Italiano - University TS - Biology - Research

BIODIVERSITY AND TAXONOMY: Biodiversity - Flora

Flora-vegetation of N.E.Italy

The floristic cartography of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, begun in the 1960s and transferred to a computer database, led to the publication, in 1991, of a fundamental Chorological Atlas of the entire regional flora, on territorial units of about 143 sq. km. This project continues with the constant update of the data. The archive currently comprises about 360,000 records. A Chorological Atlas of the Karst of the Trieste and Isonzo areas is now being assembled, with highly detailed grid units (about 9 sq. km). The database of the Karst flora consists of about 39,000 records (recent and historical). Critical entities are studied from a biosystematic point of view in order to identify the differentiating characters, by means of morphological, cytotaxonomic and embryological studies. The data published so far on the vegetation of the Region have been organised in a vegetational database, which, together with the floristic database, will permit quantitative evaluations of the biodiversity. The main objective is that of producing a monograph of the vegetation of Friuli- Venezia Giulia, in order also to identify primary habitats and significant biotopes as required by the Nature 2000 Project and Bioitaly.

The main projects currently being carried out are the following:
  1. Taxonomic research on critical entities of the Italian flora with particular emphasis on the north-eastern sector
  2. Causal analysis of the vegetation of north-east Italy
  3. Nature 2000 Project and Bioitaly.

Scientists in charge: L. Poldini, M. Vidali.

BIODIVERSITY AND TAXONOMY: Biodiversity - Flora

Biodiversity of Mediterranean Lichens

The first modern list of Italian lichens was published in 1993. The work is constantly updated with a view to a reprint, and the various updates are available on Internet. Within the context of an international project of O.P.T.I.M.A., the Department co-ordinates the drafting of a general inventory of lichen biodiversity in the Mediterranean Region. Moreover, an annotated inventory of all the lichenicolous fungi of Italy is currently being assembled. The acquisition of new data, and the consequent enrichment of the TSB lichen herbarium, is effected through specific studies of little known areas (a floristic study on the Adriatic side of peninsular Italy is now being completed) and by monographic studies on critical groups. The research is carried out in close collaboration with a number of foreign research centres.

Scientists in charge: P.L.Nimis , M. Tretiach.

BIODIVERSITY AND TAXONOMY: Biodiversity - Flora

Urban Flora

Floristic cartography of urban areas in order to supply updated information on the flora of Trieste and Udine, with particular emphasis on the allergophytic component.

Scientists in charge: F. Martini, L. Rizzi.

BIODIVERSITY AND TAXONOMY: Biodiversity - Flora

Quantitative Phytogeography

Use of original methodologies for the computerised processing of distributional data relative to vascular plants. A series of programmes connected to a database allows the carrying out of phytogeographic analyses at different levels (floristic, vegetational, taxonomic) using multivariate analysis and automatic cartography techniques. These methodologies, tested on the vegetation of North America (Alaska and Yukon) and Europe (Italian woodland vegetation) have been extended to Northern and Southern Siberia, in collaboration with the Siberian Central Botanical Garden of Novosibirsk (Russia). An expedition to lake Baikal was carried out in 1997 to collect data for an integrated phytogeographical analysis of the entire Amphiberingian region.

Scientist in charge: P.L. Nimis.

BIODIVERSITY AND TAXONOMY: Biodiversity - Flora

Bryoflora of the S.E. Alps

Knowledge of the bryoflora of the South-eastern Alps is, at present, very fragmentary, due to the fact that, in the past, its study was limited to particular sites. The objective of this programme is to investigate those areas of this section of the territory which are still unknown from a bryological point of view, with the aim of building up the necessary basis for publications on the bryoflora of the region. A large amount of floristic data, in part already published, has been collected in some areas of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. An inventory of the bryophytes of the National Park of the Belluno Dolomites is currently been compiled.

Scientist in charge: M. Codogno.
Italiano - University TS - Biology - Research