Floristic, coenological and biogeographical features of three coastal humid areas of Puglia region (southern Italy)

This study was as part of an INTERREG project (III A Italy-Greece 2000-2006), in particular the Measure 3.1 aimed at the amelioration and management of some common ecosystems found on both sides of the Adriatic Sea. This project, covering western Greece and the Italian region of Puglia, involves the implementation of GIS allowing to acquire, process and analyse ecological data. These data were collected in three important coastal protected areas of the Puglia region, namely Torre Guaceto, Le Cesine, and Saline of Punta della Contessa. The importance of these humid areas is illustrated by the high number of Dir. 92/43 EEC habitats occurring here such as 1120 Posidonia beds; 2250 Coastal dunes with Juniperus sp. pl.; 1510 Mediterranean salt steppes; 2260 dune sclerophyllous scrubs; 9340 Quercus ilex forests; 1210 Annual vegetation of drift lines; 1410 Mediterranean salt meadows; 2110 Embryonic shifting dunes; 2120 Shifting dunes with Ammophila arenaria; 3170 temporary ponds; 1240 Vegetated sea cliff with endemic Limonium sp. pl.; 6420 Mediterranean tall humid grassland; 2130 Fixed dunes with herbaceous vegetation. In order to preserve this fragile natural ecosystem from the wide range of anthropogenic factors that are currently threatening the Mediterranean retro-dune areas, a detailed phytosociological study of the small-scale plant community mosaic as well as of the potential vegetation types was conducted. The three Apulian humid sites differred from each other both floristically and coenologically. In addition to slight differences in their physical environments, the reciprocal floristic and vegetation diversity is likely to be related to biogeographical boundaries which cross the southern Apulia and which are expressed by the variation in the ecological behaviour of the main diagnostic species more than to the coincidence of their distribution areas limits.