Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.5
2.5
Journals
Applied Sciences
Special Issues
Advances in Diversity of Plant Species, Communities, and Ecology
applsci-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Applied Sciences Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Advances in Diversity of Plant Species, Communities, and Ecology

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 1010

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Robert Philipp Wagensommer

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Education, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Viale Ratisbona 16, 39042 Bressanone, Italy
Interests: vascular flora; taxonomy; systematics; vegetation; phytosociology; threatened plant taxa; nature conservation; red listing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Scientific research is progressing at an ever-increasing pace. The diversity of plant species, the communities that they build, and the ecological aspects of plants are far from being fully understood, even in areas where botanical exploration has been ongoing for centuries. New taxonomic and ecological investigation techniques are enabling us to revise various classifications, sometimes leading to profound changes in taxonomy, syntaxonomy, and ecology.

Therefore, for this Special Issue, we welcome contributions investigating new developments in the study of plant diversity, at both the species and the community level.

In particular, this Special Issue will showcase works that bridge the following themes: plant taxonomy, flora from poorly known territories, syntaxonomy, phytosociology, and plant ecology.

Dr. Robert Philipp Wagensommer
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biosystematics
  • phytosociology
  • plant communities
  • plant diversity
  • plant ecology
  • vascular plants

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

11 pages, 19563 KB  
Article
Living on the Edge: Conservation of Plant Species with Extremely Small Populations in a Sardinian Urban Area Close to Nature
by Donatella Cogoni and Giuseppe Fenu
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(9), 4076; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16094076 - 22 Apr 2026
Viewed by 328
Abstract
A first study analyzed the effect of the presence of a highly frequented tourist trail on the size and reproductive capacity of Globularia alypum, a Mediterranean shrub of conservation interest. In Sardinia, this species is a typical example of a plant with [...] Read more.
A first study analyzed the effect of the presence of a highly frequented tourist trail on the size and reproductive capacity of Globularia alypum, a Mediterranean shrub of conservation interest. In Sardinia, this species is a typical example of a plant with Extremely Small Populations (PSESPs), restricted to a natural area embedded within an urban matrix, which makes it particularly vulnerable to ecological pressures. In this second contribution, the investigation expands to the entire population of the species distributed across different habitats. The possible correlations between vegetative and reproductive traits of the plant are examined, along with the influence exerted by both habitat type and varying levels of human disturbance. To evaluate potential drivers of its persistence, morphological (H, diameter and plant volume) and reproductive traits (number of flowers, number of fruits and number of seed per plant) were recorded at the individual level. Additionally, to assess human disturbance (consisting mainly of trampling), the presence of trails was used as a proxy and, accordingly, each plant was categorized following its relative position to the nearest path according to three categories: Near Trail (NT), Mid-Trail Distance (MTD), or Far from Trail (FT). A total of 114 individuals distributed across four habitat types were measured. Statistical analyses revealed only marginal associations between habitat type and vegetative or reproductive traits. While trail proximity did not influence flower and fruit production, plant volume tended to be greater in individuals located farther from trails, suggesting a potential, albeit limited, effect of reduced human pressure on plant growth. These findings highlight the importance of understanding subtle ecological interactions that shape the persistence of PSESPs in urban close to nature area and provide valuable insights for developing targeted conservation and management strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Diversity of Plant Species, Communities, and Ecology)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

24 pages, 10859 KB  
Article
Hieracium petrocastellanum, sp. nov., and Other New Records in the Genus Hieracium (Asteraceae) from the Pollino National Park (Southern Italy)
by Emilio Di Gristina, Enrico Bajona, Günter Gottschlich, Raimondo Pardi, Gianniantonio Domina and Giuseppe Venturella
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(5), 2398; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16052398 - 28 Feb 2026
Viewed by 341
Abstract
Hieracium L. s. str. is a taxonomically critical genus of perennial herbaceous plants widely distributed across temperate regions of Europe, Asia, and North America. In Italy, its diversity is mainly concentrated in the Alps and northern Apennines, whereas southern Italy hosts only a [...] Read more.
Hieracium L. s. str. is a taxonomically critical genus of perennial herbaceous plants widely distributed across temperate regions of Europe, Asia, and North America. In Italy, its diversity is mainly concentrated in the Alps and northern Apennines, whereas southern Italy hosts only a limited number of relict taxa. Recent floristic surveys conducted in the Pollino National Park (southern Italy) revealed the presence of five Hieracium taxa, which were subsequently subjected to critical taxonomic evaluation. Detailed morphological analyses, supported by original herbarium comparisons and multivariate morphometric analyses, resulted in the description of a new species, here named H. petrocastellanum, the confirmation of H. pallescens subsp. tephrochlorum in the Italian flora after nearly 130 years from its discovery, and the first record for the Pollino area of H. symphytifolium, previously considered endemic to the Madonie Mountains (north-central Sicily), as well as H. pellitum subsp. pellitum and H. caesioides subsp. caesioides. The new species, Hieracium petrocastellanum, differs in having basal leaves with cuneate bases, only 0–1 cauline leaves, and bracts with sparse simple hairs and moderately dense glandular hairs. Ecological information and data on taxonomic relationships are also provided. The conservation status is assessed for H. petrocastellanum, H. pallescens subsp. tephrochlorum, and H. symphytifolium. An analytical key is presented to distinguish the new species from its closest relatives. These results confirm the Pollino National Park as a biodiversity hotspot and improve current knowledge of Hieracium. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Diversity of Plant Species, Communities, and Ecology)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop