Distribution of Mediterranean forests in Italy and climate connections: a large-scale overview

Geordie Biffoni ¹, Chiara Bonifazio ¹, Ian Briozzo ¹, Maria Guerrina ¹, Silvia Tripi ¹, Lucia Doni ¹, Luigi Minuto ¹, Gabriele Casazza ¹

DISTAV - Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell'Ambiente e della Vita ¹

The Mediterranean Basin is a well-known biodiversity hotspot, particularly affected by climate change and intense land use, leading to biodiversity loss. The INTEGRADIV project aims to enhance the understanding of Mediterranean forest ecosystems and promote protective and restorative actions for the Mediterranean biome, considering its taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic biodiversity facets. In this context, this work focuses on analysing tree and shrub species distribution in Italy, investigating their aggregation patterns and identifying the climatic variables that drive their distribution. Occurrence data were collected within 10km x 10km cells across the Italian territory during two fieldwork seasons. Hierarchical cluster analysis and correlation tests will be performed to provide a large-scale overview of Mediterranean forests, offering important tools for the integrated management of biodiversity in Italy. In summary, these analyses will help identify the distribution of Mediterranean forests, assess their preservation status, and determine the climatic factors influencing their spread across the Italian territory. Moreover, these results will contribute to understanding the ecological integrity of the Mediterranean biome in Italy and its vulnerability to climate change and land use, providing valuable tools for achieving the INTEGRADIV objectives.

Main author career stage: PhD student

Contribution type: Talk

First choice session: 1. Systematics, phylogenetics, biogeography and evolution

Second choice session: 3. Biodiversity and global change