lnfluences of landscape diversification on vegetational communities quality: multi-scale analitycal insights on highly simplified agricultural landscapes

Among intensively managed agricultural territories, plants biodiversity is nowadays easily impacted. Widespread over-exploitation and simplification of the agricultural landscape play an important role in biodiversity decline. In such contexts, natural and semi-natural areas play a strategie role: they act as residuai, and often isolated, biodiversity source areas (Pel­legrini et al. 2021; Dramstad et al. 1996). Their interconnection through linear landscape features is pivotal too. Our study investigates the role of the landscape eco-mosaic structural and functional traits in influencing the vegetational communities and their biodiversity val­ues among natural and semi-natural patches. It assesses 3 different study areas (Po Plain, Piedmont region, Northem Italy), with similar agricultural traits but different landscape con­figurations. Landscape ecology and landscape bionomics analyses are led at diff erent spatial scales, with different levels of detail (Vagge and Chiaffarelli, 2023). Quantitative metrics are computed and compared (patch size, matrix, shape indices, diversity indices, connectivity indices). Then, field scale floristic-vegetational data are collected among natural and semi­natural patches. Vegetational communities are interpreted according to the phytosociological method. Both floristic and vegetational ecological and chorological traits are analysed (life forms, chorotypes, authocthony degree, conservation interest, Ellenberg's indicators values ). a-biodiversity indices are computed (Shannon, Simpson). Landscape ecology and floristic­vegetational results are compared on their correlation pattems. Results highlighted positive relationships between higher landscape ecological quality and qualitative and quantitative floristic-vegetational quality. Such results provide new important elements both for: locally testing the role of landscape metrics as correlates to biodiversity values; inspire biodiver­sity monitoring strategies; orienting biodiversity support strategies. They confirm the im­portance of addressing multi-scale approaches, which are particularly needed among highly anthropized landscape systems (such as the Po Plain agricultural district) to coherently and effectively address biodiversity issues.