Natural habitats of typical plants growing on ruins of Roman archaeological sites (Rome, Italy)

Ceschin, Simona; Bartoli, Flavia; Salerno, Giovanni; Zuccarello, Vincenzo; Caneva, Giulia

doi:10.1080/11263504.2014.990536

Cited by 37 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Previous studies reported that horizontal surfaces, which provide better growing conditions, usually host a higher plant cover compared to vertical walls [38] [39]. In our case, more species were detected on vertical than on horizontal surfaces in agreement with Motti et al 2020 [40].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Contribution to the Knowledge of Biodeteriogenic Flora on Three Historical Calabrian (Southern Italy) Churches

Mascaro¹,

Pellegrino²,

Rose³

et al. 2021

OJE

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The effect of biodeteriogenic living organisms on historical and archeological sites is a well-known problem affecting the world's cultural heritage. Indeed, the growth inside the bricks of shrubs and herbs roots can cause breakage, collapse and, detachment of materials. The knowledge of the spontaneous vascular flora present on monuments is essential for protection and safeguarding of cultural heritage. In this paper, we identify and describe biodeteriogenic vascular flora of three historical Calabrian (Southern Italy) churches, showing the relationship between plant biodiversity and exposure and building material of churches. The species present on the wall and in perimeter for each church were sampled noting substrate type, surface inclination (vertical or horizontal) and exposure. The total number of plant species recorded was 27. Hemicryptophytes (41%) prevail over the other biological forms and the most represented families are that of the Asteraceae. Parietaria judaica is the only species present in all three sites. Substrate type, climatic condition and surface inclination affect the floristic composition. Sixteen out of 27 species grow on vertical surfaces, all Geophythes and Chamaephytes grow on horizontal surfaces, while Therophytes were rather on vertical surfaces. A significant difference was found in the Hazard Index values in the three churches. Only one site, presents a high average value of Hazard Index, due to the simultaneous presence of Ailanthus altissima, Ficus carica, Rubus ulmifolius and Sambucus nigra. The data collected indicate that the flora growing on wall of three Calabrian churches partially reflects the floristic context in which they are located. The diversity of the vegetational spectrum is remarkable, most of the plants are ruderal herbaceous, many weeds and invasive, and for the most part typical of the Mediterranean environment. The data collected contribute to the knowledge of the spontaneous vascular flora present on three historical Calabrian churches and their biodiversity, also in terms of How to cite this paper: Mascaro, M.E.,

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Contribution to the Knowledge of Biodeteriogenic Flora on Three Historical Calabrian (Southern Italy) Churches

Mascaro¹,

Pellegrino²,

Rose³

et al. 2021

OJE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Archaeological and historical sites are often integrated in urban environments where stone monuments and vegetation (from trees to mosses), and microorganisms, interact (Cicinelli et al, 2018). Indeed, depending on composition, exposure, and porosity of the substrate, plant and microflora communities can grow on different habitats, both vertical and horizontal, such as walls, ruins, rocky surfaces, sculptures, and stone and marble artifacts (Ceschin et al, 2016).…”

Section: Damages To Urban Artifacts and Monumentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Survey of Multiple Interactions Between Plants and the Urban Environment

Fineschi¹,

Loreto²

2020

Front. For. Glob. Change

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It is well-acknowledged that plants in urban areas provide multiple ecosystem services. They contribute improving ambient quality and mitigating negative impacts of human presence, beautifying the anthropic environment, and promoting place identity and cultural heritage. However, the existence of plants in general, and trees in particular, cannot be considered independent on urban activities and infrastructures. Release of plant volatile compounds is profoundly affected in urban environments, in turn modifying plant relationships with other living organisms, both plants and animals, and affecting air chemistry and quality. Plants also interfere with stone artifacts, cultural and historical heritage. Plant-human coexistence requires precise and adequate managing measures, which have often been ignored in cities' government and planning. Plants and humans (and human infrastructures) are frequently considered as independent from each other and plant requirements are often disregarded, thus causing difficult or erroneous management and/or environmental damage. We review some of the most important ecosystem services provided by plants in urban environment, and also focus on possible negative effects of plants that may become relevant if urban vegetation is improperly managed and unintegrated in proper city planning, both of historical centers and of new towns or suburbs. Keywords: ecosystem services, global change, green area typologies in cities, green urban planning and management, positive (negative) plant-human interactions, urban trees

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“…Owing to their high degree of environmental heterogeneity and to different management practices, these sites support a rich diversity of wild, mainly native, plants (Ceschin et al 2016). Ancient walls are the most common host environment of the flora in these sites.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A number of studies have been conducted on the impact of other taxonomic groups, such as fungi, lichens and bryophytes, on the biodeterioration of stone monuments (Salvadori and Casanova 2016;Warscheid and Braams 2000) and advances have been made in our knowledge of the plant cover of archaeological areas (Ceschin et al 2016) particularly of the most noxious native species, such as ivy (Hedera helix L., Bartoli et al 2017). However, a gap in research on non-native flora growing in heritage sites remains.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant invasion as an emerging challenge for the conservation of heritage sites: the spread of ornamental trees on ancient monuments in Rome, Italy

Celesti‐Grapow

Ricotta

2020

Biol Invasions

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Cultural heritage sites such as historical or sacred areas provide suitable habitats for plants and play an important role in nature conservation, particularly in human-modified contexts such as urban environments. However, such sites also provide opportunities for the spread of invasive species, whose impact on monuments has been raising growing concerns. The aim of this study was to investigate the patterns of distribution and spread of invasive plants in heritage areas, taking the city of Rome as an example. We focused on woody species as they pose the greatest threat to the conservation of monuments, owing to the detrimental effects of their root system. We analysed changes in the diversity and traits of native and non-native flora growing on the walls of 26 ancient sites that have been surveyed repeatedly since the 1940s. We found that the diversity of the native flora has steadily decreased, while there has been an increase in non-native, larger and more damaging species. The introduced species that have expanded most are ornamental wind- or bird-dispersed trees, which represent a major management problem as their propagules can reach the upper sections of the monuments, where they become more difficult to control. The most widespread and damaging of such species is Ailanthus altissima, which has recently been included among the invasive species of European Union concern (EU Regulation 2019/1262). Our findings show that plant invasion is an emerging challenge for the conservation of heritage sites and needs to be prioritized for management to prevent future expansion.

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Natural habitats of typical plants growing on ruins of Roman archaeological sites (Rome, Italy)

Cited by 37 publications

References 26 publications

Contribution to the Knowledge of Biodeteriogenic Flora on Three Historical Calabrian (Southern Italy) Churches

Contribution to the Knowledge of Biodeteriogenic Flora on Three Historical Calabrian (Southern Italy) Churches

A Survey of Multiple Interactions Between Plants and the Urban Environment

Plant invasion as an emerging challenge for the conservation of heritage sites: the spread of ornamental trees on ancient monuments in Rome, Italy

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