DALIA: a relational DAtabase of tree, shrub and LIAna taxa recorded in the Functional Urban Area of Campobasso (Italy)

We developed the DALIA relational database (DAtabase of tree, shrub and LIAna taxa), which contains records of tree, shrub, and liana taxa recorded in the Functional Urban Area of Campobasso, a small city located in the inner-Mediterranean Region of Southern Italy. The DALIA database, developed through the PostgreSQL data management system, includes 170 species and subspecies (126 native and 44 alien) belonging to 46 taxonomic families (35 native species and 23 alien species). Each taxon, whether native or alien, was classified according to multiple ecological, functional, and biogeographic groups. Moreover, the diagnostic value for Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC, the IUCN red list conservation category, and, specifically for alien taxa, residence time and invasion status are reported. We described the dataset by bar and donut charts, density plots, and box plots. Results highlighted that native taxa are mainly Eurasian deciduous and Mediterranean evergreen with a prevalent zoochorous dispersal. By contrast, alien taxa are from Temperate Asia, North America, and Tropical Asia and count many anemochorous species with winged diaspores. Alien plant taxa show different characteristics in terms of ecological and disturbance indicator values, indicating a potential greater competitiveness in highly disturbed environments than native ones. The DALIA checklist of native and alien plant taxa collects important ecological information that is useful for monitoring plant diversity, implementing ecological restoration actions, and supporting sustainable urban greenery plans and actions.