as different taxa or merged together. As a basis for a thorough taxonomic revision of these taxa, we designate here lectotypes for the two names P....

Vengono presentate nuove località e/o conferme relative 75 taxa specifici e sottospecifici di piante vascolari della flora vascolare toscana, appartenenti a 67 generi e 41 famiglie: Delosperma (Aizoaceae), Dysphania (Amaranthaceae), Leucojum, Nothoscordum (Amaryllidaceae), Bupleurum, Coriandrum (Apiaceae), Araujia (Apocynaceae), Lemna (Araceae), Hy...

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 of taxa in the genera Bunias, Calocedrus, Calycanthus, Celosia, Clerodendrum, Convolvulus, Crassula, Cyclamen, Datura, Dicli...

Carpobrotus spp. is a well-known invasive plant native to South Africa whose detrimental effects on local communities are widely documented. We report the experience from the eradication of this species from the Coastal Park of Sterpaia, a Natural Protected Area of Local Interest in Tuscan coast (Italy), an action comprised in a restoration project...

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Abstract Background Understorey vegetation is a key biodiversity component of forest ecosystems. Previous studies examined its relations with the overstorey mainly in terms of taxonomic diversity, composition or productivity. So far, none focused on the phylogenetic aspect, which represents the deepest component of diversity in a community. Here, w...

Key message The different germination behaviours of the seeds under induced water limitations may be related to the different adaptive capacities acquired at the diverse collection sites, as a response to the different environmental parameters. The island of Pianosa resulted the most performant in term of germination responses and the co-occurrence...

Il progetto RESTO CON LIFE "Island conservation in Tuscany, restoring habitat not only for birds" è un progetto Life Natura cofinanziato dalla Commissione Europea, finalizzato alla riqualificazione ambientale di ecosistemi insulari mediterranei e focalizzato sul recupero e la protezione di specie e habitat presenti nella Direttiva 92/43/CEE "Habita...

The Project RESTO CON LIFE “Island conservation in Tuscany, restoring habitats not only for birds” is a Life Natura project co-funded by the European Commission (www.restoconlife.eu). Within this project, over the last five years, the Tuscan Archipelago National Park has undertaken, together with the other partners of the project, several actions t...

In recent decades, multiple actions have been taken to counteract the relentless expansion of invasive alien species as well as to gain a better understanding of their effects on ecosystems. Here, we describe the approach designed by the Italian Botanical Society that is aimed at selecting a list of candidate alien plants to be subjected to a prior...

The fruticose epiphytic lichen Seirophora villosa, strictly associated with Juniperus shrublands in the Mediterranean basin, was used to investigate the role of hairiness on a lichen thallus, as a characteristic morphological trait. We evaluated the effect of hair removal on the physiological parameters of a set of samples, during desiccation and o...

In this contribution, new data concerning the distribution of vascular flora alien to Italy are presented. It includes new records, confirmations, and status changes for Italy or for Italian administrative regions of taxa in the genera Abies, Actinidia, Aloe, Amaryllis, Anredera, Arctotheca, Bidens, Cardiospermum, Celosia, Commelina, Cotoneaster, C...

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 for taxa in the genera Acer , Alchemilla , Andrachne , Bromus , Clinopodium , Colchicum , Damasonium , Erodium , Festuca , Hieracium , Hyparrhenia...

Ionopsidium savianum (Caruel) Arcang. (Brassicaceae) is as near threatened species included in the IUCN Red List, primarily threatened by habitat alteration and abandonment of traditional management practices (Gigante et al. 2014). It is considered as subendemic for Italy, recorded for Latium, Umbria and Tuscany, in different ecological conditions....

Understanding host plant preference and the relative quality of resource provided by co-occurring host plants is a key step to predict butterfly species abundance and responses to environmental changes, and, consequently, to plan management measures. Zerynthia cassandra is an Italian endemic species strongly dependent on the availability of its hos...

Standardized tools are needed to identify and prioritize the most harmful non-native species (NNS). A plethora of assessment protocols have been developed to evaluate the current and potential impacts of non-native species, but consistency among them has received limited attention. To estimate the consistency across impact assessment protocols, 89...

We conducted a phytosociological study of the particular coenoses with presence of Cirsium alpis-lunae, a strictly endemic species living in marly-arenaceous montane screes of the Apennines between Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna and Marche. We surveyed all the reported locations and analyzed the coenological and ecological features of the communities by m...

Biological invasions represent a global threat to biodiversity. Particular attention should be devoted to the management of alien plants, focusing on the opportunity to obtain a rapid response to invasion and restoration of the invaded areas. In this study we aimed to evaluate five different methods for controlling Oxalis pes-caprae, a well-known i...

New localities and/or confirmations concerning 57 specific and subspecific plant taxa of Tuscan vascular flora, belonging to 42 genera and 25 families are presented: Chenopodium, Polycnemum, Salsola (Amaranthaceae), Torilis (Apiaceae), Hieracium, Tragopogon (Asteraceae), Mahonia (Berberidaceae), Lepidium (Brassicaceae), Campanula (Campanulaceae), H...

In the Mediterranean basin, coastal dune systems are a priority habitat for nature conservation. Seirophora villosa is strictly associated with undisturbed dune juniper formations and can be used as an indicator of the status of conservation. Light regime and water availability are generally the main ecological factors modified by habitat fragmenta...