Biodiversità vegetale degli stagni temporanei della Sicilia

Rare vegetal species and specialized communities take advantage of ephemeral wetlands peculiar ecological characteristics. These habitats are seasonal, spatially dispersed, typically small in extension and very difficult to map accurately. Due to these characteristics temporary pools are often overlooked in studies at landscape scale, even if these habitats are biodiversity micro-hotspots that contribute significantly to ecosystem functioning and land mosaic connectivity. The present paper presents information on composition, distribution and state of conservation of ephemeral wetlands vegetal communities in Sicily, which give shelter to rare and important species such as Myosurus minimus, Isoetes velata, Damasonium polyspermum, Cicendia filiformis, Elatine gussonei, Isolepis cernua, Molineriella minuta, Sisymbriella dentata, Ranunculus parviflorus, Juncus capitatus, Crassula vaillantii. The European Commission recognized the importance of Mediterranean temporary ponds and included them in the Habitat directive 92/43/CEE as priority habitat (3170*).