The pastoral landscapes of arenaceous substrata in the Monti Sibillini National Park (Central Italy)

The “Monti Sibillini National Park”, representing and important hotspot for biodiversity in Central Italy, is distinguished by calcareous substrates (90% of the surface) in its south‐eastern foothills, and arenaceous sediments outcrops (5% of the National park territory). The vegetation of this hilly landscape is mainly composed by forest ecosystems, arable fields and grasslands/meadows. In the last decades the abandonment of mountain farms and the cessation of traditional land‐use led to a huge expansion of woods and scrublands (Mazzoleni et al. 2004, Falcucci et al. 2007); contrariwise fields and, most of all, grasslands suffered a marked reduction of their extension. Because of such considerations it is mandatory a deeper understanding of the ecology and taxonomic composition of the grassland/meadow communities. During the survey campaign (May‐June 2008), we performed 55 phytosociological relevées, using the Braun Blanquet‘s method. These surveys were then processed to cluster analysis that highlighted the presence of five different clusters reflecting five different plant communities. For each community we defined the phytosociological placement, ecology and structural features, the taxonomic relevance for the flora of the National Park and the status of conservation. Two clusters were represented by mown meadows dominated by Arrhenatherum elatius (L.) P.Beauv. ex J. Presl & C.Presl, and Cynosurus cristatus L. respectively. The other two clusters were characterized by an acidophilus, semi‐mesophilous grassland dominated by Nardus stricta L. and a xeric grassland, mostly abandoned, characterized by Bromopsis erecta (Huds.) Fourr. and Achillea tomentosa L. Finally, the last was dominated by Calluna vulgaris, a locally strongly threatened species that in this territory have one of the southernmost populations of the Italian peninsula.