EXPLORING PATTERNS OFINTRASPECIFICTRAIT VARIABILITY IN ENDEMIC AND NON-ENDEMIC SPECIES: INSIGHTS FOR CONSERVATION STRATEGIES

Most of the plant diversity in temperate forests is found in the understorey, a vital layer for ecosystem functioning that is increasingly threatened by global changes. Conserving under storey diversity and processes is a central objective of the EU biodiversity and forest strate gies for 2030. Italian woodlands host a rich endemic flora, comprising 134 taxa, many of which inhabit the understorey. These species are often geographically restricted and highly sensitive to forest management, wildfires and climate change. However, knowledge about their distribution, population dynamics, and ecological roles remains scarce. The FORENDEMICS project aims to investigate the functional traits of endemic forest species to improve ecological understanding and develop effective, targeted conservation strategies. In this study, we employed an innovative trait-based approach to evaluate patterns of intraspecific trait variability in endemic species and their taxonomically closest non-endemic relatives: Crocus etruscus vs. Crocus neglectus, Glechoma sardoa vs. Glechoma hederacea, and Knautia gussonei vs. Knautia drymeia. We sampled four populations of each endemic species across different environmental conditions and compared them with four populations of their non-endemic counterparts. Eleven functional traits were analyzed, spanning above and below-ground plant compartments: leaf area, leaf mass per area, leaf nitrogen concentration, specific leaf area, flower size, flower mass per area, root nitrogen concentration, spe cific root length, lateral spread, and bud banksize. Thesetraits capturekeystrategies related to resource use, sexual reproduction, spatial occupation, and resprouting after disturbance, offering a comprehensive view of species’ functional space in relation to their endemic status. Preliminary statistical analyses suggest no consistent patterns in functional trait differences between endemic and non-endemic species. Differences in functional traits appears to occurprimarily at thepopulationlevel, rather than the species level. Environmental factors likely play a more significant role in shaping functional traits, irrespective of endemic status. Further statistical analyses are underway to confirm or refine these initial findings.