Vascular plant species diversity of Mt. Etna (Sicily): endemicity, insularity and spatial patterns along the altitudinal gradient of the highest active volcano in Europe.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Altitudinal variation in vascular plant richness and endemism is crucial for the conservation of biodiversity. Territories featured by a high species richness may have a low number of endemic species, but not necessarily in a coherent pattern. The main aim of our research is to perform an in-depth survey on the distribution patterns of vascular plant species richness and endemism along the elevation gradient of Mt. Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe.

Methods

We used all the available data (literature, herbarium and seed collections), plus hundreds of original (G Giusso, P Minissale, S Sciandrello, pers. obs., 2010-2020) on the occurrence of the Etna plant species. Mt. Etna (highest peak at 3,328 mt a.s.l.) was divided into 33 belts 100 m wide and the speci

SUBMITTER: Sciandrello S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7680032 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature