Articles

While alien organisms, vascular plants included, are progressively increasing their worldwide impact on habitats, the present research confirms a similar dangerous trend for Calabria, the southernmost and floristically richest region of Italian Peninsula. The set of additional alien taxa here recorded for the vascular flora of Calabria includes: Acacia melanoxylon, <i>Bidens </i><i>subalternans</i>, <i>Buddleja</i><i> </i><i>davidii</i>, <i>Cucurbita </i><i>moschata</i>, <i>Cyclospermum</i><i> </i><i>leptophyllum</i>, <i>Erigeron annuus </i>subsp.<i> annuus</i>, <i>Hesperocyparis</i><i> glabra, </i><i>Ligustrum </i><i>ovalifolium</i>, <i>Mahonia </i><i>aquifolium</i><i>, </i><i>Morus indica</i>, <i>Oenothera speciosa, </i><i>Prunus serotina</i>, Pyracantha fortuneana, <i>Rudbeckia laciniata, </i><i>Solanum </i><i>nitidibaccatum</i><i>, </i><i>Sparaxis </i><i>bulbifera</i><i>, </i><i>Tradescantia </i><i>cerinthoides</i><i>, </i>Ulmus pumila. These additional 18 taxa bring the total number of alien species from 382 to 400. The most represented biological forms are scapose therophyte and scapose phanerophyte with 5 species (27.8% of the total). The most frequent biogeographic origins of the surveyed species are North America (6 species; 33.3%), followed by Asia and South America both with 4 species (22.2%). The most common habitats hosting the recorded alien taxa are roadsides (8 species; 44.4%), although all surveyed plants have been found in deeply anthropized environments. The altitude of occurrence, extending 3 to 1,286 m a.s.l., together with other ecological data provided, demonstrate the ability of aliens to potentially colonize a wide range of environments in the region.

Calabria is a floristic hotspot just at the center of Mediterranean Sea. Unfortunately, an increasing number of alien plant species threats this natural heritage, exactly while the crucial role of botany in secondary schools of Italy has been definitely dismantled. Calabrian Native Project is an environmental education project planned by Istituto Tecnico Agrario of Catanzaro that, reintroducing some key concepts of botany and biogeography, allowing pupils to experience a botanical excursion in the close-to-the-school Mediterranean Biodiversity Park, gives them the opportunity to become acquainted with both native and alien species. Pupils are asked to collect native plant propagules and to seed or cultivate the material in the school greenhouses, and to take care of these plants until their use. The prevalent outdoor and laboratory approach to the issue of bioinvasions, make the project very effective. This feature, with the low cost and reduced technology inputs, make the project highly replicable in other contexts, just focusing appropriate target species.