Ellenberg’s Indicator values for the Flora of Italy – first update: Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae and Monocotyledoneae

Abstract

Ellenberg’s indicator values are an useful tool to delineate the relationship between plants and environment, recognising to each species a functional role as biological indicator. In the frame of the second edition of the Pignatti’s “Flora d’Italia”, some new informative systems are under preparations, in order to support geobotanical/applied studies, including a complete and updated review of the Ellenberg’s indicator values for the whole bulk of species mentioned in the flora of Italy. This first contribution includes a list of 380 species of Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae and Monocotiledoneae that complete the first assignment of the Ellenberg’s indicator values to the flora of Italy, published in 2005. Besides, some methodological considerations on the attribution and the use of Ellenberg’s indicator values are reported.