relic wood of Juniperus turbinata Guss. (Cupressaceae) in Sicily: Structural and ecological features, conservation perspectives

Juniperus turbinata Guss. (Cupressaceae) is a threatened tree species occurring in the Mediterranean area. It is listed as a vulnerable species in the Red Book of Italian plants and its various communities are included in Annex I of the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC as a priority habitat for conserva...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Plant biosystems 2013-03, Vol.147 (1), p.145-157
Main Authors: Minissale, P, Sciandrello, S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
biodiversity
cluster analysis
conservation
conservation status
demography
habitat conservation
habitats
Juniper stand
Juniperus
plant communities
population dynamics
sandy soils
Sicily
soil ecology
trees
vegetation series
wood
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Summary:Juniperus turbinata Guss. (Cupressaceae) is a threatened tree species occurring in the Mediterranean area. It is listed as a vulnerable species in the Red Book of Italian plants and its various communities are included in Annex I of the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC as a priority habitat for conservation. During field investigations carried out to analyse the plant biodiversity of coastal habitats in southern Sicily, a new interesting population was found. This study aims to characterize this relevant new finding with a marked focus on demography and synecology of the plant community in question in order to define its habitat, assess its conservation status and propose conservation measures. Our data highlight that the juniper is characterized by low turnover population dynamics. In order to understand the role of J. turbinata in sandy soil communities of south-eastern Sicily, comparisons of 21 plots (relevés) with 25 established plots in south-eastern Sicily were carried out using cluster analysis and canonical component analysis. This has allowed three different plant communities with different ecological features to be identified.
ISSN:1724-5575
1126-3504
1724-5575
DOI:10.1080/11263504.2012.743931