Lichens from the aurifodinae of the upper Ticino river valley (N Italy)
- Author:
- Gheza G. & Nascimbene J.
- Year:
- 2024
- Journal:
- Natural History Sciences [Atti della Società Italiana di Scienze Naturali e del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale in Milano]
- Pages:
- 11(1): 53–60
- Url:
- DOI: 10.4081/nhs.2024.734
Aurifodinae were open-pit gold mines of the Roman age
which left behind them elongated heaps of rounded stones. They are
located in lowland semi-natural landscapes, and can be seen as screes
at a lower altitude and in a milder climate than typical mountain screes.
We investigated the lichen biota of the aurifodinae remains in the upper
Ticino river valley (western Po Plain, Northern Italy), in a small, discontinuous,
6.5 ha wide area. Metamorphic siliceous stones prevail,
while calcareous stones are rare and scattered. We recorded 35 infrageneric
taxa, including three species new to Piemonte: Cladonia conista,
C. cryptochlorophaea, and Placidiopsis cinerascens. Several taxa are
also new to the submediterranean ecoregion and/or to the Ticino river
valley. The function of aurifodinae as a refugium for saxicolous lichens
in the lowlands and their potential role in creating wide areas with open
dry habitats in the past centuries are discussed.
Keywords: archaeological sites, biodiversity, lichen inventories,
Po Plain.
- Id:
- 36433
- Submitter:
- zpalice
- Post_time:
- Friday, 19 April 2024 16:39