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Highlights• The published flora of the Apuan Alps was explored to detect biogeographical patterns.• Native and alien plant species richness decreased with elevation, while endemics increased, pointing at the conservation relevance of the Apuan Alps.• Functional groups based on Raunkiaer Life Forms show differentiated responses to the elevational gradient.• Area size of elevational belts have only marginal effects on patterns of species richness: the observed trends are likely due to environmental constraints.• Current climate change is likely to affect observed patterns, high-elevation rare species are likely to be threatened by competition from species moving upwards from lower elevations.

An outline of the main distribution patterns of lichens in the ecoregions of Italy, accounting for their climatic, geographic, and environmental features, is still missing. On the basis of a GIS-based analysis, we summarized: (1) the main features (e.g., surface, climate, landscape, topographic heterogeneity, bedrock, eutrophication) of the 9 ecoregions adopted in ITALIC, the information system on Italian lichens, and (2) the patterns of richness, functional traits, and ecological requirements of lichens in the ecoregions. Our GIS-based analysis describes for the first time the main features of the 9 ecoregions adopted in ITALIC, highlighting differences which could explain the main lichen patterns. Overall, the exploration of the Italian lichen biota is still a work in progress, some regions being still underexplored, especially in the South, with new taxa being reported every year. Our research could provide a baseline for further advancements in the understanding of species richness and community composition of Italian lichens, at a regional scale.

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