EXPLORING PATTERNS OF INTRASPECIFIC TRAIT VARIABILITY IN ENDEMIC AND NON-ENDEMIC SPECIES: INSIGHTS FOR CONSERVATION STRATEGIES

Nicoa Postiglione ¹, Stefano Chelli ¹, Giandiego Campetella ¹, Roberto Canullo ¹, Cristina Gasperini ², Emmanuele Farris ³, Alfredo Maccioni ³, Francesco Mascia ³, Leonardo Rosati ⁴, Camilla Wellstein; Giacomo Mei; Federico Selvi ⁵

School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, Plant Diversity and Ecosystems Management Unit, Via Pontoni 5, 62032 Camerino ¹, Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry, Applied and Environmental Botany, University of Florence, P.le delle Cascine 28, 50144 Florence, Italy ², Department of Chemical, Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Via Piandanna 4, 07100 Sassari, Italy ³, School of Agricultural, Forestry, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Basilicata, 85100 Potenza, Italy ⁴, Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, 39100, Bozen, Italy; Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, 39100, Bozen, Italy; Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry, Applied and Environmental Botany, University of Florence, P.le delle Cascine 28, 50144 Florence, Italy ⁵

Most of the plant diversity in temperate forests is found in the understorey, a vital layer for ecosystem functioning that is increasingly threatened by global changes. Conserving understorey diversity and processes is a central objective of the EU biodiversity and forest strategies for 2030. Italian woodlands host a rich endemic flora, comprising 134 taxa, many of which inhabit the understorey. These species are often geographically restricted and highly sensitive to forest management, wildfires and climate change. However, knowledge about their distribution, population dynamics, and ecological roles remains scarce. The FORENDEMICS project aims to investigate the functional traits of endemic forest species to improve ecological understanding and develop effective, targeted conservation strategies. In this study, we employed an innovative trait-based approach to evaluate patterns of intraspecific trait variability in endemic species and their taxonomically closest non-endemic relatives: Crocus etruscus vs. Crocus neglectus, Glechoma sardoa vs. Glechoma hederacea, and Knautia gussonei vs. Knautia drymeia. We sampled four populations of each endemic species across different environmental conditions and compared them with four populations of their non-endemic counterparts. Eleven functional traits were analyzed, spanning above- and below-ground plant compartments: leaf area, leaf mass per area, leaf nitrogen concentration, specific leaf area, flower size, flower mass per area, root nitrogen concentration, specific root length, lateral spread, and bud bank size. These traits capture key strategies related to resource use, sexual reproduction, spatial occupation, and resprouting after disturbance, offering a comprehensive view of species' functional space in relation to their endemic status. Preliminary statistical analyses suggest no consistent patterns in functional trait differences between endemic and non-endemic species. Differences in functional traits appears to occur primarily at the population level, rather than the species level. Environmental factors likely play a more significant role in shaping functional traits, irrespective of endemic status. Further statistical analyses are underway to confirm or refine these initial findings.

Main author career stage: Postdoc / Fellow

Contribution type: Poster

First choice session: 2. Ecology

Second choice session: 3. Biodiversity and global change