English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

During the last decades, an ongoing spread of broad-leaved evergreen laurophyllous species has been reported for forests of Southern Europe. Several factors were suggested as the main drivers of the phenomenon, namely global warming, land-use change, evolutionary history, and increase in atmospheric CO 2 . Among laurophylls,  Laurus nobilis  L. is considered one of the most prominent from the morphological, evolutionary, and ecological point of view. We studied the population structure of  L. nobilis  in Central Italy in its natural habitat to investigate its regeneration and potential expansion along with the influence biotic and abiotic factors. To define types of population structures, we collected proportions of six growth classes of  L. nobilis  in 16 sites. We obtained three types of population structure, i.e., (1) stable, (2) dynamic, and (3) regressive. The first two types are the most frequent, suggesting a potential increase of  L. nobilis  abundance within forests of Central Italy. The regressive population type occurs mainly in sites with heavy ungulate impact. High propagule pressure along with shaded and moist environmental conditions favor  L. nobilis  regeneration. Accordingly, we found evidence of a recent  L. nobilis  spread in Central Italian forests. We suggest the increase of forest cover and age, due to the abandonment of traditional rural practices, as key factors for the regeneration of this apparently late-successional laurophyll. In conclusion, the recent expansion of  L. nobilis  that we observed in the Italian forest stands can therefore be ascribed to a process of natural recover of a potential niche following land-use change.

Population structure of Laurus nobilis L. in Central Italian forests: evidence for its ongoing expansion