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The importance of robust systems for classifying biogeographical patterns has been emphasized for its usefulness in\ud designing conservation strategies. For such purposes, the distribution patterns of the endemic flora have often been used.\ud Several studies have identified phytogeographical units within Sardinia (western Mediterranean); however, the main part of\ud the island remains unstudied. Thus, the aim of this study is to lay out a comprehensive biogeographical scheme for Sardinia\ud based on endemic vascular plant distributions, together with geological and geomorphological units. We georeferenced, in\ud a 1-km2 grid cell, the presence of 290 vascular endemic taxa from the literature, herbarium specimens and field\ud investigators’ research. Sardinia was subdivided into 31 homogeneous units through the integration of geological and\ud geomorphological maps and, subsequently, a presence–absence matrix of endemic taxa in each unit was built. Hierarchical\ud cluster analysis was performed to define two levels of biogeographical units (i.e. sectors and subsectors). For each unit the\ud exclusive and differential endemic taxa were identified. For sectors, indicator species were explored by the Indicator Value\ud (Ind Val) analysis and relationships were analysed by quantitative interaction web. A total of six sectors and 22 subsectors\ud were identified. The highest endemic plant richness was found in the Campidanese-Turritano, Sulcitano-Iglesiente and\ud Supramontano sectors, and in the Gennargenteo, Barbaricino, Iglesiente and Sulcitano subsectors. All sectors were\ud characterized by the presence of exclusive, differential and indicator taxa. The interaction analysis showed the highest\ud uniqueness in endemic flora in the Supramontano and Sulcitano-Iglesiente sectors, which hosted a high number of\ud exclusive endemic species. Mostly mountainous sectors/subsectors had higher endemic-species richness compared with\ud lowland ones. The study showed the relevance of geology and geomorphology, together with accurate data on endemic\ud distribution, to define consistent phytogeographical units. Furthermore, the biogeographical scheme presented here helps to\ud define area-based conservation strategies in Sardini

Rock climbing is among the outdoor activities that have undergone the highest growth since the second half of the 20th century. As a result, cliff habitats, historically one of the least disturbed by human colonization worldwide, are facing more intense human pressure than ever before. However, there is little data on the impact of this activity in plant-communities, and such information is indispensable for adequate manager decision-making. The goal of this study was to determine the impact of rock climbing on plant communities in terms of cover, richness, and composition in relation to climbing intensity on typical Mediterranean limestone cliffs. Three rock-climbing sites were selected in the Baetic range (SE Spain), corresponding to qualitative categories of climbing frequentation: i)“low” (low frequentation with intermittent climbing), ii)“medium” (high frequentation without overcrowding), and iii) “high” (high frequentation with overcrowding). Within each site, we selected climbing routes and adjacent areas free of climbing, then we carried out a photoplot-based sampling by rappelling. We analysed the images to calculate: richness, species cover, and total cover. This study shows that rock climbing negatively affected the cliff plant community at all three study sites. A significant decrease in plant cover, species richness and a shift in the community composition were recorded for climbed areas, the cover being the variable most sensitive to rock climbing. Impact observed proved to be related to the frequentation level. Low-frequentation sites, with usually more specialized climbers, underwent relatively mild damages, whereas at high frequentation sites the impact was severe and the conservation of the species, especially rare ones, became jeopardized. Our study is the first one available to investigate climbing impact on plant communities in Mediterranean areas, but more research on the impact of rock climbing is needed to assess the regulation of this activity. Regarding management guidelines, we propose a management guideline protocol to evaluate climbing routes and design: i) “Sites free of climbing”, ii) “Strictly regulated climbing routes”, iii) “Mildly regulated climbing routes”, or iv) “Free climbing routes”.

Question: How does the sowing of native species under different soil treatments contribute to the recovery of gypsum habitats affected by quarrying in Mediterranean environments? \ud \ud Location: Mediterranean gypsum outcrops in Granada (SE Spain; 37 degrees 2' N, 3 degrees 45' W). \ud \ud Methods: We conducted an experimental sowing of native perennial species from gypsum habitats (both gypsophiles and gypsovags) considering two factors: bedding materials and surface treatments. For bedding material we used: gypsum spoil, topsoil addition on gypsum spoil, raw gypsum and topsoil removal. The surface treatments were: control, sowing, sowing plus organic matter and sowing plus an organic blanket. There were five replicates per combination treatment (80 plots in total, of 25 m (2) each). The sowing was performed in Nov 2009. All subplots were monitored to estimate density, richness, survival, growth of seedlings and herbaceous biomass, in two monitoring periods (Jul and Oct). \ud \ud Results: No gypsophiles or gypsovags were found in the control plots (no sowing or surface treatment), and therefore natural succession proved ineffective in the first year. In contrast, sowing was very satisfactory, especially on gypsum spoil, where mean density was of more than 15 individuals m(-2). This result is noteworthy as this material remains after the end of gypsum mining activity. Spreading topsoil over gypsum spoil proved to be no more positive, since it provided not only seeds of target species but also of competitor species. Also, with regard to herbaceous species, this treatment produced a highly significant increase of biomass. The organic blanket increased plant density, whereas the addition of organicmatter had significant positive effects on survival and growth of the seedlings. The global high survival rate is remarkable, especially for the gypsum spoil treatment. \ud \ud Conclusions: We highlight the importance of implementing recovery measures in gypsum habitats. An appropriate selection of seed mixture and density, as well as the use of gypsum spoil (the most favourable bedding material, according the results), is sufficient to ensure presence of the key species. Both technical solutions tested, organic blanket installation and organic matter addition, improved the results in terms of density, survival and growth of the seedlings