Chorology, endemism, vicariance, floristic territories. Causes affecting plant distribution (climate, soil, autoecology, life strategies). Physiognomical, structural and floristic features of vegetation. Description of Italian vegetation main types with focus on the Tuscan territory. The principal methods used in vegetation surveys and the phytosociological approach. Vegetation mapping. Vegetation dynamism. General outlines of the synphytosociological approach and of Landscape Ecology.
PDF of PowerPoint slides showed in the lectures
Zunino M., Zullini A., 2004 – Biogeografia (2a ed.). CEA, Milano
Ubaldi D., 2003 – Flora, fitocenosi e ambiente. Clueb, Bologna.
Farina A., 2003 – Ecologia del paesaggio. UTET, Torino
Pignatti S. (ed.), 1995 - Ecologia vegetale. UTET, Torino.
Some articles and web documents quoted in the lectures
Learning Objectives
Knowledge acquired:
The species concept in phytogeography, taxonomy and systematic groups. Chorology, endemism, vicariance, floristic territories. Factors affecting plant species and communities distribution (climate, soil, ecology, history of European flora); flora and vegetation; plant biological and growth forms; physiognomic and floristic-ecologic vegetation aspects; methods for classifying vegetation; vegetation dynamism; general outlines of landscape phytosociology and landscape ecology; knowledge of main Italian and Tuscan vegetation types; general concepts concerning conservation of plants and habitats.
Competence acquired:
Understanding principal phytogeographic notions (endemism, vicariance, relicts); understanding patterns affecting the distribution of plant species and communities; understanding of vegetation dynamics, of phytosociological classification of plant communities and of vegetated landscape; understanding vegetation maps; understanding principal conservation aspects regarding habitats and plant communities.
Abilities acquired (at the end of the course):
Ability to interpret the vegetation cover of a territory and to read vegetation maps; ability to collect phisiognomical and phytosociological vegetation data in the field; competence in analysing and interpreting the collected data.
Prerequisites
Courses to be used as requirements (required and/or recommended)
Courses recommended: Botanica I, Botanica II, Ecologia
Teaching Methods
Total hours of the course (including the time spent in attending lectures, seminars, private study, examinations, etc...): 150
Hours spent in private study and other individual learning activities: 90
Contact hours for: Lectures (hours): 40
Contact hours for: Laboratory-field/practice (hours): 20
Further information
Frequency of lectures, practice and lab:
Not required but recommended
Type of Assessment
Oral exam, also based on candidate’s view and comment of vegetation tables and/or maps
Course program
Historical introduction. The species concept in phytogeography, taxonomy and systematic groups. Chorology, extent of occurrence and area of occupancy, endemism, classification of endemism, vicariance, floristic territories of Takhtajan and Cox. Flora and vegetation concepts. The causes of plant distribution. Climate classification and plants. Bioclimate. Climate, soil and plants. Duachaufour classification of soils. Vegetation belts. The European flora history up to the post-glacial period. Physiognomical, structural and floristic characteristics of vegetation. Vegetation physiognomy and vegetation formation types. Description of Italian vegetation main types with focus on the Tuscan territory. The principal methods for carrying out vegetation surveys. The floristic-ecological approach, the vegetation association and phytosociology. The syntaxonomical classification. Outlines of vegetation mapping. The importance of vegetation in defining habitats of conservation interest. General conservation aspects regarding plant species and communities. Outline of the rigorous statistical approach to the study of vegetation. The vegetation dynamism (theories of Clements, Gleason, Tansley, Shifting mosaic steady-state model, the climax concept and the potential natural vegetation, static and dynamic climax). The vegetated landscape: historical background, definition and limits. The phytosociological approach to the study of landscape: synphytosociology and geosynphytosociology. General principles and methods of Landscape Ecology: patches, corridors, matrix; scale, grain, extension; landscape aspects and biodiversity.