The fate of threatened coastal dune habitats in Italy under climate change scenarios.

ABSTRACT: Coastal dunes worldwide harbor threatened habitats characterized by high diversity in terms of plant communities. In Italy, recent assessments have highlighted the insufficient state of conservation of these habitats as defined by the EU Habitats Directive. The effects of predicted climate change could have dramatic consequences for coastal environments in the near future. An assessment of the efficacy of protection measures under climate change is thus a priority. Here, we have developed environmental envelope models for the most widespread dune habitats in Italy, following two complementary approaches: an "indirect" plant-species-based one and a simple "direct" one. We analyzed how habitats distribution will be altered under the effects of two climate change scenarios and evaluated if th

SUBMITTER: Prisco I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3706318 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature