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Researches in Castelporziano test site: ecophysiological studies on Mediterranean vegetation in a changing environment

  • Coastal Forest Ecosystem near Rome
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Abstract

Urbanization processes increased dramatically in the past century leading to the emission of large quantities of air pollutants over relatively small areas. The consequent high concentration of pollutants and particulate matter (PM) have clear detrimental effects not only on human health, but also on urban and peri-urban vegetation. In this context, the Castelporziano Presidential Estate, a protected natural area located at the southeastern edge of the large conurbation of Rome (Italy), represents an ideal site to study the interaction between vegetation and atmospheric pollutants. Here we present an overview of the international field campaigns carried out in Castelporziano during the past 20 years, and of the ongoing research activities aimed to understanding the role of the estate in the provision of ecosystem services to the Metropolitan area of Rome. The exposure and potential detrimental effects of air pollutants such as tropospheric ozone and PM on natural vegetation have been assessed, investigating also the potential capacity of vegetation to ameliorate air quality under Mediterranean climatic condition. The results show that a correct assessment of the Ecosystem Services (ESs) provided by Mediterranean vegetation must consider the functional strategies that different species adopt to cope with drought stress, including the species-specific response of stomatal conductance to atmospheric water pressure difference, as well as the length of the drought period and its inter annual variability. Our results highlight the need to adopt managements strategies to mainten and implement the ESs provided by the important peri-urban natural area of Castelporziano.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the following grants: Program for Environmental Monitoring of the Castelporziano Presidential Estate, Accademia Nazionale delle Scienze detta dei XL (2010 and 2012 Grants); Sapienza Ateneo Research Project 2013 (Prot. No. C26A13E7JB).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy

    Lina Fusaro, Elisabetta Salvatori, Valerio Silli, Alessandra Bernardini & Fausto Manes

  2. Department of Sciences for Nature and Environmental Resources, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy

    Simone Mereu

  3. Impacts on Agriculture, Forest, and Ecosystem Services (IAFES), Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC), Sassari, Italy

    Simone Mereu

  4. Tenuta Presidenziale di Castelporziano, via Pontina 690, 00128, Rome, Italy

    Aleandro Tinelli

Authors
  1. Lina Fusaro
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  2. Elisabetta Salvatori
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  3. Simone Mereu
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  4. Valerio Silli
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  5. Alessandra Bernardini
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  6. Aleandro Tinelli
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  7. Fausto Manes
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lina Fusaro.

Additional information

This peer-reviewed article is a result of the multidisciplinary project coordinated by the "Accademia Nazionale delle Scienze detta dei XL", Rome, Italy, in the area of the Presidential Estate of Castelporziano near Rome.

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Fusaro, L., Salvatori, E., Mereu, S. et al. Researches in Castelporziano test site: ecophysiological studies on Mediterranean vegetation in a changing environment. Rend. Fis. Acc. Lincei 26 (Suppl 3), 473–481 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12210-014-0374-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12210-014-0374-1

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