A phytosociological survey of the Corynephorus canescens (L.) Beauv. communities of Italy

Abstract

In Italy, Corynephorus communities are distributed along the medium course of the Ticino river and Sesia river and the internal sand dunes of Lomellina (through the Vercelli, Novara and Pavia provinces); these stations represent the southern limit of European distribution of this habitat. A phytosociological study was carried out to gain better knowledge of their composition; of their affinity or diversity against the central European communities; of their distribution and of the main threats to their conservation. Original and literature relevés (114) were elaborated producing a cluster analysis; correspondence analysis (CA), principal component analysis and Kruskal–Wallis test were carried on to characterize the clusters of relevés taking into consideration biological forms, chorological groups, Ellenberg indicator values and floristic groups. Italian Corynephorus communities can be attributed to the following syntaxa: Spergulo vernalis-Corynephoretum canescentis, Spergulo vernalis-Corynephoretum canescentis cladonietosum, Spergulo vernalis-Corynephoretum canescentis silenetosum nutantis and Spergulo vernalis-Corynephoretum canescentis artemisietosum campestris. Italian Corynephorus communities are included in the Habitat 2330 of the EU Habitat Directive. They are threatened by different factors (such as restricted areas of occurrence, alien plant invasion and natural dynamics) and they need to be managed if we want to conserve them.

Keywords:

• Acidic dry grasslands
• dynamics
• phytosociology
• Po Plain
• threats

Acknowledgements

We thank Prof. Maria Grazia Valcuvia and Gabriele Gheza, for information about lichens, and Dr. Alberto Meriggi, for information about fauna. We would also to thank Dr Adriano Soldano and Gianfranco Rotti for the precious floristic information they gave me during excursions along the Sesia river. We thank Prof. Dr M. G. Barbour for his suggestions on English style. The anonymous reviewers and the associate editor of the journal are also acknowledged for their useful and detailed comments.