In situ conservation of threatened plant species

Research area: Botany - Mycology - Agriculture

Coordinators: Anna Corli

ERC sectors: LS8_2 Biodiversity; LS8_3 Conservation biology; LS8_5 Biological aspects of environmental change, including climate change

1 In situ conservation of threatened plant species

Italy is the European country with the richest plant biodiversity, with over 8,000 native species and 20% endemic species. However, our country's floral richness is severely threatened by anthropogenic and environmental factors, which compromise the conservation status of plant species. For this reason, it is important to implement appropriate in situ management and conservation strategies (e.g., translocations) for those species at risk of extinction.

2 Interspecific relationships: competition between plant species

The study of interspecific relationships, with particular reference to competition between plant species, is of primary importance for understanding the structure of plant communities and the evolution of species' functional traits. This plays a crucial role in the dynamics of biological invasions and represents a threat to species at risk of extinction.

1. 
- Corli A, Albani Rocchetti G, Orsenigo S, Possley J, Abeli T, 2023. The role of aftercare in plant translocation. Biodiversity and Conservation, 32:4181-4197. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-023-02703-x  

- Corli A, Gerdol R, Orsenigo S, Rossi G, Abeli T, Iacumin P, Marchesini R, Brancaleoni L, 2022. Relative importance of site selection and aftercare for successful reintroduction of the policy species Kosteletzkya pentacarpos. Plant Biosystem. https://doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2022.2089762 

- Corli A, Orsenigo S, Gerdol R, Bocchi S, Smolders AP, Brancaleoni L, Caffi MT, Abeli T, Rossi G, 2021. Coexistence of rice production and threatened plant species: testing Marsilea quadrifolia L. in N-Italy.  Paddy and Water Environment, 19, 395-400. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10333-021-00840-z

- Brancaleoni L, Gerdol R, Abeli T, Corli A, Rossi G, Orsenigo S, 2018. Nursery pre-treatments positively affects reintroduced plant performance via plant hardening, but not via transgenerational maternal effects. Aquatic Conservation, 28(3), 641-650. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2888

2. 
- Corli A, Orsenigo S, Porro F, Rossi G, Lodetti S, Mondoni A, 2024. Germination niche of co-occurring threatened native and alien species: a case study in Lindernia procumbens and L. dubia. Plant Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-024-01430-9 

- Corli A, Gerdol R, Orsenigo S, Rossi G, Abeli T, Brancaleoni L., 2022. A mesocosm experiment testing the competition between the invasive species Heteranthera reniformis Ruiz & Pav. and the endangered fern Marsilea quadrifolia L. Aquatic Botany, 183:103576. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2022.103576 

- Corli A, Walter J, Sheppard CS, 2021. Invasion success of Bunias orientalis (warty cabbage) in grasslands: a mesocosm experiment on the role of hydrological stress and disturbance. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 9, 625587.  https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.625587