MARA Vegetation Database: Monitoring Alien species along mountain Roads in the central Apennines

作者：Lucia Antonietta Santoianni, Fabrizio Bartolucci, Marta Carboni, Fabio Conti, Greta La Bella, Marco Varricchione, Angela Stanisci · 发表于：Vegetation Ecology and Diversity · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.3897/ved.139363 · 被引用次数：5 · 研究领域：Species Distribution and Climate Change、Mediterranean and Iberian flora and fauna、Botany and Plant Ecology Studies

The MARA (Monitoring Alien species along mountain Roads in the central Apennines) database was developed to monitor the distribution of vascular plant species along mountain roads in the Central Apennines, Italy, focusing on alien (i.e. neophytes) and thermophilous plant species. Data were gathered in 2022 from 118 plots spanning an elevation range from 420 to 2125 meters a.s.l. along 3 main road corridors on three massifs (Gran Sasso, Maiella and Terminillo), following the MIREN road survey protocol. The database comprises 810 taxa (species and subspecies), of which 16 are identified as alien taxa. Major plant families in frequency are Asteraceae, Poaceae, and Fabaceae. MARA captures detailed information on species cover, taxonomy, and ecological traits, such as life forms and Ecological Indicator Values for Europe (EIVE) related to temperature. Notably, 53% of the alien species recorded were thermophilous, thriving in warmer environments, and predominantly concentrated below 1200 meters, though a few species extend to higher elevations. This suggests that rising temperatures due to climate change may facilitate the upward movement of these species, potentially disrupting native vegetation. For such reasons, the MARA database is a valuable resource for long-term ecological monitoring, providing valuable data for both national and international research networks.